Message for all families

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Dear families,

Thank you once again for your ongoing support this term. It has been a very different but productive and enjoyable half-term. Without doubt the highlight has been having our students return in full and learning face-to-face in classrooms!

With all new initiatives in school, we always regularly review them to ascertain how much of a positive impact they are making on learning. Last year we introduced the Engagement In Learning (EIL) detentions. Last year they were held of a lunchtime with other detentions for more serious offences held after school. Obviously with the current restrictions that we are working under (and having 3 separate lunchtimes) this is not possible so all detentions are currently after school. We had planned to review and adapt EIL detentions during the summer term, which we had to defer until returning to school this term. This process is ongoing and we will be able to share with you the outcomes of this after half-term.

However, I wanted to share with you a couple of changes that you can expect to see. Students having the correct equipment is very important in allowing every minute to count for teachers in lessons, as they are not spending the time that they used to giving out equipment to those who do not have it. Across the school we will have saved hundreds of hours of learning time last year on this. However, we do not want students having to sit a detention for the first time that they forget a piece of equipment so we will change this after half-term.

Lastly, well done to the Year 11 students for their work on their first round of mock exams over the last week. They have conducted themselves superbly and we look forward to celebrating successes and supporting the gaps that we find once these are marked. One thing that we will change for the next round of mocks, and for subsequent years, is the easing off of homework whilst the students are in the week where they are actually sitting the mocks. Homework leading up to this point is all revision-based and important but students do not need the additional work the week of their exams, so we will also change this.

Thank you for your continued support of the school and we look forward to welcoming all students back on Tuesday 3rd November after the half-term break.

Best wishes

Gregg Morrison

Principal

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