Guidance for September - Part 1

Before we go too far into the summer period I thought that it would be worth giving some initial guidance in preparation for September.  I find that I have written a lot over these last months so I decided to do it by video this time - not entirely sure that it is a good idea!

Best wishes

James Harris

Headteacher

The text of the video is  "I thought that, before we go too far into this summer period, it would be worth saying something about the practicalities of opening in September to all our students. We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone again and functioning as a physical school again.  That being said, we have some strict guidance to follow in order to make sure that we provide a safe place for everyone.  We want to make sure, however, that students follow as normal a timetable as possible, with their usual teachers in their usual specialist rooms, learning all the subjects that they should.  Obviously we have to make some special arrangements in some places - PE, Drama, Technology are 3 that come to mind - and we will let you know those specific arrangements as we get closer to September.  
 

I know that there will be some students, staff and parents who will be very keen to get everyone back into school and get things back to normal.  I know also that there will some students, staff and parents who will have real concerns about coming back.  We all need to be kind, respectful and have empathy for other people's points of view and experiences.  These are key elements of our ASPIRE framework - the skills and attributes that we seek to develop in all our students.  Everyone, staff and students, will need to be mature and independent - our actions affect not just ourselves, but potentially the safety of others.  We know that some of our students will need help with this, but, fundamentally we expect a sense of respect and responsibility from every member of our community.    
 

As our thoughts turn towards September parents/carers and students need to be aware that students will have to be responsible for their own hygiene and therefore their own equipment.  Most schools do this already, but we have always been quite generous in lending materials and keeping students books in school.  With the current pandemic we can't do that - each student has to have their own stuff.  So please make sure that each student has a bag big enough to carry their exercise books for the day along with their planner and their equipment.  Please also make sure that they have their own pack of stationery - the details of what they will need are on the uniform page on the website.  You can buy it from anywhere, but is is probably cheapest to buy the pack from us as we buy in bulk and don't pay VAT.   The other things that students will need will be a face covering if they travel by bus (including a plastic bag to put it in when they are not wearing it) and a pack of wipes available from any supermarket.  We will be providing lots of hand sanitiser, surface sprays and wipes, but having their own pack of wipes will ensure that each student can take some responsibility for their own safety and hygiene.  
 

I will post more details about transport, food and the organisation of the school day as we go through August and keep you informed through the website should any of the guidance change.  
 

Best wishes to everyone as we try to get things back to normal."