21 May 2021
Good afternoon on a very wet Friday at Walton-le-Dale!
COVID testing: Please can I strongly encourage you to continue with the testing of your son or daughter at home twice a week using the kits that we supply. Staff are doing the same and it is vital, particularly at this difficult time with the spread of new variants locally, to keep to our current very low incidence of the virus at school. We are all want to see the back of this, but we aren't out of it yet and the safety of everyone is our top priority.
Attendance: The number of students self-isolating or off school for COVID reasons is very low indeed. We do, however, have more students than usual off school for relatively minor illnesses. Please can I urge all parents and carers to make sure that their son or daughter attends school if at all possible - obviously this is not possible if they are showing COVID symptoms - please make sure that they are tested immediately if this is the case. All work for all lessons is available on Teams so that students who miss school for any reason can swiftly catch up.
Medical appointments: Linked to the above point about attendance, we understand that certain types of medical appointments cannot be avoided, and need to be taken in school time. However, there are appointments being made during school time that could be avoided: opticians, routine dental appointments & non-urgent GP appointments. We also have a high number of full days being taken for medical appointments, when in most cases students could attend for the morning or afternoon session. Please send evidence of any medical appointments to Mrs Gorrill at: e.gorrill@waltonledale.lancs.sch.uk. Many thanks for your cooperation in this matter.
Year 11 final week: Next week is the last week for our wonderful Year 11 group. As I have said on numerous occasions their attitude has been remarkable - a credit to them and their families. Please can I remind you to check the arrangements for assessment on our website here and, in particular, to submit the relevant form from the page if your son or daughter has been disadvantaged by the pandemic or serious illness over and above the rest of the year group. Information about arrangements for next Thursday has been sent directly to Year 11 parents and carers and we are looking forward to celebrating with this year group next Friday afternoon once all the assessments are over!
Apprenticeship opportunities for Year 11: Please see the email from Miss Royal regarding "OPPORTUNITIES - WEC GROUP (BLACKBURN) ENGINEERING APPRENTICESHIPS".
Year 11 laptops: Those year 11 students who were allocated a laptop during either lockdown were sent a message yesterday asking for their return please by next Friday, 28th May at the latest. Thank you.
Mobile phones: Please would you have a discussion with your son or daughter about mobile phones if necessary. Our policy is very clear, and relatively lenient - mobile phones may be used outside the buildings during breaks or lunchtime. If they are seen or heard in the buildings they will be confiscated and returned at the end of the week (in the first instance) or to an adult who comes to collect them. No changes there for years. We have had a couple of unnecessary arguments about this recently so please have a conversation with your son or daughter if you think it may be needed. If you need to get hold of your son or daughter urgently during the school day, please ring the main school number and we will get a message to them directly - don't be tempted to ring their mobile during the school day.
Best wishes for a good weekend despite the weather and thanks for your support as we work together to educate our young people under these challenging circumstances.
James Harris
Headteacher
Posted by James Harris
Category: WLD Updates
