We do hope this update finds you and your family well and coping with the demands that a national lockdown brings. Needless to say, we do miss you all. We have enjoyed some very positive feedback from parents and students about our live lessons and we thank you for these welcome emails. We are mindful that there may be some individuals who are still struggling to access these lessons. If so, please do not hesitate to contact our ICT team (ictsupport@eggbuckland.com) and/or your Year Team Leader to let us know.
A summary of the latest information we have is below:
1) On Friday 22nd and then again on Tuesday 26th, we are intending to Covid test all students who attend our Educare provision, (please refer to an email sent out earlier in the week). If parents wish to be present to help their child self-administer the swab test, please arrive at the Drama Studio by 8:30am on these days.
2) The DfE has had a change of advice with reference to the ‘serial testing’ of students. Originally, if a child was identified as being in close and prolonged contact with someone who tested positive for Covid, the school was asked to Covid-test this child for 7 consecutive days as an alternative to isolation for a 14 day period. This advice has now been withdrawn and we return to what we did before Christmas, namely to advise students in prolonged and close contact to self-isolate for a 14 day period.
3) The Government is still consulting about summer examinations for our Year 13 and 11 students. We strongly suspect that examination boards will be required to set GCSE and A-Level papers for schools to use in the summer. How it is proposed these ‘examinations’ are given to students is unclear. However, the results of these assessments will add to a robust set of evidence that underpins the Centre Assessed Grade (CAG) awarded by the College to all students. So, until the DfE clarifies the situation, it is important for all students to keep showing a high level of commitment to their studies and we will ensure that teachers keep delivering lessons that maximise your learning and chances of getting a high grade. Students, you will find increasingly over the weeks teachers are setting assessments, the results of which will all be part of the evidence we need to award your CAG.
As soon as the DfE clarify the definite pathways to how your grades will be awarded, we will be scheduling a virtual parent and student evening to go through the details.
4) We have talked with many students and parents (thank you to them) about home learning and the obvious difficulties in switching from learning at school to the challenges of learning at home. From these conversations, we have identified ‘Ten Top Tips’ for home learning and all, we hope, can be achieved by all our students ( the first one, for example, is to wake up in time to wash, have breakfast and get out of your pyjamas into clothes more suitable for working). These will be presented to students next week during their tutor time sessions. We will also forward these to parents for your information.
As always, staff at Eggbuckland send you their warm wishes.
