Dear Parents and Carers

It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of September! Thank you once again for all of your support and encouragement so far this year. We continue with our great start to the term and this means we can keep to that mantra of ‘teachers teaching and learners learning’ at all times.

Accompanying this letter is a ‘standard letter’ that must be issued in the event of a positive COVID-19 case amongst our students (or staff). Currently, schools are required to issue the letter following confirmation of all positive cases. I think you will be very familiar with its content but acknowledge that positive cases no longer lead to remote learning for the close contacts of positive cases.

Homework

We are now past the point of ‘easing’ the students back into normal routines and that includes homework. The amount of homework your son or daughter receives will depend on which year group they are in and the expectations are set out on our website. In summary, your children ought to be receiving:

• Year 7: Approx. 40 minutes per subject per week (75 mins per day)
• Year 8: Approx. 45 minutes per subject per week (90 mins per day)
• Year 9: Approx. 60 minutes per subject per week (2 hours per day)
• Years 10/11: Approx. 90 minutes per subject per week (2-3 hours per day)
• Sixth Form: Approx. 6 hours per subject per week

If you have any questions about the regularity, volume or quality of homework tasks then we ask that you contact the teacher directly, in the first instance, so that any issues may be resolved quickly.

Open Evening

School will close early on Thursday 7 October in order to prepare for the open evening. School will close at the end of period 3 and this means that students will be leaving the site at 12:30pm. Buses will leave at approximately 12:40pm. As is usual, we are able to look after your children until 3:15pm if this presents any difficulties. Please contact your son or daughter’s tutor if this applies.

We have made several key changes to ensure the open evening is both traditional and COVID safe. This includes the need for all prospective families to book a tour at some point between 4:45pm and 8:00pm. This will regulate numbers and avoid congestion.

We have written to all year 6 families and bookings are filling up very fast. However, if you have missed this then please follow this link to either our dedicated webpage or the booking form itself.

As in the past, we shall be asking our students to support the evening and will continue to place their health and safety at the forefront of our planning. Social distancing and face coverings (for visitors) will be part of our programme. You will receive requests for your son or daughter’s participation in the coming days from individual teachers, and we hope that as many students as possible can support the event by joining classes and allowing visitors to see the school in action.

Do have a great weekend when it arrives.

Yours faithfully

Mr Doherty