Newsletters

Dear Families, 

I hope this finds you well. Thank you for all of your support and cooperation over the last two weeks.  We are very mindful of just how much families are juggling at the moment and the amount of challenges you are facing and we are listening to your feedback and, where possible, making amendments to our provision.

Online learning

We are in the process of changing over from learning packs to online learning. In line with Government Guidance for Special Schools this will be 3 hours a day, not a 'full' school day. This will include not only the face to face sessions but learning activities set to complete at home. 

Can I also ask you to please be mindful of the amount of time your child is spending in front of their internet device.  We will be building time into the school day for students to get a break from 'screen time' to ensure they are having time to move about and engage in other activities.  

Calendar invites to Google Hangouts

Please be aware that some families have reported that calendar invites have gone to their spam folder. If you could please take a moment to check this folder we would be grateful.

Hangout / Online learning safeguarding

Please be aware that some hangouts and online learning sessions will be recorded. This will be done if a second member of staff is not able to attend the session. The recordings will not be shared and should there be no issues they will be deleted after 3 months.

Online safety

As many pupils are spending even greater amounts of time online at the moment we would like to remind families to ensure that you have set parental controls on your home internet to ensure your child cannot access inappropriate material. We would also encourage you to check in daily to see what your child is accessing. These measures are necessary for all pupils as our experience shows that most inappropriate content is accessed accidently but can lead to issues if not spotted and addressed.

Exams

As you may be aware the Government have taken the decision for pupils not to sit exams in the summer. We are still awaiting to hear what the alternate arrangements will be but subject staff are ensuring that they have the assessments and information required to complete teacher moderation similar to last year's arrangements.  As we receive them, we will share more details with you.

Rapid Lateral Flow Testing

Our on site testing is now fully operational for pupils and staff. Thank you to all families who have returned the testing permission form for their child. 

The onsite testing is only for people NOT showing symptoms. If your child is due to attend school but has any symptoms they should remain at home and a test booked for them.

Assembly

Thank you to everyone who attended assembly this week and apologies if you were not admitted. We will resolve this issue for next week's assembly. 

May I wish you all well and I look forward to seeing faces on line again next Wednesday afternoon.

Best wishes,
Mrs J Rigby
Head Teacher