From the Head of Secondary 13.03.2021

From the Head of Secondary 13.03.2021

Dear Parents,

 

What a difference a week can make! In the space of two newsletters we have gone from empty corridors to a hive of activity. In a previous newsletter I mentioned that a school without students can be likened to a lost soul, and it is so true. It is simply wonderful to welcome our students back into school again and return to something close to a pre-Covid routine. I know for many students just being able to talk to their friends in person, and not through a computer, is something that will never be taken for granted again.

 

If there is one group of students who deserve a well-earned rest this weekend it is our sixth formers. They have just finished eight days of mock examinations and judging by the pages of answers they produced I suspect a few of them will be suffering from writer’s cramp, especially after working on a computer for so long. With any mock examination series it is imperative that they run as close as possible to the real exams. This ensures students are fully prepared for the summer and they get first-hand experience of working under pressure. The good news is the IGCSE and A Level exams run over an eight week period, resulting in a longer gap between the papers and more time to prepare.

 

This week all of the teachers across Secondary have been busy writing the End of Term 2 Reports for Years 7 to 10. These reports, along with the Mock Examination Report for Years 12 to 13, will be sent home on the last day of term. As always, it is an absolute pleasure to read the many wonderful comments as they serve as a celebration of the outstanding work our students have produced over the course of Term 2. If you have any questions about the assessment and reporting process in Secondary please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

 

To cap off a brilliant week, on Friday and Saturday a number of our Year 10 students will be completing their Adventurous Journey for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh International Award. Right now, more than one million young people are striving to achieve their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Awards in more than 130 countries. In doing so our students are developing those all-important transferrable skills that universities are looking for and having a lot of fun along the way. Good luck Year 10 and I am sure there will be some photos to share in next week’s newsletter.

 

From next week homework will begin again in Secondary and we hope you are able to support your children with this as usual.

 

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend.

 

Kind regards,

 

Andrew Hallas

Deputy Head of Secondary/Head of Sixth Form