Dear all parents and carers
As promised, I write to you again with important information about the latest developments and announcements made by Welsh Government.
Announcement 1 on school closures:
Unless there is a significant reduction in cases of coronavirus before 29 January (the date of the next three-week review of the regulations) school and college students will continue to learn online until the February half term.
This means that all pupils will not access face to face learning in school until 22nd February 2021 unless we are advised differently. All learners at PHS will continue to learn using online teaching and resources. Pupils who are still attending school in our hub will continue to do so until the end of this period of closure. All of the current measures for learning, free school meals and safeguarding remain in place.
Announcement 2 on internal assessments that were due to be taken instead of end of year exams:
Following the First Minister’s announcement today that most pupils will continue to learn remotely until 29 January or possibly even February half term, Qualifications Wales is announcing that the spring internal assessment window for GCSE, AS, and A level, which were planned to take place between 22 February and 23 April, will not take place and new arrangements will be made.
The school will do everything in its power, as we did last year, to make sure that any system that is devised to allocate grades to our pupils and students is fair, accurate and it does not disadvantage anyone based upon their postcode. We will keep you informed as and when we get further information on these changes and any decisions that are made.
These latest changes are far from ideal and I understand the tremendous strain they will put on families, pupils and all learners in examination years. We will do what we can to make sure the next six weeks are productive and as beneficial as possible. All parents must ensure their son/daughter completes the work online and supports them whenever possible with their studies. If there are any issues please contact the school so that we can address them immediately.
The school is also engaged in developing an in-school testing programme which will be fully operational by the time all pupils return. Any testing will be focused on pupils and students that are identified as contacts by TTP. Further information and guidance for parents will be shared as soon as possible.
Prestatyn High School remains open just as we have been since the start of the pandemic and we are here to support however we can. The next few weeks will be very challenging for many families in our community. As a school, and as a community, we will do all we can to support anyone who needs it. If you require any assistance please do not hesitate to contact the school. Similarly, if you would like to help us support the community, there is a Parentpay link on our website for donations to our local food banks. https://www.prestatynhigh.co.uk/?page_id=8472
Hopefully this new lockdown will be the last and we can begin to get back to normal after half term.
In the meantime, please make sure that our pupils are following the government advice by staying at home, following the rules and protecting the community from any further spread of COVID-19.
As always, I will write to you all again as soon as I get further information from Welsh Government. Regards
Neil Foley - B.Sc. MA.
Pennaeth Headteacher