Dear all pupils, parents and carers Once again,
I write to you during these very challenging times. I hope that you and your families are well, staying safe and remaining at home where possible to protect the NHS. I would like to thank you all for your continued adherence to the advice from the Government and also for practicing social distancing in the community. As we are now past the peak of the infection, there is light at the end of the tunnel. To reach the goal of returning to some form of normality, we will have to continue our efforts and community spirit that has got us this far. Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education announced last week that schools are not going to be opening fully at the start of June. When we receive further information on the details of any form of phased reopening, I will contact you immediately. In the meantime, the school will continue the current working practices that we have engaged in over the weeks since lockdown began. I have summarised all of the things we do below.
We will continue to:
• open every day for the registered children of keyworkers*
• open every day for registered pupils, identified as requiring further support by the pastoral teams and the local authority*
• provide online work for all learners via Microsoft Teams and other methods
• provide timely feedback on any work returned
• reward and recognise the excellent work and efforts of our amazing pupils
• track, monitor and encourage all learners to engage with our distance learning programme
• regularly make contact with you to ensure that all pupils and students are safe
• provide as much support we can for the community
• encourage pupils to do physical and creative tasks to broaden the scope of what we expect pupils to do
• provide mental health support via our pastoral teams and links on the website
*Please register online through the Denbighshire website if you qualify and have not yet taken a place for in school education.
We are delighted that so many pupils and students are engaging in distance learning and we hope that the introduction of a more structured timetable will help all learners manage their time whilst at home. We have included physical and creative tasks into our new way of setting work so that pupils enjoy and make the most of their time during this difficult lockdown.
A small but significant number of pupils and students are struggling to access online work due to a lack of hardware or connectivity issues. We have delivered many devices to the homes of our learners to assist with this and I am working closely with the Local Authority to ensure we can gain further hardware and 4G internet access for homes.
The school continues to provide vital PPE to local health settings, deliver food to local families and donate money and essentials to local food banks. I would like to say a special thanks to all staff and parents who have donated funds via ParentPay. The total collected and distributed so far is £1,500 and this has gone a long way in supporting the most vulnerable in our community. We would welcome any further contributions if you can spare it. If any parents or families are struggling, or if you know of anyone in the community that needs additional help, please contact the school and we will support in any way that we can.
On the issue of GCSE and A-level grades, teachers and Heads of Department are working hard to ensure that all pupils and students gain the qualifications they deserve this summer. I am in constant dialogue with WJEC and Qualifications Wales to ensure the process is fair, transparent and focused on what is best for our young people. Further information as we get it from Welsh Government will be placed on our website.
If any pupils wishing to apply to our 6th Form that have yet not done so, need to contact Mr. Vernon via school as soon as possible so that we can process your application and hopefully allocate you a place for September.
We know this will go on for a while longer, therefore it is essential that you continue to ensure our pupils are engaging in the work set by their teachers. This will minimise the impact of not being in school.
Stay home and please stay safe. Please contact the school if you have any questions or issues.
Warm regards
