Covid-19 Update - Tuesday 24 March
Dear Students / Parents / Carers
This is day 2 of our school’s forced closure due to the Corona Virus epidemic. We have once again looked after a small number of key worker and vulnerable children following the directive from the DfE. We are monitoring the amount of homework being set and completed on Show My Homework. Students can also find additional educational resources on GCSE Pod and BBC Bitesize.
We will be writing to Year 11 and 13 students this week to clarify next steps in terms of awarding them GCSE /A-Level or BTEC grades and how this then links to Post-16 or University courses. If you are a Year 11 or 13 student, the main message here is not to worry. We will also give you some guidance about how you can prepare for Year 12 or Higher Education over the next few months.
We have heard from a number of parents already who have said that they have got their son or daughter into a ‘school routine’ so work starts at 9am with a break at 11am, 1pm and time for relaxation at 3pm. This is really worth persevering with. When we do return to normal, your child will not have fallen behind and will find the return to school more manageable.
Thank you for your continued support.
Dr Chris Ingate
Principal
A Letter from the Principal
Dear Parent/ Carer/ Student
I hope you and your family are well and coping with the dramatic changes we have seen to our way of living over the last couple of weeks. Today, we opened our doors to a small number of key worker and vulnerable children. For example, by doing this we have enabled 12 NHS employees to go into work and help those made ill by Covid-19.
At school, we are doing everything to ensure that the school is kept clean and hygienic on a daily basis but I would like to thank parents who have heeded the government’s advice and have kept their child at home, as this is the best way to minimise social contact and stay away from viral infection.
Please remember that your child should be working on-line between 9 and 3pm. There is plenty for them to do on the Show My Homework app.
If your child does go out, please remind them to keep to the 2m distance rule and particularly to not socialise with friends in groups. They can use social media to keep in touch. Please remind them to wash their hands when they return home and to not snack on food until they have done this. Whilst the under-20s have a very low chance of serious illness, they could bring corona virus into your family home and infect older or more vulnerable individuals.
Yours sincerely
Dr Chris Ingate
Principal
Key Worker Registration
If you are a key worker, as defined by the DfE (please refer to Appendix 1 in the letter below), and would need to send your child to school next week (daily from 9am-3pm) to allow you to fulfil your vital role in supporting the NHS or other essential services, please download the letter below for full instructions and the link to the registration questionnaire:
Please note that there is a deadline for registration of 5.00pm on Sunday 22 March
Covid-19 Update - Friday 20 March, 12:40pm
Dear Parents / Carers / Students
From Monday 23rd March, Birchwood High School will be closed to all but the students of key workers with young children who they cannot find suitable child care for - as well as vulnerable students.
The DfE and Public Health England’s advice for school children is that If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading. That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.
It is important to underline that schools, colleges and other educational establishments remain safe places for children. But the fewer children making the journey to school, and the fewer children in educational settings, the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.
For now, there is a lot of homework on Show My Homework (SMHW) to keep your son or daughter busy. We will keep you up to date with any changes through the school website and School Comms. If your family is not having to self-isolate, it is also good for your child to get fresh air and exercise – keeping fit and healthy is essential, so you and your family should still try to get out and about but stay away from crowded areas. A walk or a run in the park or a stroll through the countryside is preferable to a city centre, but keeping apart from other people is the main goal.
Finally, if you need to contact your child’s teacher to have any work clarified, please do so using the Contact section of the website. Your child can also communicate with their teacher through SMHW.
Yours sincerely
Dr Chris Ingate
Principal
Covid-19 Update re. Y12 Students (Thursday 19 March 14:00)
With regard to the current CV situation, Year 12 students will not be expected to attend school from the end of today.
All work will be set via Show My Homework, TLC and Microsoft Teams.
More information will be sent to you all in due course, and we will continue to follow the guidelines put in place by the Department of Education.
Yours sincerely
Mr I Torrance
Head of Sixth Form
Covid-19 Update - 10:00am 19/03/2020
Dear Parent / Carer,
As you will no doubt be aware, following the Secretary of State’s announcement today, schools in England will close for all students from Monday but should remain open to children of key workers and vulnerable students – further details will follow from the DfE and we will communicate with you as soon as we have clearer details.
For the rest of this week, we will continue to be open for Years 7 and 8, and have set work online for all other years.
The unexpected announcement was that public exams are being cancelled with no clarity as to how these will be managed. The Secretary of State for Education said pupils in England would not have to sit GCSE or A Levels this year. This will, no doubt be concerning for parents and students alike and have a significant impact on Year 11 and 13 who have been working hard for their exams. Once we have clarity on this, we will let you know.
As a quick reminder, Show My Homework remains the main access point for students. Teachers will set work in accordance with your child’s timetable. Finally; we will send further guidance out in due course, but for now we ask for patience as we work our way through this and ask that you follow Government advice with regards to Social Distancing, Self-Isolation and sensible shopping!
Yours sincerely
Dr Ingate
Principal
For parents/carers of Y11 and Y13 students:
Covid-19 Update - Thursday 19 March
Dear Parent / Carer,
As you will no doubt be aware, following the Secretary of State’s announcement yesterday, schools in England will close for all students from Monday but should remain open to children of key workers and vulnerable students – further details and will follow from the DfE and we will communicate with you as soon as we have clearer details.
For the rest of this week, we will continue to be open for Year 7, 8, 11 and Sixth Form students and have set work on-line for Year 9 and 10.
The unexpected announcement was that public exams are being cancelled with no clarity as to how these will be managed. The Secretary of State for Education said pupils in England would not have to sit GCSE or A-levels this year. This will, no doubt be concerning for parents and students alike and have a significant impact on Year 11 and 13 who have been working hard for their exams. Once we have clarity on this, we will let you know.
As a quick reminder, Show My Homework remains the main access point for students. Teachers will set work in accordance with your child’s timetable.
Finally; we will send further guidance out in due course, but for now we ask for patience as we work our way through this and ask that you follow Government advice with regards to Social Distancing, Self-Isolation and sensible shopping!
Yours sincerely
Dr Chris Ingate
Principal
Online Learning and IT Student Support - Wednesday 18 March
Please can we ask that any Show My Homework or IT related issues are sent to ITStudentSupport@birchwoodhigh.org.uk. Apologies but we are unable to deal with any queries by phone.
Year 9 and 10 are currently being set distance learning activities via Show My Homework. Years 7, 8, 11, 12 & 13 if self-isolating will only be set work where teacher capacity allows it.
We thank you for your understanding in these difficult times.
Yours sincerely
Mr C Gilbank
Deputy Principal
From Wednesday 18 March - Y7, 8, 11, 12 and 13 in school only
Dear Parent / Carer
Due to current staff absence, I am writing to inform you that from tomorrow, we will be open to Year 7, 8, 11, 12 and 13 students, Year 9 and 10 students will be expected to remain at home. We have not taken this decision lightly and have considered the needs of our youngest students to be in school to help parents with child-care issues as well as prioritise our older exam classes.
Teachers will set work on-line for Year 9 and 10 students, with Show My Homework being the main portal for accessing assignments. If your child is currently self-isolating, our teachers will do their best to upload lesson content from their delivered lessons, however, please be patient with this.
We will review matters again at the end of this week in line with any DfE requirements. We are also authorising any absence for a student wishing to self-isolate due to family illness as set out by the Government.
Yours sincerely
Dr Chris Ingate
Principal
Announced 17 March 2020, 15:00
CoronaVirus (Covid-19) - w/b Monday 16 March 2020
The school will be open as normal this week unless there is a directive from the DfE. At present, no member of our student or staff community has tested positive for Covid-19. However, we remain vigilant about keeping the school as hygienic as possible with additional daily cleaning operations. Our students have been excellent in making sure they use soap or hand sanitisers as and when they require. As you will be aware, young people appear remarkably resilient to the virus but they can spread the illness to older family members or anyone with an underlying health concern.
If things change, we will inform you immediately. If students are sent home early for Easter, we have developed an array of on-line learning tools and virtual lessons so students’ education does not fall behind.
Please note that we are postponing the Year 9 Parents’ Evening on Tuesday. If you want to contact your child’s teacher in the meantime, please be aware that all staff can be contacted individually through the ‘Contact’ section of this website.
Finally, we are authorising absences for any child who is unwell to ensure that bugs do not spread – equally if you feel that your family is unwell and you would like your child to be at home for the same reason, please let us know via the student absence line.
Thank you for your support and understanding in these exceptional times.
Yours sincerely
Dr Chris Ingate
Principal