Dear Parents / Carers
I hope you and your families continue to keep fit and well. I must admit that this lockdown, for me, has gone on long enough but I understand the scientific argument – and we can see when things relax too quickly that the virus has a habit of resurrecting.
It has been difficult to evaluate and measure whether we have got things right at Birchwood. We have had Year 10 in school for 4 days doing 1:1 meetings with a further 2 days planned this week. We have also had Year 12 in school for meetings – some are also using the library where home circumstances make it difficult for them to study. We continue to set work and plan lessons on-line and parents I spoke to last week felt that feedback and assessment marks had improved considerably from the early weeks of lockdown.
I thought I would share the feedback from our recent student survey.
- 566 students responded.
- 91% were coping well working from home
- 63% were ready to come back to school now. 21% felt they were ‘not ready yet’ and 12% not keen to come back at the moment.
- 81% of students said they had completed all, or nearly all, of the work set. 12% said ‘about half’ and 5% said they had done very little work.
- 49% said the amount of work set was ‘about right’. 34% said there was too much and 1% said there was not enough.
- 69% are happy with the work they have done while in lockdown. 25% say their work has been ‘acceptable’ and 5% feel their work has not been adequate.
- 74% have easy access to technology. 23% have to share it or have connectivity issues. 2% lack access to technology.
- The majority of students are spending 3-4 hours on homework – trying to get this done in the morning so they could enjoy a well-deserved afternoon of leisure.
- 58% have contacted a teacher about a work query. 29% say they haven’t but would if necessary. 10% would prefer not to.
- Where students felt support has been good, they identify good communication, quick feedback and well explained work as the main reasons why.
- 16% ask for parental help ‘fairly often’. 54% said they have asked ‘a few times’. 23% have not asked for help at home.
- 9% ask for help from friends ‘fairly often’. 44% said they have asked ‘a few times’. 42% have not asked.
- Most students identified more time working on computers and more working flexibility as things they would like to continue when lockdown ends.
- 5% of students were worried about something they wanted to talk to staff member about. 14% weren’t sure and 81% said they weren’t worried.
As you can see, the majority of this feedback is positive but I am concerned about the small minority who have IT access issues, have not really engaged with learning or have generally struggled by not coming to school. At Birchwood, we put in a raft of measures to support students who are struggling either at school or at home and the lockdown has definitely inhibited our ability to do this. If any parent is concerned about their child’s progress at the moment, can they please contact their child’s form tutor or Head of Year – their details can be found on the ‘Contact Us’ section of the school website.
As a quick reminder, here are the planned events for the rest of this term and beyond.
Timescale and events
| Date | Event | Detail |
| Mon 29th June | ||
| Tue 30th June | ||
| Weds 1st July | ||
| Thurs 2nd July | Year 10 1:1 | 1:1 opportunity to see Option subject teachers – bookable on-line |
| Fri 3rd July | Year 10 1:1 | |
| Mon 6th July | Year 9 1:1 | General Academic Review meeting with Form Tutors |
| Tue 7th July | Year 9 1:1
Year 12 Virtual Induction Day |
Further information for Year 11 applying for Sixth Form place |
| Weds 8th July | Year 7 1:1 | General Academic Review meeting with Form Tutors |
| Thurs 9th July | Year 7 1:1 | |
| Fri 10th July | Catch Up Day | |
| Mon 13th July | ||
| Tue 14th July | Year 6/7 1:1
2-7pm |
1:1 meetings with new tutors and tours of school |
| Weds 15th July | Year 8 1:1 | General Academic Review meeting with Form Tutors |
| Thurs 16th July | Year 8 1:1 | |
| Fri 17th July | End of term | |
| Wed 19th August | GCSE Download | |
| Thurs 20th August | GCSE Results | Post 16 / Sixth Form confirmation |
As stated, once I am clear about plans for September and arrangements as specified by the DfE, I will write to inform you. I know that our staff are desperate to get things back to normal and ensure that all our students receive a great education. However, we have to abide by the health and safety restrictions currently imposed.
Take care and keep safe
Yours sincerely
Dr Chris Ingate
Principal