With the coronavirus we all seem to pause, then things move on again, and we deal with a new set of realities. Consequently, here I am again with another update:
School Attendance:
The advice on dealing with coronavirus is widely published so I will not go through it now – it is available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
If you suspect that your child may have the coronavirus then they should not be sent into school. You should follow the isolation guidelines and concerns surrounding school attendance levels should not be a priority at this time.
School Closure:
You will all be aware that the government has decided to keep schools open. Even so, with a number of staff in vulnerable groups, and others being advised to self-isolate, it is difficult to see how the school staffing can be sustained even in the relatively short-term.
At the moment it appears that all parents should prepare for partial or full closure and should make themselves aware of the online learning we have made available. If you have any difficulties accessing it, please contact office@friaryschool.co.uk
Setting Work for at Home
We are seeing a large number families taking the decision to self-isolate and we are facing demands to plan teaching materials for lessons, more for an eventual school shut-down, and now more for numerous individual children at home. This is impossible to deliver on.
We’ll be looking to upload the work we have planned for a potential closure to Show My Homework in the coming days and all children can access this in the usual way. Those parents already keeping their children at home will need to wait for a short time for this to fully roll through.
Other Options for Work at Home:
(i) Maths:
All Year 7-11 students have access to Maths Watch – please contact office@friaryschool.co.uk if you cannot log-on.
All Year 8-13 students have access to Dr Frost – please contact office@friaryschool.co.uk if you cannot log-on.
Other great websites include Maths Genie and Corbett Maths. We run with Edexcel Exam Board and they have past papers available online.
(ii) French:
All students have access to Kerboodle – please contact office@friaryschool.co.uk if you cannot log-on.
(iii) Reading Lists:
The following reading lists are recommend for Year 7-9 students:
Year 7 – https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Y7-Reading-List-2019-20.pdf
Year 8 – https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Y8-Reading-List-2019-20.pdf
Year 9 – https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Y9-Reading-List-2019-20.pdf
(iv) Other Online Resources:
These are a multitude of online resources available – both on content and for revision. The following web page offers some links:
https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/revision/
School External Exams:
The Year 11 and 13 exams are due to begin in 7½ weeks. There has still been no guidance on what is likely to happen. Our expectation has to be that they will take place and you will understand why we are operating from this standpoint.
School Events & Student Reports:
As we gear up the work for a possible closure, the necessary course of action is to cancel many ‘normal’ steps. The assumption should be that unless you hear otherwise, things will not be happening.
This means that Saturday Schools and Easter School will not now run until further notice. The two forthcoming Saturday Schools – RE (21 March) and English (28 March) – have already lost key staff and so are the first casualties. You will all be aware that we do these voluntarily and take no satisfaction in them stopping.
Teachers & Time:
We take our students’ education and our job very seriously, so if there is a closure please rest assured that with teachers working on a new OFSTED Framework, new courses, new projects and more besides, (on top of the many new resources to produce for online provision), there is plenty to keep them occupied.
Equally, as teachers we are all particularly gutted for our students facing exams in the near future and are desperate to keep them focused and on track. We put our hearts and souls into helping them succeed and this disruption is horrendous.
Equally, our non-teachers are a vital part of this ethos, and they have also planned out potential projects to address at home as well.
Communication:
We have had both praise and criticism for these emails, but I have elected to continue with them as I would rather you have as full a picture as is possible. I am sorry if you feel there is too much contact but things change so quickly.
If there is a school closure, then the office@friaryschool.co.uk mailbox will be checked daily, general updates will go via the website and social media, and any specific messages will come out via email where appropriate.
Finally:
Take care, keep safe, and let’s hope things get back to normal sooner rather than later.
Regards,
Matt Allman
Headteacher
The Friary School
