The following message was emailed out to parents on Tuesday 6 July:
There is a lot going on as we head towards the end of term so I wanted to update you in good time so that there were no (or at least less) surprises.
This email will cover;
* COVID News
* End of Term Arrangements
* Parents Evening Consultation
* EduLink – how to get more information on your child
* Recovery Packs
* Results Days
* School Holidays
* PROVISIONAL New Term Arrangements (September 2021)
COVID News:
The reality is that the Delta variant is cutting through schools and some of our neighbours have seen whole year groups go out. We have been more fortunate, though Year 10 has a number of children isolating.
The Department of Education guidance has come out in the last few minutes and needs a lot of unpicking so I will give you an update next week. Even so, please be patient with us as this is likely to run-and-run until the end of August.
The most up-to-date government information is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57730189
End of Term Arrangements:
Our last day of term is Friday 16 July. This will be a half-day – as in previous years – so staff can clear rooms for the extensive site works over the Summer holiday.
The day will see the following schedule:
Breakfast Provision – 8.10 – 8.40am
Tutor Time – 8.45 – 9.05am
Lesson 1 – 9.05 – 9.55am
Lesson 2 – 9.55 – 10.45am
Break 1 – 10.45 – 11.10am (Year 8 & 9 only)
Lesson 3 – 11.10 – 12.00pm
Break 2 Access – 12.00 – 12.25pm (Year 7 & 10 only)
After Lesson 3 the school day formally ends and students should depart the site.
Those Year 7 & 10 students wishing to access their canteen food in Break 2 can do so but should leave after collecting / eating their food.
All Free School Meals children will be able to access food on this day though as yet we have no details on FSM provision over the Summer holidays.
We have notified the bus companies of our early finish and will provide updates if alternative bus slots are available. However, most families make their own transport arrangements.
Those students unable to be collected till the end of the school day can be supervised until 3.05pm in the School Library.
Parents Evening Consultation:
We have had overwhelming feedback that parents wish to continue with online (Teams) Parents Evening in the future. This has been because of the need to rush at the end of the working day, the avoidance of corridor queuing, etc. Indeed, the attendance rate is at just over 75% which is slightly above previous non-virtual levels.
However, we wanted to formally consult on this and you can give your view here.
Unfortunately, we cannot do a mix and match approach as it would prove chaotic to communicate and our internet bandwidth would not be able to cope with so many video streams via Teams at the same time.
There will though be other opportunities to come into school to meet staff such as Partnership Evenings, ACE Meetings (when parents of children lagging on progress are met with), etc.
We will let you know the consultation after the deadline for responses on Tuesday 13 July.
EduLink:
EduLink is a package we use that we can extend to give you direct access via your phone / tablet to information about your child including their timetable, their House points, their behaviour record and their attendance.
You can also report absences and change your contact details. Looking ahead, we are looking to move this way to send reports, send letters, send messages (replacing texts), book parent evening appointments and complete consent forms.
The app is free to download and comes with a personal username and password which means the information is secure.
Our thinking is that this will make information easier for you to access, mean you have daily updates, and save our funding for learning rather than posting out paper.
The next steps tell you how you can access your child’s data:
- Install ‘EduLink One’ on your phone (IPhone or Android)
- By Friday 9 July you will receive a school email from noreply@friaryschool.co.uk which gives you your username and password.
(NB – These emails will be automated to the email address you have given us but if you have not received it by Monday 12 July then let us know via edulink@friaryschool.co.uk).
- Use these details to access the app and check out your child.
Initially, we will only send a log-in to Priority 1 contacts on our school system. This is determined by who you said Priority 1 was when you joined our school. We may extend this at a later date.
If you have any problems in accessing this app just ask for help via edulink@friaryschool.co.uk.
The EduLink communications are all encrypted and all of the data is already stored on secure servers in our school. EduLink is GDPR compliant and you can read their full privacy policy here: https://www.overnetdata.com/edulink-one-privacy-policy/.
We would advise you to set up either a fingerprint lock or a passcode to further protect your phone – but this would be just the same as for personal banking, email accounts, your contact list, etc.
This package will only be available for Years 7-10 and Year 12 students initially but will roll out to the new Year 7 and new Year 12 from September 2021.
Recovery Packs:
We have provided recovery packs for the Summer holidays via Show My Homework so your children can push along their learning after the COVID lockdowns.
The packs are optional because we appreciate that ‘recovery’ applies to family and social life, as well as education, and we would hate to burden families at the time they are able to take a well-deserved break together.
Year 7 & 8 students have subject packs to consolidate prior learning and prepare for new topics next year. They includes things to do, places to visit, etc.
Year 9 students have a range of subject areas and they should target those subjects they are taking forward into Year 10.
Year 10 and Year 12 student have work set as part of their exam courses and need to address that as directed. Clearly, with exams on the near horizon, this is more pressing.
We would also remind you of the importance of reading to access all lessons and the Year 7-9 reading lists are accessible here: https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/library/.
Results Days:
The Results Days are earlier this year and take place:
Year 13 Results Day – Tuesday 10 August – 8.30-11.00am
Year 11 Results Day – Thursday 12 August – 9.00-11.30am
There are more details available about Year 13 exams / assessment here: https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/y13-grades-2021/.
There are more details available about Year 13 exams / assessment here: https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/y11-grades-2021/.
School Holidays:
The Summer holiday is a busy time for the school and this summer is no exception.
Our academy status recently won us around £2.8million for roofing and electrical works; and though the former is now complete, the latter will be running into 2022.
Elsewhere, we will be extending our Sixth Form Study Centre, replacing further roofing and windows, refurbishing Science laboratories, re-decorating more classrooms, updating ICT facilities and more besides.
There will be lots of changes and improvements for when your child arrives at school in September – all for the better.
PROVISIONAL New Term Arrangements (September 2021):
The current PROVISIONAL Autumn Term 2021 sees something of a staggered start – though please note this is likely to alter should the Department for Education’s new COVID measures change things.
The current plans are:
Year 7 are in school on Thursday 2 September between 12.00-3.05pm. This is an extra school day we are running to support the Year/7 transition.
Sixth Formers are in school on Thursday 2 September between 2.00-3.00pm.
All students have a normal school day on Friday 3 September.
The Friday will be an important day for all students as timetables will be distributed, new classes set out and it will mean we have a smooth start for the first full week.
The full terms dates for 2021-2022 can be seen here: https://www.friaryschool.co.uk/term-dates-2021-2022/.
Again, if I was a betting man I’d say this will change next week.
Matt Allman, Headteacher, added: “There will be another email before the end of term – what with COVID news slowly leaking out of the Department for Education and the consultation on Parents Evening – so please keep checking your inbox. Also, don’t forget your homework to download EduLink and ideally access it over the weekend / next week – a whole new world is likely opening up there.”
