Principal's Letter, 20 November 2020
Covid Update – Sports Clubs
I am delighted to have received a confirmation from the Department for Education that they endorse the Youth Sports Trust briefing which states:
“Schools should continue to provide extra-curricular sport as long as they can do so in a way which i) maintains the integrity of schools’ Covid-19 protocols such as approach to bubbles, staffing and social distancing and ii) is subject to appropriate risk assessment.”
Therefore, with effect from Monday 23rd November, the sports clubs displayed at the end of this letter will be reintroduced. We look forward with eagerness to being able to provide the other non-sport activities once lockdown ends.
May I reassure parents and carers that we will operate these activities within the protective measures outlined in the relevant government guidance.
Year 7 Latin – The Twilight Curriculum
A reminder of last week’s notice (copied below) that today is the deadline for signing up to the following amazing opportunity for Year 7 to become Latin scholars:
The English Department is delighted to be able to offer students in Year 7 the opportunity to study Latin. In addition to strengthening English language skills and facilitating language acquisition, the Cambridge Latin course also exposes students to ancient history.
In the first part of the course, students will be transported to Pompeii in A.D. 79 – just before the eruption of the volcano, Vesuvius. Alongside the study of Latin, students will learn what it was to live at this time – through the life of one merchant, Caecilius, and his family.
Year 7 students are invited to join the Latin group. For the present, extra-curricular classes after school have been postponed due to lockdown, but it is envisaged that lessons will run on Tuesdays in LIB 1, between 14.40-15.40pm after lockdown is lifted.
We must make clear that this will be a timetabled class, not a club. Therefore, attendance is expected in the same way as attendance at classes running during the normal school day. It is important, then, that students joining the class have a genuine interest in, and commitment to, the subject.
If you would like your child to join the Tuesday Latin group, please click here to register them by Friday 20th November. If you have any queries, please contact Mr Stubbs, Head of English on [email protected].
Satchel One
As we are now in the second half term of Satchel One use, it’s a good time to answer a few queries that have been received and to issue some reminders relating to homework, in particular, which you will find below. I hope you are finding our new learning platform user friendly.
Show My Homework
This simple online homework calendar is part of the Satchel One learning platform, which your child can use to keep up to date and on top of all their homework. It gives you, parents and carers, all the information and tools needed to get involved and support your child with the tasks they are set for completion at home, to monitor their progress and know all their homework deadlines.
How do I view my child’s homework from my parent account?
- Log in to your account
- From your Dashboard, you can see any student accounts linked to you; each child has their own calendar, homework, and noticeboard etc. for you to view. Their last activity on the site will be displayed and their Recovery PIN numbers which they can use to get logged in.
- Click on the Calendar tab to check your child’s homework. Their work will be arranged in a week by week format. You can filter the calendar (by date, teacher, subject, class, year group, type of homework) to find what you are looking for more quickly.
- You can also click Homework from the menu under your child’s To-do list.
Notifications
Did you know you can set up notifications for a Friday email outlining the tasks your child needs to complete for Monday? You may find this useful. You can also set notifications to be alerted when a task is set, the night before it is due and the morning it should be submitted.
How to send homework to the teacher remotely
Students are able to submit their assignments online instead of handing them in. Students who are attending school should only do this if the teacher has requested it and you will see this on the homework set.
Due to the current COVID measures in place, students may be required to self-isolate for the reasons that have been outlined very regularly both by the government and by me.
When a child is required to self-isolate, work is set for the student to complete at home. Each week tasks named ‘for home learners’ or ‘students working from home’ are set for this eventuality and our expectation is for self-isolating students to complete all work set. Similarly, if a child is fixed term excluded, they should complete the work set.
In order for teachers to monitor and support work completed by self-isolating students, it is essential that all completed work is submitted online. If your child self-isolates at any time, please ensure this happens.
If your child is using a laptop or similar device, they can submit work using the ‘Submit’ tab. The tab can be found embedded within the task set on Satchel One.
- Go to Submit
- The student then types a message for their teacher or even their full answer
- Any files, eg. document, picture or presentation can be attached
- Click Submit assignment to teacher
- A student can also save their progress as a draft at any time and come back to finish the task later.
If your child uses the mobile app, there is no ‘Submit’ button, there is a paperclip next to the comment box:
- Tap on the paperclip next to the comment box
- Select the location of the file, eg. A file stored on your phone or Google drive
- Choose the correct file
- Tap Upload
Parent Code
If you have not yet had a moment to register on Satchel One, please do so without delay. It is essential that you are able to monitor your child’s homework, and also the rewards points and any behaviour points issued. Parents can register via their child’s account or directly using the parent code previously issued. If you need your parent code to be re-issued, please email [email protected].
General Queries
If you or your child are having difficulties with accessing or navigating around Satchel One, please contact Mr Case, Assistant Principal, on [email protected] who will be able to assist.
Free School Meal Applications
If you believe your child may be eligible to receive free school meals but are not currently registered, I would urge you to register without delay. Please see the steps and criteria below.
No one will know you have registered and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming. In addition, due to the School’s cashless catering system, it is impossible to distinguish between those in receipt of Free School Meals and those who are not.
How does it work?
- First, check if you qualify (refer to list below).
- Registering is quick and easy – if you think you qualify, contact Mr Ethan Burge who will help you to register ([email protected]).
- Additional benefits will be made available to your child in various aspects of everyday school life.
Do you qualify?
You can register your child for Free School Meals if you get any of these benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal credit.
Students can also register for Free School Meals if they get any of these benefits themselves.
Ofsted ParentView
I would be very grateful if parents and carers could take a moment to log into https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/ to share your views of our academy. If you have not logged in before, you will need to register. The academy’s postcode is PO20 3UE.
Mr P Slaughter, Principal
