Latest School Information:

15:00 Wednesday 10/03/2021 Covid-19 Home Testing

10^th March 2021

 

Dear Parent/Carer,

 

Covid-19 Home Testing

 

We are close to the end of the in-school Covid-19 testing programme. Thank you so much for your support with this. I am delighted to say that we will have all of our year groups back in school full-time on Friday.

 

As you will know, the expectation of the Department for Education is that from Monday, 15th March 2021, parents/carers will test children of a secondary school age at home. 

 

Parents/carers will be able to test their child twice a week at home before they come in to school. It is suggested that students are tested on Monday and Thursday mornings each week before school. Tests take around 30 minutes to complete. Full instructions are provided with the test kits. Please kindly give yourselves plenty of time to conduct the test to ensure your child arrives on time at school. We appreciate that testing in the morning may not be convenient and therefore suggest you conduct the test on Sunday evening and Wednesday evening, if that is more manageable for you.

 

Parents/carers must report test results to NHS Test and Trace as soon as the test is completed as per the instructions in the home test kit. Results should also be shared with the School to help with contact tracing.  Results should be uploaded via the Covid - Student Form available on Sharepoint please. Students should be aware of how to access this and a screenshot is attached. When clicking the link, students will need to enter their Google classroom account details. Parents/carers should email itsupport@highamlaneschool.co.uk if the student's login details have been forgotten. 

 

 

We are expecting testing kits to be delivered on Thursday and students will be issued with the tests during form time on Friday to take home. We will only be providing home testing kits to students for whom we have received consent for testing in school. If you would like a home testing kit but have not previously given consent, please contact the School to let us know.

 

Students should take the kits straight home. Please could you kindly read through the instructions with your child son/daughter and support them in carrying out the test.

 

As with the in-school testing, it is not mandatory for students to be tested at home before they come into school. However, in line with Department for Education and Public Health advice, we strongly encourage you to do this to help us to keep our students and staff safe and to limit the numbers of students and staff having to self-isolate, once we have identified a positive case. We have had a fantastically high response rate to our in-school testing and we hope this will continue with the home testing.

 

The latest Department for Education guidance confirms that: all positive results from rapid tests undertaken at home do need to be confirmed with a standard PCR test. This is because these tests are not conducted in a controlled environment and will not have trained staff on hand. Following a positive LFD test at home, a confirmatory PCR test should be booked online or by calling 119. Whilst awaiting the PCR result, the student and their close contacts should self-isolate. If the PCR test is negative, it overrides the self-test LFD test (taken at home only, not in school) and the child can return to school. Parents/carers must inform school and provide evidence of a negative PCR test result (a letter will be sent home when we are made aware of a positive LFD test result which explains this in more detail)

 

If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate in getting in touch with the School via the contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk email address.

 

Thank you for your on-going support.

 

Yours sincerely,

P. Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

16:00 Monday 01/03/2021 Testing Plan

Timings	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
	01-Mar-21	02-Mar-21	03-Mar-21	04-Mar-21	05-Mar-21	08-Mar-21	09-Mar-21	10-Mar-21	11-Mar-21
Arrival time	Y13/Y12/Y11	Y10/Y9	Y8/Y7	Y13/Y12/Y11	Y10/Y9	Y13,Y8, Y7	Y12/Y11	Y10/Y9	Y8/Y7
8am	A-B (Y11)	A-B (Y10)	A - B (Y8)	A-B (Y11)	A-B (Y10)	A - B (Y8)	A-B (Y11)	A-B (Y10)	A - B (Y8)
8.30am	C-F (Y11)	C-E (Y10)	C - F (Y8)	C-F (Y11)	C-E (Y10)	C - F (Y8)	C-F (Y11)	C-E (Y10)	C - F (Y8)
9am	G-J (Y11)	F-Hi (Y10)	G - J (Y8)	G-J (Y11)	F-Hi (Y10)	G - J (Y8)	G-J (Y11)	F-Hi (Y10)	G - J (Y8)
9.30am	K - Mc (Y11)	Ho - L (Y10)	K - M (Y8)	K - Mc (Y11)	Ho - L (Y10)	K - N (Y8)	K - Mc (Y11)	Ho - L (Y10)	K - M (Y8)
10am	Me - P (Y11)	M - Pa (Y10)	N - R (Y8)	Me - P (Y11)	M - Pa (Y10)	O - S (Y8)	Me - P (Y11)	M - Pa (Y10)	N - R (Y8)
10.30am	R - St (Y11)	Pe - S (Y10)	S - T (Y8)	R - St (Y11)	Pe - S (Y10)	T - Y (Y8)	R - St (Y11)	Pe - S (Y10)	S - T (Y8)
11am	Su - Z (Y11)	T - W (Y10)	V - Y (Y8)	Su - Z (Y11)	T - W (Y10)	A - B (Y7)	Su - Z (Y11)	T - W (Y10)	V - Y (Y8)
11.30am	A - D (Y12)	A - B (Y9)	A -B (Y7)	A - D (Y12)	A - B (Y9)	C - F (Y7)	A - C (Y12)	A - B (Y9)	A -B (Y7)
12pm	E - M (Y12)	C - E (Y9)	C - E (Y7)	E - M (Y12)	C - E (Y9)	G - J (Y7)	D - L (Y12)	C - E (Y9)	C - E (Y7)
12.30pm	none	none	F - H (Y7)	none	none	K - M (Y7)	none	none	F - H (Y7)
1.00pm	none	none	J - L (Y7)	none	none	N - R (Y7)	none	none	J - L (Y7)
1.30pm	N - S (Y12)	F - He (Y9)	none	N - S (Y12)	F - He (Y9)	none	M - P (Y12)	F - He (Y9)	none
2.00pm	T - Z (Y12)	Hi - K (Y9)	none	T - Z (Y12)	Hi - K (Y9)	none	R - T (Y12)	Hi - K (Y9)	none
2.30pm	A - F (Y13)	L - N (Y9)	M - Pa (Y7)	A - F (Y13)	L - N (Y9)	S - Z (Y7)	W - Z (Y12)	L - N (Y9)	M - Pa (Y7)
3.00pm	G - P (Y13)	O - R (Y9)	Pe -Sh (Y7)	G - P (Y13)	O - R (Y9)	A - H (Y13)	none	O - R (Y9)	Pe -Sh (Y7)
3.30pm	R - W (Y13)	S - Y (Y9)	Sm - Z (Y7)	R - W (Y13)	S - Y (Y9)	J - W (Y13)	none	S - Y (Y9)	Sm - Z (Y7)

 

 

 

 

8.30am	C-F (Y11)	C-E (Y10)	C - F (Y8)	C-F (Y11)	C-E (Y10)	C - F (Y8)	C-F (Y11)	C-E (Y10)	C - F (Y8)
9am	G-J (Y11)	F-Hi (Y10)	G - J (Y8)	G-J (Y11)	F-Hi (Y10)	G - J (Y8)	G-J (Y11)	F-Hi (Y10)	G - J (Y8)
9.30am	K - Mc (Y11)	Ho - L (Y10)	K - M (Y8)	K - Mc (Y11)	Ho - L (Y10)	K - N (Y8)	K - Mc (Y11)	Ho - L (Y10)	K - M (Y8)
10am	Me - P (Y11)	M - Pa (Y10)	N - R (Y8)	Me - P (Y11)	M - Pa (Y10)	O - S (Y8)	Me - P (Y11)	M - Pa (Y10)	N - R (Y8)
10.30am	R - St (Y11)	Pe - S (Y10)	S - T (Y8)	R - St (Y11)	Pe - S (Y10)	T - Y (Y8)	R - St (Y11)	Pe - S (Y10)	S - T (Y8)
11am	Su - Z (Y11)	T - W (Y10)	V - Y (Y8)	Su - Z (Y11)	T - W (Y10)	A - B (Y7)	Su - Z (Y11)	T - W (Y10)	V - Y (Y8)
11.30am	A - D (Y12)	A - B (Y9)	A -B (Y7)	A - D (Y12)	A - B (Y9)	C - F (Y7)	A - C (Y12)	A - B (Y9)	A -B (Y7)
12pm	E - M (Y12)	C - E (Y9)	C - E (Y7)	E - M (Y12)	C - E (Y9)	G - J (Y7)	D - L (Y12)	C - E (Y9)	C - E (Y7)
12.30pm	none	none	F - H (Y7)	none	none	K - M (Y7)	none	none	F - H (Y7)
1.00pm	none	none	J - L (Y7)	none	none	N - R (Y7)	none	none	J - L (Y7)
1.30pm	N - S (Y12)	F - He (Y9)	none	N - S (Y12)	F - He (Y9)	none	M - P (Y12)	F - He (Y9)	none
2.00pm	T - Z (Y12)	Hi - K (Y9)	none	T - Z (Y12)	Hi - K (Y9)	none	R - T (Y12)	Hi - K (Y9)	none
2.30pm	A - F (Y13)	L - N (Y9)	M - Pa (Y7)	A - F (Y13)	L - N (Y9)	S - Z (Y7)	W - Z (Y12)	L - N (Y9)	M - Pa (Y7)
3.00pm	G - P (Y13)	O - R (Y9)	Pe -Sh (Y7)	G - P (Y13)	O - R (Y9)	A - H (Y13)	none	O - R (Y9)	Pe -Sh (Y7)
3.30pm	R - W (Y13)	S - Y (Y9)	Sm - Z (Y7)	R - W (Y13)	S - Y (Y9)	J - W (Y13)	none	S - Y (Y9)	Sm - Z (Y7)

 

16:00 Monday 01/03/2021 Test and Return to School

 

 

 

P. Kelly Headteacher

 

16:00 Monday 01/03/2021 Timings for Covid LFD Testing

Dear Parent/Carer,

Further to Mr Kelly’s letter on 24th February, please find attached timings for students who have consent to attend for Covid testing for the weeks commencing 1st March and 8th March. 30 minute windows have been allocated based on year group and then by surname. For example, if your child's surname begins with an A or B and they are in Year 11, they should arrive at 8am. on 1st March.

 

We will aim to test your child as soon as possible after their arrival. They will be on site for a minimum amount of time and only with students in their own year group bubble and distancing. They will not need to wait for the test result, as this will be texted to the person named on the consent contact form, as well as to the School.

 

Students are not required to wear school uniform, but should be appropriately dressed for a school setting, as they are, for example, on Non-Uniform Days.

 

Students should enter the main Reception via the Shanklin Drive entrance please. Students should not enter through the Brookdale Road or Higham Lane entrances. Please kindly note: parents/carers who are taking their child to school will not be able to park on site and should drop their child off near to the Shanklin Drive gate. Parents/Carers should not enter the school site due to our current COVID-19 health and safety measures.

 

Students arriving for testing should wear face coverings (unless they have an exemption)

 

The testing will be carried out using Lateral Flow Devices, in line with Government guidelines. We must have written consent for every student who is to be tested. If any student arrives for testing and the consent form has not been completed, we will not be able to test them.

 

If your son/daughter has tested positive for Covid in the past 90 days, you should not send them for a test. This is because a false positive test may result in unnecessary self-isolation for you and your household.

 

Students who are already attending school will be given permission to leave their lessons at the time of their test. They will then return to their lessons.

 

Teachers have been informed when students will be missing a lesson because they are having an LFD test. Students who miss a lesson for this reason will not be expected to catch up with the work they missed.

 

Thank you so much for your support and understanding.

 

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact the School via the contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk email.

 

Best wishes,

Higham Lane School

 

15:30 Friday 12/02/2021 - Letter to parents from P Kelly

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope that you have had a good week and are keeping safe and well. 

 

It has been another busy week both in school and for students working at home. With the recent announcement from the Government that schools will not reopen until at least Monday 8th March, it is more important than ever for us to continue to work together effectively and we are so grateful for your on-going support.

 

Students Currently Attending School

I would like to say a huge well done to the students (the children of critical workers and those who are considered to be vulnerable) who are currently attending school, during our partial school closure. We have been so impressed by their behaviour, commitment and focus.

 

Parent Survey on Remote Learning

Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback on our recent survey about remote learning.   The responses were overwhelmingly positive which we have shared with staff. We thank you as parents and carers for encouraging and supporting your child to engage fully with remote lessons through Zoom and Google Classroom.   We continue to be really impressed with the outstanding learning attitudes from your children as they show independence, commitment and resilience with their learning, and teachers regularly comment on the excellent quality of work that is being uploaded to Google Classroom.  

One aspect of remote learning that we have asked teachers to look at is the organisation of the Google Classroom pages - ensuring that links to Zoom lessons are posted at the top of the stream and naming each class so that students can find the Google Classroom for that particular subject more easily.  We continue to appreciate any feedback that will help to make learning at home more manageable for students during this time.   

 

Laptop Support

 

The School has actively responded to the Government’s initiative to loan laptops to any student who does not have one during the lockdown, with record numbers of laptops being made available to those parents/carers who responded to our offer.

 

Recently, we were absolutely overwhelmed to receive a donation from one of our parents of 4 Hewlett Packard laptops from her business. We were humbled to receive such a generous gift for our students. If you would like to donate a laptop to the School, please do kindly get in touch.

 

Supporting Our Mental Health

Our mental health is so important, particularly during the lockdown and all the restrictions it brings.

The following message was posted on Google Classroom Stream recently to assist our students if they are feeling in need of support:

Are you finding things hard right now? It’s okay not to feel okay, but we want you to feel safe. You do not need to struggle alone; help and support is available right now if you need it. If you are 11-18, talk to someone today: 02476 641799 (8am and 8pm) or 0300 200 0011 (overnight). Or download the Stay Alive app www.cwrise.com

Remember you can also talk to a trusted adult at home or school. If you don't need to talk to someone immediately then message your tutor or teacher on Google Classroom and let them know how you feel or email HLSHelp@highamlaneschool.co.uk

 

Time to Rest and Re-Charge!

 

We would like to recognise how hard our students have worked during this first half of the spring term. Half term is an important opportunity to rest and re-charge. It is particularly important to ensure a break from ‘screen time’ which is inevitably intense during remote learning, where students and staff are having to spend a significant amount of time in front of a computer screen – and often in one position. I know that students and families will also enjoy some quality time together during half term, even with the limitations of the lockdown, for example taking daily walks and doing other forms of exercise. Half term is also a real opportunity for students to practise creative skills we don’t always have time for such as cooking, baking, art, craft and to read for pleasure or watch a great TV programme or films together with family members!  

 

Creative Skills Apparent!

 

It has been lovely to see so many creative responses from students in a range of subjects. For example, over the past two weeks, nearly 30 of our best Year 8 Food students have been competing to produce a ‘meringue showstopper’ in the Lockdown Meringue Challenge. The outcomes have been so amazing and of such a high standard that choosing a winner has been very challenging according to our Design and Technology Department judges!

 

Lateral Flow Testing

 

As I mentioned some weeks ago, lateral flow testing is now up and running in school for the staff and the students currently attending school.  It is a very straight-forward process and so far we have had no positive cases, which is encouraging.  We will update you further, before the wider reopening of the School. I would like to thank my colleagues who have played such a lead role in setting up the testing, particularly Mr Elliott, Mr Cook, Mrs Smith and our Estates Team, as well as all the other staff who have volunteered to administer the tests. It has been a great team effort.

 

Update on Calendared Events

 

We have revisited our calendar in the light of the delayed return to school for students.  Dates for Student Progress Evenings, Student Progress Reports being sent home and other key events will appear on the weekly bulletin.  Clearly we are having to keep our calendar under constant review, subject to when students are due to return to school and any future lockdowns.  We will, of course, inform you at the earliest opportunity if any of the published dates need to change.

 

Year 8 Options Process

 

Year 8 parents/carers will shortly be receiving a letter from Mr Banks outlining the School’s plans for Year 8 students choosing their options.   The current Covid-19 restrictions mean that we are having to do things slightly differently this year.  However, we are excited about the opportunity that it has brought us to move our options process ‘online’ and we hope that parents/carers will find the new Year 8 options section of the school website, which is due to be launched after half term, a helpful resource.

 

Consultation on how GCSE, AS and A level grades should be awarded in summer 2021

 

Thank you to those parents, carers and students who took part in the above consultation which was organised by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual.  The government has not given a firm date on when schools, colleges and the wider public can expect to be informed of the outcomes.  We will, of course, write to parents/carers of Year 11 and Year 13 students as soon as the outcomes are made public and we receive further guidance as to what these mean for our students.

 

Record Applications to Higham Lane Sixth Form!

 

We are delighted that record numbers of students have applied to join Higham Lane Sixth Form. One of the real pleasures of the past two weeks has been for members of our Senior Leadership Team and Mrs Doyne-Ditmas, our Assistant Head of Sixth Form, to conduct telephone interviews with applicants, both from Higham Lane School and from a large number of schools in the East and West Midlands.  It was also a really good opportunity to check-in with the students to see how they are getting on during the lockdown. We have all been so impressed by the students’ maturity, resilience and enthusiasm as they prepare for their post-16 studies.

 

Staff Farewells

 

In a recent letter, I paid tribute to our Assistant Headteacher, Mr Evans. Today we bid farewell to this fantastic colleague after 28 and-a-half years of stunning service to Higham Lane School. We wish Mr Evans a very happy and active retirement.  

 

We are also saying goodbye to an important member of our Support for Learning Department- Miss Thompson. We thank her for her support for our children and staff and wish her every happiness in the future. 

 

Do you need to get in touch with us?

Please use the contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk email address and indicate who your message should be forwarded to. We have been really grateful to receive further positive feedback about our remote learning provision and other messages about the way the School is managing the current situation during the lockdown. We also appreciate that sometimes you will have feedback on how particular aspects of our work can be improved. Whatever your feedback, we look forward to receiving it.

We wish you a safe and restful half term break. Keep safe.

Best wishes,

 

P.Kelly

 

Headteacher

 

 

 

09:00 Tuesday 08/02/2021 - Safer Internet Day – Tuesday 9 February 2021

At Higham Lane we’re proud to celebrate this day by reminding ourselves what an amazing space the internet can be and the importance to us all using it in a safe and secure way.

In this most uncertain of times and when your son/daughter’s education is through remote learning, we need to pause for one moment and think about their screen time.  We also need to think about what we are doing online more generally and how this may affect us.

As parents/carers let’s remember that children may feel confused, angry and upset with what they see online, often believing what they read or watch. It’s important to remind children that images and videos are often edited; influencers and celebrities get paid for promotion because of their large numbers of followers; news can sometimes be fake and they may be experiencing targeted advertising and sponsored content.

It’s also important to remember to be app aware - have parental controls in place, keep on top of gaming hours, have safe search engine settings, try to be social media savvy and follow up on any concerns you may have. A really useful way of doing this is to start with a conversation about the internet, establish online rules as a family and share devices together. 

Think about the 4 C’s of the internet – Content – what are they being exposed to? Contact – Who are they talking to? Conduct – is their behaviour online appropriate? Commercialism – Pop ups, adverts, marketing and sponsors.

Kind regards

Miss Dixon

Whole School ICT Coordinator.

 

 

 

14:55 Monday 08/02/2021 -Resources for students

Dear Parent/Carer
 
If your son/daughter needs any of the following resources, these will be available for parents/carers/students to collect from the Student Services entrance of school, between 9.30am - 2.30pm this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (9th - 11th February). 

Please arrive wearing your face covering and please socially distance at all times.
 

• Maths exercise books
• A4 and A5 lined exercise books
• Small, plain paper exercise books
• Graph paper
• Sanitary products
• Plain paper for Art students
• Lined paper

If there are any other resources that your child needs in order to complete their school work please let us know.

With kind regards

Higham Lane School

14:50 Friday 29/01/2021 - A Message from Mr Kelly

 

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope you and your family have had a good week.

Let’s celebrate what we are all achieving at this challenging time!

We appreciate that the current COVID-19 situation is so challenging for everyone, particularly living through the latest lockdown. We are also experiencing winter weather and sometimes low moods perhaps. We remain indebted to the critical workers who are playing
such a key role in the national effort during the pandemic. I just wanted to thank you, our parents and carers, for the fantastic job you are doing in supporting your child, both with home learning but also, more importantly in all those other ways, with love, care and
reassurance during these worrying and confusing times. Well done also to our students who are working so hard on their remote learning and also using their time well in taking part in other activities such as reading, being creative and learning a new skill or developing a new hobby. And finally thank you to our staff, for all their efforts. Many of them are overseeing their own children’s home learning while simultaneously offering our students high quality lessons on Zoom and Google Classroom, whilst others are overseeing key support roles within school and helping to set up our lateral flow testing. It’s a great team effort by everyone: students, parents/carers and staff! Let’s recognise that and also not over-react when we face occasional setbacks or frustrations.

Progress Leader messages and assemblies on line

We appreciate that remote learning is not the same as being in school for students but staff are working hard to maintain the high quality pastoral provision we normally offer. I hope that you and your son/daughter are enjoying the weekly message from your child’s Progress Leader on Google Classroom (GC). Similarly, students are asked to watch the on-line assemblies. This week’s was from Mr Goldstraw from our History Department and was about the Holocaust to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. It was so moving and informative. 

Tutors phoning their tutees at home

We are keen to make sure that students are looking after their wellbeing during these difficult times. We appreciate that lockdown is challenging in many ways. As you are aware, your child’s form tutor has been contacting them via Google Classroom (GC) each week since the start of term for a check-in and asking your son/daughter to reply on GC. Where tutors have not heard back from a student, they have phoned home to speak to them. Next Wednesday, 3rd February, tutors will be phoning home to speak to any student they have not had a phone call with so far. Calls will last for approximately 5 minutes and will take place between 3.05pm and 4.45pm. There is no need for parents/carers to book an appointment time. Students will be informed via GC about these tutor phone calls and we would be grateful if you could remind your son/daughter to make themselves available between these times if they have not previously had a phone conversation with their tutor. The call will begin with a brief conversation with the parent/carer and the tutor will then ask to speak to the student, if he or she is with you (we appreciate that some parents/carers may not be working from home during the lockdown). I hope the students are finding this regular contact with their tutors helpful.

School events

Please bear with us whilst we re-draft our calendar in the light of this week’s announcement regarding schools re-opening later than originally anticipated. We will inform you in due course of any revisions to dates for events such as Student Progress Evenings,  Student Progress Reports and exam weeks.

Snow closure

As you are aware, we had to close the school site last Monday because of the dangerous condition of the site due to the heavy snowfall. We will always try to keep the School open if we can, but this is very much a health and safety decision. We will continue to communicate such decisions via messaging all parents/carers, giving you as much notice as possible. Of course, one blessing of remote learning, is that we are now in a position to set specific work for each lesson on ‘Snow Days’. I am not saying all students welcome this development!

HLS stars of the week

We are all loving celebrating the fantastic work being produced and other achievements being accomplished by our students during the lockdown. This can be seen on our Twitter and Instagram pages. Please be sure to check it out!

Request for the School to witness passport and citizenship applications

Unfortunately, the School is not able to offer this service. Thank you for your understanding about this.

Do you need to get in touch with us?

Please use the contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk email address and indicate who your message should be forwarded to. We have been really grateful to receive further positive feedback about our remote learning provision and other messages about the way the School is managing the current situation during the lockdown. We also appreciate that sometimes you will have feedback on how particular aspects of our work can be improved. Whatever your feedback, we look forward to receiving it.

Keep safe.

Best wishes,

P.Kelly
Headteacher
 

 

13:45 Friday 22/01/2021 - Parents - how you can help your son/daughter engage with remote learning

 

 

13:00 Friday 22/01/2021 - Higham Lane School YouTube Channel - Remote Learning support for your son/daughter

We're pleased to announce the launch of our very own YouTube Channel (click on the link below). The channel aims is to be the one-stop destination for remote learning support and guidance videos to enable your son/daughter to work confidently while schooling from home. Additionally, it's a useful resource for parents/carers in the support they provide their son/daughter through these difficult times.

The detail - Higham Lane School YouTube Channel:

Our intention is for the channel to grow as more relevant videos are uploaded, however at present we have the following student-focused playlists set up:

1. Remote Learning - Zoom: Help voiceover videos on how to access and use Zoom
2. Remote Learning - Google Classroom for students: As above, help voiceover videos on how to access and use Google Classroom

Safety matters:

We have configured settings so no comments can be left by viewers and those wanting to add a video able unable to do so. Only authorised members of Higham Lane staff will upload new content. 

How to access Higham Lane School YouTube Channel:

• Go to YouTube and type 'Higham Lane School' into the search window. This will locate the channel. Please hit subscribe so it saves as one of your subscribed channels within your YouTube account. Furthermore, don't forget to bookmark the web address (URL) so you don't need search every time. 

The direct weblink is https://www.youtube.com/user/highamlanesch

Thank you for your continued support and we hope you and your child find this resource of value.

Kind regards.

Higham Lane School.

 

 

11:45am Friday 15/01/2021 Letter to Parents

15 January 2021

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year with your family and I wish you a happy and healthy 2021.

We were expecting Year 13 and Year 11 students to be in school from the start of this term, with other year groups beginning with one week’s remote learning. The rapidly-worsening situation nationally regarding COVID-19 perhaps made a complete school closure at the start of this term inevitable (apart from provision on site for vulnerable learners and the children of critical workers). It was slightly surreal holding a Senior Leadership Team meeting over Zoom on New Year’s Eve to adjust our planning! Even though the government’s announcement was perhaps somewhat unexpected, our very careful and thorough planning over several months meant the School was well-prepared for this situation.

I would like to say a huge well done to the students who are currently attending school. Their maturity and focus have been most impressive!

Remote learning working effectively

I would like to thank you for your support for your child/children as they get to grips with remote learning once again, following their normal timetable each day. We do appreciate that Wi-Fi and connectivity will present issues at times and we have clear systems in place to support your child/children with IT issues where we can. For any technical issues, please email us at ITSupport@highamlaneschool.co.uk

Staff have worked really hard to further develop their practice and provision on Zoom and Google Classroom since the first lockdown back in March and we are really grateful for the very positive feedback that so many of you have sent to us. These messages are shared with all of our staff and give them a great lift at a challenging time! We are not complacent however and remain committed to continuous improvement.

Is your child attending and engaging with every remote learning lesson? 

This is a key question I think. The vast majority of our students are displaying a mature commitment and engaging with learning just as if they do when at school. Where a student does not attend a lesson, we will inform you.

Just a few reminders:

The school timetable is operating as normal. Your son/daughter should use his/her Student Organiser to ensure that s/he is following the timetabled lesson for each period. Each lesson lasts for approximately 50 minutes in order to give students a short break from using a screen after each lesson.

Your son/daughter should log onto the Google Classroom page for each of his/her classes at the start of each timetabled lesson. From here, s/he will either access a Zoom code for the lesson or will compete work set by the teacher on Google Classroom. At all times, your son/daughter will be able to ask the teacher for that particular lesson any questions using either the ‘Stream’ facility on Google Classroom or the ‘Chat’ facility on Zoom, depending on which platform is being used.

The only exception to the usual timetabled day is the form time period which is at the start of every day for twenty minutes. Students do not need to log into the form time period. However, your son/daughter’s form tutor will be available via the private message stream option every day from 8.50-9.05 for any general wellbeing questions that your son/daughter may have. Form tutors are also sending regular messages to their form groups to check that everyone is OK and asking each member of the form to respond. Please encourage your child to do so.  Our assemblies are starting next week and will be shown every Tuesday morning from 8.50-9.10 am. 

Helping to ensure your child/children is engaging with remote learning

Please support the School by checking as best as you can that your child is working effectively at home, particularly if one or more parents or older family members is working from home. If your child can work where you can see them, that is really helpful. I appreciate that will not always be possible. We have received feedback from some parents that their children are becoming distracted during the school day by, for example, playing on their Xbox, when they should be attending lessons and completing the work set by the teacher. It is really important to have clear routines and boundaries in place. Students have plenty of time to enjoy leisure activities after the school day when they have completed their school work.  Thanks so much for your support with this.

Excellent behaviour expected at all times

Just as we expect excellent behaviour from our students when the School is open as normal, so we also expect excellent conduct during remote learning and we have explained this clearly to our students. The overwhelming majority of students behave superbly on Zoom. A small number unfortunately let themselves down and adversely affect the learning of other students through inappropriate behaviour. Please kindly talk to your child about their conduct on Zoom and encourage them to behave to a very high standard. As I say, most of our students are meeting this expectation, which is excellent. Thank you. 

The implications of students falling behind

Students who do not attend remote lessons, engage with them and complete the work set will fall behind. This will affect their progress and ultimately the grades they achieve, with all the implications this has for securing places on post 16 courses or apprenticeships. We will do everything we can to support your child, but we can’t do the work for them. We appreciate that some students find the work set too challenging and we will, of course, seek to support these students further; we simply ask everyone to attend, engage and do their best. Year 10 students are likely to complete a full set of GCSE exams next summer, if the rollout of the vaccine is successful and school is fully open. Any Year 10 students who are not currently engaging with remote learning risk achieving low grades.

Year 11 and Year 13- retaining control

Year 11 and Year 13 students should still be working hard and fully engaging with remote learning and their revision. They have everything to play for. We do appreciate that news that this summer’s exams will not take place as normal may have been frustrating and disconcerting to many students and perhaps a relief to some others. We are still awaiting the final details from the Department for Education and Ofqual as to how grades will be determined this summer. All we have been told so far is: GCSE and A Level exams will not go ahead in summer 2021. Teachers will provide assessment and grading. (The government wish to avoid the use of an algorithm). Training and support of teachers will be provided by the government. Whatever the methodology the government chooses, the key focus remains the same: grades are earned by each student proving their right to a grade by the quality of work they produce. Exam papers taken by students will only be successful through careful preparation, revision and practice. There is also, of course, value in learning for the sake of learning, not just for examinations.

Asymptomatic testing

As you may have heard, schools are now expected to facilitate the testing of students to help support the government’s asymptomatic nationwide testing strategy. This will be achieved by using new, quicker COVID‑19 tests known as ‘lateral flow devices’.

The government has advised us that up to one third of people who have coronavirus are asymptomatic (ie having no apparent symptoms). By testing students and staff, we will help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in school through asymptomatic transmission.

With the national lockdown in place, we are only looking at currently testing the children of critical workers and children classed as vulnerable who are in school at this stage, with their parent’s/carer’s permission. It is intended that testing will commence the week commencing 18 January. Each child will be tested twice, 3-5 days apart.

In addition, any staff member or student who has come into contact with positive COVID-19 cases in our school can be tested daily for seven days to allow them to remain in school. We will look to test all other students as and when they return following the national lockdown, with their parent’s/carer’s permission.

I hope that this update from me has been helpful.

If you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant member of staff on contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk

Thank you once again for your fantastic, on-going support at this time.

Yours sincerely,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

15:30 Thursday 07/01/2021 Laptop loan scheme

Dear Parents/Carers,

RE: Laptop loan scheme

Thank you to those who have responded to the School’s communication regarding the allocation of laptop for students with limited access.

We hope to commence the roll-out of laptops Monday 11 January for those that meet the criteria and are of priority. Please appreciate the school holds a limited number of laptops and as such will ensure they are distributed fairly and in accordance to the stated criteria and priority.

Thank you for understanding.

Higham Lane School

 

14:45 Wednesday 06/01/2021 Cambridge Nationals examinations in Creative i-Media, Health and Social Care and Sport

6 January 2021

Dear Parent/Carer,

Cambridge Nationals examinations in Creative i-Media, Health and Social Care and Sport

You may have seen the announcement in the media late yesterday regarding individual schools and colleges being left to decide whether to run vocational examinations this month.  We are sorry for any anxiety or confusion this announcement may have caused for you or your son or daughter given that they were expecting to sit a Cambridge Nationals exam next Monday (11 January).  This was clearly not an announcement we were expecting and has put schools and colleges in a difficult position in terms of having to make a decision on an institution by institution basis.  It also appears to be at odds with the decision to cancel GCSEs and A-levels this summer.

 

Having given this careful consideration, we have decided to cancel the exams next Monday.  The health and safety of our students and staff is our number one priority here in school.  The Government’s decision to close schools to all students apart from those who are vulnerable or whose parents/carers are critical workers was made on health grounds and we do not feel that having an additional 120 students on site at this time is consistent with the ‘stay at home’ message delivered by the Prime Minister.  We are also mindful that a number of the invigilators who were due to invigilate the exam are likely to be shielding under the new lockdown arrangements.  The advice from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), which represents school and college leaders nationally, and the Association of Colleges (AOC), which represents colleges nationally, is that these examinations should not go ahead.

 

So what does this mean for my son’s/daughter’s grade for their Cambridge Nationals qualification?  OCR, the awarding body for Cambridge Nationals, have sent an email to schools and colleges this afternoon outlining arrangements for those students who do not sit the January exam.  The email states that if students do not take their exams this January that there may be an opportunity to take their assessment at a future date. If this is not possible due to arrangements still to be announced for this summer, the email states that OCR will work with the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual to make sure that students are treated fairly.

I’d like to finish by reiterating my apology for the anxiety and confusion this announcement may have caused.  Should you have questions or concerns about the contents of this letter, please email Mr P. Banks, Deputy Headteacher on the contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk email address.

 

Thank you for your understanding with this matter and for your on-going support.

 

Yours sincerely,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

10.30 Wednesday 06/01/2021 - Laptop loan scheme

Dear Parent/Carer,
 
Further to the Government’s announcement regarding school closures until at the earliest February half-term, I am writing to inform you about the laptop loan scheme we have in place for longer periods of school closure.
 
In most day-to-day learning situations your son/daughter can access Google Classroom and Zoom lessons through any internet-enabled device, such as their smartphone or tablet. In these situations, the use of a laptop is not required, however now that school closure is over a longer period of time, there may be instances when your son/daughter may be required to submit work through Google Classroom or complete it electronically. If this is the case, the use of a computer/laptop would help.
 
The school holds a limited number of laptops available for students to loan for the duration of school closure. Due to the limited numbers, allocation will be based on the following criteria and is intended for students:

• who have no computer/laptop in their household
• whose only available device is a smartphone
• with a single computer/laptop in their household that is being shared between more than two family members i.e. sibling and parent/carer
• with a single computer/laptop in their household that is being shared between child and working parent/carer

 
Please kindly note:

• Priority is given to the above criteria. If a computer/laptop is shared between one other sibling, this does not meet the above criteria.
• Priority of allocation will be given to GCSE & A level students and on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you think you meet these criteria, and would like to request the loan of a school laptop, please complete an online form by clicking on the link below.

<LINK SENT IN EMAIL>

Once we have received your completed form, and you meet the criteria, we will contact you to discuss the collection of a laptop.

Kind regards,

Higham Lane School

 

 

15.00 Tuesday 05/01/2021 - Implications of the Government’s comments about summer 2021 examinations

Dear Parent/Carer,

Implications of the Government’s comments about summer 2021 examinations

I just wanted to write to you following the Prime Minister’s comments about the 2021 examinations during his statement on 4^th January.

Following the Government’s decision to close schools to all students other than those the School recognises as vulnerable, and the children of critical workers until February half term and move to remote learning, the Prime Minister has said:

“In these circumstances, we do not think it is possible for exams to go ahead fairly this summer. The Secretary of State for Education will be asking Ofqual to consult rapidly on an approach for alternative arrangements that will allow students to progress fairly”.

As mentioned in the Google Classroom message this morning to Year 11 students from Miss Hemmings and myself, as a school, we entirely appreciate that this message may have left students in Year 11 feeling frustrated, anxious and confused. We know that Year 11 students had prepared for their January trial exams very thoroughly with careful revision and the completion of practice papers, so the timing of this announcement is particularly frustrating.

At this challenging time, we need to work together to ensure your son/daughter remains fully focused and does not make inaccurate assumptions about this development.

In stating that they would be working with Ofqual to consider alternative arrangements, this does not necessarily mean that exams are fully cancelled in all subjects. For example, they could still take place in particular subjects.

There is likely to be some kind of assessment that will replace the original exams. Like you, we don't know what this will be yet.  But we do know that all students in Year 11 throughout the country will be leaving school with grades for their GCSEs and other qualifications.

Therefore, it is essential that your son/daughter continues working to the best of his/her ability in lessons and continues to attend all lessons on-line. Teachers will continue to teach the GCSE curriculum.  Students will need to upload work to their teachers, so that their teachers can provide feedback.  Teachers will be keeping a record of the work each student submits.  

The work that students complete from now on could be very important if the Government decides that the School will be submitting grades for each student based on the work that they have produced. This is what happened to Year 11s last year for example.  

Students maintaining good study habits and continuing to study to the best of their ability will also be important preparation for sixth form or college studies at the end of Year 11.

Whilst the Year 11 trial exams scheduled for January 2021 are clearly not going to take place just yet, they may still be going ahead when students return to school after February half-term, depending on what Ofqual advise. Your son/daughter must keep this in mind and continue to work to the best of their ability over this half term.  The trial exams could be an important source of evidence if your son/daughter’s teachers are asked to submit grades based on the work students have produced during these exams.

We really understand how challenging and difficult this announcement has been for your son/daughter and for you as parents/carers. It is essential, however, that your son/daughter remains focused so that they can still achieve the best grades they are capable of.  

Your son’s/daughter’s teachers will fully support them over the next few weeks with remote learning and feedback on work in order to be in the best place we can be for when Ofqual informs us of what the alternative assessment arrangements will be.  

I will write to you with further updates as and when we receive any further information on this matter.

Thank you for your on-going support. Please do not hesitate to contact your son/daughter’s form tutor, Progress Leader or subject teachers if they can be of any further assistance.

Best wishes,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

12.15 Friday 01/01/2021

Dear Parent/Carer

I hope that you have had an enjoyable Christmas break so far, despite the very challenging times we are living in.

Arrangements for the start of the Spring Term

I am sorry to be contacting you during a school holiday, but I thought it would be helpful to update you about or plans for the start of the spring term.

As you may have heard via the media, the Secretary of State for Education has made some changes to the staggered return dates for the new school term, in light of the current situation regarding COVID-19 and to enable schools to begin planning for mass testing of staff and students for COVID-19.

From Tuesday 5^th January

Only the following students should come into school at the normal time in school uniform for face-to-face teaching:

• Those who are most vulnerable, such as those with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) and those with a social worker. (We will contact the parents/carers of these students separately in advance).
• Children of critical workers. (We asked the parents/carers of these students to contact us at the end of last term). At that time, this did not apply to Year 11 students as we were expecting them to be in school.  If you are a critical worker and a parent/carer of a Year 11 student and you have no other childcare options on Tuesday 5^th – Friday 8^th January, please click on the link below and complete an online reply slip to inform us you will be sending your child to school. (Please see the definition of critical workers at the end of this letter)

<LINK SENT IN EMAIL>

Please could all of these students bring in a pair of earphones or headphones for use to access their remote learning on a school device.

All other students will remain at home and take part in remote learning. (Please see below for further details).

From Monday, 11^th January

The aforementioned students plus students in Year 11 should attend school in school uniform and Year 13 should attend school at the normal time for face-to-face teaching.  All other students will be taking part in remote learning from home.

Cambridge Nationals examinations will go ahead as planned on Monday 11^th January for those students in Years 10, 11 and 12 who have already received their examination timetables for these subjects. Students in year 12 involved in these examinations should sign in at Sixth Form Reception before making their way to the examination. Students in Year 10 should sign in a Student Services. Students should ensure that they arrive at the relevant venue at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time for the examination. Year 10 and 12 students should sign out as soon as they have finished their exam and leave the site immediately. Year 10 students should attend in full uniform please.

Year 11 trial examinations will commence on Wednesday 13^th January. A revised version of the trial examination timetable accompanies this letter. Please ensure that your son/daughter makes a note of the revised dates and keeps hold of the personalised version of the timetable which they were issued with before Christmas as, although the dates of the examinations have changed, the venues and seat numbers for each subject will remain the same. Students should follow their normal timetable when not in examinations.

From Monday, 18^th January

All students in Years 7-13 should attend school for face-to-face teaching at the normal time.

Food and drink arrangements

Please kindly note – unfortunately, we will not be able to provide food and drink in school for the week commencing 4^th January, so your son/daughter, if attending school, will need to bring food and drink for break and lunchtime.  The parents/carers of students receiving Free School Meals will be contacted separately about arrangements for these students.

How will remote learning work?

From Tuesday 5^th January, all learning will take place through Google Classroom for all year groups (7-13) which can be downloaded to any device including mobile phones. All students should have already accepted their Google Classroom codes from teachers.

1. The school timetable will operate as normal from Tuesday 5^th January for all students. Your son/daughter should use his/her Student Organiser to ensure that s/he is following the timetabled lesson for that period. For example, if it is Year 8 English on Tuesday p1 at 9.10, this remains the lesson that your son/daughter will follow at this designated time. Each lesson will last for approximately 50 minutes in order to give students a short break from using a screen after each lesson.
2. Your son/daughter should log onto the Google Classroom page for each of his/her classes at the start of each timetabled lesson. From here, s/he will either open up a Zoom code for the lesson or will compete work set by the teacher on Google Classroom. At all times, your son/daughter will be able to ask the teacher for that lesson any questions using either the ‘Stream’ facility on Google Classroom or the ‘Chat’ facility on Zoom, depending on which platform is being used.
3. Form time: The only exception to the usual timetabled day is the form time period which is at the start of every day for twenty minutes. Students do not need to log into the form time period. However, your son/daughter’s form tutor will be available via the private message stream option every day from 8.50-9.05 for any general wellbeing questions that your son/daughter may have.
4. For any technical issues, please email us at ITSupport@highamlaneschool.co.uk
5. Please may we kindly ask for your continued support with regards to our high expectations regarding behaviour and logging on for students when learning remotely. A separate email reminding students about this will be sent on Monday 4^th January and posted on to all students’ year group Google Classroom page.
6. We know that you will kindly bear with us should we have any technical issues with using Zoom for teaching. If we do, all lesson instructions will be placed on Google Classroom for students to follow.  Google Classroom class pages remain the key platform for all communication for teachers and students.

All information and reminders about remote learning can be found on our main school website page within the ‘Remote Learning’ tab.

Lesson times for remote leaning

Lesson times remain unchanged from the normal school timetable and are as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Lesson	Times
1	9.15
2	10.15
3	11.35
4	Y7/8 12.30 and Y9-13 13.10
5	14.05

 

Wednesday

Lesson	Times
1	9.15
2	10.10
3	11.25
4	Y7/8 12.20 and Y9-13 13.00
5	13.55

 

Arrangements for Mass Testing

We are currently reviewing the Government’s proposals about this and we will contact you in due course to explain how we are proposing to organise the mass testing of staff and students within our school. I want to reassure you that we will not begin testing until we are fully confident we can conduct this in a safe way.

Finally, I’d like to wish you and your family a very Happy New Year!

Yours sincerely,

P Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

Definition of ‘Critical Worker’

The sectors within which ‘critical workers’ have been identified are:

Health and social care

This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

Education and childcare

This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

Key public services

This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

Local and national government

This only includes those administration occupations essential the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

Food and other necessary goods

This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

Public safety and national security

This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

Transport

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

Utilities, communication and financial services

This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

 

 

 

7pm Wednesday 30/12/2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Following the announcement from the Government this afternoon, we will be sending an update to you in due course regarding arrangements for the start of next term.

Regards,

Higham Lane School

 

 

4pm Thursday 17th December - Message from Mr Kelly

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am sorry to have to contact you once again.

You may have heard news reports about the Government saying that only Year 13, Year 11, the children of key workers and vulnerable students will be back at school during the first week back after Christmas with other year groups working remotely from home.  We are waiting for further details about this from the Department for Education.

It is frustrating that this is only being announced at this late stage of the term.

We will begin planning for this and communicate with you about arrangements for the start of next term later during the school holiday.

The Year 11 trial exams will go ahead as planned.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best wishes,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

13:50 - Tuesday, 10th November - Email from Mr Kelly about Face Masks

Dear Parent/Carer,

We had an excellent first day of students bringing face coverings into school and wearing them at the agreed times. Thank you so much for your full support with this, in trying to limit the spread of the virus.

Just a reminder please that we have clearly stated that students must  wear a plain colour face covering made from a material that is comfortable and breathable, such as cotton. Bandanas, scarves or face masks with lettering and logos should not be worn.

Please can we ask that students also bring a spare face covering to school each day, in case theirs breaks or they lose or forget it.  (They may want to keep this in their school bag in a plastic bag). This is particularly helpful where students are using disposable face coverings, as sometimes they can break fairly easily. Thank you.

From now on, to avoid any confusion, we are asking students to have their face covering on from the gates as they enter school and to have their face covering on to the gates as they leave school.

Thank you for your on-going support at this challenging time.

Best wishes,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

16:30 - Thursday, 5th November- Changes to arrangements in school from Monday 9^th November 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Changes to arrangements in school from Monday 9^th November 2020

As you are aware, I wrote to you on 23^rd October, outlining a number of changes we will be making to arrangements at school from Monday, 9^th November, concerning timings of the school day and the compulsory wearing of face coverings.

The new temporary timings for the school day are as follows:

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays

	Y7	Y8	Y9	Y10	Y11	Y12/13
Arrival on site	8.40	8.40	8.40	8.50	8.50	8.55
Start of lesson 1	9.15	9.15	9.15	9.15	9.15	9.15
Start of lesson 2	10.15	10.15	10.15	10.15	10.15	10.15
Break	11.15	11.15	11.15	11.15	11.15	11.15
Start of lesson 3	11.35	11.35	11.35	11.35	11.35	11.35
Start of lesson 4/lunch	12.30 lesson 4	12.30 lesson 4	12.30 lunch	12.30 lunch	12.30 lunch	12.30 lunch
	13.25 lunch	13.25 lunch	13.10 lesson 4	13.10 lesson 4	13.10 lesson 4	13.10 lesson 4
Start of lesson 5	14.05	14.05	14.05	14.05	14.05	14.05
Dismissal	14.55	15.05	14.55	15.05	15.05	15.05

Wednesdays

	Y7	Y8	Y9	Y10	Y11	Y12/13
Arrival on site	8.40	8.40	8.40	8.50	8.50	8.55
Start of lesson 1	9.15	9.15	9.15	9.15	9.15	9.15
Start of lesson 2	10.10	10.10	10.10	10.10	10.10	10.10
Break	11.05	11.05	11.05	11.05	11.05	11.05
Start of lesson 3	11.25	11.25	11.25	11.25	11.25	11.25
Start of lesson 4/lunch	12.20 lesson 4	12.20 lesson 4	12.20 lunch	12.20 lunch	12.20 lunch	12.20 lunch
	13.15 lunch	13.15 lunch	13.00 lesson 4	13.00 lesson 4	13.00 lesson 4	13.00 Lesson 4
Start of lesson 5	13.55	13.55	13.55	13.55	13.55	13.55
Dismissal	14.45	14.55	14.45	14.55	14.55	14.55

Please kindly ensure your child has their face covering ready to wear in school from Monday, 9^th November, or please contact your child’s Progress Leader by Friday, 6^th November, if you believe he/she should be exempt from wearing a face covering, clearly stating the reasons why.

Thank you for your on-going support at this challenging time.

Yours sincerely,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

09:40 - Thursday, 22nd October - Higham Lane School Media Release re Covid-19 Case

Higham Lane School can confirm that a Year 7 student at the School has tested positive for Covid-19. Our first thoughts are with the student and any family members affected and we hope they will make a rapid recovery.

It is also our priority to protect and maintain the confidentiality of the student involved.

In line with advice from Public Health England, we have reviewed all possible close contacts. We have consequently asked 52 Year 7 students to remain at home for 14 days from the last day of contact with the student, to self-isolate. These students will return to school after half term on Monday, 2^nd November.

The School remains safe and open to all other students to continue attending as normal.

Our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. We have followed the guidance from the Department for Education and Public Health Warwickshire in full. This has minimised the risk to other students and staff.

 

 

16:40 - Monday, 19th October - Higham Lane School Media Release re Covid-19 Case

Higham Lane School can confirm that a Year 11 student at the School has tested positive for Covid-19. Our first thoughts are with the student and any family members affected and we hope they will make a rapid recovery.

It is also our priority to protect and maintain the confidentiality of the student involved.

In line with advice from Public Health England, we have reviewed all possible close contacts. We have consequently asked 54 Year 11 students to remain at home for 14 days from the last day of contact with the student, to self-isolate. These students will return to school after half term on Monday, 2^nd November.

The School remains safe and open to all other students to continue attending as normal.

Our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. We have followed the guidance from the Department for Education and Public Health Warwickshire in full. This has minimised the risk to other students and staff.

 

 

16:00 - Remote Learning

Good Afternoon, Please direct your son/daughter to the ‘Remote Learning’ page located on the School’s website. Here, we have recently uploaded a number of Google Classroom and Zoom help and support videos and documents. From how to log into your Google Account right through to joining a live Zoom lesson. https://www.highamlaneschool.co.uk/remote-learning Kind regards Higham Lane School.

 

 

16:10 - Wednesday, 14th October - Higham Lane School Media Release re Covid-19 Case

Higham Lane School can confirm that a Year 9 student at the School has tested positive for Covid-19. Our first thoughts are with the student and any family members affected and we hope they will make a rapid recovery.

It is also our priority to protect or maintain the confidentiality of the student involved.

In line with advice from Public Health England, we have reviewed all possible close contacts. We have consequently asked 70 Year 9 students to remain at home for 14 days from the last day of contact with the student, to self-isolate. These students will return to school on Thursday, 22^nd October.

The School remains safe and open to all other students (apart from Year 12 and 13 students, who will return on 19^th October) to continue attending as normal.

Our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. We have followed the guidance from the Department for Education and Public Health Warwickshire in full. This has minimised the risk to other students and staff.

 

 

12:40 - Monday,  12 October 2020 

Remote Learning Update

Zoom app for smartphones - As you know from earlier correspondence, your son/daughter will continue their education through remote learning (Zoom live lessons) if required to self-isolate following a positive Coronavirus case within their year group bubble. It is very likely your son/daughter will access learning using a laptop or pc. Please be aware however, your son/daughter is also able to access Zoom live lessons through the Zoom app downloaded on to their smartphone device. The Zoom app is available for download through Apple App Store (iPhones) or Google Play Store (Android operating system smartphones). Although not the preferred means for your son/daughter to view their lessons, however it’s a suitable alternative. Please do encourage your son/daughter to down the Zoom app and have it available if and when required.

 

Remote Learning area on School website – We now have a dedicated remote learning area on the School website. All available support & guidance is located here for remote learning, with particular emphasis on Zoom and Google Classroom. Do encourage your son/daughter to check out help videos and pdf guidance to support them when using Zoom and Google Classroom. New later this week – 6 Google Classroom and Zoom help videos covering the basics such as logging on and accessing Zoom live lesson codes - https://www.highamlaneschool.co.uk/remote-learning

 

 

14:40 - Monday,  5 October 2020 

Learning from Home

 

 

 

 

12:50 - Monday, 5th October - Higham Lane School Media Release re Covid-19 Case

Higham Lane School can confirm that a Year 12 student at the School has tested positive for Covid-19. Our first thoughts are with the student and any family members affected and we hope they will make a rapid recovery.

It is also our priority to protect or maintain the confidentiality of the student involved.

In line with advice from Public Health England, we have reviewed all possible close contacts. We have consequently asked our Year 12 and Year 13 students to remain at home for 14 days to self-isolate.

The School remains safe and open to all other students to continue attending as normal.

Our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. We have followed the guidance from the Department for Education and Public Health Warwickshire in full. This has minimised the risk to other students and staff.

12:50 - Monday, 5th October - Advice for Student to Self-Isolate for 14 Days

Dear Parent/Carer of Students in Year 12-13, 

We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the School. This is a student in Year 12. Our thoughts are with the student and family affected. We appreciate that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England.

We have followed the national guidance and have identified that your child could have been in close contact with the affected student. In line with the national guidance, we ask that your child now stays at home and self-isolates until 19^th October 2020. We will support them learning and working from home remotely, and further guidance will be issued on this.

We are asking you to keep your child at home to reduce the further spread of COVID-19 to others in the community. If your child is well at the end of the 14 day period of self-isolation, then they can return to their usual activities including returning to school on 19^th October 2020. Other members of your household can continue normal activities provided your child does not develop symptoms within the 14 day self-isolation period. Please see the link to: Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person.  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmedcoronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person 

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID-19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirustest or by calling 119.  People who do not have symptoms should not request a test unless this has been specifically requested by Public Health England or the local authority.

All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home. If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online. 

Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.

If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

Please see the link to the PHE ‘Stay at Home’ Guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-forhouseholds-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

Symptoms of COVID-19 

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

• new continuous cough and/or
• high temperature and/or
• a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-youhave-coronavirus-symptoms/ If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading 

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID19: 

-wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds

- use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

- wash your hands as soon as you get home 

-cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

 -put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards.

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the School via the contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk email address.

Our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. We have followed the guidance from the Department for Education and Public Health Warwickshire in full. This has minimised the risk to other students and staff.

Thank you, in anticipation, for your on-going support at this time.

Yours sincerely,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

12:50 - Monday, 5th October - Advice to Parents – Years 7-11 regarding a confirmed case of Covid-19

Advice to Parents – Years 7-11 regarding a confirmed case of Covid-19

Dear Parents/Carer, 

We have been advised by Public Health England that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the School. This was a Year 12 student. Our thoughts are with the affected student and their family.

We appreciate that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

The students who have been in close contact with the individual who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have received a letter informing them that their child must stay at home for 14 days.

The School remains open for Years 7-11 and your child should continue to attend as normal if they remain well.

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. 

All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

You must inform us of any case of symptoms and any test result please.

The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.

If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.

If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

Symptoms of Covid-19

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

- a new continuous cough

- a high temperature

- a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

Do:

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Our absolute priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. We have followed the guidance from the Department for Education and Public Health Warwickshire in full. This has minimised the risk to other students and staff.

Thank you, in anticipation, for your on-going support at this time.

Yours sincerely,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

17:00 - Wednesday - , 22 September Higham Lane School All years - face coverings and coats

Dear Parent/Carer

Face coverings

As you are aware, I wrote to you on 11^th September to explain that, following the increase in Covid-19 cases nationally, we were encouraging students to wear face coverings in school.

As I explained at the time, we were not making the wearing of face coverings compulsory - we were just strongly encouraging them to be worn to enhance the safety of our students and staff.

I have received a couple of queries since then regarding our policy on students wearing face coverings in lessons.

Having considered this further, I am happy to allow any student who wishes to, to wear a face covering in lessons, as long as they follow the rules and expectations I have set out previously about face coverings.

Coat for school

As the colder weather and rain start to set in at this time of the year, can I please remind you to ensure that your son/daughter has a suitable plain black waterproof coat and wears this on days when rain is forecast and during cold weather. Thank you.

With kind regards

Mr P Kelly
 

11:00 - Tuesday, 22 September Higham Lane School Risk Assessment Updated Version as of 18-09-2020

 

 

16:30 - Thursday,  17 September 2020 

What happens if one of our staff or students tests positive for Covid-19? (Info for parents-carers)

Dear Parent/Carer,
I thought it would be useful to explain this process to you. I did touch upon it briefly in the information I sent
you before the start of term.
If we are informed that one of our staff or students has tested positive for Covid-19, we will inform Public
Health England and the Department for Education and take their advice.
The following process will be followed:

•  We’ll inform the individual who has tested positive regarding what they need to do next and the fact

that they must not come into school.

•  I’ll inform staff but we will maintain confidentiality about the name of the individual concerned.
•  We will then follow Public Health England guidance re identifying anyone who came into close contact

with the person who tested positive. We will communicate with this group of people (along with their
parents and carers, in the case of any students who have been in close contact) regarding next steps.
Public Health England will advise us about their definition of ‘close contact’.

•  We will inform all students and parents/carers that there has been a positive test result, but maintain

confidentiality about the name of the individual concerned.

•  A statement will be issued to the media.
•  The areas the individual has been in within the School will be extensively cleaned.
•  Staff who teach any students who have been told to self-isolate will be asked to set work for them online. Separate instructions will be issued to these students. If a member of staff has to self-isolate, they

will set work for their students online, if they are well enough to do so. If they cannot, another
member of staff will set work.
As you can appreciate, we are currently planning very thoroughly for the possibility of a positive COVID-19 test
result. It is almost inevitable that we will have one at some stage.
There will always be rumours during these situations. As a staff, we have a duty to behave professionally and
respect confidentiality. Please kindly note that I cannot inform you about a positive case until I have had
confirmation that it is a positive case from Public Health England.
I appreciate the current situation causes inevitable anxiety to students, parents/carers and staff, but please try
to remain calm. We are following expert advice in dealing with these matters and the safety of our students
and staff remains our highest priority.
What are we asking parents/carers to do to help in this situation?
We are relying on parents/carers keeping children at home if they are displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 at
all. Please be cautious and if you are in any doubt at all, please keep them at home. If you have taken your
child for a test, then it is important that they do not come back into school until they have received a negative
test, even if you feel that they no longer have symptoms and appear to be well. We also need you to notify us
if your child is being tested, so that we can maintain accurate records, which are then cross checked with
Public Health England.
If a student from Higham Lane goes home due to potentially being in contact with someone who has tested
positive (in or out of school) to self-isolate for 14 days, they must let the school know if they then develop
symptoms during those 14 days please. Thank you.
We have now set up a new email address positivetest@highamlaneschool.co.uk for parents/ carers to report
any positive test results as soon as they are able to do so. This email address will be monitored at all times
(including out of school hours and at weekends) so that action can be taken swiftly. It is important that you
read the following information which has been provided by Public Health England. We are asking you to do
this to reduce the further spread of COVID 19 to others in the community.
COVID-19 Symptoms
If your child is well now, they do not need any specific treatment. However, you should be vigilant for any
symptoms of COVID-19 infection. The common symptoms of COVID-19 are:

•  a high temperature
•  a new continuous cough
•  loss of sense of taste or smell

If you, or anyone in your family, has these symptoms now or in the future, stay at home for 10 days from when
your symptoms started, even if you are mildly unwell. All other members of your household will need to selfisolate for 14 days. This is to protect others in your community. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or
hospital. If you or your child become very unwell then contact NHS 111 for advice. The latest advice is that
siblings need to be kept at home with symptomatic (showing symptoms) individuals. This means that if you are
keeping one child off school because of symptoms, you must also keep any other children away from school
until the symptomatic child has received a negative test. This applies to siblings within the same school or
those at different schools. Testing for people with symptoms is available and more information can be found
here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/
We appreciate that there has been a high demand for tests over recent days.
Precautions
There are things you can do to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus:

•  wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
•  wash your hands before you leave your home and always wash your hands when you return
•  use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
•  cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
•  put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
•  try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

More information on COVID-19 is available on this website from the NHS and the Government.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/
Keeping our children and families, staff and local community safe is our highest priority. It is vital that we
follow government guidance and the advice from the local Public Health England Health Protection Team.
We appreciate that you may have questions about the situation: if this is the case, please email us at
contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk
Please note that we will not be able to discuss any details relating to the individual cases of students or staff
who have had positive Covid-19 tests, but we will do our best to answer any general questions that you may
have as promptly as we can.
Thank you for your continued support. These are challenging situations to manage but we have systems in
place to enable us to act quickly and for students to switch to remote learning where required.
Yours sincerely,
P.Kelly
Headteacher
 

 

 

 

11:30 - Wednesday,  16 September 2020

Information on School Full Reopening Sep 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,
As you are aware, we have made the use of hand sanitiser the main way students will clean their hands at
school at regular intervals during the current Covid-19 situation. This is consistent with government guidance.
This is the most practical method for us to use, given that we have a very large number of students, because of
the relative number of hand basins we have on site and to ensure we have sufficient time for students to study
the full curriculum. We have tried to avoid a situation where students are standing in long queues for wash
basins across each day.
If you have any concerns about your child using hand sanitiser in school, please note that skin-friendly skin
cleaning wipes can be used as an alternative. Please kindly consult your supplier on the most suitable
product of hand sanitiser or skin-friendly skin cleaning wipes to kill the current virus.
If you are unhappy about your child using hand sanitiser or skin-friendly skin cleaning wipes in school, please
kindly contact your child’s Progress Leader to further discuss the matter.
Best wishes,
P.Kelly
Headteacher
 

11:30 - Friday,  11 September 2020 Face coverings

 

11th September 2020
Dear Parent/Carer,
Face Coverings in School
In response to the increasing number of Covid-19 infections nationally, we have taken the decision to
encourage all students and staff to wear a face covering in school from Monday, 14th September.
We are not making the wearing of face coverings compulsory at this stage- we are just strongly encouraging
them to be worn to enhance the safety of our students and staff.
We are encouraging students to wear face coverings at the following times:
- In their inside homebase area at the start of the day, when lining up to be collected by their teachers
- In their inside homebase area at break and lunch except when eating/drinking
- Walking to and from lessons (staff will ask those students with face coverings, to put their face
coverings on before escorting them to their lessons and as the final activity in their lessons before
escorting them back to their homebase area)
- If queuing for a purchased lunch inside the building
Students would not be encouraged to wear them:
- When in their external base area for example on the front field, tennis courts, quads etc.
- In lessons
Students who choose to wear a face covering, must wear a plain colour covering made from a material that is
comfortable and breathable, such as cotton. Bandanas, scarves or face masks with lettering and logos should
not be worn. Face coverings must be worn appropriately. Students must bring a clear plastic bag to place the
face covering in, when it is not being worn.
Advice on face coverings can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-yourown/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own
Disposable face coverings can be worn. We will provide bins for the safe disposal of these.
We are asking parents/carers to ensure, if their child wears a face covering, it is washed on a daily basis. Thank
you.
Thank you, in anticipation, for your support and understanding. If you have any questions on this matter,
please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Progress Leader on the contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk
email.
Yours sincerely,
P.Kelly
Headteacher
 

 

11:30 - Friday, 28 August 2020

Information on School Full Reopening Sep 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope that you and your family are keeping safe and well.

Planning for Full School Re-Opening

Over the summer, we have been busy completing an updated risk assessment, fine-tuning our planning and making further preparations to our school site to ensure that everything is as safe as possible for our students and staff as they prepare to return to school.

In this letter you will find details of our final planning for the autumn term. This follows on from the very detailed letter and frequently asked questions document that I sent you just before the end of last term.

As promised in my last letter, we have produced a detailed PowerPoint presentation with an audio commentary for students and their parents/carers about our arrangements for our full school re-opening to read and watch together and discuss. This can be found here: 

Information on School Full Reopening Sep 2020 document download

In addition, please read the document which summarises what the School, parents/carers and students can do to support one another to ensure the COVID-19 safety control measures are successful at our school.  

Covid-19 Health and Safety Control Measures September 2020 download

     School Uniform and Students’ Personal Appearance

Students should return in full school uniform and with personal appearance that is in line with the School’s expectations. These have not changed since the partial school closure. Please kindly take a moment to re-read our expectations, for example, regarding hairstyles. Details of our uniform and personal appearance expectations can be found here: https://www.highamlaneschool.co.uk/page/?title=Uniform&pid=144

Arrangements for Food and Drink at Break and Lunchtime

Please note that food and drink will unfortunately not be available at break times, so students will need to bring their own.

For lunch, students will need to bring a packed lunch and a drink or buy lunch and a drink.  The School cannot accommodate students just buying drinks or snacks. When purchasing from the canteen, they will need to buy a full meal and drink.

Students purchasing food and drink will be using their fobs, as we can no longer use thumb scanning. Year 7s will be issued with fobs as soon as possible. Students receiving Free School Meals will also use this system.

Please can parents/carers kindly ensure that they have topped up their ParentPay account. Parents/carers of our new Year 7 students need to refer to the letter which they should have received about setting up a ParentPay account.

Students will be unable to fill water bottles at Student Services during the school day so they will need to bring sufficient water to last them for the whole day.

Face Coverings 

You will have seen that I emailed you on 27^th August regarding the School’s policy on face coverings. I can provide further information about this here. Please kindly discuss this with your child if he/she will be using a face covering.

The Government has said that face coverings are not required in schools, except when the school is in a ‘lockdown’ area, but that a school can make its own decision on this, based on its circumstances, for example , allowing students to wear facial coverings in communal areas where social distancing cannot be safely managed. 

We have said that students and staff may choose to wear a face covering if they wish to. It is entirely optional. They don’t have to. Our thinking on this is based on the fact that we are keeping year groups separate from one another and limiting movement around our site, which some schools are not.

Students wearing a face covering must wear a plain colour covering made from a material that is comfortable and breathable, such as cotton. Bandanas, scarves, or face masks with lettering and logos should not be worn. Face coverings must be worn appropriately.  They must be removed in lessons. Students must bring a clear plastic bag to place the face covering in, when it is not being worn.

The face covering should be the correct size for your child and we will presume that you have taught your child how to apply, wear and remove the face covering safely. We will also be relying on parents/carers to ensure that the face covering is cleaned on a daily basis.

A face covering should:

-cover your nose and mouth while allowing you to breathe comfortably

-fit comfortably but securely against the side of the face

-be secured to the head with ties or ear loops

-be made of a material that you find to be comfortable and breathable, such as cotton

-ideally include at least two layers of fabric (the World Health Organisation recommends three depending on the fabric used)

-unless disposable, it should be able to be washed with other items of laundry according to fabric washing instructions and dried without causing the face covering to be damaged

When wearing a face covering you should:

-wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on

-avoid wearing it below your mouth, on your neck or forehead

-avoid touching the part of the face covering in contact with your mouth and nose, as it could be contaminated with the virus

-change the face covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it

-avoid taking it off and putting it back on a lot in quick succession (for example, when leaving and entering shops on a high street)

When removing a face covering:

-wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before removing

-only handle the straps, ties or clips

-do not give it to someone else to use

-if single-use, dispose of it carefully in a residual waste bin and do not recycle

-if reusable, wash it in line with manufacturer’s instructions at the highest temperature appropriate for the fabric

-wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser once removed

Advice on face coverings can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own

Disposable face coverings can be worn at school. We will provide bins for the safe disposal of these.

We will keep this matter under review. Thank you, in anticipation, for your support.

Looking Forwards not Backwards!

We are really looking forward to welcoming our students back to school next week! We are doing everything we can to ensure a positive and happy return to school for our students and staff.

Please can I emphasise that students should not worry about the amount of work they have or have not completed during the partial school closure. We appreciate that this will vary depending on each student’s individual circumstances. Our priority now is for our students to embrace their learning and other opportunities and to feel happy and fulfilled at school, working with their fellow students and our staff.

I hope that you find the two documents referred to earlier in this letter provide helpful information regarding your son/daughter’s return to school.  Please contact the School should you need any further guidance or support.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

Yours sincerely,

 

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

14:30 - Friday, 17 July 2020

End of Term Letter

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope you and your family are keeping safe and well at this time.

This brief end of term letter has been written in addition to my detailed letter regarding September arrangements which you will also be receiving today.

Well done to Year 12 and Year 10!

I’d like to say a huge well done to our Year 12 and Year 10 students who have been coming in for lessons over the last few weeks. Their focus and commitment, after such a long time away from school, has been truly exceptional. They have told staff that they have enjoyed being back in school and meeting up with each other and their teachers.

Great to see Year 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s in tutor meetings!

It was lovely to see these students back in school for meetings with their form tutors over the last few weeks. Tutors said they loved seeing them again and the conversations were really helpful in terms of what has been completed at home on Google Classroom and any concerns about coming back to school next term.

Well done to students attending school since March

Today we will say farewell to that very special group of students who have been attending school during the partial opening, some of them since March! We are really impressed with this group of students’ excellent attitude, resilience and behaviour throughout. We will be congratulating them and enjoying pizza and pop. We will also be presenting them with certificates, including for ‘Star Students’.

Summer holiday work

We appreciate that our students have been working hard on on-line learning since the school lockdown towards the end of March. Google Classroom remains open during the summer holiday for students to work on any topics they were unable to complete. Students in particular key exam year groups will have been set work by their teachers (for example Year 12 and Year 10). We also think is important, however, that students can take a break from school work, at least for some of the time and enjoy other activities with family and friends.

Year 6 transition- new ways of working!

The Covid-19 situation has made it impossible to run our usual transition events however. This has proved very challenging, however, necessity is the mother of invention! We have created a new Year 6 Transition section on our website which includes a range of videos produced by our own staff and students. These include introductions by the Headteacher, the Progress Leader for Year 7 and our SENDCo. Our Year 11 Head Girl, Esther and Head Boy, Will, personally contacted the School to offer their help so we took them up on this! They have recorded a ‘Top Tips’ video and a ‘Virtual Tour’ of our school. Some of our Year 7 students attending school as children of key workers, recorded messages for Year 6s, answering particular questions. Next year’s Year 7 form tutors phoned the Year 6 students to introduce themselves before the end of term. I am grateful for the work of Mrs Whitfield, Mrs Pitcher and Mr Banks in ensuring transition remained of a high quality despite the school closure.

School Uniform and Students’ Personal Appearance

Thank you for your fantastic support regarding these aspects of our expectations. Please kindly take a look at the relevant section of the Student Organiser if your son/daughter is considering a change of hairstyle, school coat, trousers or footwear for next term.   

Black Coats Not Blue Coats Please

The Student Organiser clearly states that students should wear ‘A plain, full-length black coat or anorak, covering the top of trousers/skirts’. Blue coats are not acceptable. Thank you.

Staff leavers and new-arrivers

At this time of year we always sadly have to say goodbye to a few colleagues who are leaving us. At the same time, we look forward to welcoming new colleagues who will be joining us in September.

We would like to thank two temporary members of our Design and Technology Department. Mr Moreton has been a kind and supportive teacher with an excellent subject knowledge and passion for all things D&T. We wish him every happiness in his next role.

Mr Gardiner has completed his second stint at HLS, having helped us out since January this time. He has offered superb teaching and learning to our students, particularly supporting Y11s so effectively with their NEAs. We are also all indebted for the way he used our equipment to make visors for NHS workers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. We wish Mr Gardiner every happiness and success in his future business initiatives.

Miss Pritchard is a highly-regarded member of our Maths Department who completed her NQT year with us, having also trained at HLS on a placement. She is incredibly dedicated, hard-working and a true team player – always willing to lend a hand when needed. She has worked relentlessly to provide her students a great mathematical experience, showing resilience, determination and going over and above to provide catch-up lessons and support for any student who approaches her. We fully respect Miss Pritchard’s desire to teach abroad and we wish her every happiness and success. We also hope she will come back and work with us again at some stage in the future.  

Mrs Atkinson has been an excellent colleague and a great asset to Higham Lane School as one of our Sociology and Health and Social Care teachers. She is extremely hardworking and organised and whenever a task has needed to be completed, she has stepped up and helped the team. Mrs Atkinson has been instrumental in the planning of new GCSE specifications and the A Level course. She has been a superb mentor to PGCE students and NQTs as she is very giving with her time and resources.  The corridors of Higham Lane School will not be the same without Mrs Atkinson’s trolley wheeling up and down them and we will miss her great sense of fun, lively spirit and gregarious nature. We wish her all the best in her new job and we know she will excel. 

Mr Lassam-Jones has been a fantastic Photography and Art teacher with an absolute passion and expertise in his subjects. He has always given one hundred per cent in supporting students to achieve their very best, staying late in school to enable them to work on coursework and using the most amazing techniques, which he has been able to skilfully model. Walking into his classroom is like walking into an amazing photographic gallery! We are sorry to lose him but we fully respect his desire to work a little nearer to home now.

Miss Arshad joined HLS in 2015 to begin her NQT year. She has been a strong teacher of English and English Literature and she was rapidly promoted to Assistant Subject Leader and Literacy Intervention Coordinator. In more recent years, Miss Arshad has overseen the leadership of student voice for us. She has really developed the Junior Leadership Team (JLT) in their ambition and organisation. For example, in the way they have raised awareness of and money for key issues such as mental health. Her leadership has also seen our halls packed with students at lunchtimes, simultaneously raising money for important charities and school projects, allowing students to be thoroughly entertained by their peers and enhancing the skills and esteem of all those involved. She has also developed student leadership further down the school with students becoming more actively involved in student voice, the Diana Award and the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. We wish Miss Arshad every happiness and success in her exciting new role in pastoral leadership.

Next term we look forward to welcoming

Mrs Betteridge (Design & Technology), Mrs Davis (History), Mrs Moran (Art & Photography), Mr Temple (Subject Leader for Design & Technology), Mr Sandhu (Maths), Mrs Sahota (Assistant Subject Leader for Computer Science and ICT), Mr Cole (Maths), Mr Fitzhugh (English), Miss Mansaray (Sociology), Mr Ash (Law), Mr Bailey (Geography- maternity cover), Miss Hameed (English- maternity cover), Mr Allton (Midday Supervisor and Cleaner) and Mr Masters (In-Class Support Worker).

End of Term

This term will end today on Friday, 17th July.  Students will return to school on Thursday, 3rd September at the normal time.

Thank You

Thank you for your on-going support for your child/children at the School, particularly since the lockdown. We hope you have an enjoyable summer.

Best wishes,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

13:40 - Friday, 17 July 2020

Letter to Parents (Sixth Form)

Dear Parent/Carer,

Higham Lane School’s Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening from Thursday, 3rd September 2020

As you are aware, the Government has now published its guidance regarding the plan to fully re-open schools in September. As a sixth form, we are fully committed to ensuring that all of our students can experience full-time education at the start of next term.

We fully appreciate that you want to be reassured that our students and staff will be safe at our school. The health and safety of our students and staff remains our absolute priority. Whilst we clearly cannot create a totally risk-free environment, we are confident that we can minimise risk for our students and staff, whilst simultaneously providing a high quality educational experience for all of our students.

Therefore I am writing to you to explain what a return to school and sixth form will be like for your son/daughter as they are both on the same site. Apologies for the length of this letter, but this includes key information that you and your child will need to be aware of for a return to school and sixth form in September.  

When the Government announced that all students would be back at school in September, we thought it may be a case of ‘business as usual’. Unfortunately that is not the case and we will therefore have to make several adjustments to our normal ways of working at school.

We have followed the Government guidance very closely as we are expected to, which includes creating ‘bubbles’ of each year group, which should not mix whilst at school. A helpful way of thinking about this exercise is to work backwards and consider what would happen if we had an outbreak of Covid-19 within our school. In operating year group bubbles, we are limiting the number of students the infected student has come into contact with in school.

We appreciate that this will be challenging for staff who will therefore not be teaching in their normal teaching room, as most staff do when the School is open in normal circumstances. But we have to put safety and the advice in the guidance first, even ahead of the best conditions for effective teaching and learning and the convenience of staff. Please bear with us on this- we have taken no decision lightly. We are pleased to say that all sixth form teaching will take place at the Sixth Form Centre and in specialist rooms when required.

Whilst the School is following the Government guidance, you may quite rightly point out that students will be mixing outside of their year group bubble, during evenings and weekends in the local community. They may also walk to and from school with children outside of their year group and family. So the Government’s guidance is not perfect, but it is trying to come up with a best-fit model that limits risk by keeping year group bubbles apart as much as possible while they are in school.

Similarly, the guidance does allow staff to move freely between year group bubbles, for example, a teacher teaching Year 10 and then Year 13. The Government has allowed this so that schools can teach their full curriculum as effectively as possible.

The guidance also points out that the relative risk of students or staff contracting Covid-19 in school is very low.

We are committed to continuing to rigorously implement the public health advice to minimise Covid-19 risks. This includes:

• Reviewing our systems in place to make sure people who are ill stay at home and our immediate response to anyone with symptoms is secure and confident. 
• Reviewing our systems and facilities in place to support robust hand and respiratory hygiene when all students and staff have returned to school.
• Reviewing our cleaning arrangements so that we can maintain enhanced hygiene across the school site.
• Ensuring absolute clarity about how active engagement with NHS Test and Trace will operate as more staff and students return to site, so that we can continue to keep everyone as safe as possible.

We have also considered a revised way of running the School to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school in different year groups wherever possible, minimising the potential for transmission of the Covid-19 virus as far as is reasonably practicable.  In line with the Government guidelines, our initial planning has considered:

• Establishing home base areas for year group bubble to be based in at the start of the day, break and lunchtime. The home base area for Year 12 and Year 13 will be the Sixth Form Centre.
• Establishing areas where most of the teaching of a year group bubble will take place, so they are not moving to different areas of the School, as they do when the School is open as normal. Sixth formers will have all their lessons at the Sixth Form Centre.
• Coordinated arrival time, lesson times, break times, lunchtimes and departure times, so that we are able to manage the school day with year groups avoiding contact with each other as much as possible. 
• Managing lunchtime arrangements for students who wish to buy food as well as students who bring their own food to school.
• Arrangements for the small numbers of students who travel to and from school by bus. (The overwhelming majority of our students walk to and from sixth form; some are dropped off and collected by parents; some cycle).
• Ensuring that staff are able to maintain distance from students and each other as much as is practically possible. The guidance advises that teachers should remain at the front of classrooms. It states that ‘Ideally adults should maintain 2 metre distance from each other and from children. We know that this is not always possible….In particular they should avoid close face to face contact and minimise time spent within 1 metre of anyone’. It accepts that this ‘will not be possible when working with many pupils who have complex needs or who need close contact care’. The guidance recognises that each school sixth form is different in terms of size and layout. We will be using each of our classrooms with full classes, so that we can have all students back in sixth form. The guidance allows for this. We will give explanation and advice to our staff and students about this.
• Rigorous risk assessment of practical subjects, where we are able to offer practical work to particular year groups.
• Planning of our extra-curricular provision; this is likely to be phased in over time.

What have we done so far in readiness for the planning that needs to take place?

• We have written a full timetable for September, in preparation for full opening, so that we know that we have the staffing and resources in place to teach the full curriculum.  In the event that the Government was to announce during the summer holiday that schools can operate as normal, we would simply revert to the normal timetable in terms of timings and rooming.
• We have been reflecting upon expert advice and liaising with other secondary schools and sixth form providers to share approaches and planning for each of the scenarios we may face in September.
• We have been liaising with our estates team to anticipate the work we may have to do to ensure we are ready for September.  This will include enhanced cleaning routines and management of new rotas for cleaning staff; the installation and management of new and increased numbers of sanitisation stations across the site (although we will also be asking students to bring in their own hand sanitiser bottles for ease of use) and any other adaptations we have anticipated we require to our facilities. 
• We have also been working with our catering team to look at the adjustments we anticipate we would need to make to our catering facilities and arrangements to ensure that they meet government guidelines and to ensure we can be suitably flexible in September.   
• Planning for working with children with more complex needs and with children and young adults who need more support.
• We have also been planning for the delivery of a remote curriculum from September, as we are aware that we must prepare for partial or full school closure at any time, in the event of school and sixth form closure due to cases of Covid-19 or changes to Government guidance if there was to be an increase in Covid-19 cases nationally and/or locally. Our teachers are continuing to develop their use of Google Classroom to ensure more regular use of voiceover, visualiser and stream options by teachers, which provide greater interaction and feedback to students. 
• We will use part of our INSET days on Tuesday 1st September and Wednesday 2nd September for training for staff to ensure that they are confident with the new systems and procedures in place as they are critical in helping us to ensure the safe implementation of our plans when the students return.

We do appreciate that some students, parents/carers and staff will be anxious about a full return to school and sixth form, especially where they or their families have been shielding for a long time.  Our experience to date has shown that prioritising time for conversations and support is critical and so we will ensure availability of staff to talk to those who are particularly anxious.  Our ambition is to have everyone back in sixth form and attendance for students will be compulsory, in line with Government guidance, but we will approach this with great care and careful consideration for individual circumstances.

Please be reassured that our view is that one of the most significant control measures is the clear guidance we have received from the Department for Education and Public Health England in the event that we have a case of Covid-19 in the School.

The detailed plans for arrangements for September are as follows:

Home Base Areas for Bubbles

Students will be based in home base areas for their year group bubble. They will go to these areas at the start of the school day when they arrive on site.   Members of staff will be on duty at the school gates and at the home base areas to help guide students.   A copy of the school map will be issued to students on their arrival.

Y7 will enter via the Shanklin Drive gate and go direct to Chine Hall.

Y8 will enter via the Brookdale Road gate and go to Coombe Hall, entering via the playground and the IT1 door and walking up the staff corridor.

Y9 will enter via the Higham Lane gate and walk to the Sports Hall, entering via the fire exit to the right of PE2, and going to the left-hand-side of the Sports Hall.

Y10 will enter via the Shanklin Drive gate and enter the Sports Hall via the doors to the right of the main entrance to the Sports Hall and going to the right-hand-side of the Sports Hall. (The Sports Hall will have a dividing border in place).

Y11 will enter via the Higham Lane gate and go to the Gym.

Y12-13 will enter via the Shanklin Drive gate and go to the Sixth Form Centre. (Y12 and Y13 are counted as a single year group bubble).

Arrival times will be staggered (see timings below) to avoid different year groups mixing.

Year 7-11 students will be collected from their home base area at the start of every lesson and returned to there at the end of every lesson. They will spend break and lunch at these areas also. They will use toilets within their home base area as indicated below. Some extra toilets are being hired.

Year 12-13 students will be based in the Sixth Form Centre (SFC) and make their own way to and from lessons in the SFC.

Year	Enter and exit site via	Internal base	External base	Extra area for lunch	Toilets*
7	Shanklin	Chine Hall	Chine quad	LA3-5	MFL
8	Brookdale	Coombe Hall	Coombe quads	EN8-6, GY3-4	Resources
9	Higham Lane	Sports Hall-left. Entry by  doors to the right of PE2	Front field	Munster	Sports Hall toilets
10	Shanklin	Sports Hall-right. Entry by front doors.	Front field	Shen-zhen	Modern Ethics corridor for girls   Additional new tempor-ary toilets by GY1 for boys
11	Higham Lane	Gym	Tennis court. (Sides will be removed).	Bansang, The Kiosk	Sci and Gym.
12-13	Shanklin	Sixth Form Centre	Front field	Sixth Form Centre	Sixth Form Centre

 

Bubble Teaching Areas

Students will spend their form time with their tutor in a regular classroom in their year group bubble area. They will also be taught in a group of classrooms identified for their year group bubble. The year group bubble teaching rooms will be as follows:

Y7: EN2, EN1, LA1-6, BE1, Library

Y8: EN3-EN8, BE2, IT1, GY3-4

Y9: MA1-MA7, COR1, PE2

Y10: MA8, ME2-ME1, GY1-GY2, ME3, HI1-HI3

Y11: SC1-SC9

Y12-13: All lessons will take place in the Sixth Form Centre classrooms.

 

School Day Timings

Please see the timings below.

Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday
	Arrival on site/Form time	Start of lesson 1	Start of lesson 2			Break		Start of lesson 3	Start of lesson 4/lunch					Start of lesson 5		End of lesson 5		Dismissal
Y7	8.40	9.25	10.20			11.15-11.35		11.35	12.35-13.25 lesson 4			13.25-14.15 lunch		14.15		15.10		15.10
Y8	8.40	9.25	10.20			11.15-11.35		11.35	12.35-13.25 lesson 4			13.25-14.15 lunch		14.15		15.10		15.15
Y9	8.40	9.25	10.20			11.15-11.35		11.35	12.35-13.25 lunch			13.25-14.15 lesson 4		14.15		15.10		15.15
Y10	8.50	9.25	10.20			11.15-11.35		11.35	12.35-13.25 lunch			13.25-14.15 lesson 4		14.15		15.10		15.15
Y11	8.50	9.25	10.20			11.15-11.35		11.35	12.35-13.25 lunch			13.25-14.15 lesson 4		14.15		15.10		15.18
Y12/13	8.55	9.20	10.20			11.15-11.35		11.35	12.35-13.25 lesson 4			13.25-14.15 lunch		14.15		15.05		15.07
Wednesday
	Arrival on site	Start of lesson 1	Start of lesson 2			Break		Start of lesson 3	Start of lesson 4/lunch					Start of lesson 5		End of lesson 5		Dismissal
Y7	8.40	8.45	9.50			10.50-11.10		11.10	12.15-13.05 lesson 4			13.05-13.55 lunch		13.55		14.50		14.50
Y8	8.40	8.45	9.50			10.50-11.10		11.10	12.15-13.05 lesson 4			13.05-13.55 lunch		13.55		14.50		14.55
Y9	8.40	8.45	9.50			10.50-11.10		11.10	12.15-13.05 lunch			13.05-13.55 lesson 4		13.55		14.50		14.55
Y10	8.50	8.55	9.50			10.50-11.10		11.10	12.15-13.05 lunch			13.05-13.55 lesson 4		13.55		14.50		14.58
Y11	8.50	8.55	9.50			10.50-11.10		11.10	12.15-13.05 lunch			13.05-13.55 lesson 4		13.55		14.50		14.58
Y12/13	8.55	9.00	9.50			10.50-11.10		11.10	12.10-13.05 lesson 4			13.05-13.55 lunch		13.55		14.55		14.55

 

Break will be spent in the home base area.

Lunch will be 50 minutes and take place within an extended period 4. This is to allow staggered lunches at the main school.

First Day Back- Thursday, 3^rd September

As stated in our pre-published term dates, all year groups will be in school from the start of the day from Thursday, 3^rd September. Students will be with their form tutor for periods for part of the morning (Year 12 from 10am and Year 13 from 11.00am)  so that tutors can spend some time getting to know their form and explaining the new school arrangements. Lessons will begin at 12.35pm. We will also be able to hold assemblies in this time. The Government guidance notes that it is safe to hold assemblies if the students from the same bubble group only attend.

FAQs

Please kindly read the attached Frequently Asked Questions as this should answer a number of the queries you may have.

I hope that this letter has provided you with some clarity regarding our planning in response to the latest Government guidance and sets out our next steps clearly.

Any questions?

If you still have any questions or concerns having read this letter and the FAQs, please can you email your question or concern to sixthform@highamlaneschool.co.uk
 

As you can see, e-opening the School fully with all year groups attending is a very complex and challenging task. We have attempted to create a system which is workable, whilst keeping students and staff as safe as possible. We don’t underestimate how challenging it will be to operate for staff and students. We also appreciate that our excellent teamwork as a staff, students and parents/carers will help us to support each other as much as we can. We will get through this together!

We look forward to the Government announcing a return to normal school arrangements in the not too distant future.

Thank you for your ongoing support. It is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes,

P.Kelly, Headteacher

H Ladha Assistant Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form)

• Attachment September Re-Opening FAQs for Parents Sixth Form
• Attachment Joining our Sixth Form - answers to common questions

 

11:30 - Friday, 17 July 2020

Equipment required for school from September

Additional items of equipment required by students:

• small bottle of hand sanitiser
• pack of tissues
• whiteboard pen
• small cloth/whiteboard rubber
• pack of coloured pencils 
• glue stick 
• Student's own headphones (for use in an IT classroom)

A reminder of our standard equipment list:

• pencil case 
• blue/black pens
• purple pen
• pencils
• ruler
• rubber
• sharpener
• highlighter pens
• protractor
• scientific calculator
• set of compasses

Due to the current situation, staff will not be able to lend any equipment out and students should not borrow equipment from another student.   Therefore it is essential that all students are fully equipped, as they usually are, for school.  

 

 

11:00 - Friday, 17 July 2020

Letter to Parents

Dear Parent/Carer,

Higham Lane School’s Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening from Thursday, 3rd September 2020

As you are aware, the Government has now published its guidance regarding the plan to fully re-open schools in September. As a school, we are fully committed to ensuring that all of our students can experience full-time education based on a broad and balanced curriculum at school again at the start of next term.

We fully appreciate that you want to be reassured that our students and staff will be safe at our school. The health and safety of our students and staff remans our absolute priority. Whilst we clearly cannot create a totally risk-free environment, we are confident that we can minimise risk for our students and staff, whilst simultaneously providing a high quality educational experience for all of our students.

Therefore I am writing to you to explain what a return to school will be like for your son/daughter.  Apologies for the length of this letter, but this includes key information that you and your child will need to be aware of for a return to school in September.  

When the Government announced that all students would be back at school in September, we thought it may be a case of ‘business as usual’. Unfortunately that is not the case and we will therefore have to make several adjustments to our normal ways of working at school.

We have followed the Government guidance very closely as we are expected to, which includes creating ‘bubbles’ of each year group, which should not mix whilst at school. A helpful way of thinking about this exercise is to work backwards and consider what would happen if we had an outbreak of Covid-19 within our school. In operating year group bubbles, we are limiting the number of students the infected student has come into contact with in school.

We appreciate that this will be challenging for staff who will therefore not be teaching in their normal teaching room, as most staff do when the School is open in normal circumstances. But we have to put safety and the advice in the guidance first, even ahead of the best conditions for effective teaching and learning and the convenience of staff. Please bear with us on this- we have taken no decision lightly. 

Whilst the School is following the Government guidance, you may quite rightly point out that students will be mixing outside of their year group bubble, during evenings and weekends in the local community. They may also walk to and from school with children outside of their year group and family. So the Government’s guidance is not perfect, but it is trying to come up with a best-fit model that limits risk by keeping year group bubbles apart as much as possible while they are in school.

Similarly, the guidance does allow staff to move freely between year group bubbles, for example, a teacher teaching Year 8 and then Year 10. The Government has allowed this so that schools can teach their full curriculum as effectively as possible.

The guidance also points out that the relative risk of students or staff contracting Covid-19 in school is very low.

We are committed to continuing to rigorously implement the public health advice to minimise Covid-19 risks. This includes:

• Reviewing our systems in place to make sure people who are ill stay at home and our immediate response to anyone with symptoms is secure and confident. 
• Reviewing our systems and facilities in place to support robust hand and respiratory hygiene when all students and staff have returned to school.
• Reviewing our cleaning arrangements so that we can maintain enhanced hygiene across the school site.
• Ensuring absolute clarity about how active engagement with NHS Test and Trace will operate as more staff and students return to site, so that we can continue to keep everyone as safe as possible.

We have also considered a revised way of running the School to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school in different year groups wherever possible, minimising the potential for transmission of the Covid-19 virus as far as is reasonably practicable.  In line with the Government guidelines, our initial planning has considered:

• Establishing home base areas for year group bubble to be based in at the start of the day, break and lunchtime.
• Establishing areas where most of the teaching of a year group bubble will take place, so they are not moving to different areas of the School, as they do when the School is open as normal. The only exception to this will be when students in Key Stage 4 go to specialist rooms in subjects such as Design & Technology. These rooms will be cleaned thoroughly in between lessons as different year group bubbles will be using them.
• Highly co-ordinated, staggered timings of movement, and circulation of year groups around the school site, all carefully supervised by strategically-placed staff.  
• Coordinated arrival time, lesson times, break times, lunchtimes and departure times, so that we are able to manage the school day with year groups avoiding contact with each other as much as possible. 
• Managing lunchtime arrangements for students who wish to buy food as well as students who bring their own food to school.
• Toilet arrangements so students only use their identified year group’s toilet. We will be hiring some extra toilets to meet necessary provision on this.
• Arrangements for the small numbers of students who travel to and from school by bus. (The overwhelming majority of our students walk to and from school; some are dropped off and collected by parents; some cycle).
• Ensuring that staff are able to maintain distance from students and each other as much as is practically possible. The guidance advises that teachers should remain at the front of classrooms. It states that ‘Ideally adults should maintain 2 metre distance from each other and from children. We know that this is not always possible….In particular they should avoid close face to face contact and minimise time spent within 1 metre of anyone’. It accepts that this ‘will not be possible when working with many pupils who have complex needs or who need close contact care’. The guidance recognises that each school is different in terms of size and layout. We will be using each of our classrooms with full classes, so that we can have all students back in school. The guidance allows for this. We will give explanation and advice to our staff and students about this.
• Rigorous risk assessment of practical subjects, where we are able to offer practical work to particular year groups.
• Planning of our extra-curricular provision; this is likely to be phased in over time.

What have we done so far in readiness for the planning that needs to take place?

• We have written a full timetable for September, in preparation for full opening, so that we know that we have the staffing and resources in place to teach the full curriculum.  In the event that the Government was to announce during the summer holiday that schools can operate as normal, we would simply revert to the normal timetable in terms of timings and rooming.
• We have been reflecting upon expert advice and liaising with other secondary schools to share approaches and planning for each of the scenarios we may face in September.
• We have been liaising with our estates team to anticipate the work we may have to do to ensure we are ready for September.  This will include enhanced cleaning routines and management of new rotas for cleaning staff; the installation and management of new and increased numbers of sanitisation stations across the site (although we will also be asking students to bring in their own hand sanitiser bottles for ease of use) and any other adaptations we have anticipated we require to our facilities. 
• We have also been working with our catering team to look at the adjustments we anticipate we would need to make to our catering facilities and arrangements to ensure that they meet government guidelines and to ensure we can be suitably flexible in September.   
• Planning for working with children with more complex needs and with children and young adults who need more support.
• Updating our Behaviour Policy to reflect the Covid-19 situation. We will be sharing details of this with students and parents/carers.
• We have also been planning for the delivery of a remote curriculum from September, as we are aware that we must prepare for partial or full school closure at any time, in the event of school closure due to cases of Covid-19 or changes to Government guidance if there was to be an increase in Covid-19 cases nationally and/or locally. Our teachers are continuing to develop their use of Google Classroom to ensure more regular use of voiceover, visualiser and stream options by teachers, which provide greater interaction and feedback to students. 
• We will use part of our INSET days on Tuesday 1st September and Wednesday 2nd September for training for staff to ensure that they are confident with the new systems and procedures in place as they are critical in helping us to ensure the safe implementation of our plans when the students return. A PowerPoint presentation with audio explanation of our arrangements for school in September will be made available to parents/carers and students before the end of the summer holiday. It will include some of the information in this letter.

In line with national guidance, we will not be adjusting our uniform expectations for September and so our normal arrangements for uniform will still apply, as will our normal staff dress code. We will be supporting families facing financial difficulties by arranging for particular uniform items to be loaned out.

We do appreciate that some students, parents/carers and staff will be anxious about a full return to school, especially where they or their families have been shielding for a long time.  Our experience to date has shown that prioritising time for conversations and support is critical and so we will ensure availability of staff to talk to those who are particularly anxious.  Our ambition is to have everyone back in school and attendance for students will be compulsory, in line with Government guidance, but we will approach this with great care and careful consideration for individual circumstances.

Please be reassured that our view is that one of the most significant control measures is the clear guidance we have received from the Department for Education and Public Health England in the event that we have a case of Covid-19 in the School.

The detailed plans for arrangements for September are as follows:

Home Base Areas for Bubbles

Students will be based in home base areas for their year group bubble. They will go to these areas at the start of the school day when they arrive on site.   Members of staff will be on duty at the school gates and at the home base areas to help guide students.   A copy of the school map can be found in the New Student Handbook and in the Student Organiser.

Y7 will enter via the Shanklin Drive gate and go direct to Chine Hall.

Y8 will enter via the Brookdale Road gate and go to Coombe Hall, entering via the playground and the IT1 door and walking up the staff corridor.

Y9 will enter via the Higham Lane gate and walk to the Sports Hall, entering via the fire exit to the right of PE2, and going to the left-hand-side of the Sports Hall.

Y10 will enter via the Shanklin Drive gate and enter the Sports Hall via the doors to the right of the main entrance to the Sports Hall and going to the right-hand-side of the Sports Hall. (The Sports Hall will have a dividing border in place).

Y11 will enter via the Higham Lane gate and go to the Gym.

Y12-13 will enter via the Shanklin Drive gate and go to the Sixth Form Centre. (Y12 and Y13 are counted as a single year group bubble).

Arrival times will be staggered (see timings below) to avoid different year groups mixing.

Year 7-11 students will be collected from their home base area at the start of every lesson and returned to there at the end of every lesson. They will spend break and lunch at these areas also. They will use toilets within their home base area as indicated below. Some extra toilets are being hired. Year 12-13 students will be based in the Sixth Form Centre (SFC) and make their own way to and from lessons in the SFC.

Year	Enter and exit site via	Internal base	External base	Extra area for lunch	Toilets*
7	Shanklin	Chine Hall	Chine quad	LA3-5	MFL
8	Brookdale	Coombe Hall	Coombe quads	EN8-6, GY3-4	Resources
9	Higham Lane	Sports Hall-left. Entry by  doors to the right of PE2	Front field	Munster	Sports Hall toilets
10	Shanklin	Sports Hall-right. Entry by front doors.	Front field	Shen-zhen	Modern Ethics corridor for girls   Additional new temporary toilets by GY1 for boys
11	Higham Lane	Gym	Tennis court. (Sides will be removed).	Bansang, The Kiosk	Sci and Gym.
12-13	Shanklin	Sixth Form Centre	Front field	Sixth Form Centre	Sixth Form Centre

If the weather is fine, we will aim to use the external base area. This will then allow other subjects to use the internal area undisturbed. If the weather is poor, base students will have to use the internal area. Staff who have returned a class to their bubble home base and who are not teaching in the next lesson, will be asked to wait for a few minutes until all the classes have been collected. A member of staff from our Senior Leadership Team or one of our Progress Leaders will be at each of these areas at the beginning and end of each lesson.

Bubble Teaching Areas

Students will spend their form time with their tutor in a regular classroom in their year group bubble area. They will also be taught in a group of classrooms identified for their year group bubble for most of their lessons apart from lessons where they will be going to specialist rooms such as Design and Technology, Music and Art. Only Y11-9 students will have lessons in these specialist subject areas. These specialist rooms, which are being used by different year groups in Y11-9, will be cleaned between each lesson. We have enhanced our cleaning capacity to support this.

The year group bubble teaching rooms will be as follows:

• Y7: EN2, EN1, LA1-6, BE1, Library
• Y8: EN3-EN8, BE2, IT1, GY3-4
• Y9: MA1-MA7, COR1, PE2
• Y10: MA8, ME2-ME1, GY1-GY2, ME3, HI1-HI3
• Y11: SC1-SC9
• Y12-13: All lessons will take place in the Sixth Form Centre classrooms.
• Students will be in different rooms across the day within their bubble area. For example, a Y11 may be in SC9 for period 1 and SC2 for period 2.
• IT suites are available in each year group bubble teaching area for use when Computer Science or other subjects requiring ICT facilities are not using them.

School Day Timings

Please see the timings below.

Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday
	Arrival on site/Form time	Start of lesson 1		Start of lesson 2		Break		Start of lesson 3					Start of lesson 4/lunch								Start of lesson 5			End of lesson 5						Dismissal
Y7	8.40	9.25		10.20		11.15-11.35		11.35					12.35-13.25 lesson 4				13.25-14.15 lunch				14.15			15.10						15.10
Y8	8.40	9.25		10.20		11.15-11.35		11.35					12.35-13.25 lesson 4				13.25-14.15 lunch				14.15			15.10						15.15
Y9	8.40	9.25		10.20		11.15-11.35		11.35					12.35-13.25 lunch				13.25-14.15 lesson 4				14.15			15.10						15.15
Y10	8.50	9.25		10.20		11.15-11.35		11.35					12.35-13.25 lunch				13.25-14.15 lesson 4				14.15			15.10						15.15
Y11	8.50	9.25		10.20		11.15-11.35		11.35					12.35-13.25 lunch				13.25-14.15 lesson 4				14.15			15.10						15.18
Y12/13	8.55	9.20		10.20		11.15-11.35			11.35						12.35-13.25 lesson 4				13.25-14.15 lunch				14.15			15.05								15.07
Wednesday
	Arrival on site	Start of lesson 1		Start of lesson 2		Break			Start of lesson 3						Start of lesson 4/lunch							Start of lesson 5			End of lesson 5							Dismissal
Y7	8.40	8.45		9.50		10.50-11.10			11.10						12.15-13.05 lesson 4			13.05-13.55 lunch				13.55			14.50							14.50
Y8	8.40	8.45		9.50		10.50-11.10			11.10						12.15-13.05 lesson 4			13.05-13.55 lunch				13.55			14.50							14.55
Y9	8.40	8.45		9.50		10.50-11.10			11.10						12.15-13.05 lunch			13.05-13.55 lesson 4				13.55			14.50							14.55
Y10	8.50	8.55		9.50		10.50-11.10			11.10						12.15-13.05 lunch			13.05-13.55 lesson 4				13.55			14.50							14.58
Y11	8.50	8.55		9.50		10.50-11.10			11.10						12.15-13.05 lunch			13.05-13.55 lesson 4				13.55			14.50							14.58
Y12/13	8.55	9.00		9.50		10.50-11.10			11.10						12.10-13.05 lesson 4			13.05-13.55 lunch				13.55			14.55							14.55

At the start of the day, tutors (and subject teachers on Wednesdays) will be at the year group’s base area to collect their form/class by the time indicated.

Break will be spent in the home base area. Food will not be served in the dining halls at break, so students will need to bring their own food and drink for this. We will review this over time.

Lunch will be 50 minutes and take place within an extended period 4. This is because we do not have enough areas or supervising staff to have all of the year group bubbles on lunch at the same time. So for example, Y7, 8, 12 and 13 will have their period 4 from 12.35pm until 13.25pm on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday while Year 9, 10 and 11 are in lunch. They will then swap, with Y7, 8, 12-13 in lunch, while Y9,10 and 11 are in period 4.  

A new temporary system will be put in place for students wishing to purchase food. Again these students will remain with their year group bubbles. Details of this system, including how students will order and pay for food, will be issued before the start of the autumn term. Students with packed lunches will eat in their home base areas.

First Day Back- Thursday, 3^rd September

As stated in our pre-published term dates, all year groups will be in school from the start of the day from Thursday, 3^rd September. Whilst we did consider the possibility of staggering this so that particular year groups started a day later, we were also mindful that the School has been closed to most students for a very significant period of time. We are also confident that the arrangements outlined in this letter will actually be particularly supportive to our newly-arriving Y7 students as they will be based in a relatively small area of the School. Year 7 students will, of course, be taking part in several activities on their first day which help them to settle in to their new school. This is in addition to the transition materials that have been placed on the School’s website since June.  

Students will be with their form tutor for periods 1-3 so that tutors can spend some time getting to know their form and explaining the new school arrangements. We will also be able to hold assemblies in this time. The Government guidance notes that it is safe to hold assemblies if the students from one year group only attend.

FAQs

Please kindly read the attached Frequently Asked Questions as this should answer a number of the queries you may have.

I hope that this letter has provided you with some clarity regarding our planning in response to the latest Government guidance and sets out our next steps clearly.

Any questions?

If you still have any questions or concerns having read this letter and the FAQs, please can you send them to us via this link.

Please note- we will not be responding individually to the questions that we receive, but will instead address any questions or concerns in the School’s PowerPoint presentation which will be sent out before the start of next term. Clearly, anything of a sensitive or confidential nature will be dealt with through the School contacting the parent/carer before the start of next term.

As you can see, re-opening the School fully with all year groups attending is a very complex and challenging task. We have attempted to create a system which is workable, whilst keeping students and staff as safe as possible. We don’t underestimate how challenging it will be to operate for staff and students. We also appreciate that our excellent teamwork as a staff, students and parents/carers will help us to support each other as much as we can. We will get through this together!

We look forward to the Government announcing a return to normal school arrangements in the not too distant future.

Thank you for your ongoing support. It is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

Attachment September Re-Opening FAQs for Parents

 

 

08:45 - Wednesday, 15 July 2020

Change Makers: Summer Holiday virtual sessions

Change Makers are hosting a variety of healthy lifestyle workshops over the summer holidays for parents/carers and families including live cooking sessions, family exercise sessions and weekly information programme.  Please see attached leaflet for further details and how to book on to a session.

• attachment Change Makers - Virtual Workshop

 

 

11:30 - Friday, 10 July 2020

Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening in September 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening in September 2020

The Government has now published its guidance regarding the plan to fully open schools in September. As a school, we are fully committed to ensuring that all of our students can experience full-time education based on a broad and balanced curriculum at school again at the start of next term.

We fully appreciate that you want to be reassured that your child/children will be safe at our school. The health and safety of our students and staff remains our absolute priority. Whilst we clearly cannot create a totally risk-free environment, we are confident that we can minimise risk for our students and staff, whilst simultaneously providing a high quality educational experience for all of our students.

We are now carefully considering the Government guidance and discussing our planning with senior leaders, staff, unions and governors.

I will be writing to you towards the end of next week with our final plans for September.

Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.

Yours sincerely,

P. Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

11:25 - Friday, 10 July 2020

Year 9 Return of English reading book

Dear Parents/Carers

Students in Year 9 have been asked via Google Classroom to return their English reading book to their form tutor when they come into school for their appointment on Monday and Tuesday next week. There will be a box and sign-in sheet in the classroom so we can record all returns.

We would really appreciate it if you could also remind your son/daughter so they do not forget as these books as they are part of our vital stock for next term and we will be unable to teach the novels in September to the new year group.

Books issued:

• 91EnH Mrs Aiello- To Kill a Mockingbird
• 92EnMa Mrs Thomas - Heroes
• 92EnM  Miss Hadjistasi – Animal Farm
• 92EnHa Miss Tutt - Book Thief or Divergent
• 92EnH   Miss Riley - To Kill a Mockingbird
• 91EnMb Miss Hadjistasi – Animal Farm
• 91EnMa  Miss Riley - Animal Farm
• 91EnM  Mr Ind – Noughts and Crosses
• 9IEnHa  Miss Arshad - Classic novel (if borrowed from English stock cupboard)

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Kind regards

The English Department

 

 

10:00 - Friday, 10 July 2020

Parent/Carer Remote Learning Survey - Reminder

Dear parent/carer, 

Quick reminder for you to complete the parent/carer remote learning survey emailed out to you earlier in the week. The information you provide through this survey is important to the school, enabling appropriate support to be in place in the event students are required to self-isolate. Please click on the link (emailed) to complete the survey.  Deadline for completion of survey is 6.00pm Monday 13th July. Kind regards Higham Lane School.

 

 

17:00 - Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Warwickshire Music Assemblies

Further to our email last week regarding Warwickshire Music school assembly videos, please find below the links to five assemblies showcasing various instruments. These videos can be used in school and/or sent out to pupils.

 STRING ASSEMBLY

WOODWIND ASSEMBLY

SEND ASSEMBLY

GUITAR ASSEMBLY

SINGING ASSEMBLY

 Enjoy the assembly!

 Kind regards,

 The Warwickshire Music Team

 

 

13:20 - Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Parent/Carer Remote Learning Survey 

Dear parent/carer, 

As most of you will be aware, the government has released its detailed guidance for the planned return to school for all students in September. As part of the guidance schools are expected to have a strong contingency plan in place for remote education provision in the event individuals or groups are required to self-isolate. In developing our contingency plan we aim to provide access to high quality remote learning delivered through a range of online tools, principally Google Classroom.

To help prepare the school in the event of individuals or groups having to self-isolate, please can you complete the parent/carer remote learning survey - click on the link emailed to you.  The survey will help the school identify where remote learning for students is a challenge, enabling plans to put in place to offer appropriate support if the need arises. Please complete the survey no later than end of school Monday 13th July.

Thank you in anticipation of your support.

Mr Naisbitt
Assistant Headteacher

 

 

11:35 - Monday, 6 July 2020

Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening in September 2020 (Sixth Form)

Dear Student,

Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening in September 2020

The Government has now published its guidance regarding the plan to fully open schools in September. As a sixth form, we are fully committed to ensuring that all of our students can experience full-time education again at the start of next term.

We fully appreciate that you want to be reassured that you will be safe at our sixth form. The health and safety of our students and staff remains our absolute priority. Whilst we clearly cannot create a totally risk-free environment, we are confident that we can minimise risk for our students and staff, whilst simultaneously providing a high quality educational experience for all of our students.

We are now carefully considering the Government guidance and discussing our planning with senior leaders, staff, unions and governors.

I will be writing to you towards the end of next week with our final plans for September.

Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time. Please share this information with your parents/carers.

Yours sincerely,

P.Kelly, Headteacher and H Ladha, Assistant Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form)

 

 

11:30 - Monday, 6 July 2020

Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening in September 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Response to Government Guidance on Full School Re-Opening in September 2020

The Government has now published its guidance regarding the plan to fully open schools in September. As a school, we are fully committed to ensuring that all of our students can experience full-time education based on a broad and balanced curriculum at school again at the start of next term.

We fully appreciate that you want to be reassured that your child/children will be safe at our school. The health and safety of our students and staff remains our absolute priority. Whilst we clearly cannot create a totally risk-free environment, we are confident that we can minimise risk for our students and staff, whilst simultaneously providing a high quality educational experience for all of our students.

We are now carefully considering the Government guidance and discussing our planning with senior leaders, staff, unions and governors.

I will be writing to you towards the end of next week with our final plans for September.

Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.

Yours sincerely,

P.Kelly

Headteacher

 

 

15:45 - Friday, 3 July 2020

Compass School Health Newsletter 03.07.2020

Good afternoon

Please find attached our latest service newsletter. This week we have focused on the topic of racism, including the importance of learning and talking about racism with children, and support for children and young people who have experienced racism.

Going forward, we will be sharing a newsletter once every two weeks rather than weekly.

Many thanks

Warwickshire School Health & Wellbeing Service

Attachment Compass School Health newsletter 03.07

 

 

12:30 - Thursday, 2 July 2020

Warwickshire Music Assemblies

Please open the link below to watch a video by one our String specialists, Marion Fleetwood, as an example of the remote assemblies Warwickshire Music can offer.

 STRING ASSEMBLY

 Enjoy the assembly!

 Kind regards,

 The Warwickshire Music Team

 

 

13:00 - Monday, 29 June 2020

Need some help to manage your child's emotions?

You can register for a free mini-course using this link https://www.subscribepage.com/4stepstohelpyourchild

 

 

09:30 - Wednesday, 24 June 2020

Google Classroom & Rewards update

Google Classroom 'live stream' support for students

Teachers will be enabling the 'live stream' option at various points during the week.  This means that students will be able to ask teachers questions about the lesson/work and receive an immediate response.    For this to work in the best interests of all students, please can you read the attached agreed student code of conduct with your son/daughter which will be in operation when the 'live stream' is open.  We know that the overwhelming majority of students will engage positively in this interaction and will see this as a helpful addition to their learning.    Students should continue to check notifications within Google Classroom to understand when a teacher will be available to help them directly for each subject.

Attachment Student code of conduct - GC live stream

 

'Well done' reward animated postcards

We continue to be impressed with the diligence and conscientious nature being shown by students in these circumstances and teachers have recently been issuing animated reward postcards via Google Classroom to recognise great efforts by students.  Look out for these via the Google Classroom stream option.  

Many thanks for your continued support with remote learning.  

 

 

15:00 - Monday, 22 June 2020

Re: Further face-to-face support for students in Year 12 – Phase 3 commencing 29th June 2020

Dear Parent/Carer

Re: Further face-to-face support for students in Year 12 – Phase 3 commencing 29th June 2020

I hope that this message finds you and your family well.

Phase 2 started today and I hope Year 12 are going to find these sessions useful when planning for Post 18 pathways.

Phase 3 commencing 29th June 2020

Please find attached the Year 12 Phase 3 Schedule for face-to-face teaching commencing 29th June 2020. I have also attached information that was sent to students earlier today. The times of the sessions are:

AM
9.00am to 10.30am
15 minute break
10.45am - 12.00pm
30 minute lunch

PM
12.30pm to 1.45pm
15 minute break
2.00pm to 3.00pm

Phase 3 is organised so each subject is taught only once either during an am or for a full day session over the course of the remaining three weeks of term. Logistically, and following guidance from the DfE, we will not be able to offer more than one on-site teaching session. I am pleased to be able to share with you that we will also be offering ‘live streaming’ through Google Classrooms to complement these sessions for the remaining part of the term. The 'live stream' will allow students to ask questions about prior or current work and the teacher will be able to answer instantaneously (like a group message conversation on WhatsApp). This support will continue until the end of term on Friday 17th July and will be supplemented with our continued remote learning at home.

We are also putting robust arrangements in place across the site to ensure students and staff are safe at all times, for example as regards social distancing and hygiene.

We appreciate that some parents may choose not to send their child into sixth form initially and we understand this. Our planning accommodates all students in Year 12, so if you change your mind at a later date, we will be able to accommodate this, with sufficient notice.

We understand the uncertainty and anxiety that recent months have brought; we care about your child and want to support him/her. We want to reassure parents/carers and their children that the safety and well-being of students and staff is paramount and will be at the heart of the decisions that are made. We recognise that Year 12 is a priority year group as they face final public examinations in 2021 and, as such, require the reassurance and guidance that face-to-face contact can bring. We hope that your son/daughter will find these
sessions useful as we work towards a wider re-opening of our schools.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely

Mr H Ladha
Assistant Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form)
 

Attachment Year 12 Phase 3 Practical Arrangement Information

Attachment Year 12 Phase 3 Schedule

 

 

13:45 - Friday, 19 June 2020

Phase 2 from week commencing 22nd June 2020 and further face-to-face support for students in Year 12

Dear Parent/Carer,

Phase 2 from week commencing 22nd June 2020 and further face-to-face support for students in Year 12

I hope that this message finds you and your family well.

I hope your son/daughter found the face-to-face meetings useful on Wednesday and that they now know what to do for the next steps in each of their subjects. I know that some students will still be receiving calls from the teachers that were not present. I was so pleased to see our Year 12 on Wednesday and to be able to have face-to-face conversations. If your son/daughter wanted an appointment to see me but didn’t manage to book a slot then please ask them to contact me on sixthform@highamlaneschool.co.uk and I will arrange a time to talk to them.

Phase 2 - From the week commencing Monday 22nd June, we are inviting Year 12 students to attend in tutor groups for a 2 hour session for a designated day during the week.

We will be asking two tutor groups to attend at a time each day. Each session will be led by Mrs Doyne-Ditmas and myself and will focus on Post 18 destinations. We will deliver information about UCAS, registering for UCAS, admissions tests, apprenticeships, funding for university and personal statements. This will help students prepare for their Post 18 pathways.

Each session will begin at 9am and finish at 11am and be based in the ICT rooms in the Sixth Form Centre. Students will arrive and exit through Shanklin Drive and go straight to the Sixth Form Centre where they will sign in. Each tutor group will be in the same room for the two hours and it will be the teachers (Mrs Doyne-Ditmas and I) that will change over in each hour to deliver our session. The safety measures as organised for Phase one will still apply. Please also see the attached documents for further guidance.

The programme for these sessions are:

Monday 22nd June 2020 – Alpha and Zeta
Tuesday 23rd June 2020 – Beta and Eta
Wednesday 24th June 2020 – Epsilon and Iota
Thursday 25th June 2020 – Kappa and Theta
Friday 26th June 2020 – Delta and Gamma

We request your son/daughter to arrive on time to these sessions. If they arrive early, they will be able to wait on the field outside the Sixth Form Centre or if wet, in the Sixth Form Conference Room with 2m distancing.

I will send out further information to you early next week concerning our Phase 3, commencing 29th June for the face-to-face support and teaching.

As mentioned in my previous correspondence, we are also putting robust arrangements in place across the site to ensure students and staff are safe at all times, for example as regards social distancing and hygiene.

We appreciate that some parents may choose not to send their child into sixth form initially and we understand this. Our planning accommodates all students in Year 12, so if you change your mind at a later date, we will be able to accommodate this, with sufficient notice.

We understand the uncertainty and anxiety that recent months have brought; we care about your child and want to support him/her. We want to reassure parents/carers and their children that the safety and well-being of students and staff is paramount and will be at the heart of the decisions that are made. We recognise that Year 12 is a priority year group as they face final public examinations in 2021 and, as such, require the reassurance and guidance that face-to-face contact can bring. We hope that your son/daughter will find these sessions useful as we work towards a wider re-opening of our schools.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely

Mr H Ladha
Assistant Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form)

Attachment Year 12 Phase 2 Practical Arrangements

Attachment Year 12 Health Arrangements

 

 

09:00 - Thursday, 18 June 2020

Importance of mental wellbeing among children - online assembly

The Duchess of Cambridge will lead an online assembly for the Oak National Academy during which she will speak about the importance of mental wellbeing among children. The theme of the Duchess’ assembly is ‘spread a little kindness’ and is based on a lesson plan which is available on the Mentally Healthy Schools platform. This platform was developed in collaboration with children’s mental health charity Place2Be and encourages children to explore ways in which they can show kindness and recognise the benefits of kindness to others.

The Mentally Healthy Schools platform can be accessed here:

https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/

The assembly will be live on the Oak National Academy website at 11am on Thursday 18 June and can be accessed here:

https://classroom.thenational.academy/assemblies/

A recording of the assembly will be available to view on the Oak National Academy website following the event.

 

 

12:50 - Monday, 15 June 2020

Subject Interviews on Wednesday June 17th 2020 and further face-to-face support for students in Year 12

Dear Parent/Carer

Re: Subject Interviews on Wednesday June 17th 2020 and further face-to-face support for students in Year 12

I hope that this message finds you and your family well.

We have been planning for this week for some time now and it has finally arrived. We are really looking forward to meeting Year 12 again on Wednesday.

Phase 1 – Wednesday 17th June 2020

We will be using Chine Hall, Coombe Hall, English classrooms, Sixth Form Conference Room, Sixth Form classrooms and the double ICT rooms in the Sixth Form Centre for these meetings. We have added further rooms and relocated some subjects so that the volume of other conversations taking place in the vicinity does not interfere with meaningful conversations over a 2m distance. Please see the attached flyer for details. I have explained this to students in my weekly bulletin and they will have a copy of the room changes on the day. All venues will be thoroughly cleaned beforehand and markings will be placed on the floors and walls indicating one way systems, social distancing and hygiene reminders. 

We will implement a very clear procedure for this activity:

• We would prefer the students to walk to and from school, where possible, and to observe social distancing. If you wish to drop your son/daughter off and collect them, please park near the school. No cars will be permitted onto the school site. Students may cycle and should follow the usual procedures regarding walking their bike onto the site and locking it at the cycle rack.
• The students will enter the site via the Brookdale Road gate and then through Student Services entrance at least 5 minutes before their first appointment where they will be signed in by staff. They will use hand sanitiser on arrival. They will then follow the one way system and make their way to the venue where their first meeting is scheduled.
• All doors will remain open so no door handles need to be touched. 
• Venues being used will be spread out so students are not waiting close together all in one place.
• The teacher will sit at a desk and a clear 2m marker will separate the teacher from the student’s chair.
• The advice schools have received is that students do not need to wear masks or gloves. Of course, any student is free to do so. This is a personal choice. Any student wishing to do this will need to bring their own mask and gloves.
• At the end of the meeting, the student will take their chair and place it on a stack of used chairs.  The next student arriving will take a clean chair from a separate stack of chairs.
• The student will then follow the one way system to their next meeting. Having completed all of their appointments, students must leave the site via main Reception next to Chine Hall, where they will be signed out. This is essential as we need to know who is still on site and who has left the site in case of a fire. They will use hand sanitiser as they leave. Students will exit via the Shanklin Drive gate.
• Toilets will be open for students to use on the MFL corridor and at the Sixth Form Centre.
• Duty staff will be strategically placed around the building, for example at Student Services, by the toilets and by Reception.
• Any student who becomes ill during their visit to the school site will be checked by Student Services staff and placed in the Library. Student Services staff will use appropriate personal protective equipment.
• If there is a large gap between appointments, we request that your son/daughter leaves the school site (having signed out at Reception) and returns for their later appointment, having signed back in again at Student Services. Those with small gaps (up to 30 minutes) can wait on the field or in the Sports Hall (in wet weather only) until their next appointment. Seating in the Sports Hall will we measured out to ensure 2m distancing. This will support our health and safety measures that we are implementing around the site.
• Students must dress appropriately if the weather is cool as windows will be open in each of the venues for ventilation.
• Students MUST bring a notepad and pen to make notes in their meetings so that they record their discussions with their teachers.

Students in Year 12 will be kept separate from other students currently attending the school.

For those students that are unable to attend and where you have already notified us, staff will endeavour to call you on Wednesday 17th June to talk to your son/daughter or will ring within a week of the meetings. For safeguarding reasons, the teacher will only be able to talk to your son/daughter by phone with a parent/carer or an adult present.

Phase 2 - From the week commencing Monday 22nd June, we are inviting Year 12 students to attend in tutor groups for a 2 hour session for a designated day during the week.

We will be asking two tutor groups to attend at a time each day. Each session will be led by Mrs Doyne-Ditmas and myself and will focus on Post 18 destinations. We will deliver information about UCAS, registering for UCAS, admissions tests, apprenticeships, funding for university and personal statements. This will help students prepare for their Post 18 pathways.

Each session will begin at 9am and finish at 11am and be based in the ICT rooms in the Sixth Form Centre. Students will arrive and exit through Shanklin Drive and go straight to the Sixth Form Centre where they will sign in. Each tutor group will be in the same room for the two hours and it will be the teachers (Mrs Doyne-Ditmas and I) that will change over in each hour to deliver our session. The above safety measures will still apply.

The programme for these sessions are

Monday 22nd June 2020 – Alpha and Zeta
Tuesday 23rd June 2020 – Beta and Eta
Wednesday 24th June 2020 – Epsilon and Iota
Thursday 25th June 2020 – Kappa and Theta
Friday 26th June 2020 – Delta and Gamma

Phase 3 - From the week commencing Monday 29th June, we are inviting Year 12 students to attend sixth form to receive face-to-face support in the form of subject teaching.

This will not follow the normal timetable and will be organised so each subject is taught only once either during an am or for a full day session over the course of the remaining three weeks of term. Logistically and following guidance from the DfE we will not be able to offer more than one on-site teaching session.

I am pleased to be able to share with you that we will also be offering virtual classrooms through Google Meets to complement these sessions for the remaining part of the term. This support will continue until the end of term on Friday 17th July and will be supplemented with our continued remote learning at home.

I shall share further details concerning Phase 3 with you next week.

As mentioned in my previous letter, we are also putting robust arrangements in place across the site to ensure students and staff are safe at all times, for example as regards social distancing and hygiene.

We appreciate that some parents/carers may choose not to send their child into sixth form initially and we understand this. Our planning accommodates all students in Year 12, so if you change your mind at a later date, we will be able to accommodate this, with sufficient notice.

We understand the uncertainty and anxiety that recent months have brought; we care about your child and want to support him/her. We want to reassure parents/carers and their children that the safety and well-being of students and staff is paramount and will be at the heart of the decisions that are made. We recognise that Year 12 is a priority year group as they face final public examinations in 2021 and, as such, require the reassurance and guidance that face-to-face contact can bring. We hope that your son/daughter will find these sessions useful as we work towards a wider re-opening of our schools.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours sincerely

Mr H Ladha
Assistant Headteacher (Head of Sixth Form)
 

Attachment Year 12 - Wednesday 17th June 2020

 

 

20:20 - Friday, 12 June 2020

Further face-to-face support for students in Year 10 from week commencing Monday 29th June 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Further face-to-face support for students in Year 10 from week commencing Monday 29th June 2020

I hope that this message finds you and your family well.

Thank you to those parents/carers who responded to my letter last week outlining our proposals to offer some face-to-face teaching in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science by completing the Survey Monkey survey. The results were very encouraging with 94% of the 132 parents/carers who responded saying that they would be prepared to allow their son/daughter to attend school one day per week to receive face-to-face support in these core subjects. We appreciate that many of the parents/carers who responded by saying that their child would not be coming into school at this stage had genuine reasons for not wanting them to do so, such as relatives living with them who have been advised to continue shielding due to being clinically vulnerable. I’d also like to thank those parents/carers who responded with their additional comments regarding our proposals which have helped shape our planning for the next phase of re-opening.

In light of the responses to our survey and based upon current government advice that no more than 25% of students across Years 10 and 12 should be in school at any one time, we will be reopening school from Monday 29th June to allow Year 10 students to attend for one day a week to receive face-to-face support in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science. This support will continue until the end of term on Friday 17 July (3 weeks in total), with the remaining four days a week involving students continuing with their remote learning. Year 12 students will also be on site on those days when Year 10 students are present, but will be based in our Sixth Form Centre, which is a separate building on our site.

You will find two documents accompanying this email, one of which outlines arrangements in place to protect the health of your son/daughter whilst attending school and the other which outlines the practical arrangements regarding this face-to-face support, which we hope also covers many of the questions raised in the survey by parents/carers.

You’ll note that in both documents that reference is made to ‘bubbles’. These are the self-contained groups of students who are taught together and do not mix with other groups of students during the school day in order to reduce the risks of infection between groups of students and their wider families. Government advice recommends teaching students in small bubbles (for example, classes of 15 in primary school) but where facilities allow, schools may have larger groups. You will no doubt be aware that many of the classrooms on our site are very small and, based on social distancing guidelines, would typically accommodate only 6 to 8 students. Unfortunately this would require us to have four teachers for a typical class of 30 students! We have, therefore, taken the decision to use larger spaces in school (Coombe Hall, Chine Hall and the Sportshall) for teaching to allow us to create bubbles of between 13 and 33 students in size. We have carefully checked that 2 metre social distancing can be observed in these venues and being in different parts of the school, we are confident that we can avoid students from different bubbles mixing during the school day. Students will be allocated a venue and remain in it for all of their lessons. They will also have a nominated desk which they will use every time they come into school for this face-to-face support. Staggered start times and finish times and, where possible, staggered breaks and lunchtimes, will help keep these bubbles separate. (Further details regarding the timings for the day are included in the attachment outlining the practical arrangements regarding this face-to-face support). Each venue has its own toilet facilities.

Details regarding the arrangements for this face-to-face support will be provided by your son/daughter’s tutor at the forthcoming tutor meetings.

We hope that, having read the details regarding the arrangements for this face-to-face support, that you will feel confident about sending your son/daughter into school. We appreciate that many of our students and their parents/carers may be feeling anxious about a return to school, but please be re-assured that careful consideration has gone into these proposals and student and staff health, safety and well-being remains our number one priority. We will continue to work to the very tight guidelines from the Department for Education which dictate that only one quarter of Year 10 and Year 12 students can attend school at any one time. We will of course review arrangements should this guidance change.

We will be writing to the parents/carers of Year 12 separately about face-to-face support for those students.

These arrangements for face to face support of Year 10 and Year 12 students are separate from the arrangements currently in place for the children of critical workers and vulnerable children currently attending school. The support for these children will continue and Year 10 students from this group who are already attending school will attend the face-to-face support lessons in English, Maths and Science on their designated days and then continue attending school with the children of critical workers and vulnerable children on other days.

As I stated in my previous letter, we appreciate that some parents/carers may choose not to send their child into school initially and we understand this. The Government has made it clear that no action is to be taken if this is the choice you make at this point. Our planning accommodates all students in Year 10 and Year 12, so if you change your mind at a later date, we will be able to accommodate this, with sufficient notice.

Finally, just to reiterate that we understand the uncertainty and anxiety that recent months have brought and recognise that Years 10 and 12 are priority year groups as they face final public examinations in 2021 and, as such, require the reassurance and guidance that face-to-face contact can bring. We hope that your son/daughter will find these sessions useful as we work towards a wider re-opening of our schools.

Thank you for your continued support and patience.

Yours sincerely

P.Kelly
Headteacher
 

Attachment - Health arrangements for parents

Attachment - Practical arrangements information

 

16:00 - Thursday, 11 June 2020

Compass Health and Well-being Service have cancelled all non-essential visits

In light of the current COVID-19 situation and direction from the government, Compass Health and Well-being Service have cancelled all non-essential visits by nurses to schools.

Their priority is to continue to promote and protect the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families in Warwickshire. Therefore we would like to reiterate that parents/carers and young people are still able to contact a member of the school health team for advice and support when needed.

• Parents/carers can call the service on 03300 245 204 or text Parentline on 07520 619 376.
• Young people aged 11-19 can text ChatHealth on 07507 331 525.
• These services are available Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm.
• Their webpage contains useful information for children, young people and their families and will be updated with the latest information and advice https://www.compass-uk.org/services/warwickshire-school-health-wellbeing-service/
• Support and information is also available from the Family Information Service (FIS) - https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fis

 

 

16:00 - Tuesday, 8 June 2020

Warwickshire Music Weekly Newsletter

Good afternoon

Please find attached the latest Warwickshire Music weekly newsletter with ideas for shared learning, including App of the Week.

Kind regards,

The Warwickshire Music Team

 

Attachment Music Newsletter 08-06-20

 

 

19:00 - Tuesday, 2 June 2020

Year 10 Parents - re reopening

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope that this message finds you and your family well.

Update on face-to-face support for Year 10 students following the Department for Education’s updated guidance on 25^th May 2020

Please kindly note: this is the original letter outlining the arrangements which we sent you on 22^nd May, but now with revised dates, following the Government’s updated guidance. The new dates are in bold underlined text below.

I just wanted to update you on our thinking regarding meeting the Government’s expectation for some ‘face-to-face support’ with Year 10. Please excuse the length of this letter.

I have been discussing this matter at length with our Senior Leadership Team, several governors, site staff and staff trade unions. I have also consulted our teaching staff about the arrangements I am setting out below.

I want to reassure you that the safety of our students and staff remains paramount in our thinking. I am aware that there is understandable anxiety from some parents/carers and staff about any return to working on the school site, for example regarding issues such as the cleanliness of the site, hygiene arrangements and enforcing social distancing during the current Covid-19 situation. Just as we have given careful consideration to the movement and safety of students, we have also given a great deal of attention to ensuring the safety of our staff.

The School is fully committed to ensuring the site is safe in every respect and all suitable arrangements are in place for safe working in line with government advice. As Headteacher, I am following, with the governing body, very rigorous expectations on health and safety. We are completing a highly detailed Warwickshire Local Authority risk assessment that covers every relevant aspect of a wider school re-opening.

Face to face contact with Year 10 students

We recognise that students in Year 10 have not been in school now since Friday 20^th March and that they will be feeling inevitably anxious about their progress and how the School will be supporting them during the remainder of their time with us, studying for their GCSE qualifications. Our staff want to fully support and reassure these students.

Year 10 students meeting their form tutor in school

The School is proposing to invite each Year 10 student into school for a 30 minute meeting with their form tutor during the week beginning Monday 15^th June and the week beginning Monday 22nd June, as an initial step in supporting students with their work through face-to- face contact between staff and students. (Please kindly note: we will not be offering the Year 10 meetings on Wednesday, 17^th June, as Year 12 students will be meeting their teachers at school on this day. Mr Ladha, Head of Sixth Form, has contacted parents/carers of Year 12 separately about this). We are organising appointments in such a way as to limit the number of students on site at any one time. We only require the student to attend the meeting please, not their parent/carer, as we must limit the number of people on our site at this time. The purpose of the meeting between your son/daughter and their form tutor will be to talk about how your son/daughter has been feeling during the lockdown, how much work they have completed, along with how they have coped with the work set in each subject and to make the tutor aware of any concerns they may have about anything. The tutor will be given any relevant information from your son/daughter’s teachers in advance to pass on and will make brief notes of the discussion with your son/daughter. The tone of the meeting will be empathetic and supportive. 

We would be grateful of your support in ensuring that your son/daughter attends this meeting. We acknowledge that you and your son/daughter may be understandably nervous about them returning to the school site but, as stated above, we are committed to ensuring everyone’s safety.  It is also worth bearing in mind that the School has been open throughout the period since Friday 20^th March to children of critical workers and vulnerable students and so many of the safe working practices outlined by the Government are already in place and being practised.  We believe that it is really important psychologically for the students and staff to be back on the school site, even for this short period of time and for the meeting to be in person.   

Students are not required to wear school uniform. They should wear clothing and have a personal appearance that is consistent with our expectations on non-uniform days.

We will ask you to use the Student Progress Evening booking system to book your son/daughter’s appointment please.  Details of how to book this will be released shortly.

We will only be using the Chine building for this activity. It will be thoroughly cleaned beforehand and markings will be placed on the floors and walls indicating social distancing and hygiene reminders.  Appointments will be spread over 6 days so that at any one time, only five students will be being seen by five tutors for a one to one interview in five separate classrooms. 

We will implement a very clear procedure for this activity:

• We would prefer the students to walk to and from school, where possible, and to observe social distancing. If you wish to drop your son/daughter off and collect them, please park near the school. No cars will be permitted onto the school site.  Students may cycle and should follow the usual procedures regarding walking their bike onto the site and locking it at the cycle rack.
• Students should arrive five minutes before their appointment time.
• The students will enter the site via the Brookdale Road gate and Student Services entrance, where they will be signed in by staff. They will use hand sanitiser on arrival. They will then follow the one way system and make their way to the classroom where their meeting is scheduled.
• All doors will remain open so no door handles need to be touched.
• Classrooms being used will be spread out so students are not waiting close together outside classrooms.
• The teacher will sit at a desk and a clear 2m marker will separate the teacher from the student’s chair.
• The advice schools have received is that students do not need to wear masks or gloves. Of course, any student is free to do so. This is a personal choice. Any student wishing to do this will need to bring their own mask and gloves.
• The teacher will fill in a form about how the student has got on during the lockdown, including reference to their school work.
• At the end of the meeting, the student will take their chair and place it on a stack of used chairs. The next student arriving will take a clean chair from a separate stack of chairs. (All chairs will be thoroughly cleaned)
• The student will then follow the one way system and leave the site at Reception, where they will be signed out. They will use hand sanitiser as they leave. Students will exit via the Shanklin Drive gate.
• Toilets will be open for students to use on the MFL-English corridor.
• Duty staff will be strategically placed around the Chine building, for example at Student Services, by the toilets and by Reception.
• Any students who becomes ill during their visit to the school site will be checked by Student Services staff and placed in the library. Student Services staff will use appropriate personal protective equipment.

 

Students in Year 10 will be kept separate from other students currently attending the school.

Should I keep my child at home if they have an underlying health condition or live with someone in a clinically vulnerable group?

This applies to:

• Students who are considered extremely clinically vulnerable and shielding.
• Students who are clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable) - those considered to be at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus. A minority of children will fall into this category.
• Children and young people who live in a household with someone who is extremely clinically vulnerable and shielding.
• Children and young people who live with someone who is clinically vulnerable (but not extremely clinically vulnerable) as defined in the social distancing guidance and including those who are pregnant.

If your child is in any one of the aforementioned categories, please follow the Government guidance here about attending school: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june#should-i-keep-my-child-at-home-if-they-have-an-underlying-health-condition-or-live-with-someone-in-a-clinically-vulnerable-group

Please can the parents/carers of the students in any of the aforementioned categories who will not be attending, please contact the School, so that we are aware of their circumstances. We will make separate arrangements for these students.

As a school, we will consider any further activities involving Year 10 students in due course, as appropriate, based on Department for Education guidance.

The health and safety of our staff and students is our highest priority. I hope that you can see this from the level of detail in our aforementioned planning.

Please support the School in ensuring your son/daughter attends this important meeting (unless he/she is unable to attend for the reasons stated above).

If you have wish to ask any questions or you have any concerns about this proposed meeting, please email the School at contactus@highamlaneschool.co.uk 

Thank you, in anticipation, for your support.

Yours sincerely,

 

P.Kelly

 

Headteacher

 

 

15:00 - Monday, 1 June 2020

Survey feedback: Google Classroom

Dear Parent/Carer

Survey feedback: Google Classroom

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience of Google Classroom for your son/daughter.   We appreciate your input as we continue to work together during the partial school closure.

Firstly, our thanks to you in appreciating that our teachers have embraced Google Classroom without any face-to-face training or support in a very short space of time, and for recognising that they have endeavoured to provide a meaningful and purposeful learning experience for your son/daughter.    These messages of support have meant a great deal to our teachers who have never taught in this way before. 

As a result of the Google Classroom 3 week trial, we have been asking staff to share their best practice with each other in subject teams in order to improve the learning experience of our students even further and we hope that you will see aspects of this filter through over the next few weeks.  We have also shared the results from the survey with teachers so that they can see which aspects of learning within Google Classroom are working most effectively for students in order to develop this practice even further for the benefit of students.

After half term, there will be some changes that we hope will enhance the learning experience from home for our students:

• After a successful 3 week trial, all subjects are able to move their learning over to Google Classroom.  This should make it easier for students to find what they have to do for each lesson.   (The only exception to this is Geography who already have a well-embedded and effective way of setting work).
• All teachers will aim to make lesson instructions clearer.  Again, this should make it easier to follow, particularly for our younger students.
• We recognise that learning in isolation is taking longer for students than when they are in a classroom.  For example, students have to work out instructions and the meaning of content for themselves in a different and more independent way when compared to their usual experience in school.   Therefore teachers will aim to set work that is approximately 45 minutes per hour’s lesson to help support students in organising and managing their learning.  
• After initially setting up lessons on Google Classroom successfully and then introducing subject quizzes and low stakes assessments, departments are now able to offer some more personalised feedback in addition to the feedback that has already been taking place.  We successfully use whole class feedback within school for example, and this will be part of the feedback that students receive over the coming weeks. 
• Teachers are keen to enhance the learning experience as effectively as they can in the current circumstances.  We have, as mentioned, shared best practice from across the school with our teaching staff.  For example, we know that some of our teachers have been using voice-overs to provide more of an explanation and understanding to lessons.  We are actively encouraging our teachers to use more facilities within Google Classroom to make online learning even more meaningful for your son/daughter.  

Once again, thank you for taking the time to respond to the survey and for your continued support as we all continue to work together to support your son/daughter learning from home.   

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Robinson & Mr Naisbitt

Assistant Headteachers