Dear Parents/Carers and Year 10 Students Year 10 return: – Following the announcement by the Prime Minister on Sunday 24th May regarding the return of Year 10 and 12 pupils, I have received further guidance from the Department of Education on how this is to be implemented.  Clearly as a result of this guidance, the school is having to adjust the draft plans for year 10.  Over the next week, more steps will be taken to prepare the school for Year 10 to return.  I will share the plans  with you next week.  I will also produce a short video to show how the school site is ready for the return of Year 10 students. Key points from the secondary guidance are as follows:

  • Any plans that secondary schools have made for pupils to return earlier in June should be amended to commence from 15 June.
  • Secondary schools should offer this face-to-face support to supplement the remote education of Year 10 and Year 12 pupils, which should remain the predominant mode of education during this term for pupils in these year groups.
  • Schools are able to have a quarter of the Year 10 and Year 12 cohort (for schools with sixth forms) in school at any one time.
  • Secondary schools should aim to practise social distancing in line with the measures the government is asking everyone to adopt in public and in workplaces, including keeping pupils 2 metres apart from each other where possible.
  • Ensuring sufficient distance between pupils is likely to mean classes are no more than half their usual size.
  • Mixing between different groups of pupils should be kept to a minimum.
  • Where rotas are used, secondary schools should avoid split day rotas within the same day and ensure that only a quarter of children are ever in the school on any one day. Vulnerable children and children of critical workers in all year groups should still be encouraged to attend full-time.
  • Within the guidance above, schools have the flexibility to implement face-to-face support for Year 10 and Year 12 pupils in the way that best suits their circumstances.
  • Vulnerable children and children of critical workers in other year groups should be accommodated as currently.

M J Serridge