Dear Parent/Carer

Week 5 has nearly finished, which means we are that bit closer to seeing everyone again.  I don't know about you, but this week has felt tougher than the rest and it has felt good to chat to colleagues and friends and share that.

Next week is the last week of half term and we have made a change to our final two days. The timetable will run as normal, but teachers will be using the lessons on Thursday and Friday to give some really detailed feedback and support for students who need it most.  Don't worry, students will still register as normal and there will be learning going on, but we have taken stock of the feedback from our student surveys and it is clear that the students want some time (like they would in normal lessons) to get specific feedback. It's very hard to do that online and so we have decided to take this opportunity to personalise things a little more. More details will be shared next week but I just wanted you to know that we have thought about the feedback we receive.

If your daughter/son is in Year 11 or 13, they will be working to develop their portfolio of evidence we will use to award grades this year.  It will be a little different because we are not preparing them to sit an exam. There will be smaller assessments and exam questions, but not the usual full scale trial exams that normally happen again in March. It would simply not be feasible to run year group exams in the hall and we are not being asked to prepare them for this. Of course, like everything we do, it will be thorough and will have been moderated.

If your daughter/son is in the other year groups then my words are to keep ploughing on. As we said to Y10 last year, they couldn't be sure that things would not happen again and lo and behold, we find ourselves in a similar position. Hard work pays off, so please keep encouraging them to stick at it. It all counts!

You may have read in the news that schools are not being asked to remain open over half term and I thought it would be a good time to remind you of this. The online learning has been intense and I thank you for your support in making sure your daughter/son is logging on to lessons. I also thank you for taking an interest in their learning and asking what they have been doing.

The weekend approaches and I hope that you all get a chance to spend some quality time either together or on your own. It's curry night at Brady Towers and just writing that makes me miss our local restaurant. Still, it gives us something to dream of and I will take that at the moment.

Stay safe everyone and keep going.

Nearly there.

Steve Brady