Letter to Parents and Carers regarding extended home learning

Dear Parents and Carers,

Regrettably, we find ourselves in a situation, as announced by the Education Minister this morning, with an extension to the online learning provision. The Welsh Government have initially set a date for review of Friday 29^th January 2021, although they have made it clear that students may not return before February half-term. We will continue to monitor this situation and communicate plans nearer the time. However, like everything that has happened over the course of the last 10 months, it is subject to change, with very little notice and as such, we all find ourselves having to be as empathetic, patient and flexible in our approach to daily life as we possibly can be.

Wellbeing

Each day, students will begin with a check-in with their form tutor through their dedicated form group team. We appreciate that some students will cope with the demands of working from home with a greater degree of ease. During this time and over the forthcoming weeks ahead, we would appreciate it if families raise any concerns that they may have, with the school so that we may be able to offer support. However, if in the first instance, where a concern relates to your child’s learning, I would ask that you raise a concern with the class teacher and/or head of that area of learning experience; or if the matter relates to a pastoral issue, they child’s form tutor or learning leader.

GCSE Qualifications Year 11

In the Autumn Term, the Education Minister announced that the Summer series examinations would not take place. Instead, they were planning to adopt a three-pillared approach of a combination of non-examination assessments, where appropriate, and elements of internally and externally managed assessments. Unfortunately, the WJEC announced this morning that the planned internal assessments which were due to take place between 22^nd February and 23^rd April will not take place.

However, as it stands, they have retained the non-examination assessment (NEA) and external assessment, but this is under review. Therefore, it is imperative that all students in year 11 continue to make every effort to engage with the online learning and aim to prepare for these two elements. Your child’s subject teachers are on-hand to support you with any queries you may have over the non-examination elements of the course. Be assured that I will continue to keep relevant families aware of as developments unfold. Please find attached a letter which has been sent today from Qualifications Wales.

Qualifications Year 10

Year 10 were due to sit a limited number of external examinations in Summer 2021. To clarify, all module examinations have been cancelled, so the external module exams they were due to sit in subjects including Science, History and RE have been cancelled. It has not yet been confirmed how this will impact on assessments in 2022, but we will keep you updated as soon as any further information becomes available.

Year 10 students were also due to complete their English Literature GCSE qualification in Summer 2021. As this was to be for a complete GCSE qualification, this will be treated in the same way as for Year 11 students. So, for English Literature, students in year 10 will be subject to whatever assessment arrangements are put in place as described above. As soon as these are announced we will keep you updated. Your continued support to keep your children motivated and engaged in blended learning is greatly appreciated.

I would like to emphasise to students in year 7 that you will soon get the chance to experience all that Pentrehafod has to offer, both in terms of the formal curriculum and extra-curricular programme. Similarly, students in years 8 and 9 being able to resume many of these activities e.g. sports clubs and music classes.

Lastly, as we all reflect upon our return to school, evaluating what has gone well and what we can do better, I would like to reassure parents, carers and students that all members of the school community are working tirelessly to try and provide the best possible learning experience for the students. We will continue to evaluate, review and refine our systems over the course of this time. May I thank you for your support in the getting the students ready for their online learning this week, and appreciate your assistance in this over the next few weeks and months ahead.

Please continue to use our website and follow our Twitter page for further updates and information.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr Matthew J. Goulding
(Acting Headteacher)