A warm welcome back to the Summer Term for everyone.
I hope everyone kept well and safe over the Easter Holidays and that you are adjusting to life in lockdown.
I hope too that you had a good break from your online learning over the holidays and are ready to get back to study in the new term.
We have been impressed with the positive way in which you have engaged in our online learning: we know that this is a new experience for all of us, teachers and pupils alike, and we hope to provide some pointers later this week on how we can all make even better use of the online classrooms. We know too that each of you is working in your own family situation and that you may be sharing a computer or have additional family responsibilities; it is therefore important that we emphasise that you do what you can when you can.
For those of you who were due to take public GCSE, AS and A2 examinations this summer we now have information from CCEA and the other examination boards regarding the awarding of grades.
I summarise the main aspects below for each year group:-
Year 11– Grades will not be issued for the Year 11 modules you were due to sit in May /June 2020. As a school we will need to decide with your teachers and subject departments if you will take your scheduled Year 11 modules next year as well as your Year 12 modules in June 2021. For you the key message at the moment is that you need to keep working on your GCSE programme as normal until the end of term in preparation for Year 12.
Year 12- Your teachers and subject departments will work with CCEA to determine a grade which is a fair and equitable reflection of your achievement. Please be assured that your teachers know you well and that they will take into account a wide range of relevant tracking information and data which we have in our system . It will not be based solely on your mock examination results. They will also take account of any special circumstances there may have been for you during the year. Although you will not be officially required to provide any further work for your GCSE subjects we advise you to maintain some productive independent learning in those subjects you are considering studying in the Sixth Form. We will also shortly be sending you a copy of our Sixth Form prospectus and options information which will also be posted on our website as part of the application process for the Sixth Form. We are happy to discuss your post-GCSE options with you by telephone or e-mail over the next few weeks when you have had a chance to read the information provided.
Year 13- Grades will be issued for your Year 13 AS modules but these grades will not contribute to A level results in 2021. As a consequence of this we will need to consider carefully with your teachers and you whether you will :-
a) Sit your AS examinations along with your A2 examinations in 2021
and/or
b) Sit your A2 examinations and accept an aggregated AS mark based solely on your A2 performance.
We will take our time as a school to consider these options fully and not rush a decision at this stage. In the meantime the key message for you is to keep working on the activities provided by your teachers as preparation for Year 14.
Year 14- Your teachers and subject departments will work with CCEA to determine a grade which is a fair and equitable reflection of your achievement. Please be assured that your teachers know you well and that they will take into account a wide range of relevant tracking information and data which we have in our system . It will not be based solely on your mock examination results. They will also take account of any special circumstances there may have been for you during the year. Although you will not be officially required to provide any further work for your A2 subjects we advise you to maintain some productive independent learning for the next stage of your education. We will also work closely with third –level providers including universities in respect of your post-A level pathway as you look forward to new pastures in September. Once the lockdown is over we plan to celebrate your contribution to school and to wish you well in a more formal way as you leave us. We will be in touch about this in due course.
I conclude now by wishing you a good term and good health.
Take care and stay safe.
Elizabeth Armstrong
