I hope everyone is well and managing to establish some normality in these very unusual times. The staff have continued to work hard during the holiday to be prepared for what looks like a Virtual Learning experience, at least for the start of term anyway. We are determined to make this experience as valuable for our pupils and to make sure the impact on their education is as limited as possible.

Thank you for all of you who provided feedback after the first week of our Virtual Learning experience. Whilst we had a lot of positive feedback we have made some amendments to address some of the key issues raised from both home and by the staff. The following booklet summarises the key developments of our offering, and hopefully will help you navigate through what is a new experience for us all. Our core aim is to remove the feeling of isolation pupils may be having, by making them feel supported, in as interactive an environment as possible.

We are focused on making sure we have a balance between the inevitable need for screen time and providing learning opportunities away from electronic devices. We are also determined to offer an experience beyond lessons as we feel these to be an essential part of our pupils’ experience. We will be building into the school week assemblies, tutor time, exercise, after school clubs and support on promoting positive mental health.

Whilst I very much hope that this programme will only be required for a limited period of time this is unknown at this point. With this in mind we have generated a system that I believe will be successful for as long as required. Please do remember we are here to help in any way we can.

I hope you all stay safe and thank you for your support at this difficult time. I am very much looking forward to when we can all be together again and the school bells ring once more.

Best wishes,

Steven Allen

Headmaster