Dear Parent / Carer
I hope that you and your family are well. Below is some key information that I would like you to read regarding supporting you and your child whilst we are in lockdown.
Help with Google Classroom (and other Google digital tools)
The ‘digital natives’ (our children) may well be the experts in the family when it comes to online resources, but we as parents (especially me) may need a bit of a helping hand. Mr Hankin has put together a range of online videos to support you and your child:
| 1 | What is G Suite? | priorysch.uk/gsuite |
| 2 | How to use Google Drive | priorysch.uk/googledrive |
| 3 | Sharing files | priorysch.uk/sharing |
| 4 | What is Google Classroom & how to submit work | priorysch.uk/googleclassroom |
| 5 | Introduction to Gmail & writing emails | priorysch.uk/gmail |
| 6 | How to use Google Meet | priorysch.uk/googlemeet |
Mr Hankin has also created some shorter 60-second videos specifically for students to help them with the tasks that they are struggling with most: priorysch.uk/60seconds.
You will find all of these videos on The Priory School YouTube channel: priorysch.uk/youtube.
Virtual online training
If you would like additional support with some of the virtual learning tools that students are currently using at home, Mr Hankin is looking into running an online training and Q&A session one evening. If this is something you may be interested in, please email sam.hankin@priory.herts.sch.uk.
Trips abroad – July
In the last week of the summer term (w/c 13th July) there are two planned trips to Spain and France. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising British nationals against all non-essential international travel for an ‘indefinite period’. Once we know for sure that July is included in this period then we will look at either postponing the trips if possible or claiming a refund from our insurance company if not. If a trip is cancelled prior to this, insurance companies will not cover the costs. I will update you as and when there is any further news in this respect.
Internal exams and progress reports
There has been some communication from students and parents regarding internal exams after May half term. There will be no internal exams next half term. When students start to come back into school, the curriculum will be heavily adjusted to take account of social distancing. Whether there will be any end of year progress reports has not been discussed and this will be looked at once we have a better understanding of what will be happening in June and July.
Rewards
Each year group has their own Keeping in Touch document sent out every Friday. It is great to read the names of those students who are achieving school rewards for the work they do. I would like to encourage parents to also nominate their child / children for things they do around the house to support the family. Nominations should go straight to their Head of Year.
Key points from the student survey
Over the Easter holiday, 600 students completed an online survey to help us gauge their engagement with their work and our communications, to find out about their wellbeing and to offer them the chance to make comments and ask questions. Some headlines from this were:
- 86% of students suggested that they felt they were managing their workload well.
- 11% suggested they were getting too much work. When this is broken down, there appears to be more of an issue with Year 10 and this has been addressed with an updated timetable.
- 65% of students said their wellbeing was good, with a further 33% ticking the ‘I’m struggling a bit but I’ll be ok’ box.
- A small minority asked for some support and advice and all these students have been contacted by the pastoral or wellbeing team.
- Each of the 600 students submitted a piece of work as evidence and Heads of Years and tutors have
seen these. - In the ‘comments/what went well’ section there were numerous comments thanking staff for their Google Meets, emails, phone calls, work set, marking etc. The students are very grateful for what the school
is doing. - There were a number of questions that the students have raised. The Heads of Years are reading these and addressing their FAQs in the weekly newsletter that they produce.
Key stage 3
The rota of subjects for setting work for KS3 is as follows:
| Monday 20th April |
Monday 27th April |
Monday 4th May (4-day week) | Monday 11th May |
Monday 18th May |
| Y7: Maths, Computing, Art and Geography | Y7: English, MFL, Music and PE | VE Day cross-curricular project | Y7: Science, History, Drama, P&E and Tech | Y7: Maths, Computing, Art and Geography |
| Y8: Science, History, Drama, P&E and Tech | Y8: Maths, Computing, Art and Geography | VE Day cross-curricular project | Y8: English, MFL, Music and PE | Y8: Science, History, Drama, P&E and Tech |
| Y9: English, MFL, Music and PE | Y9: Science, History, Drama, P&E and Tech | VE Day cross-curricular project
|
Y9: Maths, Computing, Art and Geography | Y9: English, MFL, Music and PE |
Year 9 Pathways
Below are four common questions that have been raised by Year 9 students.
| Question: Will we still have our end of Y9 exams? |
| Answer: There will be no end of year exams for any year group. When the school is open the focus will be on teaching new content and avoiding any further disruption to lessons. |
| Question: Will we still have our GCSE interviews? |
| Answer: The interviews will take place when we start the new academic year. However, the focus will be more to do with your future career aspirations. |
| Question: Will we receive a progress check this term? |
| Answer: The school will not be operating a full curriculum this term so we will need to review whether meaningful progress checks can be produced. |
| Question: How will we be placed in sets for Year 10 if we do not have our end of year exams? |
| Answer: Teachers will use prior data from your last set of reports to place students in sets. Sets can be adjusted as the next academic year progresses in line with our normal procedures. |
Year 10
Following on from last week’s letter it has been agreed that the Year 10 programme of study will change from today (Monday 27th April). A letter has already been sent out to Year 10 parents explaining the process.
Please stay safe and remember we are here for you and your child/children.
Kind regards
Geraint Edwards