Information for Year 11 Parents & Carers about GCSE Qualifications

Dear Year 11 Parents and Carers,

Earlier today I sent a letter to all families with general information regarding the closure of the school.

I am writing this letter to you to explain the announcements that have been made by the government in the last 24 hours regarding GCSE examinations and how this will affect your child and their ongoing education.

What we know

Yesterday the government announced that the GCSE examinations planned for May and June would be cancelled. They have also said that ‘teacher assessments’ would be used to provide grades for each child in the qualifications for which they are entered. In addition, school performance tables (‘league tables’) will not be published for this year group.

What is currently unclear

At this moment schools have not been told when or how the teacher assessments will be carried out. We also do not know if or how there will be any national checking or verification of each school’s results. We do ask that all students return to us any exercise books, sketch books or other relevant material that will help their teachers to award them the most appropriate GCSE grade – please see below for the details of this

What this means for your child

We understand that this news will be extremely shocking and upsetting for your child, coming as it does at the very end of five years of hard work that have been leading to the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and talents in all their subjects. We are also aware that the usual ceremonies associated with leaving school and ‘graduating’ from secondary education – such as the Prom and Results Day – are currently unconfirmed which will create additional anxiety.

What we will do for your child

The impact of the coronavirus on schools has been rapid and far-reaching and certainly beyond anything in the experience of any serving member of staff. We have tried to react as quickly and as appropriately as possible, always striving to do the very best for all of our learners. Although time has been limited, we have plans in place to continue to support your child and provide a fitting conclusion to their time at the school.

Our plans include: –

• A “Leavers’ Breakfast” event tomorrow morning (Friday 20^th March) in Café Mojo. All Year 11 students are invited to come into school in their own clothes (non-uniform) from 9:30 to 10:30am to
  • Hand in any books, coursework or materials that can be used as evidence for teacher to assess and award an appropriate GCSE grade
  • Say goodbye to our staff and each other
  • Enjoy refreshments

Please note that other than this time of 9:30 – 10:30am, Year 11 students are not required to be in school tomorrow

• We will keep in touch with all students during the extended closure to check on their welfare and provide updates on further information relating to their education
• We will make every effort to host a Prom and Presentation Evening for your child and their year group, whether these take place on their scheduled dates or at a later time
• We will distribute Leavers’ Hoodies to those students who have ordered them
• Learning opportunities will be available on our Frog website for those students who wish to continue to use them and prepare for the next level of their education

Please see my earlier letter for further information relating to the school closure and arrangements for vulnerable children and children of key workers.

If you have any questions relating to the contents of this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully,

Mr J Cregg

Headteacher