Headmaster's Message

Message From The Headmaster

Welcome to the first Flagpole of the 2020-21 academic year and a special welcome to all parents new to the school. I will keep this letter brief as there is inevitably a high volume of other key information you need to read including:

• Medical Information Update from our School Nurse
• Brief Details of our Catering and Food from Mrs Sharpe
• Essential Co-curricular Information for Week 1 from Mr McCollin
• Essential Equipment List from Dr Pyne
• A list of general FAQs arising from the recent live Back To School Q&A session and the parents’ questionnaire
• Beginning and End of Day Arrangements – from Mrs Sharpe
• Bus Briefing

The pupil timetables will be released over the weekend via My School Portal by Dr Reddish.

Adding to the medical information we sent around yesterday, I want to go into a little more detail on facemasks. In my letters on 1 July and more recently on 21 August I explained that “we are also asking that every pupil carries with them their own face mask at all times, in case there is a need to wear it.”

Having reviewed our risk assessments with our teaching and support staff over the last few days, we feel that the most significant times when, despite all the measures we have in place, there is a potential for the “year group bubbles” to come into close contact with each other and members of staff (who will be moving around school at the same time) is in the corridors between lessons and at the end of the school day. Hence for the time being, it will be compulsory for all pupils and staff (unless they have a medical reason which prevents it) to wear their mask at these times in school. Pupils are not expected to wear a face mask in lessons and during break and lunch time when they are in their “year group bubble zones”, however they can do if they wish’.

We will, of course, be looking very closely at pupil flows, pinch-points and possible areas of congestion and keep all our plans under constant review.

We will also of course be spending much time on the first day running through all the new procedures and rules, but would be grateful for your help in prepping them too over this weekend. Experience shows that, perhaps unsurprisingly, pupils find it hard to get accustomed to keeping themselves socially distanced from their friends when they first arrive back to school. We will continue to reinforce the rules so that they do become the default.

Of course, there were no trips or expeditions this summer to report back on and the vast majority of campus work revolved around getting ready for the re-opening under the new regulations.

The A-level results day was very unusual this year especially as it was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the infamous algorithm used to award results and the potential this had for unfairness. The eventual and inevitable U-turn from Ofqual on this was, under the circumstances the correct decision and I am delighted that the students both at A-level and GCSE achieved the results they deserved.

There were many highlights of course and thirteen pupils achieved 3 or more A* grades; a special mention to Hannah Porter who achieved five A*s at A-level.

We were delighted too with the GCSE results for all pupils and special mentions go to Caitlin Mason, Ben Scares, Ciaran Smith and Ben Shipton who all notched up straight grade 9s - 43 between them!

As we know, the dismantling of lockdown has not been straightforward and I am sure there will be many challenges for us all this year as we negotiate these. I would like to thank you in advance for your support. We are all likely to have to raise our levels of forbearance and patience and we promise to do all we can to support and look after all the pupils in our care.

With all best wishes for the term ahead and all that it brings.

Ed Hester
Headmaster