Dear Year 10 students and your parents/carers,
It has been fantastic to begin to have Year 10 students back into school this week. I know you’ve only be in for half an hour at most, but it’s been good to see you and I hope that you found this a positive experience and not too strange coming back in. We as staff have been really impressed by the positivity and sensible approach so many of you have shown throughout this period and when you came back into school this week. Some have understandably been anxious coming back in, but many of you have shown great maturity and real enthusiasm to get back into school. Thank you and well done!
From this week coming, you will be coming back into school on one day (either a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday) for around two and a half hours each time. You will start off in the first two weeks by having a tutor sessions focussing on you and then a maths or English session (maths one week, English the other). In the final two weeks of term we will extend your time in school by another hour and you will get the chance to receive a science top-up session as well and a session on careers and looking ahead to planning your future.
If you are unsure of which day and time you should be coming in, it was contained on the letter sent out to you last week and these details were given out in the one-to-one Learning Review Day appointments. However, if you aren’t sure or have any concerns or questions, please contact Mrs Atkinson (samantha.atkinson@teignmouth.devon.sch.uk).
Our main aim during the next four weeks is to welcome back all our Year 10 students from this difficult and challenging time and we very much hope that the sessions students attend will help you focus on where you are, reconnect with learning, enable you to ask questions and help you to continue working from home and prepare for next academic year. School will be a little different when you return next week with all of us having to follow and adjust to new routines and procedures so everybody can remain safe at all times – this is our number one priority. When you are with us, we want to fully maximise the time that we have whilst maintaining an orderly and calm learning environment which helps to re-establish some regular routine and structure into your lives. Below is some guidance regarding expectations, behaviour and rules in and out of lessons, so you are fully aware of how things will work.
Main Expectations to be followed at all times:
- Be ‘Covid safe’ by following the new lesson procedures for moving around site, social distancing & hygiene guidance. As mentioned above, student and staff safety is the number one priority for all of us.
- Be respectful to each other and staff.
- Be ready to learn and follow all staff instructions.
You still need to follow the usual Behaviour for Learning expectations and teachers will work in the same ways as before on this.
Break-time:
Students need to remain in their ‘pods’ (with the same people as are in your lesson) in school. This remains the case in break time. During this 30 minute window, provided it isn’t raining, you go to:
- Pods that start their sessions in either U9, U7 & U8 always use the Lego Field
- Pods that start their sessions in either U31, U5 & U6 always use the Area by U15 & U16
If it is raining, you need to stay in your pod classroom.
Uniform & electronic devices:
- You do not need to wear school uniform when back in school for the remainder of this academic year and you have already been advised to wear sensible and practical clothes and wear footwear that is appropriate for our school environment. Even if it’s hot, beach wear is not ok in school.
- We are more than aware that your mobile phones and electronic devices have probably been even more important to you over the past few months than ever, particularly for keeping in touch with friends and family. We do totally understand and appreciate this but for when you are back in school, we will be operating the same rules regarding electrical devices as we had before we went into lockdown.
- All electronic devices must be switched off/ kept on silent and kept out of sight at all times (including break). Students are not allowed to use their devices unless directed to do so for sound educational purposes by a member of staff. Earphones/ Ear pods must also be removed and kept out of sight at all times.
Sanctions:
- If a student fails to comply with the any of the above rules, after having time to reflect and re-consider their actions, that student will be isolated in the BFL room.
- If any student refuses to follow the above health and safety requirements and is not safe, then that student will be removed from their session and sent home.
It would be very disappointing to have to remove anyone from a lesson when you have such little time in school anyway, and even worse to have to ask a student to go home, so we hope very much that this won’t be necessary.
We are looking forward very much to seeing you over the last four weeks of this academic year. As I said before, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Mr James O’Connell
Principal