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We are looking forward to our students returning to school for the next academic year. Things will still not quite be ‘as normal’, but we are getting there. Please read on for important information about what to expect in September.
This year has been a very unusual year to say the least and we would like to start by thanking all our parents and carers for all your support over the last few months. The work you have done to implement home learning has been immense and we are grateful for all the support you have shown to the school in encouraging your child to engage in the activities set. Hopefully we have all learned something, even if only to be more adaptable and resilient!
The home learning materials will remain online over the Summer period for any students who wish to catch-up or complete any of our extension or well-being activities. Staff have also been busy setting additional activities for students over the Summer, which can be found here.
It has been a real pleasure welcoming our Year 10 and 12 students into school for some face-to-face input. We were really pleased with how sensibly the students behaved and followed all the safety measures in place. Our website has been updated with the resources from these lessons as well as some additional learning to work on over Summer.
Looking forward to September
As you may be aware, the Department for Education has now released the guidance for schools on opening schools this September. We are looking forward to welcoming students back into school full-time and will work hard over the Summer break to ensure our school is ready for opening with all the required measures in place. We expect to provide more detailed information on this, closer to September, following a full and comprehensive risk assessment.
The key elements of the guidance are:
Minimise contact between different year groups (or “bubbles” of students) where possible
Continue to offer a curriculum which remains broad and ambitious
Promote good hygiene through cleaning hands more thoroughly and promoting the “catch it, kill it, bin it” approach
Engage with NHS Test and Trace process.
Whilst it will be a different type of start, we will be working hard to make sure the school is welcoming and safe for our students returning after such a long time. Teachers are excited to be back in the classroom and we have amended our curriculum to support catch-up and student wellbeing.
What will be different next term?
To support our school opening we have decided to make the following initial amendments that you need to be aware of:
School will be open from 8:30am. No students will be permitted before this time. At the moment it is unlikely that our breakfast provision will be offered.
Monday, 7 September will be a Transition Day for Year 7 (starting at 8:55am) and Year 12 (starting at 10:00am) ONLY. As both these groups have students in them who are new to school we felt it was important for them to be given the opportunity to come into school to familiarise themselves with the layout and the structure. If you have children in other year groups and would struggle for childcare on the Monday then please do not hesitate to contact our Director of Behaviour, Attendance and Personal Development, Mrs Mitchell, at a.mitchell@rvhschool.co.uk who will be able to discuss options with you.
All other year groups will attend from Tuesday, 8 September (starting at 8:55am).
Each year group “bubble” will have a separate entrance to school and will be based primarily in one area of the school – this information will be communicated prior to our September opening. All year groups will also have separate break and lunch slots.
Each student in years 7 to 10 will be provided with a new school tie – this will be different based on their year group. We would really appreciate it if you could donate your old ties back to the school because they will be really useful as spares. We will provide new ties on their first day in school, during their registration period. Please note that students in Year 11 will wear the existing tie.
Due to the separate break and lunchtimes we have decided to suspend our Wednesday B week timings for next year. Every day will have the same normal hours from 8:55am until 3:15pm. Due to the number of school buses we will not be doing a full staggered start, however students will be dismissed one year group at a time at the end of the day.
Unfortunately, initially students will not be allowed to pay for lunch using cash or load cash onto the system in school. Please can you ensure that you can access our school ParentPay system to load any money for lunch, if applicable. If you have any questions on ParentPay or need any support please email our finance team at finance@rvhschool.co.uk. Parents of students in Year 6 will receive details regarding ParentPay accounts over the Summer Break.
Ofqual (the exams regulator) are also currently running a consultation on summer 2021 exams at both KS4 and KS5 with some suggested amendments. The outcomes of this consultation are expected in August and we will amend our Year 11 and 13 curriculum to take into account any special adjustments which have been agreed, particularly for practical subjects.
Transport
In accordance with the government’s guidelines, keeping everyone safe upon our return to school in September means managing the movement of students to and from school. To do so, we are asking all parents and carers to let us know how their son or daughter will normally be travelling to and from school in September. Please fill in the form below by 24 July to let us know.
Please be aware that if you are using one of the school service buses then a pass is compulsory. Applications will close on 31 July 2020 so please ensure you have completed the relevant forms in time. You can apply for or renew a pass here:
School Uniform
It is vital that students adhere to our school uniform instructions precisely. So, if, for example, your son or daughter says, “Everybody wears black ‘Stan Smiths’ or rolled up trousers…” when you are in the shops, this summer, please do not believe them. It is plain, black, leather shoes and full length tailored trousers or formal skirts only. If any students try to get away with breaching the uniform code, they are in a tiny minority and we deal with the issues instantly. We replace the item in school with a loan garment or shoe and contact parents to buy a suitable replacement immediately.
We have produced really clear guidance about the uniform. However, we cannot produce pictures for every slight variation in school uniform. Our advice to you is that if you are considering in your own mind whether the item of clothing is acceptable then the answer is “probably not”. Therefore, play it safe and either ask us in school before you buy or stick to traditional looking items that will definitely be fine.
Exam Results
We have submitted our Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs) for all students who should have been undertaking exams this year. The exam boards will moderate the assessments of all schools and publish finalised results in August. Students in Years 11 and 13 will receive a letter with more details shortly from our Assistant Headteacher / Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Brenchley, with details of how our results days will be organised. For students in Year 10 and 12 any exam results will be emailed on the relevant day.
Thursday 13 August 2020 Year 13 and Year 12
Thursday 20 August 2020 Year 11 and Year 10
The letters ask you to let us know to which email address we should send your results. Please make sure you respond.
If you have any questions relating to our post-16 provision then please do not hesitate to email Mrs Brenchley.
Message from our Chief Executive Headteacher
I have just had the pleasure of working with our new senior student leadership team to choose the year group ties that you will receive in September. We have wanted to introduce this for some time now and the Covid regulations have forced us to make this change. Consequently, every year group gets a freebie and hopefully a more modern, ‘with it’ tie. It was great to spend a little time discussing the organisation of the school with some of our brilliant students. And the message that I got from them all is how much they are looking forward to a full return to Ryburn in September. I am confident that we have taken every precautionary step for a safe return and the young people’s enthusiasm is matched only by that of the staff who can not wait to start working with everyone again.
I hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing you next year.
Photo: Matteus Watson, Y12