End of Summer Term Letter 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Once more, I hope you and your families are well in these continuing challenging times. I would again like to thank you all for your support since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak- it has been truly uplifting to see so many students attending and enjoying school through this difficult period and we are grateful for the positive feedback (and trust in our safety measures) that we have received from you.

Having remained open through the entire lockdown period including all school holidays, I would first all of like to confirm that we will be breaking up for the summer holidays as originally planned at 12.15pm on Friday 17th July. The 2020/2021 academic year will begin at 9.15am on Thursday September 3rd and we will be in contact during the holiday period to issue reminders about this.

I would also like to confirm that following the issuing of updated government guidance earlier this month, our planning for September has moved along quickly and we are fully expecting to be open to all students on a full-time basis when we return for the Autumn Term. We will be in touch during the holiday period to consult with you all regarding our updated risk assessment; in the meantime, you may be interested to know that our broad planning is to split the school into two “bubbles” in September, one for Key Stage 3 (Years 7,8 and 9) students and another for Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) students.

If you would like to read the updated government guidance for parents and carers regarding the Autumn Term, remember that it is available in full at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-in-the-autumn-term

Although our staff will be taking some time to take a break during the holiday period, students will be in our thoughts and we very much look forward to seeing Year 11 students on GCSE Results Day on Thursday 20th August. A separate letter will follow from us giving full details on arrangements for this day.

We are also keen to open the school at some point for students in other year groups during the holiday so any Key Stage 3 (Years 7,8 and 9) students who would like to are welcome to come into school on Wednesday 19th August between 9.15 and 12.15 and any Year 10 students who would like to are welcome on Friday 21st August 9.15 and 12.15. On these “drop-in” days, breakfast and lunch will be provided free of charge and a range of activities will be available to students.

As always, remember if you have any safeguarding queries during the holiday period, the e-mail addresses for the safeguarding team, which are monitored around the clock, every day, are below:

 

The Edge Safeguarding Team – [email protected]

Adam Smith (Designated Safeguarding Lead) – [email protected]

A reminder too that you are also able to report any safeguarding concerns to the following:

Childrens’ Services 0121 303 1888

NSPCC 0808 800 5000

Please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] if you would like to e-mail me with any further questions or issues you would like to raise regarding this letter.

Yours faithfully,

Andrew Wakefield

Principal