Dear Parent/Carer,
We are delighted to be beginning a full reopening of school from Monday 8th March and to support this process, we would like to share some information with you about some changes we have put into place to ensure that your child makes a smooth and purposeful return to school. Over the past few weeks, we have worked hard to make sure the school is ready and we are confident that we can both minimise the risks of transmission of coronavirus and ensure your child enjoys a broad and balanced curriculum.
School Day Structure
To best support Teaching and Learning, we have refined the structure of the school day. Whereas students previously started the day with a 20 minute tutor time period, from Monday 8th March, the day will start immediately with Lesson 1 at 9.15am for all students and tutor time will take place at the end of the school day. This allows us to start the day with a focus on lessons and learning, meaning punctuality to school is more vital than ever to maximise learning time. Our free Breakfast Club will continue to run before the start of the day between 8.45am and 9.15am.
School Dress Expectations
All students were made aware of the school dress expectations as part of the admission process and signed the uniform agreement prior to starting with us. As always, students are welcome to wear their own clothes to school; we do however request that:
- Students remove outdoor coats and hats/caps upon entry to the school.
- Students ensure that ‘hoodies’ are not worn with the ‘hood up’ once in school.
- Students do not wear excessively ripped jeans, or any clothes that are considered to be see through or inappropriately expose students’ bodies.
These three dress expectations will be reinforced to students and enforced where required with contact to families to support the school.
Mobile Phones
Following a careful review of negative mobile phone logs causing disruption to learning from an increased number of students in recent months, we have taken the decision to introduce a ‘no phones in lessons’ expectation for all students. Inappropriate phone use has at times also generated social conflicts between students, and we genuinely believe that allowing students to focus on learning without the distraction of phones is a positive and supportive measure. Therefore, on our return from Monday 8th March, students on arrival to school must place their phone in their secure locker, hand in their phone to reception for charging, or alternatively not bring it to school.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Support
Finally, we welcome and encourage all contact where a child or family needs support – do not hesitate to contact us if you need help or to discuss something. We will continue to offer our intervention and support services to those students who require it and are currently reviewing this provision to create greater capacity to offer in-school support. If students or families feel that they would like external support then they can contact the Safeguard Team who will be able to guide them to relevant sources. Below are some useful links and support resources that may also be useful for you:
Kooth – online mental health support and guidance for children and young people
MIND – useful contacts for children and young people
We are excited at the prospect of seeing all students back in school and for us getting back to a more “normal” school life as “The Edge Family”!
Yours faithfully,
Adam Smith
Vice Principal