Good morning everyone,
I hope you are all safe and well. I wanted to write to you to update you on our progress with regards to the partial reopening of the school.
Year 10 and Year 12
Yesterday, we partially reopened the school, on a part time basis, to students in Years 12 and 10. We were so excited to begin to welcome some students back to school. It was such a pleasure to have an increased number of students back in school and to see them so engaged with their learning. Our students are tremendous, their love of learning has not been lost during the enforced school closure and they were so keen to make the most of the opportunities offered to them.
We have made significant operational changes to the school to make it as safe as possible for our staff and students. The safety of our students and staff will always be of paramount importance to us. You can view some of the changes to our school on Twitter @LFCDerby. We have reorganised all our classrooms and the Restaurant to ensure we adhere to social distancing guidelines, we have significantly reduced our class sizes, we have hand sanitiser available throughout the building and in all our classrooms, we have reorganised the school day to ensure that the three groups of students that we have on site, Year 10, Year 12 and the children of key workers, don’t mix with each other. We have installed Perspex screens in relevant locations across the school, relevant signage is in place throughout both buildings and we have an increased cleaning regime in place, ensuring that high frequency use areas are cleaned regularly throughout the day. I hope this gives you an insight into the careful planning and thought we have put into the cautious reopening of our school.
Year 10 students will attend for 1 day a week between now and the end of term and Year 12 students will attend for one extended lesson a fortnight in each of their subjects. The lessons in school, taught by our expert staff, will help support students’ progress as they carry on with their learning at home. I must take this opportunity to thank our staff who have all been so supportive in the move to partially reopen and get students back into school.
Year 7, 8 and 9
We know that students in the above year groups will not return to school for formal lessons until the new academic year. We don’t want our students to feel anxious and worried about work that has been missed over this period. As a school, we are experts in supporting our students to make exceptional progress. It is our job, as educators, to get our students up to speed whenever they return to school, whatever their starting point. All our staff are currently reviewing our curriculum provision and we want all our students to feel happy and confident about their return to school.
After reflecting on feedback from parents and students, we have made changes to the way we set work for students in Years 7, 8 and 9. We hope you and your child are finding these changes beneficial and Year 8 students are enjoying a taste of their chosen GCSE subjects, in preparation for next year. Our parents have done an amazing job in supporting their children and the school with home learning and we know you are the best people to judge how long your child should spend on a piece of work. We don’t want any of our families or young people to feel anxious about the work we are setting.
Year 11 and 13
We will be writing to the parents of our Year 11 and Year 13 students this week to inform them of the arrangements for examinations results days in August. We also continue to offer careers advice and guidance for students in these year groups. If your child is still unsure of what to do next academic year please do contact our Careers Lead, Mrs Suffolk Adams, via [email protected].
Vulnerable students/ children of key workers
We continue to be open for vulnerable students and children of key workers. If you believe your child qualifies for this provision and you would like your child to attend please contact the PA to the Principal, Miss Walendziewski via [email protected].
Wellbeing
We know that some of our families and young people have found the enforced school closure incredibly difficult and are really ready to return to school to meet with their friends and the trusted adults who support them in school. I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of the well-being support signposted on our website and the email address of [email protected] that can be used to share any safeguarding concerns about a young person at the school.
View our wellbeing advice and resources
Food hampers
We have been delivering food hampers to our families that have kindly been donated by the Derby Covid Community Response Hub (DCCRH). If you or anyone you know is facing difficulties due to the current crisis please contact DCCRH on 01332 640000 (option 5) or via [email protected] and they will deliver a food hamper to your door.
Thank you for your ongoing support. Please do contact us via our website or via telephone, 01332 204040, our phone lines are open from 8am until 3.30pm, if you have any concerns or if we can support you in any way.
With kindest regards,
Alison Brannick
Principal