Dear Parent/Carer
As we near the end of another unique half term, there is a feeling of optimism in the air. Spring is upon us, the nights are lighter, the days warmer and the ability to interact with friends and family outdoors comes as a welcome break from the realities of recent months.
The students have, in the main, been fantastic since their return on 8 March and it has been great to see them settle back into face-to-face teaching. We have managed a small number of COVID cases really efficiently and have seen a real reduction in the number of students who have had to isolate and learn remotely. Student engagement with the lateral flow testing has been superb, with over 95% of the students testing and returning their results on time. It is vital that students continue to test on Sundays and Wednesdays (along with the staff) throughout the Easter holidays and that test results are shared with both the school and the NHS. There has also been no update from the government regarding their advice around face coverings and so, with that in mind, we will require all students to return to school on Monday 19 April with suitable face coverings.
As we move towards the summer term, we look forward to continuing our recovery out of the pandemic and hopefully some form of return to a level of normality. In advance of this there are a couple of key pieces of information we wanted to bring to your attention:-
Parent Consultation Evenings
In line with the government’s guidance around larger gatherings being permitted at reduced capacities, we have taken the decision to host parent consultation evenings in person during the summer term. To ensure a reduced capacity within venues and to support social distancing, we have doubled the amount of spaces being used. Further details will come out in due course from your child’s achievement leader, but we wanted to provide you with advance notice of these dates:-
- Tuesday 18 May – Year 12
- Thursday 20 May – Year 7
- Tuesday 25 May – Year 8
- Thursday 27 May – Year 10
- Thursday 24 June – Year 9
Uniform
Understandably, with so much time spent at home during the various lockdowns, replacing uniform has not been a priority for many families. However, with us now back in school full time, we kindly ask that any issues regarding uniform are resolved over the Easter break. The link to the school uniform policy is below, but we draw reference to a number of points which notably need addressing amongst some students:-
- Black shoes (not sling back, open toed, boots, trainers or pumps)
- Plain black trousers (smart tailored, no jeans, leggings or skinny fit trousers)
- Plain black knee length skirt (pencil skirt or box pleated). Stretchy, t-shirt style material skirts are not
acceptable.
http://heanorgate.org.uk/uniform/
I understand that parents of Year 11 and 13 students will be eager to hear of the school plans for the summer term. Whilst the government have not yet given any clear advice on completion dates, the advice this week was that schools should “maximise opportunities that meet the progression needs of their students” during the summer term. As always, we are working tirelessly behind the scenes and hope to be able to communicate our plans for both year groups in the first few weeks after Easter.
Once again, we thank you for your continued support. The collective efforts of students, staff and parents has allowed us to manage this pandemic as successfully as we have done.
Have a good Easter break.
Yours sincerely
Mr S Huntington and Mr M Jones
Executive Principal and Senior Vice Principal