Dear Carers/ Parents/ Students

I hope you are all well and coping the best you can under the circumstances.  We all want a return to how things were, and I know my staff really miss the students – a teacher without a class is a bit like a doctor without any patients. We have a vocational ‘calling’ and it is not the same working on-line.  Equally, I am sure that your son or daughter has got used to working from a computer screen but it’s not the same as being in a classroom with that instant ability to ask your teacher for guidance.  Unfortunately, we will have to await DfE decisions regarding any potential relaxation of lock-down and a return for students.

We are working hard at Birchwood to ensure that we continue to set work through Show My Homework and respond to student feedback and queries.  We are also continuing to look after Key Worker Children and Vulnerable Children in school.

This week, teachers are beginning to formulate GCSE Levels and A-Level Grades for Year 11 and 13 students. I would like to stress that this will not simply be looking at Mock Exams – it will combine a number of factors to provide a reliable and valid grade for each subject.  These will then be internally moderated by other teachers and then sent to exam boards who will also finalise and check.  Finally, the DfE will check overall school data to ensure that schools have done this accurately and fairly. This will take some time and the publication dates (13th August for Year 13, 20th August for Year 11) may seem a long way off.  In the meantime, all Year 11 and 13 students will receive a phone call from their form tutor, Head of Year or senior member of staff to ensure that they are ok, clear about their next steps and can ask any questions.  I feel particularly sorry for these two cohorts of students – none of what has happened is their fault – so we need to go the extra mile to keep in touch and make sure they are able to look confidently into the future.  With this in mind, I have also attached some really helpful careers information which may help anyone still needing further advice.

Finally, I would like to say another big thank you to our fantastic team of PPE volunteers who are currently producing over 1000 face visors a day – these are literally dispatched as soon as they are made and thank you to everyone who has donated to our Just Giving Page which currently has 452 supporters and has raised over £13,000. This will keep the team supplied with enough plastic and Perspex to meet demand for the foreseeable future.

On a personal note, I am driving around Hertfordshire on Wednesday delivering PPE equipment in a minibus.  Should be an interesting change of routine.

Best regards and keep safe.

Dr Ingate