Update 20.03.2020
20th March 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
Thank you for all the messages of support you’ve sent over the past days. I am myself in self-isolation and like you, am incredibly grateful to the whole staff for their magnificent response to this unprecedented situation.
Year 11
We have all shared the sadness and shock of the Year 11 pupils over the past two days, at this summary end to their time at Cambourne Village College. They have been the loveliest cohort of students to work with: creative, resilient, hard-working, good humoured and kind – all qualities that will stand them in good stead in the challenging months ahead. I hope that the assemblies of the past two days have helped to reassure the students that they will have a proper range of leavers’ celebrations, including their prom, when it is safe to do so. Even more importantly, they know that we will work as hard as we possibly can to ensure that they are awarded the results that fairly reflect their abilities and work over the past year.
The Government has published an initial statement about exams this afternoon, announcing that student grades will be awarded on the basis of prior attainment, teacher assessment and estimated grades. There will be the opportunity to sit the exams in the autumn. The full statement can be read on this link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-details-on-exams-and-grades-announced
This is all the information we have for now and we will wait for the promised detail. In the meantime, if your Year 11 son or daughter has any unfinished coursework or assessments, it is essential that they complete this to the highest standard and submit to their teachers as soon as possible. If any subject departments decide that they want any further evidence from classes or pupils, the teachers will contact them directly.
School Closure and Key Worker Scheme
School is now closed for all pupils except those on the Key Worker School Attendance scheme. If you have applied for a place, unless we have contacted you to the contrary, please send your child to school for 9.00 on Monday morning, with iPad and pencil case. Normal school hours will apply and a reduced cafeteria service will offer a limited range of hot and cold food. Free School Meals will be provided as usual. Full school uniform must be worn and very high standards of behaviour will be insisted upon. When on site, pupils will be supervised to complete the work that has been set for their entire year group to work on at home. We will space the pupils out as much as possible, to reduce the risks of spreading the infection.
Please note that this service is provided to enable key workers to continue to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak and we need to keep numbers to an absolute minimum to avoid cross-infecting the very people we are seeking to protect. It is certainly not compulsory to send your child if you work in a targeted occupation. If at all possible, please make alternative arrangements to keep your child safely at home, without compromising elderly or vulnerable family members.
We know that not all parents and carers of children attending will require this service on all days: please email the College to let us know when to expect your child if this applies to you, so that we do not spend time contacting you to check if they are missing.
Working From Home
Please refer to Emily Moody’s detailed message of yesterday. Please let us know if your child cannot access the work set. We will be monitoring pupils’ completion of work and their logging into ShowMyHomeWork. If your child is ill and unable to work, please inform us by email in the usual way. We are reliant on parents checking that their children have completed the tasks set each day and will be in touch if we have concerns. Once our systems have bedded in, pupils can expect feedback from their teachers on their work, on a regular basis. Pupils should not be seen out in the community during school hours.
Communications
A new tab has been added to the masthead of our website home page: COVID-19. We will build a bank of resources here of materials that will be helpful to the pupils and you over the coming weeks. There is already a help-page about accessing on-line platforms and re-setting passwords.
Reception will stay open to take your calls, and enquiries can be sent to the College email address thecollege@cambournevc.org. Please remember that we are operating with a skeleton teaching and support staff, and will respond to you as fast as we can. Please do send your permission for us to contact your son or daughter for a checking-in phone call, as requested on a School Post earlier this week, so that we can continue to monitor their progress and well-being.
Free School Meals
Packed lunches will be provided next week for pupils who have free school meals. Children may collect these from school and take them home to eat. They should use the outside cafeteria access between 11 and 12 noon. This is a short-term measure until the government launches its supermarket voucher scheme. We will keep you informed about this.
Staying Well
We will build a folder of resources under the COVID-19 tab to help our pupils look after their physical and mental health, and will incorporate some strategies into our daily set routines. We will seek to provide a level of telephone counselling support, since we know that the coming months are going to be very challenging for many pupils. Our Safeguarding services will continue to function fully.
Updates will continue as necessary. In the meantime, take good care of yourselves and your families,
Claire Coates
Principal
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