Letter to Parents/Carers (24/06/2020)
Dear parents and carers,
Thank you for your ongoing support during this difficult time and period of partial closure for the academy. We are pleased to hear that the government have announced that all year groups will be able to return to school in September, after the summer holidays, and we are working on plans for this already, which we will share with you nearer the time.
At present, the academy remains closed to most students but we are welcoming in Year 10 and Year 12 students for some face to face sessions with their teachers and the feedback from these so far has been very positive. We have strict safety measures in place, including social distancing, increased handwashing, reduced class sizes and larger teaching spaces. Further information on this can be found on our COVID-19 risk assessment which is available on our website. We are also opening for children of key worker families, working around parents/carers shift patterns to provide childcare on days where they are at work. Shift patterns or work rotas need to be submitted at least a week in advance in order to book children into the childcare provision, so that we can ensure that we have sufficient staffing on each day. This provision also extends to some of our vulnerable children who are under the care of a social worker, in order to work with them and their families at this difficult time. Details on our behaviour expectations when in school, including additional sanctions and exclusions for any students risking the safety of other students or members of staff, can be found in our COVID-19 Behaviour Policy Addendum on our website.
In the coming final weeks of term, on 8th – 10th July, we will be providing the opportunity for a face to face appointment with a member of our pastoral team for any families who have been struggling at home and would like any support as we approach the summer holidays. If you would like to book a face to face appointment, which would be for you and your child, then please complete the online form with your preferred date and time: https://forms.gle/qE6UpRnz7UffaLFz6 .
We have been very impressed with the work of many of our students over this long period of closure, with around 80% of students regularly accessing our online home learning, and well over one hundred paper learning packs being collected from reception for each of the collection periods. We will continue to set work up to the summer holidays and then students will be able to access online, over the summer, a range of materials created to help with their return to school in September. I would also like to remind all families that we have a dedicated website with all of the home learning and support information in one place: https://www.havelockacademy.co.uk/Key-Information-Spring-2020/ .
During our welfare calls with Year 9 families we have been sharing final options for September. If any parents/carers of Year 9 students have any queries about the options subjects for September, they can contact Mr Cooke at the academy icooke@havelockacademy.co.uk .
For many families the lockdown period has proved difficult in a number of ways, including due to changes in financial circumstances. If you did not previously qualify for free school meals, but may do so now due to a change in circumstances, then please do check online at: http://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals . The government has recently announced that they will continue to provide vouchers over the summer holidays. If you have any issues with your vouchers then please email the dedicated helpdesk on: fsmenquiries@dret.co.uk .
We continue to encourage parents and carers to use the MCAS app and/or website to ensure that you are kept up to date with information from the academy. If you have any issues with your MCAS account then please do get in touch with us at the academy and we will be happy to help. Reception, including the phone lines, is currently staffed between 8.30am and 2.30pm, Monday to Friday. Student reports are due to be issued before we officially break up for the summer, and these reports will be issued via MCAS so it is important that you have this set up in order to receive your personalised report.
We will continue with our weekly welfare calls up to the summer holidays so please do raise any queries with your child’s tutor (or whoever calls you each week).
Thank you once again for your ongoing support.
Stay safe, and we wish you and your families all the best.
Kind regards,
Emma Marshall & the staff team at Havelock Academy
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