Year 11 COVID-19 update - move to remote learning18/10/2021

Dear Parent / Carer 

Following consultation with Public Health England and the School Improvement Team at Buckinghamshire Council, we have taken the decision to move Year 11 to Remote Learning with immediate effect. Year 11 will not be in school for face-to-face learning until after half term.

The decision has been made due to the significant staff absence due to Covid 19 and a rise in the number of positive cases across the school, predominantly in Year 11. Please continue to test regularly over the next few days and report all results to the NHS website.

https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

We have not taken this decision lightly and have consulted fully with Public Health England and Buckinghamshire Council. This should create a natural ‘firebreak’ with the impending half term break starting at the end of this week.

Year 11 Flu and Covid vaccinations will continue as normal on Friday

Year 11 students who have consent for their Covid vaccination should attend for their vaccination on Friday as planned. We are in contact with the Schools Immunisation Advisory Service and will communicate the timing for Year 11 vaccinations as soon as we have them.

Students should access their normal Google Classroom where work will be set by their teacher. Our style of Remote Learning will follow the format previously adopted. Work will be scheduled to appear in Google Classroom just before the timetabled lesson. This work will be a mixture of pre recorded or ‘live’, where possible, input from the teacher or an external source such as Oak Academy or GCSE POD. Teachers will only be available in ‘real time’ to provide support and guidance via Google Classroom or Google Meet. Please remember they will be delivering face to face lessons at all other times.

Students should log in to each lesson at the normal time and complete the work during the scheduled lesson time.

Those students and families who are currently supported by a Social Worker or deemed vulnerable will be offered face to face support in school and the school will be in touch with you directly later today.

The Safeguarding Team and TEAM Hub will also be available should any students need any support over the coming days. Please see the Safeguarding tab on our website.

https://www.cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk/home

Form tutors and Mr Passaro, Head of Year 11 will be continuing with daily form time ‘check-ins’ via Google Classroom should you need any additional support. We will endeavour to source Chromebooks or suitable devices for those that do not have access to a device through our current loan scheme for devices for Year 11 students.

We very much hope that this prompt action following the advice we have been given will have the desired effect and maintain face to face learning for the vast majority of our students. Further staff absence may trigger additional students moving to Remote Learning, but we will only do this as a last resort.

Yours sincerely
Mr S Jones
Headteacher