Message from Peter Symonds College for Year 10 students about their Open Events:
We had hoped to be able to run our Open Evenings this term but we’ve extended our October Open Evenings to run across three nights and have attached an Open Evening invitation for 20/21/22 October from 5.30?8.30pm. We’d love to see you then!
Message to Year 10 Students
Open Evenings – October

Dear Parents/Carers and Students

I am writing to you again to outline arrangements for the return of Year 10 pupils to Harrow Way School in line with the guidance received from the Department of Education. Below are the arrangements for the return from 15th June 2020. Places have been given to families that responded to our questionnaire about whether they would be able and willing to attend school. If you did not complete the original questionnaire or have now changed your mind about coming into school then please email jonathan.mann@harrowway.hants.sch.uk.

Arrangements 

• We will not follow a normal timetable, nor will all students be in at once.  As I have previously mentioned, these lessons are not compulsory, and some parents may wish to keep their children at home even if schools do return.  A maximum of 25% of the Year 10 population will be in at any one time – 40 students
• For Week 1 and Week 2 Students will receive face to face support in English, Maths, and Science. The groups will be based on teaching groups for Maths lessons
• The table below shows which Maths class is on which day and how these groups are then divided by last name on those days

Read more…

Wonderful Work – 6th June 2020

Dear Parents/Carers and Year 10 Students

Year 10 return: – Following the announcement by the Prime Minister on Sunday 24^th May regarding the return of Year 10 and 12 pupils, I have received further guidance from the Department of Education on how this is to be implemented.  Clearly as a result of this guidance, the school is having to adjust the draft plans for year 10.  Over the next week, more steps will be taken to prepare the school for Year 10 to return.  I will share the plans  with you next week.  I will also produce a short video to show how the school site is ready for the return of Year 10 students.

Key points from the secondary guidance are as follows:

• Any plans that secondary schools have made for pupils to return earlier in June should be amended to commence from 15 June.
• Secondary schools should offer this face-to-face support to supplement the remote education of Year 10 and Year 12 pupils, which should remain the predominant mode of education during this term for pupils in these year groups.
• Schools are able to have a quarter of the Year 10 and Year 12 cohort (for schools with sixth forms) in school at any one time.
• Secondary schools should aim to practise social distancing in line with the measures the government is asking everyone to adopt in public and in workplaces, including keeping pupils 2 metres apart from each other where possible.
• Ensuring sufficient distance between pupils is likely to mean classes are no more than half their usual size.
• Mixing between different groups of pupils should be kept to a minimum.
• Where rotas are used, secondary schools should avoid split day rotas within the same day and ensure that only a quarter of children are ever in the school on any one day. Vulnerable children and children of critical workers in all year groups should still be encouraged to attend full-time.
• Within the guidance above, schools have the flexibility to implement face-to-face support for Year 10 and Year 12 pupils in the way that best suits their circumstances.
• Vulnerable children and children of critical workers in other year groups should be accommodated as currently.

M J Serridge

Thank you for completing the google form that was sent through on Monday. After careful consideration, I have decided that the earliest we will consider opening for year 10 students in any form will be the week beginning the 8th June. The 1st June was always more an ambition than an expectation and I can state categorically that Harrow Way students (except those already being accommodated) will not be back in School that week.

Since the Prime Minister’s announcement on the 10th May and the subsequent release of guidelines covering so many areas of life and particularly those pertaining to the education sector, it has been an absolute whirlwind with endless discussion and speculation. The situation, however, requires calmness, clarity, a solution-focused approach and, most importantly, time.

The next phase must not be rushed. In schools, this is the week where our preparation for a partial re-opening has become very real. We have already put in orders for signage, hand sanitizer for all classrooms being used. This week, I have personally, along with other senior colleagues and the site team, looked at rooms that could realistically be used whilst maintaining the required social distance and how we would implement a one-way system of movement around the site where required.  Please be assured that both supporting the learning and wellbeing of students and maintaining the health and safety of us all will remain the key factors in anything that we decide.

Once we have a clear path through this, I plan to share with all of you how we have prepared the school site for the return of Year 10 students. Please remember the intention and instruction for secondary schools is not to reopen fully for year 10 but to offer some form of time in school for students with teachers to support and inform the remote learning taking place at home.

Further details will follow after half term.