Welcome back to one and all to our autumn term 2020, and a huge thanks to parents and boys for being so school ready right from the get-go. I feel sure your sons will have reported back on some ‘unfamilar’ new arrangements with our infrastructure in Senior Boys, from the barrier across the main entrance, to the ‘sectioned off’ site with ‘bubble’ year group corridors and outside locker area installs. 

As my blog this week expresses in much detail, we have had an incredible summer of activity reshaping the site and facilities. Our playing field preparations were delayed by three days this week, as was the installation of three courtyard sinks, but I am delighted to confirm we are now practically complete, with only some final cosmetic touches to walls and decor to complete over the coming weekends.

One of the major activities over the break was the cleaning and servicing of over 800 Chromebooks for the boys and girls across Claires Court to use as personal devices this year. Pupils are asked to keep their chargers at home, and to make sure they put them on charge overnight. The plan is to use them every lesson, but we must also ensure that we recover the handwriting and paper manipulation skills which perhaps have decayed since #lockdown, so exercise books and files are also order of the day. Parents are reminded to add their sons Chromebooks to the home insurance cover for damage, notional value being £200.

Dear Parents and Guardians

A shorter set of words from me this week, despite my beloved Liverpool FC winning the Premier League title (had to mention this somewhere!).

Dear Parents and Guardians

It has been a bit of an unusual week.

Strange weather, an eerie return to premier league football, mysterious technology U-turns on track and trace analysis, curious rumblings from sports governing bodies referencing coaching strategies at grass roots level for children, and confusion emanating from the Department for Education….. Year 8 can come back to school if they are in a prep/middle school, but not if they are in a senior school? I understand the reasons why, Year 8 being the equivalent to Year 6 in these schools in that it is their final year, but it does not make it any easier for our parents who are in their second term as teachers trying to balance their child's curriculum content, their own work, and teenagers who want to see their friends.

Dear Parents and Guardians 

What a wonderful feeling it has been to welcome some pupils and parents back into school. I have been lucky enough to be based at Junior Boys this week where around 100 boys and girls from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, and children of our Key Worker parents have been enjoying the ‘actual’ school rather than the ‘virtual’ school. Moonlighting in my other role as a Junior Boys car park attendant, it has been a privilege to be part of the process of safely bringing our boys and girls into school.

Dear Parents and Guardians

I hope you have had a safe and healthy week as we move slowly towards the ‘half term’ break next Friday.

Dear Parents and guardians

I hope you are well and a huge thank you to all of you who have contacted me this week with feedback on your experiences of becoming a temporary support teacher while juggling so many other plates at the same time. Feedback is how we can continue to improve and develop our academic and wellbeing programme. We are sharing a short questionnaire which we ask you to complete here  - we value your opinions and this will help us in our thinking to deliver the best educational experience possible.