Monday 23rd March – Friday 3rd April

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Monday 23rd March – Friday 3rd April

Category : Events

School Closure

From Monday 23rd March, school will be closed for statutory education.  At this stage we have no guidance on how long children will be off school for, but Kirsty Williams, the Education Minister has said that: ‘Children will be off for four weeks but I have to be clear with parents, I am not anticipating we will be able to get schools back to normal at the end of the Easter break [or] for a considerable period of time.”

Ms Williams also said this summer’s exams will not go ahead, with GCSE (year 11)  students to be graded on the work already completed. “Learners due to sit their GCSEs and A-levels this summer will be awarded a fair grade to recognise their work, drawing on the range of information that is available.”

Ysgol Clywedog will open its doors from Monday March 23rd to support key workers and vulnerable children from all year groups.  This will run on normal school days and during normal school hours. A variety of activities will be in place each day and students do not need to wear school uniform.

Our priority, as always, is the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and the wider local community.  We strongly recommend that if you are a key worker and are able to provide alternative childcare provision for your children then you do this rather than send them to school. School is operating as a ‘last resort’ childcare facility for parents that don’t have another option. We will rely on your honesty and clarity in this regard and hope that you would not put school staff and any other children at unnecessary risk.

Schools will also be providing a school meal for students eligible for free school meals, and we will forward details of these arrangements to you early next week.

Transport will continue as usual to support the provision needed and will be continuously monitored over the coming weeks.

We recognise the importance of keeping communication channels open. Any important updates during the closure will be communicated through social media and on our website.

Distance Learning

We will support your child’s learning, as far as possible, with online resources which will be made available on ‘Google Classroom’ and other websites; students have already been issued login details. The Distance Learning Programme is available at http://clywedog.org/distance-learning-programme/  If you have any questions or problems with login details please email vle@clywedog.org, this email will be monitored during school hours.

Examinations

There will be no public examinations this summer and Qualifications Wales have issued their statement. They have not yet determined how they will be awarding grades and have stated that:
‘We are working with Welsh Government, WJEC and fellow UK regulators to ensure that learners due to sit their GCSEs and A levels will be awarded a fair grade to recognise their work.  We appreciate people will want to know more and will share further details as soon as we possibly can.”

I will update you with any further information as soon as it is made available to us.

Year 10 Exams

There will be no public examinations for year 10 in the summer term and at this early stage there have been no announcements about what the provision will be for their exams. Again, I will keep you updated as information is made available. Students in this year group should continue with all home learning as planned.

Health and Safety

During this period of social isolation we would like to stress the importance of following all Government Guidance, in particular the Public Health Guidance from NHS Wales, which is updated on our school website daily. This link will continue to update on our website daily, even during school closure. Please encourage your child to make full use of the school learning resources to maintain their sense of routine, which will support their independent learning, whilst away from school.

Please do not hesitate to contact me, using the contact details on our website, if you have an urgent concern during the school closure.

Thank you for your continued support in this difficult and challenging time. We send all our students and families our best wishes over the coming weeks.

Mr M Vickery, Headteacher


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