Letter From The Headmaster

15 April 2021

Dear Parent/Guardian

Re: Summer Term

We very much look forward to welcoming the students back to school on Monday 19 April.

Please refer to the school website to access more details regarding our roadmap to rediscovery which includes these issues:

• Mock examinations start week beginning 19 April for three weeks for Years 11 and 13
• Saturday School is being provided for the next five weeks for Years 11 and 13 with Years 10 and 12 expecting to start after the Whitsun break
• Session 3 is expanding starting Monday 19 April and will now include Music School and Performing Arts
• Sport Session 3 continues including fixtures against other schools
• Session 3 academic support is focussed mainly on Years 11 and 13
• Year group assemblies will start in bubbles
• The Virtual Achievement Evening for last year’s GCSE group will be streamed via YouTube from 7.00pm on Tuesday 20 April. Further information regarding this event will be emailed to parents on Friday 16 April
• Headmaster Lunches will start after 21 June to continue to hear the student voice
• Planning will start for trips and visits post 21 June
• Masks/face coverings will continue to be worn in school until further notice
• All students and employees have been provided with lateral flow test kits for testing at home, further supplies will be provided
• We will continue to operate teaching and learning in bubbles
• Students can continue to come to school in their school tracksuits on the days that they have PE or Session 3 sport
• Covid-19 risk assessment has been reviewed and updated

I do hope all families are safe and coping well. If you have any matters of concern or if support is needed please contact the Personal Tutor.

Kind regards

Sir Kevin Satchwell
Headmaster

Teacher Assessed Grades Summer 2021

Update 1 April 2021

Following the updates from Ofqual and the Examination Boards recently, we are able to produce information for parents and students:

• Students will be awarded a grade for each subject, based on the available evidence. This can be from the whole of the course, as well as on current work.
• A range of evidence may be used including mock examinations, end of topic timed tests, coursework (NEA’s), classwork (including from remote learning), homework, practical assessments and module reports. Staff records from previous years can also be used to inform teachers’ judgements.
• The most reliable evidence would come from assessments that were timed and supervised. This will include mock examinations after Easter, although other evidence will be used to support the overall grade. Students will be informed of the evidence being used by teachers to make their judgements.
• All of the grades given to students will be subject to an internal quality assurance process, which the School has to have in place as demanded by Ofqual. All assessments and judgements will have been moderated and standardised within subject areas.
• Teachers will have compared their judgements against other teachers, including those from other schools and from examination board examples. This will ensure there is no bias or discrimination against any student.
• Where students have Access Arrangements in place, these will have been taken into account when awarding grades. Where students have missed elements of the course due to COVID-19 or other mitigating circumstances, they will not be disadvantaged as judgements are made on the available evidence from students.  Students will still be providing evidence for teachers after the Easter break.
• Mock examinations for Year 11 and 6.2 will take place after Easter for a three week period from 30 April. It is expected that the majority of teacher assessed grades will have been awarded by 28 May, the start of half term.
• From 7 June to 10 June, students in Year 11 and 6.2 will have appointments with their Personal Tutor to verify the evidence that has been used to award grades.
• Students will have the opportunity agree with the evidence we have used or provide additional evidence which they feel we may not have been considered.
• Students will continue to attend lessons until they have had their meeting with their Personal Tutor. Once the evidence pro-forma has been signed, students will no longer need to come into school.
• Results days are 10 August for A Level and level 3 Vocational qualifications and 12 August for GCSE and Level 2 Qualifications. Details of the arrangements for receiving the results will follow in due course.
• Students can make an appeal against their grades, but these can only be made on the basis of an administrative or procedural error. They cannot make an appeal just because they are unhappy with the result.  The School will investigate to see if an error has been made and inform the examination board if this is the case.  If the School does not believe an error has been made, students can ask for a request be made to the examination board on their behalf. The examination board will see if the grade awarded was fair and accurate.  Students need to be aware that grades can go up or down as the result of an appeal.

Further information for students, parents and carers can be found on the link below.

https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/JCQ-Guidance-for-Students-and-Parents-on-Summer-2021.pdf

Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

All the staff at Thomas Telford School look forward to welcoming our students back on a phased basis from Monday 8 March, in year groups as follows:

Monday 8 March – Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9

Tuesday 9 March – Year 11 and Year 13

Wednesday 10 March – Year 10 and Year 12

This phased return to school for students has been set out in order to ensure the necessary testing can be carried out in line with government guidance.

We have organised to start the testing programme for students on their first day of return where parents have given their consent. The tests will be taken three times within the two week period. After this cycle, students will be provided with home testing kits in order to carry out a COVID-19 test twice weekly before coming into school.

Coaches from Wolverhampton will be running as normal for students and a Session 3 programme will be introduce from Monday 15 March. Students can continue to come to school wearing their tracksuit, on days they have Physical Education.

Can we also take the opportunity to remind students that they must continue to wear face masks while in classrooms and around school.

Working in alignment with the government road map, Thomas Telford School will reintroduce aspects of normal school life over the course of the summer term. We are very much looking forward to being able to hold Sports Day, Arts Nights, TTS has got Talent, Achievement Evening, assemblies, trips and visits and many other events that our students, parents and staff have missed out on over the course of this academic year. We do not take lightly the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our students and we will endeavor to return to the events that make Thomas Telford School the special place that supports and helps shape the lives of our students in so many positive ways.

Please continue to take care.

Sir Kevin Satchwell
Headmaster

Student guides to Microsoft Teams

Download a PDF Guide.

Student Safety Protocols

Student Charter 2020

Maps

Risk Assessment

Download our Covid-19 Risk Assessment here.

In School Covid-19 Precautions

Summer Learning Resources

Session 3 Help

Session 3 Booking System - Student Guide Booklet