Our September start: Your frequently asked questions answered

Will I need to wash my child’s uniform more regularly than normal?

The latest government guidance says this is not necessary.

From the Guidance: “Uniforms do not need to be cleaned any more often than usual, nor do they need to be cleaned using methods which are different from normal.”

If my child is worried about coming back to school. What support will they receive?

It’s perfectly normal for children to feel anxious about coronavirus. The return to school should help them by providing routine and a sense of stability. Being back in school will allow them to talk about their experiences during the outbreak and reform friendships, we well as build their self-esteem by being successful in their learning. Where pupils need more support we will provide this. Barr Beacon is a ‘telling school’ and pupils know that they can talk to any teacher, Head of House or Mrs Sorensen Designated Safeguarding Lead if they have any concerns about wellbeing. Additional information on support organisations  is provided in pupil planners.

When and where will my child have break time?

10.00-10.15 Year 13, 12 (Bistro) and 11 (Hall)

10.25-10.40 Year 7 (Hall)

10.30-10.45 Year 8 (Bistro)

11.20-11.35 Year 10 (Bistro)

11.25-11.40 Year 9 (Hall)

When and where will my child have lunch and what will they be able to buy?

Year groups will swap venues each two weeks.

Menus can be found HERE.

How we decided on grades

Every grade was decided by whole teams, not individual teachers. 

To arrive at these Centre Assessment Grades, we undertook the process laid out by the Government.

Our process was lengthy and rigorous, with every teacher of each subject participating in a series of meetings.

We used all available forms of evidence for every single grade, including 

• mock exams
• classwork
• homework
• coursework (where applicable)
• prior attainment (how you had performed in previous years)
• current effort

To eliminate any potential bias, all grade decisions had to be rooted in evidence. We did not consider any single piece of evidence on its own but considered each piece in the context of all of the others. This allowed us to form the most accurate picture possible of each pupil’s likely achievement in each subject had the examinations gone ahead. For instance, if a mock result was inconsistent with a pupil’s performance elsewhere, using just this on its own without triangulating with the other evidence had the potential to distort the Centre Assessed Grade. 

Over a period of several weeks, every grade was discussed multiple times, as part of a rigorous quality assurance process. Only when we were confident that we had graded everyone accurately did we send the grades to the exam boards.

Sitting exams

If you want to sit the exams in the autumn, read the green sheet inside your results envelope carefully. Note the deadline for entries.

If you have concerns or queries about your grades: The Government’s exams watchdog Ofqual has produced this guide for students – HERE

We would like to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all of our Year 11 pupils and Year 13 students.

However your grades have turned out, we just wanted to acknowledge that you should be proud of what you have achieved.

No exam can ever assess everything you have learned, and you have certainly learned to be resilient. No other year group in history has had to cope with so much uncertainty, including last minute changes and U-turns, and you deserve every success in your futures.

GCSE (Year 11 pupils)

Thursday 20^th August

On Friday 10^th July, all pupils and were sent a personalised letter with their allocated arrival time and venue. It is imperative that they follow these instructions so we can manage social distancing.

If anyone would prefer to receive results via post, they must provide Mrs S Edwards (Exams Officer) with a stamped addressed envelope. If someone other than the pupil is collecting results, they must provide a permission letter signed by the pupil and must have with them some form of identification on Results Day. They will still need to attend at the time and venue mentioned in the letter.

Year 11 pupils from other schools who want to join our Sixth Form:

If we have made you a conditional offer and you meet our entry requirements and wish to take up your place, you will need to come into school between 1pm and 3pm on Thursday 20th August 2020. You must bring with you a copy of your GCSE results and either your birth certificate or passport (original documents only please as we are not able to accept copies). We cannot guarantee you will be able to take all the subjects you have chosen. This is dependent on group sizes.

Our Careers Team, Mr Altree and Miss Killick, will be available to support pupils with their next steps on Results Day, should they need any help or advice. If anyone needs any advice before, or after Results Day, please email gkillick@barrbeacconschool.co.uk or caltree@barrbeaconschool.co.uk and they will respond to any emails at their first available opportunity. If you need more urgent advice, you can contact the Black Country Careers Hub through their self-referral service: https://www.blackcountryskillsfactory.co.uk/schools/individualsupport-and-guidance/

How did we decide on grades?

All schools across the country have followed the process laid out by the government for awarding Centre Assessment Grades.

We are very confident we have assessed you with a high degree of accuracy. We undertook a lengthy, rigorous process with every Year 11 teacher participating in a series of meetings. Every grade was decided by whole teams, not individual teachers.

During these grading meetings, we used all available forms of evidence for every single grade, including mock exams, classwork, homework, coursework, prior attainment (how you had performed in previous years) as well as current effort. All grade decisions were rooted in evidence to eliminate any potential bias.

Over a period of several weeks, every grade was discussed multiple times, as part of a rigorous quality assurance process. Only when we were confident that we had graded everyone accurately did we send the grades to the exam boards.

The government announced on Monday 17^th August that these grades we submitted (Centre Assessed Grades) will stand, for both A levels and GCSEs. 

What you need to know about BTEC subjects

Year 11 pupils will NOT receive their BTEC grades on results day. Pearson, who run BTEC, changed the way they are calculating grades to make the system fairer. They only announced this late on Wednesday 19th August. You can read their statement HERE

Information regarding HPV Vaccinations (for current Year 7 who will be Year 8 in September)

You can read their covering letter HERE

HERE is the consent form – please complete this electronically and send to the nursing team (link at the bottom of the page), NOT us.

Nikita in Year 9 has won a top prize in the Sky Academy Studios #keepconnected film-making competition. More than 500 films were entered by students across the UK. Nikita’s film, ‘Untold Story’ was selected as one of six overall winners and the winner of their Secondary School category.

The idea behind the competition was for children to bring their lockdown stories to life using technology they could access at home.

Here are the thoughts of Ian France, Commissioning Editor at Sky Kids: