As you have probably seen, the Department of Education has announced the following: 

 “Almost all” A levels and GCSEs, exams will start on Monday 7^th June (first day after the spring half-term holiday) and end on Friday 2^nd July. “Almost all” means, according to the government, that “one maths and one English GCSE exam will be held just before the May half-term, giving any Year 11 pupils who are affected by Covid-19 the best possible chance of still sitting a paper in each of these core subjects.” Vocational qualifications (e.g. BTEC) are expected to be “align” with GCSEs and A levels.  

The government, through their exams regulator Ofqual, has made some adjustments to some qualifications. 

The full details are here: www.assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

This is how it affects the courses our pupils study: 

• GCSE Art & Design: assessment will be based solely on pupils’ portfolios. 
• GCSE Biology, Chemistry & Physics: required practicals may be taught through observation. 
• GCSE Computer Science: programming can take place in unsupervised time. 
• GCSE Drama: pupils may evaluate recorded performances rather than having to visit a theatre. 
• GCSE English Literature: we will be able to choose a text we won’t study. 
• GCSE Food: the amount and complexity of Non-Examined Assessment (coursework) has been reduced. 
• GCSE French, German & Spanish: instead of speaking examinations, there will be a spoken language endorsement (accredited as either pass/merit/distinction/ fail) that will be reported separately alongside the 9 – 1 GCSE grade. 
• GCSE Geography: students will not complete fieldwork but will be examined on the theory associated with fieldwork in the exam instead. 
• GCSE History: we will be able to choose a topic we won’t study.  
• GCSE Media Studies: coursework has been reduced. 
• GCSE Physical Education: pupils will need to demonstrate only two activities. 
• GCSE Design & Technology: there is no longer a requirement for the production of a full prototype 
• A Level Biology, Chemistry & Physics: required practicals will be reduced to a minimum. 
• A Level Geography: there will be more flexibility in the non-examination assessment (coursework) in relation to the students’ own fieldwork. 
• A Level Physical Education: the exam board will require less evidence for activities. 

For all subjects, there will be no changes to the length, number, or format of the exam papers, except as necessary to accommodate the specific changes listed above. 

Exam results days for 2021 have been set as follows: 

Tuesday 24^th August for A levels 

Friday 27^th August for GCSEs 

School Council representatives made this assembly for the beginning of Black History Month:

All year groups welcome!

Any dance style!

To enter, you must record a solo performance of 3 minutes and send this via your school email to Miss Salmon by Monday 5^th October at 3pm.

The top 5 entries will win house points for their house and get the chance to represent the school at The Great British Dance Off this year!

Message Miss Salmon if you have any questions.

Remote Learning will take place via Microsoft Teams using your school email account. Any other email account will not work. Everything is explained in these videos. Please watch them carefully.

If you have problems logging in, someone in your household will need to email itsupport@barrbeaconschool.co.uk

If you are not in the correct classes on Teams you need to communicate with your teachers in advance of any lessons using the Chat function (this is explained in the videos).

Accessing files
There is a link to Microsoft Office through our website (shown in the videos).

If you are having trouble accessing PDF files, download and install a reader here:

https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/

Live Streams of Lessons

After coming first in a film-making competition, Year 13 student Josh Palfrey has been offered a placement at multi BAFTA award-winning film animation studio, Blue Zoo.

Josh himself explains:

“This offer came very much out of the 'blue' and was due to the fact that they had seen my winning film in a competition called the "summer of animation" (summerofanimation.com) an event where young people are challenged to make a short film over the summer. Blue Zoo was a sponsor of the event.) I won the competition with my film and, when contacted about my prize of a £2000 laptop, I also asked whether it would be possible to get a tour of Blue Zoo (as that was the prize for 2nd place). After a couple of weeks of sending that request, I received the following email:

Hi Josh, 

 Wanted to say congratulations on your winning film - we loved it here at Blue Zoo and think you thoroughly deserved the win! 

I heard that you'd like a tour of Blue Zoo, but we'd be very happy to go further than that an offer you a paid work placement and bypass the internship programme. We'd need to work out times of when it would suit us both best due to current work restrictions.

Also, we're recording a podcast soon about the Summer Of Animation and we would love it if we could record a short voice call with you, asking you a few questions about the wonderful film you made?

“Obviously I am extremely excited and eager to respond.”

Watch Josh’s brilliant animation here: https://youtu.be/EV76-WAP0lY

Find out more about Blue Zoo https://www.blue-zoo.co.uk/

To avoid mixing year group bubbles during transitions, it will sometimes be necessary to house groups of pupils in outdoor areas for a few minutes at a time. Therefore, please make sure your child comes dressed for all weathers, including a coat for occasions when it rains. It would also be helpful for them to bring a spare face covering in case these get wet but we do have spare disposable face coverings we can provide.

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.