Parent Bulletin Week commencing Monday 25 May 2020

Dear Parents and Carers

It’s been hard to tell, this week, whether we are still in lockdown or not. The UK government’s message has moved from the easily memorable and understandable ‘stay at home’ to the rather less clear ‘stay alert’. But Martin Gannon, Leader of Council, has sided with the Scottish government in retaining the instruction to ‘stay at home’. We’ve all seen more traffic on the roads, and many of you may have returned to work. Mixed messages, then, confirming that the return from lockdown will be harder than the descent into lockdown.

Schools have been asked to think about ways of bringing in pupils in years 10 and 12 for ‘some face to face time with their teachers’. We are working out what this might mean, and how we might do this so that everyone can stay as safe as possible – pupils, teachers, support staff, parents and families. We know that the levels of coronavirus disease in our local area are higher than in other parts of the country, so we intend to proceed with extreme caution.

On the next page of this bulletin in a joint statement from headteachers of secondary schools in Gateshead. This resulted from a recent online meeting, attended by me and the heads of all the schools listed. We discussed the situation in our individual schools, and we agreed to work together as we move forward. Individual schools will make their own decisions on when and how to bring in more pupils, but we agree on the principles on which we will base our decisions.

We are looking at ways of inviting small groups of Y10 pupils and Y12 students into school to have discussions with their teachers about their work. This is not likely to start until the week beginning 15 June, at the earliest, and we will do this only if and when we consider that it is safe to do so. I intend to consult parents, teachers and unions on our proposals in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, we are continuing to work on improving our online learning service. We realise that this is not the same as being in school and, in common with all the other secondary schools in Gateshead, we are not able to run online lessons. But we do hope to make our online learning a little more interactive in the coming weeks, and we very much appreciate the work that you are doing as parents and carers to help your children continue with their learning. My recent video https://youtu.be/QhVALwlic7s assures you that we are very much still here for you and your children.

Wednesday of this week was national Thank a Teacher Day. We were very touched that so many pupils contacted their teachers to thank them for their help and support.

Next week would normally be half term week. I expect that few of us will notice much difference between this week and previous weeks, but we will not be setting work for pupils. Pupils who wish to continue to work can catch up on previous work set, or you may refer them to BBC Bitesize. All work is not good, however: I hope that there will be a few more opportunities for us all to get out and about, whilst still keeping ourselves at a safe distance from others.

With all good wishes – stay safe!

Mr A T Fowler Principal

Gateshead Association of Secondary Headteachers

COVID-19

Face to face contact with Years 10 and 12

Gateshead mainstream secondary schools will continue to provide places in school for the children of key workers and vulnerable young people. Our colleagues in alternative and special school provision will continue with the full range of highly individualised support for all learners.

We believe that our focus on delivering high quality online learning is beneficial for all students in every year group and continuing to develop this is a priority.

Face to face contact with Years 10 and 12 has value, but it is likely to be limited in time and scope in the first instance and will focus on supporting online learning. As circumstances improve it may be possible to increase the regularity and scope, but only if it is safe to do so.

Given the timing of any likely guidance from government, there will be insufficient time to publish detailed plans and consult appropriately. Therefore, there will be no face to face contact until at least 8 June 2020.

Further information is needed if Headteachers and Governors are to manage risks appropriately in schools. This information needs to be local, regional and national (Gateshead Council and the DfE).

As always, we want the best for the children in our care, and whilst we would like to see children back in school it must be at the right time with the appropriate risk management in place. We will always have the wellbeing of pupils, staff and families in the foreground of any decisions we make.

18 May 2020

Joint statement from:

Cardinal Hume Catholic School Emmanuel College Furrowfield School Grace College Kingsmeadow Community School Lord Lawson of Beamish St Thomas More Catholic School River Tyne Academy

Thank you to all of our wonderful staff

Yesterday was National Thank a Teacher Day and it was wonderful to see lovely messages of thanks being shared between colleagues across the Academy and coming in from students and their parents. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the hard work and commitment of all staff across the Academy and to say 'thank you' for all their efforts to support students, parents and each other especially during this particularly difficult time. We are extremely proud of our staff and students and the way they have pulled together to keep the Lord Lawson community thriving; we might not be together as much as we would like but we are certainly still here for each other.

On behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Governors, our thanks and gratitude goes to each and every member of our staff, to our students who continue to do their best studying from home and to parents and families for doing all that they are to support them. We wish you all a safe and restful half term break.

Regards Mr C Smith – Chair of the Board of Governors

Year 10: Esteem Pavilion – Virtual Work Experience

A small group of our Year 10 pupils completed a fantastic 'Esteem Pavilion' virtual work experience placement this week. The pupils worked every day from 9.30am - 4.30pm completing a range of exciting tasks as part of the programme, including online lectures, videos and producing a full portfolio of evidence. In addition to their individual portfolios they collaborated on a team task to design the Esteem Pavilion in Dubai - a solar-powered, highly sustainable building.

The pupils have submitted their entry and will find out shortly if they have been successful in achieving the Industrial Cadets Silver Award.

Fingers crossed.

Miss J Leigh Careers Coordinator and Mrs A Jordan Careers Lead

Meet the Governors Over the next few weeks we will be introducing you to the Governors of Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy. This week we start with four new colleagues who joined the Board on Monday. We welcome each of them to their roles and thank them for the commitment they are about to make to our Academy, its staff and students.

Claire Godfrey

Claire's family has just moved to the local area, with her eldest joining Lord Lawson in Year 9 last September from Thorpe Academy, and her daughters in Years 3 and 4 on their way up! As a senior leader with responsibility for SEN and vulnerable learners, as well as pastoral lead, in a Newcastle primary school, Claire is passionate about making learning accessible for all and, as a mum of three, she is equally keen to make learning creative and interesting for everyone! With this mind, Claire is excited to become a governor at the Academy and looks forward to working with staff, other parents and pupils alike to make Lord Lawson an inspirational and outstanding place to learn. Claire is very positive about the Academy and the support her son has received since joining. We felt with her strategic experience in pastoral leadership and of working with SEN and vulnerable learners, she would add strength and depth to our team.

Heather McClean

Heather is a resident of Birtley and a mother of two children; one attending the Academy in year 7 and one at St. Joseph’s Junior School on the way up. Heather is passionate about education and the opportunities it offers to change lives. She has a keen interest in raising aspirations and encouraging children to realise their path is not predetermined and to carve their own future. Heather is currently a Year 5 teacher at Carr Hill Primary (a Gateshead feeder school) with 15 years’ experience. Much of this time has been dedicated to seeding life goals and highlighting the role education plays in achieving these.

Having helped many children make the transition to Lord Lawson, she now looks forward to watching their progress. Previously a staff governor for many years, at Carr Hill Primary, Heather is excited to contribute to Lord Lawson’s journey. Heather impressed us with an incisive and highly analytical analysis of our two Ofsted reports which revealed values that were clearly in alignment with our own and a deep, technical understanding of what underpins effective teaching and learning and school development.

Joel Greenwell

Joel is a local resident from the North East and was educated in Gateshead. After completing a degree in Biomedical Sciences at Newcastle University, he joined the university’s Student Recruitment team, which involved travelling to schools across the country and delivering sessions to enthuse young people in higher education. For the past 5 years, Joel has been working for the charity Teach First, which strives to make education fair for all. He began recruiting graduates to start their career in teaching across the country. He then managed a team in this area and has recently started a role as a Regional Manager, working with schools on the Early Career Framework – a new DfE CPD entitlement for NQTs.

Joel is really looking forward to working with Lord Lawson at a time of growth and improvement, and hopes to bring his experience of teacher recruitment, training and HR along with his knowledge of many other schools' ways of working.

Kevin Thompson

Kevin has successfully led private and public service operations in the Insurance, Telecommunications, Public, Software and Travel Sectors. With a finance and business education, he has operated at both strategic and tactical levels in fast moving sales and service environments within differing organisational cultures and has received several public acknowledgements of success.

Kevin describes himself as a supportive leader with excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build relationships and influence at all levels. He hopes to use this experience in his role at Lord Lawson of Beamish and contribute to the further development of the school and help drive the ultimate success which the Academy deserves. Kevin has one daughter at the school and another who will join in 2021. Away from work and school, the family enjoy a variety of outdoors activities from walking to kayaking. Kevin's focus on people as being the foundation of any success really stood out and we felt strongly that he would add a fresh perspective to the team.

Regards Chris Smith – Chair of Governors

Parents of Year 12 Students: Advanced notice for all Year 12 students to participate in a live webinar on Thursday 4 June

This is an Invitation for all Year 12 students to attend a 'Push Talks' live webinar that is just for our students and is being hosted in conjunction with our FutureMe programme partner. The webinar will be concentrating on all Post- 18 opportunities including Further Education, University study, Foundation courses, Higher and Degree Apprenticeships and Gap years.

All students will be contacted very soon with more information and they will be given access to the webinar just before the event.

Please encourage your child to look out for the information and to be ready to participate in the event on the day.

Many thanks for your support Mrs A Jordan – Head of Sixth Form Sixth

ClassCharts

Thank you to all year 8 parents and pupils for successfully logging on and using ClassCharts. We hope that you have found this a much easier way to access the home learning and to have a clear overview of the work set by departments.

Letters are now being posted to parents of year 7, 9 and 10 pupils with the login details and instructions of how to access the app. Please can you ensure that everyone is logged on by Friday 22 May to allow us to solve any questions or problems that you may have before we begin to issue home learning through the

ClassCharts app. Work will begin to be set online through ClassCharts from Monday 1 June for years 7 and 9 and from Monday 8 June for year 10.

Regards Mrs K Kendall – Assistant Principal

Year 12 Parents: Contact with students

As you know tutors and staff are contacting students regularly to check on how your children are coping with the demands of working from home. It is a very difficult time for everyone but we are trying to ensure all students keep up with the A level courses to ensure your children have the best opportunities after they leave Lord Lawson.

Please can you encourage and check that your children complete the work set by staff. Increasingly we are finding students are either not accessing or completing all of the set work. This will make the return to lessons an even greater challenge, as students will be missing the necessary content.

We want to make sure all students can progress into Year 13 able to cope with the demands of the courses next year as well as university and apprenticeship applications. Students must complete the Year 12 work to allow them to move into Year 13.

Thank you for your ongoing support

Regards Mrs A Jordan – Head of Sixth Form

Opportunity for students in Year 11, 12 and 13

Missing out on open days, or looking to explore all your clearing and adjustment options? Our Virtual Fair is designed to help you explore all your options from the safety of home. You will be able to chat directly with over 80 different universities and colleges, ask questions, download prospectuses, and find out lots of information.

We will be joined by universities including Cambridge, Liverpool, Manchester Met, and Newcastle (to name just a few!). You can also view 10 live webinars throughout the day on topics such as: Choosing a University; Securing a Place through Clearing; Writing your Personal Statement.

This is completely free of charge and open to pupils from year 11, 12 and 13 (parents and teachers are very welcome too) and can be accessed via the link below.

https://ukuniversitysearch.vfairs.com/

Kind regards Mrs A Jordan – Head of Sixth Form

Year 11: Celebration Events

The following information has been provided to parents in the parent bulletin this week, but I thought it may be useful for you all to be aware also.

I wanted to offer you the few updates that I have with regards to your celebration events.

Leavers Assembly: We would still very much like to stage a Leavers Assembly for our Year 11 pupils but are unable to be in a position to plan anything considering the necessary government guidance as it stands. Rest assured, if we are able to make anything happen before the end of the academic year, we will.

Leavers’ Hoodies: The deadline for these has passed but we want to still offer you the chance to buy a leavers’ hoodie if you want one. As such, we can extend the deadline ONE FINAL TIME. THE DEADLINE IS NOW FRIDAY 29 MAY 2020. The cost of a hoodie is £18.00. If you would still like to order a hoodie your parent should contact our finance department on: [email protected]. We will need your name, tutor group and the required size: XS, S, M, L and XL and can advise you of how we accept payment.

Year 11 Year Book: This is being finalised. As with the hoodies, we will work out a way to get these to you in due course. It may just be a little different from previous years.

Prom 2020: Prom currently remains booked at Beamish Hall on 29 June 2020; however, I am very aware that the current guidance regarding social distancing would question how Prom can go ahead on this date. I continue to work with Beamish Hall to find a solution and will let you know as soon as possible what the plans are. In the meantime I would suggest that you do not make any further bookings for things relating to Prom and that you make enquiries about cancellation policies for things already booked should this be the route we need to take.

Should you have any queries in relation to any of the above items, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0796174979 or email [email protected], remembering that at this stage I simply still do not have all the answers you may be looking for.

Thank you Mrs J Walsh - Educational Welfare Officer

A Rocktastic HELLO from everyone at Times Tables Rock Stars HQ!!!

Have you got what it takes to become a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title holder?

We are inviting you to attempt a Guinness World Records title by answering as many times tables questions correctly as you can in one minute.

Guinness World Records has created a new title - Highest score achieved on ‘Times Tables Rock Stars’ in one minute - and we are looking for players to aim for this special accolade.

HOW DO I TAKE PART? It’s simple: get a world-beating score in a Studio game, make sure it's captured in a video and send a link to that video to [email protected] by the end of Thursday 4th June (11:59pm GMT).

Here are the requirements: 1. The attempt must take place in a Studio game. 2. The attempt may take place on any of the following compatible devices: o Desktop computer o Laptop computer o Tablet o Phone 3. The video must adhere to the following: o Show the player clearly playing, i.e. hand(s) physically entering numbers on the input device. o Show the back of the player's head or profile to see roughly who they are (just the person’s arm and screen isn’t enough, for example). o Show the score and timer clearly. o Show the start and end of the game, including a clear shot of the end of game score screen. o Be filmed in one take and unedited. No filters, effects, overlays, backing music are allowed. Turn your phone/table/computer on mute. 4. The game needs to have saved on the TTRS database.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ATTEMPT

When you have finished your Studio game and saved the video, please upload the original video file using a file transfer platform such as Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer. Then email a link to the video to [email protected] and provide the name of the player, along with the name of your school. This is so that we can locate the user and the game they played in our database.

By providing us with your video, you (and if under 18, your parent/guardian) consent(s) to your video, name, and country of residence being published on the Times Tables Rock Stars' and Guinness World Records' websites, social media, media press releases and other reasonable marketing and promotional activities associated with this attempt.

Go to ttrockstars.com/page/gwr for more information.

Good luck and ROCK ON!!!!

Britain’s Got Skills

National Skills Day 20 May 2020 (National Careers Week, RBS) invites students to take part in National Skills Day by showcasing their skills, whilst having fun and building confidence. See below for how to take part:

Good luck Mrs A Jordan and Miss J Leigh – Careers Lead and Careers Coordinator