Headteacher's Newsletter - 6th November 2020
Dear Parent/Carer/Guardian,
Democracy has never felt more important to the world this week. The presidential election in the US has highlighted the need for leadership and to ensure all voices are heard; indeed ‘count all votes’ has become a rallying cry for many over the last day or so.
As a French teacher, I love explaining to students that the French word ‘voix’ means both ‘voice’ and ‘vote’, that the act of voting gives individuals a voice in who and how a country is led. It is timely that this week is also UK Parliament Week and students have been learning about what it means to live in a parliamentary democracy.
In addition, our own Pioneer Parliament has given all of our community the chance to vote and express their voice in choosing our Trust charity for the year. This year, the theme is diversity and the shortlisted charities reflect this. If you haven’t already voted, I would love you to fulfil your democratic duty by completing the form!
I am also very pleased that student voice is a key feature of our internal quality assurance activities that begin next week. Asking students about their learning, where they are making progress and where they can be supported always gives rich insights and helps us with our aim of continuous improvement.
As the country has entered a second lockdown this week, schools remain open. We do ask that parents read our behaviour addendum which has been updated following government guidance and will be made available on our website.
We would also like to ask all parents to wear masks if they need to enter school, but would encourage all parents to continue to remain outside of the school site wherever possible.
Can we also remind families that they should not be in close contact with any other households at drop off or collection time. This will mean families not converging outside of the school grounds and all adults maintaining a two metre distance wherever possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this. Finally, we are pleased to have very good attendance at UCGS, but would remind all parents not to send their child to school if they have any covid-related symptoms. If you are unsure, please contact the school office and speak to the Attendance Officer.
With all good wishes,
M. Pritchard
Headteacher
Attendance Reminders
Upton Court Grammar School has high expectations for every student from the moment they join our school. Children have the right to a high quality education and we provide this at Upton Court Grammar School. High attendance is necessary to ensure that your child benefits fully from the learning opportunities on offer and to ensure they leave school having developed positive lifelong habits and as well rounded individuals. Medical Appointments
Appointments, where possible, should be made outside of school hours or in the holiday period. This includes routine dental appointments. If this is unavoidable, your child should still attend school before or after the appointment where possible. Any session missed that was deemed reasonable to attend will be marked as unauthorised leave.
Absence Requests
Absence requests will only be considered for exceptional circumstances and these are dealt with on an individual basis. Leave will not normally be considered for students whose attendance is below 95%. Students requiring a day off for religious observance must fill in an absence request form in advance, this must be a day that has been exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the student belongs. Retrospective requests for absences will not be authorised.
What to do if your child cannot attend school:
Absence must be reported on a daily basis. You must contact the school (before 8.00am) on the first day of absence. This can be done by emailing [email protected] or by logging in through your Insight account, specifying your child's name, class and the reason why they cannot attend. If they are ill, please give a clear explanation of their condition. For a prolonged absence due to illness, medical evidence will be requested. This can be in the form of a prescription, medical paperwork or an appointment card/letter.
SCHOOL TERM DATES FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/21 Autumn 2020
Term 1
Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd September 2020 - INSET (School closed for students)
Term starts on Thursday 3rd September 2020 (First day for students)
Term ends on Friday 16th October 2020
October Holiday: Monday 19th October 2020 to Friday 30th October 2020 Term 2 Term starts on Monday 2nd November 2020
Term ends on Friday 18th December 2020 at 12.15pm
Christmas Holiday: Monday 21st December 2020 to Friday 1st January 2021
Spring 2021 Term 3
Term starts on Monday 4th January 2021
Term ends on Friday 12th February 2021
February Holiday Monday 15th February 2021 to Friday 19th February 2021
Term 4
Monday 22nd February 2021 - Trust Development Day (School closed for students)
Term starts on Tuesday 23rd February 2021 (First day for students) Term ends on Thursday 1st April 2021 at 12.15pm
Spring Holiday: Friday 2nd April 2021 to Friday 16th April 2021 (Good Friday – 2nd April 2021; Easter Monday – 5th April 2021)
Summer 2021 Term 5
Term starts on Monday 19th April 2021
Term ends on Friday 28th May 2021
May Holiday: Monday 31st May 2021 to Friday 4th June 2021
Term 6
Term starts on Monday 7th June 2021
Term ends on Friday 23rd July 2021 at 12.15pm Unity
Culture Policy Addendum Update
In light of the recent updates to the DfE guidance for schools on 22nd October and the New National Restriction Guidance from the Government on 5th November we have updated the school’s Culture Policy Addendum detailing the protective measures in place at school during the pandemic. All updates are highlighted in green.
To access the Culture Policy Addendum please on our school website please click on the link below: http://www.uptoncourtgrammar.org.uk/Policies Uniform
Following advice from the DfE and as part of the protective measures in place at school since the start of the academic year all spaces have been well ventilated by opening classroom doors and windows. As the weather becomes increasingly colder this will be balanced with a comfortable classroom temperature and we would like to also encourage students to wear more layers of clothing to school.
On days when students are in their PE kit, students are permitted to wear their school blazer over the top of their PE kit when in the school building. During the colder weather, students are encouraged to wear a base layer of thermals, vest or t-shirt under their school uniform and PE kit. In addition, students are allowed to wear a black sweatshirt/jumper over their PE kit. Please note hoodies are not permitted anywhere on school premises.
Update from Head of Year 11 Our Year 11 students have made an excellent start to the new term this week. All have returned highly motivated to do well, impressing their teachers with their focus and determination.
In form time on Monday we reminded ourselves of the system of controls we have in place during the current pandemic. The system of controls protects each and every one of us and allows the school to remain open. On Tuesday we reflected on our revision over the half-term and planned what we need to work on over the coming fortnight before the Pre-Public Exams. On Thursday we learnt about the careers guidance the school is able to offer all Year 11 students. And this morning we made time to consider our well-being and reconnect with those around us.
We will be running our Sixth Form Information Evening on Tuesday 17th November. Due to the protective measures in place at school this academic year, this event will be taking place virtually. Mr Pritchard and Ms Dhillon will lead a live Q&A session for parents from 5.00-6.00pm. To join the live Q&A session on the day, you will need to click on the following link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup- join/19%3ameeting_MTkzYTM0Y2UtZTg3NS00YmQ4LTkyOGUtNDcwYzk2ZDg1OTIy%40thread.v2/0?con text=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22414bbeda-b54e-4c2a-98ae- 5977da78ad02%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c191c37f-ef96-41ef-9c20- a1db990949e2%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d
Next week we will be speaking to all Year 11 students about what we expect during the Pre -Public Examinations which run from 23rd November to the 3rd December 2020. Once we have spoken to all students, an information letter will be sent home to parents.
Finally, some of you have been in touch to ask for more information on what your child is currently studying. This week Mr Sullivan shares what Year 11 have been studying for Core PE and GCSE PE.
Core PE & GCSE PE - Year 11 Core PE
Following lockdown, The Youth Sport Trust reported that at least one-third of children have experienced an increase in mental health issues including stress, loneliness and worry during lockdown. More than one-third say they are more worried (38%), sadder (37%) or more stressed (34%). Also, the number of children meeting the Chief Medical Officer's guidelines (of taking part in sport or physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more every day) has dropped from 47% to 19%.
Whilst the government restrictions and individual sport’s National Governing Bodies guidelines proved challenging, the circumstances presented a real opportunity for change and one that has been long overdue. In truth, a traditional sport-driven approach to PE curriculum design only served those already enthusiastic about sport.
We adopted a concept-driven curriculum. A concept-driven approach to curriculum design is one that moves away from subject-specific content and instead emphasises “big ideas” that span multiple subject areas (Erickson, 2008). We wanted to shift from a competition and performance obsessed curriculum to one that celebrated attitude and progress and truly prepared them for the present and their futures.
PE has an opportunity like never before, and not only the aforementioned impact on health and well - being. Now is the time to look at the bigger picture and fulfil the full potential of what PE has to offer. 33% of students have poor body confidence issues (Youth Sport Trust, 2019), so we will teach self- esteem and self-worth. 92% of students suffer from exam stress, so coping skills, resilience and mental health units will be included. Inactivity and childhood obesity are higher than ever, so planning and delivering units of work on diet and long-term benefits of exercise are essential. Competition for jobs is tougher now so we will plan to teach employability skills, leadership, communication and interpersonal skills. All through physical activity and a concept-driven approach. At the start of the year we set out to introduce our new curriculum and reaffirm our department’s ‘Why’.
The Year 11 students have fully embraced this new approach to PE delivery and the response has been overwhelming. They have engaged with the new activities whilst acquiring knowledge of new concepts, connecting these concepts with their PE lessons and transferring them to previous, current and future contexts. We wish to thank all Year 11 students and parents for their on-going support, engagement and understanding as we truly look to be true pioneers within physical education in the UK and deliver a truly world-class curriculum.
GCSE PE
Like all subjects, the time away from our GCSE PE students was difficult. However, with the incredible work ethic of the students, support of their parents, and our great PE team we made full use of the time away from each other. During lockdown our Year 11 students successfully completed their coursework. We tried to offer as much support to our GCSE PE students as possible and we were rewarded as our Year 11 GCSE PE students produced some truly outstanding work. The work that was completed has in fact meant that we have lost no time whilst away and will have completed all of the theory content by Christmas. This will give us substantial time to focus on examination techniques, assessment objectives and retrieval.
I would like to take this opportunity to update parents regarding the changes to moderation process. As it stands students will be required to submit two sports (previously three), their coursework (now a heavier weighting) and their examination as normal. All sport evidence is now recorded (no live moderations). We did unfortunately have to cancel the planned rock climbing and rowing trips. Once again, a huge thank you to parents for their support of these trips. Although these changes are necessary, it will still be incredibly challenging to meet the requirements of the practical elements of the course. We are unable to offer any extra-curricular sports (including fixtures) as well as a majority of the specification sports during lesson time. I do ask that if any students are still participating in sport outside of school that parents record any competitive fixtures/matches in order for us to use these in moderation.
Being a practical subject, there is no doubt that we have been hit hard by the previous and current restrictions. However, as I have communicated to students I still believe us to be in a strong position with coursework complete and theory content almost complete. If any students have had to self -isolate then our lessons have been delivered remotely so that no one is disadvantaged by the current circumstances we find ourselves in. I continue to emphasise the importance of embedding key knowledge at home through revision as this can have a huge impact on the final grade.
I am proud of the hard work and dedication our students have shown, the support our parents have provided and the PE staff who have gone above and beyond to ensure our students receive the learning they deserve.
Covid-19 Test Results As you will be aware, the Government has recently implemented a national three tier system for tracking the level of Coronavirus in our communities. Over half term we are hoping that the infection rates come down, but will be keeping a close eye on the statistics for East Berkshire. We have recently set up a new COVID-19 e-mail address so that you can inform us of positive or negative test results. You can use this address both during and outside of school hours to report test results. This will enable us to respond swiftly to any new cases and ensure the continued safety of our school communities.
Please report Covid test results to: [email protected]
We wish you a lovely half term break.
Covid Admin Team"
Track and Trace App The Government has now released its Track and Trace app to monitor the prevalence of Covid-19 within our communities. The Department for Education has also released guidance on its use.
The app is not specifically intended to be used in schools as we have our own rigorous system of controls in line with the requirements of the DfE. As such, the app has a guidance age of 16+ years. However, we are aware that if your children travel on public transport or to out of school clubs regularly, then you may want them to have the app installed on their phones for further peace of mind. I have attached a number of fact sheets identifying the key features of the app, and further instructions for its use:
Introducing the app NHS Covid-19 app features Fact Sheet for parents, carers and those who are 16 and over
NHS Covid-19 app: Your privacy protected
NHS COVID-19 app Privacy FAQs
If your child is alerted by the app in school that they should self-isolate, the process of supporting this procedure is listed below:
1. The pupil must immediately maintain social distancing from friends and other pupils, and report the app’s instruction to the closest member of staff. 2. A first aider will be called who will escort the pupil to a dedicated Covid room.
1. Parents/carers will be contacted to come to school and collect their child.
2. Our Covid admin team will contact you to decide the next course of action in line with the DfE guidance.
Please be reminded that, in line with the 16+ age limit, phones should be out of sight in school and can be confiscated if they disturb lessons. Please note that there is information about pausing the Track and Trace app in the linked guidance above should a phone be removed from its owner. Covid admin follow up
If your child is self-isolating or has had a positive Covid test result, please call in to the attendance line to report this as per normal. The DfE demands that we collect specific information from parents so our Covid admin team will then contact you over the phone to gather required information, offer support and identify when the return to school date will be. We thank you in advance for supporting us in our recording and reporting procedures.
NHS Testing Please find detailed in the link below a letter from the NHS detailing guidance to parents and guardians: when you should book a coronavirus test for your child: Booking a Coronavirus Test for your Child Covid-19 Advice for Parents
A Cold, flu or coronavirus - which one do I have? (PLEASE CLICK IN THE LINK) Curiosity
This year the Maths department has entered the school in a ‘Puzzle of the week’ competition where our students will have the opportunity to compete against other students from over 40 different countries.
The puzzles will help develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills. There will be a puzzle added to the following website at the start of each week and you and family members can submit an answer too. http://www.puzzleoftheweek.com/
We encourage you to register yourselves using the link below and take part in the competition alongside our students (the competitions for students and adults are separate): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd89fiS9RTh_x8n5DB0qMVMhfUstN9p9ntH-- V957FtHVszTQ/closedform
• Once registered, you will be emailed a unique User ID (6 digits long) which you will need to remember, or keep safe, for the duration of the competition (please allow up to 24 hours to receive the welcome email).
• To submit an answer to the competition you must enter correct User ID and email address.
• Once registered you can then submit answers to each puzzle and you will be notified whether your answer was correct at the end of each week.
• There will be 30 puzzles this year, each published on a Monday and close on Sunday midnight.
Visit the website if you’d like to warm up with some of the previous puzzles or see results. http://www.puzzleoftheweek.com/results Growth
More Able Project (Upton Court Grammar School, Eton College, Trevelyan and Foxborough Schools) For the last two years, Pioneer Educational Trust has run a project that has brought together higher ability girls and young women of all ages. This year, we widened the theme and scope of the project to include boys as well. The project, entitled The Masterful Mentality, took an innovative look at just what it takes to thrive in our ever-changing and often high-pressured world. The project included the students undertaking trips to Eton College and to Trevelyan Middle School between January and March 2020 to research on work inspired by their experiences during these months. The final outcome of the project, was going to be showcased in an e-book. Over the coming weeks the project will contribute images and poetry prepared by our More Able students to the newsletter. Stereotype article - Non-fiction research about stereotypes is by Leo Pham- 8M
Non-fiction research about stereotypes
A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a person or thing, it is often judged by what someone has witnessed during a film or even through reading a book. Here are some examples of stereotypes:
• Men are strong and do all the work.
• Men are the "backbone."
• Women aren't as smart as a man.
• Women can't do as good of a job as a man.
• Girls are not good at sports.
• Guys are messy and unclean. • Men who spend too much time on the computer or read are geeks. A lot of the time stereotypes can be classed as something bad, however that is not always the case because there are some ways in which stereotypes can help us. For example, they can help lots of us feel equal, this is because a stereotype is not based on specific details of one another, it is based on usually one or two obvious things. Stereotypes can help make sense of the world. They are a form of categorization that helps to simplify and systematize information. Thus, information is more easily identified, recalled, predicted, and reacted to. Stereotypes are categories of objects or people. Between stereotypes, objects or people are as different from each other as possible. Within stereotypes, objects or people are as similar to each other as possible.
However, there is also the bad side of stereotypes. We don’t always like to be compared to things in a movie or a book, because most of the time that person in a movie could be nothing like you, people just think you are because you look the same. For example, in many movies a nerd or a geek is someone with ginger hair and glasses. However, if you compare them to someone who has ginger hair and glasses in real life, they may not have any of the same qualities as the person in the movie and might have a completely different personality.
In some cases, professionals argue that a stereotype enables us to respond rapidly to situations because we can relate to similar experiences we have had in the past. However, stereotypes also make us ignore differences between individuals; therefore, we think things about people that might not be true (i.e. generalize). Generalize means to make a general statement by inferring from specific cases, or to make something that is more widespread and can be applicable to a wide range of people. References: https://www.simplypsychology.org/katz-braly.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotype
The image named Yourself is by Manayam Ali- 8M
Hosforth Intervention Assemblies - Year 13
The Sixth form team will also be posting a leaflet for parents every week for the next six weeks to help them support their child during intervention.
Our first leaflet is spacing and timing revision.
Service
Great Western Railway Services During Lockdown Message from Great Western Railway
A quick note to let you know that we will not be making any changes to our current timetable during the national lockdown that started on Thursday 5 November 2020.
This will mean that all our school and college services and all the services that take people to and from work will be operational.
To help customers to travel safely, we have updated our Travel with Confidence page on our website - https://www.gwr.com/safety and have included a link on the page to both UK and Welsh Government travel advice and guidance.
I am also very happy to help with any specific queries, please email here and we will reply as quickly as we can. [email protected]
Thank you again for all the support and good wishes, we are very proud of the work our teams are doing to keep services going and we are here to help if we can.
Message from Billings & Edmonds Following the Government announcement we are required to close our shops from Thursday 5th November to Wednesday 2nd December.
You may purchase all your uniform requirements on our website at www.billingsandedmonds.co.uk.
Billings & Edmonds will continue to process web orders every day during this period. We are pleased to inform all parents that we will be offering free carriage on all orders above £25 (delivered within the UK) for the period of 9th November to 2nd December 2020. Lettings Available at Upton Court Grammar School We have lettings available at Upton Court Grammar School! If you, a group, club or team would like to use our facilities, please find more information here:
Upton: https://bookings.edu-lettings.org/slough/edu-upton-court-grammar-school
Face Coverings • Face coverings are mandatory for all staff and students when moving around the school and in all communal areas inside school buildings. This includes corridors and the queue for the restaurant.
• When in a classroom (during a lesson or lesson changeover) and any dining areas, face coverings are to be removed.
• When collecting lunch and moving to a table, a face covering must be worn.
• Students can choose to wear face coverings when outside during break and lunch-time.
• Where a student has a medical condition that may require additional PPE to be worn, they will be asked to provide a letter from their medical professional to detail what is required. Where this is the case, that information will be provided to the staff who work with that individual.
• It is vital that a face covering is provided for your child on a daily basis.
For a face covering to be effective, students should ensure the following:
- The face covering should cover your nose and mouth while allowing you to breath comfortably.
- You should wash your hands or use hand sanitiser before putting it on and taking it off.
- When wearing the face covering, you should avoid touching your face at all times.
- Temporary face coverings must be disposed of in a ‘black bag’ waste bin (not recycling bin) or placed in a plastic bag that can be taken home.
- You should also follow other safety measures, including social distancing and regular hand washing.
- All face coverings worn in school should be plain, or have a simple pattern, and they should not include text, logos, images or deemed to be offensive.
Coronavirus - Travel Guidance for School Communities Slough Borough Council understands you may be concerned regarding travelling to and from school when your child returns this week. Currently, social distancing rules on public transport services means the amount of people able to access bus and train services is far less than before the pandemic. At the same time, the road network does not have space for more car journeys to school. We want to continue to work with school communities to reduce car journeys and encourage travel by sustainable modes where possible to improve air quality in the area and also improve the health of young people by building active travel into their daily routines.
While we continue to promote sustainable and active travel modes, such as cycling and walking, we are also working with your child’s school and public transport operators to understand any gaps in public transport services, or any travel issues which we may need to respond to during these unprecedented times. We have developed a range of options which will allow us to respond flexibly to any issues or changes in government guidance but if you have a specific issue you would like to raise in relation to school travel, please email [email protected] or [email protected]
We also want to ensure parents and pupils have access to good, up-to-date travel information to make informed travel choices. The central message we are issuing to school communities is to:
Think about the way your children travel, choose active sustainable modes where possible, allow more time for their journeys and plan ahead.
To access school travel advice and safety information on travelling to school in September, including information on public transport services please visit www.slough.gov.uk/health-and-social- care/coronavirus-travel-guidance-for-schools.aspx
You will also be able to generate a Personalised Travel Plan, which will be emailed directly to you that will provide you with a range of travel options to choose from. We have also issued schools with bespoke walking and cycling maps to be shared with all pupils.
Please check the link regularly for the latest information.
Thank-you.
Pupil Information - Bus Travel
List of uniform and personal presentation standards: Uniform
As per the student culture policy COVID-19 addendum students will be expected to wear full school uniform in school. On days when students have PE they are to attend school in their PE kit. Parents are encouraged to wash their child’s clothes after a day at school. For full details of the school’s uniform expectations, including PE kit, please refer to the specific uniform guidance including appendices and separate PE uniform list that can be found alongside this unity bulletin.
Following PE lessons on the field, students should change into their school shoes to reduce mud being brought into the school buildings. Expectations regarding outer wear such as jackets still applies to students wearing their PE kit and they are not permitted to be worn inside the school building. In addition, hoodies are not allowed on the school premises and will be confiscated if seen by a member of staff. On days when students are in their PE kit, students are permitted to wear their school blazer over the top of their PE kit when in the school building. Only the sport’s top should be UCGS branded and all other clothing does not require the UCGS logo. During wet weather outdoor practical lessons will be replaced by indoor non-practical lessons with a focus on well-being.
Parents must inform their child’s form tutor if there is any reason affecting the wearing of correct school uniform or PE kit. You can do this by emailing the office or by writing a note in your chil d’s planner.
Failure to comply with the school uniform policy, including PE kit, may result in one or more of the following actions:
• Step 2 issued
• Parents contacted
PE Department Uniform List
Labelling All items of uniform must be labelled with your child’s name.
Boys’ Uniform Years 7-13
* It is compulsory for boys of all year groups to wear a school blazer
** Jumper is optional
Girls’ Uniform Years 7-13
* It is compulsory for girls of all year groups to wear a school blazer
** Jumper is optional
*** Girls may choose between the skirt and the trousers. It is compulsory for girls joining Year 7 from September 2020 onwards to wear the UCGS skirt or UCGS girls’ trousers
**** Ties are optional for girls, but if choosing to wear one, it must be worn appropriately and with a closed-neck shirt
Footwear that is not permitted. The list of examples below is not exhaustive and used for example purposes.
1 - Girls and Boys
Footwear that is permitted. The list of examples below is not exhaustive and used for example purposes.
2 - Boys
3 - Boys
4 - Girls
School Closure Notice in the event of Snow or bad weather
If our school needs to be closed because of snow or bad weather, an email will be sent out to Parents via PARS by 7.00am. This information will be available on the school website as well as local radio stations and the relevant local authority website.
REMEMBER THAT NO NOTICE = NO CLOSURE