Principal's message: “The road to September 2020..."
I would like as for your feedback to help our planning for September and beyond.
Firstly, there is a lot to be learned from our online provision over the past two terms that can be very useful and indeed in some way, be part of our provision long after Covid-19 has hopefully gone. To that end, we would be very grateful if you could take time to complete our PARENT SURVEY by FRIDAY 10TH JULY 4PM.
Secondly, I am sure that you will have many questions about how the school will operate from September. In next week’s newsletter, we will be publishing our draft plans for September as we digest yesterday’s Government guidance for the reopening of schools.
Regardless, I’m sure there will still be questions and/or comments that you will have. There is always the option to contact us at the usual admin@readinggirlsschool.net. However, you can Tweet and follow us on TWITTER @ReadingGirlsSch. Indeed, through Twitter you will be able to see Q&A threads. It is a much better forum.
Stop #5: Year 11 Autumn exam series
Some of our current year 11 girls have anxiously being asking us this week about the media reports that a third of GCSE results are to be marked-down by exam boards across the country. The suggestion is that grades have been inflated this year compared to actual results over the past two years.
You will remember me saying at the outset of lockdown that it will not be a surprise if this happened. Indeed, OFQUAL, the exams regulator, ensured this by making it clear that grades issued by exams boards could not be challenged.
The very fact that the girls have asked us these questions this week, is typical of their commitment and dedication. However, they need not worry. All anybody can do is CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLE.
Firstly, our grades are similar to our previous two years’ results. Secondly, whilst other schools around the country said goodbye to their Year 11 pupils when lockdown began in March, 91% OF OUR GIRLS REGISTERED TO CONTINUE WITH THEIR YEAR 11 LESSONS FOR THE REST OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR. The reason they did this was that if they did choose to sit the Autumn GCSE exams, then they would at least have had an extra four months of teaching to ensure they would get the GCSE grades had lockdown not happened. They are in control.
As part of our plans for September, we will be liaising with our girls and Sixth Form schools and colleges on how we will be managing the HOSTING OF EXAMS in the Autumn.
Jon Gargan, Principal
#COPING – Family life during the lockdown
Parent Survey - Summer Term 2020 - Have your say...
Throughout the summer term, we have all been placed in a situation where we have had to adapt to significant changes, due to the COVID - 19 pandemic.
The students at Reading Girls' School have continued to show their dedication and enthusiasm towards their education and learning by attending their live, online, face-to-face, lessons with their teachers. As a school, we value the opinion of our parents and we continue to work with all our stakeholders to ensure that all students at Reading Girls' School have an 'outstanding' educational experience, whether they are on school site, or at home learning in their online lessons.
Therefore, I encourage you to complete the questionnaire below by 4pm, Friday 10th July 2020. If you have any further comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school admin@readinggilrsschool.net.
Coffee Morning Feedback
In order to support our year 6 parents through the transition process, we held a virtual coffee morning this week. The session was well attended and allowed us to share key information with you all, answer your questions and try to relieve your anxieties about the transition process as best as possible.
Thank you to all who were able to attend – the recording will be added to the 'Inclusion' section of our website early next week.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any further questions about the transition process admin@readinggirlsschool.net.
Creative Writing English Lessons with 7Y
The class undertook some thesaurus activities. They tried to find more ambitious and sophisticated alternatives for commonly used words. After improving some sentences, the class then began a creative writing activity. We will publish the results over the next few weeks - some are complete stories, others are story openings.
Footsteps in the Attic by Saru Ganesh
It was a dark and stormy night. The lightning lashed its way through the deafening sky not letting anyone sleep their sound sleep. The sky was in hunger and rage, grumbling grunting shouting at everyone without a second of mercy.
“Lexie! Lexie! Wake up! I think I heard ‘Footsteps in the attic’”
“What do you mean footsteps in the attic Lilly? Probably it is just a nightmare like you had last time. I know mum and dad have gone out but they won’t be long - just today and then tomorrow morning they will be back. Just one more night then. Go to sleep now please and don’t wake me up again!”
“No but Lexie this was real, trust me. Can you please just check the attic once for me... ? Pretty, pretty please...”
Lilly’s eyes were full of fear and terror. Her brown hair was dancing in the cool white night lamp. Her green hazel eyes were glistening with tears as if she would cry any moment. Her lips were shivering as if she was in a cold and deserted place with no one there. Her face was colourless and so pallid as if she was sick and hadn’t eaten anything for years. She was sniffing really badly as well; that made me even more concerned.
“Lilly calm down. Ok, I will, but promise me you will stay calm.”
“Promise,” replied Lilly, “but Lexie, I am coming with you as well. I do not want to be left alone one bit until mother comes to us.”
“Lilly but...”
“Please Lexie, I just don’t want to be left alone though.”
“Fine, but you should not sniff or cry even if something is there. Ok?”
“Fine. I won’t.”
We went up the creaky and rickety old steps slowly and together. Lilly was holding me ever so tightly, so tight it felt as if one of those blood pressure monitoring machines was on my hand except it got tighter, tighter, tighter, and never stopped.
I whispered, “You have 2 torches don’t you? You have also checked that they work perfectly and have new batteries, haven’t you?”
“Yes sissy, even 3 if they run out,” she whispered back.
“Good.”
We went higher and higher until something that sounded like tapping became like something that was stomping. Suddenly there was a loud malevolent laugh. I opened the door. A mischief of mice came scurrying out as if they were set free, then all of a sudden, the laugh and the stomp stopped. I dared not breathe and neither did Lilly. Her grip on me was so tight that it felt as if it was glued on and I could feel myself getting a bruise on my arm.
Without any telling, Lilly put the torch into my hand. I switched it on and then all of a sudden, the grip on my arm… Lilly’s hand was gone. It felt ice cold. I turned on the torch and looked for her. Nowhere to be seen. She was missing in pitch black darkness. Then abruptly the box behind me opened and I turned around swiftly. Things did not end there.
Inside that box another box opened and came up and then another and then finally another box; no ordinary box but a musical box. It opened and wound by itself and started singing. Not an ordinary song. A high-pitched song. A song that sent shivers down your neck. A song that was spine tingling. A song that had a meaning. It was a song that had a story behind it... I thought whoever did this had to do a lot of work. There were dolls narrating a story- no ordinary story but a story of a family and in particular it was Lilly’s and Lexie’s Family!
Four dolls were together which was my family. Then one doll (my mother) got a phone call and my parents left. Then my sister and I were left. I took a big gulp that made me choke. Then we went upstairs and my sister was taken away. I turned around. The song was going to end. I could feel something’s heavy breathing on my neck as if it was really eager for the next thing. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Cold sweat was pouring down my neck. I heard a scream, no ordinary one but my sister’s scream. I turned around expecting someone or something but no one was there. Whatever it was clearly had gone somewhere, not anywhere, but to attack my sister. I knew exactly what was happening. The figure came back and the same heavy breathing was on my neck, this time closer and heavier. This time I knew for sure I would see this creature. Turning around I saw…
A grey figure dark as if it was really sick and it wore a white gown. A gown similar to a wedding gown with a long veil, but it was torn in some parts as if someone in mad anger and rage had torn it apart in fury. It had black greasy hair pushed forward which made her face not clearly visible.
The malevolent malicious laugh came again but it was out of the dark figure’s mouth, so loud and low.
“Argggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” I screamed as I was so scared of what was going to happen.
“Lexie!!! Lexie!! Wake up you were screaming like mad”
It was Lilly. “You are alive!” I exclaimed with joy and hugged her so tightly.
She gave me such a sceptical look. “Anyway, guess what?”
“What?”
“I had the strangest dream about you and me going up to the attic and me getting dragged away by a weird ghastly figure and you screaming. It was just so strange”
I was shell-shocked. How could somebody have the same dream? I slowly pulled the sleeve of my dressing gown up to see a bruise. A bruise, which had been created by a hand. A hand the size of my sister’s.
Suddenly there was a malicious and malevolent laugh, the same as the one in my dream, low and loud like a man’s…
University Student Ambassadors
We are very grateful to the University of Reading for running the University Student Ambassadors programme to inspire and educate students about what university life if like and how it can benefit their future. Normally the students involved have four visits to the university but unfortunately this year two of the visits had to be cancelled. Despite this the University kept the programme going on line so that school students could still benefit from sessions with the mentors. Yesterday's session included target setting, research skills, how to deal with feedback and a Q&A which included questions about choosing A Levels, finance and dealing with homesickness. Students were invited to submit their research posters and we are delighted that Sarah Gunge’s poster was placed third. Thank you to the students and staff at the University of Reading for their commitment.
SIXTH FORM AT QAS
I would like to give you the opportunity to register your daughter with a view to her joining Queen Anne’s School in September 2021.
Within the next few weeks I will write to all registered girls’ parents giving further details of the admissions pathway for entry to L6 (Year 12). At that time, I will include information and application forms to enable registered girls to apply for scholarships and additional information about our A level Options and Sixth Form Open Evening which will take place in September and the entrance examinations and scholarship assessments which will take place in November 2020.
To register your daughter please click the link Register. The registration fee can be paid by bank transfer. We look forward to receiving your completed registration form soon and to welcoming you to Queen Anne’s to see the school in action when we are able to reopen the beautiful site to visitors.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Team on admissions@qas.org.uk
Further useful links:
- Coping with Stress (student workbook)
- Kindness Diary
- Parent pamphlet - Coping with Change
- Student pamphlet - Coping with Change
- Wellbeing Student Pamphlet
Here is the Reading Families’ Forum summary of the information we have received this week.
- During the pandemic, parents can contact the Early Years Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) advisors, Sam and Angela phone 0118 937 4981 or email at: Samantha.Smith@brighterfuturesforchildren.org or Angela.Smith@brighterfuturesforchildren.org they can provide information and advice, fun activity and advice on applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan.
- The third and final wave of home learning resources for children and young people with SEND has now been published on Gov.uk. Here is the link for all that Parenting Special Children are offering during Covid and beyond.
- Please note that PSC have taken their SEND & Mental Health conference online - September 23rd with Dr Pooky Knightsmith. They have 132 people attending but are still taking bookings. PSC also offer an on demand sleep video which may be helpful for families as they prepare to get more stable bedtime routines ready for school. Regarding children/young people with SEND transitioning back to school, PSC have a new series of online workshops. They will offer this series in August and September.
- Mary Meredith is an experienced in education and is currently Head of Inclusion at Lincolnshire County Council. She had published these useful tips on preventing anxiety based school refusal.
- Not Fine in School is a parent led organisation offers support to families of children who school refuse, whether this is through unmet additional needs, mental or physical health or bullying.
- Autistica have a range of online resources to help cope during this pandemic. They also have a free podcast that may be relevant to those of you with autistic young adults. The podcast is with Debbie Spain and Tasos Galanopoulos, a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and a consultant psychiatrist, respectively. They have decades of experience working with autistic adults, and sleep has been a constant feature.
- Newbold Hope have produced an excellent webinar on reducing extreme behaviour episodes in children with SEND which can be watched on demand for a cost of £10.
- Does your child have a Social Worker? The Children and Young People’s Disability Team tell us they are providing flexible packages to support parents are feeling exhausted. Do contact your Social Worker if you are feeling stressed and/or exhausted. If your child doesn’t have a Social Worker, contact the Children’s Single Point of Access. Using a web form, which is the most secure and effective way of requesting help for a child. The form can be found at: www.reading.gov.uk/childrensreferralform. Calling the team on 0118 937 3641 or emailing the team on cspoa@brighterfuturesforchildren.org.
- Please let us know how you are getting on; the Reading Families’ Forum are having virtual meeting with managers in Brighter Futures for Children regularly and would like to be able to tell managers how families are experiencing services.
- Queuing to get in shops, during social distancing, can be tough for some of our children. As many of you know, Sunflower lanyards are widely recognised as a symbol of a hidden disability. Reading Borough Council are getting in touch with local shopping centres to remind staff that a sunflower lanyard may mean that a person will have difficulty queuing. You can wear them if you child/young person doesn’t want to. You can get the lanyards, pins or bracelets if you prefer. There is also a clip on to say that a person is exempt from face coverings at a cost of 55p.
- Just to let you know, the Maiden Erleigh Trust won the bid to open the new special school in Reading to be called The Oak Tree, opening around 2023.
Wishing you all the very best this week - Reading Families Forum