School Closure - Thursday 19th and Friday 20th March

17th March 2020.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As a school we totally appreciate that the current situation regarding COVID–19 (Coronavirus) is causing a great deal of distress and anxiety for everyone. The health and wellbeing of all our students is paramount and we understand parents’ decisions to keep their daughters at home in what is a very fast changing situation.

Wednesday 18th March is a planned INSET Day when no timetabled lessons are scheduled. I have consulted with the Chair of Governors and we plan to extend our INSET Days to include Thursday 19th and Friday 20th March. Our staff have been working hard to load their materials on to Google Classroom for students to access the teaching materials remotely. GCSE and A Level students will be very familiar with using this system. Over the next day or two students should ensure that they check their C2K password in order to log in from home. If there are any difficulties they should contact the school so that any issues can be resolved.

The additional INSET days will provide staff with the opportunity to try out the digital platforms that we have set up to support your daughter. Some departments have provided revision booklets and paper copies of the materials that they would be using in class. You will be aware from the news that when the decision is made to close the schools that it is likely to be for a long period of time and we want to ensure that students are provided with adequate materials.

The school will be open over the next 3 days if you need to contact us for any reason regarding any work your daughter needs to do. GCSE, AS and A Level students are requested to ensure that they have completed controlled assessments or emailed their teachers directly regarding any work that they need to submit. CCEA has informed us that students should prepare for examinations as normal.

When I receive anymore updated information I will keep you updated.

As a school we want to thank you for support and understanding during this period of uncertainty.

Yours sincerely,

Ms McLaughlin.