Further to the letter sent out on Arbor on Friday 2nd October about the need for additional deep cleaning measures and the impact on having to bring our post-assessment Curriculum Review meetings forward in the day, there are three further occasions before the end of term where all year groups will be finishing early during Period 3, while staff remain in school to carry out the year group specific Curriculum Review meetings.

The first of these occasions is Tuesday 17th November which will be focused on the Year 10 curriculum following their recent assessments. On each of the afternoons listed above, students will be leaving the school site using their normal entrance/exit gates during, or at the end of Period 3 to facilitate staggered exits for the year groups at the following times:

• Year 9 to leave at 12.20pm via the Payton Road gates
• Year 8 to leave at 12.30pm (Not on Tues 17th November as the year group is self-isolating) via the Holyhead Road gates
• Year 11 to leave at 1.00pm via the Holyhead Road gates
• Year 7/13 to leave at 1.10pm via the Payton Road (Y7) and Milestone Lane (Y13) gates
• Year 10 to leave at 1.25pm via the Holyhead Road gates (Not on Tues 17th November as the year group are learning from home)
• Year 12 to leave at 1.30pm via the Milestone Lane gates (Not on Tuesday 17th November as the year group are leaving at 11.30am)

Students on Free School Meals will still be able to collect lunch before they leave.

Teachers will post learning resources on their group’s Google Classrooms for students to complete remotely when they get home so they are continuing their learning whilst not able to be in the lessons during Period 4, and will also provide personally recorded instructional videos to support students with their learning.

Part 2: Year 9 Tutor/Parent Learning Conversations - Monday 7th & Tuesday 8th December 3.30-5.30pm

These dates have been put back by 2 weeks from those originally planned and sent out in the same letter in October, this being due to the postponement of Year 9 Assessments with the need for the year group to self-isolate from Tuesday 3rd - Friday 6th November. The Year 9 Tutor/Parent Learning Conversations will take place on those dates between 3.30 and 5.30pm, with parents able to book appointments using the Arbor Parent Portal under Guardian Consultations.

Part 3: December CPD Day - Friday 4th December

Following our decision to delay the return of students in September until all parents and students had been given the opportunity to meet with Form Tutors, we have only 3 more planned Continuing Professional Development Days throughout the remainder of the year. The next of these days is scheduled to take place on Friday 4th December and the school will be closed to all students.

The remaining two CPD days will be held on the first day of the Spring and Summer terms on Monday 4th January and Monday 19th April.

Thank you once again for your support and consideration as we work to prepare for the changing circumstances which COVID is presenting to schools and students at this time. Decisions like this to finish on-site learning early are not taken lightly, however, the nature of the challenge this year is to make sure that the curriculum in each subject, for each year group is flexible and teachers respond to the needs of their groups based on accurate assessments, whilst maintaining hygiene standards meet the strict requirements of the times.