Year 11 to Year13 Changes to the partial suspension of in school lessons

Dear Parents of Year 11-13 DBIS students,

We are very much aware of the challenges for our students who are in their examination years and we are focused on supporting them to be successful with their learning journey and subsequent qualifications. This involves keeping you and them informed about the latest situation regarding the summer examinations as well as preparing them effectively for all eventualities. I am therefore writing to update you about the amendment to our existing provision for our Year 11-13 students, with particular respect to their examination subjects.

As was mentioned in my email last Friday, the 8th of January, we have moved period 2 slightly earlier to make it simpler for those students outside of Discovery Bay to be able to come into school on time for period 3. We have also switched the period 2 and period 5 sessions on Day 1 of the two week cycle, which supports both Year 11 and 13 students to have another lesson in school. All of these changes came into effect this morning, Monday 11th of January.

As you will have been notified regarding the intention from international examination boards to commit to summer examinations, we will do everything we can to ensure that your son or daughter is well prepared for these. In certain instances, examination boards are making accommodations and/or allowances for selected subjects. Whilst this does not have a significant impact on many subjects at this stage, where there is a change it has already been accommodated by teachers and Heads of Departments in their provision. Any subsequent developments will be acted upon. Your child’s teachers will ensure that every student knows what they need to do to fulfil the current requirements within the associated timeframe. Teachers will also communicate with you, if they have concerns about your child’s progress, as we all work together to support each student to achieve what they are capable of.

Our focus is on ensuring that each child is able to complete all of their courses to the highest standard and that their grades are not adversely affected by the current situation. Ideally this would involve having all students in school for all their lessons, however as this is not possible at this time, we are focused on moving some period 1 and 2 lessons until the end of the school day. Certain qualifications particularly benefit from students being able to physically be in class, for example Design & Technology where students often require specialist equipment for their coursework. The decision concerning which classes have moved to the end of the day is based on: consultation with teaching staff regarding the course requirements; student progress in terms of course content and coursework; and the particular needs of students such as in-school resources.

As a result of the aforementioned considerations we have chosen to move certain lessons from their scheduled period 1 or 2 slot to the very end of the school day, 3:30-4:30 pm. This allows the students to have more direct contact with their teachers and in certain cases with particular resources which will support their progress. Please note that these changes will happen from Monday the 18th of January, and to support students this will be updated on their timetables on their Google accounts. The link below shows the period 1 and 2 classes that have been moved to the end of the day.

Link to list of Year 11-13 classes running at 3:30 pm from 18 January 2021

We will continue to reflect on our ongoing provision to assist students through these uncertain times, and will keep you and your children informed about any future changes. I would like to reiterate my appreciation for the understanding and suggestions from our community as they are valuable in enabling us to support all of our students effectively through these challenging times. This is a difficult time for all of our students and we encourage them to reach out to the secondary team if they need support or guidance. In the meantime, if there is anything that we can do, please do contact myself, the Secondary Leadership Team, your child’s Head of Year or their Form Tutor if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions.

 

Kind regards

 

Simon Oakley

Head of Secondary

 

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