Suspension of in-person Secondary school lessons – January 2022

Dear Parents of Secondary School Students,

Further to Mr Stuart Bridge’s email in relation to the suspension of face-to-face classes for some Secondary students, we want to take this opportunity to provide you with further clarity.

In line with Education Bureau (EdB) directives, during this period of partial school closure, we are only able to bring students who have public examinations this year into school, and these students may only attend school for half days. This means that students in Years 11 to 13 will be able to attend face-to-face lessons on campus, until lunchtime, from Monday 24th January

Unfortunately, this latest EdB directive requires us to move our learning provision for students in Years 7 to 10 online from Monday 24th January. We are extremely disappointed that our younger Secondary children will not be able to come to school for their classes, but we will do everything we can to ensure that all of our students have engaging opportunities for learning in each of their lessons.

 

Online learning provision for Year 7–10 students

From Monday 24th January, students in Years 7 to 10 will continue to have five lessons a day. These lessons will follow the existing timetable, with the transition time between lessons offering the children their usual short breaks to recharge. Our teachers are committed to ensuring that the learning is as fruitful as possible despite the challenging nature of remote learning. Lessons will be ‘live’, and students have already been reminded about etiquette and effective procedures to maximise their learning. 

We will make a few small amendments to the beginning of the school day. Tutor time will now last for 10 minutes and will begin from 8.30am. Primarily, this will allow tutors the opportunity to register the students, but moreover, it will provide the students with a little more time prior to commencing lesson 1 to ensure they are suitably prepared for the day.

1:1 tutor meetings will be suspended during the closure period; however, tutors will remain available should students wish to connect for personal matters or seek clarity or support about their learning. Students should reach out to their tutor to arrange a suitable time to meet online, should they desire.

Updated schedule for Year 7–10 students:

  • 8.30am – 8.40am:  Tutor time
  • 8.50am – 9.50am:  Lesson 1
  • 10am – 11am:  Lesson 2
  • 11am – 11.20am:  Break
  • 11.20am – 12.20pm:  Lesson 3
  • 12.30pm – 1.30pm:  Lesson 4
  • 1.30pm – 2.20pm: Lunch
  • 2.20pm – 3.20pm: Lesson 5

 

Provision for Year 11–13 students

Year 11, 12 and 13 students may attend school for face-to-face lessons until lunchtime. This means they will be in school for the majority of the day, from tutor time through to and including lesson 4. The students’ timetables and the location of lessons will remain unchanged. Students will return home at lunchtime, and lesson 5 will take place via Google Meet.

We have explored a number of options, and this arrangement offers the best solution across the Secondary school whilst ensuring that Year 11 to 13 students have the majority of their lessons on campus. Students in exam years will also have increased access to specialist subject classrooms during the closure period as the younger year groups will not be using them.

Updated schedule for Year 11–13 students:

In-school learning provision:

  • 8.30am – 8.40am:  Tutor time 
  • 8.50am – 9.50am:  Lesson 1
  • 10am – 11am:  Lesson 2
  • 11am – 11.20am:  Break
  • 11.20am – 12.20pm:  Lesson 3
  • 12.30pm – 1.30pm:  Lesson 4

Remote learning provision:

  • 1.30pm – 2.20pm:  Lunch
  • 2.20pm – 3.20pm:  Lesson 5

 

Guidance about online learning for all Secondary students

We appreciate that effective online learning relies on connectivity and engagement. Whilst we do not anticipate any issues, we have been proactive in ensuring that learning resources and associated instructions are available on your child’s respective Google Classrooms. Similarly, your son/daughter has received a refresher session with each of their teachers, reminding them of access arrangements and navigation tips. With Google’s new security features, it is essential that children sign in with their school account to access Google Classroom and Google Meets. For security reasons, children will not be admitted into any Google Meet if they are not signed into the correct school account.

There is a lot of information about online learning for our Secondary students on the Parent Hub. Please refer to this for further guidance:

https://hub.dbis.edu.hk/online-learning-2022/#sec

If your child experiences any difficulties in accessing their learning, please encourage them to reach out to their tutor, their Head of Year or the particular teacher who can support them.

 

Emergency childcare

The EdB requires schools to offer emergency childcare during periods of enforced school closure to those children who are unable to be safely supervised at home. With teachers and education assistants teaching classes online, we will only be able to offer a limited number of emergency childcare spaces to families who have no childcare at home. Full details about emergency childcare provision can be found on the Parent Hub using the link below:

https://hub.dbis.edu.hk/bulletin/secondary-emergency-childcare/

 

Thank you

I would like to reiterate my appreciation for the ongoing understanding from our community, which is so valuable in enabling us to support all of our students effectively. If you have any questions, please do contact myself, the Secondary Leadership Team, your child’s Head of Year or their Form Tutor.

 

Kind regards,

Simon Oakley

Head of Secondary

DBIS Hub

DBIS Hub