8 January 2021 

Dear Parents / Carers, 

I want to start by thanking the staff of Blaise High School for the tremendous effort they have made  this week and their flexibility and dedication in the face of an unprecedented week of change and  challenge for schools across the UK. 

I also want to thank all the parents who have been supporting their children with home schooling.  We know this isn’t easy but we hope that you’ve found the resources we’ve prepared have  enabled students to access learning both successfully and independently as much as possible. 

Next week we continue with the remote curriculum and you’ll find attached the links for the week  ahead. I wanted to clarify the expectations for working: 

1. Students are expected to complete 5 (6 in year 11) lessons per day 

2. The majority of lessons are on YouTube and students are expected to follow the video,  including pausing and completing the tasks in writing 

3. Students in year 11 will find all their lessons on Google Classrooms and students in year  10 will find their option subjects on Google Classrooms. For more support with using the  platform effectively have a look at the advice on our website here:  

http://www.blaisehighschool.co.uk/students/curriculum/remote-learning 

4. The lessons also include a Low Stakes Quiz and Exit Ticket. These are designed to  check student understanding and can be found in the description box of the video. These is  shown below: 

5. Every week there will be a further check for understanding which we call “The Weekly  Check”. The link to the weekly check is also on the attachment. This is a task that all  students must complete. This has 2 sections: 

a. Questions about how your child is getting on including how they are finding their  learning 

b. Questions which check the knowledge they should have learned in all their subjects  that week 

The questions in section b will be marked immediately and you’ll be able to review how well  your child is doing 

6. At least once per week a member of staff, usually your child’s tutor, will call to discuss  how their remote learning is going. During this conversation the staff member will also be  reviewing with you the results of their “Weekly Check”. Any student who is having difficulty  engaging in remote learning will receive additional phone calls to help support them to have  better chance of success. 

As well as your remote learning there are some further important notices for us to share: 

1. At school we run Fun Friday weekly for students as well as wider Character  Development opportunities. These won’t stop because school is closed! This week I would  like to share a brilliant remote Film Club that Mr Vowles is running for all students to  engage in, you can find out more here:  

https://www.blaisehighschool.co.uk/students/clubs/pe-extra-curricular-activities 

2. We will continue to distribute free school meal lunches to those families entitled to Free  School Meals. Distribution for the second week of supply will happen on Monday 11th from  11:30am to 1pm. Families entitled will receive a text to remind. 

3. Planned rapid asymptomatic testing will no longer go-ahead next week as a result of  the school closure. Testing on-site continues only for those working on site, including staff  and students. 

4. If your child requires additional stationery to support with their remote learning. For  example, exercise books to complete their written tasks then these are available to collect  from reception on any week day from 9am to 3pm. 

5. If you have any queries about your lessons or any other remote activities you can contact  specialist staff directly by email. Please find attached to this email a grid showing the email  addresses and responsibility of key staff. 

Yours faithfully, 

Ms K Brown 

Headteacher