The government this afternoon released more information about how students will be awarded GCSE and A level grades this summer. Clearly there is still more detail to be released on this. When we have further information on this we will share it with parents as soon as possible.
As you will be aware, the government has directed that all schools will close from today. This is due to the public health risk of school continuing to remain open in light of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The government has asked schools to try to remain open to a small number of vulnerable children and the children of key workers who have no other childcare options and whose children need supervision.
We should stress at this point that the government are still clear that:
If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
We currently have very low staffing levels due to those ill or self-isolating, or staff that fall into vulnerable groups and so are social distancing. We are however intending that a small skeleton staff will be in school each day next week to supervise these children. We will work to keep this in place for as long as possible but need to advise at this point that this will depend on staff continuing to be available (especially the key staff required to open such as safeguarding leads and first-aiders). In the event that the school is unable to continue to operate even with a skeleton staff, the local authority will provide alternative arrangements.
Some parents who are key workers have said that they are concerned their child may miss learning, particularly older children if they do not come in. Just to clarify, this is not a reason to send your children in and if it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be. This provision is for children who “cannot be safely cared for at home”:
- Normal teaching will not be taking place whilst the school is closed
- The national curriculum will not be followed during this time
- Students will be engaged in activities in groups with children of other ages
The school has already contacted parents by text yesterday to identify who the children of key workers are and whether they need supervision. If you did not receive this message please get in touch to update your contact details. If you have filled in this form someone will be in contact directly to confirm arrangements.
The Enterprise club has spent the last 6 weeks asking for donations and planning fundraising events for the Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter. However, due to the current events they have had to postpone their fundraising events and instead Miss Hunter took the donations they had so far to the shelter as they sent a plea for donations due to a shortage because they can’t fund raise themselves!
They were so happy with the donations and can’t wait to see what happens with the fundraising when it does go ahead! See the message from the shelter below!
We have had a number of parents contacting the school following the government announcement about school closure earlier this evening. No written guidance has been shared by the government and we have nothing further to share with parents at this point. Plans are already in place until the end of the week when school closure comes into effect. By this time we will have more information to share.
Can I please ask that students and parents refrain from contacting staff to ask about the summer exams (or predicted grades). The school has no further information at this time to share with parents.
We appreciate this is a worrying time for everyone but we as a school are receiving new information at the same time as parents. We will communicate further information to parents as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience in this matter.
Due to reduced staffing levels the school will be closed to year 7 and 8 students for the remainder of this week.
This will allow the school to remain open as usual for years 9 to 13 with appropriate staffing levels.
Schools in Wales and Scotland have taken the decision to close indefinitely from Friday.
The government will be making a statement at 17.00pm regarding schools in England. We will communicate further with parents following the announcement.
Borrowbox is the FREE library e-book and e-audio service. All fully accessible from a device at home.
You can join North Tyneside Libraries online by using the form at:
https://capitadiscovery.co.uk/northtyneside/join
Online membership last for one full year. This membership gives you access to use our eBook and eAudiobook service through BorrowBox. After completing the online form you will be sent an email that includes your new PIN that can be used to access BorrowBox or the online catalogue. Once you join online, you can convert this into a full library membership at a later date.
You can access hundreds of eBooks completely free of charge through our North Tyneside Libraries’ eBooks service, BorrowBox. The BorrowBox app makes it easy to browse, borrow and read eBooks anywhere, everywhere.
To get started with the BorrowBox app:
- For Apple devices, find the BorrowBox app in the App Store
- For Android devices, find the BorrowBox app in the Google Play Store
- In the app, find your library service — North Tyneside Libraries
- Sign In with your library ticket (28012 number) and your library PIN.
- If you have forgotten you PIN you can get a new one from any library. If you have an email address registered with us you can reset it here.
The Department for Education has launched a new helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 related to education. Staff, parents and young people can contact the helpline as follows:
Phone: 0800 046 8687
Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
The latest guidance for education settings is available on GOV.UK. There is also information on the Public Health England website.
Although students are still welcome to fill their option choices in, the deadline of Friday has been postponed until at least after Easter. This is to enable both students and staff to focus on the more urgent issues relating to COVID-19.
Due to reduced staffing levels the school will be closed to year 7 students for the remainder of this week.
This will allow the school to remain open as usual for years 8 to 13 with appropriate staffing levels. We will review this on a daily basis and inform parents of any updates.
Year 7 has the highest number of students who are already self isolating for 14 days. Therefore this will have the least impact.
As you will be aware, the government yesterday released updated advice on the measures in place to limit the rate of coronavirus infections.
Currently at Burnside we have no confirmed cases of coronavirus amongst staff or students. At the time of writing there are 3 confirmed cases in North Tyneside.
We do however have a number of students and staff who are following the government’s guidance on self isolation because they are reporting either a:
- new continuous cough and/or
- high temperature
This is now having an impact on our ability to open as normal for all students.
Staff and students who have taken the decision to self isolate must now do so for 14 days.
Government advice is also that if staff, young people or children become unwell on site with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature they should be sent home.
We are currently following all of the government’s advice to educational settings and making every effort to remain open whilst still ensuring that staff and students remain safe.
Students who are self isolating will be able to access work here. On this page students from all year groups can find specific work for all subjects that they can complete at home.
This is a challenging situation for everyone and is changing by the day. The school is in regular contact with the local authority and public health and will do everything necessary to continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the school community.
Please find below resources from each department to support students in working from home during the school’s period of closure. In addition, teachers are in regular contact with their classes via both email and their Google classrooms. If you have any questions that are not covered by the FAQs below, please contact the school via homelearning@burnsidecollege.org.uk
KS3 (Years 7, 8 & 9) Resources |
KS4 (Years 10 & 11) Resources |
KS5 (Years 12 & 13 – Sixth Form) Resources |
Other FAQs
As a parent I can’t always access the Burnside lesson slides, why is this? Most lessons on Google slides are set so that anyone within Burnside has instant access but email addresses from outside the organisation require permission. Staff will be more than happy to share the slides with parents too but the quickest way to access them is if the student logs on themselves as then they will have instant, automatic access to the work.
Should my child be trying to follow their normal timetable? For some students, they may feel that following their normal routine is comforting in these unprecedented times. For these students, trying to stick to the school day and working on the subjects as they would have had them in school will be a positive thing. However, although the amount of work students are being set will reflect the number of lessons on their timetable (for example, if they are only taught a subject once a week they will only be set an hour’s worth of work for it) there is no expectation that they stick to their normal timetable if this is not possible. We know that many older students are now being called upon to look after younger siblings and therefore cannot stick to a regular routine. Either way, students may find it useful to download and use this weekly planner to organise their time.
Should I be helping my child with the work? Although we would always welcome any parents working with their child, there is absolutely no expectation that you do. All work has been set in such a way that students can do it independently. We are aware that many parents are key workers and are at work during the day, others are being asked to work from home and many others have younger children to care for during the day.
My child isn’t sure if they are in a Google classroom or not; how do they find out? Students automatically received email invitations to their Google classrooms in September and many teachers have re-invited them in the last few weeks. However, the best person for them to contact if they think they need to be invited again is their classroom teacher.
I have a child in Year 10; what exam boards do you use so I can support them with additional work? Please find here all exam boards in use for the current Year 10s.
Will you be setting work over the Easter holidays? No, staff will not be setting additional holiday work. However, students should use this time to catch up on any work missed before then. However, if students want to challenge themselves, many subjects have extension work suggestions in the section above.
