Dear Year 11 Parents and Carers,

I am writing to confirm arrangements some arrangements regarding the end of Year 11. But before I launch into details, I want to say how impressed I have been with Year 11 this term. Despite all of the uncertainty and fear mongering, they have got their heads down and have been working exceptionally hard. They have shown incredible amounts of resilience, and they have been – frankly – an inspiration. I am in awe of their dedication and commitment.

Moving on, I want to confirm some details regarding the end of term and their assessment process. I am sorry that this is coming so late in the year, but I’m sure you’ll appreciate that there has been a lot of uncertainty up until this point.

Final Day of Term

First of all, Year 11’s final day in school will be the end of this half term on Friday 28^th May. As you know, Year 11 assessments will be continuing up until this day, so it is vital students continue to attend until then.

There will then follow a three-week transition period, from Monday 7^th – Friday 25^th June. During this time, students may be asked to come in to sit any assessments they have missed. We will also be inviting in selected students who have not yet finalised their plans for next year. Students must therefore be available to come into school if asked until the 25th June.   For students at home, we will provide a series of online activities, focusing on preparing for Sixth Form, College or Apprenticeships. Year 11 will then officially finish on Friday 25^th June, as per government guidelines.

GCSE Results Day

This year, GCSE Results Day is a week earlier than normal on Thursday 12^th August. We expect that this will take place in school. Our Sixth Form will then be open for enrolment from Thursday 12^th-Friday 13^th August. We expect that most other Sixth Forms and colleges will do the same. It is therefore very important that students are available to come in on person on those days. Our staff will be on hand to offer advice and guidance if required. We will send out further details closer to the time.

Assessment Update

As you know, students are currently in their second (of three) assessment windows. These assessments are very important, as they will be the main thing we look at to work out students’ grades this summer. It is therefore absolutely key that students continue to work hard up until the end of term, and attend all warm ups and period 6 interventions. As I said before, I’ve been hugely impressed with their efforts so far – but every little counts at this stage!

Once all of these assessments are complete, we will begin the process of allocating grades. In our staff meetings and training sessions this term, we’ve been looking at the processes we will use to ensure grades are fair. All assessments are being marked blind (this means teachers don’t know whose paper they are marking), and we have put an extremely thorough moderation process in place to ensure grades are fair and consistent.

There will also be a rigorous quality assurance process for all schools, where external auditors look at and moderate our grades to ensure they are fair compared to other schools and are in line with their expectations from Holmleigh Park.

If you would like more information, all of these processes are outlined in our Teacher Assessed Grades policy, which you can find here.

End of Year Celebration

Finally, we are very keen to ensure that Year 11 receive some kind of celebration event. While current restrictions mean that this might look a little different to a normal prom, we are exploring several different options, and will be in touch in the coming weeks with further details.

Best wishes,

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher

Dear Year 13 Parents and Carers,

I am writing to confirm arrangements some arrangements regarding the end of Year 13. But before I go on, I think it is worth commenting on how I am in awe of them all. The uncertainty faced this year by Year 13 has been huge - even when compared to Year 11. They have had a hugely disrupted experience of Sixth Form, and many of them still face some uncertainty through the UCAS process. The year group's response has been absolutely magnificent. They have worked incredibly hard, but the way they have rallied around each other to get through this together has been very humbling. They are all - without exception - absolutely wonderful young people. 

Final Day of Term

First of all, Year 13’s final day in school will be the end of this half term on Friday 28^th May. As you know, their assessments will be continuing up until this day, so it is vital students continue to attend until then.

There will then follow a three-week transition period, from Monday 7^th – Friday 25^th June. During this time, students may be asked to come in to sit any assessments they have missed. We will also be inviting in selected students who have not yet finalised their plans for next year. Students must therefore be available to come into school if asked until the 25th June.   For students at home, we will provide a series of online activities, focusing on preparing for life beyond school. Their official last day will then be on Friday 25^th June. 

A Level / BTEC Results Day

This year, Results Day is a week will take place on Tuesday 10^th August. We expect that this will take place in school. It is therefore very important that students are available to come in on person on those days. Our staff will be on hand to offer advice and guidance if required. We will send out further details closer to the time.

Assessment Update

As you know, students are currently in their second (of three) assessment windows. These assessments are very important, as they will be the main thing we look at to work out students’ grades this summer. It is therefore absolutely key that students continue to work hard up until the end of term. As I said before, I’ve been hugely impressed with their efforts so far – but every little counts at this stage!

Once all of these assessments are complete, we will begin the process of allocating grades. In our staff meetings and training sessions this term, we’ve been looking at the processes we will use to ensure grades are fair. All assessments are being marked blind (this means teachers don’t know whose paper they are marking), and we have put an extremely thorough moderation process in place to ensure grades are fair and consistent.

There will also be a rigorous quality assurance process for all schools, where external auditors look at and moderate our grades to ensure they are fair compared to other schools and are in line with their expectations from Holmleigh Park.

If you would like more information, all of these processes are outlined in our Teacher Assessed Grades policy, which you can find here.

End of Year Celebration

Finally, we are very keen to ensure that Year 13 receive some kind of celebration event. We are exploring options and hope to confirm this with you very soon. 

Best wishes,

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher