April 3, 2020 OFQUAL guidance for all GCSE and A Level students this summer Dear all, The guidance letter from OFQUAL can be seen below. This short note is to reassure you that we will be following that guidance to the letter. We share their confidence that our staff will allocate grades fairly using all the evidence at our disposal. I would like to emphasise that I have directed all staff and the Senior Leadership Team to NOT respond to any communication from parents and/or students on this topic. I appreciate your anxiety but, as the letter states, it will be OFQUAL and the Examining Boards who will standardise our estimated grades and it will be OFQUAL and the Examining Boards that will issue the final grade – not the school. Finally, the letter does also state that students who feel that their final grade is unfair will be able to sit an examination in that subject in Autumn Term. Therefore, it is still wise for students to use the time at their disposal for revision. Stay safe and dedicate prayers to those who are ill at this time, their families and the key workers who are valiantly going 'up and beyond' to take care of them. Kind Regards, Mr Kearns https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MuTBcpBDO6lGeaXNJIr9NHX1QssgcuMJ/view?usp=sharing

A look at Higher Education 1. Virtual University Tours At a time when Year 12 students might ordinarily be starting to think about attending University Open Days, this is a really useful centralised place to find 'virtual tours' of UK Universities. https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/open-days-and-events/virtual-tours 2. Update from UCAS and Universities UK Universities UK and UCAS - with the support of the Universities Minister - have issued an open letter to applicants following the update from government of further details on arrangements for students whose exams have been cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus. https://universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Update-from-UCAS-and-Universities-UK-.aspx Please also see the government guidelines https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020 3. 10 Ways to Achieve Careers Education at Home The Careers Hub in Cornwall has put together a selection of resources, activities and ideas for anyone to use, to ensure young people continue to have high aspirations. This is effectively a collection of commonly used careers resources but nice to have them all in one place. https://www.careershubcios.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/10-ways-to-achieve-careers-education-at-home.pdf

Free School Meal Update Food Parcels Free school meals parcels will be delivered again today to all eligible families from 11 am onward. The same system will be in place as last week (Wednesday 25th March) staff will knock the door and leave the parcel at the door for you to take in. In addition to the free school meal parcels we are working with FareShare and Tesco to support additional food donations to those that need them, please let us know if you require additional food on delivery days and we will do what we can to support. I would like to thank families that have donated their free school meal parcel to other families and the staff that are working hard to ensure all of our families receive their parcels. Free School Meal Vouchers You may have seen an announcement from the government regarding Vouchers for Free School Meals - We are currently awaiting further information from the Local Authority as to how these will be sent to school and then on to you. We suspect that these will be sent via email, if you do not have access to email please can you contact us at school. We will text you with further voucher information as soon as we can. Stay in, stay safe Vicki Chatwin

Please see the attached guide to support parents help their children stay mentally well

NEW 'Learn at home' career resources. Over at Amazing Apprenticeships they have created a range of 10 different resources for parents and students to explore apprenticeships from home. These new 'Learn at home' resources - including online quizzes, offline puzzles and more - will provide activities and ideas to keep the careers conversation flowing during school closures. The majority of the resources are suitable for students in years 7-13, and are expected to take up to 30 minutes to complete. Visit the Learn at home resource hub now to download all resources for free. https://amazingapprenticeships.com/learn-at-home/?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=landing%20pg&utm_campaign=learn%20at%20home

Free activities and resources for all the family; As time goes by we are finding many more companies are making their products and services free to access. Update (3/4/20) Take a look at the 87 free resources here; https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-free-resources-home-learning

this afternoon we are out delivering school meals for @nishkamschools At this time, there are lots of ways you can volunteer for your local community. let us know if you have been volunteering too.. share your stories below! #PLPrimaryStars #OnePack @PLCommunities

@WestNishkam https://t.co/FSBYc7Wqiw

Coronavirus Update: 25 March 2020 Dear Parents / Carers, Please see the latest guidance from the DfE dated 24 March 2020, detailing how you can help to support the implementation of social distancing at our school: https://t.co/3eIM8ItJPK https://t.co/hh2uRXQUHC #COVID19

RT @JustinWelby: As UK faith leaders, we appeal again to our communities: please do not gather physically in groups - it puts lives at risk...

RT @GavinWilliamson: You should only send your child to school on Monday if you have to, because your work is critical to our COVID-19 resp...

RT @UCL_Holocaust: Before school closures we're announcing @nishkamschools as our 15th #QualityMark Beacon School. Details will be availabl...