Firstly I want to thank you for your support over the last year, for your child and to the school. It's been a journey none of us could have imagined just over a year ago,  a rather hideous roller-coaster for many of us, and your children have been absolutely amazing in so many ways.

We are nearly at the end of this part of our journey, and it is not a familiar road for any of us, we are all facing fresh challenges as we navigate the way forward.

The assessment timescale is not too different from the usual formal exam season, but the students have reduced content to get to grips with, and the 40 min sessions in class are certainly less daunting than the exam hall settings we all remember.

That said I know some students are likely to feel resentful that they have been deprived of this rite of passage, and will continue to develop their growth mindset in their next phase of education to achieve all that they deserve.

Advice from me for the weeks ahead - 

Eat regularly and as healthily as possible/drink plenty of water/ calm bedtime routine and enough sleep/ time for play and prepare yourself fully following teacher advice. This applies to you the adults as well, apart from the teacher advice part, because you will support your child better if you are feeling well yourself.

Talk to us at school about your concerns, email me, sometimes the smallest actions can have a profoundly positive effect.

Often , despite what you might experience at home your child is their own  harshest critic , and the inner voice can be very unkind so if necessary you may need to deliver reassurance by the bucket load which is often contradictory.

We want them to try their hardest, achieve the absolute best they can in these unprecedented times of interrupted education,but there is a way forward whatever happens.

Anne Duke, our school counsellor says -

"Probably the most useful thing parents can do, either about exams or the next steps for their children is to NOT NAG!  This is the thing I hear most often upsets/annoys the students and is really stress and anxiety provoking.  Encourage the parents to casually ask occasionally, offer any support and trust that their child will say if they want it. (Probably they won't accept support even if the parent thinks they need it!)  Being available for their child in a relaxed way is helpful and providing nice things for them to eat! "

Liz Wiliams, our Parent Support worker says-

"Sometimes it is hard for children to ask or tell us things , so encouraging them to write stuff down, either to a parent/carer or just to get stresses out of their heads. 

Asking what they want is really important but not to ask too many questions or go on !   

Happy maps is good for advice to parent/carers 

https://www.happymaps.co.uk/

Young Minds has a great selection of tips that you may find useful.  https://youngminds.org.uk/resources/school-resources/wellbeing-tips-for-secondary-students-during-exams/

Thank you for joining us for this evening, the meeting has been recorded and will be uploaded to the website, including the links , and as ever, please email me any questions

Christabel Brightley

Head of Y11

Careers Lead

0117 9030135