Month: January 2022
*NEW* Friday Lunchtime Maths Homework Club
26 Jan 2022
Building Brilliant Vocabulary
26 Jan 2022
Keeping our Children Safe: Covid Vaccinations 12-15 year olds.
26 Jan 2022
Covid-19 vaccinations are to be offered again in Nottingham’s secondary schools this term. Pupils aged 12-15 will be able to get either a first or second dose of the vaccine.
If you missed the chance for your child to get the jab last term, this is another opportunity to make sure they are protected from Covid-19.
Most children can get the second dose from 12 weeks after their first dose.
The vaccinations are being organised by the School Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS).
Giving your consent for vaccination
It is important that you give consent for your child to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
You can consent online in advance of the vaccination date being announced at your school – you do not need to wait until the exact timings have been confirmed.
Consenting now means that your child can be vaccinated when the School Aged Immunisation Services visits your school.
You can find the online consent form here – it should only take a minute to fill in:
www.nottinghamshireimmunisations.co.uk/Forms/CovidDose2
Regular vaccination sessions for 12-15 year olds
Vaccinations for young people are also available outside of school. The Forest Recreation Ground vaccination centre has regular clinics for 12-15 year olds every Monday and Wednesday from 4.30pm to 7.30pm.
You can walk in to these sessions with your children without appointment or you can book a dedicate time through the online link here.
More information about the vaccinations for 12-15 year-olds can be found on the NHS website here.
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to keep your family, your school and your community safe from Covid-19.
Yours faithfully
Nick Lee Lucy Hubber
Director of Education Director of Public Health
Nottingham City Council Nottingham City Council
Work for Isolating Students
26 Jan 2022
Students are not required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, and any of the following apply:
- they are fully vaccinated
- they are below the age of 18 years and 6 months
- they have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
- they are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons
How will my child be taught remotely if they have to self-isolate?
Students should follow their timetable in terms of timings for each subject each day. We use a combination of the following approaches to teach students remotely depending on the numbers isolating:
- Oak National Academy and other nationally recognised online lessons as well as commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences.
- Additional Independent study will be set on Class Charts in line with student timetables. This may then direct to another website, online platform, textbook or reading book.
- Long-term project work and/or internet research activities.
- Paper based work will be posted home if required.
- Students with limited IT access can request a loan laptop to enable internet access and completion of school work.
Links to Online Lessons by Year Group [CLICK HERE]
Oak National Academy Years 7 & 8
Oak National Academy Years 9, 10 & 11
RM Unify – Links to all online resources used at the academy
GCSEPOD – With pedagogical content knowledge for 27 GCSE/ IGCSE subjects, GCSEPod make it easy to learn and revise from wherever you are, on any device and is particularly suited to remote learning. (Year 9 – Year 11)
Seneca – is a free online platform created for both students and teachers. Students can use Seneca for revision, utilising the platform to learn information before testing themselves. (Year 7 – Year 11)
BBC Teach – BBC resources that cover various subjects at secondary school. (Year 7 – Year 11)
BBC Bitesize – Bitesize is the BBC’s free online study support resource for school-age pupils in the United Kingdom. It is designed to aid pupils in both schoolwork and, for older pupils, exams. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Oak National Academy – A range of resources and online lessons to allow students to continue to study independently. (Year 7 – Year 10)
BBC Daily lessons – Online lessons and resources created and delivered by the BBC. (Year 7 – Year 10)
Maths
Hegarty Maths – The aim of Hegarty Maths is to provide a top quality, home learning platform to students so that, along with fantastic teacher-led Maths lessons in school, your child will be supported at home with their Maths learning.(Year 7 – Year 11)
Maths Mastery – Resources aimed at KS3 students designed by the Ark Curriculum team. (Year 7 – Year 9)
Bowland Maths Resources – downloadable assessments on a range of subjects, including sample answers and assessment tips. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Corbett Maths – a range of videos and downloadable questions categorised by topic and predicted grade. (Year 9 – Year 11)
Maths Kitchen – an interactive GCSE revision website. Resources are categorised by topic, including video lessons and practice questions. (Year 9 – Year 11)
Nrich – a range of activities. Some are interactive and some are to be completed offline. Activities are categorised by age range. (Year 7 – Year 11)
English
English Mastery – Resources aimed at KS3 students designed by the Ark Curriculum team. (Year 7 – Year 9)
Audible – all children’s audiobooks are available for free while schools are closed. (Year 7 – Year 11)
English and Media Centre – downloadable resources covering a range of texts for key stage 3. GCSE resources are categorised by examination board. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Pobble 365 – a new image is published each day as a basis for creative writing. Story starters, questions and drawing ideas are provided. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Poetry by Heart – not required to view poems, but it is required to access teaching resources. (Year 7 – Year 11)
The Children’s Poetry Archive – an archive of spoken poetry recordings. Pupils can listen to poems being read aloud. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Project Gutenberg – Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world’s great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired.
Science
Stem Learning – an online resource bank, which links to resources on external websites. The site features a live chat function offering support from subject experts. New home learning resources are being developed. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Isaac Physics – online problem-solving activities to support teachers and students. The content focusses on physics but also covers some maths and chemistry. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Art and culture
12 free Musuem tours – Free virtual tours of museums around the world. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Google Arts and Culture – Access to 500 museums and art galleries from around the world. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Business Studies
My Money Week – My Money Week is a national activity week for primary and secondary school aged children and young people, providing a fantastic opportunity for them to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence in money matters to thrive in society. (Year 7 – Year 11)
Computer Science
CraignDave – Youtube channel that covers a range of Computer Science topics (Year 7 – Year 11)
Code Academy – Online learning platform that allows you to learn various coding languages (Year 7 – Year 11)
Code Club – Various projects to allow your child learn how to code (Year 7 – Year 9)
Cyber Security – Challenges and competitions designed for students interested in Computer Science and online security (Year 7 – Year 11)
Drama
National Theatre – Each week the National Theatre is streaming an award winning production on YouTube (available for 7 days). (Year 7 – Year 11)
Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals – Every Friday a classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will be available on YouTube for 48 hours. (Year 7 – Year 11)
French
Twinkl French – An extensive range of resources such as worksheets, games and vocabulary tools all focusing on KS3 French. (Year 7 – Year 9)
Geography
National Geographic for Kids – National Geographic website that explores the world around us. (Year 7 – Year 9)
Virtual Tours – Virtual tours from locations around the world from San Diego Zoo to the Great Wall of China (Year 7 – Year 9)
Reach Out Reporter – Information and news articles from the world of Geography (Year 7 – Year 9)
History
History Podcasts – Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, narrates 100 programmes that retell humanity’s history through the objects we have made. (Year 7 – Year 11)
i-Media
ETX game design – Take free online game design courses to build your skills. (Year 9 – Year 11)
Music
BBC Music – opens up the world of classical music to 7-14 years old. Explore exciting films, master classes and live lessons. (Year 7 – Year 9)
BBC Bitesize – GCSE revision and quizzes for OCR Music. (Year 9 – Year 11)
PE
Fitness Blender – videos featuring a range of exercises and workouts. You can choose exercises by: degree of difficulty, type, gender and whether equipment is needed or not. (Year 7 – Year 11)
#ThisIsPE – videos delivered by teachers focussing on the PE curriculum which are accessible on YouTube. (Year 7 – Year 11)
RE
BBC Religions – Information about all the different religions in the world. (Year 7 – Year 11)
TrueTube – A website that has a range of resources and videos for RE and PSHE. (Year 7 – Year 11)
BBC Bitesize – GCSE revision and quizzes for EDEXCEL RE. (Year 9 – Year 11)
Personal Development
BBC PSHE and Citizenship – Personal development resources to help your child understand the world better.
Safer internet resources – Resources to help your child understand the dangers online and how to stay safe.
Philosophy – A crash course in philosophy which covers topics such as self, ethics, religion, language, art, death, politics, and knowledge through a philosophical perspective.
News
The Day newsletter – a daily newsletter for parents and carers at home with children, helping to enrich learning with real-world knowledge and skills.
Newsround – News designed for young children and teenagers.
Mental Wellbeing
KOOTH – Your online mental wellbeing community www.kooth.com
BPS – advice on dealing with school closures and talking to children about COVID-19.
Children’s Society – information and support on different aspects of mental health and wellbeing.
MindEd – an educational resource for all adults on children and young people’s mental health.
Rise Above – videos with tips on gaining confidence, dealing with anxiety and coping strategies from other young people.
Year 7 Review Meetings – 2.05pm closure Friday 4th February 2022
26 Jan 2022
Year 7 reviews are arranged for Friday 4th February 2022. This will mean that the whole school will close at the end of period 4 on Friday 4th February to allow these appointments to take place
Year 7 Review Meetings – Friday 4th February 2022
These review meetings are an opportunity for parents to come into the academy to meet with their child’s tutor to discuss progress and to talk about targets for the year ahead. Students are expected to attend these meetings.
When will the review meetings take place?
School will finish at 2.05pm on Friday 4th February so that staff can meet with parents. The meetings
usually last around 10-15 minutes.
How do I book a review meeting with my child’s tutor?
Your child’s tutor will contact you to arrange a convenient appointment time.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the academy
Building Brilliant Vocabulary Word of the Week
21 Jan 2022
SEND Surgery for Parents – (Fortnightly) Wednesday Online
6 Jan 2022
We are launching a weekly Wednesday surgery for parents of children with SEND to speak with a member of the Learning Support Team via video call.
If you would like to discuss your child’s progress or have any questions for the Learning Support Team, please book an appointment in advance using this link:
parkvaleacademy.schoolcloud.co.uk/
New Date! Thursday 24th February Years 10 & 11 Student Event: Learn How to Revise Effectively 3.05pm – 4.05pm
6 Jan 2022
The next set of Mock Examinations will take place from Monday 28 February 2022 to Friday 11 March 2022. In order to prepare for these and the actual GCSE exams, which we do expect to take place this year; we are supporting students to revise effectively by sharing a wide range of strategies.
Year 10/11 Revision Session
Rescheduled:
Thursday 24th February
3.05pm – 4.05pm in F16
With Mrs Harvey-Taylor
Do you know how to revise?
Do you sit staring at your books but don’t know how to get started?
Research shows that just reading or highlighting your notes is not enough!
The session will teach you how to revise in all your subjects so that you can make the most of your revision.
Just turn up!
TAGS/EXAMS 2022
1 Jan 2022
Dear Parent/Carer
We fully expect examinations to go ahead in 2022 for Year 11 and will continue to prepare for this. If examinations cannot go ahead in summer 2022 because of further COVID disruption, the government has decided that examination grades will instead be determined by teachers, using a Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) approach. We have been asked to collect formal assessment data throughout this school year which will be used to determine TAGs if exams are cancelled. These supervised assessments will be held under timed exam-like conditions and have been designed to support learning and preparation for examinations if they do take place.
If a student who receives reasonable adjustments in examinations because of a disability (such as extra time to complete an assessment, supervised rest breaks or use of a reader or scribe) then they will be provided with this support during the assessment[s]. If something happens before, or during an assessment that might have affected performance in the assessment then you should let the school know as soon as possible.
We will be in touch in the Spring Term if it is looking increasingly likely that examinations are looking unlikely regarding next steps.
Information for Candidates
The links below show you the current Information for Candidates documents concerning all types of external assessments. These are published by JCQ, The Joint Council for Qualifications and outline the requirements placed on candidates taking GCSE and GCE examinations.
Information for candidates – written exams
Information for candidates – coursework
Information for candidates – on-screen tests
Information for candidates – Social Media
Information for Candidates – Non-examination assessment
Information for Candidates – Privacy Notice
Webinar Thursday 13th Jan 22: Languages at A Level & Beyond
1 Jan 2022
Webinar: Languages at A Level & Beyond
Studying a language at GCSE and want to discover where this can take you? Join our webinar with the University of Birmingham – open to students at any Redhill Academy Trust school. Ask your languages teacher for the sign-up form.