What a turn off!A tour of the whole college on Wednesday revealed more empty rooms with lights on than should please any of us.

There are multiple reasons why we should be collectively shamed by this but two obvious ones would be:

1) We spend more than £65,000 a year on electricity, despite generating our own energy. A whole member of staff’s salary could be saved were we to be better individually at preserving energy.

2) We have a planet to save.

Please do your bit. Make a habit of turning the lights off every time you leave the room.

The next stage may be the name and shame.

Staff briefing – w/c 28th June 2021

A bare two weeks to go. If you don’t get to this until Tuesday, there are now single figures of get-ups remaining until you are rough-housed out of the building at 1:30pm on Friday 9th July.

Of course, there’s rather a lot to do in the intervening 10 days. This is another of those bulletins, crammed to the loft-space with newly-dreamt-up ways of making the next two weeks more complicated and soul-destroying-ly confusing than putting in a helpdesk ticket about malfunctioning email. Thank you again for bearing with us on this.

Because the mantra needs always to be – “When you’re sick of saying it, assume they’re just hearing it for the first time” – Y12s have been reminded that the week commencing 28th June is week 1. Please make sure you remind them on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week that it’s week 1 and that A & B block lessons will be running on Thursday, with C block on Friday…

…and, if this is the first you think you’ve heard of it, it’s week 1 this week. Just FYI.

And turn the lights off while you’re at it.

Important information

IMPORTANT UPDATE- What’s next in the TAG process?There are three important stages left.

1) Grades have gone! – I’m both relieved and delighted to announce that all grades have now been submitted. I want to thank you all for everything you’ve done. Special thanks to Chris and, even more so, to Russ, who has managed this exhaustive process while co-ordinating Y12 assessment week. Thank you.

2) The auditing of evidence – Thank you to teachers (and (A)HoFs) of English Language and Science GCSE and A Level Mathematics, whose samples were selected for audit. After some initial confusion, we are not expecting any more A level/ GCSE courses to be sampled. It also looks like good news for BTEC teachers/ courses. While the rumour mills continue to churn on Twitter, we think that Pearsons have contacted all the centres they mean to contact … and breathe…

3) The storing of evidence – Subjects can begin to bring their evidence to the Foundation Room from midday on Monday. Please try and limit the numbers of staff doing this so things don’t get too COVID-y in there.

4) Appeals – These will begin on 10th August and, we anticipate, take up much of the final few weeks of what we once used to call the ‘summer holiday’. The ready availability of your evidence is crucial for this purpose.

NEW - IMPORTANT UPDATE- Y12 Data: deadline this weekWe are proposing to collect data on all Y12 students, A level and BTEC, and to communicate this information to parents. The deadline for this data is this Friday, 2nd July

What do we need?

1) NEW – BTEC data required - We feel it important that we report data on all courses to all students/ parents. For BTEC, we would like you to report a current performance grade, based on an appraisal of what students have so far achieved. This is not a forecast, but an indicator of achievement to date. Double and triple BTECs should report two/ three grades (see nex slide for details).

2) A Level data required – The actual grade awarded for the end of year assessment. This is not a forecast grade.

3) Y12 Criminology (and other courses where a TAG will be sent out in August) – no data required.

NEW - IMPORTANT UPDATE- Y12 Data - BTECsWe do not wish the collection of data from BTEC teachers to be an onerous task, but we would like the data to be as accurate as possible.

We are looking for an accurate picture of students’ current achievement. There is no single way to ask teachers to generate this data because each course is in a very different place. Your options include:

1) Look at the grades the student has achieved for completed units. Estimate grades for incomplete/ exam units and generate an overall grade.

2) More formally calculate a grade/ grades by adding points for all units (including grades - where they have been decided - for incomplete & examined units) and use the ½ qualification calculation to generate a grade.

We understand that teachers of doubles and triples/ split classes may need to discuss these grades. Apologies for late clarification on this.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - Induction sessions – 7th & 8th July.

Attached to this email is the risk assessment for this event. Please read it.

Staff are invited to submit questions or to seek clarification over any specific issues.

Induction sessions – 7th July & 8th July

The ‘Tutorial’ session will be part of the first block of the day and will be delivered by teachers, including SLT.If you are timetabled to teach the first block, your lesson will start at 9:00am and you are asked to deliver a short presentation to students to give them information around their induction.You will be supplied (shortly via email) with the PowerPoint presentation to go through with the students.This will be in the same room as your first block and you should maintain the same seating plan.

Programme for Y12 students – upcoming weeks

Week beginning Y12 A Level Y12 BTEC

28th June (Week 1) Lessons as normalPLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF WEEK (FROM 2 TO 1). This evens out the distribution of lessons for some classes at the end of the year.

Lessons as normalPLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF WEEK (FROM 2 TO 1). This evens out the distribution of lessons for some classes at the end of the year.

5th July– weekly cycle suspended

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th – Timetable suspended (see next slide) for feedback to Y12 & the setting of summer work. Lessons end for Y12 on Tuesday 6th July

Monday 5th & Tuesday 6th – Timetable suspended (see next slide) for the setting of summer work.Lessons end for Y12 on Tuesday 6th July

Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th July – Induction lessons for new Y12s.

Re-timetabled sessions - 5th July & 6th July.

During these sessions, we would like students to spend time with the teacher who marked their end of year assessment/ exam, discussing general feedback on the assessment and setting work for the summer.

We appreciate that some colleagues who work part time and teach D and F block may not be contracted to work on these days. We would appreciate the efforts of all staff to make this experience worthwhile for students and will happily pay staff who do not normally work on these days to deliver these sessions, if they are able to arrange to do so.

9:00 – 10:50 10:50 – 11:20 11:20 – 13:10 13:10 – 13:40 13:40 – 15:30

Monday 5th A block Break D block Break C blockSLT Information

SessionSLT Information

SessionSLT Information

SessionSLT Information

Session

Tuesday 6th E block Break F block Break B blockSLT Information

SessionSLT Information

SessionSLT Information

SessionSLT Information

Session

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – some deadlines.

28th June – All Y13 BTEC final grades (not individual units) only gradebook

2nd July – BTEC average unit grades and Y12 internal assessment grade and indications of need for intervention onto Gradebook

5th July – All UCAS paragraphs onto Gradebook (instructions previously circulated)

Other Important information

Fire!For those of you keen to put your recent Fire Marshall training into practice, we will be running a full fire drill before the end of term.

You will not be told when this will be held. However, you can prepare by making sure you understand the evacuation routes from the various rooms in which you teach/ meet/ sleep.

Rubbish CollectionEmail site@inspiretrust.uk to ask for a blue bin. Let us know the room number where waste is ready for collection, we can promptly arrange.

Please can we ask that all cardboard is flattened to aid recycling and that waste is not left on corridors to maintain fire routes - we have seen large amounts of boxes already left on corridors blocking exits and extinguishers.

General waste can be collected if requested however should staff wish, the compound will be open during the day for any more urgent needs. General waste bins have black lids to identify them.

Teaching and Learning

Helping students respond to feedback

Be Specific – Students want to know....

- What do I need to do in order to improve my grade?- How do I do this?- Where can I find further help on this topic? Do I have access to a good example/ student friendly mark scheme?- When/How will I know I have achieved what is required?

"If I got it wrong in the first place, how am I supposed to know how to "correct/improve" it?" - TRC Student

Coming soon – AB Tutor

Teaching and Learning Software

✓ Sharing screens

✓ Teacher control

✓ T& L features such as Quizzes etc

✓ Improves visibility of teaching

Useful for all computer room based lessons, BTEC. Training will be provided.

Purchased out of the central Teaching and Learning Fund

Available in all computer rooms – From Mid September*

Staff news

IMPORTANT – Calendar Events

General

Next Week

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