UTC Oxfordshire
Newsletter – 10th December 2021
Year 11 and Year 13 PPEs are almost complete. We would like to acknowledge how diligent the students have been in preparing for these exams and thank you for the support and encouragement that occurs at home for them. We have a new exams officer, Sarah Loveland and this was her first exam series. The organisation that goes on behind the scenes to ensure that students, invigilators and staff are all in the correct place at the correct time is immense. We have a network of support staff and Sarah Donovan and her team have been busy supporting individuals to access their exams. In addition, due to high levels of illness, teaching staff have stepped in to invigilate alongside the marking of the papers. I'm certain that my thanks to all is echoed.
Covid Update
You will all be aware of the Government announcement earlier in the week and we are closely monitoring Covid symptoms appearing within our community. Below is the update from the Department of Education:
Information for all education and childcare settings on implementing Plan B of the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan
On Wednesday 8 December, the Prime Minister announced the implementation of Plan B of the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan, to reduce pressure on the NHS. Plan B sets out a number of additional measures across society to control transmission of COVID-19.
The Government is clear on the critical importance of not disrupting the education of children and young people and the Government will prioritise keeping all education and childcare settings open. The measures set out below will support this.
Attendance
School attendance remains mandatory and all the usual rules continue to apply. Enabling children and young people to attend their education setting regularly continues to be a national priority. As usual, schools are able to grant leaves of absence for pupils in exceptional circumstances.
Face coverings
Face coverings should be worn by pupils and students in year 7 and above (which would be children who were aged 11 on 31 August 2021), staff and visitors in communal areas, unless exempt. This is a temporary measure. Pupils and students in year 7 and above in these settings must also wear a face covering when travelling on public transport and should wear it on dedicated transport to and from school, college, or higher education provider.
We do not recommend that pupils and staff wear face coverings in classrooms, unless their Director of Public Health advises them to temporarily do so in one of the circumstances described in the Contingency Framework Guidance.
Please ensure that students are continuing to do their lateral flow tests twice a week and recording the results. We have plenty of test kits and if students are running low, they can collect more from reception.
Please log the results on both our school form and the government website. We will be testing all staff and students on site when we return in January.
We do have face coverings if students have forgotten theirs and it would be helpful if you could reiterate the importance of wearing these in communal areas. If a student is exempt, then they need to wear a yellow lanyard (or daisy lanyard) to show this.
Lost Property and Lockers
We have a mounting collection of lost property in reception which includes engineering coats and safety shoes. If students are missing anything, please can they check with reception to see if we have it there. All property should be clearly marked with the student names. We will be asking students to clear their lockers at the end of term so it would be a good time to take stock of what is missing. Anything left after Friday 17th December will be put into the charity box.
Dress Code and Jumpers
Please can I reiterate that students should be wearing a smart blazer type jacket, shirt and tie or blouse along with trousers or skirt and smart shoes. As it is colder in these winter months, it is acceptable to wear a jumper under the blazer. The word jumper seems to have changed over the years and I think the student translation is different to ours. A jumper for school purposes, is one that is of a wool type material, preferably V-neck and with no logo. We don't specify a colour. Hoodies should not be worn in school.
Opportunities
Talking Science with the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory 2021-22
As part of Rutherford Appleton Laboratory's Talking Science programme, they have a fantastic series of talks lined up. The talks cover everything, from studying life in extreme environments to how we use particle physics to model pandemics. You can view the full timetable and sign up to the talks here: Talking Science
Connected Forces Online Community
Some of our students may be interested in finding out about the Connected Forces Community. The project is for 16-19 year olds whose parent/carer serves in the regular Armed Forces or is a reservist, or has been at any point during the young person's life.
For more information: Connected Forces
Elements Café
Competition
The last day of term is 'Christmas Jumper Day' and instead of paying £1.00 to charity, we're asking for a donation of a tin of food or non-perishable item for the food bank.
There will be a competition between tutor groups to collect as many non-perishable items as you can until the end of term. The winning tutor group will be announced in the end of term assembly.
All items will be delivered to Didcot Food Bank to help families in need this Christmas.
Dates for the Diary
- Tuesday 14th December - Reading Scholars Y10 cohort – students will leave 08:45 and return by 16:00
- Thursday 16th December - certificate collection and Mince Pie Meet Up for Class of 2021 (former Year 11 and Year 13), 16:00 to 17:30hrs
- Friday 17th December - end of term, finishing at lunchtime. This will be a 'Christmas Jumper Day', bring a tin of non-perishable food to build the ''Christmas tree'' for the local food bank.
Term Dates for 2021 to 2022
- Winter break is 20th December to 31st December 2021
Monday 3rd January is a Bank Holiday
Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th January 2022 are INSET days
- Spring Term starts on Thursday 6th January
Half Term is 21st to 25th February 2022
Further information can be found our website here: www.utcoxfordshire.org.uk/term-dates
Have a lovely weekend. Stay safe.
With good wishes
Sam