Dear Parents and Carers, 

As you know, the government has announced that all children are expected to return to school as normal when they open full time across England from September. Since the announcement, we have been reviewing the latest guidance and updating our COVID-19 risk assessments to ensure we have the necessary control measures in place to continue to minimise the risk to our pupils and staff. 

The plans below set out what to expect when we reopen our gates after the summer break. As we are all aware, government guidance and restrictions are regularly changing, so our plans are still subject to final review and approval; we will confirm final details by the end of August.  

To support us in ensuring that we are able to properly follow government guidance and be certain that all students have had a full and clear induction to our new safety routines and measures we are only opening the Academy for one year group per day for the first week of term. All students will be expected to attend only this day and then the full Academy will return on 14th September.

The following days are for this year group only:

Year 11 – Monday
Year 10 – Tuesday
Year 9 – Wednesday
Year 8 – Thursday
Year 7 – Friday

Students are expected to attend this induction day in full uniform with correct learning kit.

What to expect from September 

Opening Times 
The entrance doors will be open from 8.20 am and students will be expected to arrive before 8.50 am when tutor time begins. The school day will finish between 2.50pm and 3.00pm to allow for a staggered exit.

Drop off and Pick up 
•    Year 7 will be expected to enter the site via their designated door which is on the front of the building– they will need to be dropped off/collected from the top of school but we ask parents not to come down on to the top roundabout and instead to arrange to meet their child some distance along the road.
•    Year 8 will be expected to enter the site via their designated door which is on the rear of the building – they will need to arrive to the building via the West St Leonards back gate to the school. Please drop off or collect them from the West St Leonards side of the field (Filsham Road)
•    Year 9 will be expected to enter the site via their designated door which is on the front of the building– they will need to arrive via Edinburgh road, we ask that any students in this year group be dropped off on Harley Shute road and walk down.
•    Year 10 will be expected to enter the site via their designated door which is on the rear of the building – they will need to arrive to the building via the West St Leonards back gate to the school. Please drop off or collect them from the West St Leonards side of the field (Filsham Road)
•    Year 11 will be expected to enter the site via their designated door which is on the side of the building– they will need to arrive via Edinburgh road, we ask that any students in this year group be dropped off on Harley Shute road and walk down.

The back path to the Academy will now be staffed before and after school.

Keeping your child safe 
We will be sharing a risk assessment on our website during the summer which outlines all of the new safety measure in place.

Bubbles/pods 
All year groups are in bubbles that have their own outdoor and lunch/break spaces. They will remain in their year group bubbles for all activities. There will be no PE changing facilities so we ask that if your child has PE they wear their PE kit to school as their uniform that day and do not bring a change of clothes.

Lunchtime arrangements 
All year groups will have only one opportunity during the day to access the canteen – we ask that you encourage your child to buy all food or drink at that point and if needed send them with a snack for the alternative break time.

Breakfast and after school clubs 
No after school enrichment will run during term 1. A grab and go breakfast will be offered in place of breakfast club.

I want to thank you for your ongoing support and understanding. We will continue to update you if our plans change leading up to the full reopening of our academy in September. 
From everyone here at The St Leonards Academy, we would like to wish you a safe and happy holiday. 

Yours sincerely 

Hannah Carter
 

Come and join a great event on Friday for students!

Brought to you by Sussex STEM and the STEM Hub at Canterbury Christchurch University, the Hastings Virtual STEM Fest will include the below activities:

Greg Foot’s STEM Show! YR6 – YR10, 35 mins

Available for one day only, this exciting show has been pre-recorded from the popular science communicator Greg Foot. It’s designed to give students an exciting introduction to the world of STEM and encourage them to engage with the rest of the activities on offer, so we recommend you timetable this first!

Virtual Careers Stalls YR7 – YR10, 45 mins

Students will enter a virtual room containing graphics of a careers fair with exhibition stands. Each stand will light up when your curser lands on them and students then click on them to see pre-recorded content from the employer, including tours of workplaces and ‘day in my life’ videos. Students will also have to complete a worksheet to encourage them to engage fully with the content.

What is my job?! YR7 – YR12, 40 mins to complete on average

These virtual rooms guide students through a fun series of interactive videos pre-recorded by STEM Ambassadors. The STEM Ambassadors will give the students clues about their jobs in two stages and students have to guess what their jobs are. The answers are revealed in the third video clip and students complete a worksheet.

Workshop activities YR7 – YR10, 30 mins to complete on average

We’ve worked with STEM Ambassadors, employers, academics and STEM outreach staff to bring students a variety of practical activities for them to try in the classroom or at home, using easily obtainable materials. Delivered using a pre-recorded film or narrated PowerPoint presentation with a downloadable worksheet which teachers and parents can print in advance.

Gallery & Certificates

Teachers, students and parents will be able to post pictures of their creations in the gallery and unlock the ability to download certificates to celebrate their achievements and connect with fellow STEM heroes!

Click here to access the event on Friday.

The Parenting Team are delighted to offer parents ‘Virtual Discussion Groups’ via Microsoft Teams.  Please see the posters attached advertising the sessions.

Parents/Professionals will need to have downloaded the free App – Microsoft Teams before they apply. (Please note: This only applies to families in Hastings/Rother.)

We have 4 to choose from, or you can attend all 4!

‘My child can’t sleep’ – Dealing with Bedtimes routines – Friday 10th July 10am-12pm
‘Going out is stressful!’ – Hassle free Outings – Tuesday 14th July 10am-12pm
‘Getting a child to listen’ Dealing with Disobedience – Thursday 16th July 9.30am -11.30am
‘Who’s arguing now?’ – Managing fighting and aggression – siblings – Tuesday 21st July 10am-12pm.

We look forward to seeing you there! (Virtually!!)