Coronavirus Information

This page will be updated with any changes to the usual school routine. To receive urgent updates, please ensure we have your correct email address via INSIGHT.

Any important letters can be found at the bottom of this page

BWS Remote Learning System Status

• Insight Parent/Student Portal - Good Service (If you get an error uploading evidence files, please email a screenshot of the error)
• Staff Remote Desktop - Good Service
• Student Remote Desktop - Good Service
• O365 - Under heavy load worldwide (as is it's Google based cousin..)
• Email - Good Service
  

A guide for uploading homework to Insight has been added to the bottom of this page

For technical enquiries, please email insight@bws.wilts.sch.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.  If you are reporting an error, if possible, please attach a screen shot

Last Updated:- 06:15 Monday 30th March

OFQUAL - Latest statement regarding Summer 2020 exams

06:30 Monday 30th March

We are rapidly working up plans to implement the arrangements the Secretary of State for Education has set out for exams this summer and, with exam boards and teaching bodies, are making considerable progress.

Students understandably want reassurance, and teachers urgently need to know what to do, and when. We expect to publish detailed information about the process and timetable which will apply this summer next week. This will include the steps we would like teachers to follow and more detailed guidance on how to consider the full range of evidence they will have available when submitting their assessment grades. We are talking to teaching representatives to make sure that what we are planning is manageable and appropriate, so that students, parents, carers and teachers can have confidence in the approach.

We will outline by Easter the process we will follow to make sure grades are fair across schools and colleges, as well as our proposals for appeals. We will also say more as soon as possible about the arrangements for additional exams in the new academic year.

We want to reassure students waiting for news that we are doing everything we can t

Letter sent to parents of students in years 7-10

11:30 Tuesday 24th March

At this stage it is difficult to say what will happen over the coming weeks as events are changing on a daily basis, although it looks more and more likely every day that we are in for the long haul. Once it becomes clearer as to the length of the school closure and possible reopening we will notify parents as promptly as possible. When we resume we will have to assess the time available in order to provide meaningful education following the closure - this would include the timing of any examinations and assessments, which for the moment are postponed. The work we are currently providing is aimed at keeping the students engaged and learning so that their return to school will be as smooth as possible.

We hope that you and your families continue to remain safe.

Mr Brown & Mrs Jenner

Student illness during school closure

13:15 Tuesday 24th March

If your son becomes unwell during his time at home, there is no requirement for parents to contact school and inform us. Boys are not expected to continue working while they are unwell and please reassure them about this. They should only resume their work once they are well enough to do so and catch up with the work that has been set as they would usually do if they returned to school. Boys should contact their relevant teacher by email to explain if they have missed a deadline for a piece of work due to illness.

Latest Statement from Dr Smallwood

17:30 Thursday 19th March

Following yesterday’s decision by HM Government to close all schools at the end of this week we have been planning future arrangements here at Bishop’s. The following important changes should be noted:

• Because of very low attendance in the remaining year groups and an increasing number of staff who are away from school too we will be closing the school to ALL pupils from tonight. The only exceptions to this will be Year 7 and 8 sons of key workers* who are welcome to send their boys to school to be supervised. This will also be the arrangement for future weeks. Please let School Reception know by email asap if your son will be attending;
• Parents of vulnerable children* are also invited to send their children in to school;
• Work will be set by teachers for all boys on Insight, either on a lesson-by-lesson basis or as a package of work for longer projects etc. Instructions for accessing work, submission of work and file management have been given separately;
• The timing of the school day will remain unchanged. Boys who attend BWS from tomorrow will be completing the same work as those who are at home – in other words they will be accessing their tasks via Insight, albeit in the school environment, and will have a day divided into blocks of time for study together with appropriate breaks;
• Once we know the number of boys who will be attending then we should be able to organise catering as necessary. In the immediate short term it would help immensely if boys were able to bring sandwiches and a drink to see them through tomorrow.

Can I make a couple of points about exams for those parents of boys in Years 11 and 13. My understanding is that exams have not been ‘cancelled’, as has been reported in the media. What is far more likely is that the exams will have to be rescheduled and possibly changed in format to adapt them to the new circumstances. I await definitive guidance from the exams regulator, and in the meantime I regard the speculation that is in the various forms of mainstream and social media as wholly unhelpful and counter-productive. What seems certain is that (a) there will be some form of definitive, regulated assessment for both GCSE and A level so that neither year group is disadvantaged and (b) all of the students are in the same boat, so whatever is done will be fair for everyone and will not imperil youngsters’ life and career chances in the future. I hope that is of some reassurance for you, and like you, I await further developments with interest…

*the terms ‘key worker’ and also ‘vulnerable child’ have yet to be officially determined. We will follow HM Government guidance, so could you please confirm your role as a key worker when you email to alert us to your son’s attendance.

SDS

HM Government guidance on school closure and qualification as a key worker

09:30 Friday 19th March

The Guidance for schools, colleges and local authorities on maintaining educational provision has been published by the Government and can be found here.

For all enquiries, please email rec@bws.wilts.sch.uk

HM Government guidance on closure of educational settings: Information for parents and carers

08:30 Monday 23rd March

The Government statement regarding school closures can be found here.

Cancellation of GCSE, AS and A levels in 2020

08:00 Monday 23rd March

The Guidance for schools, colleges and local authorities on the cancellation of the Summer 2020 GCSE, AS & A Level public exams can be found here.

Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, has asked for this message to be passed to all those who work in the education sector

The government recognises the huge importance of the role you have played in maintaining the education, training and social care of our children and young people during this challenging time. I recognise that you will have the same anxieties as the rest of the country about your health and that of your families. On behalf of the Prime Minister and the entire government, I thank you all for all of your work so far, and your continued support. I am deeply grateful for the civic spirit and dedication of everyone working in education, and I will continue to provide my full support throughout this crisis.

Next steps

It is clear that education and children’s social care settings are increasingly finding it difficult to continue as normal, as illness and self-isolation impacts on staffing levels and pupil attendance. To provide parents, student and staff with the certainty they need we are announcing that schools, colleges and early years settings will be closed to everyone except children of key workers and vulnerable children from Monday, as part of the country’s ongoing response to coronavirus.

Examples of these workers include NHS staff, police and delivery drivers who need to be able to go to work. Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those with Education, Health and Care Plans.

A full list of key worker categories will be published by the Cabinet Office tomorrow.

Children who do not fall into these groups should remain at home with appropriate care.

Where schools are unable to provide this reduced provision, local authorities will work with the Department for Education’s regional teams to ensure an alternative option is available.

We are expecting early years providers and sixth form and further education colleges to do the same. We are working with Her Majesty’s Treasury on the financial support required. We are also asking that independent schools and boarding schools follow the same approach.

Where possible, we would encourage settings to stay open for this purpose throughout the Easter holidays.

Many universities and other higher education institutions are already taking necessary steps to keep their staff and students safe and where possible keep providing education. We are confident vice-chancellors are making the right decisions and the Department for Education continues to support them in doing so.

Update on assessments and examinations

We can confirm that we will not go ahead with assessments or exams, and that we will not be publishing performance tables for this academic year.

We will work with the sector and Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications they need.

My Department is working closely with local authorities, representatives of early years, schools and head teachers, regional school commissioners and bodies such as Ofsted and Ofqual about how to deliver this change as effectively as possible.

And we will do whatever is necessary to support local authorities, settings, schools and teachers through the weeks and months ahead.

Free school meal provision

We will give schools the flexibility to provide meals or vouchers to children eligible for free school meals. Some schools are already doing this, and we will reimburse the costs. As soon as possible, we will put in place a national voucher system.

Thank you once again for everything you are doing at this difficult time.
The Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP
Secretary of State for Education

Guidance for students during school closure

Updated:- 09:30 Friday 20th March

If you are in Yr11 or Yr13, there still seems to be some uncertainty about exactly what will happen regarding your exams this summer. In light of this, it is probably best to keep all of your materials and to do some revision so that you are prepared for any eventuality: it’s better to have done some work and not to need it, than to need it and have done no work.

Whilst the school is closed for you, we will do our best to provide you with resources, exercises and support so that you are able to keep up with your education. Obviously some subjects will be able to do this better than others: English and the Humanities should have few difficulties, but the practical subjects will find it difficult to set work similar to what you’d cover if at school, and Science experiments will also be a bit of a challenge.

You have a part to play in this, too: we will be expecting you to spend sufficient time on the tasks we set (and meet deadlines where necessary) unless you are too ill to do so, or you’re helping others in your family.

It is important to realise that we’ve never been in a situation like this before so we don’t know what will work and where problems might arise. We all need to be flexible – and processes may have to change. If there are difficulties, let us know and we will try to sort things as soon as we can.

Remember also, that we may be ill or be looking after others who are ill – and that, like you, we will probably want to put away our school-work at weekends and during the holidays.

The following should help you understand what we’ve put in place for you. It’s also possible that some teachers may make other arrangements, for example videoing lessons and uploading them to the BWS YouTube Channel, but they will let you know what to do via Insight.

Insight

Your teachers will set work on Insight, either lesson-by-lesson or as work to be done over a course of lessons. This means that you will need to check Insight at least once a day.

You might find it easier to complete the work according to your normal daily timetable, but it is really up to you to organise your time as sensibly as possible so that you don’t fall behind. Think about how much time you would normally spend in lessons for each subject each week, add on the time for homework – and that’s what you should be spending on the work we set.

If your teachers set a deadline for you to complete work by, you must make every effort to meet this.

We have now made it possible for you to submit work through Insight for your teachers to review – they will make it clear which tasks require this, as it may not be necessary for every task.

Save your work with a sensible filename (e.g. surname tutorgroup task) and make sure you save it in a format your teachers can view: using a Microsoft Office app (e.g. .xlsx, .docx, .pptx) or Adobe/Photoshop (e.g. .pdf, .psd).

There is a button on each assignment to submit the work (under the heading Evidence). When you click this, you will be able to drag-and-drop files or browse to find the file you want to upload. (NB - the upload bug from Wed/Thur has now been fixed)

Once your teacher has reviewed your work, you will be able to see their feedback under the assignment title. Unfortunately, Insight doesn’t have the facility for teachers to mark work onscreen – but individual teachers may find alternative solutions.

Please be patient if feedback doesn’t readily appear: your teachers will review the work when they can.

Office 365

All students received an email last week from Mr White telling them about free access to Office 365. This will allow them to install all the usual Office apps on your home computer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint…) – whether it is a Windows PC or a Mac. It also gives them access to Microsoft’s cloud (One Drive) where they can save their school work rather than using the Remote Desktop if you don’t already have cloud storage. Details of how to do this are in his email. It’s important to understand that their school files have not been uploaded to the cloud nor is there any plan for us to do this: this is something you will need to do (if you haven’t already done so), e.g. using Google Drive.

We are also exploring the use of Microsoft Teams (also through Office 365) which offers opportunities for collaborative work. We were planning on developing this for September but in light of school closures we will be doing our best to accelerate this so that we can provide more interactive learning activities. You’ll receive updates on this in due course.

School email

Unfortunately students cannot access your school email via the Office 365 version of Outlook – there simply hasn’t been enough time to set this up.

Although we have increased provision on the Remote Desktop, it’s possible that when many students are using it you may experience sluggish responses. Therefore it would be better to access your school emails via the webmail link on the school website: navigate to the Main School page, click on the Student Portal menu and select Webmail – use your normal school network logon details to proceed.

You can email your teacher if you have any queries about work that has been set – but, again, be patient if you don’t get an immediate reply. It’s also important for you to regularly check your school email as your teacher may have emailed you!

Remote Desktop (Instructions have changed - please read)

The Remote Desktop gives you access to your files saved on the school’s network and to the apps you’ve been using at school, such as Photoshop. As mentioned above, we have managed to increase provision to this so we will be opening access to all years. However, to avoid overloading the system, please do not leave it sitting in the background whilst you are working on something else (unless you need to).

Insight and your school email account can readily be accessed via the school’s website without using the Remote Desktop.

It also makes good sense to start saving work on your home computer or to the cloud so that if there is an issue with the school’s network you can still carry on.

Department of Education - Latest Updates

This is your daily email to keep you updated on the government’s response to COVID-19 (coronavirus).

New guidance for households with symptoms

Yesterday, the Government introduced new guidance on whole household isolation in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:

• if you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started
• if you live with others and you or another member of the household have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill. It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
• for anyone in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.

The symptoms are:

• A high temperature (37.8 degrees and above)
• A new, continuous cough

The full stay at home guidance for households with these symptoms can be found here:

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

The Prime Minister’s statement from Monday 16 March can be found here:

• https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-on-coronavirus-16-march-2020

Useful information and websites:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance for health professionals and other organisations
• Coronavirus action plan: A guide to what you can expect across the UK
• COVID-19: travel guidance for the education sector
• School Zone
• Latest information from NHS
• BBC News - Coronavirus: Government insists schools should stay open
• BBC News - Coronavirus: What is UK advice

(Last updated 15:30 Tuesday 17th March)

Message from Wiltshire School Nursing Service

Dear Parents, Carers and Young People, We are aware that it is a very anxious time and there may be concerns about where to access support in coming weeks with school closures or you needing to self isolate.

As a school nursing service we would like to let you know we are here to support you during this time.

For secondary school age young people:-

• We have set up a confidential telephone drop-in service Monday to Friday 12-2pm. Any young person that would like to call and speak to a qualified nurse on the end of the phone can call 0300 247 0090 Monday to Friday 12-2pm and speak to them.
• We also have our CHAT health text service so you can text a school nurse for advice or support for any health issues or worries, again this is confidential and you don't need to give your name if you don't want to. The number is 07480 635513.

For parents of any school age child:-

• We have duty school nurses available at the end of the phone Monday to Friday 9-5pm should you require any support with your school age child. This is available permanently for all parents to access for advice and support. If you would like support please call one of our nurses through our Single Point of access on 0300 247 0090.

(Last updated 08:00 Friday 20th March)

Assemblies & Sixth Form Supervised Study

• With immediate effect there will be NO assemblies. This applies to Chapel as well as Section, Whole School and House Assemblies. On Wednesday afternoon boys should therefore go straight to their lesson for P5 instead of going to the Sports Hall
• There will be NO Cathedral Eucharist on Thursday – P1/2 that day will be as normal
• With effect from 17th March 2020, Sixth Form private study will not be supervised
• The HM Lecture on 17th March 2020 is postponed until the Autumn. The same will apply to the last lecture this academic year
• All other school events, especially extra-curricular ones, remain under active review and possibly subject to change at relatively short notice

(Last updated 10:15 Monday 16th March)

Very Important - Read carefully: Yr11 and/or Yr13 requests for 'predicted grades'

There is understandable concern about how GCSE and A Level grades will be awarded this summer. Until we have received instructions from the Government about how they are going to proceed with this, we are not in a position to issue Predicted Grades.

In view of this, please do not email teachers or the school requesting this information or to request Target Grades be adjusted.
All students should have a good idea of how well they are doing from their last report and from recent assessments, anyway. In addition, Yr11 students will know their Target Grades (which are NOT Predicted Grades) from their Prelim Report, and Yr13 students will have similar information from their Mock Exam Summary - both of which are on Insight. Yr13 students should also know what their UCAS Predicted Grades are.

Whatever happens, please try not to be unduly concerned. Remember: BWS is a very high performing school and the vast majority of our students not only achieve fantastic results in public exams, they then go on to even greater things. There's absolutely no reason to suggest that this will be any different for you, despite the current situation.

(Last updated 11:15 Friday 20th March)

Year 13 Grade Reports

• In light of the uncertainty about exams and the issuing of A Level results for Yr13, we will not be sending out a Grade Report as planned.

(Last updated 08:00 Friday 20th March)

Sixth Form EPQ Lessons

• EPQ lessons are cancelled until after the Easter Holidays
• Instructions for the work to be completed will be put on Insight, with supporting resources on ProjectQ. EPQ supervisions will take place as usual if the supervisor is in. If the supervisor is not in school, or school is closed, work and feedback will be sent by email and students should continue to submit their work via Email or ProjectQ. Students should continue to check their email regularly and continue writing their project.
• The current project deadlines still apply

(Last updated 08:30 Wednesday 18th March)

IT Open Access & School Library

• Until further notice, all IT rooms and the Library will be closed for ALL breaks including before and after school.
• Only timetabled classes will have access to these facilities.
• This is to allow IT staff to clean mice and keyboards after every class to minimise risk from cross-contamination from Coronavirus

(Last updated 11:15 Tuesday 16th March)

Year 7 Parents' Evening

• The above event scheduled for 25th March has been CANCELLED.  The letter issued to parents can be viewed here

(Last updated 16:15 Tuesday 17th March)

House Music Festival

• The House Music Festival scheduled for Thursday 26th March has been postponed. If possible it will be rescheduled in the summer term

(Last updated 12:15 Tuesday 17th March)

BWSPA Uniform Sale

• The BWSPA Uniform Sale scheduled for Saturday 21st March has been cancelled.

School Shop Opening Times

• The school shop will remain CLOSED for the remainder of this term. A decision has yet to be taken re opening during Easter Holidays
• Please be reassured that the onsite uniform shop is stocked and ready for the new intake.  Individual appointments for new pupils will go ahead once the restrictions have been lifted.  There is no need to order uniform in advance.  We look forward to welcoming you!

(Last updated15:15 Tuesday 24th March)

Chinese Classes

• Further to the notice regarding Mrs Tang's absence, please note that she is setting work on Insight. Perhaps you could prompt your son to check for this in case he has not already seen it.

(Last updated 08:15 Friday 20th March)

Founders Day

• Founders Day scheduled for Friday 1st May has been cancelled.

(Last updated 10:45 Tuesday 17th March)

Upcoming Exams

Please see "Cancellation of GCSE, AS and A levels in 2020" at the top of this page for the latest information we have regarding Summer 2020 examinations

• Y10 Mock week is currently scheduled for w/c 30th March 2020 is POSTPONED
• Late Entry exams scheduled for Monday 23rd March 2020 is CANCELLED

(Last updated 08:00 Monday 23rd March)

Sports Events

 (Last updated 15:15 Tuesday 17th March)

School Trips

Please note that payment for all trips has been temporarily suspended on Wisepay until the status has been confirmed. Payment can still be made for all for other items such as catering.

(Last updated 16:55 Friday 27th March)