OPEN MORNINGS
Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 September 2021 (9.10am – 10.30am)

OPEN EVENING
Wednesday 29 September 2021 (5.30pm – 8.00pm)

After an extraordinary 19 months, we are looking forward to welcoming Year 6 pupils, accompanied by one parent/guardian each, to our Open Mornings and/or our Open Evening.  These events will give you some insight into the quality of education, teaching and learning at Deer Park and an opportunity to savour our special ethos that Ofsted reported ‘pupils, parents and staff all subscribe to enthusiastically’ (May 2017). Whilst there is no need to book to attend our September Open Mornings and Open Evening, we have adjusted our plans to ensure they adhere to our COVID-19 safety measures for the protection of our pupils, staff and visitors. Please read the information provided carefully, and the checklist provided at the end.

Open Mornings: Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 September

Arrival between 9.10am and 9.25am. Parking at the rear of the school by the sports facilities – please follow the signs.

During both Open Mornings the school will be in ‘normal session’, but you will have the opportunity to take a short, guided tour in the company of one of our current pupils who will share their experiences of life and learning at Deer Park. Classroom doors will be open, but visitors are asked to remain in the corridors and communal areas. Regrettably, in an effort to minimise the transmission of COVID-19, these tours will be for Year 6 pupils accompanied by one parent only, and we will be unable to include younger or older siblings on the tours, so please do not bring them with you. Please also note, all adults will be asked to bring and wear a face covering during the tours. Our tours will begin promptly between 9.10am and 9.25am from the Main Hall as visitors arrive. Once your guided tour has been completed, your pupil guide will take you back to the rear of the school where members of the school’s leadership team and other staff, including our Year 7 Year Leader, Mrs Hannis, will be on hand at our Information Point next to the car park to respond to any questions you may have regarding the transition to secondary school. There will be no formal presentation during the Open Mornings and all visitors will be off site by 10.30am.

Open Evening: Wednesday 29 September

Arrival between 5.30pm and 7.00pm. Parking at the rear of the school by the sports facilities – please follow the signs.

To complement our Open Mornings, our Open Evening on Wednesday 29 September will give you the opportunity to look around the school and talk to our Heads of Faculty, subject teachers and support staff to learn more about our curriculum, the challenges and support available. 

All adults are asked to bring and wear a face covering.

This year we will be holding three separate presentations for parents and pupils, to reduce the numbers together in our Main Hall. Our presentations will begin at 5.30pm, 6.15pm and 7.00pm in the Main Hall. We would encourage you to begin your evening with one of the three presentations in the Main Hall after which you and your child will have time to explore our school and understand more of our ambition for all of our pupils.  Again, due to trying to limit numbers visiting, we would ask that only Year 6 pupils and one accompanying parent attends the evening.

To further inform your planning and decision making, we encourage you to explore our website www.deerparkschool.net, especially the Latest News which highlights the breadth of our extended and extra-curriculum and is regularly updated. We are immensely proud of the commitment of our staff to our pupils and their learning and our rich and diverse provision.

We recognise that not everyone will want to visit Cirencester Deer Park School in person in the Autumn Term, especially if they are already familiar with the school through older siblings.  Therefore, we will ensure you will be able to find information about joining our school on our Admissions page. Prospective pupils and their parents can watch our Creating Futures videos by staff and pupils, explore the school remotely using Google ‘Street View’, and find lots of other useful information too both on Joining Us and Admissions pages and across the school website. 

We also encourage you to talk to people in the local community who are already connected with the school as parents, pupils, members of our local governing body or staff, who can provide first-hand experience of all that Deer Park can offer. We have been inundated with positive feedback and praise for our provision for our pupils during the lockdowns, from both an educational and pastoral perspective, as well as for the plans we have put in place to ensure their safe return to school.

If for any reason you are unable to attend on the above dates, please do not hesitate to contact Allison Boucher, Head’s PA, by email to A.Boucher@deerparkschool.net or phone on 01285 646558 to arrange an alternative mutually convenient tour of the school.  She will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the admissions’ process.

We look forward to welcoming you to our School at one or more of our ‘open’ events.

CHECKLIST: Information for Visitors to our Open Mornings and Open Evening

1. These events are for Year 6 pupils accompanied by one parent only – alternative events for Year 5 pupils will be held later in the academic year;
2. All parking will be at the rear of the school – please follow the signs from the main road;
3. Please do not attend if you or your Year 6 son/daughter has any of the COVID-19 symptoms, are awaiting a COVID-19 test result, or have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days;
4. All adults are asked to bring and wear a face covering during these events;
5. Please be mindful of social distancing, and if an area of the school is busy, move on to the next area;
6. Pupil guides will provide short tours during both Open Mornings, which will start from the Main Hall and end at the Information Point next to the rear car park;
7. There will be no presentation during the Open Mornings, but staff will be on hand to answer questions at the Information Point next to the rear car park at the end of your tour;
8. Presentations during Open Evening will start at 5.30pm, 6.15pm and 7.00pm in the Main Hall;
9. Faculty and senior staff will be on hand during Open Evening to answer questions and visitors will be able to look around the school at their own pace.

Thank you for your co-operation and support with these measures which aim to ensure everyone’s safety but enable us to welcome visitors back to the school.

You can also find further information about the transition to secondary school on the Gloucestershire County Council website and your deadline for submitting your son/daughter’s application to them is midnight on Sunday 31 October 2021.

‘Giving prospective pupils and parents an opportunity to see the school whilst at work and the chance to talk to members of our committed staff team about the school and all it offers is a priority for us: we want people to see what we think is special about Deer Park School and this is the best way that we can do this!’ Mrs Lang, Deputy Head