We have been really impressed with the high levels of engagement on Show My Homework from all year groups since we launched our online learning timetable on Monday 23 March 2020.  The high numbers of pupils logging into Show My Homework have continued throughout the past fortnight. As Headteacher Ms Henson has said previously, it is very important we continue to work together to establish new routines and maintain the rhythm and momentum of learning into the foreseeable future.

Key Stage 3 Pupils

After the Easter Break, from Monday 20 April, pupils in Year 7, 8 and 9 will continue to use the timetable issued in March, a new version of which has been published below.

Click here for the YEAR 7, YEAR 8 and YEAR 9 TIMETABLE

Key Stage 4 Pupils

However, after the Easter break, the way we deliver some of our online learning will change for pupils in Years 10 and 11. Some lessons will be delivered using Microsoft Teams, enabling classes to meet securely in real time. Pupils who were in school on Friday 20 March had an assembly to explain how MS Teams works and what they will need to do to access their classes. A new timetable has been created for pupils in Years 10 and 11 and is published below.

Many pupils in Years 10 and 11 are already in their ‘teams’ as they have responded to the links that they have been sent to them by their teachers through Show My Homework. Lessons will occur at the time that they would have occurred during the normal school day.  For example, on Monday 20 April all of Year 10 will have a lesson with their teacher at 10.05am.  Teachers will send a calendar invitation (this is how pupils access the lessons) to each lesson and we encourage pupils to check their calendar through Teams regularly.

Click here for the YEAR   10 and YEAR 11 TIMETABLE

The lessons in YEAR 11 will be ‘drop-ins'. Pupils will have an opportunity to ask their teachers questions about their learning: this is to encourage our Year 11s to continue with good learning habits and to ensure that they continue building on their understanding in the subjects that they wish to pursue at Key Stage 5.  It really is vital that Year 11 pupils continue to work, otherwise they are very likely to struggle with their learning once we return to a more regular lifestyle.     

Lessons in YEAR 10 will be more formal lessons, however teachers will let pupils in their class know if they want pupils to do anything specific in preparation for the lesson.  The lessons will be scheduled through Teams and they might include some details about the lesson here too. Pupils in Year 10 will also be set some homework by their subject teachers through Show My Homework, but the previous online timetable is no longer applicable to them.

We are aware that online security is really important when working using a resource like Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is GDPR compliant.  It is a secure system – no one can access any of the ‘teams’ without being invited into that meeting. Only pupils from Cirencester Deer Park School will be accessing these classes.

In the assembly with pupils on Friday 20 March we outlined the expectations we have of pupils using Microsoft Teams.  Please read these expectations below.

Click here to READ OUR MS TEAMS' EXPECTATIONS

Staff and pupils both have the option of whether they use the camera on their device to be seen on screen and to allow for face-to-face discussion. Our priority is for pupils to attend the lessons and to receive teacher input in the subjects they are studying. There have been some trial lessons over the past fortnight with pupils and staff and these have been successful: pupils have fed back that the lessons have been useful in extending and consolidating their understanding. We are pleased to see that pupils have been using this resource responsibly.

We understand that some pupils may not be able to join the lessons at the time that they are scheduled, due to others in the home requiring access to the devices available. Some lessons may be recorded and shared through Teams, so that pupils who couldn’t be present can access teacher explanations for the topics being covered.

Feedback from pupils is that they have found MS Team to be very intuitive and our experience in school, prior to closure, was that pupils were quicker at navigating the software than staff.

Once again, thank you for the support that you have given your children over the past fortnight with their learning.  We hope that you find this resource supports their learning.

Mrs Lang, Head of School