Dear Parent/Carer,
We have come to the end of an extremely hard year and my first term at Jesmond Park Academy. The disruption caused by the pandemic this year has been unprecedented and I would like to praise staff and students for all of their hard work and resilience. I would also like to thank parents and carers for all your support and understanding this year which has been invaluable to the school. Because of this, the school has continued on its improvement journey and we are looking forward to continuing this next year. We think it is important to focus on the positives in difficult circumstances and you can see some of the highlights of this term in our Park Life magazine that can be found here. (https://www.jesmondparkacademy.org.uk/_filecache/8f7/fd4/4252-park-life-2021-summer-edition-2021.pdf
We contacted you by text last week with a link to the detailed arrangements for the start of next academic year. You can also find all of this information on our website, under the Key Information & Updates section, which you can access directly from the website home page. At the top of the page are our letters to parents, which include the programme for our staggered start to the year. The arrangements for lateral flow device (LFD) testing prior to the start of the term (for students that have consented) can also be found in the letters to parents and on this website page.
We have high hopes of returning to a sense of ‘normality’ in September. However, rest assured that we will always follow PHE advice and have student and staff welfare at the forefront of our concerns. Many of our control measures, in terms of increased ventilation, hand sanitizing, avoiding crowded situations, staggered breaks and lunches still remain. However, from a learning perspective, students will be accessing their full curriculum and moving around the school as normal.
Pastoral Structure for September 2021
There have been some changes to the Pastoral Structure for Years 7-11 and this is important for you to know so you are aware of who to contact at the school if this need arises:
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Year Group
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Rotation
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Head of Year
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Year Manager
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Additional Year Manager
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Y7
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Mr S McLaughlin
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Mr M Stephenson
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Miss L Henderson
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Y8
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Mr J Smith
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Mrs M Booth
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Y9
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Mrs L Sayers
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Mrs S Clark &
Mrs K Richardson
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Y10
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Mrs N Clark
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Mr G Henderson
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Mr P Hardaker
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Y11
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Mr C Mason
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Mrs H Hearons
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PE Kit
PE Kit We are now able to use the changing rooms so all students will be expected to attend school in full uniform every day and will need to bring their PE kit in with them on the days that they have PE.
The New Academic Year
We know that you may have some concerns over the time your child may have missed at school this year and want to reassure you that, from September, teachers will take the time to understand what your child has learned and what they might need more support with. Much of this support can be given in class but, where a student needs additional help, other intervention will also be available. Your child's learning is of paramount importance to us and we will endeavour to do everything we can to support them over the next year.
When we return in September, we will be looking forward, and focusing on how we can best support students to feel safe and happy, and to begin this next part of their educational journey with a positive mindset. We will focus on developing the skills and abilities of our students and help them feel inspired to develop their own unique talents. For now though, over this summer, we feel it is important that students take a well-earned break and get outdoors and begin to socialise with friends and family in line with government guidelines.
I hope you and your family can manage to have an enjoyable and relaxing summer.
Yours sincerely
STEVE CAMPBELL
PRINCIPAL