Aylesford School Letters and Announcements

Please click below to read a recent letter regarding ICT updates at that school

ICT - Autumn 2021 Update

School Announcement - 18/06/2021

Click below to read a letter that has been sent to parents regarding changes from 21st June

Letter to Parents - 21st June

School Announcement - 02/03/2021

Please click below to read a letter from Kent Police.

Letter from Kent Police

School Announcement - 24/02/2021

Please see below a letter from Miss Kelvie regarding the arrangements for returning to school

Return_to_school_-Term_4.pdf

School Announcement - 31/12/20

Please see a letter below from Mr Cooper for all Year 9 parents/carers and students

Year 9 Letter/a>

Students_returning_to_school_in_January_Year_7,_8,_9_10.pdf

Students_returning_to_school_in_January_Year_11,_12_and_13.pdf

School Announcement - 18/12/20

Urgent Letter to Parents and Carers

School Announcement - 17/12/20

Aylesford_-_Christmas_Update_Dec_2020.pdf

School Announcement - 03/12/20

Please see attached a recent letter from the school

Covid_-_POSITIVE_CASES_-_3rd_December_2020.pdf

School Announcement - 30/11/20

Please see attached recent letters from the school

Covid_-_POSITIVE_CASES_30-11-20.pdf

Year_12_and_13_Teaching_and_Learning_from_Home.pdf

Covid-_Teaching_and_Learning_-_Year_7.pdf

School Announcement - 28/11/20

Please see attached 2 recent letters to parents (Year 11)

Year 11 - Positive Case

Year 11 - Teaching and Learning from home

Return to School Announcement - 27/11/20

Please see attached 2 recent letters to parents (Year 10)

Year 10 - Positive Case

Year 10 - Teaching and Learning from Home

Return to School Announcement - 20/11/20

Please see attached 2 recent letters to parents

COVID19_-_Letter_to_Parents.pdf

COVID_19_-_Letter_for_Year_9_Parents.pdf

Return to School Announcement - 29/8/20

All Parents, Carers and Students

We are looking forward to welcoming all students back in September.

I hope you know that our top priority is to keep all students and staff as safe as we can. To do this we need all stakeholders to be on board and supportive. The guidance from government is ever changing making it difficult to give clear communication.

Late yesterday the government released updated guidance for schools which I encourage you to read. This is the link to the government guidance released yesterday (Friday 28th August):

https://forms.gle/1casxsYETCVoHvhA9

Students and parents will still need to engage with home learning- guidance will be given.

Normal school rules apply.

Students must be in full school uniform.

Students must follow the Ready, Respect and Safe rules.

We expect students to show good character and work with us to ensure all students are able to learn and stay safe and healthy.

I know there is a lot to take in and that even with all the measures that have been put in place there will be anxiety concerning children returning to school.

We are very grateful for your continued support.

Miss Kelvie”>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools

I am pleased that Aylesford opening in September is in line with government guidance. Details of how we are following the guidance are in our ‘September Arrangements’ letter which is on our website. Again, please read this letter and go through it with your child to ensure we keep everyone as safe as possible.

Please be aware of the following and go through with your child/children:

ALL students are expected to return to school in September as per government guidance (please see the link to guidance above)

Year 7 - Wednesday 2nd September.
Year 7 should go straight to reception.

Year 12 - Wednesday 2nd September
Year 12 should go straight to 6th form centre

Year 13 - Thursday 3rd September
Year 13 should go straight to the 6th Form Centre

Year 11 - Thursday 3rd September
Year 11 should go straight to where they line up during a fire drill/evacuation.

Year 10 - Friday 4th September
Year 10 should go straight to the Muga

Year 9 - Monday 7th September
Year 9 should go straight to the Muga

Year 8 - Tuesday 8th September
Year 8 should go straight to where they line up during a fire drill/evacuation

Staff will be on hand to direct.

Where possible students should walk, cycle or be dropped off and picked up by car. KCC have confirmed that where possible public transport will run but that it may be a limited service due to social distancing. Students are expected to wear face coverings on all public transport. The school has no jurisdiction over the busses. Parents should contact the bus company if they have concerns.

No visitors can enter school buildings/ site without prior arrangement. Parents should maintain contact with the school via email or telephone. Contact details can be found on our website. In the first instance contact should be made with your child’s mentor or Progress Leader.

All year groups have a different start and finish time which must be adhered to. No member of staff or student will be able to access the school site before 8:00. All students and staff have to be off site at their allocated time at the end of the day. This is so deep cleaning can take place and to ensure health and safety.

All students will be expected to hand wash or sanitise regularly throughout the day.

All students unless they are medically exempt (see government guidance) will be expected to wear face masks/coverings in communal areas. Students who are exempt will need a note from parents explaining why.

All students are in Year group bubbles and have a base area. Students are not allowed to leave their bubble base area without permission. Students who are given permission will have to sign out of their bubble area and back in (this is to enable effective use of track and trace should we need to and for safeguarding).

Students will remain in their bubble base during break time. Please ensure your child has snacks and bottled water with them as they will not be able to buy food and drink on site.

Year group bubbles have a designated place to go at lunch time and will be escorted by a member of staff. In the event of bad weather students will have lunch in their bubble base area.

Where possible students should bring a packed lunch. The canteen will provide lunch for those who have pre ordered and paid in advance. Those in receipt of free school meals just need to pre-order.
The link for all students who want to order lunch is as follows:
https://forms.gle/1casxsYETCVoHvhA9

Students and parents will still need to engage with home learning- guidance will be given.

Normal school rules apply.

Students must be in full school uniform.

Students must follow the Ready, Respect and Safe rules.

We expect students to show good character and work with us to ensure all students are able to learn and stay safe and healthy.

I know there is a lot to take in and that even with all the measures that have been put in place there will be anxiety concerning children returning to school.

We are very grateful for your continued support.

Miss Kelvie

Exam Results Announcement - 20/8/20

Please see a letter to students from Miss Kelvie regarding GCSE Results

GCSE 2020 - Letter to Students

Exam Results Announcement - 18/8/20

Exam Results 2020

Following numerous government announcements which have been some what confusing for all , this post aims to provide clarity for all year groups receiving exam results this year. Please understand that results days are very different this year and we must follow guidance on health and safety, for that reason only Year 13 and Year 11 students and parents will come in to the school.

Year 13
All Year 13 have received their Level 3 grades. In the very few cases where grades have changed Mrs James has contacted those individuals.

If a year 13 student is expecting English and Maths resit grades on Thursday, they will be emailed to students and posted out.

Year 12
All Level 3 results will be given out on the first day back to school.

If a year 12 student is expecting English and Maths resit grades on Thursday, they will be emailed to students and posted out.

Year 11
GCSE results day will go ahead as planned on Thursday. Year 11 are to arrive at school at their allocated time as stated in their letter and meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

If there is a problem with their appointment or they can not attend their appointment they must contact Mr Matthews or Miss Kelvie

We will also be sending results through students personal email between 8:00 - 12:00 on Thursday. If you have changed or need to update your email address please contact Mrs Metaxas Haroulla.metaxas@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.

Any Year 11 GCSE results that are not collected at their appointment with the Senior Leadership Team will be posted.

Year 10
Year 10 will receive any expected results on the first day of term in September. We will also be putting results in the post on Thursday afternoon.

We are looking forward to celebrating with you.

Kind Regards

Miss Kelvie

September arrangements - Friday 17/7/20

Please click below to access the letter that his been sent to all parents/carers regarding arrangements for September.

September Arrangements - Parent/Carer Letter

Yours sincerely,

Miss T Kelvie
Headteacher

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Tuesday 30/6/20

Wednesday 1st July 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, as of September 2020 it will be a requirement for all students to have their own lab apron and safety goggles for all science lessons.

Some examples of the equipment that students will be expected to have can be found on the links below but feel free to source your own similar alternative. If students wear glasses, the goggles must fit over the top of glasses.

Lab Apron:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Quality-Butchers-Kitchen-Restaurant/dp/B00JFUIG4S/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=school+apron&qid=1593513329&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.co.uk/School-Apron-8045-SIZE-UNBLEACHED/dp/B005H6Z18S/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=school+apron&qid=1593513329&sr=8-6”>

Safety Goggles:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portwest-Spectacles-Maintenance-Protection-PROTECTIVE/dp/B008OHYNM2/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=lab+goggles&qid=1593513499&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywell-1015370-Sporty-Eyewear-Anti-Scratch/dp/B002C6FG8G/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=lab+goggles&qid=1593513555&sr=8-7​

If your current financial circumstance mean that you are unable to provide this equipment please email Miss Kelvie; Head Teacher on tanya.kelvie@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact mark.martindale@aylesford.kent.sch.uk or Nicholas.Herrod@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.

Kind regards,


Mr M Martindale   &  Mr N Herrod
Head of Science       Head of Science

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Tuesday 30/6/20

30th June 2020

Dear Parents and Carers of current Year 7/8/9 Students (This does no apply to current Year 6 students)

We are inviting all students in Years 7, 8 and 9 into school from next Monday (6th July) for face to face meetings with their mentor. We feel that it is important for all students to have the opportunity to come into school before the summer holidays to meet with their mentor and some of their friends in their mentor group. This is not compulsory and attendance is down to the discretion of parents and carers.

The meetings will last around 45 minutes. The meetings will have the following objectives

>To give students the opportunity to meet in a larger group (8 Max) and start getting used to being in a school environment
>To give out core subject packs for the summer holidays
>To spend time with their mentor, discuss their own welfare as well as look at ways of looking after their own mental health through the summer break.

Students should wear school uniform during this time.  We will be communicating the exact appointment time for your son/daughter’s meeting later this week but wanted to give you advance notice of the days that your son/daughter will be expected in school.

Monday 6th July 7A 8C
Tuesday 7th July 7B 8B
Wednesday 8th July 7C 8A
Thursday 9th July 7D 8D
Friday 10th July 7E 8E
Monday 13th July 7F 9A
Tuesday 14th July 9B
Wednesday 15th July 9C
Thursday 16th July 9D
Friday 17th July 9E

Yours sincerely,

Miss T Kelvie
Headteacher

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Thursday 4/6/20

Dear Parents/Carers

Please see a letter that was sent to parents of Year 10 and Year 12 regarding the re-opening of the school.

Kind Regards

Aylesford School

Year 10 Letter

Year 12 Letter

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Monday 5/5/20

Dear Parents/Carers

Please see a letter that was sent to parents this week from Mr M Wright - Executive Head Teacher of Aylesford and Wrotham

Executive Head - Letter 4/5/20

Kind Regards

Aylesford School

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Monday 27/4/20 4.00pm

Dear Parents/Carers

We are continually overwhelmed with the support that is being given to students by parents/carers and with how well the majority of students are accessing the work and engaging with the lessons. As we are now seeing more and more lessons now being delivered ‘live’ through zoom, we wanted to publish a code of conduct to ensure that all students are accessing this in the appropriate way and to maximise the learning opportunities that this presents.

Please can we ask you to share this with your child/children to ensure that they understand their responsibilities in their lessons

In order to ensure an appropriate learning environment, please ensure that the following code of conduct is adhered too:

Use your real name so a register can be taken of students in attendance/no changing of user names during sessions

Use appropriate language throughout the session

Do not share personal information with others

Keep your webcam turned off for the meeting

Mute you microphone when you aren’t asking or answering a question. This will prevent background noise and feedback from disrupting the session

Do not share the meeting invitation code and password with people outside of your class

If students fail to follow the school’s policies during a Zoom lesson, they they will be removed from the session. ​​

Kind Regards

Aylesford School

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Friday 24/4/20 4.00pm

Message from Mr Neeve - Progress Leader for Year 10

Year 10 Competition

Bored of the Xbox? Can’t think what to do after PE with Joe Wicks in the morning? Can’t face another day of parents nagging you to be useful? Mr Neeve has the answer….

All you have to do is to get the work you’ve been set back into your teachers through SMHW or email BY WEDNESDAY 29th APRIL. If on paper, take a photo of it and email it into them so that they can give you feedback on your efforts so far!

The race is on to see which year 10’s are showing the most motivation, resilience and self discipline. Those with the best scores can win prizes of up to a £30 Amazon voucher and other prizes of £20 and £10 for numerous others!!

Prizes will be announced Friday 8th May!

Stay safe, keep well and good luck.

Mr P Neeve

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Thursday 6/4/20 4.00pm

Message for Year 10 Parents, Carers and Year 10 students

Dear Parents, Carers and Year 10 students

Miss Kelvie and I would like to thank all of Year 10 for the fantastic work ethic so many of you have shown since the school closed. There have been some really positive virtual lessons as well as a large number of constructive conversations between staff and students. I would really like to also thank all of the parents for their ongoing support in this difficult time, it is much appreciated.

This is a hugely important time for Year 10 and so that they don’t lose momentum I’d like to give them a bit of an extra incentive to motivate them further.

On Friday 1st May I will be asking all Year 10 teachers to rate each of their students 1 to 4 based on the work they give teachers from now until then. This will be based on not only the work produced in the next 2 weeks but also their effort and attitude to learning shown. The top 5 students with the best average score will win a prize.

There will also be another prize given to students who have done particularly well so far and we will be asking teachers for additional nominations in each subject.

I hope you’re keeping safe and well, any questions or queries please email me Philip.neeve@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.”

Kind regards

Phil Neeve

Year 10 Progress Leader

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Thursday 6/4/20 4.00pm

Dear Parents/Carers

Welcome to Term 5! Please see below a letter from Mr Wright, the Executive Head Teacher for Aylesford and Wrotham.

Executive Head - Term 5 Letter

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Thursday 6/4/20 4.00pm

During this period of uncertainty it is likely that we all be spending more time online. This includes us and our children.

SaferInternet.org have produced a guide to ensuring that we are all keeping safe online during this time - We would encourage all parents/carers and students to read this in coming days.

Click here to visit saferinternet.org

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Friday 3/4/20 1.00pm

Exam update from Ofqual

Ofqual - Guidance for Teacher,Students and Parents

Ofqual - Letter to Students

Dear Parents and Carers and Year 11 and Year 13 Students,

I hope that you are all safe and well and are looking forward to your Easter break.

Many of you have been anxious about how your grades and qualifications will be awarded and have been working hard to get work completed.

I am pleased to be able to give you the latest information and hope that this will alleviate some pressure and stress.

Above is a letter from OFQUAL to students explaining how grades will be awarded. I have also attached a document called ‘Guidance for teachers, students, parents and carers: Summer 2020 grades for GCSE, AS and A level. Extended Project Qualification and Advanced Extension Award in Maths’. Please read these two documents carefully.

Your teachers and myself will be submitting grades for each of you and for all of your subjects and we have to take into consideration a range of things like your classwork and homework; your results in assignments and any mock exams; any non-exam assessment or coursework you might have done; and your general progress during your course.

It is really important that you keep all of your work, PPE’s, Mock Papers, Class books and any other evidence you have of your work in a safe place - we are likely to need this later on and we will contact you when this is needed.

You will see from the guidance and letter that you are not required to do any new work or tasks - if we need anything from you we will contact you. Of course you are able to continue to complete your work if you think it will add to the evidence your teachers have in awarding you the best possible grade.

It has been a real pleasure to work with you all and I could not be prouder of the young people that you have become.

Thank you for your continued support - we will of course be in contact with you after Easter!

Please stay healthy and safe,

Kind Regards

Miss Kelvie

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Friday 3/4/20 11.00am

Please see below a letter sent to all parents/carers today regarding the Easter break.

Easter Break Letter - April 2020

Kind Regards

Aylesford School

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Thursday 2/4/20 1.00pm

We have written to all parents/carers regarding Mental Health and Well-being, and you will receive a letter via email shortly.

The letter can be accessed by clicking the link below. The letter contains a number of useful strategies to maintain good mental health and well-being during this challenging time as well as a number of resources and support links to help you provide advice and support to your child if necessary.

Mental Health and Well-being - April 2020

Kind Regards

Aylesford School

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Wednesday 1/4/20 10.00am

English Department Update - To the Parents and Carers of Students in Year 7, 8, 9 and 10

Dear Parents/Carers

We would like to make parents aware of some changes to the English remote learning.

The English department would like to start by saying thank you for all the work we have been receiving - we have been impressed by the amount and quality of work being returned and have tried to congratulate students by email or phone.

You will notice that on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have now assigned reading instead of classwork - we feel that three days a week of classwork and 2 days of reading will allow a better balance, help students who are feeling overwhelmed and also allow students to benefit from reading which is so important.

Over the 2 week Easter break we will not be setting any English classwork however we know that some students might choose to complete an optional research project. We would prefer for students to do this by hand and keep it for submission when we return to school - we will celebrate the work completed by creating a new display board in the English corridor.

1. Research an environmental issue (deforestation, global warming, plastic pollution) and create a factsheet or leaflet using language to persuade people to do something about it

2. Research an equality issue in society such as gender equality or racism and write a speech giving your opinions on the issue—this can be submitted as a document or video!

3. Write a book review about a book you have read in March—include your likes and dislikes and comments on characters, setting and plot. Design a new front cover for the book.

4. Research life during world war 1 or 2—for a soldier or someone at home during the blitz. Write 3 diary entries showing their experiences and thoughts.

Please contact any of the English teachers if you need any support, advice or work -we are all happy to help,

Kind Regards

Mrs Johnston​

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Tuesday 31/03/20 10.00am

Letter to all Year 10/11/12/13

Aylesford School Update from Miss Kelvie - Headteacher and Mr Wright Executive Headteacher  

Dear Parents and Carers

OFSTED SUCCESS AND OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

You will remember that our school was inspected by Ofsted at the beginning of this month. Ofsted have paused the publication of all inspection reports during the coronavirus crisis.  However, we are delighted to tell you that Aylesford School was judged to be ‘good’ in every area. We look forward to sharing the report with you once it has been published. 

We are aware that everyone will be feeling anxious and stressed at this very challenging time and want to reassure you that the staff are fully committed to supporting families.  We write this communication in hope that it will help to alleviate some of the pressure you are under.

The absolute priority is to stay safe and healthy - nothing else is as important! Please follow government guidance and stay at home as much as possible - this also applies to our young people.

There are lots of students that are showing up as not having logged into Show My Homework at all. This could be because they have logged in manually or used their parents log in or used a tablet which doesn’t require you to log in each time. It is a real concern that there are over 40 students in Year 11 and 10 who don’t appear to have logged in at all and it is really important that Year 13, 12, 11 and 10 keep up with their studies .
​

We still do not know how grades are going to be awarded to Year 13 and Year 11 students. The rumour is that we will need to submit Predicted Grades and Highest Mock/PPE Exam paper grades (These could be second attempt papers after level up), they are then likely to ask us to send a sample off which is why we need to ensure we have good examples of work - even if they do not ask us for sample work, this will be needed if we have to appeal any grades we are not happy with.

When Year 11 and Year 13 have completed work they should submit it to their teacher for marking. If it is not possible to send to their teacher they must keep hold of all work and books - we will contact them when we need it.

​
Our staff have been asked to try and provide an education remotely - this is new to us all and much of it is trial and error. Teachers have set work on Show My Homework and we ask all students to attempt what is being set. Our staff will mark work in line with our assessment policy. This means that not every piece of work will be marked and this is the case when students are in school too. They will keep in touch with you via email during the school day. 

We know that parents and students are trying their best at present, and that parents are trying to juggle staying safe, working from home, keeping children occupied and entertained as well as trying to home educate - you can’t do it all, you can only try your best. Parents who are struggling to get children to work at home or who are experiencing issues in accessing the work, printing the work, submitting the work, please do not let is cause you lots of stress - there are more important things to worry about - all we ask is that you communicate any issues with us so that we can support you!

If you have an issue accessing Show My Homework (SMHW) check the guidance we have posted on the website and on facebook in the first instance. If you are still having issues accessing SMHW please contact your child’s mentor - they will be making contact with you if they haven’t already. If after trying those things you still have trouble please contact Mrs Land:

niamh.land@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.

If you have an issue with a particular subject please contact the Head of Department or teacher of the subject. Staff contact details and email addresses can be found on our school website.
​
Please remember education comes in many forms including the promotion of life skills, development of good character and the art of communication - all are crucial at this time. Do not be afraid to allow your child to spend some time away from Show My Homework doing other activities such as cooking, cleaning, arts and crafts, writing letters to family and friends who they are unable to see, doing some fitness and even a bit of social time using zoom or house party or facetime if you have it.

Other information you might find useful:

Free School Meals
We have ordered vouchers for those students who are in receipt of Free School Meals but they are yet to arrive - we are working to resolve this and as soon as we receive them they will be sent out to families.

Access to ICT
Those parents who have emailed in directly to indicate that their child has no access to ICT have all received the following reply from me:

Thank you for your email!
I am trying to resolve ICT access issues but like everything at the moment this is proving difficult as shops are not open, deliveries aren’t taking place in many cases and many of my staff have to self isolate.
We will be working in this order of priority over the coming weeks to address issues that have been emailed to me regarding non or limited access:
Year 11 and 13 students who must get sample and completed coursework to us.
Students with no access- not even a phone to work from. We will work from Year 12 to Year 7
Students with limited shared access.

We just don’t know if and when we will be able to help Year 10 down to Year 7. When Year 13 and 11 have finished their work we will reallocate laptops and we have ordered some more so hope to be able to help Year 10 as the next priority.

Paper packs are being sent to all Year 7, 8,9 and 10 students who do not have or have limited access to ICT today.

Most of the work can be accessed using a smart phone.

School Trips and Events that Parents have paid for:
All school trips and events have been cancelled until we re-open (we really do not know when this will be).
Parents will receive a full refund but we have limited availability of staff and so we ask parents to be patient with us.

Please stay healthy and keep safe.

Kind Regards

Miss T Kelvie and Mr M Wright

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Tuesday 31/03/20 10.00am

Letter to all Year 7/8/9

Aylesford School Update from Miss Kelvie - Headteacher and Mr Wright Executive Headteacher  

Dear Parents and Carers

OFSTED SUCCESS AND OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

You will remember that our school was inspected by Ofsted at the beginning of this month. Ofsted have paused the publication of all inspection reports during the coronavirus crisis.  However, we are delighted to tell you that Aylesford School was judged to be ‘good’ in every area. We look forward to sharing the report with you once it has been published. 

We are aware that everyone will be feeling anxious and stressed at this very challenging time and want to reassure you that the staff are fully committed to supporting families.  We write this communication in hope that it will help to alleviate some of the pressure you are under.

The absolute priority is to stay safe and healthy - nothing else is as important! Please follow government guidance and stay at home as much as possible - this also applies to our young people.

Our staff have been asked to try and provide an education remotely - this is new to us all and much of it is trial and error. Teachers have set work on Show My Homework and we ask all students to attempt what is being set. Our staff will mark work in line with our assessment policy. This means that not every pice of work will be marked and this is the case when students are in school too. They will keep in touch with you via email during the school day. 

We know that parents and students are trying their best at present, and that parents are trying to juggle staying safe, working from home, keeping children occupied and entertained as well as trying to home educate - you can’t do it all, you can only try your best. Parents who are struggling to get children to work at home or who are experiencing issues in accessing the work, printing the work, submitting the work, please do not let is cause you lots of stress - there are more important things to worry about - all we ask is that you communicate any issues with us so that we can support you!

If you have an issue accessing Show My Homework (SMHW) check the guidance we have posted on the website and on facebook in the first instance. If you are still having issues accessing SMHW please contact your child’s mentor - they will be making contact with you if they haven’t already. If after trying those things you still have trouble please contact Mrs Land:

niamh.land@aylesford.kent.sch.uk.

If you have an issue with a particular subject please contact the Head of Department or teacher of the subject. Staff contact details and email addresses can be found on our school website.

​Please remember education comes in many forms including the promotion of life skills, development of good character and the art of communication - all are crucial at this time. Do not be afraid to allow your child to spend some time away from Show My Homework doing other activities such as cooking, cleaning, arts and crafts, writing letters to family and friends who they are unable to see, doing some fitness and even a bit of social time using zoom or house party or facetime if you have it.

Other information you might find useful:

Free School Meals
We have ordered vouchers for those students who are in receipt of Free School Meals but they are yet to arrive - we are working to resolve this and as soon as we receive them they will be sent out to families.

Access to ICT

Those parents who have emailed in directly to indicate that their child has no access to ICT have all received the following reply from me:

Thank you for your email!
I am trying to resolve ICT access issues but like everything at the moment this is proving difficult as shops are not open, deliveries aren’t taking place in many cases and many of my staff have to self isolate.
We will be working in this order of priority over the coming weeks to address issues that have been emailed to me regarding non or limited access:
Year 11 and 13 students who must get sample and completed coursework to us.
Students with no access- not even a phone to work from. We will work from Year 12 to Year 7
Students with limited shared access.

We just don’t know if and when we will be able to help Year 10 down to Year 7. When Year 13 and 11 have finished their work we will reallocate laptops and we have ordered some more so hope to be able to help Year 10 as the next priority.

Paper packs are being sent to all Year 7, 8,9 and 10 students who do not have or have limited access to ICT today.

Most of the work can be accessed using a smart phone.

School Trips and Events that Parents have paid for:
All school trips and events have been cancelled until we re-open (we really do not know when this will be).
Parents will receive a full refund but we have limited availability of staff and so we ask parents to be patient with us.

Please stay healthy and keep safe.

Kind Regards

Miss T Kelvie and Mr M Wright

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Monday 30/03/20 09.00am

Dear Year 13 IB Students Only- Message from Mrs Dighton

I just wanted to send you a gentle reminder about the urgency of getting your Reflective Project and your RPPF form sent over to me this week. Thank you to those of you who have already sent me your first drafts, however there are still a few students who haven’t sent me anything. The final deadline for submission is this Friday (3rd April), this means that your work will be sent to the IB exam board and after Friday your work cannot be changed. It is really important that you get this work to me and that it is your best work because this is likely to be used to give you an overall grade, as well as your other IB coursework. As you will know by now the IB exams have been cancelled so your coursework will be used (amongst other assessments) to give you the final grade that you deserve. Please be aware that any IB student who does not send me any work by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, I will be contacting your parents as a matter of priority. Please do not hesitate to contact me on amie.dighton@aylesford.kent.sch.uk if you have need too.

We have been working hard on this project for months now and I am excited to read all of your chosen subjects over the next few days.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Friday 27/03/20 09.00am

A reminder that Show my homework can be accessed without a user name and password - please see the guide below

SMHW guide without login

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Wednesday 25/03/20 10.00am

AYLESFORD SCHOOL - IMPORTANT: If your child does not have access to ICT at home e.g. no laptop or computer, please can you email Miss Kelvie on tanya.kelvie@aylesford.kent.sch.uk stating child’s full name and year group.

Thank you

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Tuesday 24/03/20 12.30pm

Message for all Year 13 and Year 13 Parents

Dear Parents and Students of Year 13,

As you may be aware, the Government have confirmed that the GCSE resit exams in English and Maths are cancelled, as are all BTEC and CTEC examinations, and we have also had confirmation that the IB exams are also now cancelled. Students will be awarded their grades based on predictions, mock exams, prior attainment and also the coursework you have produced for your subjects. Other evidence could also be used, but we are still awaiting confirmation on this. Please read the email below carefully to ensure you have the best chance at receiving the grades you deserve.

As well as the evidence mentioned above, your coursework for each of your subjects is now critical in ensuring you are awarded a true and fair grade. The Sampling process that normally occurs every year where we send off student work to be quality assured has now been ‘paused’ by BTEC until further notice, and as of yet it has not been confirmed how this will take place (The exam board has obviously realised that it is going to be difficult to collate everything when we are all working from home). It is therefore vital that all Year 13 students are spending their time at home this week completing assessments and coursework to the best of their ability. Where possible this should be completed to your Target grade. Although it is unclear how coursework will be used, it will definitely be used in some capacity to grade work and justify exam results, so I strongly urge that all students take this opportunity to complete the work set.

Each of your teachers will be setting work remotely via either Show My Homework, email or if they are brave like Mr Elcome, you may be lucky enough to be invited to an online lesson with your teacher. Please log in to these portals every day so that you do not miss anything and please adhere to any deadlines which your teachers are setting you. Failure to do so may result in staff contacting home or even worse, you may not get the grade you deserve. You may also want to check your spam folder on emails in case some emails are filtered here instead of your inbox.

This is not the way I wanted your final year at Aylesford School Sixth Form to end, but as a school community we can all work together remotely to ensure that whatever your plan is after Aylesford that you get there successfully. Please contact me should you have any problems or queries.

#staysafe #stayhome

Mrs Dighton
Director of Sixth Form

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - Monday 23/03/20 11.45am

Message from Mr Matthews - Year 11 Progress Leader

Dear parents and students,

As you may be aware, the government have confirmed that the GCSE exams are cancelled but that students will be awarded GCSE grades based on predictions, mock exams, prior attainment and other evidence yet to be confirmed. Please read the email below carefully to ensure you have the best chance at receiving the grades you deserve.

As a school we may be asked to submit work to be moderated to back up students results. We are therefore requesting year 11 students to spend their time this week completing assessments to the best of their ability. These will be used alongside their mock exams to justify the results and therefore we strongly urge that students take this opportunity to complete the work set.

Each of your teachers, or Heads of Department, will be setting you appropriate tasks to complete on Show My Homework. This needs to be checked regularly and deadlines need to be adhered to in order to give students the best chance possible of achieving the grades they deserve.

It is also important that you check your emails regularly (please check your spam folder also as sometimes emails will be filtered there by your provider). Some subjects have sent out invites to online learning platforms to make conversing with students and submitting work easier. Instructions will be in these emails where it concerns your child.

Since it is being completed at home we do not expect students to complete it in exam conditions - they may use books, revision guides or the internet - but we cannot accept work that is clearly not the students own work or work that takes substantially longer to compete than would normally be allowed, as this is not a true reflection of their ability - each of the assessments set should have a recommended time stipulated by the class teacher. Teachers will return work that they do not feel is reasonable to accept as a students own and clarify its validity or ask that it is repeated in exam conditions.

The government hopes to get students grades to them in July - if you are not happy with the result you received you can contact the school who can try to appeal if we agree with your concerns or you will have the opportunity to take the exams ‘at the soonest possible opportunity’ - probably in the autumn term.

I encourage students to submit work daily as tasks are completed. Yo will be contacted if your child does not complete work or it is not to the standard they are capable of; support in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Please contact myself or class teachers with any queries.

Kind regards,

Daniel Matthews

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 23/03/20

Dear Parents/Carers

Please see below the guidance from the Education Secretary,Gavin Williamson

He states “You should only send your child to school on Monday if you have to, because your work is critical to our COVID-19 response. If you are able to keep your child at home you should”

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 22/03/20

Dear Parents/Carers

EXAM UPDATE -YEAR 11/13

We now have an update on how grades will be awarded following the cancellation of the exams.

The full details of this announcement can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-details-on-exams-and-grades-announced?fbclid=IwAR2Si7L5hPUM5RibCj2sXx17jJvamRQnhga6sZj6plRJjhmEonAn89FTco8


In summary…

-      As we knew this year’s exams are cancelled and will not be sat this summer.
-      Universities have promised they will flexible and support students to access their courses.
-      All students will be given a grade to reflect the work they have put in.
-      Ofqual will work with teachers to generate a grade that reflects this hard work by asking teachers to submit a grade which reflects the individuals work.
-      The teacher submitted grade will be evidenced by mock exams results, coursework and will be combined with prior attainment grades to produce a final grade that is fair.
-      School will be given full guidance on how to do this at a later date and it will be robustly monitored.
-      The aim is to provide these grades to students by the end of July.
-      These grades will follow the same distribution as previous years so will not stand out from previous years grades and will be awarded proportionately.
-        If students do not believe the correct process has been followed in their case they will be able to appeal on that basis.
-      In addition, if they do not feel their calculated grade reflects their performance, they will have the opportunity to sit an exam at the earliest reasonable opportunity, once schools are open again.
-      The Government will not publish any school or college level educational performance data based on tests, assessments or exams for 2020.

As this is all of the information any of us have at the moment I will not be able to answer any questions as I do not have any more details than you. We will keep parents and students up to date as this moves forward.

This does mean that students do not have to prepare further for exams or assessments. However, we may call individual or groups of students for coursework/ evidence that may currently be at home. We will be in contact.

Kind regards

Miss Kelvie - Headteacher
Aylesford School

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE 19/03/20

Dear Parents and Carers

There have been significant announcements this evening from the government.

As you will understand, these will have a huge impact on our work as a school and as you as families.

It is clear that from Monday the school will be shut, as will all schools until further notice.

We will be planning to meet the expectations placed on schools in the speech and we will be contacting you over the next couple of days regarding how we will provide for the children of key workers and the other key groups mentioned. More information will follow in the next few days once we have clearer details of what this might look like and who it will apply to.

Boris Johnson has also said that all exams in May and June will be cancelled. At the current time we have no further information on this announcement but we believe that exam boards may look at samples of work. We will therefore use the next two days with Year 11 and Year 13 in school to get the best samples of their work together. Students undertaking Food, Art and ICT practicals will still be allowed to do these as an example of their best work. Certainly, their best work will be used to appeal any grades that are awarded that we believe to be unfair.

Again, as soon as we know what these changes mean and what will be put in place as an alternative, we will let you know.

I will be in contact again over the next couple of days with more information.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Miss T Kelvie
Headteacher