To our Communities,

I hope you are all continuing to cope in these very challenging times. Monday sees the start of the summer term and I want to update you on key decisions being made as a Trust related to the Coronavirus Outbreak and immediate priorities moving forward.

Our schools remained open throughout the Easter holiday for the children of key workers and families who were unable to care for them at home. I want to thank colleagues who were so willing to give up some of their Easter break to ensure we were able to do this. We will obviously continue the existing arrangements over the coming weeks and for as long as our schools remain closed.

We provided Free School Meal vouchers to those eligible over the Easter holiday period and that will continue to be the case. The national voucher scheme is taking a little time to get embedded. We will not transfer across to it from our own system until we are absolutely sure the vouchers will reach those entitled. If you are applying for Universal Credit for the first time, you should make an application for Free School Meals.

Please apply through this link  Free School Meals

If you are already in receipt of a Free School Meal and your income has changed you do not need to apply again as your child is on the school’s Bradford Schools Online list.

For pupils and students working from home, please ensure that you are accessing the materials being sent through to you from our schools. A great deal of thought is being put into ensuring these materials are as stimulating and accessible as possible and align to planned schemes of learning. Keep working hard. Parents and Guardians, once again thank you so much for your support here.

We are all very keen to get our schools fully open again. We obviously take our lead from the government who we hope will share their plans for the gradual easing of the lockdown and specifically their view on schools reopening. Once we know more we can start planning for that.

Our schools have sent you details of the guidance from OFQUAL (the exam regulator) with regard to how grades will be awarded for GCSE and A level students in this exceptional year. Please follow this link awarding qualifications in Summer 2020

There is also a video for students here

Our schools will be contacted by exam boards and asked to submit a centre assessment grade and a rank order of students in each subject by a deadline that won’t be any earlier than May 29th. The Trust schools are already working together in partnership to ensure that the approach we take to submitting estimated grades is consistent and fair. Our students must not be disadvantaged.

Finally, on a different note, we are humbled by the efforts of Captain Tom who is walking 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS and to coincide with this 100th birthday. Tom was born and brought up in Keighley and went to Keighley Grammar School, now Beckfoot Oakbank School. You can watch Tom complete his final 10 laps on his 100th birthday on You Tube, Tom’s Final 10 Laps

Beckfoot Oakbank are proud to be supporting Captain Tom and the NHS with money raised by their school community to a sum of £1568. Should you wish to donate you can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalkforthenhs

Captain Tom, you are an inspiration and all at Beckfoot Trust wish you a very happy 100th birthday.

To conclude, if you need anything or have questions about any aspect of our support for you during this difficult time please contact us via your school, details on each website, or at BeckfootTrust@beckfoot.org

Above all else, stay safe.

David Horn 

CEO

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