We are wishing you a warm welcome back to the new half term and also back to College next week!
College re-opening
As you might expect, a large amount of time this fortnight has been spent focusing on our reopening plans. We are pleased to have a large body of volunteers and staff supporting us with the mass testing, and are ready to undertake nearly 5,000 tests in the next fortnight. We are pleased to share that around two thirds of students have booked for their tests ahead of next week and we have provided additional slots to cope with demand. Many more of our students are already testing at home.
We have also been working on refreshing the site, so hope that students will notice an improvement in the environment when they return. As always, safety is our priority and full details of our reopening plans can be found in the COVID-secure section of our website, including the latest version of our risk assessment.
We hope this provides reassurance for our community around returning to College, please be assured that strict COVID protocols will remain in place.
Year 11 assessment arrangements
We have also been planning for the revised arrangements for Year 11 assessments, now the government has released the guidance and expectations for teacher assessed grades. Students will be sitting in-class assessments over a period of five weeks, between 22 March and 7 May. These will be carefully designed by faculties to show off the best work of the students, and will be moderated and reviewed in line with all of the other assessment data we have on our students for the last three years of their GCSE courses.
This will allow us to provide robust and accurate data to the exam boards on what our students are capable of, and allow them to get the grades they deserve and need to move on to their post-16 destinations. We are planning lots of exciting things, including enrichment and post-16 preparation for the remainder of the Year 11 period.
IB Middle Years Programme update
Plans continue for the launch of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) at IVC. Last week our teachers had a full day of INSET on MYP planning, looking at unit planners and assessments. A most exciting development is the planning of the first Interdisciplinary Unit (IDU), which is now underway; an interface between English and History called ‘Terra Incognita’ focussing on the moment of cultural exchange between coloniser and colonised and reflecting that a moment of change often inspires creativity. Students will produce an engaging and imaginative story, which is also solidly based on well-researched historical fact, and enter a competition run by an online magazine dedicated to exciting historical fiction.
IVC’s biggest ever PE lesson
Tomorrow and Friday morning, ahead of the staggered return next week, Mr Raine and the IVC PE Department will be hosting our biggest ever PE lesson. This will be a live workout accessible to all 1,100 of our main school students, across Years 7 to 11. We look forward to seeing you there! This will be a great way for us to end remote learning on a high!
IIC’s Performance School students take part in workshop with Hamilton star
Last week our sixth form students took part in two unmissable virtual workshops led by West End actress Ellena Vincent, who most recently performed in Hamilton, and the second by Arts Educational Schools in London.
During the sessions, students were given the rare opportunity to perform a song or monologue for the associated artists and receive one to one feedback and guidance. The students also learnt a dance routine from the famous West End show!
Find out more about our sixth form’s Performance School.
Looking ahead to September
This week, secondary school places were confirmed to parents and students who will be joining us this September, and we are currently in the process of reaching out to all of them. We are over the moon to share that IVC was the first choice for over 270 applications for 240 places, and we can’t wait to welcome our new Year 7s in September.
March 3, 2021
