We are pleased to confirm that the practical PE lessons for Year 7, 8 and 9 students will recommence on Monday 21st September.

Please see below a link to a letter in respect of this and the timetable of PE lessons for Year 7,8 and 9.

KS3 PE letter to parents 18.9.20

On Thursday 3rd September, we welcomed our new Year 7 students to our Central Foundation school community. The students had an induction to the school routines and systems which this year included Covid-19 health and safety measures implemented by the School.

The students learnt about the School’s ethos and guiding principles of humanitas that encompass kindness, culture, being courteous and active in one’s participation in the community and in bringing about improvement to society.  We were delighted with the start made by the new Year 7s; they displayed excellent learning behaviours in their lessons and we saw the start of the formation of many new friendships.  On Friday, Year 7s were joined by Year 11 students.

Please see below some photographs illustrating the first day of Year 7 students and some safety measures put in place by the School.

Year 7 students' first assembly

Year 7 students' first assembly

Students practising handwashing

Students practising handwashing

Students practising handwashing

Students lining up for lunch

Year 7 students in lessons in their 'bubble' learning area

Students enjoying their 'family lunch' in the dining hall

Students using foot pump hand sanitiser before entering the dining hall

Title: Year 11 back in school
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 04-09-2020
End Time: 15:15

Please see below a link to a letter to the parents of Year 8,9 and 10 students in relation to the start of the new academic year.

Start of the academic year – updated start times for Year 8,9 and 10

The new start dates and times for Years 8, 9 and 10 are now as follows:

Monday 7th September

Year 8 – 8.50am

Year 10 - 10am

Tuesday 8th September

Year 9 – 10am

Following on from government guidance and after careful consideration of the matter, the current position of the School in respect of face coverings is as follows.

Staff and students should wear face coverings in areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained, such as corridors and communal areas.  All staff and students should have their own face coverings.  Students’ face coverings should be plain, with no patterns or wording upon them.  Students should carry a plastic bag in which they place the face covering when they are not wearing it.  The School will carry supplies of face masks and plastic bags for the occasions when students have forgotten or mislaid their mask or bag.

The layout of our school is such that it makes it difficult to maintain social distancing when staff and pupils are moving around the premises, for example, in corridors.  We have set up the timetable and the structure of the students’ day to minimise movement around the school and overcrowding.  However, these are routines that are new to staff and the students. Whilst we are seeing how they work, and getting used to them, there appears more opportunity for a breach of social distancing.  Face coverings will help to minimise risk in such circumstances.

The government guidance states that based on current evidence and the measures that schools are putting in place, such as the system of controls and consistent bubbles, face coverings will not be necessary in the classroom, even where social distancing is not possible.  However, at the moment, although face coverings will not be required in the classroom, both staff and students will be able to wear them if they wish.  Staff and students may well experience anxiety upon their return to school and the wearing of a face covering may help to alleviate this anxiety somewhat.

We have been delighted to meet the Year 11 students today to share their GCSE results with them.  These were a testament to their hard work and perseverance over many years, alongside the professionalism and determination of the School’s staff.

Year 11 students celebrating their results with Mayor of Islington, Cllr Rakhia Ismail

Year 11 students in Cowper Street

Year 11 students in Cowper Street

Year 11 students in Cowper Street

As is well known, this year’s GCSE results had to be awarded differently from usual, after exams were unable to go ahead due to Covid-19. Schools and colleges were asked to use their professional experience to make a fair and objective judgement of the grades they believed a student would have achieved had they sat their exams this year, and to submit these centre-assessed grades (CAGs) to the relevant exam board.

Teachers and leaders in each subject worked together to discuss and agree the centre-assessed grade for each student. They took into account a wide range of available evidence, including class work, mock exams and other records of student performance.  The policy that guided this process is available on the School’s website.

The intention was that the exam boards would then moderate the CAGs, to check that schools and colleges had approached this task consistently, before providing students with their final calculated grades. Unfortunately, as you will no doubt be aware, the method they used to do this proved problematic, and was likely to lead to many grades being unfairly downgraded.

The government therefore made the decision that GCSE and A level students would be awarded whichever was higher for each subject – their CAG or their calculated grade.  The School is delighted that the grades we originally submitted, which reflect our students’ work, effort and ability and which we moderated rigorously internally, will now be awarded.

Overall, the School’s results have stayed consistently high, with 88% of all students having achieved a grade 4 or better in both English and maths whilst 69% achieved at least a grade 5 in these subjects. 40% of all grades were awarded at a grade 7 or better.

We are proud all of our Year 11 students who, as a result of their hard work and commitment before 20^th March, have achieved excellent outcomes. There were some remarkable individual performances.  Jacob Potter and Tommy Curson-Smith achieved a clean sweep of grade 9s in all their GCSE subjects, whilst Sameer Chowdhury, Ahmed Elawad and Zak Kirati all achieved at least ten grade 9s each.

The grades achieved by the vast majority of our students to pursue their chosen A level and vocational course.  The school will be providing support to all of our students over the coming days to ensure every one of them is following a course next year that will allow them to continue to flourish and build a bright future.

If the students want to sit any of their exams, the current plan is for a full series of exams to take place in November. We do not yet have full details of how this will work, but please let us know if that is something you would like to discuss. Parents and students should contact Mr Dilley in the first instance.

Please see below a link to a letter to the parents and carers of Year 11 students in relation to the GCSE results and moving onto Sixth Form/College.

GCSE results and enrolment to 6th form letter to parents and carers 19.8.20

Please see below a link to the School’s policy on allocation of exam grades 2020.

Policy on the allocation of exam grades 2020

Sixth form enrolment for external pupils is open on Thursday 20th August 2020 from 10am-4pm at the Leonard St entrance. Pupils should bring a copy of their exam results.

For any Sixth form enrolment queries, please email administration@ic6.co.uk

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

I am sure that you are all aware of the news from yesterday that the government  has now made the decision to award all A Level and GCSE students their Centre Assessment Grades this year, unless the examination boards awarded a grade that was higher than the Centre Assessment Grade, in which case the higher grade will stand.  The Centre Assessment Grade is the grade that was sent from the School to exam boards in June.

The School is delighted that the grades we originally submitted, which reflect our students’ work, effort and ability and which we moderated rigorously internally, will now be awarded.  The achievement of our students have been set against unprecedented disruptions and uncertainties this year.  I have been impressed, not just with the approach of the students to their studies, but with the response of the students to the current situation, in terms of their determination to continue to strive for creating the best futures for themselves.

Overall, the School’s results have stayed consistently high at all levels. 13% of all A level grades were awarded at A*, 43% were at A*/A, 78% were at A*-B and 94% at A*-C.  The overall pass rate was 100%.

The majority of our students will take places at university, including a significant proportion at Russell Group Universities, whilst others will be moving onto high quality apprenticeships.

Two students will study at Oxford University: Abubakar Finiin will study Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Balliol College; George Petters will study Biology, at Keble College.   As well as Oxford, we have pupils who have accepted offers to study many of the country’s top universities including; Imperial College, Bristol, University College London, King’s College, Manchester, Cardiff, Warwick, Bath and SOAS.

George Petters, Oxford University, Biology and Abubakar Finiin, Oxford University, PPE

Sonia Mendy, Coventry University, International Business Management

Patrick Pai Tsung Cheung, Lancaster University, Fine Art

The breadth of the curriculum in the Sixth Form is illustrated by the extensive variety of courses that students have chosen to study at university; from Aeronautical Engineering to Art, from Physics to Podiatry, and from Ancient History to Artificial Intelligence. The strength of the School’s vocational courses is illustrated by the destinations of the students who studied these courses.  These students, on the whole, have chosen to pursue vocationally based degrees such as Radiography, Nursing, Accountancy, Software Engineering and Cyber Security.

The School is continuing to provide support to those students who have yet to secure a destination that is right for them or who require a change of course as a result of the change in the grades awarded.  I am very thankful for the efforts and support of the whole School community through this whole process and for the colleagues for their professionalism and care for our young people throughout this period.

Mr Brownhill

Headteacher

Please see below a link to a letter to Year 13 students, their parents and carers in relation to A level and BTEC grades.

A level and BTEC grades – Letter to Year 13s 17.8.20