Dear Parents, Update as of 15.14 on Friday 3 April 2020 I hope you and your loved ones are keeping well.  I also hope you are making the most of the permitted two hour of exercise to enjoy this stunning weather.  If we are to be in ‘lockdown’ I am grateful to be in beautiful Jersey. What do we know?   Year 11 and Year 13 OfQual issued further guidance today.  I’m sure many of you will have seen it.

• Here is the link to the full guidance including OfQual’s letter to parents and students (please read it):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcses-as-and-a-level-awarding-summer-2020?fbclid=IwAR1IBgAqG_jxw-J7J9XjNKCcSSYWdyk5GHwo0EXKOvUmMbGtXt4HaUjTzY0

Key points from OfQual’s letter to parents and students:

• How will grades be calculated? Your school or college will be asked to send exam boards two pieces of information for each of your subjects, based on what they know about your work and achievements:
• The grade they believe you were most likely to get if teaching, learning and exams had happened as planned.  (Teachers will also factor in any special consideration I.e. illness during the course.)
• Within each subject, the order of students at your school or college, by performance, for each grade. This information will be used to standardise judgements – allowing fine tuning of the standard applied across schools and colleges
• Your school or college will consider 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.
• This information will allow us, with exam boards, to standardise grades across schools and colleges, to make sure that, as far as possible, results are fair and that students are not advantaged or disadvantaged because their schools or colleges are more generous or harsh than others when making those judgements.
• That means the final grade you get could be different from the one your school or college sends to the exam board.

  Do I need to complete any new work for my school/college to submit a grade?

• Your school or college is not required to set additional mock exams or homework for your centre assessment grade, and you won’t be disadvantaged if you were not set, or were unable to complete, any work given out after schools were closed.

Can I see the grades my school/college submits for me?

• No, this information will be confidential. Please don’t ask your teachers, or anyone else at your school or college, to tell you the grades they will be sending to the exam boards or where they have placed you in the order of students; they will not be allowed to share this with you. (JCG students: please do not put your teachers in an uncomfortable position by asking.  They are not allowed to discuss this with you.)

When will I get my results?

• We’re working hard to get results out as soon as is possible – results won’t be delayed after the dates they were expected in August, and ideally they will be issued a little earlier, so you can have the certainty you need.

Can I take my exams another time?

• We are working with exam boards to offer additional exams in the autumn term as soon as it is possible to do so. We’ll let you know about these in the coming weeks.
• Please be reassured that the grades you get this summer will look exactly the same as in previous years, and they will have equal status with universities, colleges and employers.
• It’s also worth remembering that in normal circumstances students would not know their exam grades until results day. This year is no different in that regard.

Students do not need to do anything except keep their brains alert and agile by continuing the online courses we have recommended and those they have discovered for themselves.  We are fortunate to be surrounded by intelligent and remarkable young women and just as our muscles need exercise, our brains need feeding with knowledge.   Challenge Week We have taken the decision to cancel Challenge Week this year; disappointing though pragmatic. However, Year 9 DoE students will continue as planned and Mrs Bolton has written to you separately about this.  Any Year 12 students who have had their work placements confirmed will also continue unless the student decides they would rather be in College (assuming we are back). We are looking into getting as much money refunded to you as soon as we have straightened out the finances already committed to various providers.   JCG Life JCG Life is now available on our website.  A paper copy should be with you at some point soon though I hope the online version provides a necessary reminder of how things were and how they will be again.  Please click on the link: https://jerseycollegeforgirls.com/about-us/jcg-life/​   JCGTV A huge thank you to the team behind JCGTV.  Mr Marett, Mr Vibert, Lily D and Amelia B have been brilliant in editing and uploading each day.  Thank you to you too for creating videos and keeping us together when we can’t be together.  JCGTV will resume after Easter.   Year 11 Prom We have cancelled the booking for the summer and rebooked for September.  You shall go to the ball!   Time to take a break I am deeply appreciative of the huge efforts our students, staff and I know you too have made in adapting to a new way of learning.  Now it’s time to take a well deserved break and get off the screens. Time for a break also applies to my parental updates.  I will resume once the summer term begins.  However, the Thursday 8pm applause for our health workers remains.  I’ll also be applauding the postie, the shop worker and all those other heroes who are keeping our island going and helping to save lives. Take care and try not to eat too much chocolate.  I’ve noticed how one can surprisingly get through quite a lot during a Netflix binge or indeed that novel I had never got around to reading.   Happy Easter. Yours, Carl Howarth Principal