This week our Year 11 students have been sitting their Pre-Public Examinations. For this cohort, it is the first time they are sitting exams in such a formal setting. These exams are treated like the real exams in terms of all the rules and regulations to give the students an experience of what the real exams will be like and hopefully for them to feel more comfortable and familiar to the settings when it does come to the final exams.

Of course, this year there is still uncertainty surrounding the final exams, but as I’ve said to the students, we focus on things we can control (our own revision and doing the best with the time that we have) and the things out of our control, we don’t spend time on. Regardless of what shape the final exams take, having the PPEs now has focused the students on completing some solid revision at this stage and will provide both students and teachers with crucial information about where they are right now and next steps for revision.

Due to Covid safety, several measures have had to be put in place for these PPEs. As with the process with all classrooms, students sanitise their hands on the way in, they sit at sanitised desks, strict seating plans are in place to support track and trace, they sanitise their hands on their way out and are allowed to wear their jackets should they need to as the sportshall doors are kept open to maintain good ventilation. The Year 11 students have been exemplary in terms of following all the rules and regulations put in place for these exams and I’m sure the Year 13 students will be just as good as they begin their PPEs.

Students with access arrangements have been sitting their exams in separate rooms to the sportshall which have been specially selected and closed off from lessons for the duration of the PPEs. As with the students in the sportshall, these students have been exemplary too in the way they have conducted themselves with these exams.

I’d just like to end this article with a big well done and thank you to not just the students, but also the parents, carers, staff and any other support networks that have been part of helping the students prepare and get through the exams in the best way possible.

Best wishes to all with the remaining exams.