Agenda item

Report of the Headmistress of the City of London School for Girls.

The Board considered the report of the Headmistress who gave an update on upcoming events, examinations and partnership and development and the following points were made:

• A small token of seasonal recognition would be provided to School staff in place of the annual drinks’ reception to mark their outstanding effort during the COVID-19 pandemic.  There continued to be a significant pressure on School staff as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with a number of staff members recently required to self-isolate, and short-term measures had been put in place to ensure the full School timetable was delivered.  It had been decided to end the Autumn 2020 Term slightly earlier than planned on 10 December 2020, but students would still have the opportunity to participate in festive activities.   

• Work was underway to establish a yearly series of ‘City at Six’ lectures at the School, some of which would be dedicated to the former Deputy Head (Pastoral) who had recently passed away.   The lectures would cover a wide range of subjects.

• In response to a question from a Governor, the Headmistress confirmed that it was anticipated that students would be able to sit GCSE and A Level exams in Summer 2021 and that students who sat at least half of their exams in any one subject would be graded using a robust modelling process.  If students were unable to sit their exams, they would be assessed on their mock exam performance and the School was supporting this by offering two sets of mock exams and ensuring stringent data collection for every subject.

UPDATE: Following the meeting the Department for Education confirmed that GCSE and A-Level candidates would have advance information about exam topics.  Supporting materials would remove the need for rote learning and provision would be made to ensure that candidates with protected characteristics were not disadvantaged.

• The Chairman praised the Working in Partnership 2020 booklet which would be made publicly available from the start of 2021.  A new Development Manager had been appointed and would start in post from January 2021.

• The Chairman led the Board in thanking Governors and all school staff for their remarkable dedication, enthusiasm and success in what had been one of the most challenging terms in the history of the School and asked that his thanks be passed to the whole school body.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.