Secondary Virtual School Experience (VSE) 29 April, 2022

Dear Parents,

As communicated by Mrs Needham, we have been advised by the Shunyi Education Commission that the school must move to virtual learning from 29th April 2022 until 4th May 2022. At BSB, teaching and learning will continue uninterrupted as we will move seamlessly to full online provision. As such, our teachers and students are equipped and fully ready to move to a full Virtual School Experience (VSE) with immediate effect. Please see the specific arrangements below.

Virtual Lessons

All lessons will be delivered through live video conferencing. Our teachers and curriculum leaders have devised a range of high-quality interactive learning engagements suitable for the virtual environment. To make the experience as interactive and personalised as possible, students in each online lesson will be asked to turn on the camera on their device. Importantly, students must be appropriately dressed and seated in a suitable space. Students do not need to wear school uniform for Virtual Lessons. However, it is essential that they wear school appropriate dress. As such, students should not wear Pajamas, overly casual clothes or T shirts with visible logos and designs.

All Virtual Provision will take place using the Microsoft Teams platform. All students have been allocated to a Team for each of their subjects. Students have already been using Teams in lessons for collaboration, resource sharing and homework, therefore both teachers and students are well versed in the functionality of the platform.

All students are signed into Teams on their school laptop and should use their school device for virtual learning. Students in the IB Diploma Programme who use their own devices can sign-in to the platform using their full school email address and password. If you require technical assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our helpdesk on the following email address: it@britishschool.org.cn

School Day

Registration

Tutors will start the registration call at 8:25 every morning. All students must login to their designated registration call so that tutors can take a register for the day. Teachers will also take a register at the start of every lesson. Unexplained attendance will be treated in the same manner as truancy and recorded on ISAMS followed up with appropriate sanctions.

Absence

Processes for reporting absence from school will remain the same. Parents are requested to report absence to the school by using the form on the school website. You can access the form by clicking ‘Parents Essentials’ on the top right-hand corner of the website.

• All absences should be reported by 8:15am.
• After 8:15am, we will collate this information and inform relevant stakeholders of your child’s absence.
• Any absence not recorded by 8:15am will be treated as unauthorised and will prompt our support staff to phone parents to establish the cause of absence.

Lessons Times

Live lessons will commence at the follow times:

• Registration    8:25-8:40
• P1    08:40 – 9:35
• P2    09:40- 10:35

Break     10:35-10:55

• P3    10:55-11:50
• P4    11:55-12:50

Lunch 12:50-13:35

• P5    13:35-14:30
• P6    14:35-15:30

Each lesson will be 55 minutes in duration. Once students enter a call, they will be admitted to a waiting room and will be admitted as soon as the teacher is ready to start the lesson.

Timetable

The timetable will be delivered without alteration. The school operates a fortnightly Week A/B cycle. Tutors will support students to ensure that they are aware of the week and the timetabled lessons for the day. Tomorrow is Friday Week A. 

Homework

In addition to live lessons, students can continue to expect independent work to be assigned by teachers.  This work will be set on Microsoft Teams.

• In Key Stage 3 and 4:  additional work will be assigned according to the homework timetable.
• Students in the IB Diploma Programme can expect to be assigned independent learning for subjects and lessons daily.

Year 11 and 13

Arrangements for students in Year 11 and 13 will be shared by Ms Sinton Via Teams and Ms Donnelly Via ManageBac. Please do not hesitate to contact them if you have any questions or concerns.

• Ms Sinton jade.sinton@britishschool.org.cn
• Ms Donnelly sarah.donnelly@britshschool.org.cn

Routines

During this period of virtual learning, we want to help students understand the importance of keeping to a routine as if they were attending school in person. This means going to bed and getting up at a consistent time and accessing all the learning that is provided by the teachers. Consistent routines are important for behaviour and wellbeing in school and our routines at home have changed significantly. Routines support behaviour and you will be finding a new rhythm with your family. Talk to them to help them plan their new routines.

If you have any further questions, please contact your child’s form tutor directly. I look forward to welcoming your children back to school very soon.

Kind regards,

Bevan Graham

Head of Secondary

bevan.graham@britishschool.org.cn