Bucking the concerning trend regarding national secondary school attendance at Rydal Penrhos.
The BBC have reported about a “collapse in secondary school attendance” and that last week figures nationally saw more than one in five pupils absent, that is 22 per cent of the secondary school population.
Here at Rydal Penrhos, we had 92.8% attendance in the same week – an absence of just 7.2% – and have not dropped close to the 78% attendance rate reported nationally on any week since half term.
The school has adapted so thoroughly to the challenges that the pandemic has posed and we want to take this opportunity to thank the staff, pupils and parents for everything they are doing to keep the community safe and prevent the risk of infection.
Our hearts go out to pupils who have been in and out of some schools all year and who when home have found it nigh on impossible to study, quite often without access to internet and devices to make this possible.
Able to adapt quickly and with flexibility, we were able to teach remotely almost immediately from the first lockdown, a provision which has now been enhanced (should the need arise) with the upgrading of our school server and free Generation 8 iPads being given to each and every teacher and pupil from Years 3-13.
Executive Principal John Waszek emphasizes: “Our priority is always our children and young people and their education and mental health and well being and there is no better place for them to be than in school in the classroom.
“Should the need arise (and we sincerely hope we maintain our attendance and it doesn’t) that we make the home learning experience as close as possible to that in school both in terms of education and health and wellbeing particularly in regard to social interaction.
“This generation of pupils or the “covid generation” as they are being called cannot be allowed to slip through the net and suffer the lifelong consequences that a loss of learning brings.”
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Rydal Penrhos is now able to offer private tours to prospective pupils and their families.
For more information email admissions@rydalpenrhos.com or book online at https://rydal.wpengine.com/open-days-visits.