Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we have continued to offer our usual timetable online since 20th April for ALL year groups.

This has involved online teacher-led interactive lessons, activities and even cooking and dance routines!

We would like to share some of the feedback with you that we have received over the past few weeks:

 

I'm just writing to say thank you for your hard work and the hard work of all the staff at Reading Girls' School during what must have been the weirdest term ever.  It's impressive that you have managed the situation in such a way that my daughter has no concerns about being behind going into Year 11 in spite of not having been able to physically attend school since March.  I also appreciate that this can't have happened without many individual members of staff having to juggle home and work life in ways which must have been difficult for some.  I would be grateful if you could pass on our thanks to all your staff team. I hope you and all the staff will be able to have a good break over the summer.

Thank you for the first draft document reference to September. I just want to use this opportunity to thank you and the entire staff. For all the support my daughter has received, since she started secondary school I think this has been her best year thus far! We still have a long way to go but  I have seen a different child lately. Long may it last 🙂.  Have a good summer holiday.

Thank you all for the Virtual Coffee Morning - I feel more confident to support my daughter with any anxious thoughts about starting in Sept now.  Looking forward to being part of the RGS family :)

We want to thank all RGS staff the effort made during this terrible situation that the covid19 virus has generated. Thanks for maintaining the online activities for the students because this is essential for their future and helped them to have a daily routine. Thank you very much for your kind attention this year. You and your team have made more simply the integration of our daughters in your school. 

I can only start with a big THANK YOU to the entire team, these challenging times have been approached firmly and extremely well, I am glad that my daughter is at Reading Girls, and very impressed with the entire organisation that enabled our girls to continue their studies in the best possible conditions, far better than the mumbling presented as guidance from the national authorities (not politicising, simply an observation). Thank you once again, looking hopeful and confident towards the final year of my daughter's secondary school and her GCSE exams, knowing that she will have all the support.

"I am greatly indebted to you and all of the teachers and associated members of staff that have made distance learning possible during the lockdown. I hope that you all have a restful break during half term to recharge."

"I just wanted to say thank you for giving all the students at Reading Girls' such a brilliant chance to learn despite having to be online and the current situation. I have benefited lots from these online lessons and they are so much better in many ways than just being sent work to do. We have been given the same learning opportunities as the year 11 and 10's have which I am very grateful for. I have a sister who has her GCSE's next year and goes to a local grammar school. She said that if she would have got the same opportunities as us then she would have benefited from them so I would just like to say a huge thank you."

"I hope you are safe and well. I wanted to pass on our sincere thanks to you and your amazing team. We are incredibly impressed by the way Reading Girls School, your team of teachers and staff, and yourself of course have handled the Covid-19 situation. Through my work I am witnessing a lot of different takes on how to best proceed as a school, and I can confidently say that your school is amongst the best I've seen. Very impressive! 

We are particularly pleased with the way you are not applying undue pressure on our daughter and give her the space to figure this out for herself. Her teachers are very supportive, and she's enjoying her school life however unusual it is setup at the moment. We are eternally grateful for the well-being days - such a good shout! Even food tech is a thing still - and I get to enjoy the spoils, so it's a win-win situation ;-)

A sincere THANK YOU to all of your amazing team - please pass this on to them. Special shout outs to her English teacher Mr. Dinnegan and Ms. Hargrave.

Your school stands out as a light beam in the darkness, and that darkness being schools (including our Primary School) who's pretty much stopped teaching and simply rely on parents to pull the weight. Outrageous!"

"Thank you for your support and I would like to thank all teachers for doing such a fantastic job given the current situation.  Thank you for understanding."

"Thank you for looping me in and keeping me informed.  I’m pleased that technology doesn’t seem as much an issue for RGS as it does with other schools, like you say, at least students are able to access work from home (despite the far from ideal situation). A number of the schools that I work with still have students without technology which is very difficult! I’ve just read through the newsletter and there is seriously impressive work happening – brilliant!" Engagement Manager – South East

"I am writing to express my appreciation on how the school is supporting my daughter during this difficult time. The online tuition is absolutely having a positive impact on my daughter learning. I also like to thank all the teachers for online lessons."

"Hope you and your family are well. It's a difficult time for everyone, I am a single parent as well, first of all I would like to say how much I appreciate the online lessons...it is really good and making so much effort to keep the girls busy and updated in their subjects. "

"What a lovely way to go into the longer long weekend.  Thank you once again to everyone for the effort going into our online provision... "

"I would like to say a simple thank you to all the teachers and staff for the time they put in for the children of RGS, including my own, in online learning. Thank you for your patience answering all questions which are sometimes not relevant to the lesson subject but still take the time to answer the question. Thank you for all the support which you are providing for all the students to keep them satisfied with the understanding of the lesson. Thank you for all the updates in my daughters’ progress which reassure me every time. I can’t thank you enough and I wish everyone to stay safe and healthy as the matter of the pandemic lightens. "

"I take my hat off to Reading Girls’.  My daughter is so happy with what the school is doing - it takes the load off my shoulders and the school has been amazing." 

"I am writing to express my gratitude for how well Reading Girls' School is handling online education during this difficult period. My daughter enjoys her online lessons and says that having online school contributes to her daily productivity. I am very happy that my daughter is part of this school, very pleased with how all the necessary information is shared with parents but also how my daughter is given her own responsibilities and duties. I thank all teachers and staff at Reading Girls' School for the hard work they are doing. Thank you."

"Thank you for all School is doing for my daughter. We have 3 children and Reading Girls' are the only School to have contacted them directly to enquire is everything is ok with accessing lessons etc.  I am very grateful for someone taking the time to check everything was ok."

“I'd just like to say how successful online school is! At first my daughter wasn't keen on the idea, but she has her sparkle back now and is enjoying the interaction between her teachers and friends. RGS have come out on top once again as I know of no other schools that are doing this. Thank you for providing her with this  valuable educational platform. See you in September”  

 

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the school management and it's teachers for doing such an absolutely amazing job in teaching our girls at home during the lockdown!!👏🎓😃 I didn't know earlier, but I know now that not all schools in the UK are actually using video and live virtual meetings to educate at the moment.  Thank you for taking full responsibility of our RGS girl's education during this period where a lot of parents are already stressed about to many things at home. Thank you for taking education off of our plates for now. I recognise that we are so spoilt by you and highly privileged to be parents and pupils of your school.       Thank you to all of the passionate teachers and we are honoured to be a part of the RGS team!”

 

“Thank you for all School is doing for my daughter.  I have 3 children and Reading Girls are the only School to have contacted them directly to enquire is everything is ok with accessing lessons etc.  I am very grateful for someone taking the time to check everything was ok.”

 

“Thank you for all your efforts as a school to ensure the students are being looked after during a very difficult situation. I heard lots of schools are not providing reasonable provision there have been lots of comments flying around on the community groups on F.B.... !!!”

 

"I want to start by thanking you all for the initiative to put a roster together so that our girls can work for the last two weeks. It helps us parents at home who has to work very much. They keep busy, entertained and occupied with good things behind their desks while we can focus on our work. 😊"

Some of our other testimonials:

 

"Thanks very much for the opportunity of working with your Year eights and nines. We were really impressed by the level of awareness and knowledge there was around climate change, as well as some very creative thinking about action in future and great engagement throughout the time we were with the group – a credit to the school."

Richard Usher

Just-Ideas

 

"Urooj and her friend were nothing short of exemplary in their contribution to last night’s Aspire2 AGM

They not  only explained the nature of the Pledge but also how it could be mutually advantageous to pupils of Reading Girls  and the work of Aspire2 and consequently young and old across Whitley 

They also contributed in a mature confident and thoughtful way to the meeting in general "

Charlie Clare 

Aspire2

 

"My friend and I came to visit your school this morning with our daughters and whilst we were all very impressed with the school I wanted to email you about the two yr 8 girls showing us around. 

Pearl and Katie did a really great job but Pearl then asked to be excused as she needed to get back to her class (cooking) which just shows her dedication to her education and how enjoyable the classes are. 

Katie made the biggest impression for me. She really wanted to abscond also as they were making a dish she was looking forward to but instead she chose to show us around (self sacrifice) 

She explained in detail about each classroom and the teachers all of whom she said were lovely and approachable. 

She went on to explain that her favourite lessons were dance, gymnastics and PE in general. 

She also explained to us about a typical day at Reading Girls' and how when she first began she was scared but that soon went away and has made lots of friends. 

She also mentioned she is part of the anti-bullying campaign and that since she began last September she has not seen or heard of any bullying. 

I just wanted to bring this to your attention as I have been to see other schools but these girls truly showed me what being a Reading Girls' pupil meant to them and I hope that next September my daughter will be part of the RGS family. "

Prospective Parent

 

 

"I wanted to extend my thanks for your patient and professional help towards our daughter. She told both my husband Jason and I about how you have been patient with her and helpful.
She has always struggled with Maths but her last teachers were not patient so we appreciate your efforts."

Mrs Powell

Parent (Yr8)
 

"I had a great time sharing knowledge with yourself and your year 10 group. I was inspired by the interest and passion of your students as well as the quality of follow up questions at the end of my presentation to them. 

I certainly would recommend that you continue to share and gain knowledge through experts by experience such as myself to continue to engage our future leaders. "

Eden

Feed Safely

 

"Thank you so much for organising our outreach session at Reading Girls’.  Our undergrads certainly went home on a high- they really enjoyed the opportunity to work with your students. Fingers crossed that in the future they will remember the adrenaline high that most of them so obviously experienced and that teaching will be their career of choice.

Please say a big ‘thank you’ to all the teachers who worked with us.  We were made to feel very welcome and really enjoyed our morning with you."

Janet Stem Education Module

Reading University

 

"I was impressed with how engaged your students were in the activity. Most of the students told me they had never used soldering irons before and considering the quality of the moisture detectors they produced as part of the project, you never would have known.

It is also quite rare for students to give up their lunch break to continue working!"

Ashley Rowley

Education Officer, The Smallpeice Trust