Communication

24^th March 2023

What The Good Schools Guide International says

Head

What The Good Schools Guide International says Head Since August 2021, James Cunningham BA PGCE MA. Having previously taught at an international school in Tripoli, Libya for six years, James joined Hull's School in 2011 as a history teacher and was appointed as vice principal in 2019 prior to stepping into his current role. James grew up in Cork, Ireland and earned a BA in English and history, and subsequently a PGCE, from University College Cork, and more recently an MA in education leadership and management from the University of Roehampton in London.

His decision to become a teacher was heavily influenced by attending Colaiste Choilm school in Cork. He gives credit to the head at the time and one of his history teachers (whom he is still in contact with) - who were ‘both mad about teaching’ – for role-modelling their passion and dedication as ‘good Irish educators’. Now wants to model this for his students and strongly encourages all teachers at the school to do the same.

We found him to be a welcoming, polite, and chatty man, very generous with his time, who showed us around the school personally (greeting every student by name, which he says is ‘a must’ for all staff in the school) and invited us to ‘pop-in to the school anytime you are passing in the future’. One of the most well-attired and dapper heads we have met, sporting a three-piece suit with tie, hair neatly slicked into place. Made complete sense when he professed his deep love of The Beatles.

Describes himself as a servant leader; believes it’s important to share responsibilities and to put the needs of staff and students first. This is reflected in the organisation of the school’s management team; James is one half of a dynamic duo with vice principal and fellow Irishman, Patrick Durkin, and both are liked and respected by parents. While their roles are different - James is academic director and head of human resources, Patrick takes care of the pastoral side - James was at pains to stress that the running of the school is a team effort. James and Patrick moved to their current roles at the same time, and both continue to teach history, which is important to them; ‘How can we be authentic with our colleagues if we are not in the classroom ourselves.’

Proudly showed us his tiny, minimalist office - with the main attraction being photos and names of all the students (to aid in name recollection!) – and was keen to point out that he did not spend much time there (‘I am not a pencil pusher’), as he thinks it’s more important to spend time with students, staff and parents.

Throughout our meeting James repeated an old Irish phrase ‘Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí’ (‘Praise the youth and they will come’), believing it’s crucial to positively reinforce students, and make them feel comfortable and supported at the school. ‘Students need to feel respected and safe – then they can thrive, they can do anything.’

Prides himself on listening to student feedback; meets regularly with the student council and has implemented improvements to facilities and increased subject options (adding Spanish, further maths and computer studies) as a result. No doubt these changes will also be welcomed by parents.

And if he hadn’t become a teacher? ‘I just always wanted to be a teacher, but if I really had to choose a second option it would be music.’ For now, this Beatles enthusiast satisfies this passion by playing the drums and guitar in his spare time. Wife, Brenda, is head of arts and culture at the school, as well as teaching art history, classics and history. They love travelling to historical places of interest; a visit to Troy a recent highlight.

Entrance

Waitlists are in operation, although due to growing demand two extra classes have recently been created in the first year. Priority is given to siblings and alumni.

Positive feedback from parents regarding the open information evenings for prospective families, where principal opens the sessions, and students take over from there. ‘It felt more authentic to be hearing warts and all directly from the students,’ according to one parent.

The admissions process is selective and based on the previous report cards of the prospective students, as well as placement tests in English, maths, French and German (if they are not native speakers of German). Students are also interviewed personally by James, who says ‘students need to demonstrate that they are ambitious and will work hard’. This personal interview apparently makes a big impression on most families, with one parent commenting, ‘He (James) didn’t really talk to me at all, just had a great conversation with my child who responded positively.’ This is followed by a ‘schnuppertag’ (trial day) to get a sense of what life is like at the school and check there is a good fit, with the majority finding there is.

Once at the school, parents report that their children are well supported and made to feel very welcome. The school provides tutor sessions to assist students for the initial year, to get them up to speed with the workings of the school and to teach them strong study habits etc.

Exit

The school enables smooth transitions for families joining and leaving at all stages; assistance for entrance exams and interviews offered willingly. ‘Principal writes great recommendation letters,’ according to one parent.

Students are encouraged to think about career choices with help to compare universities, apprenticeship, and further education courses; guidance on offer from year heads and classroom teachers. There is no separate university counselling team.

Students have access to webinars from different universities, and the school also undertakes trips to local Zurich universities offering senior students a flavour of university life.

Graduates largely attend universities in the UK or Switzerland. These include (in the UK): University of Sussex, University of Nottingham, University of Kent, Warwick University, Leeds University, Durham University, Swansea University, University College London (UCL), Queen Mary University of London, University of Exeter, Newcastle University, Liverpool John Moores University, Lancaster University, University of Aberdeen, University of Exeter, and University of Greenwich, London.

Within Switzerland students mostly attend: University of Zurich, University of St. Gallen, Zurich University of Art (ZHDK), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil, University of Bern, Swiss Hotel Management School Luzern (SHL), and Hospitality Business School in Lausanne (EHL).

A few students do go further afield, for example Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada, as well as to (say) universities in the Netherlands eg University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University and Maastricht University.

Latest results

The school produces some positive outcomes. 2022 results saw 11 per cent of A level students receiving three A*/As while 83 per cent of all grades awarded were A*– C. In 2019 (the last comparable year when exams were actually sat), 30 per cent of all grades awarded were A*/A and 81 per cent of all grades awarded were A*- C across all subjects. In 2020 and 2021, when grades were teacher assessed, 40 and 44 per cent of all grades awarded were (respectively) A*/A, and 87 and 85 per cent of all grades were A* - C. Notably, in 2022, two students achieved the highest mark in Switzerland in their respective history and economics A levels, while in 2021 one student achieved the highest history A level mark in the world; James and Patrick’s time spent teaching in the classroom certainly is going down well.

IGCSE results are also good; in 2022, 26 per cent of students achieved an A in six or more subjects and 93 per cent of all grades awarded were A* – C, with students achieving the highest IGCSE marks across Switzerland in biology, English language, history, English literature and economics. In 2019, 24 per cent of all grades awarded were A*/A and 86 per cent of all grades awarded were A* – C across all subjects. In the teacher assessed grade years of 2020 and 2021, 24 and 27 per cent of all grades awarded were A*/A, and 91 and 89 per cent of all grades awarded were A*-C.

Teaching and learning

Hull's offers a four year college programme for teenagers that focuses solely on the exam years (IGCSE and A level).

Parents like the small class sizes – usually around 16 students per class in the first two years (years 10 and 11) with a maximum of 18 for more popular classes such as economics and art, dropping down to 8-10 students per class during the last two years of A levels.

Also appreciated are the specialist subject teachers ‘who really know their subject and present it in a very encouraging way,’ according to one parent, who added, ‘Teachers are massively good at their job through a very structured approach to learning and sticking to the syllabus, while at the same time being very flexible and creative about the way the content is delivered - making it accessible to each individual child’. Backed-up by another parent who told us their child had previously been struggling to engage until given the opportunity to express some of their English projects through song lyrics (provided curriculum requirements were met) and they blossomed academically as a result. Teachers are mainly recruited from the UK and Ireland, with nearly half of the current academic staff being with the school for over 10 years.

A wide variety of ‘booster sessions’ for each subject are available at lunchtime, mostly offered by classroom teachers; the school also organises pupil-to-pupil tutoring for those students needing a little extra help outside the classroom. The latter creating opportunities for senior students to practice their leadership skills and fostering inter-communication between the year groups.

Students are expected to work hard, homework is given and there are homework detention sessions after school if it is not done.

A strong emphasis on hand-written work with limited use of computers in the classroom. Some parents love this approach of reinforcing the ‘dying art’ of handwriting and ensuring that students are not distracted by electronic devices, while others would like to see IT literacy boosted a bit more at the school.

In-class academics are supported by field trips within Switzerland, Germany and other European countries, as well as end of year trips to some European cities – London and Berlin two of the highlights. Day trips within Switzerland and nearby are included in school fees, with the longer end of year trips at extra cost.

Learning support and SEN

For more serious SEN issues, learning support is outsourced to an external provider (who conveniently has an office in one of the school buildings) and paid for by parents over and above school fees. Agreements in place for reduced price assessments and support sessions.

However, the general support and nurturing may be enough for many students with milder issues, with one parent reporting that their child who had received extra help for dyslexia at a previous school no longer needed this.

Support for SEN is very much the norm and part of day-to-day life here so neither teachers nor pupils think of it as unusual or special. The school, through its provider, is currently working with students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, ADD and anxiety at a mainstream level. Some SEN students receive extra time in tests if required.

The school’s entrance tests for English and maths pick up many SEN requirements, and they also rely on student report cards from previous schools, as well as indications from the school’s own classroom teachers who are trained to quickly spot issues as they arise.

Language Support

Students are expected to have a proficient level of English (B1 CEFRL level or above). Apart from the lunchtime booster sessions, the school does not offer a specific EAL programme.

There is currently no mother tongue programme on offer.

The arts and extracurricular

A variety of clubs are available, from chess, debating, literature, art, music etc, with some students taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award (not a common thing in Switzerland). Students are encouraged to run clubs themselves (with help from staff where needed); new clubs will be created if there is enough interest.

Apart from compulsory PE in the first year (year 10), there is no core sport or sports teams, and the school has no sports facilities or grounds. This does not seem to bother some parents whose children are either not into sports or who play in local Swiss teams, but others comment that a sporting offering is something they would like the school to provide. There is a small gym for use by students and staff.

Ethos and heritage

The first school in Zurich to offer A levels and IGCSEs and still one of only three schools to do so. Founded in 1945 by Englishman Dr James Hull, the school was originally established as a language school before reinventing itself as an adult college based on a British curriculum, and in the 90s became one of the larger independent schools in German-speaking Switzerland. In 1992 Dr Hull handed over the school to his son Robin Hull; who grew up in Switzerland, speaking English with his father and Italian-Swiss mother. Robin is now chairman of the school’s board following James Cunningham’s appointment as principal in 2021, and he still takes a personal interest in all aspects of the school.

The school continues to expand but remains heavily influenced by its English heritage and the Hull family connection. Dr Hull’s passion for English 20th century writer Aldous Huxley plays an important role in the school, which houses the Aldous Huxley Museum containing the complete works of Aldous Huxley and provides curation opportunities for its students.

The German language and Swiss culture are well celebrated here especially when compared with some of the more internationally focused schools in the area, which pleases many parents.

The school is located in central Zurich city, a convenient short walk from one of the city’s key railway stations, making it very accessible by public transport – the main mode of transport for most of its students. The atmosphere of Hull’s is nicely summarised by one parent: ‘It’s a very goal-orientated school concentrating on what it does well – to help students learn the material and pass exams – with not a lot of frills and extras.’ This is reflected in the school environment with classrooms spread over four quite separate buildings, a few minutes’ walk apart, organised by subject groups eg: humanities and language, biology and chemistry, physics and math, and economics. Each building is clean, well-kept, with the facilities needed to support learning and some nice artwork representing key figures in the art world, but the overall feeling is quite utilitarian and sparse.

Each classroom has its own ‘library’ of books in order to support in-class learning with the result that there is no central library or space set aside for reading. The school has no grounds to speak of and common rooms for students to hang-out or eat in are small with only a few basic necessities eg a fridge and microwave. There is no provision for buying food on-campus, with students and staff buying food at one of the many local shops and cafes, or bringing in their own. Despite apparent limitations in facilities, many parents and students view the school as being relaxed and comfortable, with students reported to feel respected and part of the school community.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

The school is open and inclusive, does not tolerate bullying and has a process in place for the rare instances when issues do occur.

Parents feel that the school has high expectations of behaviour for its students, but that they do really care for them, listen to student and parent views, and are responsive and fair.

There is immediate expulsion for students who are caught with drugs either on the school premises or in the environs of the school during school time.

Pupils and Parents

A good mixture of families from a variety of different backgrounds, with approximately 20 nationalities represented. Many students are Swiss or have one parent who is Swiss, but families also originate from elsewhere in Europe, UK, US, India and Latin America etc. General consensus is that the school feels quite ‘international Swiss’ in that even those from a purely Swiss background have an international outlook.

Many students have spent time in the local Swiss education system prior to starting here and tend to be very independent as a result. The school encourages this in many ways, for example open days/evenings are mainly conducted by students, they are encouraged to set-up and run their own clubs and they have a strong voice through their very active student council. The result is a very student-focused school which does not have a parent association, suiting the parents we spoke to but may not suit prospective international parents hoping to make new connections for themselves through their children’s school.

English is the language of the classroom (apart from French, German & Spanish language classes), with many students also speaking Swiss-German and other European languages in the hallways.

Money Matters

School fees cover all running costs. Fees here compare well (given the generally expensive Swiss context) being slightly lower than other schools in the area, which seems appropriate given the reduced facilities on offer. However, as the school charges top-up fees for offerings such as SEN, exams fees and some trips, any cost advantage could be quickly eroded.

While there is no official sponsorship programme there may be some flexibility for severely financially challenged students, and the school is currently hosting some Ukrainian students.

The last word

A school with a clear purpose and a winning formula: to provide a structured, nurturing, inclusive environment with high calibre teaching to support a diverse range of students. Would suit families who want their children to gain internationally recognised British qualifications after already spending some time in the local Swiss education system, as well as those newer to Zurich who are looking for a more ‘international Swiss’ experience for their secondary-aged children. It is the only school in central Zurich offering IGCSEs and A levels and, as a result, is the only real choice for families living centrally and looking for these options within easy and convenient public transport routes.

2nd August 2022

Dear parents,

This e-mail is to remind you that the first day of school will be on Monday, 22^nd August.

We look forward to meeting our students as follows on Monday, 22^nd August:

EC1: 08:00

EC2: 10:00

EC3: 12:45

EC4: 14:40

We wish you a relaxing summer.

1st June 2022

Last weeks of school June/July 2022

Dear parents,

As the school year draws to a close, we would like to inform you of the various events planned for the final week of school.

We consider these events to be valuable time together with our students. Therefore, absences must be excused. The address for absence emails is {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{7DB7646C95D5434E8451F4FBBEFE418D} or on the parent portal –
Leave Request.

Monday – Wednesday 27^th– 29^th June 2022

Scheduled lessons will take place at normal times for EC1, EC2 and EC3 students.

Wednesday 29^th June

Last day of lessons

Wednesday, 29^th June will be the last day of lessons and will bring the academic year of 2021-2022 to a close.

Drama Club Performance, Wednesday 29th June

This will take place in Huxley Hall. You will be emailed about this event in a separate email.

Thursday 30^th June

Sports Day

Various sporting activities will occur, such as an egg and spoon race, volleyball, a crossbar challenge, Frisbee golf and the prestigious tug of war completion, to name but a few.

We will meet on Thursday, 30^th June starting at 9 a.m. at Sportplatz Hardhof (Tram 17 direction Werdhölzli). Please make sure your son / daughter wears sports gear. Activities will finish by 12.30.

Friday 1^st July

School Ball

Hull’s School is holding its annual School Ball organised by the Ball Committee, at Lake Side (http://www.lake-side.ch) The event begins at 18:00 p.m. with a photo shoot and reception, followed by a 3-course dinner at 7 p.m. Dress code is “1920s style" and formal attire so all students are asked to dress glamorously. The event gives students and teachers the opportunity to dress up and dance the night away until midnight. A fun evening is guaranteed.

School Year Group Trips

EC1 London: From Sunday, 3^rd July – Wednesday, 6^th July 2022
EC2 Berlin: From Monday, 4^th July – Wednesday, 6^th July 2022
EC3/4 DoE: From Monday, 4^th July – Wednesday, 6^th July 2022 - Duke of Edinburgh excursion

Please note: Date First Day of School – Monday, 22^nd August!

Due to the later than usual publication of IGCSE exam results, we have moved our First Day of Term/Orientation Day from Friday, 19^th August to Monday, 22^nd August.

We would like to wish everyone a healthy and relaxing summer holiday.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

Falkenstrasse 28a

8008 Zürich

25^th February 2022

Removal of the mask obligation

Dear parents and students,

We hope you all have had a relaxing and pleasant Sportferien. Before the students return to school on Monday February 28^th for the start of lessons, we would like to outline an update to our Covid-19 policy for the next few weeks.

On Wednesday February 16th, the federal government announced a further relaxation of measures for the current epidemiological situation. As you may be aware from the media, both the BAG and the Education Department of Zürich have stated that masks are no longer obligatory in schools.

https://www.zh.ch/de/news-uebersicht/medienmitteilungen/2022/02/aufhebung-der-maskentragpflicht-an-den-schulen.html?pk_campaign=newsletter&pk_kwd=Bildung&pk_source=immediately&pk_medium=Aufhebung-der-Maskentragpflicht-an-den-Schulen-

We will be following this guidance for the start of lessons

Masks will no longer be mandatory for our students and staff. But we will allow students and staff the option to wear masks if they wish to do so, even though it is no longer obligatory.

Therefore;

1. As part of our Schutzkonzept, Hull's School will no longer require the obligatory wearing masks in lessons from Monday February 28th. We begin the process of returning to normal.

2. Please note that unlike the month of January, where we allowed students who tested positive for Covid-19, or had to isolate or quarantine to attend lessons online, we will not be offering online lessons on Microsoft Teams for any student anymore. Online lessons for such cases are now at an end and all students are expected to return to school as face-to-face teaching.

3. At the end of each lesson, using the disinfecting materials provided, students will disinfect their desks thoroughly before the next group arrives. No materials (pens, calculators, books, food, drink, etc.) are to be shared or passed on. Every classroom will be extensively ventilated during break time.

4. Classrooms will continue to be ventilated both before and after lessons with the opening of all windows. All classrooms will continue to be available for students to have their lunch in. Windows must be kept open during lunchtime to ensure adequate ventilation. Students must not congregate in large groups but must maintain an appropriate distance from each other.

5. If your son/daughter tests positive, please contact {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{7DB7646C95D5434E8451F4FBBEFE418D} immediately.

We trust you will understand our caution in these uncertain times and we wish your son/daughter a healthy start for the Spring term.

Kind regards

Hull's School

Provisions were made by our school to conduct online lessons for the duration of the lockdown in Switzerland, which lasted from March 16 to June 8, 2020 and additionally included a week from January 4, 2021. These lessons took the form of live and pre-recorded lessons. From June 8, 2020, until the summer holidays, and from February 1 until May 3, 2021, we adopted a policy where half our students were physically present and the other half viewed the lessons online. Otherwise, for the academic year 2020/2021 in-person lessons were offered in all subjects with the option of joining online if the student had to isolate according to Swiss law. Since August 2021, we are offering in-person lessons only in all subjects.

14th January 2022

Pearson Edexcel contingency plan for Summer 2022 examinations

Dear Hull's School parents and students,

Our examinations board, Pearson Edexcel are committed to examinations taking place as normal this year, where it is safe to do so.

Due to the ongoing uncertainty across the world, it may be that in certain countries examinations cannot take place. Pearson have therefore provided guidance on the contingency arrangements in the highly unlikely chance that the May/June 2022 external examinations cannot take place in their customary format. Where individual countries cannot take examinations, the contingency plan will be used to ensure students have access to a grade that reflects their hard work throughout the course.

Consequently, if the May/June 2022 International GCSE and International AS/A Level examinations do not proceed in their customary format, grades will be based on a portfolio of evidence which will include at least one complete set of questions from each IGCSE and A Level exam. These will be submitted for each candidate with external marking done by Edexcel. This approach will ensure fairness so that every student receives a grade that reflects their knowledge and understanding.

To establish the fairest possible approach for our students, Hull's School will continue to robustly assess our students using in class tests, progress tests and mock examinations to ensure that our students' grades will be based on the standard at which they are performing. Grades will reflect what a student knows, understands, and can do. Hull's School and Pearson Edexcel will make certain that the highest quality controls are in place to ensure fairness, so every student receives a grade that reflects their knowledge and understanding of the subject they have studied. To ensure parity and fairness across examinations and the contingency process (should it be required) Pearson will mark and grade all students this summer. This includes those using the contingency process.

Our students' portfolio of evidence will include evidence from 1^st March 2022. Included in the portfolio of evidence will be evidence from class tests, progress tests, mock exams and end of year tests. Hull's School will hold internal end of year exams on the days and times provided by Edexcel. Classes will be cancelled for the examined subject on the days that your son/daughter will sit their exams and all students sitting for an exam are excused from school for the entire day. A timetable of these end of year exam dates will be published towards the end of March.

Please note that this plan is a contingency plan that we have been asked to put in place in the highly unlikely chance that the May/June 2022 external examinations will not take place in their customary format.

The deadline for registration for the May/June 2022 examination series is 14 March 2022. Students will be automatically registered for examinations for their regular classes but will need to register themselves for extra examinations and/or re-sits. Please contact your Year Head or the Examinations team at {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{EE41B45EAD9248EE86EE396465ACD66E} / phone 044 254 30 41 for more information.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

19^th August 2021

Dear parents,

We hope you all had a relaxing and pleasant summer.

Before the students return to school on Monday August 23^rd for Orientation day, we would like to outline our Covid-19 policy for the coming school year.

On Tuesday August 18th, the Education Department of Zurich announced the latest precautionary measures for the start to the school year.

Due to the current epidemiological situation, whereby the daily numbers of infections are rising and the Delta variant has become very infectious for young people aged 10-29, we have decided that the health of our students and staff is of paramount importance. As many students and teachers are still to be vaccinated, we feel it is safer for everyone to have a healthy start to the school year by insisting that all students and staff wear masks.

1. As part of our Schutzkonzept, Hull's School will require the obligatory wearing masks in lessons from Monday August 23rd.

The situation will be reviewed on a weekly basis and we will continue to adhere to the guidelines of the BAG. Face masks must be worn when moving to/between classrooms or on the stairs. Students are advised to bring their own masks. However, masks can also be purchased from the Falkenstrasse office for 1 CHF.

2. Please note that unlike last year, we will not be offering online lessons on Microsoft Teams for any student. All students are expected to return to school as face-to-face teaching as has been the requirement of the Education Department of Zurich since March 15^th.

3. At the end of each lesson using the disinfecting materials provided, students will disinfect their desks thoroughly before the next group arrives. This will be supervised by teachers. No materials (pens, calculators, books, food, drink, etc.) are to be shared or passed on. Every classroom will be extensively ventilated during break time.

4. All classrooms will continue to be available for students to have their lunch in. Windows must be kept open during lunchtime to ensure adequate ventilation. Students must not congregate in large groups but must maintain an appropriate distance from each other.

5. If your son/daughter tests positive or is put into quarantine, please contact {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{A51BA926D78D4DCD842343F05F04802C} immediately.

We trust you will understand our caution in these uncertain times and we wish your son/daughter a good start for the 2021-2022 school year.

Kind regards

Hull's School

6th August 2021

Release of results to students on ResultsPlusDirect and on the Student or Parent Portal is as follows:

AS/A2 level results on 10 August at 9:30 a.m.

IGCSE results on 12 August at 9:30 a.m.

All Documents you may need for after Results Day can be found on the Parent Portal.

Just look under the Tab "School Life"

19th June 2021

Grading Process

The TAG's are based on the end of year examinations which count for 50% of the grade together with the other 50% counted from assessments (class tests, homework, and mock exams) given from the beginning of March 2021.

Edexcel will meet with the senior leadership of our school next week to carry out quality assurance of the Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG). After the quality assurance of the TAG's has been made all evidence and records on which a student's grade is based including copies of the student's work will be retained safely.

Please note the following rules given by Pearson:

Centres are required to maintain the confidentiality of students’ grades.
Centres are not allowed to tell students their final Teacher Assessed Grade.
Grades must only be shared with students on the published results date once the awarding organisation has issued the final grades.
Provision of the Teacher Assessed Grade to any student, or other party, before the agreed date for release of results, will be viewed as malpractice.

Appeals Process

Students who believe something has gone wrong in determining a grade can appeal. The appeals process for summer 2021 allows students two steps to appeal their grade where they believe there has been an error. All both centre review requests and appeals to Pearson are subject to a fee.

1. Centre Review

Students must first ask their centre to review whether an administrative or procedural error has been made. All documentation regarding the centre review will be sent to parents and students in August before the publication of the results.

The centre review is the first stage of the appeals process. A centre review must be completed and an outcome reported to the student before an appeal can be submitted to the awarding organisation.

All requests for a centre review, including those from Private Candidates, must be made directly to the centre which submitted the grade(s)

By 16 August 2021 for priority appeals ( for students applying to higher education who did not attain their firm choice, i.e. the offer they accepted as their first choice, and wish to appeal an A level result)
By 26 August 2021 (in all other cases). For reviews where a higher education place in the UK is dependent on the outcome of an appeal, students must include their UCAS personal ID.
Please note that a request for a centre review may also lead to a lowering of a grade. An appeal can only be made against a result issued.

2. Appeal to Pearson

If a candidate is not satisfied with the result of the Centre Review, they can ask for an appeal to be submitted to Pearson. All requests for an appeal must be made directly to the centre which submitted the grade.

Appeals cannot be made to Pearson until the centre review has been completed. Any submitted appeal where this is not the case will be rejected by the awarding organisation and a new application will need to be submitted after the centre review has concluded.

Where an appeal is made on the grounds of an unreasonable exercise of academic judgement (either in the choice of evidence from which to determine the grade and/ or the determination of that grade from the evidence), Pearson will take into account Ofqual’s guidance which sets out that the starting point is the Teacher Assessed Grade itself and not any alternative grade put forward as part of the appeal. Therefore, the focus of any appeal will be on whether the Teacher Assessed Grade was unreasonable and not that any other grade or mark would have been reasonable.

The purpose of the independent appeal review is not to review the marking of individual assessments. An independent reviewer will be a subject expert appointed by the awarding organisation and trained to evaluate appeals.

As a result of the appeal, the case will either be rejected (disallowed) or upheld (allowed) in whole or in part. The fact that an appeal has been upheld (allowed) will not necessarily result in a grade change for the student. However, please note that a request for an appeal may lead to a higher grade, but can also lead to a lowering of a grade.

The appeals process applies to Private Candidates in the same way as for all other students.

Key Dates for Results
Publication of IAS and IAL results – 10 August 2021
Publication of IGCSE results – 12 August 2021

Key Dates for priority appeals*
* A priority appeal is only for students applying to higher education who did not attain their firm choice (i.e. the offer they accepted as their first University choice) and wish to appeal an A level result.
10 August to 16 August 2021	Window for students to request a centre review
10 August to 20 August 2021	Centres conduct centre reviews
10 August to 23 August 2021	Centres submit appeals to awarding organisations

Key dates for non-priority appeals
From result day to 26 August 2021	Window for students to request a centre review
From result day to 31 August 2021	Centres conduct centre reviews
From result day to 10 September 2021	Centres submit appeals to awarding organisations

Autumn Examination Series and Autumn Holidays 2021

The Autumn 2021 examination series will take place as follows:

IAL Examinations: 4 October to 27 October 2021

IGCSE Examinations: 1 November to 30 November 2021

Please note that the dates for the IAL examinations coincide with our Autumn holidays and there are IGCSE examinations taking place on 9 November which is an Inset Day at Hull's School.

If your son/daughter intends to sit an examination during the Autumn 2021 series please contact their Year Head and ensure you have returned the registration form to {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{EE41B45EAD9248EE86EE396465ACD66E} by 24 August 2021.

Kind regards,

Hull's School Examinations department

12^th May 2021

Dear parents and students,

Our examinations board Pearson Edexcel confirmed in February that students will receive their grades for the May/June 2021 series based on teachers' judgment of their performance based on a range of evidence. These grades are called Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG) and will be submitted to Edexcel in June. Edexcel will meet with the senior leadership of our school to discuss the procedures schools have in place to ensure quality assurance and objective and consistent marking for all subjects. Edexcel will carry out quality assurance of the Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG) from mid-June to July. To ensure fairness and parity among all our students, and that the highest form of Quality Assurance has been achieved all teachers will be provided with training and support. Department Heads will also review each Teacher Assessed Grade (TAG) and provide additional training for their departments, which includes looking at specifications, past examination papers, marking schemes, examiner's reports, and determining each grade level for their respective subjects.

Hull's School, like last year, will hold end of year examinations with unseen test materials provided by Edexcel. These examinations will begin next Monday 10^th May and last for the duration of three and a half weeks until Wednesday 2^nd June. It will be compulsory for students to physically attend the end of year examinations. No online examinations will take place. These end of year examinations will count for 50% of the grade we will submit together with the other 50% counted from assessments (class tests, homework, and mock exams) given from the beginning of March 2021. Students and parents should now be able to see their end of year examinations' timetable on the iSAMs portal.

All teaching staff involved in grading and assessing students have been made aware of the need to maintain confidentiality regarding the Teacher Assessed Grades (TAG). As a result, and to ensure the highest quality assurance, the details of the final grades (TAG) will remain confidential. Revelations of students' final grades are considered malpractice. All staff involved have been briefed on the possibility of interaction with Edexcel during the different stages of the External Quality Assurance process.

We would like to thank you for your continued understanding and support. We wish our students every success with their forthcoming end of year examinations.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

10^th March 2021

Dear parents,

The Zurich Cantonal authorities announced on Tuesday March 9^th, that students will return to face to face lessons from Monday March 15^th. The current arrangements with half classes will end on the afternoon of Friday March 12^th.

https://www.zh.ch/de/news-uebersicht/medienmitteilungen/2021/03/rueckkehr-zum-praesenzunterricht-an-den-mittelschulen.html?pk_campaign=newsletter&pk_kwd=Bildung&pk_source=immediately&pk_medium=R%C3%BCckkehr-zum-Pr%C3%A4senzunterricht-an-den-Mittelschulen

Due to the current epidemiological situation, we will also allow students with pre-existing medical conditions to attend lessons online. However, we would kindly ask that if your son/daughter is going to attend lessons online, due to medical reasons only, you excuse them. Please email a doctor's certificate to {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{7DB7646C95D5434E8451F4FBBEFE418D}.

Hull's School will continue to follow Zürich Cantonal and Swiss Government guidelines on Covid-19 procedures. Many of the current measures such as the obligatory wearing of face masks, social distancing rules, classroom hygiene and disinfection rules remain the same. Of course, if the situation changes in the coming weeks, school policy in relation to Covid 19 will be adapted in line with official government guidelines.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and co-operation during this time.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

9^th March 2021

Dear parents and students,

Our examinations board Pearson Edexcel confirmed in February that students will receive their grades for the May/June 2021 series based on teachers' judgment of their performance based on a range of evidence. Edexcel will meet with the senior leadership of each school to discuss the procedures schools have in place to ensure quality assurance and objective and consistent marking for all subjects. Quality assurance of the teacher assessed grades will be carried out by Edexcel in consultation with the school from mid-June to July.

Edexcel have announced that they will provide a range of unseen test materials for each subject. To ensure fairness and parity among all our students, Hull's School, like last year, will hold end of year examinations with these unseen test materials. It will be compulsory for students to physically attend the end of year exams. No online exams for these end of year exams will take place. These end of year exams will count for 50% of the grade we will submit together with the other 50% counted from assessments (class tests, homework and mock exams) given from the beginning of March 2021. Within the next few weeks, Hull's School will publish the breakdown of each department's grade calculations on the parents and students' portals in iSAMs.

Hull's School will hold these internal end of year exams in three and half weeks from Monday 10^th May to Wednesday 2^nd June. Classes will be cancelled for the examined subject on the days that your son/daughter will sit their exams and all students sitting for an exam are excused from school for the entire day. A timetable of these end of year exam dates will be published towards the end of March.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

12^th February 2021

Dear parents and students,

The current regulations for reduced class sizes (half classes) due to Covid 19 have been extended by the Cantonal authorities in Zürich. (please see attached link)

https://www.zh.ch/de/news-uebersicht/medienmitteilungen/2021/02/weiterhin-reduzierter-praesenzunterricht-an-mittelschulen.html?pk_campaign=newsletter&pk_kwd=Bildung&pk_source=immediately&pk_medium=Weiterhin-reduzierter-Pr%C3%A4senzunterricht-an-Mittelschulen

From Monday, March 1^st, we are once again obliged due to Cantonal regulations to reduce class sizes to a minimum of 8, sometimes 7, depending on the class size, therefore we will have to continue with the current situation of half classes.

These new regulations will begin on March 1^st and end on March 15^th, this will be for the first two weeks of school after the Sportferien holidays.

EC4 and EC3 students will continue with the current arrangements that they had agreed with their subject teachers.

With regards to EC1 and EC2 classes, we will be emailing you a new list/plan for EC1 and EC2 by Friday February 19^th.

Once again we would like to thank you for your co-operation in this matter

Kind regards

Hull's School

4^th February 2021

Dear Hull's School parents and students,

Our examinations board, Pearson Edexcel have just announced that to ensure students receive a grade or award that is accurate and fair, this year's May/June external International GCSE and International AS/A Level examinations will not go ahead in the customary format. Pearson Edexcel feel that due to the ongoing uncertainty, examinations could not be done fairly and would risk unintentionally disadvantaging individual students.

Consequently, the May/June 2021 International GCSE and International AS/A Level examinations will be based on teacher assessment with external moderation by Edexcel. This approach will ensure fairness so that every student receives a grade that reflects their knowledge and understanding.

Pearson Edexcel will offer an additional exam series for the International GCSE later in the year. The International AS/A Level October exam series will go ahead as planned.

To establish the fairest possible approach for our students, Hull's School will continue to robustly assess our students using in class tests, progress tests, mock examinations, and homework to ensure that our students' grades will be based on their teacher’s assessment of the standard at which they are performing. Grades will reflect what a student knows, understands, and can do.

We understand that Pearson Edexcel's decision will be frustrating for some students and parents and that others will welcome it. Hull's School will make certain that the highest quality controls are in place to ensure fairness, so every student receives a grade that reflects their knowledge and understanding of the subject they have studied.

Please note that the deadline for registration for the May/June 2021 examination series is March 5^th. For those students who are awaiting their January exam results, the registration deadline will be 12^th March 2021. Students will be automatically registered for examinations for their regular classes but will need to register themselves for extra examinations and/or re-sits. Please contact your Year Head or the Examinations team at {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{EE41B45EAD9248EE86EE396465ACD66E} / phone 044 254 30 41 for more information.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

22nd January 2021

Dear parents,

Hull's School continues to take the necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff against the Corona virus and its mutations. As of Thursday 21^st January, new regulations have been announced by the Canton of Zürich. See attached link: Kanton Zürich

In accordance with Cantonal guidelines, from February 1^st 2021, class sizes will be halved and reduced to a maximum of eight students per lesson. This means that half of the students will attend lessons online and the other half will attend physically.

Please carefully read the following procedures, which will apply to all students who are physically present at the school. It is vital that these procedures be followed, to ensure safe conditions and to comply with BAG and Cantonal guidelines.

Should you wish, due to the current circumstances, to keep your son or daughter at home until Friday 26^th February, we of course understand and will honour your request.

1. Face masks

Face masks must be worn when moving to/between classrooms or on the stairs. Students are advised to bring their own masks. However, masks can also be purchased from the Falkenstrasse office for 1 CHF.

2. Social distancing

Class groups will be split in half, with half attending physical lessons and the other half attending the same lessons online via Zoom. A maximum of eight students physically present per classroom is allowed. Classroom desks will be distributed throughout the classrooms and are not to be moved. Students will be seated apart from each other.

The breaks between double lessons will be ten minutes longer. The five-minute break between single lessons will be eliminated. Students will be excused to use the washrooms individually, one at a time.

3. Classroom Hygiene and disinfection

Double-lessons will end ten minutes earlier, so that students will have sufficient time, using the disinfecting materials provided, to disinfect their room thoroughly before the next group arrives. This will be supervised by teachers.

No materials (pens, calculators, books, food, drink, etc.) are to be shared or passed on. Every classroom will be extensively ventilated during break time.

4. Lunchtime

All classrooms will continue to be available for students to have their lunch in. Windows must be kept open during lunchtime to ensure adequate ventilation. Students must not congregate in large groups but must maintain an appropriate distance from each other.

5. EC1 and EC2 plans

Half of the students will be allowed to physically attend each lesson. Detailed plans will be sent Tuesday, 26^th next week to parents and students. The lessons will be filmed live by the teacher, using Zoom so that the other students can watch the lesson from home. If parents excuse their children, they will also be allowed to watch from home.

EC2 lessons will be interrupted for their mock exams from February 3^rd to 11^th. Our examinations department have sent you a separate plan for this period of time.

6. EC3 and EC4 plan

The modular, customized EC3 and EC4 timetables do not allow for a relatively uncomplicated approach such as described above for EC1 and EC2. Therefore, each EC3 and EC4 teacher will work out an individualised approach that best suits the needs of their class and communicate this with their students.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

8^th January 2021

Dear parents,

We wish all of you a Happy New Year.

Students will return to school on Monday January 11^th. As was the case before the holidays, we will also allow students to attend lessons via Zoom. However, we would kindly ask that if your son/daughter is going to attend lessons online, you excuse them. Please email {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{7DB7646C95D5434E8451F4FBBEFE418D}.

Zoom log-in details will be on the relevant class/subject Moodle page for each lesson. Students who attend lessons via Zoom will also be marked as present for record keeping purposes. With regards to attendance, we thank those of you who have set up and activated the Parent Portal. We will be launching the iParent App this month. As parents can now monitor the attendance of their son/daughter on the Parent Portal, we will no longer be sending daily absence notifications by email.

Hull's School will continue to follow Zürich Cantonal and Swiss Government guidelines on Covid-19 procedures. Many of the current measures such as the obligatory wearing of face masks, social distancing rules, classroom hygiene and disinfection rules remain the same. Of course if the situation changes in the coming weeks, school policy in relation to Covid 19 will be adapted in line with official government guidelines.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and co-operation during this time.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

9^th December 2020

Dear parents,

Hull's School continues to follow Zürich Cantonal and Swiss Government guidelines on Covid-19 procedures.

Beginning Thursday December 10th, new Covid-19 regulations come into effect. Many of the current measures such as the obligatory wearing of face masks, social distancing rules, classroom hygiene and disinfection rules remain the same.

However, due to new measures introduced by the Cantonal authorities we will be obliged to have a week of online/virtual lessons beginning Monday January 4^th and ending Friday January 8^th 2021. We will follow the same procedure as we did during lockdown where teachers will teach live or through pre-recorded lessons on Zoom. Attendance will be taken on time for all online lessons. This attendance data will be available to view on the Parent Portal. If you have not already registered, we kindly ask you to please do so.
All January IAL examinations will proceed as planned. But under strict conditions and according to the new regulations.
All EC1 Christmas internal examinations and the EC2 parents` evening on Thursday December 10^th will proceed as previously planned.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and co-operation during this time.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

16^th October 2020

Dear parents,

From Monday October 19^th, Hull`s School will be amending its absences policy due to the onset of "Flu season".

Previously, only students who were in isolation or quarantine were offered Zoom lessons.

However, as many students will be absent from school at some point during the next few months due to the flu, we will offer Zoom lessons to students from Monday October 19^th if they are excused by parents. Zoom lessons will only be offered to students if we receive an excused absence. Zoom log- in details will be on the relevant class/subject Moodle page for each lesson. Students who attend lessons via Zoom will also be marked as present for record keeping purposes.

We will continue to review this policy as the current situation changes

Secondly, from October 19^th our Covid 19 policy will be as follows:

· The current regulations/Covid 19 protocol during the school day will remain in the same.

· Students with a runny nose will not be sent home from lessons.

· Students with a combination of two of the following symptoms: temperature, sore throat and loss

of sense of smell/taste will be sent home immediately.

· Students with just a cough will be decided on a case by case basis by the office staff who are First Aid
trained.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and co-operation during this time.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

31^stAugust 2020

Dear parents and students,

Due to the current situation with Covid-19, we regret to have to postpone the School Ball, which was scheduled to take place on September 25th, until the 2021 Spring term (date to be decided).

We thank you for your understanding.

Kind regards,

Hull’s School

20^th August 2020.

Dear parents,

Following on from our recent communication about reopening earlier this week, we would like to remind you all of a couple of Dos and Don`ts in relation to the current situation in Switzerland.

There are numerous reports in the media about young people not adhering to the guidelines as issued by BAG and the Cantonal authorities.

Therefore, we would like to state that:

If your son or daughter has been abroad in the last few days and they are returning from a designated "at risk" country, they must quarantine/isolate for a period of 10 days from the date of return. The most recent list can be found by clicking on this link.

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html#1918240392

Secondly, if a student has tested positive for the Corona virus in the last 10 days, the relevant authorities have to be notified and so do we. It is imperative that in such cases your son/daughter does not come into school if their period of isolation has not expired.

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/isolation-und-quarantaene.html#-883252542

Failure to comply with the regulations of BAG and the Zurich cantonal authorities can result in a fine of up to 10,000 CHF.

We would greatly appreciate your co-operation in this matter and that all students are reminded by you, their parents that they have to follow the strict guidelines as issued by the authorities.

There are many of you who will know of friends, relatives or even family members who are vulnerable to this virus and are classed as high risk. Therefore, it is very important that we as a school not only strive to protect these vulnerable few but also, endeavor to ensure the safety of all.

We wish your son/daughter a positive start to term in these challenging times.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

17^th August 2020

Dear Hull's School parents and students,

We hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable summer holiday.

We are delighted to inform you that Hull's School will be fully reopening as of Friday August 21^st.

In these unprecedented times, we will be implementing the following procedures to ensure the protection of your son/daughter.

Please carefully read the following procedures, which will apply to all students. It is vital that these procedures be followed, to ensure safe conditions and to comply with the cantonal guidelines.

https://www.zh.ch/de/bildungsdirektion.html

1. Face masks and Social distancing:

Face masks must be worn in classrooms and when moving to/between classrooms within the school buildings. Face masks will not be compulsory in classrooms where social distancing of 1.5 metres is possible.

Students are advised to bring their own masks. However, masks can also be purchased from the Falkenstrasse and Examinations offices for 1 CHF.

2. Classroom Hygiene and disinfection:

To ensure the protection of your son/daughter, hand sanitizer is available in the foyer of each building. All classrooms have disinfection liquid and paper towels. All teachers' desks have Plexiglas screens.

Every classroom will be extensively ventilated in every break.

3. Quarantine:

Students returning from countries that are listed as risk areas by the Swiss government will need to quarantine for 10 days.

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html

We kindly ask that parents inform the school at {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{7DB7646C95D5434E8451F4FBBEFE418D} if their son/daughter has visited a risk area and must therefore adhere to the quarantine rules.

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming your son/daughter back to Hull's School for the 2020-21 academic year.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

3^rd June 2020

Dear parents,

Starting next Monday, June 8^th, physical presence lessons are again allowed, on a limited basis, in Swiss Secondary Level 2 schools, such as ours. However, distancing rules still apply, so that it will not be possible for more than eight students to be physically present for any lesson.

Should you wish, due to the current circumstances, to keep your son or daughter at home for the remainder of the school year, we of course understand and will gladly honour your request.

1. Face masks
Face masks must be worn when moving to/between classrooms or on the stairs. Students are advised to bring their own masks. However, masks can also be purchased from the Falkenstrasse office for 1 CHF.

2. Social distancing:
Class groups will be split in half, with half attending physical lessons and the other half attending the same lessons online via Zoom. A maximum of 8 students physically present per classroom is allowed.

Classroom desks will be optimally distributed throughout the classrooms and are not to be moved. Students will be seated at a distance of 2 metres (minimum) apart from each other. This will be marked by red and white tape.

Students and teachers are to remain at a minimum distance of two metres apart from each other at all times, including during breaks.

The breaks between double lessons will be ten minutes longer. The five-mînute break between single lessons will be eliminated. Students will be excused to use the washrooms individually, one at a time.

Student lounges will be closed.

3. Classroom Hygiene and disinfection:

No materials (pens, calculators, books, food, drink, etc.) are to be shared or passed on.

Every classroom will be extensively ventilated in every break.

4. Lunchtime:

Students may, if they wish, have their lunch in the period D room they were just using, at the same desks where they were already sitting, in order to maintain social distancing.

5. EC1 and EC2 plans:

Half of the students will be allowed to physically attend each lesson. The detailed plans are in the attachments. The lessons will be filmed live by the teacher, using Zoom so that the other students can watch the lesson from home. If parents excuse their children, they will also be allowed to watch from home.

EC1 lessons will be interrupted for their end-of-year tests from 15 June to 24 June. Our examinations department has sent you a separate plan for this period of time.

6. EC3 plan:

The modular, customized EC3 timetables do not allow for a relatively uncomplicated approach such as described above for EC1 and EC2. Therefore, each EC3 teacher will work out an individualized approach that best suits the needs of their class and communicate this with their students.

1^st June 2020

Dear parents and students,

We hope you are all staying safe and well.

As you will already know, both from our correspondence with you and from official government announcements, the Swiss government last month provisionally set June 8^th as the date for physical-presence instruction on a half-class basis to resume in Secondary Level 2 schools such as ours.

We are now pleased to inform you that, following the announcement by the Swiss Federal Government on Wednesday of last week, the Zurich Cantonal Ministry of Education on Friday confirmed this plan and issued guidance for its implementation. You can find more information at the Ministry website here:

https://bi.zh.ch/internet/bildungsdirektion/de/themen/coronavirus-informationen-fuer-die-schulen.html#title-content-internet-bildungsdirektion-de-themen-coronavirus-informationen-fuer-die-schulen-jcr-content-contentPar-textimage_6

We have already done extensive planning based on the provisional guidance previously available to us and are now carefully studying the final guidance in order to make any necessary adjustments.

Details of the resumption of physical-presence instruction will follow by Wednesday, June 3^rd at the latest. For now, we can tell you that EC1 and EC2 students will be able to attend lessons in person from two to three days per week beginning Monday, June 8^th. On the other days, their lessons will be conducted online, as before. As the customised EC3 timetable is rather more complicated, we will have to ask EC3 students and parents to wait until next Tuesday for more details on how those lessons will be offered.

As you know, we recently conducted a survey of our parents on this topic, in which many of you were kind enough to participate. We have carefully read your comments and are making adjustments to our plan accordingly. In particular, we take very seriously the concerns expressed by some of you regarding students whose current personal situation makes their physical presence at the school problematic. Therefore, please be assured that we will make it possible for such students to continue to follow their lessons from home for the remainder of the school year. If this applies to you, please simply call or email our office and inform us.

Thank you for your patience and trust in this difficult time, as we do our very best to fulfil our mission of providing an excellent education to all of the fine young people who we feel privileged to have as our students.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

20^th March 2020

Dear parents and students,

We are pleased to inform you that our examinations board has committed to offering all of its international exams in May and June. Obviously, the holding of exams would still have to be in accordance with whatever local regulations might be in effect at that time.

The text of the announcement can be found here: You can also read the text below, copied at 12:30 pm CET, on 20 March 2020.

We are already working on creating exam environments that would follow safety requirements arising from the Coronavirus outbreak.

Should the situation after all worsen and new Swiss regulations prevent us from holding exams, our exams board is already working on an alternative process to assess and certify students to deal with that situation. We have not been given details at the moment, but will share them with you as soon as we know more.

Therefore, we want to stress that our students should continue to work hard, attend their Zoom lessons regularly, do their homework diligently, and take advantage of the booster opportunities that still exist. Just email whatever booster teacher is assigned to your subject level and ask for a Zoom invitation.

We sincerely hope that all of our students do very well on their May/June exams. Working together, we can succeed. We promise to do our very best.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

International Centres (not including UK)

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) update

Last updated: 20 March 2020

As the COVID-19 outbreak has caused schools around the world to close, we've been working with you to support teaching and learning throughout this ever changing global situation. Our focus is on keeping everyone safe first and foremost, and on supporting students in all countries to achieve the qualifications they need to progress to universities around the world, further education and employment.

This is an unprecedented global situation, with governments applying different local changes, laws and guidelines based on their country’s situation. We understand the different situations that you may be facing, and we will be supporting all our international customers whatever your context.

Where schools are open and a country is deemed safe, exams for iPrimary, iLowerSecondary, International GCSE, and International A Level will take place for students outside of the UK in May and June 2020.

Where schools are closed and public exams are not permitted due to COVID-19, students will have the opportunity to receive a grade for qualifications where an entry has been made. These will be awarded using the same principles as the UK GCSE and GCE A Level which will not have exams in any country in May/June 2020. Further information will be available in the coming days confirming the process to be followed.

Please follow this page for further updates, and thank you for your patience and support in this rapidly changing situation. We hope you and your families keep safe and well.

19 March, 11 am CET.

EXAMINATIONS UPDATE:

Dear parents and students,

Please note that the oral exam dates have been changed!

Oral exams for IGCSE French, IAL French and IAL German will be held from 4 May to 8 May,

If you are taking a different oral exam, the exams office will inform you of your exams date.

As of 11 am, Thursday, 19 March, the written May/June international exams are still scheduled to take place on the original dates planned.

Please note that decisions as to the international exams are taken separately from decisions about exams held in the UK. The British government has decided to cancel the May-June Exams in the UK, but this decision does not apply internationally.

We keep in close contact with our examinations board, and will inform you promptly of any changes.

A NOTE REGARDING EXAM INVOICING:

We have had to process an enormous number of changes to exam registrations – both “adds” and “drops” – in recent weeks. We therefore hope that you wIll accept our apologies if any invoices you receive are out of date. Our accountant is working overtime to process these changes, but in the meantime:

Should you receive an out-of-date invoice for examinations, please simply adjust the amount you pay based on what you actually owe and remit this payment by the due date.

We will contact you should we have any questions. This will not occasion any late fees.

In closing:

We thank you very much for your patience in this trying time as we try our hardest to deal with the current challenges and live up to our responsibility to ensure a quality education for all of our students.

We hope all of you stay safe and well.

Kind regards,

Hull’s School

16 March 2020 – Update on remote learning (video) lessons for the time while schools are shut down due to the coronavirus

Dear parents and students,

Thank you for your patience as we do our best to deal with the current trying situation as well as humanly possible.

This message is to confirm that although all Swiss schools are closed at present due to the corona virus, Hull's School lessons will resume according to their scheduled times on Tuesday, 17 March, at 8:45. Lessons will be given via video conferencing, using the highly regarded Zoom software platform.

If they have not done so already, all Hull's School students should be sure to install Zoom on their computer or tablet today, so that they will be able to participate in all of their lessons, starting tomorrow. Here are the links again, as already sent in our previous email:

For a home computer or laptop, please download Zoom Client for Meetings, from the http://zoom.us website. For tablets and smartphones, please use the appropriate button below.

Below left: for iPhone and iPad. Below right: for Android devices

Sometime this evening, students should check the appropriate Moodle pages for their lessons tomorrow and accept the invitations from their teachers to participate. They will then receive the codes they need in order to log in. Students should make sure to log in promptly for their lessons. We recommend using a computer, laptop or tablet rather than a smartphone, as smartphone displays are too small to read text or clearly see charts, diagrams, etc.

Should students experience any technical difficulties logging in or using Zoom, they should IMMEDIATELY write an email to {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{57CB028126B848BEA6312338875F0D15}. Our tech support will be very glad to respond and offer assistance.

Please note that we will not be able to take attendance for the Zoom lessons. We therefore strongly urge parents and students to take all necessary steps to ensure regular attendance of these vitally important lessons, which students will need in order to prepare effectively for their end-of-year exams.

For parents: please advise your year head of any problems in connection with attendance, or any other problems for that matter, so that we can respond as quickly and effectively as possible. The email addresses for the year heads are as follows:

• EC1/EC2: Randolph Wagenbrenner: {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{FCA6A99D62F44D4BAFEECD2396AF1C81}

• EC1/EC2: Katja Schreiber: {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{5310ED0124744F61BCE3D98EA38E682F}

• EC3: Jessica Bernatschek: {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{12336919DC7748F89E4EC29742F0A0A7}

• EC4: Susan Taylor: {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{E8211C12912C4474B1A9F174D2518B6D}

We humbly ask for your support as we do our level best to make all of this work as smoothly and effectively as humanly possible. Working together, we will get through this.

We would also like to remind you at this time that school is closed this Wednesday, 18 March, for our Inset Day and grading meetings, in accordance with the plan already published at the start of this school year. Therefore, no lessons will take place this Wednesday. Zoom lessons will resume on Thursday.

We want our students to succeed, and will do everything in our power to make that happen.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

Dear parents and students,

In accordance with the latest directive from the Swiss Federal Government, Hull's School (and all other schools) will be closed with immediate effect until 4 April 2020, when classes are set to resume. This measure is part of the government's on-going effort to limit the spread of the corona virus as much as possible.

We have devised a contingency plan to enable our students to continue to receive the high quality education you have come to expect from Hull's School, despite the current trying circumstances.

Lessons will be suspended for one day only (next Monday, 16 March) and resume as usual, via remote learning (video conferencing) on Tuesday, 17 March, exactly according to the timetable. The software platform we are using, called Zoom, is a highly regarded tool already in wide use at many educational institutions. We have integrated Zoom into our virtual learning environment (Moodle), with which the students are already familiar, for ease of student use.

Our teachers will be ready to deliver video lessons on Tuesday, 17 March. We need now to ask our students to do their part by installing Zoom on their home computers, laptops, tablets and/or smart phones by Monday, 16 March at the latest. Ideally, they should use a computer with speakers and a microphone (or a headset). However, it is also possible to watch the lessons on a computer or tablet while listening on the phone.

While it is possible in principle both to watch and to listen on just a smartphone, we strongly recommend that students watch the lessons on a proper computer screen. Smartphone displays are too small to clearly read text or even clearly see other visual material which will be transmitted.

Students may choose to officially register and sign-in with Zoom, but this is not required. Once the software has been installed on their computer, it is also possible to respond to the teacher's meeting invitation (this will be found on Moodle) simply by entering the meeting number and password provided by the teacher, even without having registered. An official registration may slightly speed up the "join the meeting" process.

For a home computer or laptop, please download Zoom Client for Meetings, from the http://zoom.us website. For tablets and smart phones, please use the appropriate button below.

Below left: for iphone and ipad. Below right: for Android devices

Beginning Monday, 16 March 2020, at 9 am, emails sent to {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{57CB028126B848BEA6312338875F0D15} with any technical questions about installing or using Zoom will be answered by our technical support staff. A FAQ page will also be created.

We appreciate your patience as we navigate this difficult situation to the best of our ability. We take our responsibilities as a school very seriously and will continue to do our utmost to insure a quality educational experience for all of our students, regardless of trying circumstances.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

9 March 2020

Recommendations to students particularly at risk from the Coronavirus

Dear Hull's School Parents,

The well-being of the entire Hull's School community remains our top priority.

We continue to monitor the situation with the Coronavirus closely and follow the recommendations of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home.html) and the World Health Organisation (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019).

Therefore, in line with the most recent guidelines issued by the Federal Office of Public Health, we are advising certain students to consider taking special precautions. This advice applies to all students with the following pre-existing conditions:

Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Chronic respiratory disease
Diabetes
Diseases or treatments that weaken the immune system
High Blood Pressure

Students with any of the above conditions are urged to consider whether any of the following steps would be appropriate. While we recommend that you consult with a physician, the school will of course trust your judgment and accommodate any such requests with or without a doctor's note:

Avoiding public transport at high-usage times. Should this make it necessary for some early or late lessons to be missed, the school will excuse students for this reason.
Suspending participation in extracurricular activities.
Working at home rather than at school for some time should this be warranted by the severity of the pre-existing condition. The school will excuse students for this reason.
Any other precautionary measures, especially such as are recommended by a physician, which the school can reasonably accommodate.

Whatever you decide, please inform the school office at {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{A51BA926D78D4DCD842343F05F04802C} so that we can respond appropriately, and in particular, avoid marking any students as absent who should be excused.

Should carrying out any of the above measures cause lessons to be missed, you can be sure that all necessary learning materials and information will be posted on our virtual learning website (https://www.hullsvle.ch/moodle/)

We are already in the process of developing procedures to ensure that all of our students will be able to proceed with their studies in an orderly fashion regardless of whatever new measures may become necessary. Like you, we are hoping for the best, but you can be sure that we will respond promptly, appropriately and effectively to any new developments.

We will keep you posted.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

4 March 2020

Dear Parents,

The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priority.

Hull's School is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and carefully following the recommendations of the Swiss government Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov.html and the World Health Organisation World Health Organisation (WHO) https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus. We will continue to keep a close eye on the situation and take all appropriate measures.

We are sorry to inform you that due to the current situation in Europe, Hull's School has decided as a precautionary measure to cancel the following school trips during the month of March.

EC1 Zoo trip on Friday 13^th March 2020
EC2 Physics trip to KKW, Leibstadt on Thursday 12^th March 2020
EC2 Gruyers trip on Thursday 12^th March 2020
EC3 Innsbruck on Friday and Saturday 13^th/14^th March 2020
EC3 Munich on Friday and Saturday 13^th/14^th March 2020

Classes will continue as normal on these days.

Please be assured we are constantly monitoring the situation and will react promptly to any new developments regarding the Coronavirus.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

28 February 2020

Dear Parents,
The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our highest priorities. Therefore, Hull's School is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and carefully following the most recent recommendations of the Swiss government Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov.html

and the World Health Organisation World Health Organisation (WHO)

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

Following recent guidance from the Swiss government, Hull's School has updated our policies on this matter.

Effective immediately, students who do not feel well or have been abroad to affected areas are being counseled to stay at home until further notice, as a precautionary measure. Please inform the school office at {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{A51BA926D78D4DCD842343F05F04802C} if your child has been to an affected area in the last two weeks. The incubation period is normally 3 – 7 days, but it can be as long as 14 days.

Next week, there will be a school assembly for each year group, with a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session, led by Dr Margaret Clark, who holds a doctorate in Virology from Harvard University. Dr Clark will also be available for individual consultation with students who desire further information.

Please be assured that we are constantly monitoring the situation and will react promptly to any new developments regarding the Coronavirus.

We will keep you informed.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

Robin Hull, Principal

James Cunningham, Vice-Principal

Patrick Durkin, Vice-Principal

Jack Wildemann, Vice-Principal

26 February 2020

Dear Parents,

The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priority.

Hull's School is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and carefully following the recommendations of the Swiss government (Federal Office of Public Health, FOPH):

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov.html

and the World Health Organisation (WHO): https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus.

We will continue to keep a close eye on the situation and take all appropriate measures.

We have already taken the following steps:

Posters containing information about how students can minimise risk have been put up throughout the school.
Hand sanitizers will be placed at all entrances to the school buildings and in all bathrooms.
All our teachers and Year heads have been notified about our policy and are advising students on how to minimise risks of infection.

Students are encouraged to:

Wash their hands regularly with soap and hot water.
Avoid handshakes.
Bring their own hand sanitizer and tissues to school.
Students who have symptoms such as breathing difficulties, flu-like symptoms, fever or a cough should stay at home and contact their Hausarzt / GP immediately.

Please inform Hull's School of any confirmed cases at {M5E95389B9F8D4936BE6B8BBBCD97F348O}{A51BA926D78D4DCD842343F05F04802C}

With regard to future Hull's School excursions and events, these will be reviewed as the situation develops.

For further health questions, please contact BAG, phone 058 463 00 00. or consult their website at

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov.html

We will keep you informed.

Kind regards,

Hull's School

Robin Hull, Principal

James Cunningham, Vice-Principal

Patrick Durkin, Vice-Principal

Jack Wildemann, Vice-Principal

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