Frequently Asked Questions

A: All of our policies are available in this section of our website.

A: Important dates and times are listed in the School Calendar. You can also visit the Dates & Times Section.

A: Class Charts is the information system that allows parents and carers to access information about their children at school. For more information visit our Class Charts Page.

Yes. Any lost property will be stored in the Weston Building. Students can go during lunchtime to claim any item which belongs to them. PE kit lost property is dealt with by the PE department. Students should keep their property with them at all times, otherwise it tends to become mislaid. All clothing and equipment should be clearly marked with the owner’s name. We cannot be held responsible for lost property. No property, unless needed for lessons should be brought to school.

Yes, we never seem to have all the funds we need to resource the variety of activities and rewards we run and provide for the benefit of our students. As with most monies the school collects, this is done through Parent Pay (information for this will follow In September).

There is a Medical Room where attention can be given for minor accidents/ailments. In more serious cases parents are informed and asked to collect their child from school. Students cannot leave school alone, if injured or unwell. If a student has a serious or recurring medical issue it is advisable for parents/carers to inform the Year Leader and Student Welfare Manager about the issue and any medication prescribed by the Doctor. Medication required during the school day must be sent in to the Student Welfare Manager with a letter from parent/carer giving permission to administer/supervise self-administration, together with dose and time to be taken. Students are not allowed to carry medication with them. In cases of medical emergency parents/carers will be contacted immediately and for this reason all contact telephone numbers need to be kept up to date and school informed of any changes.

The Governors have resolved that it is the right of every student to receive free school education and that activities offered during the normal school day are available to all students regardless of their parents ability to meet the cost. Parents may be asked to make a voluntary contribution towards individual music tuition, optional extras like school trips, Duke of Edinburgh Award activities and the Outdoor Pursuits programme.

Every attempt will be made to ensure that no student is embarrassed or disadvantaged because of inability to pay. Parents are asked to contact the Year Leader, in confidence, if there are any problems.

The Governing Body has adopted the Local Education Authorities School’s Compliments and Complaints Procedure. This procedure is a requirement of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

A full copy of the procedure is available for viewing in the school reception area. We would hope, however, that most complaints could be dealt with at an informal level by contacting the Head Teacher. If you are happy with the actions of the school, or a teacher, please let us know: it is good to know when we have got it right. General day-to-day concerns should be raised in the first instance with the Year Leader; more serious concerns should be referred to the Head Teacher or one of the Deputies.

We welcome suggestions for improving our work in school. We understand that a common fear is that our relationship with you and your child will be affected if you express dissatisfaction. That will certainly not be the case. You can complain about the workings of the school, including Curriculum issues, the conduct of staff / Governors, failure to provide a satisfactory service, failure to follow school policies and procedures. You can put your concerns in writing or you can make an appointment to see the Year Leader or one of the Senior Team. They will make sure that they understand what you feel went wrong and will ask what you would like the school to do to put things right. The Head Teacher or their Deputy will consider the complaint and, where necessary, conduct an investigation. You will then receive a response to your complaint confirming what action if any is to be taken to prevent a similar problem arising again.

This does not mean that in every case the school will come round to your point of view but it will help both you and the school to understand what happened. If you are still not satisfied, contact the Chair of Governors. They will arrange for your complaint to be considered by the Governing Body. They will be independent of the situation and bring a new outlook. The Governors will make a decision which will be conveyed to you and the school. Complaints about school problems are almost always settled within school, but in exceptional cases it may be necessary to refer the problem to an outside body such as the Mediation and Conciliation Service, which is independent of the school, who will offer you support and advice. If your complaint is about the Head Teacher of the school you should direct your complaint to the Chair of Governors. If your complaint is about the Governing Body, the DFE will investigate.

Students must not bring valuables to school, particularly jewellery or portable electrical equipment (including MP3/tape/CD/DVD players, mobile telephones, digital cameras, pagers or electronic games).

Staff will not take possession of what they perceive as valuable items unless it is to confiscate them and store them in the school safe, until parents can collect them on a Friday between 3.00pm – 3.30pm from school reception. Lockers are available in the PE department.

Mobile phones are not allowed at school. Should parents wish to contact their son/daughter, they can contact the school office and urgent messages will be passed on. If students do bring mobile phones to school for any exceptional reason, they must be passed on to the appropriate Year Leader for safe keeping during the day. If for any other reason mobile phones are bought into school they will be confiscated and locked in the school safe. Parents will be informed to come and collect them from the school office between 3.00 and 3.30pm on Fridays. This will be the ONLY time that mobile phone collections can take place. To clarify this, phones confiscated on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays will be returned on the following Friday. Phones confiscated on Mondays or Tuesdays can be collected on the Friday of the same week. Please see the behaviour policy for further details on this. The school will not make any exceptions to these rules, so please refrain from attempting to request this.

It is obvious that your child must not bring cigarettes, lighters, matches or fireworks to school, but neither must they bring any substance which is identified as being flammable; this includes most aerosols including hairspray and deodorants (Please provide your child with a roll on).

Students should not bring any other item or substance which may create an unacceptable risk to the safety of staff or students, such as tippex, felt-tips or similar.

We reserve the right to inform the Police or Trading Standards about any instance where a child is found to be in possession of cigarettes or any substance believed to be illegal or restricted.

Students will be permanently excluded from school if they are found to be carrying a weapon such as a knife or a replica weapon.

Spot checks will be carried out to ensure that students are not bringing banned items to school.