Academy Staff:- Faye Mcgill-Principal Da Vinci

THE LEIGH ACADEMY PARENTS’ FORUM Minutes Of meeting held on Monday 7th July 2014

Attendees: Academy staff:- Faye McGill-Principal Da Vinci Sharon Waterman-Principal Darwin Matteo Stamato-PE Parents: BRUNEL: -Alice Nolan CHAUCER: Ann Burch, Jacqueline Ellis, Sandy Taylor, Sharon Coles, Machila Bekir, Fiona Williams DA VINCI:-Karen Brooker DARWIN: Andrew Collins, Lindsey Deakin, Jan Jennings

Apologies: Mo Jensen

MINUTES

 Welcome and apologies Fiona welcomed everyone and gave apologies for those absent.

 Minutes of previous meeting – agreed.

 Matteo Stamato-PE The new PE kit looks fantastic. Compulsory for new year 7 starting September, for other years new kit can be bought when it needs replacing from SWI-letter recently to parents Y7-10. Can be purchased online for delivery to home or to school, can take phone orders and those without access to pc, speak to school. SWI have provided sample sizes, presently with reception and there will be manikins in reception. There are 4 compulsory items and they are living on website from 31st July. Order by 12 noon on a Friday for delivery Wednesday. Free returns service. There is a unisex polo shirt, shorts and skorts plus fleece etc. Matteo to send any old PE kit previous to current one over to Africa. 7.10pm MS leaves. Faye McGill - Principal DaVinci, Sharon Waterman – Principal Darwin

Car Park. John Grafik to introduce flow plates but issue with noise pollution. Had three quotes on barriers but they aren’t what the school are looking for. Awaiting parking permit quote. JG applied for 5k funding from KCC towards car park and decision due 17th July.

Parent Pay now live.

IPad. 2 evenings held, majority of replies back. Large proportion of parents will provide IPad either own or through scheme. Mop up IPad meeting due. Training of staff ongoing for IPads and students to be trained to use google virtual learning and internal emails. Crown Woods school joining trust, P16 there already have 1 year of AS level maths on virtual learning. There will be opportunity for teachers to leave audio feedback on work. Evaluation before teachers get IPads and evaluation will be ongoing. BT will talk to students about basic safety of device and Google about virtual learning. Can use other schools virtual learning resources within trust. Over 60 appeals have been heard a school for P16 positions. Leigh is a school of choice for P16.

Q The IPad warranty lasts for the length of time of the loan. What if you pay it up early? A The warranty remains for the length of time that you originally bought it for.

Q Will students have their own ITunes account. A It will connected to ITunes account held by school.

Q What happens if students use own IPad? A The school will need their login push out apps to IPads. Students on IPads within scheme will not be able to add their own apps.

Q Does Longfield collate how many times the insurance has been used? A Yes which is why Leigh has decided to use a third party to manage this.

Q What have majority of claims been for? A FM to find this out.

Q What about cases-choice of colours? A All will be standard and identical and compulsory for cases to be on IPads. Q Why have choice of 5 devices within range? A Because children/parents may want to use IPads themselves at home and may require choice.

Q Lesley Tannock-Careers fair A Week beg 14th July-Mr Williams sorting out groups.

7:50 SW&FM leave.

 Vice Chairman update

Jan Jennings was elected as Vice Chair at meeting.

 Updates from previous meeting

Coffee morning for Y6 parents went well. Jacqueline spoke to parents and handed information about Parent Forum.

 Members Questions

Q Only four letters on the Leigh website. Other recent letters missing-e.g. parent pay, PE kit, Can all letters go onto the web?

.Q Is there a rolling start date for September? Are all students to arrive by 8:20 Monday 1st September?

Q Change in Module 6 end date but not amended on web?

 Governors’ update

Held at York Road Academy. Change in leadership discussed.

 Any other business

Careers fair. 2 members have emailed Lesley Tannock about their Y10 students and not had a reply.

Text Alert. Continuing concerns about absence of child texts being received when they are in school. Firstly that they are sent, secondly they are sent mid- morning onwards-quite late, thirdly if parents have more than one child at school-need to know which child it refers to. Can this be rectified?

Registration Queries. What is the registration process? Seems haphazard may cause some of the text alert problems. Parents unnecessarily distressed. iPad Interest Rates. Parents discussed the IPads and the paperwork given out on the IPad evenings. One sheet showing an interest rate of 19.9% concerned parents . Also that if they paid their agreement up early there wouldn’t be a refund of interest. Subsequent study of the sheet post meeting and a call to the providing company revealed this was an indicative interest rate of what you would expect to pay if you bought a similar package in the high street. The company confirmed no interest is charged, indeed savings are made against the typical high street price. This is why there is not a refund of interest if paid up early as interest is not charged in the first place.

Meeting ended 8:30.pm

Next meeting Monday September 15th Board Room.