Bohunt School

Frequently Asked Question form Live Open Evening Events

October 2020

Opportunities: • Many of us are already aware of the Great opportunities with languages and expeditions, my son is mad about maths and cooking! Can you tell us more about the STEM subjects! We offer a full range of STEM subjects. Students will take Maths and Science as part of their core entitlement throughout their time at school. In Year 7 all students have two lessons of Design and Technology where they will take Cooking, DT resistant Materials and DT textiles. In year 8 students then have a lesson per week in DT and in Year 9 can opt for DT and/or Food.

At GCSE students’ study either triple science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) or Double Science (which still covers Biology, Chemistry and Physics!). In addition, we run many STEM activities through other subject areas, as well as running STEM clubs which happen after school. Bohunt has won a plethora of STEM competitions including at national level.

CLIL Questions:

• If our child is interested in CLIL, who do we contact to find out more about this? And will you hold a virtual CLIL I do session before the admissions deadline? How will we sign up for this? • Will CLiL be run again next year? If so, what languages? • What is happening with the Clil programme? Will you be offering Spanish next year? • Could you tell us a little more about the language submersion please. • Can you explain CLIL in more detail please and is it solely concentrating in languages? Many thanks • How can I know more about the CLIL Programme? and how do I sign up my child for it? • Can you explain a little about the language specialism and whether it involves a great deal of additional workload for the child? When do we let you know which language the child wants to do? And do you know whether it'll be spanish or French offered next year? • Please can you talk a bit about the language immersion that i have read about on the website eg how long programme running, which subjects, how popular with pupils and how effective etc? • Can you explain how the advanced language classes work? In my case it’s for a child who has done quite a lot of French and looking to build on it rather than repeat learning.

CLIL stands for Content and Language Integrated Learning and is an approach for learning content through the target language, thus teaching both the subject and the language. The students will spend approximately a third of their time in the language of study; this equates to about 10/11 lessons in Years 7 & 8. In Year 9, students will study the language in their Option groups and will then sit their GCSE at the end of Year 9. We have been incredibly successful with this programme with over 72% of students gaining a grade 7-9 (A*-A) in each year since 2013), with our most successful cohort getting 96% grade 7-9 (A*A) in Mandarin in July 2019. Once students have completed their GCSE in Year 9, they continue to take advanced qualifications in the CLiL language (HSK, DELF, DEUG etc) each leading to further progression routes post-16 such as A Level, Pre-U or HSK.

As part of the CLiL programme we teach art, drama, PE and PSRE in the CLiL language during Year 7 & 8 and PE and PSRE in Year 9 in conjunction with their normal language lessons. Students on the CLIL programme study a single language rather than two. The CLiL programme was introduced in 2010 and in 2014 we became the first school in the country to offer CLIL in Mandarin Chinese. We also run CLIL in French and Spanish. Previously we have only offered one class the opportunity to be part of the CLIL programme, but the popularity of this opportunity is such, that we have at least three applications for each place. This has meant that in each of the last two years we have offered two languages for the CLIL programme. It is more than likely that we will run two groups again in 2021-22, although the choice of language is not made to later in the academic year and does depend on the supply of MFL teachers.

Applications for the CLIL programme happen as part of the transition process once a place has been secured at the School. The programme is challenging and does require a high level of commitment. However, we have never had a student drop out of the CLIL programme and we find that students who are part of this programme develop skills and resilience which set them in good stead across all other subjects.

General Languages questions: • How do we let you know which language my child would like to do? By e- mail or is there form? • Is there an opportunity to learn Spanish? • Can we choose which languages our daughter will study? We offer 3 different languages in Year 7: French, Mandarin and Spanish. If you would like your child to take a specific language, then you are able to request this at the transition meetings. We always try to fulfil the requests of parents, although at times due to friendship requests this does not always happen. We do share a friendship form with parents and the choice of language can be indicated on this form.

Sports • What out of hours competitive sports clubs do you run and how successful have you been in recent years? Thank you! • Do you have multiple sports teams and if you are not in the first team do you get the opportunity to play matches against other schools? • What sort of clubs do you run? Thanks • I have a very physically active, competitive, sport driven twins. Is the right choice? • Does your Football team have boys and girls mix? • How hard is it to get chosen for a sporting team? • How much sport does the school do? • Does exceptional achievement in sport receive the same accolades as academia? • Is Bohunt a sporty ? What sports facilities do you have and what sports do you offer please?

In more normal times, we have sports teams in all areas including football, rugby, cricket, netball, hockey, basketball, athletics and rounders. We are a competitive school and are part of the Aldershot and District league system. We are frequent winners of the league and cup competitions and have been county champions in multiple sports. Whilst we play competitive matches, we also play friendly fixtures which does afford the opportunity for all students to represent the school should they wish to. Currently we do not have mixed teams, although we do run single gender teams should there be a demand for them. This has included football, basketball and rugby for girls.

In Years 7 & 8 students have 3 lessons of PE each week and in Years 9, 10 & 11 they have 2 lessons per week. We also run clubs before and after school in order to offer more opportunities for students to participate in sports. The school does recognise all achievement including sporting. We have had many students who have represented the school at county, regional and national level and we are exceptionally proud of them and look to celebrate their achievements. We also have those students who participate in sport to the highest of levels and we do have arrangements to support this participation.

We are extremely lucky to be blessed with fabulous facilities. We have two full sized sports halls, a multi-purpose hall (Gymnasium), an activity hall, fitness studio, Astro turf pitch and a large school field which allows three football/rugby pitches to be marked out, a cricket square, and means we can operate a full athletics programme in the summer months.

Mobile Phones • What is your policy on mobile phones? • What is your mobile phone policy for students in school? As we are a rural school, and we have a large number of students who travel by public transport so we do not ban phones. However, we do expect students to have their phones switched off and out of sight between the hours of 8.40am and 3.30pm. If they are seen with their phone outside of these times, then these are confiscated until the end of the day. If this happens on multiple occasions, you may be required to attend a meeting in school to discuss appropriate actions.

Size of School • Bohunt reputation is that it’s too big to give pupils individual attention. How do you respond to that? • We are worried that if our child is shy she could be overwhelmed by the size of the school and maybe be overlooked. How do you ensure this doesn't happen? • When discussing which school, one of the comments we hear frequently is that because Bohunt is such a large school, children can become 'a number' more easily than they might at a smaller school. How would you respond to this?

We recognise that this is a significant concern for parents as we are a larger than average school. However, our house system means that we are effectively, six small schools within one school. The pastoral system means that students meet with their tutor daily for 20 minutes each day. This provides the tutor with valuable insight into the lives of the students in their care. Each house is looked after by two heads of house who are responsible for a maximum of 56 students per year group. This is considerably less than schools who operate a year group system and means that students are known.

Having had two daughters that attend this school, I am ideally placed to comment from a parental point of view as both my daughters have received outstanding pastoral care throughout their time at the school. One of the contributing factors of my eldest daughter remaining at sixth form was due to the fact that she was known by her teachers and they were and are able to provide her with the pastoral care she needs.

• Do we get the chance to meet our child's teachers? Of course! We hold a Meet the Tutor evening during September of Year 7. This allows you to meet your child’s tutor and Heads of House. Later in the year we hold a consultation day (COVID permitting) where you will get chance to see your child’s teachers.

• Do people get lost often on their first day at school? How do you help new pupils know where to go? Occasionally people get lost (staff included) as it is a large and leafy campus. However, this is not a problem and there is always somebody to help! One trick to remember is that our blocks have letters which start from the front of the school and work backwards to the rear of the site. Each room within a block is also numbered. If that number is a single digit then the room is on the ground floor. If the room is a double digit it is on the upper floor. Therefore, if you have a lesson in G10, you know that you have to go to G block and go up some stairs.

We also provide all students with a map to help them find their way around the school and assign older pupils to escort new pupils from class to class at the beginning

• How does the mentoring work for year 7’s? Pre-COVID, our mentors would visit Year 7 tutor groups during tutor time and would spend time with the new year 7. This provided an opportunity for our older students to offer advice and provide support. They were also involved in helping our Year 7 students prepare for their Year 7 show which normally takes place the week before the half term holiday in October. Another part of their role is to attend the summer camp and work with the new students during this week. As soon as we are able to, we will be reinstating this vital role.

Summer Camp • What are the planned dates for summer camp in 2021 • Is the summer camp one day or several? Dates for the summer camp have yet to be confirmed. In previous years our summer camp has run during the first full week of the summer holidays, but this year, due to COVID, it took place during the last week. We are currently evaluating the success of this. It takes place over the full week, but students are able to attend for as many days as they would like. At the end of the week we host a BBQ for parents and students to socialise. We are currently considering whether to return to our traditional place

Behaviour • How do you earn ERAs and positive points? We much prefer to focus on the positive aspect of behaviour. Staff are able to award positive points for a number of things that happen in and outside of the classroom. This can be from answering questions, to completing tasks and homework, to meeting expectations. School staff overwhelmingly award more positive points than negative (9:1). Staff aware ERAs in a slightly different manner. These are for those students who have gone above and beyond. This might be in the production of a piece of work over a period of time, it could be for performing a specific task or role for the school or can be for being immaculate in the wearing of uniform. We have three different ERAs that can be awarded which are, a) academic, b) community and c) Uniform

• How do you deal with inappropriate behaviour outside the school grounds while children are representing the school? We take the behaviour of our students outside of the school grounds very seriously. We have staff who are on duty around the vicinity of the school and at the train station. We have, and do, take action against students who are shown to have brought the school into disrepute.

• How do you deal with bullying? Firstly, we do not tolerate bullying in any form and work tirelessly to deal with issues of bullying when they occur. There is no ‘magic bullet’ solution and therefore we believe in personalising our approach to take into account the needs of the student affected.

COVID • Should there be another full lockdown what's a typical day in the life of a Bohunt student? The school is well prepared for any further part or full lockdown. We are using Google classroom to share work which is completed in lessons. Each teacher publishes their instructions, lesson materials and homework to allow students to access from home. In addition we teach live for 50% of a student’s timetable. Therefore it is important that students follow their normal timetable. We are also aware that it is important for students to have time away from screens, so we ensure there are other activities which they undertake. We were able to move to live teaching in the summer and will be quick to do the same again if required.

• Are masks required during classes We do not expect students to wear masks in lessons at the current time; they are required to wear masks when out of the classroom and moving around the site between lessons and at the beginning and end of the school day. However, should a student want to wear a mask they are able to. We will continue to monitor the situation and Government guidance in regard to wearing masks.

• What has changed at Bohunt because of Covid? Our curriculum entitlement and delivery has remained the same. We have not cut any subjects from our provision and students still have 29 lessons and a broad and balanced curriculum. We have treated year groups as bubbles and have introduced staggered break and lunchtimes. These are shorter than normal times, but this does allow each year group to remain separate at these points in the day. All students and staff must wear masks during transitional times and when outside although they are able to remove them when inside the classroom and when they eat. There is an increase cleaning regime and we have an onsite janitor for during the day. Currently we are restricting the number of visitors to site to minimise student and staff exposure to virus.

Toilets • I have heard the bathrooms are often in a bad state. Is this something that’s going to be addressed, especially during these times of keeping everything hygienic? All toilets have been refurbished and updated over the past decade. Students’ respectful treatment of these facilities has been a focus for the past year. We, have an onsite janitor who checks toilets throughout the day and have invested in site wide CCTV. We have also set up a dedicated email address where students are able to report issues with the toilets and this is picked up by our site team. Students have also been encouraged to report issues directly to reception where they can be addressed.

School Improvement • What do you think is the School’s best feature? People. They make our school. The fabulous students and the amazing staff who go above and beyond to provide the unparalleled opportunities that exist for our students. It is an honour and privilege to lead this school.

• How do you think you will fare in a new ofsted inspection? As reported widely in the media, Ofsted has become sharply focused on a 3 year key stage 4 curriculum and schools following this model are very unlikely to be graded outstanding. Our curriculum is broad, balanced and rigorous. Our experience of lockdown has demonstrated further its intrinsic value to student learning. Our student outcomes remain uncommonly high. Our pastoral care is exceptionally strong. We are confident that our offer and student experience remain outstanding

Transport • Liss students have no bus service- will they still have to get the train or will there be a bus service available? • Does the school provide bus services for students who live outside of ? Unfortunately, County Council made the decision in February 2019, that they were not going to provide bus transport for those within a mile of Liss Station (unless walking routes are unsafe) and would expect them to catch the train. There is no indication that this will be changed in the future. They provide a free rail pass for these pupils.

Bohunt School currently provides three bus routes for those students out of catchment, all to the north of Liphook. Further details on the bus routes run by the school can be found by emailing [email protected]

• For children currently outside the area what would you recommend as a way to introduce themselves to the school? Without doubt the Summer Camp. It is a fabulous week run in the summer holidays. The great thing is that students are with the people who will be in their tutor groups from the September. This means they are able to make friends in slightly less formal surroundings. They also get to be in school with some of the staff who will teach them. This does allow them to make connections before they start at the school. We usually offer Year 5 & 6 master classes, where students are able to attend the school and take part in activities offered by our staff. These usually take place during the spring term,

Curriculum • Please can you explain the reason why you do GCSE's over three years and not two? When GCSEs were reformed, some of the A-Level content was moved into GCSEs. This increased the rigour and challenge of GCSEs. The students had to know more and recall more. By offering a three year GCSE course, it means we can go into greater depth with the content that is contained in the syllabus, whilst providing greater opportunity for students to embed the knowledge they have learnt. In addition the change in content and rigour would have meant that we would have had to move from students having four choices of subjects they wanted to study to having three choices, in order to give more time to cover content. This was not acceptable to us as it would have marginalised the more creative and practical subjects which a lot of students take as their 4 th choice.

• In what lessons do you use the iPads and VR headsets and are they made available to everyone? All lessons are able to use iPads if they wish. We have a bookable stock of iPads which staff can use within their lessons. We will be moving to a 1-2-1 scheme in the near future. VR headsets are utilised in IT and Computing lessons.

• How large are the tutor groups / average class size? In Years 7 & 8 the average class size is 28 students. In Years 9, 10 & 11 the average class size is 24/25.

• Will the children be put into different academic bands in year 7? Students are placed in two mixed ability halves of the year group. Within these halves, we do set in certain subjects. o Maths, which is set by ability, o English, where we use broad ability settings o Science, which is set by ability o PE, which is set on PE ability o Languages, which is set where possible. o All other groupings are based on mixed ability. The Arts • I am very creative and love art, would Bohunt be a good option for me? • Do you have a Drama Programme / Studio? • What musical tuition do you offer? • Do you offer Lamda?

If you love the arts then certainly Bohunt is the school for you! There is always some form of music being played throughout the day. Music not your thing? Then you can get involved with one of our fabulous productions. We were disappointed not to have been able to hold our school performance this year, following the success of Beauty and the Beast in 2019, but if you check the school Facebook page, you will see the cast performing a couple of songs from Les Misérables via the wonders of Zoom.

If you love art, we have three dedicated art rooms where you can practice the many different mediums of art, including photography and textiles all of which are offered at GCSE with art and photography being offered at A Level (as is music and drama). As part of our curriculum entitlement we offer dance as a discrete subject in Year 7 and then as part of the PE rotation through years 8-11. If you wish, you can also opt for Dance at GCSE level. The Expressive Arts Faculty has two dedicated music and drama rooms, a dance studio and three art rooms.

For those who wish to learn an instrument you can sign up for lessons with our peripatetic teachers. Due to current restrictions this is a little limited, but normally you are able to take part in all instruments including drums, strings, woodwind and brass. In addition to this we also offer Lamda lessons for those who wish pursue an acting avenue.

Homework • How does homework work? Is everything online? • How can I keep track of what homework has been set for my child? • How much homework would a Year 7 pupil expect per week • Can children do their homework at school as my son is focused in school but not at home! We publish a homework timetable which departments follow when setting homework. This is recorded using ClassCharts. Parents have access to this platform where they are able to monitor their child’s completion of homework. Students can access all homework set via Google Classroom. Where a student has multiple lessons per week i.e. English, maths etc, they can expect weekly homework, with resources, instructions and tasks set via Google classroom. Students will receive one piece of homework in each subject each week. However, some subject will set more project based homework which last multiple weeks.

We do run a homework club which students are able to attend after school. This is staffed by our Learning Support Assistants who are able to provide relevant support for students.

SEND • What support do you give to children with dyslexia? • What do you offer to dyslexic students ? As a school we are experienced at supporting students with dyslexia. The level of support will depend on the severity. However, we believe that any intervention must start in the classroom. We utilise ClassCharts within school and this allows us to identify all those students who need specific support and what that support might include. As a teacher, we are responsible for ensuring that the needs of the individual in the class are met. There will be times, where the severity of the dyslexia is such that there is need for some withdrawal work to take place within the Support for Learning Department. They operate and run a number of intervention programmes to support students. • What opportunities do you have for academically gifted students please? Are they streamed similar to a grammar school? Please see the earlier question and answer on setting. • Do the children have the opportunity to work in small groups with teachers? • My son is worried he'll get detentions as he is often in his own bubble; daydreaming, fiddling etc as he has mild autism. How can I reassure him? The key is the initial communication and interactions with the school prior to him starting. Our SEND department, led by Simon Tanner, are proactive in ensuring that information regarding students is shared with staff via ClassCharts. This includes how their specific learning needs manifest themselves. As a class teacher, I would then be able to see this and it enables me to provide prompts to help student maintain focus.

Admissions • How many children outside of catchment are likely to get in? Over the last two years all children who have put Bohunt School have got in. This is irrelevant of whether they are in or out of catchment. We cannot guarantee this will be the same this year, but we are hopeful that if you put us down as first choice you will secure a place at the school.

• Will my child be with his friends from . We do make every effort to put children with people they know in their tutor groups. We ask parents to supply a list of up to 4 students who they wish their child to be with and 4 who they would prefer they were away from. We also ask your child’s primary school for their recommendations of who works well together.

• How big is your catchment area? Our catchment area is vast and stretches down to the south coast and up towards Guildford.

• We are leaving London, no address as yet? Do Londoners who select Bohunt as No 1 choice manage to get into the school? • We live in Havant, would our catchment area be considered when applying for Bohunt School or are we to far out of the catchment area? In the previous two years, you would have secured a place at the school if you had put us as first choice. We are unable to guarantee this will be the same for the current process, but we are hopeful that all parents who do put us as first choice will secure a place.