BISHOP RAMSEY CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL WELCOME BOOKLET 2019-2020 Contents Page GENERAL INFORMATION Mission Statement 1 Our Strategic Vision 1 Term Dates 2 The School Day 3 Visiting the School 3 The 696 Bus and Travelling To/From School 3 Cycling to School 3 ParentPay 3 Lanyards 4 Catering 4 Parental Donations 4 Lockers 4 Data Protection 4 Policies 5 School Uniform and PE Kit 6 School Uniform Guidelines 8 WORSHIP AT BISHOP RAMSEY 9 BEHAVIOUR AND WELFARE 10 Attending School 10 Medical 11 Free School Meals 11 Pupil Premium 11 Lost Property & Personal Property 12 Safeguarding 12 Behaviour Policy 13 COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND HOME 15 Link Book 15 Maildrop 15 Website and Parent Portal 15 Contacting the School 16 CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT 17 Curriculum 17 Homework 17 Reports and Parents’ Meetings 17 Special Educational Needs 17 Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) 17 THE WIDER SCHOOL 18 House System 18 Year Directors 18 Student Leadership 18 Clubs, Activities and Trips 19 Parents’ Engagement Group 20 Parents’ Prayer Group 20 Map of the School Appendix 1 Year Directors Appendix 2 Safeguarding Team Appendix 3 GENERAL INFORMATION Mission Statement With the collective input of each individual we aspire to be a caring Christian community:- where enquiry is prized and where truth is sought where people are valued and achievement is celebrated where teachers are proud of their profession and where students discover learning is valuable for itself where there are many activities and where there is space for quiet reflection where there is respect for order yet a desire to question and be creative. Our Strategic Vision The school’s mission is brought to life in our 5 key strategic goals:- Every learner an empowered learner Every lesson an outstanding lesson Every day at school a rich experience Every relationship a positive encounter A community that looks outwards and beyond The school’s budget is directed explicitly at achieving these five goals and breathing life into our Mission Statement. 1 Term Dates Academic Year 2019-20 Autumn Term 2019 Staff Development Days Monday 2nd September 2019 Tuesday 3rd September 2019 Autumn Term Begins Wednesday 4th September 2019 – Year 7 Thursday 5th September 2019 - Years 8 -12 Friday 6th September 2019- Years 13 Half Term Holiday Monday 21st – Friday 25th October 2019 Occasional Day Friday 29th November 2019 Autumn Term Ends Thursday 19th December 2019 Spring Term 2020 Spring Term Begins Monday 6th January 2020 Half Term Holiday Monday 17th – Friday 21st February 2020 Spring Term Ends Friday 3rd April 2020 Summer Term 2020 Summer Term Begins Monday 20th April 2020 May Day Bank Holiday Monday 4th May 2020 Half Term Holiday Monday 25th May – Friday 29th May 2020 Summer Term Ends Friday 17th July 2020 Holidays Students are not permitted to take holidays during term time. Please see the school’s Attendance Policy on the website. 2 The School Day First Day Procedures New Year 7 Students: On the first day of term, Students should arrive by 8.40am and make their way to the Hub in the Wedge Building. Students should bring a pencil case and a packed lunch. P.E. kits are not required on this day. In Year Admissions Students should arrive at 8.15am and go to Reception. They will be met by their Year Director who will then take them to Student Services to have their photograph taken and then to their Form Group. The School day is 8.40am – 3.15pm except on Friday when school finishes at 2.45pm. Students may bring a packed lunch. Alternatively a selection of hot/cold lunches/snacks and drinks are available to purchase using your ID card. Food must be eaten in the Hub. Visiting the School When visiting the school, the main entrance via Hume Way (Highgrove Leisure Centre) should be used. Pedestrian access is through the gate at the top of the staff car park and visitors should use the intercom system to speak to a member of the office team. All visitors must report to Reception. Parking within the school grounds is very limited, although pay and display parking is available at the leisure centre. Should you require disabled access please inform the School Office in advance where arrangements will be made for you to access the school via our Warrender Way entrance. The 696 Bus and Travelling To/From School The 696 bus route runs to and from the school from Hayes. This is a public bus service and not a dedicated school bus. At the end of the school day the bus leaves the school at the following times: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 3.25pm and 3.27pm Tuesday (Club Night) 3.25pm and 4.40pm Friday 3.00pm and 3.02pm. Students should be mindful that they are representing the school when travelling to/from school, whether walking or by public transport. Any reports of poor behaviour will be taken very seriously and will result in a sanction. Cycling to School Students may ride bicycles to school and leave them in the school bicycle sheds. They are required to secure their bicycles rather than leaving them unlocked. A cycle is brought to school at the student’s own risk and it is advisable that it is adequately insured. It is recommended that the students are in possession of a Bikeability Certificate (Level 2). All students must wear a cycle helmet when cycling to/from school. Bicycles may not be ridden on the school premises. ParentPay Parents/carers of new Year 7 students will receive a letter from the school containing their ParentPay user name and password enabling them to log onto the ParentPay website www.parentpay.com and activate their ParentPay account. This will enable them to purchase their child’s lanyard and identity card. For admissions at other times of the year, parents/carers are advised that until they have received these details, students will need to use the machines which are situated in the Hub to top up their identity card with cash if they wish to purchase food or drink. Bishop Ramsey School is a cashless environment where school trips, revision guides and replacement items need to be paid for using the ParentPay facility with a debit or credit card. 3 If you have any queries about Parentpay, please contact Mrs Hagon by telephone on 01895 671002 or via e-mail on [email protected] Lanyards Students have a photo identity card and a lanyard in the colour of their House which they must wear at all times. This will enable them to purchase food in the Hub when the card has been topped up and also borrow books from the library. Lanyards for new students can be purchased once a ParentPay account has been set up. If a student loses their identity card they must report it to Student Services immediately for the card to be blocked. If replacement items are required they are available to purchase on ParentPay. These can be found under ‘Replacement Lanyards’. Parents/carers can buy either an ID card for £2.50, a plastic holder for £1.00, a lanyard for £2.00 or all three items for £5.50. Students will need to present the ParentPay receipt for replacement items. Catering Alliance In Partnership, our caterers, provide early morning breakfast bites, snacks at break times and a wide range of hot and cold food at lunch times. Students can pay for food using their identity card, which can be loaded with a cash value via ParentPay or by topping up with cash at the machine in the Hub. Parental Donations Bishop Ramsey School is responsible for the repair and enhancement of the school grounds and buildings. Funding received from central government for the delivery of education is not sufficient to generate any reserves in order to pay for much needed projects which would enhance the school life of our students. For this reason, the school has a separate income stream which is generated from parental donations. As a school we ask parents if they would like to contribute to this fund by making a regular donation and if you are a tax payer, completion of a Gift Aid declaration in order that the school may reclaim the tax paid on those donations. The Gift Aid Declaration and Standing Order Form can be found in the New Students section on the Admissions page of the school website. Lockers Students can hire a locker to store their belongings during the school day. The cost of hire is £40 for Years 7- 11. Students have access to their lockers before school, at break, lunchtime and after school only. The school cannot be held responsible for any loss to student’s personal property. Money and valuables should not be left in lockers. Please ensure that your child keeps their locker tidy and free of food items. Data Protection Schools, Local Authorities (LAs), the Department for Education (DfE), and Ofsted all process information on students in order to run the education system, and in doing so have to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. This means, amongst other things that the data held about students must only be used for specific purposes allowed by law. We are therefore writing to tell you about the types of data held, why that data is held, and to whom it may be passed on. We collect and hold personal information relating to our students and may also receive information about them from their previous school, local authority and/or the Department for Education (DfE). We use this personal data to: support our students’ learning monitor and report on their progress provide appropriate pastoral care; and assess the quality of our services.