Communication

The form tutor is central to the pastoral care at BGS. They support and mentor the students in their care and will know them holistically. Implicit in our aims is the expectation that every teacher will accept responsibility for the development in each student, not only of the highest academic standards, but also of the confidence and self-esteem which comes from feeling valued as an individual within a community. The role of class teacher in the Junior School or form tutor in the Senior School is crucial to your daughter’s experience of school life, and she/he will normally be your first point of contact if you have any queries.

She/he will always be pleased to see parents to discuss any areas of concern that you may have. Please feel free to contact your daughter’s form tutor by telephone or email them directly (all email addresses can be found within the iSAMs Parent Portal) any time during the school year, if you have any matters which you wish to discuss with them. She/he will endeavour to call or email you back as soon as her/his teaching commitments allow, at the very latest within two working days. Meetings can be arranged at mutually convenient times.

The Heads of Year and form tutors are aided by senior tutors who support the students as they progress through the School, giving additional layers of consistency and guidance.

Heads of Year oversee the year groups and work with the form tutors to ensure student’s welfare. Parents are welcome to contact the Heads of Year directly if they have issues they wish to discuss. In the Junior School there is Head of Year for each year group and in the Senior School we have a Head of Years 7 and 8; a Head of Year 9: a Head of Years 10 and 11 and a Director of Sixth Form. In the Senior School the Heads of Year are supported by pastoral officers who deal with pressing enquiries and requests from students and parents. The Deputy Head - Pastoral, together with the Director of Sixth Form, oversee the Pastoral teams.

Our website www.bedfordgirlsschool.co.uk is an excellent way of keeping abreast of all that is happening within the school. Up to date information and the School calendar can always be accessed online, along with the latest sports fixtures and results. It also provides an opportunity to read a wide variety of blogs from school trips, different subjects, departments, staff and our Headmistress.

We will also keep you up to date with daily news and events from around the School via our social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Our weekly newsletter, The Edit, which is sent to all parents, students and staff every Friday afternoon provides a round up of the week’s news and events and a reminder of the key dates for the following week. Each term, you will also receive a copy of our magazine, The Muse, giving you an insight into the ethos, inspiration and outcomes of a Bedford Girls’ School education. We also run a series of Curriculum Conversations each year where parents can find out more about our teaching and learning ethos. Details of these sessions are circulated at the beginning of each term.

When your daughter starts at BGS, each parent will be issued with a dedicated log-in to access the iSAMS Parent Portal. Here you will be able to access information on your daughter’s timetable and school letters, progress reviews, school reports, fee and billing account information, House points and PTA information. Details will be communicated with you before your daughter joins.

Details of all sports fixtures, team lists and sports results can be found on our dedicated sports portal on our website.

You may access this via the Fixtures icon on the website or via the Sports Portal button which appears alongside our sports page on the website.

You can download all relevant sporting fixtures into your electronic calenders and find route maps to away games. Team lists are password protected, please use the following password to access team lists, these will be uploaded a few days prior to matches.

In the Junior School team sheets are also emailed to parents prior to a fixture.

In the Junior School, short messages will be relayed between home and school in their planners. Please check the planner each night as the teacher will check them each day for messages from home. Please sign them on a weekly basis.

A timetable of your daughter’s school day will be issued on the first day, so you and she will be aware of the days when games kit or any other essential pieces of equipment are required.

Each class in the Junior School has a Google Classroom site. This is where teachers will share homework, notices and resources to support the work in the classroom.

Throughout the year, parents in the Junior and Senior School will receive feedback on how their daughters are progressing. The table (on the next page) shows the timing and format of that feedback.

Year

Years 3 - 6

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Lower Sixth

Upper Sixth Autumn

Parents’ Information Evening Parents’ Evening

Parents’ Information Evening MidYIS Testing Progress Review

Parents’ Evening Progress Review Spring Summer

Parents’ Evening School Report

Progress Review Parents’ Evening Progress Review

2 x Progress Reviews Progress Review

Parents’ Information Evening 2 x Progress Reviews GCSE Options/ Parents’ Evening Progress Review End of Year Assessments Progress Review

Parents’ Information Evening and Tutor Meetings 2 x Progress Reviews Parents’ Evening Progress Review End of Year Assessments Results Sheet Parents’ Evening

Progress Review Sixth Form Evening School Report

ALIS Testing Parents’ Information Evening Progress Review Parents’ Evening

Progress Review UCAS Interviews School Report GCSE Mock Examinations Results Sheet Parents’ Evening GCSE Examinations

Progress Review UCAS Evening A Level and IB School Reports

Internal Assessments Results Sheet Parents’ Evening UCAS Predicted Grades

Mock A Level and IB Examinations Results sheet Parents’ Evening A Level Synoptic Assessments A Level and IB Examinations