welcome so nice to have you here
Welcome to Dorothy Stringer!
we are delighted to welcome you to the Dorothy Stringer community. we understand the crucial role parents and carers play in a child’s education and the positive impact this has on their learning. Our goal is to build a strong partnership between home and school to support your child throughout the next five years.
The Stringer Learning Gateway (SLG) is our primary home-school communication link. Please ensure you have set up your login. If you need help to do this, email SIMS@dorothy-stringer.co.uk. To ensure you stay in touch with the latest updates, check the SLG regularly and read all our email communications (see more information on page 4). we welcome your feedback and are always here to help. we also look forward to seeing you at various school events, from Meet the Tutor and parents’ evenings and our popular quiz night to concerts, drama productions, and other celebrations.
Our core values—creativity, resilience, and respect—guide our vision of providing a holistic education. while student learning and progress are our primary focus, we are equally dedicated to equipping students with the skills and attributes necessary for tomorrow’s global society. We aim to foster confidence and strong, clear values, helping to prepare our students for fulfilling and productive lives.
Our dedicated staff is committed to motivating and supporting your child to achieve their best. we know children thrive when they feel safe and happy. we hope your child will build lasting friendships and happy memories here, while reaching their academic potential and developing a lifelong love of learning.
I look forward to getting to know your children and working in partnership with you in the coming years.
Kind regards,
Matt Hillier Headteacher
from next year’s Head Students
Welcome to Dorothy Stringer! We hope you enjoy your first day at your new school.
On your first day, you will have:
• a tour of the school to help you find your way around
• a chance to settle in and get to know other students in your form group and teaching groups
• your first lessons in 3 different subjects
Your form tutor will give you:
• your locker key
• your lesson timetable
• lots of useful information!
You will need:
• School bag
• Pencil case
• Pens (blue or black, highlighters and a green pen)
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Pencil sharpener
• Ruler (at least 15cm long)
• Protractor
• Pair of compasses
• Scientific calculator
• Drama shorts/leggings
• Glue stick
• A water bottle (you can fill this up at break and lunch time)
Make sure you bring all of your equipment each day. Take a look at some of our other top tips below!
Pack your school bag the day before school so that you are ready to go in the morning.
If you need any help, just ask! Your form tutor is a great place to start if you have any worries or questions.
Try not to be nervous! Everyone is in the same situation and Dorothy Stringer is a great place to make new friends.
Don’t worry about getting lost - it’s a big school but there are lots of people around to help.
Get out of your comfort zone and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.
Year 7 get to go to break 10 minutes early - take this opportunity to get familiar with the canteen!
The extra-curricular fair at the start of term is a great way to find out about all the clubs on offer.
Cassidy Emma Kit Iona
Learning Gateway and Parent news
At Dorothy Stringer we have the ‘Stringer Learning Gateway’ (SLG). Students, parents and carers can access lots of important information here, including:
• your child’s timetable
• your child’s attendance record
• your child’s achievement and behaviour record
• daily notices
• lots of learning resources
• your child’s online home learning diary with due deadlines for work set
• your child’s class teachers’ names and contact details.
Once you have signed the Acceptable Use Policy, parents and carers will be issued with a username and password to access the school’s computer network. when you have both username and password, you can go to the school website and click on the SLG button. You will then be prompted to log on with these details and will be able to see your child’s information. Your log-in as a parent/carer will be different to that of your child.
Teams/Office 365: All students have access to Office 365 which includes Microsoft Teams, our online learning provision.
News for parents and carers
• On the SLG there is an online newsletter, which is updated frequently with important notices, news, trips and opportunities relevant to your child’s Year group.
• Mr Hillier sends a Weekly News Update email to all our parents and carers every Friday. This contains a summary of school news from the week, celebrates achievements and contains useful information about upcoming events and key dates.
• At the end of each term, we also publish the Stringer Press, an online magazine showcasing all of our school’s most exciting news, events and achievements for the term.
Please read all the communications sent by the school and check the notices on the parent SLG page regularly to keep up to date with school news and information.
School Comms
We also send some emails out where the information is relevant to smaller specific groups. You will need to add the schoolcomms email address to your contacts (schoolcomms@dorothy-stringer.co.uk), otherwise important emails may be sent to your junk folder.
when emailing the school about your child, please always include their full name and tutor group.
Student wellbeing is key at Dorothy Stringer
We have a range of student pastoral and support services to meet the needs of our student population, and our staff get to know the students really well. Your first point of contact for any concerns is your child’s form tutor.
Pastoral team
Students have a Form Tutor, and most have a Co-tutor, who will usually be with their form group throughout their five years at Dorothy Stringer. These staff are supported by their Head of Year, Pastoral manager and Head of School to provide a caring, empathetic and understanding pastoral team for our students.
Head of Year and Year group
Pastoral Manager
SLT Year group link
Head of School
Emotional and mental mealth and wellbeing
To support students’ emotional health and wellbeing, we have an in-school counselling service that students can be referred to, alongside our multi-disciplinary team of our School Nurse, Primary Mental Health worker, Emotional Health practitioner and colleagues from Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service. These professionals work closely with students, staff, parents and carers to provide information, advice and guidance.
Support department
Within the school Support Department, we have a team of Teaching Assistants who provide support in-class and Learning Mentors who provide additional support to those students who require guidance with challenges associated with engagement with learning. For students with Special Educational Needs (SEN), our SENCo and Assistant SENCo are the main points of contact. We work closely alongside our colleagues from BHISS (Brighton and Hove Inclusion Support Service).
Medical
Our First Aid room is staffed by a trained first aider and we work closely with medical colleagues when a student requires oversight in school due to a medical condition or treatment they are undergoing. If your child feels ill at school, they should go to the First Aid room where our trained staff will support them and contact you if necessary
Form Tutor and Co-tutor
Attitude to Learning (ATL)
At Dorothy Stringer, we believe that coming to school with a positive Attitude to Learning is the most important factor in your child’s success at school. To this end, we have a reward structure based around Attitude to Learning. This is completely separate from the academic progress made by your child, or their targets.
How we calculate ATL grades
At each report, students are given a grade for Attitude to Learning in each subject. An overall Attitude to Learning score is then calculated, based on an average from all of their subjects.
Low scores are best!
A score of 1 suggests excellent Attitude to Learning. Data shows that students with an Attitude to Learning of 1.8 or better (lower) are those who leave Stringer having performed to their best. We become concerned with any ATL scores of 2.0 or worse (higher).
Learning awards
Students with a good ATL award receive Stringer Learning Awards (Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze). We also celebrate students who achieve well in their ATL (as well as in many other categories including subject studies and extra-curricular engagement) at our annual Student Awards ceremony. A full description of the criteria (‘How to Succeed at Stringer’) and the calculation of Attitude to Learning can be found on our website under Information and on page 9 of this handbook.
Parents and carers – how to help your child do well at Stringer
• Have a positive and supportive attitude towards school with respectful communication between home and school.
• Encourage your child to have a positive attitude towards school, to have the best possible attendance, and be on time for school and to lessons.
• Ensure that your child wears the correct school uniform and is properly equipped for their lessons.
• Support your child with home learning to help them make progress.
• Encourage your child to take part in some of the many extracurricular activities in school.
• Encourage and enforce safe and responsible use of the internet and social media. We encourage all parents and students to download the Safer Schools App.
• Come to Parents’ Evenings and other school events to help you to be involved in the life of the school.
• If your child is going to be absent, please contact us as early as possible. (See Page 11)
To help you support your child, and in order to allow our students to become independent learners, students, parents and carers have access to a wealth of online resources on the parent page of the SLG:
• Information/Curriculum Maps shows what your child will be learning in each subject each half term
• Information/Course Materials provides a range of resources for each KS3 subject, including work for remote learning Students also have access to additional resources through their SLG login in ‘Students Shared Work’.
The Stringer Learning Culture
We want all our students to be successful and make progress in a calm, pleasant and focused learning environment. One of the strengths of our school is the warm relationships between staff and students, underpinned by mutual respect and courtesy.
Successful relationships grow out of positive routines and behaviours that we ask all students to follow. Our school values are the foundation of our culture, behaviour, and routines.
We want all our students to:
• appreciate creativity through engagement and curiosity in their studies.
• to show resilience by taking on new challenges and learn from successes and mistakes.
• demonstrate respect for themselves and others by valuing other people, and their ideas, values, and work.
Students
• Be positive about school.
• Be on time for school and to lessons during the school day.
• Wear the correct school uniform and bring the equipment you need.
• Turn your phone off for the school day and leave it in your bag.
• Do your home learning on time.
• Join a team or club!
Mobile phones
Students are welcome to bring mobile phones to school, but phones must be turned off and put away in bags or lockers from the beginning to the end of the school day. This is to make sure that phones do not disturb the focused learning environment of school. Mobile phones and headphones will be confiscated if seen during the school day.
Should students need to contact home during the day, this can be done with the help of school staff. If parents or carers need to contact a student during the school day, please call the school and we will arrange it.
Managing behaviour
We know how important it is to praise student behaviour and celebrate their successes. Staff will reward students with Achievement points for good work, positive contributions to lessons, and many other positive behaviours.
Providing clear boundaries and rules is essential to student wellbeing and the successful running of a school. However, we understand that everyone can make mistakes sometimes. Our staff are trained in an ‘emotion coaching’ approach to managing behaviour. We will work with our students and parents / carers to help understand the causes when things go wrong and how to learn from these moments.
When appropriate and necessary, we will contact home directly to discuss incidents.
ATTITUDE TO SCHOOL
• You are kind, helpful and work well with others
• Your attitude and behaviour allow others to contribute
• You show self-control and make good choices, including ignoring distractions
• You show respect for everyone in the form group and our shared environment
ATTITUDE TO LEARNING
• You are kind, helpful and work well with others
• Your attitude and behaviour allow others to learn
• You show self-control and make good choices, including ignoring distractions
• You show respect for other learners, staff and our shared environment
• You wear correct school uniform
• You have all the equipment necessary for school life
• You are punctual to morning registration and form time
• You take pride in completing home learning on time and to the best of your ability
• You take responsibility for your own learning, using all available resources to make progress
• You have the correct equipment necessary for school life
• You are punctual to lessons and quick to focus on your learning
• You take responsibility for maintaining the good reputation of our school Responsibility
• You make the most of the opportunities on offer at Dorothy Stringer
• You follow instructions promptly and do not interrupt your form tutor
• You engage with activities in form time and make thoughtful contributions
Respect We will have a scale of 4 levels of judgement against these Learning Behaviours: Always (=1) Mostly (=2) Sometimes (=3) r arely (=4)
• You work independently in class and at home
• You make thoughtful contributions to lessons
• You follow instructions promptly and do not interrupt the teacher
• You engage with your learning, showing concentration and active listening skills
• You show independence in form time when required to do so Engagement
• You show perseverance when you find things difficult H OW t O S u CC ee D A t Stringer: Le A rning be HA vi O ur S
• You show resilience and are not afraid to make mistakes
• You act on any feedback given to improve your attitude to school
• You are enthusiastic and show curiosity about form time activities and discussions
• You work towards challenging targets and show perseverance when you find things difficult
• You show resilience and are not afraid to make mistakes
• You act on feedback to improve your work or attitude to learning.
• You are enthusiastic and show curiosity about your learning in class and at home
Determination
Are you Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze?
At each report, your teachers are asked to assess your Attitude To Learning (ATL). For each grade you are given these points:
An average is then taken across all of your subjects. Students with an ATL score of better than 1.8 are the successful ones at GCSE.
What are Stringer Learning Awards?
Stringer Learning Awards celebrate your positive Attitude To Learning. They reflect how keen you are to participate in class, the enthusiasm and effort you put into your lessons and your learning and that you always take responsibility for your learning and improving every day.
Learning Awards are given based on your ATL score, as long as you have no grades of ‘Rarely’.
When I wasn’t doing well, I told myself I didn’t care, but my parents were proud of me when I got a Bronze Award and it felt good to be improving.
I always did what I was told but only got Good for my ATL. Now I’m pushing myself to ask questions and help others, I have started to get Excellent in many subjects.
I’m keeping my Gold Award to help me when applying to be a prefect, as well as for college interviews and job applications.
I worried about looking keen to learn and couldn’t understand why some people didn’t seem to mind getting answers wrong. But once I understood that you have to make mistakes to learn, I started feeling happier in lessons. Now my ATL score is much better and so are my grades.
What’s your Attitude To Learning
How we report on your child’s learning
During the year we will report to you in three different ways:
In Years 7 to 9, you will receive termly reports. These will give you:
• a grading for Attitude to Learning, as shown in the poster on page 8
• a figure and grading for Attendance
• details of Stringer Learning Awards earned.
An explanation of Stringer Learning Awards can be found on the website and on page 9. Our data clearly shows that Attitude to Learning and Attendance are the key drivers in students making greater than expected progress in their five years with us.
In Year 10 and 11, you will receive two LBRs and a more detailed written report. In addition to Attitude to Learning and Attendance, these will also include a target grade for each subject as well as a forecast for the grade your child is likely to achieve at GCSE if they continue to work as they are at the time of the report. Full information on our reporting process can be found on our website.
Parents’ Evening
Once a year, we hold a Parents’ Evening so you can meet with your child’s teachers. The appointments are held in person at the school. The booking of appointments for Parents’ Evening is done through an online booking system. Shortly before the evening, you will be sent an email explaining how to access the system. Further details, as well as the dates of Parents’ Evenings for the year, can be found on the SLG under Information – General – Parents’ Evenings.
Attendance
Your help is vital! Now more than ever, while we recover from the long-term effects of the pandemic, children need to be in school. The first step to academic success is establishing excellent attendance and punctuality habits. Students’ attendance is critical to achievement and social development at all ages and helps prepare them for their adult lives.
Our attendance policy is available to view on our school website and SLG.
Punctuality
School starts at 8.40am and students are expected to arrive in form for registration by 8.40am. Students will receive sanctions for lateness and parents may be invited to attend a meeting at the school to discuss how we can support your child’s punctuality. If for some reason you know that your child is going to be late to school in advance, please contact the Attendance Office only before 8am, using the email address attendance@dorothy-stringer. co.uk giving a specific reason for their lateness.
Reporting absence
If your child is unwell, you must contact us before 8am on each day they are absent. There are three ways you can do this:
1. Through ‘Studybugs’ either via the app or the website: https://studybugs.com/about/ parents
2. Phone call to school on 01273 852222, option 2.
3. Email explaining the reason the student is absent to the attendance office only at: attendance@dorothy-stringer.co.uk.
Authorised absence
Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a reason such as genuine illness or other unavoidable cause.
Unauthorised absence
• Unauthorised absences are those which the school does not consider reasonable and for which no ‘leave’ has been given. This includes:
• Parents/carers keeping students home unnecessarily
• Truancy during the school day
• Absences which have never been fully explained
• Students who arrive at school after registration has closed
• Holidays that have not been authorised
Medical appointments
Please make appointments outside school hours whenever possible. If this is not possible, we recommend students attend school before and/or after the appointment and sign in/out. This ensures that the impact on a child’s learning is minimal, and their attendance will not be negatively impacted.
How we can help
If your child is struggling with school attendance, including suffering with school-related anxiety that impacts their ability or willingness to attend, then please speak to the school. There is support we can offer to help with this, from our vastly experienced school team and/ or we can signpost you to external support. There are also many resources available online to help you with this at home; for example, we recommend the YoungMinds parent guide as a starting point for information and guidance to support your child.
In the event of school closure
We will always aim to keep the school open where possible. However, in some rare circumstances it may be necessary to close the school early (eg. Heavy snow / extreme weather).
Before your child starts at Dorothy Stringer, please make a plan for your child to get home if the school has to close early. If you feel this would cause difficulties for your child, it is important to discuss the issues with your child’s Form Tutor, Pastoral Manager or Head of Year. Please review these arrangements as your child progresses up the school.
If a decision is made to close the school:
• A text message will be sent out
• We will update messages on the school’s website and social media channels
• Where possible, we will have a member of staff available to answer the phone; however, please consider this as a last resort as staff may not be available to take your call.
• Parents and carers should listen to Heart FM (102.4 - 103.5 FM) who make regular announcements regarding school closures during bad weather. A list of closed schools is also posted on the Heart FM website.
• Work will be available for students to access on the SLG (Stringer Learning Gateway). All students are able to access the SLG, which can be found via the school website: https://public.dorothy-stringer.co.uk/ds/Pages/Home.aspx
Developing bad weather
Normally when bad weather occurs during the day, it is our policy to keep students in school until the usual dismissal time, 3.15pm. However, if the weather deteriorates during the morning, it may be advisable to let as many students as possible leave at lunch time, 12.10pm. Please discuss this arrangement with your child so they know what to do in these circumstances.
If the weather worsens during the afternoon, we may have to make a decision to release students who normally make their own way home before 3.15pm.
Arrangements can be made for the school to supervise any children who know they are to be collected at the end of the school day and, if necessary, for a reasonable time afterwards.
If you are concerned about safety for their journey home and want to arrange to collect your child early, please phone the school in advance and report to reception on arrival.
Travel to school
We encourage students, staff and visitors to travel to school sustainably wherever possible. Most students walk to school, cycle, or use public transport. We operate a cycle permit scheme for anyone who wants to cycle to school. Students must get a permission slip from the Hub, and sign the agreement to wear a helmet, to follow safety rules and leave their bikes under the covered cycle stand during the day.
However, we recognise that there might be occasions when you need to drop off or pick up your child. To reduce traffic on the school site, we ask that parents and carers do not drive onto the school campus to drop off or pick up students.
Please respect our neighbours
Dorothy Stringer is on the Surrenden campus, which includes a total of five schools/ colleges, and is located in a residential area with a restricted residents’ parking zone. If you are waiting in neighbouring roads to collect your child, we ask that you respect our neighbours and turn off your car engine to avoid pollution from engines idling.
Visiting the school
If you have an arranged meeting with a member of staff during the school day and need to come by car, there is some limited parking available on site near the Loder Road entrance. All other parking spaces on site, nearer the buildings, are allocated to staff. Please do not park in a numbered space anywhere on the school site. Please let us know if you have accessibility needs, and we will arrange a parking space on site for you if needed.
If you are visiting us for an event or Parents’ Evening, please walk, cycle or use public transport wherever possible. On these occasions the gates will be open and limited parking will be available on the school site.
At Dorothy Stringer we believe that clubs, visits and school trips benefit the students, not only by widening their horizons, but also by allowing them to establish a different set of relationships with each other and with the staff, and we offer a wide variety of enriching experiences. Look out for notices about these – you will hear about trips for your Year group via email and on the parent newsletter on the SLG (Stringer Learning Gateway).
Clubs and Groups
There are a wide variety of extra-curricular clubs for students to join. Year 7 students all get to attend our Clubs Fair in their first term, where they can find out more about what’s on offer and sign up!
The clubs may change each term; some are before school, some at lunchtime and others after school. To view the current list of our extra-curricular activities on offer, please log into the SLG: Extra Curricular / Clubs & Teams / Extra Curricular Timetable.
We strongly recommend that all students in Years 7-9 participate in at least one school club, all of which are free. If you have any queries about a club, please contact the relevant Head of Department.
Term-time trips
School trips in term-time are used to enhance the curriculum in many subject areas, and each subject department organises a variety of curriculum trips throughout the year.
Holiday trips
During the holidays there is a mixture of curriculum and leisure trips that are run by staff. These include, for example, visits to Dolawen, our own outdoor activity centre in North Wales, a ski trip, a trip to a resort in Italy, and an expedition trip to Nepal.
Tutor group trips
Many form tutors organise outings with their tutor group to celebrate various events or as rewards at the end of term, such as bowling, ice-skating, meals out.
Enrichment week
A full week of trips and activities, offering a wide range of choices.
Planning ahead and budgeting
You can see what trips might be coming up on the SLG: extra-curricular/school trips/overview. Trips vary in cost and for big trips we always aim to give plenty of notice to allow for paying in instalments. We ask that you register interest and pay for trips via your School Gateway account to help reduce school administration costs: https://login.schoolgateway.com/0/auth/ login. Payment can be made by credit card, debit card or by Instant Bank Transfer.
At Dorothy Stringer we take healthy eating seriously. We serve a wide range of good quality hot and cold meals and a great selection of quick bites. Students can choose from pasta pots with a choice of sauces, freshly prepared filled baguettes, filled jacket potatoes or a meal of the day. Look out for healthy options such as assorted salad boxes, a variety of vegetarian choices and fresh fruit - there is something for everyone. Internal seating is limited, but students can sit under either of our external canopies. Visit the SLG to see our menus. Students are also welcome to bring in a packed lunch.
Canteen opening times are Monday to Friday:
• Before school from 8.00am to 8.30am
• Break time
• Lunch time (Lower school year group slots, followed by Upper school year group slots)
• After school from 3.15pm to 3.35pm
Canteen access times are staggered across year groups. Students will be told their year group allocation slot at the start of term.
We operate a ‘cashless’ system in the canteen to save carrying or losing money and to speed up the queuing process. Each student has an account and you can top this up online through the ‘Schoolgateway’ system. Full instructions can be found online and on page 22 of this booklet. If you are entitled to Free School Meals, your child’s account will automatically be topped up on a daily basis.
If you think you may be eligible for Free School Meals but have not yet registered for them we can help with the process – please see the SLG for more details or email FSO@dorothy-stringer.co.uk.
Students are not allowed to leave the school grounds at break or lunchtimes.
School uniform
School uniform has a long record of preventing arguments about what should and should not be worn to school. Our aim is for children to come to school dressed in safe, practical and smart clothes, ready to focus on their learning.
Below is a list of our school uniform items. Please label all items with the student’s name so they can be returned if found.
If there is an exceptional reason why your child does not have the correct uniform, please provide them with a written note which they can show to their Form Tutor, Head of Year or Pastoral Manager at the start of the school day. Where possible, we will support them and lend them uniform for the day.
Compulsory clothing
• White polo shirt with school logo.
• Black school jumper or black school sweatshirt with school logo. Hoodies are not permitted in school with the exception of leavers’ hoodies worn by Year 11 students after permission has been given by the Headteacher.
•
Either:
• Stringer tartan skirt - This can only be purchased at a single length option and has an adjustable waist. Skirts are not to be tailored above knee length and are not to be rolled at the waist.
• Black formal school trousers - unisex (no chinos, jeggings, cargo trousers or jeans). Trousers must not be rolled up and any belt on trousers should be plain black with a normal and discreet buckle.
• Plain black knee-length tailored shorts (PE shorts are not permitted except for PE lessons)
• Plain black/nude-coloured tights and/or plain black or white socks and/or plain black leggings worn under the school skirt.
• Plain black belts may be worn on the condition that they are thin, subtle and essential to the fit of the clothing - not used as a fashion accessory
• Plain black footwear (No logos/motifs or other colours should be visible. Knee-length boots, sandals, platforms, high heels or ballet shoes are not permitted.)
Optional items
• White long sleeved base layer can be worn under the school polo shirt
Outdoor wear
Students are expected to have a suitable coat to protect against cold and/or wet weather. These are to be worn in addition to the school jumper or sweatshirt. Hoodies and other nonuniform tops are not to be brought into school.
Coats and other outdoor wear are not to be worn in classrooms and hats/caps must not be worn in the school buildings.
Hair style
We adopt the Halo code and in this school we recognise and celebrate our students’ identities.
Jewellery and make up
The only permitted items of jewellery are:
• A pair of single, small studs in pierced ears; no hoops or large decorative earrings are permitted.
• One small discreet nose stud (not ring). No tragus or cartilage piercings or stretchers. Students will be expected to remove any non-permitted piercings; this applies at all times, including the “healing” period.
• A wristwatch.
• A single ring.
• One discreet necklace.
• No other jewellery is permitted. Minimal discreet make-up is permitted. False eyelashes and false nails (acrylic/gel/false nails) are not permitted.
The list on page 17 details items that should be purchased from Monkhouse. You can order online through their website: https://www.monkhouse.com/school/dorothy-stringerschool-urn-114580 OR you can visit one of their three shops in Hove, Haywards Heath and Horsham, open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.*
If you are ordering online they have some helpful information on their website including a video on how to measure your child, if you need any further assistance you can call their Customer Services team on 0161 476 7216.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
Sports kit for PE lessons
Compulsory clothing
• black polo top with school logo
• black shorts with school logo (for Pe/Drama use only and not for general wear)
• Fleece-lined mid-layer top
• Plain black long PE/sports socks
• Suitable footwear i.e. trainers
• Suitable swimwear.
Optional items
• Tapered tracksuit pant with Stringer printed
• Running legging with Stringer printed
• rain jacket with school logo
• black skort
PE lessons are part of students’ normal timetable, and they are expected to take part regularly. Students must bring the correct kit, including a towel if they swim or intend to use the showers. Please make sure all PE kit is labelled so it can be returned if found. If your child is unable to take part in PE, they must bring a note from their parents/carers and hand it to their PE teacher. If they need to be excused for more than two weeks, students must bring a note from their doctor or a medical certificate.
PE KIT
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DOROTHY STRInGER
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Your school needs you!
As a school we fundraise throughout the year to support wider educational opportunities and provide the best possible school experience for your child beyond the curriculum.
The Dorothy Stringer Parent Fundraising Group plan and organise events that raise crucial funds for the school and bid for educational grants. We are always on the lookout for new fundraising ideas and proposals. Perhaps you’ve fundraised before. Perhaps you’ve never done anything like this before, but love coming up with new ideas about fun stuff in a pub. If you’re keen to help find ways to support the school to increase its enrichment offerings, then email communications@dorothy-stringer.co.uk, and we’ll connect you with the team!
Donating to the Dorothy Stringer School Fund
The Dorothy Stringer School Fund is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of every student at our school. We are incredibly proud of the diverse range of extracurricular activities we offer, from sports and arts to academic clubs and community service projects. These enriching opportunities are only possible thanks to the time and support our staff provide without charge.
However, there are essential costs associated with these activities that are not covered by our statutory funding. This is where the School Fund plays a crucial role. By contributing to the fund, you help ensure that all students can benefit from these valuable experiences, regardless of financial background.
Additionally, the School Fund provides vital support to families facing financial difficulties, helping them to manage the many and varied costs of school life. Your generous donations enable us to continue offering this enriched support and maintain our commitment to inclusivity and excellence for all.
We invite you to help by making a regular or one-time donation. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a significant difference. To donate, please complete our Gift Aid Form, available for download on our website: https://dorothy-stringer.co.uk/fundraising/, and email it to sarah.norris@dorothy-stringer.co.uk or return it to the reception, addressed to Sarah Norris, Finance Manager.
Your support helps us create a vibrant, supportive learning environment for all our students. Thank you for making a difference in our community.
All Parents’ Evening bookings You only need to do this when your Parents’ Evening is approaching and you will recieve an email when the Booking System is open
SIMS@dorothy- stringer.co.uk
more. An essential part of Stringer communication
newsletters, reports and
Uniforms Communications Office communications@ dorothy-stringer.co.uk Attendance Office attendance@dorothy- stringer.co.uk
SIMS@dorothy- stringer.co.uk WHO TO CONTACT FOR HELP
School Gateway
What you need to do now: Activate your School gateway account. All you need are your email address and mobile number that the school holds on record for you. Download the app: if you have a smartphone, please download School Gateway from your app store (Android and iPhone). The app shows the same information as the website and it saves the school money when we send you a text message or visit the website: www.schoolgateway.com and click on ‘new User’. You’ll receive a text message with a PIn. Use this PIn to log into the School Gateway.
You also have the option to use ‘instant bank transfer’ as well as debit or credit card. instant bank transfer is a secure payment method and will not only make paying for school items faster for you but it will also cut the cost to the school of processing online payments. When using ‘instant bank transfer’ for the first time you will be asked to enter your bank account details. Once set up, on all future occasions, you’ll simply need to enter the amount you wish to pay the school and then click to authorise the payment. we would encourage you to use this new option to save yourself time and the school money.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
DATE
tuesday 3 September 2024 welcome to Year 7 students 8.40 start
wednesday 4 September 2024
Thursday 5 September 2024
Thursday 12 September 2024
School open for Year 7 and Year 8 only 8.40 start
School open to all students 8.40 start
Year 7 clubs fair
Monday 16 September 2024 Year 7 school photos
thursday 26 September 2024 Open Evening
Friday 27 September 2024 Late start 9.40
Monday 30 September 2024
Year 7 parents virtual check-in
Monday 28 October - Friday 1 november 2024 Autumn half term holiday
friday 6 December 2024
Friday 20 December 2024
InSET day - school closed to students
End of Autumn term early closure 12.30
Monday 23 December 2024 - friday 3 January 2025 Chirstmas holidays
Monday 17 - Friday 21 February 2025
wednesday 12 March 2025
Friday 4 April 2025
February half term
Year 7 parents’ evening
End of Spring term
Monday 7 April - Monday 21 April 2025 Easter holidays
Monday 5 May 2025 bank holiday - School closed
Monday 26 May - friday 30 May 2025 May half term holiday
friday 27 June 2025
InSET day - school closed to students
friday 18 July 2025 end of Academic Year - early closure 12.30