Welcome to the Senior School - Year 7 - Girls School

Welcome to the Senior School

Dear Parents, Guardians and all our new Year 7, or as we refer to it, Lower 4 students,

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the Senior School in September for what we know will be an exciting journey for all.

The community at Habs is a diverse and inclusive one, with plenty of opportunities for students to get involved and step outside their comfort zones, inside and outside the classroom. From our assemblies to our house competitions, from our drama productions to our sports fixtures, there is plenty for everyone at Habs.

We look to inspire curiosity and feed an unending desire to learn through our extensive curriculum and fantastic cocurricular provision, while encouraging students to set their sights high on what they want to achieve, whether that be academically, on the stage or on the sports field.

I hope you are as excited to get started as we are to welcoming you back on campus in September.

MRS ROSE HARDY HEADMISTRESS

About the Senior School

There are approximately 800 students aged 11 to 18 in the Senior School.

Whenever children join: whether it is moving up from our junior school, our Lower 4 / Year 7, through an occasional place or at Sixth Form, there is a broad and challenging curriculum for them to relish. As a school we believe in lessons that have both pace and rigour as defining characteristics. We believe that academic excellence is a product of our approach to active and independent learning, with practical tasks and problem solving, enabling our students to develop their understanding in the deepest sense. Enthusiasm and excitement are key, as is providing the stimulus for discussion and debate.

Students love to be challenged and have an insatiable curiosity about the world around them. Parents are welcomed into the school to support the curriculum; there will be an Induction Evening in September for parents and a curriculum booklet will be shared which outlines our approach to particular subject areas and how they can best support their children at home. We firmly believe that children do best when school and home are working in true partnership.

Our Values

Our brand values are what we hold dear as a school, the core beliefs that we stand for. They should drive all decisions and actions.

Ambition

We are bold and ambitious – for ourselves, but also for others and for the world. This is underpinned by our altruistic and philanthropic foundation, which drives our values and behaviours. We expect everyone to give their best, to stretch boundaries, and to challenge the status quo.

We believe that ambition can be limitless. When combined with courage, curiosity and community, ambition can be a selfless and powerful lever for change.

Curiosity

We create and use every opportunity to engage with the world around us; we ask questions, challenge assumptions, and express our ideas. Alongside our academic interests and skills, we also love to exercise our imagination, creativity and spirituality. Our broad and carefully curated curriculum leads us into experiences of awe and wonder – bringing a sense of magic and excitement to learning.

Courage

Exploring beyond our comfort zones enables us to become more self-aware, adventurous, resilient and independent. We aim high, following our dreams, but we cope well if we don’t always succeed. We understand how to balance humility and boldness when speaking out on behalf of ourselves and others. And we are unflinching problemsolvers, continually seeking to change the world for the better.

Community

Habs is one caring, respectful community on one fabulous campus. Our focus is on belonging and inclusivity: celebrating our differences, not in spite of our differences. Beyond our students and staff, this sense of collaborative togetherness extends to our families, alumni, partner schools, and even the world. We’re helping to learn from and empower wider communities – locally, nationally and globally. We bring the world to our door, but we also step through that door into the wider world.

11+ Induction Day

WEDNESDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2023

8.35AM TO 2.30PM

Induction Day takes place the day before term officially starts for all students. During Induction Day, your child will take part in a series of fun activities to help them get to know others in their form.

Staff will be waiting in the coach park and car park to welcome your child and guide them to Prevett Hall. Please arrive between 8.20am and 8.35am. Induction Day will end at around 2.30pm and your child will be shown back to the coach or car park.

We ask that your child:

• Wears their school uniform and brings their Habs PE kit including trainers, lacrosse stick, goggles and mouth guard.

• Bring their school bag, with their House coloured luggage tag, and a fully stocked pencil case which has their name marked clearly on the front.

• Bring a packed lunch if they are not signed up for school lunches, ensuring they follow the schools’ policy of no nuts or seeds.

Induction Day coach service for all

Any student can use the coach service on Induction Day, whether or not they are registered as a regular user for the service. There is no charge, but you will need to book a ticket to reserve a seat for your child. Information on how to reserve a seat on this service will be sent to you by the Transport Manager, Emma Summers, during the summer break.

A bespoke timetable will be in operation for Induction Day covering the popular stops on our usual home-to-school service. The timetable for this service will be published in the transport newsletter which will be sent to all parents. The return service will depart from school at approximately 2.30pm and follow the bespoke published timetable.

We do encourage everyone to use the Induction Day coach service to give students the experience of arriving and departing school from the coach park and the opportunity to meet some of our expert home-to-school coach drivers. From Thursday 7 September they will become part of a 1,700 student strong coach community and the orientation provided on Induction Day together with the information in the coach Code of Conduct will ensure your child is equipped for their journey on the coaches.

Students travelling to school by car

If you are driving your child to school on Induction Day, please enter via the main gate on Aldenham Road. You will be directed to the school drop off area just before our security barriers. There will be marshals to direct you into one of two lanes where you can drop off your child. They will then be supervised from the car park to the school entrance, using the correct and suitable walkways and paths.

How we care

Years and Houses

The Senior School is formed of three sections which group our school years. Each school year has a dedicated Head of Year. The three sections are:

Within Middle and Upper School there are individual Heads of Year which form part of our Pastoral team.

Each year group (except Sixth Form), are made up of forms who are looked after by two co-tutors, with half of the form allocated to one of these two members of staff.

Years and Houses

Students are allocated into one of the six Houses, each associated with a different colour. These are named after the six previous non-Elstree Headmistresses of the school. Throughout the year, House meetings are held once a month and there are various House competitions, activities and events. This is to encourage students to mix with those from other year groups, fostering an atmosphere of team spirit and friendly rivalry. The emphasis will be on sport, drama, music, dance, charities and having fun!

House points are awarded for a variety of activities and tallied up at the end of the year. The winning House receives a cup.

Sprules Gillett Millar

Powell

Gilliland

Harold

Buddies

Each new Lower 4 student will be allocated an amiga, an Upper 4 (Year 8) student who is in the same House. They will meet their amiga on Welcome to Habs Day and receive a postcard from them over the holidays. The role of the Upper 4 amiga is to support their Lower 4 amiga, they have very recently been through the same experiences and can help to support them to settle into life at Habs.

We organise an amiga event each half term so that amigas have the chance to get to know each other better, some of the activities that have taken place this year include cookie decorating, origami, outdoor games, and board games. As well as an amiga, each Lower 4 Form is allocated a Sixth Form prefect, who will support the form in their first year at the Senior School.

Wellbeing and PSHCE

Your child will receive weekly PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship and Economic Education) lessons with their Form tutors during morning tutor time. This will continue from Lower 4 and throughout their time at Habs. It consists of combining Jigsaw secondary modules and resources for themed weeks or special topics.

Workshops with specialist speakers are organised for all year groups at different times through the year, focusing on age-appropriate issues such as e-safety, physical health, mental health and relationships. Talks and/or workshops are also delivered to parents.

Our school is a ‘Tooled Up Education’ school. This means, in addition to all that we do at school to help pupils, we also care about supporting parents and families. Please use the link to register your free account and gain access to the digital hub of evidence-based resources covering: mental health, digital life, aspiration, learning, family life and relationships.

Medical Centre Information

Parents and guardians will be contacted if their child requires liquid paracetamol, ibuprofen or antihistamine during the school day, if they haven’t already provided consent.

Sickness

If your child is unwell, e.g. has a raised temperature, has episodes of diarrhoea or vomiting, please ensure that you wait 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped before they return to school.

General health information

Please keep us updated, via your child’s Form Tutor, of any changes to your child’s wellbeing such as hospital admissions, illnesses or new medication. We also ask that you inform us of any significant events such as divorce or bereavement which may affect your child emotionally. We are always happy to talk about any existing medical conditions that your child might have and how this could influence our care of your child in school, e.g. food allergies/diabetes/asthma/ any severe reactions your child has had which requires use of an AAI (Adrenaline Auto Injector). Any relevant information will be shared with the appropriate staff members if it is essential to your child’s wellbeing. If they develop any contagious disease such as chicken pox, measles, etc. then please inform the Health Centre as soon as possible.

Prescribed and over the counter medications from home

Students are not permitted to carry any medication (either prescribed or over the counter) on their person on the school site other than an emergency inhaler/AAI as agreed with the School Nurses. If your child requires any prescription medicine to be taken at school then please complete the form on the Parent Portal (Request for School to Dispense Prescription Medicines). They will need to bring the completed form to the Medical Centre along with the medication to be dispensed immediately upon arrival at school. It is your child’s responsibility to attend the Health Centre to be given their medication.

Collection of unwell children from school

It is important that a parent or guardian is always available to collect an unwell/injured child should they be unable to stay in school. Please let your child’s Tutor know as soon as possible if you will be unavailable for collection and provide an alternative contact number for a suitable guardian who can act on your behalf in case of an emergency.

Assemblies

Our school community begins the day with time together either as a Form, year group, House or whole school, to share our values and explore ideas. Once a week, we have multi-faith assemblies, allowing a different group of students to share their experiences of their faith. We encourage all students to attend with an open mind and enquiring mind as it is a brilliant way to see other points of view.

We also have a multi-faith room which students can request use for lunchtime prayers or other such needs.

Student Voice Academic Support

Students can be elected for our student body council, Student Voice, in every year. The team is made up of representatives from all year groups and meets once a half term to discuss issues of importance to the students. During these meetings, the leadership team can feedback to students on previously raised issues, keeping open communication between students and staff. The Student Voice currently lead on the school’s sustainability agenda and promote the subject across the entire school.

Academic Support at Habs is available to all our Senior School students. From Lower 4 to Upper 6, we are here to help you with all things academic. Your child can speak to Ms Alison Baker (abaker@habsgirls.org.uk), Mrs Suzanne Turnbull (sturnbull@habsgirls.org.uk) or Mrs Parita Khimasia (pkhimasia@habsgirls.org.uk) for more information.

Mobile Phone Usage

Your child will need a mobile phone if they are travelling on the coach. During the day, their mobile phone must be switched off and kept in their bag. If they need to call home, they should go to reception to make the call. Any phones seen by a member of staff during the school day will be confiscated.

We aim to teach your child how to use their phone safely and we encourage parents to be very firm about their usage at home. We highly recommend parents of younger students to make regular checks of your child’s device to ensure they are using it appropriately. The bill payer is responsible for anything on the phone that may be construed as inappropriate. As as school, we do not endorse the use of Whatsapp as in April 2018 Whatsapp raised the minimum age to 16. We also do not endorse the use of Snapchat or TikTok for students under the app’s minimum age of 13.

How we stay in touch

Communication

We are always happy to answer any questions that parents and guardians have, big or small. Parents and guardians can call Reception on 020 8266 2300, who will direct them to the relevant member of staff. The School Nurse can also be contacted through Reception. If you or your child have any pastoral or academic concerns, please contact your child’s Tutor in the first instance.

Your child will be given an email account which teachers can email them on. They will receive login details and further information once they start at Habs. They will also have a Microsoft Teams account.

Letters

We upload parent information letters to Firefly every Friday.

Emails

We encourage an open dialogue but please note that Tutors and other members of the pastoral team are teachers and so unable to respond immediately to emails. In an emergency, please contact Reception who will direct your query to someone who can respond more quickly.

Reporting

There is a parents’ evening in the Autumn Term where parents and guardians will have the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and discuss their progress. You will receive a written report of your child’s progress in the Summer Term. If you have any concerns during the school year, you must not hesitate to contact your child’s Tutor. Students are given three additional progress grades. You can access these via Firefly. These grades allow Form Tutors to track your child’s progress.

Homework

If you have concerns about the time your child is spending on homework (either too little or too much), please get in touch with your child’s Tutor. We do not want them to spend all evening working, as it is important, they should have time to relax. We recommend 20 minutes per subject per week except English and Maths where this can be twice a week.

Individual Needs

Our Individual Needs policy ensures that every child at Habs enjoys personal and academic success. We believe in the importance of sustaining a close partnership with parents and guardians so we can provide the appropriate support. The Head of Individual Needs co-ordinates a team consisting of our specialist teachers, senior academic and senior pastoral staff.

Support can occur at various levels in school life, e.g. through the child’s form Tutor, Head of Year, subject teachers, study support sessions and learning skills programmes. Our Individual Needs policy is available on the school website here.

It is important to make us aware if your child has any identified specific learning needs (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, hypermobility, visual impairments and hearing impairments) so we can provide the best support for them.

Important websites / Links

FIREFLY: HABSELSTREESCHOOLS.FIREFLYCLOUD.NET

Firefly contains a host of important information and is where you can email the school or form tutors regarding absences or any other matters. The portal holds all school reports, progress grades, letters, school timetable, school calendar and coach service bookings. It is also the place to fill out the form regarding your child’s medical information.

PARENT PAY: WWW.PARENTPAY.COM

This is where you pay for your child’s school lunches by signing up to parent pay. Should you wish to switch to a pay as you go lunch option for your child, a terms notice is required.

Students can of course use their parent pay account at break time to purchase items.

SOCS: SOCSCMS.COM/LOGIN/129

This website is where students sign up for co-curricular activities, it will be available from September.

EVOLVE: PAYING FOR TRIPS

You will receive links from Evolve which are used for all trip bookings, payment and for parents to give consent.

Attendance

The school must be informed of absence for any reason, either planned or unplanned. If your child is absent for any reason, work will not be provided. We request that absences are kept to a minimum.

Illness - first day of absence

An illness should be reported to the school on the first day of absence before 8am using any of the following options:

• Emailing absences@habsgirls.org.uk

• Calling the Absence Line 020 8266 2300 and selecting option 1

• Completing the Absence Information form on Firefly

Medical appointments

If possible, medical appointments should be made during the holidays. If this is not possible, please email your child’s tutor, asking permission for them to be absent.

Absence request for extenuating family circumstances

Write to the Headmistress a minimum of two weeks in advance at HM@habsgirls.org.uk.

Sports Fixture Attendance

If your child is unable to attend a fixture, then please let the team Coach know directly with at least seven days’ notice. If your child is ill on the day of the game, parents must email the Director of Sport or the team Coach directly. You are warmly invited to watch as many fixtures as possible.

School Life

Term Dates

All our dates have been agreed and co-ordinated with the Boys’ School

Click here to view term dates on our website.

Curriculum

Your child will study a full range of subjects covering English, Maths and the Sciences, along with Art, Computing, Design and Technology, Drama, Geography, History, Music, Physical Education, PSHCE and Religion and Philosophy. They will also study Academic Enrichment.

Students also study Latin and study three Modern Foreign Languages: French, German and Spanish. This is to help them make an informed choice when they choose two Modern Foreign Languages to continue into Upper 4 (Year 8).

At the start of the Autumn Term, your child will be given a personal timetable for the entire academic year.

All Lower 4 students will receive a device in the Autumn Term. The Acceptable Use Policy will be explained to them, together with the sanctions for any infringement of the school rules related to the use of mobile devices in school.

We also complement our academic approach and develop your child’s understanding of the skills that will be required of them when they enter the workplace. We hold a number of events and initiatives to support them; for more information and how to contribute, read here.

The School Day

The school day runs from 8:35am to 4pm each day, with the grounds opening from 8am. Only students attending a supervised activity or studying in the Library may stay after 4pm. If students arrive at 8am, they must enter the school through the dining hall door and remain there where they will be supervised until 8.20am.

At the end of the day, we have coaches that depart at 4.15pm and 5.30pm for those attending after school activities. If your child remains after 4pm they must attend a supervised activity or go to the Library to study. It is important for your child to know that the 4.15pm and 5.30pm coach routes often differ and may not include their usual stop.

If you intend to collect your child, please pick them up from the Girls’ School visitor car park. We kindly ask that you do not drive through the Girls’ School car park to collect them.

Please encourage your child to be ‘car aware’ in all circumstances. This includes not using listening devices when walking on the pavement. During the winter months, we would also recommend putting reflective strips on your child’s bags and coats.

Homework expectations

Homework timetables are issued at the start of the academic year and each subject is allocated 20 minutes of homework time a week, with English and Maths being the only exception as it is allocated slots twice a week. Homework is not set during the first few weeks of Lower 4.

School Timetable

Rewards

We have three different reward systems here at Habs with the aim to foster respect, kindness, inclusion, responsibility, endeavour and encourage students to step outside their comfort zones. House points is one section, awarded to individuals who show behaviour or actions in line with our values. These are tallied individually and added to the students’ House tally.

Cornflower Awards are a higher level of reward system, used to recognise particular behaviours or achievements such as volunteering or notable level of participation in Drama, Music, Sports, etc. Cornflowers can also acknowledge marked improvement in effort/engagement, achieving personal targets or independent research or exploration beyond the curriculum. Cornflower Awards are worth three House points.

Finally, we have our Excellence Book. This is for outstanding achievements, usually consisting of participation, contribution or achievement beyond school, including those outside of school. Staff nominate pupils to sign the Excellence Book and they will then visit the Head’s office to write their name and the reason for their award in the book. New entries are announced in the next whole school assembly. A nomination is worth 10 House points.

Lockers

Students will be provided access to two lockers when they join, one in the STEM building (their long locker) and one in their Form room (their short locker). They will have two lockers, updated each school year, until Lower 5 (Year 9). From Middle 5 (Year 10) until Upper 5 (Year 11), they will move on to just a short locker.

Catering

Students will have a variety of food options available to them at lunchtime in our Dining Room, all provided by our catering services, Holroyd Howe. The catering team are experienced in handling all dietary and allergy needs and pupils only have to ask a member of the team if they need assistance. Holroyd Howe encourage students to try new things and enjoy a balanced diet, offering plenty of different ingredients, cuisines and culinary styles.

The school dining room offers three hot options to eat-in as well as a selection of cold take-away sandwiches, baguettes, salads, fruit pots and soft drinks, found in our Grab and Go section of the dining room.

Please fill in the lunch order form by Friday 7 July 2023.

The Dining Room is open at the following times:

Breakfast

Break Lunchtime

8am to 8.35am

10.15am to 10.35am

12.40pm to 1.55pm

Uniform

From September 2023, our uniform is changing. Students will be wearing our new uniform as part of our phasing in process. Those starting with us in Reception, Year 3 and Lower 4 must attend school in the new uniform.

Our suppliers, Uniform4Kids, are a local, family-run business and have five stores located nearby and also have an online store. Their warehouse, in Centennial Park, Elstree, is five minutes from the school and used as a ‘Click and Collect’ location. There is also a weekly, complimentary drop off service to the school for pre-paid orders, otherwise, orders are dispatched within 24-hours using Parcel Force or can be collected from store.

Returns and Exchanges can be carried out in store, facilitated via the complimentary weekly delivery to school service or via the post.

Parents can also purchase uniform from Stevensons, 133-135 Victoria Street, St Albans, Herts.

Further information

• All uniform must be labelled

• School shoes must be black. Trainers are not permitted

• Coats should be dark coloured

• For Sports, one set of items should be sufficient

• Trainers for sport can be any colour with non-marking soles

• Students must have a fully stocked pencil case

Uniform list

Lower 4 to Upper 5

Uniform Uniform with coat, scarf and hat

Blazer - Navy embroidered with school logo

Blouse - White with revere collar

V - Neck jumper - Light navy with trim

Skirt - Navy 4 button wrap skirt

Trousers - Navy

Tights - Navy Socks - Navy

Uniform list

Sports Kit - Lower 4 to Upper 5

Polo shirt with shorts

Polo shirt with shorts with inner shorts

House top with shorts

Polo shirt with skort (Year 5 and 6)

Polo shirt with baselayer top and leggings

Tracksuit with midlayer and waterproof

Polo Shirt - Navy, with sublimated piping, embroidered with school logo

House T - Shirt - printed with school logo

Shorts - Navy, with sublimated piping, embroidered with school logo

Shorts with inner shorts - Navy, embroidered with school logo, with inner shorts

Skort - Navy, with sublimated piping, embroidered with school logo

Cycle Shorts - Navy, embroidered with school logo

Baselayer Top - Navy, printed with school logo

Baselayer Leggings - Navy, printed with school logo

socks

Midlayer - Navy, with sublimated piping, embroidered with school logo

Tracksuit bottoms - Navy, with sublimated piping

socks

Swimsuit - Navy printed with school logo

Waterproof sports jacket - Navy, embroidered with school logo

Lacrosse bag - Navy, printed with school logo

Fees

Academic Year 2023/24

Please click here for information regarding our Fees in Advance Scheme.

Please click here for information regarding our Fees in advance calculator

Please click here for information regarding our School Fee Plan. Please click here for information regarding our Coach prices.

Fees Refund Scheme

Please click here for more information on our Fees Refund Scheme.

Please click here for further detail on the Scheme.

Insurance Cover information

AXA Student Medical Scheme AXA Students Private Medical Insurance: Q&A AXA Students Healthcare Scheme

AXA Students Healthcare Scheme: Private Medical Insurance information

AXA Important Changes to Your Cover

Getting involved

Co-Curricular Information

At Habs, we offer a full and varied co-curricular programme. We enjoy seeing students explore a range of opportunities and activities. If there is a club that students want to see, we support them in every way possible to set it up. These opportunities provide fantastic opportunities for students to continue learning outside of the classroom.

Co-curricular Freshers’ Fair

Friday 8 September

The Freshers’ Fair is an opportunity for your child to talk to older students and staff involved with the various clubs, and see which they might be interested in. We encourage students to try a wide range of activities.

Drama

Drama is about creating an inclusive community and developing a love of the Arts, and that is what we look to inspire within students at Habs with our Drama provision. Working collaboratively, inside and outside the classroom, we encourage students to develop their skills, confidence and experience. All elements of theatre are explored and pupils have the opportunity to take leading roles backstage as stage managers, lighting and sound technicians, costume and make-up artists or prop makers.

As part of our provision, we have hosted several professional make-up and theatre design workshops to support our curriculum and organised workshops for examination students with leading theatre companies and practitioners. We offer the Arts Award qualification throughout the Senior School and, in Lower 5, students go to the theatre as part of the qualification.

School productions feature heavily in our co-curricular programme and students perform in a range of plays and musicals. Recent productions include Wendy and Peter Pan, The Glove Thief and Emilia. There are popular lunchtime clubs run by the Lower 6 and small-scale workshop performances take place each term. Each academic year, we also participate in the Shakespeare Coram Schools Festival and enter local festivals.

Music

At Habs, there are so many opportunities to get involved with music and, each week, we welcome hundreds of students into the department for music of all kinds. We have over 400 pupils receiving weekly instrumental or vocal tuition and over 20 different ensembles, involving students of all ages and experiences. Our packed concert schedule includes large-scale termly concerts, chamber concerts, performing arts evenings, open mic lunchtime concerts and our annual Carol Service, which takes place at St Martin-in-the Fields, London.

Recent highlights have included performances at the Founders Day Service at St Albans Cathedral, joint orchestral projects with the Boys School, taking part in the inaugural Habs Company of Schools’ Music Festival, reaching the Finals of the South East Schools’ Chamber Music Competition, and our Summer House Music Festival.

Taking part in activities like these will form memories that stay with students for life. Whether they are a young musician already playing at a high level, or someone who wants to give it a try for the first time, we look forward to working with your child and discovering the incredible potential of music together.

Learning a musical instrument is the gateway to many wonderful opportunities in the Music School. We are proud to have an exceptional team of Visiting Music Teachers (VMTs) who provide expert tuition on a broad range of instruments. To find out more about our music offerings, please click here. We offer lessons on the following instruments:

FLUTE

OBOE

CLARINET

BASSOON

SAXOPHONE

RECORDER

DOUBLE BASS

ACOUSTIC GUITAR

TRUMPET

SINGING PIANO

Sport

Sport is an integral part of school life at Habs and we encourage students to engage in a variety of sport and physical activities. We offer all students the opportunity to represent the school at any level and they have the chance to get involved in internal franchise competitions, Inter House events, social activities or competitive fixtures with other local schools. We also encourage a healthy relationship with sport and exercise, helping to develop an understanding of how exercise can positively affect health and wellbeing as well as cultivate team spirit, positive relationships and pride in both individual and team achievements.

Participation rates are exceptionally high with students embracing the opportunity to get involved with such a broad and diverse sporting programme.

As part of school life at Habs, we join the Boys’ School on their weekly 3.5km community run. This is HabsDash! It takes place every Tuesday lunchtime and the route takes students around our school grounds. The run is open to all members of the Habs community – students and staff, both at Habs Girls and at Habs Boys’ School. To take part, students need to go to the Medburn Centre at 12.40pm on Tuesdays and get changed – the run starts at 12.50pm.

The school produces results sheets each week so students can track their progress and work towards running a half marathon, a marathon or even further!

Mouthguard information

For students taking part in a sport that requires a mouthguard, such as Lacrosse, parents can order from Opro. We would recommend a high or pro impact mouthguard. You can choose any design, including a Habs branded version.

Lacrosse offers

For students taking part in Lacrosse, parents can order from Hattersley for special offers

Sport

A selection of some of the sports available to students:

ATHLETICS

GYMNASTICS

TABLE TENNIS

BADMINTON

HABSDASH

TAG RUGBY

BASKETBALL

INDOOR ATHLETICS

TENNIS

CRICKET

LACROSSE

TRAMPOLINING

CROSS COUNTRY

NETBALL

VOLLEYBALL

DANCE

YOGA

FITNESS

SELF DEFENCE

FOOTBALL

SWIMMING

Travelling to School

Coaches

The School Transport Manager, Ms Emma Summers, will be pleased to answer any parental questions regarding travelling to and from Habs. She can be contacted by email on transportmanager@habsboys.org.uk or on 020 8266 1705.

Parents are responsible for their children until they board the school coach. When travelling by coach, all students must have with them a working and in-credit mobile phone.

Coach tickets are available for regular travel or single journeys. Single journey coach tickets can be purchased from the School Office, subject to availability, for the day in question. Should your child lose an item on the coach and it is found by the coach company, it will be placed in the lost property racks in the Coach Park. If it is of high value, such as a musical instrument or a mobile phone, it will be taken to the Coach Park Office and can be retrieved by asking a member of staff on duty in the Coach Park.

There is a Code of Conduct for the Coach Service which all parents, guardians and students must follow when using the service. To register your interest for the coach service please read this letter and book here.

Driving in

Parents can access the school drop off area through Aldenham Road. If approaching from the direction of our coach park, it will be the first turning on your left. If you are approaching from Watford Road, it will be the second turning on your right.

Parking

Parents can collect their child from the school visitor car park, which is just before the security barriers. There will be marshals to direct you into one of two lanes where you can then wait for your child. For longer parking, you may use the larger car park which is accessible via a turnoff on the left lane waiting area.

Introducing our Parents’ Guild

Introducing our Parents’ Guild

We are excited to introduce to parents and guardians our St Catherine Parents’ Guild. This is the official name of the Parents’ Association at Habs Girls, named after the Haberdashers’ Company’s patron saint, but you will often hear it referred to simply as the Guild. Run by both Junior and Senior School parents, you will automatically become a member of the Guild when your child joins.

The Guild is a great way for parents and guardians to get more involved in school life – enabling you to get to know other parents across year groups and within your child’s class and House groups.

There are several social and fundraising events throughout the year organised and run by the Guild, including a Fireworks Extravaganza, Quiz Night, Vintage Tea Party, Junior Disco and a Summer Fun Day. These events are fantastic opportunities to socialise with other parents from across both school communities. The Guild also contribute a percentage of funds raised to the Bursary fund.

An element of fundraising is also involved, allowing purchasing of the lovely extras for the students. A new outdoor classroom (tipi) has enhanced our outdoor learning provision in the 2023 Spring Term, for which we are most grateful to the Guild.

Committee meetings are open to all parents every half term, so please do come along to hear the latest news about events and how you can help. You can also share any ideas or hidden talents with us.

If would like any further information, including more details about the half termly meetings, please do not hesitate to contact the Guild by emailing stcatherineparentsguild@gmail.com.

School Map