“We’re in the Business of Learning”
Information for Parents 2017
Message from The Principal, Mr Jardine.
I am delighted to welcome your child to The Heath School and want their time with us to be as happy and successful as possible. They are joining The Heath at a really exciting time. In January 2018 we will be moving into our new state of the art school. As I am sure you are aware, it’s not just about the building, but about the people inside it. We are committed to providing your child with a truly inclusive, enriching and exceptional education. We are a school that puts teaching as its number one priority and a school that prides itself on its personalised approach and support. I am looking forward to working with you.
Artist’s impression of The Heath
The Year 7 Team September 2018
Contents
School Dates 2017—2018
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The School Day
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Extra Curricular Activities and School Trips
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Standards, uniform and PE Kit
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Friends and falling out
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Lunch Time
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Buses
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Attendance and Punctuality
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Home Based Learning
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Academic Structure
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Partnerships with Parents
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Home - School Agreement
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Rewards and Consequences
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Progress Coordinator
Mrs H Hignett
Assistant Progress Coordinator
Mrs G Monk
STEM and Teaching School
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SENDCO
Ms D Gwynn
Key Staff
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Senior Leadership Link Year 7
Mrs E Rowlands/Mrs H Newcombe
Welcome from Mrs Hignett, Year 7 Progress Coordinator I am pleased to be able to welcome you to The Heath for the start of what we hope will be a long and very successful partnership. We are proud of our reputation for creating a welcoming and supportive environment that promotes achievement. The school closely follows the guidance for the safeguarding of our students and protecting their welfare is always of the utmost importance. This booklet contains lots of information that you will find useful over the coming year. Please keep it for future reference. I am looking forward to working with you to maximise the potential of your child. We believe every child matters and every child can succeed. If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me via the school office or by E mail. Yours sincerely Mrs H Hignett hignetth@heathschool.org.uk
School Office: 01928 576664 2
We’re making communication easier, faster and more effective. In September 2016 we introduced a new text and email service – ‘School Gateway’. This means we can communicate with parents more quickly and cost effectively via email, text and smartphone app. If you download the app from your app store both you and school can save money. By doing this we can send you app messages and you can message us back for FREE. (If you don’t have a smartphone you will receive text messages). The introduction of this messaging service is the first stage in improving our communications to you, the next stage will be the introduction of online reporting, access to attendance and students timetables, followed by online payments.
School Dates 2017 — 2018 School opens for students
School closes
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WEDNESDAY 6 September 2017 th
WEDNESDAY 10
FRIDAY 20 October 2017
Department
WEDNESDAY 13th December 2017
MONDAY 30 October 2017 th
The Music
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January 2018
coordinates a
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comprehensive
FRIDAY 9 February 2018
range of
MONDAY 19th February 2018
THURSDAY, 29th March 2018
MONDAY, 16th April 2018
FRIDAY 4th May 2018
instrumental
TUESDAY, 8th May 2018
FRIDAY 25th May 2018
tuition.
MONDAY 4th June 2018
WEDNESDAY, 25th July 2018
Further details are available from
INSET Days
MONDAY, 4th September 2017 TUESDAY, 5th September 2017 FRIDAY, 6th October 2017
FRIDAY, 5th January 2018 One further INSET day to be arranged
Miss A Dale Head of Music
The School Day 8.15 am - 8.55 am
Canteen open for Breakfast
8.55 am - 9.15 am
Registration and Assemblies
9.15 am - 10.15 am
Lesson 1
10.15 am - 11.15 am
Lesson 2
11.15 am - 11.30 am
Break
11.30 am - 12.30 pm
Lesson 3
12.30 pm - 1.30 pm
Lesson 4
1.30 pm - 2.10 pm
Lunch
2.10 pm - 3.10 pm
Lesson 5
Extra Curricular Activities and School Trips Please encourage your child to join after school activities. They are a great way to make friends and build confidence. The Heath offers a range of extra curricular activities ranging from Netball and Football to Lego. Dance and Drama clubs are also very popular. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is very popular with our older students. The Heath School offers students the opportunity to enjoy the experience of residential holidays. At the start of Year 7, the trip to Kingswood enables the students to forge new friendships and gain confidence.
There are several established residential holidays on offer that include a water-sports holiday in France, an English Trip to Belgium, a theatre trip to London and a skiing trip each year. More exciting residential trips will be introduced this year. At the end of the academic year the students enjoy
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activity day. Many trips run on this day including Alton Towers and Chester Zoo. Activities also take place in school ranging from sports to crafts.
France 2016
Standards and Uniform The School seeks to have high standards of dress, behaviour, presentation and achievement. ITEM Black blazer
DESCRIPTION Official school badge
STANDARD Must be worn when moving around school
Black skirt/pinafore
Regulation style
Black trousers White shirt/blouse
Tailored style Buttoned to the collar – short or long sleeve Official clip on tie V necked Black/white socks or black tights Low heeled
No fashion skirts Knee length - within 5 cm above/below Not jeans or canvas style Must be tucked in
House tie Black jumper/cardigan Socks/tights Black shoes
Worn outside the shirt – not tucked in Not zipped, regulation style No patterned tights Boots are not allowed No pumps or trainers - no sport logos
All students should comply with the following standards and should be properly dressed in school uniform at all times, including whilst travelling to and from school, lunch and breaks. Hooded Sports tops are not allowed. Jewellery - one small pair of stud earrings (one stud in each earlobe), one ring and a watch may be worn. No other jewellery is to be worn. Nose studs, facial piercings or tongue piercings are not allowed. Hair should be an appropriate style for school. Closely shaven heads or extreme hair styles are unacceptable - this includes unnatural hair colours and hair extensions. Make-up and nail varnish are not allowed. Students wearing make-up or nail varnish will be asked to remove it. The students present the public face of The Heath School and we rely on your help with maintaining our high standards.
PE Kit Your child will need to bring their PE kit on days when Dance or PE are on their timetable. PE top blue with school crest Royal blue games shorts Royal blue socks Trainers - black or white with non-marking soles Gum shield/shin pads (optional) Football boots (Boys - for playing on the grass) The PE kit was redesigned recently. Students may also wish to purchase a Heath School hooded PE top, this is an optional addition to the PE kit, and is for use during PE lessons and when representing the school at sports fixtures. PE Kit and uniform are available from Best Sports in Runcorn Old Town. www.bestsports.co.uk
Equipment for Lessons All students must carry a school bag that is waterproof and strong enough to protect their books and equipment. For every lesson the minimum amount of equipment required is: two pens, one black and or blue and the other red, pencil, ruler, rubber, student planner (provided by the school) and the correct books for the day’s lessons. Form tutors will check student equipment on a daily basis. In mathematics lessons your child should also bring a scientific calculator. The mathematics faculty recommends a Casio scientific calculator, it is important for your child to be confident in using their own calculator and for that reason your child should bring it to all mathematics lessons. For Design and Technology lessons, your child will also find coloured pencils and black fine liner pens useful. Additional equipment may be bought from the science prep room during break and lunch.
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Friends and falling out Starting secondary school is exciting and a great time to make new friends. The first couple of years can bring a few upsets between friends as groups change and some long-established friendships alter. It may be that your child will experience more squabbles with friends at this time and may find the changing dynamics upsetting. This is a really common phase and is usually nothing to worry about. The best response is to keep calm, encourage your child to focus on the positives and allow the situation to play out. Usually the situation tends to change very rapidly - often falling-out between friends can cause huge upset one day and be completely forgotten the next, with children announcing they are best friends again! However, if you feel that a situation has become an ongoing concern or you are worried, contact your child’s Form Tutor who will do whatever they can to support you and your child in resolving the situation as quickly as possible. Cyber bullying is a relatively new
Lunch Time phenomenon and issues which can flare up in school often start and take place outside of school on internet chat sites such as Facebook, MSN, snapchat or via mobile phones. Parents can greatly reduce the risk of cyber bullying by being aware of what their child is doing on-line and monitoring internet use at home. Help them to be responsible. Be aware that Facebook requires individuals to be at least 13 years old to open an account.
Every year The Heath School Canteen is awarded a 5* rating by HBC (the highest rating that can be awarded) In October 2011, the canteen staff at The Heath were awarded ‘Blakemore National Award for Customer Service and Care’ and in July 2016 canteen Supervisor, Nicola Holdsworth, was awarded ‘Halton Supervisor of the Year’. The school has also achieved Healthy Eating Status. The canteen offers a variety of different food for the students to choose from, including pasta, baguettes and a different hot choice each day. The hot choice ranges from roast dinners to fish and chips on Fridays. The current (June ‘17) cost of a ‘Meal Deal’ at The Heath is £2.40. Included in the meal deal is a hot meal, drink and a snack (fruit, yoghurt or biscuit). Students in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) can spend up to the value of the meal deal currently each day. Please ensure you apply for FSM if you think your child may be entitled. The school receives funds based upon the number of students who are eligible for FSM. Still apply for FSM even if your child prefers to bring a packed lunch. You can get further information and a form to apply from the school office.
Students enjoying a Science lesson
The students at The Heath enjoy taking part in our Learn For Life Charity Day. Their generosity each year helps others who are less fortunate. The rivalry between forms to raise the most money becomes very competitive!
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There may be opportunities for your child to represent the school during Open Evenings or Academic Review Days. This valuable experience enables the students to gain confidence and share their enthusiasm for our school with others. Encourage them to make the most of the leadership opportunities available to them at The Heath.
Buses - Morning Buses to Clifton Road 61 and 82A from the Bus Station via Greenway Road and Moughland Lane 61 from Murdishaw Centre via Halton Lea South and Halton Lodge 82A from Halton Lea South via Halton Lodge Buses that come into the school grounds J23 From Halton Lea North via Palacefields Avenue and Beechwood Avenue to school J53 From Weston Point via The Heath offices and Westfield Road to school 70 From Sandymoor along the busway to school Buses - Afternoon Buses that leave the school grounds J23 Return Journey 70 Return Journey J53 Return Journey J23 Murdishaw, Runcorn East, Windmill Hill and Halton Lea Buses that leave Clifton Road 61 and 82A Currently 61 runs every 20 minutes and 82A runs every 30 minutes. You can check the most up to date times at www2.halton.gov.uk
The journey to school can be a source of worry for you and your child, if possible do a run through on the bus together during the summer holidays. If you are picking your child up at the end of the school day in a car, for the safety of all of our students please do not drive onto the school site. In certain circumstances, a parking pass may be awarded, passes need to be applied for at the school reception. Attendance and Punctuality Attendance and punctuality are a priority at The Heath. High standards of attendance and punctuality are essential for students to learn, progress and achieve. At The Heath attendance is closely monitored by the Form Tutor, Assistant Progress Coordinator, Mrs Monk and the Attendance Liaison Officer, Mrs Preston. The school works closely with the Education Welfare Service regarding all attendance and welfare concerns and supports the Education Welfare Service in the legal framework that it operates within. We work closely with parents, and you will be notified if your child’s attendance starts to fall. This contact could be made by telephone call or by letter from the Assistant Progress Coordinator or Attendance Liaison Officer. On such occasions we appreciate parental support, and are happy to meet with parents to discuss support for their child. Should your child experience any difficulties attending school for whatever reason please contact school as soon as possible to enable us to support your child. If students are absent from school, it is essential that on the first day of absence parents/carers telephone the school to inform us of the reason for their absence. When your child returns to school they must have an absence note to give to their form tutor, even if someone has already telephoned the school. Under normal circumstances school will authorise illness absences. However, where deemed necessary, the school will ask for medical evidence for this absence. All medical/dental appointments should be made outside of the school day. Should this not be possible, please inform your child’s Form Tutor prior to the appointment (letter or medical card). Holidays during school term time are not permitted, (unless for exceptional circumstances where leave of absence may be granted). Should parents take their child out of school during term time for a holiday not authorised by school, the Education Welfare Service will be notified and in the majority of circumstances parents will receive a penalty notice. (approximately £60.00 per parent per child) It is an expectation at The Heath that all students arrive at school on time, two late marks in a week will result in a detention after school for half an hour the following week. 6
Home Based Learning Home based learning is work that is set to be completed outside the timetabled curriculum. It contains an element of independent study in that it is not usually directly supervised by a teacher. Home based learning will enhance student learning, improve achievement and develop students' study skills and is an integral part of the curriculum. Evidence suggests it is an important factor in raising student achievement for students of all abilities. Not all home based learning is completed at home; some tasks may require resources (books, software, equipment) more readily available at school so it maybe necessary or desirable to carry out the task at school during lunch time or after school, using the facilities that the school provides. The aims of Home Based Learning is to enable students to:
take ownership and responsibility for learning consolidate and extend work covered in class or prepare for new learning activities access resources not available in the classroom develop research skills have an opportunity for independent work show progress and understanding enhance their study skills e.g. planning, time management and self discipline
Tasks may include:
revision consolidation of work preparation for the next lesson practice - learning by doing completion of controlled assessment assignments research reading interviews drawing/sketching
Parents’/Carers’ Role Your support for Home Based Learning is vitally important. You can help enormously by showing interest in the work and giving praise where it is due. Establish a regular routine and ensure your child has a quiet place to do their work. Encourage your child to make use of their school planner to record the tasks they need to complete and check and sign it each week. The amount of time spent on Home Based Learning tasks will vary week by week. Our students enjoying the Kingswood Residential 2016
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Academic Structure Before students arrive at The Heath we have made extensive contact with their individual primary schools to ensure that they have a smooth transition to The Heath. As part of this, we communicate with their Year 6 class teachers looking at their talents, strengths, attitudes and level of commitment. On arrival at The Heath, students are mostly placed into ability sets or mixed ability groups in one of two equal bands which are appropriate to their individual primary profiles as well as their KS2 SAT results. Throughout their time at The Heath, Heads of Department and Senior staff will track and review the individual performance of students and there will be some adjustment between teaching groups if required to aid progression. In Year 7, students will study :English, Maths, Science, Religious Studies, Physical Education, Information Technology, Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education, Art & Design, Design & Technology, Food Science, Dance, Drama, French or Spanish, Geography, History and Music.
The House System All students and staff at The Heath are in one of our four houses - Apollo, Mars, Venus and Neptune. There are many opportunities for students to support their house, including inter-house competitions and sports day.
Partnerships with Parents In Year 7, it is our aim to ensure that all students are able to settle quickly into life at The Heath and receive as much support as they need. Your child will be in a mixed ability Tutor Group with a Form Tutor, who generally remains with the Tutor Group until the students are in Year 11. Form tutors soon get to know their tutor groups very well and are able to develop strong working relationships with parents. Your child’s tutor will be your first and most regular point of contact with the school. You may also wish to contact the Year 7 Progress Coordinator, Mrs Hignett or one of your child’s subject teachers. They can be contacted by email, phoning the school and leaving a message or send a note in with your child. It is inevitable that at times a very small number of students may misbehave and appropriate sanctions will be implemented. These could range from work being repeated to detentions after school. Repeated or serious misbehaviour will result in the school contacting parents for a meeting with the Progress Coordinator and, when appropriate, a member of the Senior Leadership Team. At times some students require special guidance or support. If this is the case the Progress Coordinator may refer them to the Centre for Student Intervention. This is a team of specialist staff who work with students and parents and can offer advice on personal, behavioural, social, emotional and learning issues. To maximise the potential for all students, The Heath recognises the importance of positive relationships between the school, our students and their parents/carers. The Home - School agreement clearly sets out the expectations for all three parties.
‘In lessons, students are keen to do well, and demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning. They participate enthusiastically in learning activities and take pride in their work.’ Ofsted 2010 8
Home - School Agreement The Student agrees to:
Attend school regularly, on time and properly equipped Be polite, helpful, showing respect to others and their property Wear the correct school uniform and be smart in appearance Do all my classwork and homework as well as I can Follow the school’s expectations and take PRIDE in The Heath Keep the school free from litter and graffiti Deliver to my parents letters or information which I am asked to take home Keep any mobile phones switched off during the school day and appreciate that carrying it openly means risking confiscation
The Parents/Carers agree to:
See that my child goes to school regularly, on time and properly equipped Ensure that he/she wears the correct school uniform Make the school aware in good time of any concerns or problems which might affect his/her work or behaviour and provide notes to explain absence Support the school’s policies and guidelines for behaviour and sanctions Support my child in homework and other opportunities for learning at home or outside the school Attend parents’ consultations and discussions about my son’s/daughter’s progress Keep the school up to date on matters such as addresses and telephone numbers Reply as necessary to letters and messages from the school Phone the school switchboard if we need to get a message to our child
The School agrees to:
Care for your child’s safety and happiness Ensure that your child has the opportunity to achieve his/her full potential as a valued member of the school community Let parents know, in good time about any problems or concerns which are affecting your child’s work or behaviour Provide a balanced curriculum meeting the needs of your child and set appropriate home based tasks Aim for high standards of work and behaviour by building good relationships and developing his/her sense of responsibility Keep you informed about school matters in general through the newsletter and your child’s progress in particular Encourage, reward and celebrate the success of your children Protect your child and members of the school community by having a strict mobile phone policy
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Rewards All the staff try to reward students for outstanding work. These rewards can include: Telephone call or letter of praise sent home from the class teacher/Head of Department
Praise from Head of House in House assemblies Verbal praise in lessons
Achievement of good grades in assessments Positive comments in books
Quick notes
VIVOs given Department Certificates
Praise from Progress Coordinator in Celebration assemblies
And Consequences ...but sometimes there are consequences for inappropriate behaviour. These consequences can include: Quiet word from the teacher
Time out
Student moved away from friends
Detention
Warnings given
Student placed on Department or Form Tutor report
Incidents will be recorded on the students record
In extreme cases other measures may be taken
Internal referral to another teacher in the department if instructions are not followed
Contact made with parents
Detentions * * * * *
Detentions can be after school, at break time or at lunch time. For detentions at the end of the school day, students are given 24 hours’notice. The Heath appreciates the full support of parents in ensuring that after school detentions are completed. Parents are expected to arrange transport /collection for their children. If there is a serious reason why your child cannot attend detention, you must contact the school and request for the detention to be rearranged. Deliberate non-attendance is likely to result in isolation or possibly exclusion.
Some Year 6 students have a fear of receiving a detention for all sorts of reasons. The type of behaviour that would result in your child receiving a half hour detention includes failure to complete homework without a valid reason, two late marks in a week, referral from the classroom for disturbing the learning environment for others, failure to bring the correct equipment three times. The majority of students leave The Heath without ever having had a detention, so reassure your child as they may never get a detention.
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Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) The Heath is a STEM Centre of Excellence and this means that your child will be coming into an environment with a number of defining features. We have a distinctive curriculum with a greater emphasis on Maths, Science and Technology and a commitment to use these areas to bring about sustained improvement in the quality of education across the school. We have made substantial investment in the use of ICT in all subject areas. Laptop computers can be used in most classrooms and, as we expand our network, we constantly seek software that can personalise the learning experience for each child. We take care to assess the preferred learning styles of our students and guide them within a technology rich setting. From day one, we seek to prepare your child for the world in which they will grow up in. We aim to offer pathways to success for all of our students that cater for their learning needs and enable them to leave The Heath and make a positive contribution to society.
Leadership Development School As a Leadership Development School The Heath recognises the importance of nurturing leadership qualities in its staff and its students. Encourage your child to take full advantage of the leadership opportunities available to them at The Heath. The leadership opportunities for students includes: Form Captain, Vice Form Captain, School Council Representatives, House Captain, Duty Monitors, Prefects, Peer Mentors, Junior Leadership Team, Dance Captains, PE Captains, Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Teaching School Status The Heath School is one of only 200 schools in England to be granted Teaching School Status. The designation by the National College for School Leadership entitles the school to lead the training and professional development for staff. The teaching schools initiative makes a shift towards school-centred training and development. The programme gives outstanding schools the freedom and autonomy to lead a group of schools, working with other partners including at least one university, to deliver high quality support for teachers and leaders at all stages in their career. The National College has responsibility for the designation and quality of the teaching schools programme, working closely with the Department for Education (DfE), as the national network grows to 500 teaching schools.
Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Students 2014-2015
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Key Staff There may be times when you need to contact the school. Your child’s form tutor or Progress Coordinator will usually be able to resolve any issues that may arise. You can contact your child’s subject teachers directly if you wish to, they are named in your child’s planner and on their timetable. Each subject area has a Head of Department (details below) who you can contact directly if necessary. Members of the Senior Leadership Team, who you may have cause to contact are also listed below. Subject
Director of Teaching and Learning
Subject
Director of Teaching and Learning
English
Ms E Burrows-Mutowa
Science
Mr D Riley
Mathematics and Numeracy Mr P Jones
Music
Miss A Dale
PE
Mrs F Sibley
Religious Studies
Mrs B Green
Humanities
Mrs G Pulman
Visual & Performing Arts
Mrs J Jardine
Modern Foreign Languages
Mr J Bond
Art
Mrs H Wade
Information Technology
Mr L Holleran
PSHE Year 7
Mrs H Hignett
Dance
Mrs S Barnes
Design & Technology
Mr J Workman
History
Mr R Young
Geography
Mr M Prentice
The Senior Leadership Team Mr J Jardine
Principal
Mrs N McNamee
Vice Principal — Responsibilities include Curriculum and Achievement
Mr S Byrne
Vice Principal — Responsibilities include Teaching & Learning
Mrs E Rowlands
Assistant Principal — Responsibilities include KS3 Pastoral, Transition, Safeguarding and Health & Safety
Mrs H Newcombe
Assistant Principal — Responsibilities include Pupil Premium
Mr R Dance
Assistant Principal — Responsibilities include KS4 Pastoral, Attendance and Behaviour
Mrs J Gargan
Assistant Principal — Responsibilities include KS5 Pastoral & Attendance
Mrs E Robinson
Assistant Principal — Responsibilities include Initial Teacher Training
Mrs G Pulman
Assistant Principal— Teaching & Learning
Dear Parents and Carers, This booklet is intended to be a helpful introduction to our school and to tell you something about our procedures, practices and personnel. I trust you have found the information to be of use. If you have any constructive comments to make about the information included in (or missing from) this booklet I would like to hear them. Many thanks.
Mrs E Rowlands Assistant Principal rowlandse@heathschool.org.uk
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