YEAR 7 HANDBOOK
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Year 7 Handbook
Welcome
Dear Parents/Carers,
It is our pleasure to be welcoming your child into year 7 in September, for what we hope will be an exciting and engaging journey at The Sir Robert Woodard Academy. We hope that your child will be very happy here and that you, as parents/carers, will enjoy your child’s time here too.
The transition period is such an important time and we appreciate how daunting this time can be, not only for the students but also for parents/carers. This Handbook should therefore contain all the information that you will need to know in order to successfully support and settle your child into year 7 at the Academy. It will provide you with various links to our school website where you can read about the curriculum that your child is about to embark upon. This will help you to understand their learning journey across the course of the year and how the year 7 curriculum complements the future learning content as your child progresses through their education.
In addition to the content of this Handbook, we would encourage you to spend some time navigating other areas of our school website where you will find a wealth of useful information, which is regularly updated. You will be sent regular Parental Bulletins (that are also stored on the website) and other emails or SMS messages, so please keep us updated of any changes to your contact details. If you do not have access to the internet at home, please let us know and we can help you with this, as well as provide paper copies of communications.
On the website you can also find details of the range of extracurricular opportunities that will be available throughout year 7. We want to encourage every one of our students to become involved in this area of Academy life and the variety of activities on offer hopefully means that your child will be able to find at least one thing that they enjoy or would like to try.
We are confident that year 7 will be a thoroughly rewarding experience for your child, and are delighted that they will be joining us. We have a dedicated team of year 7 tutors who cannot wait to get to know your child and begin this new chapter with them. They are supported by the year 7 Pastoral Team, their teachers and the SEND department.
In the meantime, please do reach out if you have any concerns or questions about your child prior to their start with us. There will also be regular opportunities to stay in touch throughout their time in year 7 and their individual tutors will be in contact to introduce themselves in the new academic year.
With very best wishes from the Year 7 Team.
Ms Grace Melia. Head of Year 7. GMelia@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Mrs Kerry Ramshaw, Pastoral Support Officer. KRamshaw@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Year 7 Handbook
Key Dates
Dates Event
6th September 2023
September 2023
Start of Term for Year 7
Year 7 Reading, Spelling and Baseline tests
14th September 2023 Meet the Tutor Evening (4.30-6.30pm)
26th February 2024 Subject Progress Report 1 available
2nd & 9th May 2024 Year 7 Parents’ Evenings
May 2024 Year 7 Core Subject Assessments
15th July 2024 Subject Progress Report 2 available
The Academy Day
Time Event
08.45am - 09.10am Tutor time/Assembly
9.10am-10.10am Period 1
10.15am-11.15am Period 2
11.15am-11.35am Break
11.35am-12.35pm Period 3
12.35pm-1.10pm Lunch
1.10pm-2.10pm Period 4
2.15pm-3.15pm Period 5
3.15pm onwards Extracurricular activities
Year 7 Handbook
Ethos & Values
At The Sir Robert Woodard Academy, we seek to work together as a school family, show respect for diversity, care for our local and global community and seek to preserve and value our environment. Our curriculum as well as our enrichment activities embody British values and responsible citizenship.
‘Aspire to Achieve’ is the motto of The Sir Robert Woodard Academy. We pride ourselves that this is not just another vision statement, but it is a phrase that forms part of the SRWA DNA; something which encapsulates our core values, and brings them to life throughout the students’ time at the Academy.
At the Academy, we believe that creating a positive culture and ethos is paramount to the removal of barriers and enables all students to realise their potential. We believe that we must be clear about our core values and make sure these are tangible for every student.
We use our motto and the acronym ‘ASPIRE’ to help us develop the characteristics of successful learners. These characteristics are reflected in the language we use in class and around the Academy. In order for our students to ASPIRE we will develop them to be:
Ambitious:
Students at SRWA are ambitious, therefore they:
• aim high
• are proud to attend this Academy
• are proud to celebrate their achievements
• strive to be their best every day
• have a plan
Self-regulating:
Students at SRWA self-regulate, which means they:
• move calmly and sensibly around the Academy
• think before they act, considering the thoughts and feelings of others
• act responsibly for both themselves and our community
• show that they value our environment
• manage distractions
Present:
Students at SRWA are always present, therefore they:
• aim for 100% attendance
• are on time and ready to learn
• actively participate in lessons and learning
• give 100% to their learning
• are an active member of our Academy community
Independent:
Students at SRWA are independent which means they:
• commit to home learning/learning outside the classroom
• ask themselves – what’s next?
• take responsibility for their actions
• take responsibility for the tools they need to learn
• know what to do to keep themselves safe
Year 7 Handbook
Resilient:
Students at SRWA are resilient, therefore they:
• value feedback from teachers and respond to it
• accept mistakes are part of the learning journey
• understand that if it’s challenging, it’s progress
• ask for/accept support when it is needed
• work hard to build (and repair) relationships with others
Excellent:
Students at SRWA are excellent, therefore they:
• go the extra mile
• are prepared to re-draft and improve work
• finish their work and refuse to accept less than their best
• wear their uniform with pride
The development of these characteristics in each of our students is a focus both in the classroom and in other activities and areas of school life. Teachers report an Aspire score for their subject at each assessment point and tutors regularly focus on these traits, celebrating students’ successes and setting goals for personal growth. We are committed to ensuring that this motto is not just an empty phrase but is a way of life in our school.
Curriculum Intent
The transition from primary to secondary school is an important one. Students who have been at the top of the tree in year 6, are ready to stretch their wings, become more independent and enjoy the challenge of secondary school.
We want to support students to develop good habits from the start but also ensure that students are enthusiastic about what they are studying. At The Sir Robert Woodard Academy we think about curriculum in terms of the day to day experience of the children in our school - their whole experience - and so year 7 is a great time to try as much as possible and get involved with everything the school has to offer.
As well as participating enthusiastically in all the different subject lessons, getting involved in extracurricular activities is a really positive thing to do at this stage and a great way to make new friends. We offer a wide range of clubs and sports so there should be something for everyone. The extracurricular offer at the Academy is very strong and staff offer a wider range of experiences and clubs, so do check our website. If you search on our website for “clubs” you will find a link to all the clubs available. Tutors, assemblies and the digital displays around the Academy will also promote what opportunities there are outside of lessons, to complement our academic curriculum, so that we can work as a team with parents to educate ‘the whole child’.
My biggest hope for our students in year 7 is that they really enjoy it.
Kieran Scanlon, Principal
Year 7 Handbook
Curriculum Model
The curriculum model in Year 7 intends to build upon student knowledge from Key Stage 2, whilst also providing a solid basis to prepare for learning in subsequent years. The Curriculum Model is constructed around a learning journey where students are both challenged to develop new skills and extend these foundations as they move up through the Academy. During year 7 students will be provided with a rich and diverse curriculum and the link below gives you the opportunity to explore this with your child and map what they will be learning throughout the year. Curriculum Directors meet regularly to ensure curriculum maps offered in their subjects complement and dovetail what is being taught in other subjects.
The Curriculum Portal on our website has a wealth of information about the subject content and programme of study followed in all subjects, for all year groups, so please do take time to look through this, particularly with regards to what your child will be learning in Year 7. If you have any questions about the curriculum or individual subjects we will be able to direct you to the appropriate Curriculum Director if you contact us in the first instance.
A digital version of this handbook, including further subject information, is available on our website.
Year 7 Curriculum Overviews and Subject Information
www.srwa.woodard.co.uk/curriculumoverview www.srwa.woodard.co.uk/subjectinformation
Year 7 Curriculum Allocation
Year 7 Handbook
Year Group and Chapter Teams
At SRWA we work as a school within a school, incorporating the Year Group model, whilst maintaining a Chapter identity for inter-school competitions throughout the year and on Sports Day.
We have a Year Group tutoring model so that we can form a Year 7 school family in which every child is known and nurtured. This model allows for the pastoral team to move up through the Academy years with the students, continuing to build a strong relationship with each child as an individual. The colour stripe in your child’s school tie will represent the Chapter with which they are affiliated, rather than their year group.
If a student has a pastoral issue, is unwell or has another concern, either the student or parent should contact their Year 7 team. Parents and carers can do this directly by calling 01903 767434.
Our non-teaching Pastoral Support Officers are usually available either by telephone or by email throughout the Academy day. Please be aware that other members of our pastoral teams also have teaching commitments, therefore there may be a slight delay in responding to concerns; however, we aim to reply within 48 hours.
Assistant Principal for Year 7
Darren Jones - Year 7 DJones@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Head of Year 7
Grace Melia - Year 7 GMelia@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Pastoral Support Officer for Year 7:
Mrs Kerry Ramshaw KRamshaw@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Assemblies
Assemblies take place once a week. At The Sir
we operate
group assemblies and half-termly whole school assemblies.
Assemblies are an important time for students to reflect on and learn about key issues. These are supported by our ASPIRE PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education programme that focuses on understanding and developing the Academy’s ASPIRE learning habits and developing students’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural awareness. Often our assemblies are based around key dates across the year, for example, Internet Safety Week or Black History Month. Assembly themes are also followed up by weekly tutor time activities, giving students a chance to reflect and discuss the key issues.
Where possible, we will also invite guest speakers to attend assemblies and speak to the students, such as storytellers, actors and charity workers.
Assemblies also offer us a fantastic opportunity to celebrate student successes, present awards and hear from our student leaders. We aim to include students as much as possible in our weekly assemblies so that they become confident public speakers, helping to impart our Academy’s ethos and Aspire attributes.
Robert Woodard Academy,
weekly year
Year 7 Handbook
In consultation with parents and students, an Academy uniform has been developed that is inexpensive, easy to care for, smart and functional.
In order to access the most up to date information regarding the Academy uniform, please check our website.
www.srwa.woodard.co.uk/734/uniform-and-equipment
Uniform Equipment Checklist
In order to allow your child to take part in all aspects of lessons, we ask that they arrive at the Academy with the following equipment daily:
• Strong waterproof bag
• Pencil case
• Blue/black pen
• Green pen
• A spare pen or spare cartridges if using a fountain pen
• Whiteboard pen
• Two pencils
• Pencil sharpener
• A 30cm ruler
• A rubber
• A pair of compasses
• A scientific calculator (Casio FX-85GTCW is our recommendation)
• A protractor
• A set of coloured pencils/pens
• A glue stick
• A pair of scissors
In addition, they will need to make sure that they always have all the books they need for that day, as well as specific equipment such as PE/Dance kit or cooking ingredients, so packing their bag the night before is a really good routine for students to get into. Students should bring their reading book to school every day, as one lesson per week will be dedicated to reading and at other times they will be asked to read.
Menus:
Catering Services Year 7 Handbook
The Academy strongly believes in ‘Healthy Eating for Healthy Outcomes’. There has been much research into the link between effective learning and a well-balanced and nutritious diet. We are incredibly proud of the delicious homemade meals cooked and served by our in-house catering team at the Academy.
There are many delicious homemade meals on offer throughout the week, such as roast dinner, fish and chips, pasta dishes etc. and the Academy is pleased to offer a hot vegetarian and vegan option every day. The Academy offers a daily ‘meal deal’, that consists of a hot meal with fresh vegetables or salad, and a pudding, for the equivalent value of free school meals. This means that every student can enjoy a satisfying hot dinner. Alternatively, there are other options available such as jacket potato with filling, a selection of hot paninis, salad bar, sandwiches etc. A variety of hot and cold snacks are also served at break time. A copy of the menu rotation and current prices can be found on our website.
Cashless:
The Academy is completely cashless, and money for food and drinks should be credited to your child’s ParentPay account, using the login details that you will receive. Students can pay for their food and drinks by registering their fingerprint, which is scanned at the till.
Alternatively, students may be issued with a cashless catering card that can also be used for printing across the Academy.
You can review the purchases your child has made through your ParentPay account. Please note that there is a £10.00 maximum daily spend per child. You will be provided with login details to your account before your child starts in September. If you have any issues with ParentPay, please contact the main reception.
Free School Meals:
If your child is eligible for free school meals, then a daily allowance will be credited to their dinner money account, equivalent to the value of our meal deal. This has to be spent on the same day, and does not rollover to the next day.
We encourage all of our students to have a healthy balanced meal at lunchtime, where there is always a hot meal on offer with a vegetarian or vegan offering. However, it is also possible for your child to use their free school meal allowance at break time, for snacks. Please note that the value is set for the day, so if they choose to use their allowance at break time, then they may not have enough money left to eat again at lunchtime. It would be beneficial for children who are eligible for free school meals to take advantage of our free fruit or bread roll at break time, and use their allowance for a proper meal at lunchtime. We do not offer free fruit or bread rolls at lunchtime, as the service is too busy. Alternatively, you may choose to add additional credit to your child’s account at any time.
If your child is eligible for free school meals, they are also entitled to a free breakfast of toast/cereal/hot drink, daily from the canteen from 8.00am.
Year 7 Handbook
Breakfast Club:
The Academy Breakfast Club runs from 8.15am every day, and is open to all students who wish to start the day earlier, with a nutritious breakfast. The Learning Resource Centre is open during this time for students who wish to catch up on homework.
The canteen provides an extensive breakfast menu including toast, cereal, fruit, yoghurt, bacon rolls, and hot and cold drinks, from as little as 50 pence.
A breakfast of toast/cereal/hot drink is provided free of charge for students eligible for free school meals.
Website & Communication
We invite you to become familiar with our SRWA website as the place where you can access so much information in the first instance.
Here is the link to the main website homepage: www.srwa.woodard.co.uk
Click on the Menu tab to see pages for:
• Parents
• Students
• Curriculum
• Staff Directory
• Links to Arbor and Arbor help pages
Other pages you may find especially useful as parents of a year 7 student are:
Transition information: www.srwa.woodard.co.uk/771/transition School Day: www.srwa.woodard.co.uk/2133/the-school-day-1 Calendar and Term Dates: www.srwa.woodard.co.uk/774/term-dates Policies: www.srwa.woodard.co.uk/871/policies
Parent Communications
We know that a lot goes on in a school, and sometimes as a parent it is difficult to keep on top of everything. Therefore, we publish a fortnightly Parent Communications, which includes a regular message from our principal, important dates and events, as well as celebration of good news.
These are widely available, and you can find them on our website, our social media as well receiving a copy by email.
We encourage you to take some time to read these to keep abreast of what is going on in the Academy.
Social Media
Another great way to find out what has been going on is to follow us on social media. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
facebook.com/SirRobertWoodardAcademy twitter.com/SRWAcademy instagram.com/srwacademy
Keeping Children Safe Year 7 Handbook
Safeguarding:
We are committed to ensuring that all our students are safe and healthy. Children and young people have a fundamental right to be protected from harm. Our students have the right to expect us to provide them with a safe and secure environment.
We are committed to ensuring that all our students are safe and healthy. Children and young people have a fundamental right to be protected from harm. Our students have the right to expect us to provide them with a safe and secure environment.
We follow West Sussex Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures and aim to work together with parents and other agencies that support children and families. Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available on the website.
All staff members are fully trained around safeguarding procedures and in spotting all forms of safeguarding concerns, with key members of the pastoral year group teams (Pastoral Support Officers, Heads of Year and Assistant Principals) having an enhanced level of training. In urgent and/or repeated incidents of suspected neglect/abuse or concern, the school is obliged to discuss with and/or refer these incidents to other agencies.
Designated Safeguarding Leader (DSL)
Darren Jones, Assistant Principal. Designated Safeguard Lead DJones@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Charlotte Earl-Novell is our Director of Safeguarding. CEarlNovell@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Catherine Urwin (Vice Principal) CUrwin@srwa.woodard.co.uk and Kieran Scanlon (Principal) KScanlon@srwa.woodard.co.uk are also part of our broader safeguarding team.
Fire Drills:
Fire drills are carried out regularly throughout the academic year to ensure that our students and staff are prepared to evacuate the Academy in a safe, calm and organised manner. For their first fire drill, we will ensure that all the Year 7s are completely reassured and confident about our safety procedures.
Visiting the Academy:
Any visitors including parents should report to reception on arrival. All visitors are requested to sign in and are given a name badge. Identification may be requested.
Policies:
All of the Academy policies are available from the Academy website. Look in the main menu, under Key Information - Policies option. Here you will find numerous documents which include:
•Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
•First Aid Policy
•Anti-Bullying Policy
•Attendance Policy
•Behaviour Policy
These policy documents are updated in line with the government, Academy Trust and West Sussex directives. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like further information.
Year 7 Handbook
Mobile Phones
Mobile phones, smart phones and smart devices (including smart watches and headphones of any kind) are not to be seen, heard or used by students whilst they are on the Academy site. It is strongly advised that all such devices are left at home. If they are brought to school it is at the student’s own risk and they should be switched off and kept in bags or lockers whilst on site.
Any phone seen, heard or used on site will be confiscated by an adult, stored securely in student reception and returned to the student at the end of the school day.
Should students need to contact a parent or carer they should go to their Year Group base at break time or lunchtime where they can use the phone.
Should a parent or carer need to contact their child, they can contact the Academy switchboard by phone or email and ask to have the message passed on.
Please note that The Sir Robert Woodard Academy accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to phones or devices that are brought onto the school site, including those that have been confiscated for breach of the Academy’s expectations. Persistent breaches of the expectations will be followed up by Year Group teams.
Personal Equipment
Lockers:
Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own property and possessions. All items should be clearly labelled using a permanent pen. Students are able to have a locker within the Academy to store items of property. Lockers should be closed and secured at all times. Padlocks can be purchased on ParentPay and then collected from Student Reception or you can bring in your own.
Money and other valuable items:
The canteen operates a cashless system and so large amounts of money should not be brought into the Academy. Electronic items such as MP3 Players, mobile phones, speakers, digital cameras etc. should not be brought into the Academy. If students do bring electronic items into the Academy, they do so at their own risk.
Musical Instruments:
Students that take part in music lessons and have their own instrument are more than welcome to store bulky items within their Year Group base.
Bicycles:
Bicycles should be locked in the bicycle park which can be located at the rear of the South car park. Students should remember that they represent the Academy whilst in their uniform. If they choose to ride a bike or other manual mode of transport, they should do so safely and be mindful of other road users and pedestrians.
Lost Property:
If your child loses a labelled item of property, it will be returned to student reception. If the property is not labelled it makes returning items difficult, so please check that all items are clearly labelled with the child’s full name and tutor group.
Year 7 Handbook
Reading books:
Reading books: At SRWA, we believe that books are “mirrors, windows and sliding doors”. We want children to find and recognise themselves in their reading, to see and understand more about others and to enter and experience new worlds that liberate them from insularity. Our school library is located in the heart of the school and reading is a central part of almost every lesson. Students in year 7 have one English lesson each week in the library, and they spend the first 10 minutes of their first lesson each day reading. As such, it is an expectation that all students in year 7 have a book with them at all times of the day; we want them to have opportunities to read for pleasure right across the curriculum.
Our school library is abundant with the very best of young adult fiction, and both our school librarian, Mrs Driscoll, and our specialist reading coordinator, Mrs McCullough, will be on hand to support the students with their reading choices. Similarly, our SEN team will be ready to support students who may have barriers to reading independently.
Attendance
The Academy is committed to providing a full and efficient educational experience to all of its students. If students are to benefit from education, good attendance is crucial, therefore the attendance and punctuality of students is an Academy priority. We encourage high attendance rates and strive to avoid high levels of persistent or intermittent absenteeism and we work closely with West Sussex County Council to ensure that our attendance is the best it can be.
The Academy promotes a high level of attendance for all students by providing a stimulating, caring and happy working environment. Tutors and Year Group teams review attendance and punctuality weekly. Concerns around attendance will be communicated with parents/carers at the earliest opportunity. If there are problems that affect a student’s attendance, the Academy will investigate, identify and strive in partnership with parents/carers and students to resolve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Parents and carers have a vital role to play in ensuring that students have good attendance. As a parent, if your child is absent, please email studentabsence@srwa.woodard.co.uk at the earliest opportunity and by 9.00 am at the latest. This ensures that we know that your child is safe and why he/she is not in school. If your child is unwell for more than one day, please email each morning, unless you know he/she is going to be away for a set number of days and you have clearly informed us when you think he/she will be well enough to return to school. Alternatively, you may also use the Studybugs app to report your child absent. This is a free app used by the majority of neighbouring primary schools.
If your child has a medical appointment that cannot be scheduled outside of the Academy day, please send a copy of the appointment letter to the Academy for our records. As a rule, holiday requests during term time are not permitted or agreed unless there are exceptional circumstances. However, each request will be evaluated by the Principal and a decision made based on the nature of the request. If you would like more information about our Attendance Policy or procedures, please do not hesitate to contact the Year Group office.
Our Attendance Policy is available from our website under the ‘Parents’ tab.
ATTENDANCE AT SRWA
Did you know that across the year there are just 190 school days? That means there are already 175 days set aside for weekends, holidays, family visits and rewarding days out.
The Academy is committed to providing an exceptional educational experience to all its students. Within our ASPIRE to Achieve ethos, we encourage students to be ‘Present’. We offer substantial support to ensure that all students attend the Academy everyday and are on time.
365 DAYS A YEAR
Attendance percentages can always increase and improve as time goes on but...
18 sessions (9 days) absence means a student cannot achieve an overall attendance above 95%
36 sessions (18 days) absence means a student cannot achieve an overall attendance above 90%
EVERY MINUTE COUNTS
ATTENDANCE - THE DETAIL
‘Present’ Aspire Points & Recognition
“Every day missed is associated with a lower chance of achieving 5 or more good GCSEs”
Department for Education
For students at risk of being below 95% attendance
•Attendance letter
• Support
•Year group & tutor notified
For students at risk of being below 90% attendance (persistent absence)
•Attendance letter
•Support
•Attendance review
•Education Welfare Officer
•Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) referral
Entitlement Investigation (PEI) referral
Safeguarding Hub Referral (MASH)
Penalty Notice Referral (FPN)
Entitlement Investigation Referral (PEI)
Year 7 Handbook
Transport
The Academy encourages walking and cycling to school wherever possible. There are numerous bicycle racks in the Academy for the safe storage of bicycles and scooters during the day. Where the distance from school does not allow for walking or cycling, there are good public transport options available, and some of those details are included below.
We communicate regularly with our parent representative group, West Sussex County Council and the local public transport providers to ensure that services remain satisfactory, and improvements are made where necessary.
Coach
Due to the numbers of students travelling from Shoreham and the surrounding areas, the Academy now runs two coaches to Shoreham. There are two separate routes, Route 001, arrives at 8.35am and collects from the Academy at 3.25pm, and Route 002, which arrives at 8.35am and collects from the Academy at 3.30pm. A further ‘late’ coach service will collect at 4.25pm. This follows feedback from parents that they would like a later service to enable the students to join after-school activities and clubs.
Bus
Compass Travel runs a public bus service from Shoreham to The Sir Robert Woodard Academy. The current service is the 19A and details of the timetable can be found at www.compass-travel.co.uk. The bus stops frequently between the listed points on the timetable - the full route is listed below.
Route: [Departs Shoreham] – Holmbush - Royal George – Southlands Hospital – Garden Close – Green Jacket Tesco Express – Buckingham Park – The Driveway – Adur Road – The Amsterdam – North End – Swiss Cottage – Ropetackle – Adur Recreation Ground – The Longshore - (South Lancing) Wenceling Cottages –The Broadway – Broadway Court – South Bank Court – Old Salts Farm Road – Willowbrook Park – Seaside Primary School – Brook Way – Milton Close – Ingleside Crescent – The Farmers - (Lancing) North Road Post Office – Lancing Police Station – Grand Avenue – West Lane – Fetherston Road – Upper Boundstone Lane [Arrives SRWA]
Stagecoach runs a public bus service from Lancing Train Station to The Sir Robert Woodard Academy, stopping in Cokeham Road which is a short 3 minute walk to the Academy. The current service is ‘The Pulse’ and details of the timetable can be found at: www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables
Train
There is a regular train service between Shoreham and Lancing. Details can be found on the National Rail website which is: www.nationalrail.co.uk
Financial Assistance
If you believe that you are eligible for financial assistance from West Sussex County Council for school transport, please follow the guidance on the West Sussex website by searching for “free school transport”.
Behaviour Year 7 Handbook
The Academy aims to provide a disciplined and ordered community in which all students, irrespective of cultural heritage, religious background, disability, appearance, sexuality or ability, can learn and feel safe.
We aim for every member of the Academy to feel valued, respected and safe and for all students to be fairly and consistently treated. We are committed to promoting positive behaviour and delivering high-quality learning opportunities for students. Students in return are in control of outcomes through the choices they make.
There are clear expectations and consequences regarding positive and negative behaviour choices. Positive behaviour will be rewarded and if a student does not follow the Academy expectations, this will result in an appropriate consequence.
We encourage students to self-regulate their behaviour. They are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the Home/Academy Agreement and the SRWA ‘DNA’ undertaking to:
• Have good attendance and be on time to school and lessons
• Bring all the equipment needed every day
• Wear the correct Academy uniform with pride and be tidy in appearance
• Be polite, helpful and respectful to others
• Be ready to learn and get on task quickly
• Actively participate in lessons and give 100% to their learning
• Make it possible for all students to learn without disruption
• Move calmly around the school
• Treat the school buildings and property with respect
• Have high expectations of themselves and others
• Reflect the SRWA ASPIRE characteristics
• Abide by the Academy’s Behaviour Policy, Student Acceptable Use and ICT Acceptable Use Policy
Recognition:
We are committed to recognising students who demonstrate the ASPIRE attributes and who value themselves as learners, strive to do their best and show commitment to their education.
Positive behaviour will be rewarded by:
• Praise
• Aspire Points
• Postcards
• Positive contact home to parents via phone call, email or letter
• Year Group awards
• ‘Milestone’ awards for high numbers of positive behaviour points
• Termly Excellence Award
• Principal’s Award
• Other bespoke special responsibilities/privileges
Year 7 Handbook
Consequences:
Every child has the right to learn but no child has the right to disrupt the learning of others. Where a student’s behaviour is not acceptable, the Academy will respond in a timely and consistent manner. Consequences will be issued in line with the Behaviour Policy, based on the nature of the behaviour concerned. Where appropriate, the Academy also looks to support students in having restorative conversations with other students and with staff. Students may also be supported to complete reflective work to help them self-regulate such behaviour in future.
As an inclusive Academy, we will of course always look for supportive strategies when students find managing behaviour a challenge.
Parents/carers are key to ensuring that students meet the Academy’s expectations and show positive behaviour for learning. Therefore, we would ask that parents/carers review their child’s behaviour log regularly and discuss negative and positive points on a regular basis.
For more detail, please see the Behaviour Policy on the Academy website.
In order to encourage positive behaviour for learning, we expect students to follow our Uniform Policy. Please see our Uniform Policy on the Academy website.
Year 7 Handbook
IT, Student Data and Parent Portal
IT Systems
At the Academy we operate a wide number of IT systems in school and online. When students join, they will receive a computer login which allows them to use the SRWA computer system. They will receive a username and password to log into the Academy computers. They will also get an email address for their entire time at the Academy.
The email address is in the format of firstname.lastname@srwa.co.uk. For ease, their main computer password is synchronised with their email password, so there is only one password to remember.
The email account is an education Google Account and therefore is useful for many sites where ‘Sign in With Google’ is an option. This saves on the number of passwords to remember.
If you require any support or guidance, please feel free to contact your child’s Year Group team.
Arbor Student Data System
At the Academy, we use an online student data system called Arbor. This has a parent portal and app which allows you to check your child’s timetable, attendance, behaviour and data all in real-time. It also allows you to update any data we hold about you and your child. To allow us to contact you and keep you up to date with Academy news and events, it is essential that the details we hold are correct.
Before the end of term, you should receive an email from Arbor with details for logging into your account. Once you have received this email, you should be able to set up your account and view the current information we hold that has been shared with us from your child’s primary school and make any corrections as required.
You will also be required to sign a number of consents in Arbor, including photographic permissions and the IT Acceptable Use policy. You can find help videos on our website under the Arbor quick link.
Year 7 Handbook
Homework
Homework has a positive impact on the performance of students at secondary school. As such, we expect all students to make a daily commitment to homework, in relation to their age and stage. Students in year 7 should spend at least one hour each day on their homework. Homework is set online through the webbased tool ‘Google Classroom’. As a parent/carer, you will receive an email that will invite you to Guardian Summaries, which will allow you to receive daily or weekly digests of the homework set for your child. Parents/carers and students can access the site through the Academy’s website. There is also a smart phone and tablet app that can be downloaded from the Google Play and iOS app stores. Students can simply access Google Classroom by using their school email address and password as noted in the IT section.
Students’ school email addresses are in the format of firstname.surname@srwa.co.uk and then their school password, which they also use to log into the school computers. Google Classroom has a simple interface with a To-Do tab for students to keep track of work that they have not submitted.
All students in year 7 will be given an ‘SRWA Student Planner’, and they will be supported in their use of this by both their tutor and our teaching staff. Across the curriculum, students will record the details of the Homework that they are set, both the specifics of the learning and the due date. We ask that you review this planner on a weekly basis and that you sign (to acknowledge your role in this) at least once a fortnight. We envisage this becoming a useful way of relaying messages to the tutor, as they will be checking student planners routinely. Tutors may leave comments for parents/ carers, or respond to any comments that are addressed to them.
If a student has difficulty with completing a particular piece of homework, they should speak to their subject teacher. This is not an excuse for failing to do homework, which will result in an after-school subject imposition. If there is any other reason for homework not being completed, such as difficulty accessing the system, parents/carers are asked to inform the subject teacher by email or via their Year Group base. Students are welcome to use the Library before school, at lunchtime or after school, on any day to complete their homework. It is open from 8.00 am until 4.30 pm daily.
Year 7 Baseline Testing
During their first half-term with us at the Academy, all year 7 students will complete a suite of online tests to establish their cognitive ability, and to provide a measurable baseline from which we will continue to measure progress in English, Maths and Science.
We also ask students to complete a survey that gives us valuable information on their attitudes to learning, and some simple screeners which will give indicators as to whether a student has signs of dyslexia and/or dyscalculia.
We work hard to ensure that these tests are non-threatening and low-intensity and they require no formal preparation. In fact, a large number of students have told us that they find them fun!
If any of our tests indicate that they may be underlying issues that require intervention, we will of course share this with you and involve you in any plans to address them.
Year 7 Handbook
Student Groupings
During the course of the transition process, students were put into a Chapter and allocated a tutor group. Primary schools are consulted when composing the tutor groups so that we can try to accommodate particular combinations of students remaining together, whilst also considering family links such as older siblings when attaching a student to one of our Chapters.
Year 7 tutor groups have also been organised to encourage your child to integrate with students from a variety of primary schools in the area. We are aware that some of our students will not be starting at SRWA with any peers from their previous school and we have considered this when allocating tutor groups.
Tutor groups and most teaching groups are designed to be mixed in every way possible – gender, prior attainment and primary school, whilst also taking into account any SEND needs. Our experience has shown that students settle into their groups very quickly and relish making new friends with students from other schools.
If you have any concerns or questions about groupings, please contact the Year Group team.
Music
Lessons
Specialist visiting instrumental and vocal teachers are available to provide individual tuition for students who already play a musical instrument or who wish to learn. A range of music lessons is available at the Academy for a fee, including voice, violin, brass (trumpet and trombone), woodwind (flute, clarinet and saxophone), guitar (electric, acoustic and bass), piano and drums. Lessons take place during the school day (including break and lunchtimes).
If you wish to receive more information about the tuition that is available and costs, please contact Laura Fauvel, Music Subject Lead: LFauvel@srwa.woodard.co.uk
Super Curriculum
Once students have settled into Academy life, our high achieving students in year 7 will be invited to take part in an after school programme called the ‘Super Curriculum’. The programme brings together likeminded students to work on topics beyond their normal curriculum; including law, the environment, the history of numbers, ethical issues and current affairs, code-breaking, and much more.
This will hopefully encourage a love of learning, aiming high and succeeding at school. We also hope they will make some new friends. The feedback from this programme has been very positive and students have been keen to attend.
Year 7 Handbook
Student Leadership Opportunities
The Academy prides itself on providing opportunities for students to gain experience of leadership and responsibility. During year 7, there are a number of roles available to students, these include:
Transition Mentors:
Students are asked to support the incoming transition of students within the Academy.
Student Council representatives:
Students will have the chance to voice their tutor group’s/Year Group’s opinions on a whole range of topics and issues.
Student Charity Representatives:
The Year Group will decide on a local charity to represent and raise funds for, and we will be looking for students who wish to lead on this.
Future student leaders :
The Year Group team will be looking for opportunities for any additional leadership roles for potential future student leaders in Year 10 and 11.
Head Students:
When students join our sixth form, they then also have the opportunity to apply to be a Head Student.
Any student who is interested in undertaking a leadership role should speak to their tutor or Year Group team.
Extracurricular Activities
The extracurricular opportunities at the Academy are numerous and cater for the many diverse interests of our students. The activities will be updated on a termly basis and the timetable will be communicated with students through their tutor, the SRWA website and Parent Communications.
Students can join a range of clubs from Sports to Performing Arts. We recommend that all students are involved in at least one club a week.
Potential clubs that will run in September, available to year 7’s, are as follows:
• Art
• Basketball
• Chapel
• Choir
• Creative Writing
• Dance
• Dance Company
• Design Technology
• Drama club
• Football
• History
• Orchestra
• Netball
• Homework Support
• Rugby
• Science
Year 7 Handbook
Trips
At the Academy, we run a variety of day and residential trips. We are very much back in the swing of planning as many trips as possible. Trips will either be open to all students, or targeted at specific students. Some trips are subject-based whilst others focus on developing specific ASPIRE attributes.
To give you a flavour, these are some of the trips that have been run for year 7 students in the past.
Trip
History Trip to Battle Abbey
Year 7 Taster Day at the University of Sussex
French Day trip to France
Performing Arts Tour to Germany
Year 7 Camping
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
At The Sir Robert Woodard Academy, the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) department is committed to applying the principles of inclusion as stated by the SEND Code of Practice 2015.
SRWA is committed to providing a highly inclusive learning environment. SRWA has extremely high expectations for all students including those with Special Educational Needs and/or Additional Needs.
SRWA aims to be inclusive by:
• Collaboratively creating a positive and supportive learning environment for all pupils.
• Building an ongoing holistic understanding of pupils and their needs following the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ approach.
• Ensuring all pupils have access to high-quality teaching following a planned, broad and balanced curriculum.
• Complimenting high-quality teaching with a carefully selected small group and one to one interventions.
• Effectively deploying support staff.
SRWA Special Educational Needs and/or Additional Needs aims are:
Year 7 Handbook
•To ensure that all students have access to a broad and balanced curriculum.
•To ensure all staff have high expectations of the progress of SEND students, in line with our Academy’s ASPIRE mission.
•To ensure the identification of all students requiring SEND provision as early as possible in their school career.
•To ensure that SEND students take as full a part as possible in all school activities.
•To ensure that parents of SEND students are kept fully informed of their child’s progress and attainment.
•To ensure that SEND students are involved, where practicable, in decisions affecting their future SEND provision.
Every teacher is responsible for the development of every student in their class. Students with Special Educational Needs and/or Additional Needs may require a Pupil Passport, which allows strategies to support the student to be shared amongst all staff. Students with an EHCP will have an Annual Review whereby the targets set in the EHCP will be discussed, reviewed and planned for. Students with High Needs may require a Learning Plan, developed by the SENCO or Inclusion Manager, which will set targets that will be reviewed with the parents/carers and the students themselves at a Termly Review Meetings.
If you have any questions regarding Special Educational Needs and/or Additional Needs please see our website or get in touch with a member of the SEND team.
Contacts:
Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO): Mr R Langstone (RLangstone@srwa.woodard.co.uk), Inclusion Manager: Mr Stott (SStott@srwa.woodard.co.uk)
SEND Administration: Ms Anna Okines (AOkines@srwa.woodard.co.uk))