LGGS Staff Handbook 23/24 Edition_Part1

LGGS is a forward-looking, selective state school with academy status and an outstanding record of promoting high achievement. We currently have just over 1000 students on roll with five form entry into Year 7. We are heavily oversubscribed and admission is by an entrance test. A high proportion of our Year 11 students continue into the LGGS Sixth Form and we welcome a number of external students into Year 12.

We are proud of our academic reputation. In 2021 we were ranked 39th most successful state school nationally in the Sunday Times Parent Power table, and the only state school in Lancashire to be in the top 50.

We offer a broad academic curriculum with all students studying three Modern Foreign Languages in Year 7. Students must continue with one Modern Foreign Languages at Key Stage 4 as well as three Sciences and a Humanities subject. Students study 10 GCSEs with practical and creative subjects popular option choices. Music, Drama, Art and Sport are all strengths within LGGS and we enjoy success in these areas. In the Sixth Form Maths, Biology and Chemistry are the most popular A levels, but students have many options including subjects only offered in the Sixth Form such as Psychology and Business Studies.

As important as academic achievement is, we also work hard to prepare our students for success and fulfilment in their futures as resilient, happy and responsible young people who will make a positive contribution to society. The school has a strong community feel and visitors comment positively on our family ethos. Our house system and the strong involvement of sixth formers in the life of the school contribute greatly to this ethos. We have an outward looking approach and strong international links.

We are very proud of our inclusive community. Valuing diversity and promoting equality are important aspects of LGGS life. Supporting students’ emotional health and well-being is a key school priority as is involving students themselves in contributing their views and planning activities. Our students are very well supported by Form Tutors, Heads of Key Stage, Learning Mentors and a Well-being Coordinator, plus a number of school counsellors. We promote emotional and physical well-being and have a wide range of sporting opportunities. Our Duke of Edinburgh programme, which builds resilience and teamwork, continues to grow very successfully.

1 Introduction

• Vision, Values and Strategic Objectives

2 The School Day

• A plan of the School Day

• School Map

• LGGS Terminology & Events

• Attendance Registers in Lessons

• Assembly & House Assemblies

• Car Parking

• Evening Events; Open Evening, Parents’ Evening

• Holiday Opening Times

• Movement around school

3 Health & Safety

• Responsibility for H&S at LGGS

• First Aid

• Accidents and Incidents, Incident Logging

• Send Help (Yellow Card System)

• Slips & trips, Good Housekeeping & Suitable Footwear

• Cleaning & Maintenance

• Security, Visitors

• Emergency Procedures, Action Plan, Mobile Phone

• Lockdown Alarm Procedure, Fire Safety & Evacuation

• Illness, Infectious Diseases

• Smoking

• Telephones

4 Staff

• What you can expect as a teacher at LGGS

• What you can expect as a member of Non-Teaching Staff at LGGS

• Who’s Who Staff List

• Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Line Management

• Staff Briefing, CPD Time

Policies & Procedures

• Contracts, CPD, Pension (Auto-Enrolment),Performance Appraisal

• Absence Procedure, Illness during school day

• Planned Absence Procedure (Every), Cover Requests Policy

• Self-Evaluation & Planning Cycle

• Staff Dress Code

• Whistle-Blowing Policy

• Working Hours

Duties

• General Reminders

• Classroom Duties, Dining Room

• Lunchtime Supervision (see also Students – Lunchtime Code of Conduct)

• Lunchtime Assistants

• Educational Visits

• Equality Act

• Expenses

• Meetings, Teaching and Learning

5 Students

Behaviour Management

• Rewards and Sanctions

• Achievement & Behaviour Points

• Detentions / Whole School Detentions

• Rewards: Reasons for awarding an achievement point

• Sanctions: Behaviour points will be issued for the following

• Bullying

• Clubs & Activities

• Expected Grades & Approach to Learning Grades

• Forms (Form Groups),House Sytem

• Homework Timetables

• Illness, Medical Room, First Aid Support

Individual Student Needs

• Individual Education Plans

• Health Care Plans

• Medical Information of Students

• Learning Support / SEND

• Safeguarding

• Lunchtime Code of Conduct for pupils

• Mobile Phones; Sixth Form Policy & Years 7 – 11 Policy

• Planners

• Pupil Lanyards & Late Procedures

• Sixth Form Supported Study

• Uniform and Equipment

6 School Systems

ITS Technical Support

• IT Staff Guides

Communication

• Bulletins

• Email

• Newsletters

• ParentPay

• Post

• Website

• CPOMs

• Data Protection

Event Bookings

• Room Bookings

• Try Booking for Events

School Venue Seating Capacities

• Staff Calendar

• Evolve for Educational Visits

• E-Safety

• Every

• Inventry

• SIMs

7 Facilities

• Reception Areas

• Catering

• Fitness Suite

• Library

• Reprographics

• Sixth Form Building

• Staff Room

• Staffroom Tray

Ensure that the quality of education provided at LGGS enables all our students to successfully progress onto the next stage of their education or training.

AContinue to review and develop the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious and provides all students with the knowledge they need to succeed in later life

BEnsure the highest standards in teaching, learning and assessment, through an open culture of shared practice and development of subject expertise.

CEnsure the highest standards in teaching, learning and assessment, through an open culture of shared practice and development of subject expertise.

DContinue to promote strong leadership and management through shared values and practice whilst ensuring that staff workload is manageable.

Care

Promote the extensive personal development and well-being of all members of the school community with exceptional quality opportunities for all to develop their talents and interests

AEnsure that all students feel supported in school so that they can develop the confidence resilience and knowledge to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy

BProvide a supportive working environment for all staff, to value and respect them and their work, and to enable them to provide education of the highest quality.

CPromote equality of opportunity and an inclusive environment, ensuring that all members of the school community feel valued and respected

DEnsure our personal development programme reflects the needs of students and prepares them to play their part and become actively involved in public life as adults

EEnsure that careers and guidance programmes provide students with high quality advice and meaningful opportunities to encounter the world of work

FContinue to monitor staff workload and seek opportunities to reduce workload and to promote staff wellbeing.

Further develop highly positive attitudes and commitment to their education by all pupils and ensure they can make significant contribution to the life of the school and wider community.

AContinue to establish clear routines and expectations around school and in classrooms so there is always a positive and respectful culture

BEnsure that disadvantaged, students with special educational needs and more vulnerable students can benefit from the opportunities at LGGS.

CDevelop more opportunities for students to lead, contribute and inspire through participation in a wide range of activities and curriculum areas.

LGGS Terminology & Events

TERMINOLOGY EXPLANATION

Staff Briefing covers key messages and notices for the week, sharing best practice (Monday 8.15am Staff Room)

Briefing

Pastoral and Safeguarding briefing includes regular training and information about specific students where needed (Wednesday 8.15am Staff Room)

J Block

This is situated across the Road at Dallas Road Primary School and houses the Science Department

6th Form Centre Accommodation for the sixth form students / pastoral staff

Atrium Seating / working area for students

Pear Tree Gardens Garden area for students to use by supervision ONLY

Student Services / Reception Student support area and the Reception areas for students

Dallas Rd Gardens This is used as our ‘Fire assembly’ meeting point

HODs Heads of Department

Café Regent Dining Room

SLT

Green Room

International Week

Sports Presentation Eve

11+ Admission Entrance Tests

6th Form Open Eve

Children in Need

The Senior Leadership Team

Top floor of the 6th form centre; study room

Organised by MFL department

Organised by PE department to recognise sports achievements from previous year

Takes place on a Saturday morning in September

For prospective girls thinking about applying for 6th form

Events are often organised to support the charity. Previously have included a lunchtime show, organised by the 6th form charity team with dual performances in the Main Hall and Centenary Hall

Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School Staff Handbook - 2023/24 Edition

Performing Arts Festival (PAF)

Inter-house Sports Events

Speech Day

Taster Day

Induction day 6th form

Induction day New Year 7

Public Speaking

Music Festival

KS3 perform in a variety of drama and dance in an interhouse competition. Yr12 organise, choreograph and direct. Performances take place all day with KS3 off timetable. Performances are repeated in the evening for parents.

Are held each term – may involve students out of lessons to compete for their house team

A formal evening event for presentation of A level and GCSE certificates alongside prizes for 6th form and Year 810. Previously held at Lancaster University.

For internal and external pupils in Year 11 progressing to 6th form – held in January

For pupils planning on joining LGGS 6th form, a day in school in late June/early July

For pupils joining LGGS, a day in school in late June/early July for Year 6 pupils.

KS3 held all afternoon in the main hall as an inter-house competition in Spring Term

July inter-house music festival with various categories during the day and performance in the evening for parents to attend

Open Day Events

Various types throughout the year for students who already have been offered a place at LGGS, who want to see the school in action to help decide if this is the school for them. For parents of students who are thinking about sitting the 11+ entrance exam.

Sports Day

Achievement Evening

Slight change to timing of the school day for athletic events

To celebrate various pupils’ achievement, commitment and endeavour in various areas of school that may not have been recognised elsewhere during the year

Sports Presentation Evening Evening event in July to recognise the sporting community at LGGS, usually with a guest speaker.

Base Contact Member of SLT on Rota for Educational Visit

Attendance Registers in Lessons

Register your students on Edulink during the first ten minutes of each lesson. It is part of our safeguarding measures, and so that regular absence or truancy can be picked up. In addition, if a problem occurs during a lesson then staff can easily identify who was not in lessons.

Assembly

Assemblies and reflection time should provide pupils with the opportunity and experience to explore matters of concern, to broaden horizons and enable pupils to consider issues in relation to themselves as individuals, as part of the school community and also in relation to the broader community. If assemblies are not taking place in person, they will be filmed and publicised in the bulletin

• An assembly rota will be published for each half term

• Form groups are expected to take assembly at times

• Assemblies will start at 8.45am prompt and pupils will be dismissed at 8.52am

• Music is usually played as pupils come into assembly, whilst they enter quickly in silence

• Form tutors must accompany their form and where possible sit with them

• Seating arrangements will be given at the start of the year

• Tutor groups not in assembly must remain in their form rooms

House Assemblies

House Assemblies take place on a Friday, on a rota system using the gym and hall. Staff allocated as Heads of House as:

Aalborg

Perpignan

Rendsberg

Lublin

Miss J Clapham

Mrs J Foster

Mr Flory

Mrs D Ogle

Car Parking

If using the Staff Carparks please see the Car Park Map for more detail. Number Plate information should be given to Reception to log on the spreadsheet in case of emergencies

Evening Events

Open Evening

The Open Evening is in June/July when prospective parents have the opportunity to look around the school. Departments open up their areas and many departments have volunteer students to show prospective parents and students what the subject is like. Sixth Form Open Evening is usually in November.

Parents’ Evening

The teacher will make appointments with pupils the week before. Evenings are from approx. 5.15 -7.45pm and dates are on the calendar. We are currently consulting on whether these will be online or in person.

Holiday Opening Times

The school is open weekdays during the holidays. Monday to Thursday 8am to 4pm and Friday’s 8am to 3.30pm. Staff who come into school are asked to sign in and out of the premises. If using the car park during holiday times and are not in school building, you must also sign in at reception.

Movement around school

Students and staff should follow the one-way system at busy times.

Health & Safety

Responsibility for H&S at LGGS

Each staff member has a statutory obligation to co-operate with the requirements of the Health and Safety policy and to take care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their activities by:

• Supporting the school health and safety arrangements

• Ensuring their own work area remains safe at all times with an ethos and high standard of housekeeping

*Any buildings or furnishing defects that pose a risk must be reported to SLT/site staff immediately. For less urgent issues email buildings@lggs.lancs.sch.uk

• Not interfering with health and safety arrangements or misusing equipment

• Complying with all safety procedures, whether written or verbally advised, for their own protection and the protection of those who may be affected by their actions

• Reporting safety concerns to SLT or other appropriate person

• Reporting any incident that has led, or could have led to damage or injury

• Assisting in investigations due to accidents, dangerous occurrences or near-misses

• Not acting or omitting to act in any way that may cause harm or illhealth to others

There are additional documents, guidelines and policies. If you require any further information on Health and safety at LGGS please see SB/SS

First Aid

A list of qualified first aiders at the school is displayed on the staff room noticeboard plus a copy is kept at all 3 reception points. You can also view the First Aid trained staff spreadsheet using this link. Or the electronic copy in in the Staff Teams area – Health and Safety folder. Stephen Sharp (Premises and health and Safety Manager) oversees first aid in school. In an emergency dial 999 if needed or, phone reception or send a SEND HELP REQUEST to get a first aider.

*DEFIBRILLATOR - There is one defibrillator kept at main reception on the wall and one at the field, sports pavilion.

Accidents and Incidents

When an accident occurs, care should be taken over whether or not it is advisable to move the person concerned. Reception staff will take over responsibility for each pupil, contacting parents, and arranging for any necessary future treatment. The member of staff who witnessed the accident, or to whom the accident was reported by other pupils, should complete an accident report. This is done on CPOMs and can be completed by any staff member.

Incident Logging

Any concerns about students need to be logged on CPOMS. Use the main categories to log concerns. Please alert the relevant members of staff when you log an incident. For urgent concerns around safeguarding/Child protection please speak to the relevant member of staff and use the alert system within CPOMS

Slips & trips, Good Housekeeping

Staff responsibilities are:

• Take a proactive role in preventing slips and trips

• Taking action to remove slip and trip hazards from their work area such as getting spillages cleared up, rerouting trailing cables, ensuring student bags do not block walkways

• Maintaining a tidy office/work area

• Wearing suitable and appropriate footwear for the environment

• Reporting any defects to their line manager or directly to the Premises Manger (SS)

Cleaning & Maintenance

If you have any issues with the buildings or cleaning please contact site staff for immediate attention during the school day. Any requests for jobs for the site staff must be co-ordinated through the email buildings@lggs.lancs.sch.uk

Security

Arrangements regarding security are based on the procedures and routines for locking and unlocking the building. The external doors have a keypad entry system, Maglock with a PIN code. The codes are changed at regular points. All staff must wear a clearly visible photo identification badge, when onsite. Do not prop doors open – e.g. fire doors or external doors. Please report any person in school without an LGGS lanyard on. Take care to keep your personal belongings safe when you are in school.

Visitors

All visitor details should be given to reception in advance to enter into the INVENTRY system. All visitors must sign in and out at Reception and be issued with a visitor’s badge (on a red lanyard or a Green lanyard if they have been DBS cleared by LGGS.) If you have made an appointment to see a parent or other visitor, please inform Reception in advance. Visitors must be collected from Reception and not allowed to wander around the school unaccompanied. Staff should politely challenge any person not displaying identification and direct them towards Reception. At NO times are visitors to be left without a school escort unless a copy of a current DBS has been received. (More information in the Visitor’s policy).

Emergency Procedures

All staff are responsible for Health and safety. All documents related to Health and Safety are in this link. The Health and Safety Awareness PowerPoint has links to all relevant information.

Emergency Action Plan

LGGS has an EAP which SLT will activate in the event of an emergency or critical incident.

Emergency Mobile Phone

There is mobile phone at reception, for use in emergency situations only. It will allow staff to communicate with the emergency services in any location of the school premises.

Lockdown Alarm Procedure

All staff should be familiar with the Lockdown Procedure and alarm sound. This will be covered as part of your induction. Health and Safety this link contains the full information on Lockdown Procedure and alarm sound fire evacuation. All staff must be clear o how to react to either of these.

Fire Safety & Evacuation

The priority is to evacuate the building as quickly and safely as possible. All staff should know their role, evacuation routes and where to assembly in the event of an evacuation.

All staff should be familiar with the emergency procedures. Each classroom should have an Emergency Evacuation notice displayed within it with details of evacuation routes. All students and staff congregate in Dallas Road Gardens. Please be proactive in supervising pupils on the way into the Dallas Road Gardens.

Testing of Fire Bells - Each week, early Friday morning before school, the fire alarms will be tested.

In the event of a fire being discovered, it is the responsibility of a member of staff to ensure that the alarm has been sounded, and then to ensure the safety of the pupils, and themselves, and the smooth evacuation of the area of the school in which they find themselves. In the event of fire being discovered, it is the responsibility of a member of staff to ensure that the alarm has been sounded. (Staff should be aware of the location of fire alarms.) All staff have a responsibility to help with the supervision of the pupils.

The fire alarm may be sounded for a number of reasons requiring the school to be evacuated: fire, smoke, fumes, electrical fault etc. Each time the alarm sounds it must be taken seriously – complacency could be very costly. Even if, as a member of staff, you know it is a test and do not have a class at the time the alarm goes off, you must still leave the building IMMEDIATELY. In no event may anyone re-enter the building until the allclear has been given.

If you are teaching a student with a personal evacuation plan you must be aware of the procedures to follow; you are responsible for any such SEN students. Personal evacuation plans can be found: in the Staff Teams area - Individual Needs - Health Care Plan/IEP.

Any fire practice is on the school calendar.

Illness

Any girl who becomes ill during the day should report to a member of staff. A SEND HELP REQUEST should be used to contact reception and support will arrive. Please do not send ill pupils on their own to reception. The Receptionist will then look after them and contact parents, if necessary. No pupil may be sent home other than by a member of the Senior Management Team, or a delegated representative.

Infectious Diseases

Please pass on any information to SLT about pupils or staff with infectious diseases or a family member with an infectious disease, as we have to follow the Health Protection Agency Guidance on infection control in schools.

Smoking

LGGS is a non-smoking school. Staff are not allowed to smoke on the premises

Telephones

When answering a telephone in any part of the building, please state the location you are in (e.g. staff room). This is important since calls may be internal or, occasionally, external, in origin.

There are many phones around the school. Some telephones can only access long-distance via Reception. You may need to dial 9 to get an outside line and then dial the number you require. If you make any private phone calls using the school telephone system, please see the finance office and make an appropriate contribution. Please see the Finance & Resources Manager with any issues on the phone system.

LGGS Main Phone Number 01524 581661