Years 7 - 11 Parents' Information Booklet 2022

Parents’ Information Booklet 2022-2023 Years 7 - 11

Contents Page 5:

Our vision, mission and values

Page 6:

Safeguarding statement

Pages 7-11: Communication between home and School o o o o o o o o Pages 12:

Pastoral Organisation o o o o

Pages 13-15:

Contacting us Keeping us informed of a change of address Parental Responsibility Written correspondence from us Parents’ Conferences Reports Calendar Pupil planner, merits and demerits

Buddy system (Year 7) Houses PSHE Forum (School Council)

Timing of the School Day, Registration and Absence o o o o o

The School Day Travel to and from School Registration and punctuality Attendance and absence Absence procedures

Page 16:

Term Dates

Page 17:

Lunches, Co-Curricular Activities

Page 18-19:

Instrumental and Vocal Tuition

Page 20:

Speech and Drama Tuition

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Contents (continued) Page 21:

Educational Visits Consent arrangements

Pages 22-23:

Homework and Internal Examinations o Office 365 and Homework o Internal examinations

Page 24:

Special Educational Needs o SEN o Pupils with disabilities

Pages 25-31:

School Uniform and Appearance o o o o

Pages 32-35:

Property, BYOD, Mobile Phones, Lockers o o o o o o o o o

Pages 36-39:

School uniform and appearance Uniform Supplier and Preloved uniform shop Senior School Uniform, Stationery, PE and Dance kit lists Further PE Information

Pupils’ property Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Mobile Phones and other devices Lockers Lost Property School Property Money Borrowing money in emergencies Water bottles and drinking water

Ideas for holiday reading for Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11

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Contents (continued) Pages 40-43:

Medical Issues and the School Nurse o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Page 44:

School Nurse Medical Records and Health Checks Illness and Accidents Medication in School Prescription medicines Asthma Nut allergies Health Care Plans Immunisations Mental Health Newcastle NHS C-Card Scheme PSHE Counselling in School Confidentiality in School External Agencies

Policy Information o Pupil Code of Behaviour o ICT Acceptable Use Agreement

Page 45:

List of policies available

Pages 46-47:

Pastoral Information in the Pupil Planners

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Our Vision, Mission, and Values Vision

Our vision is to be champions of excellence in all-girl education, empowering girls to be leaders, trailblazers and world shapers.

Mission

Newcastle High School for Girls is committed to offering an outstanding all-girl education from age 3 to 18, that promotes happiness and well-being, allowing every girl to flourish academically. Creating an environment where girls learn without limits supported by the opportunities arising from being part of the GDST family.

This is strongly underpinned by our values:

Excellence In all endeavours, both academic and wider aspects of life and experience. Being the best we can be.

Integrity

Doing what is right, caring for others and ourselves. Collaborating and being good citizens, friends, mentors and leaders.

Individuality and family

Respecting every pupil for herself, and supporting her to grow in confidence as her own person, within a strong and friendly community.

Opportunity

Embracing the future with excitement. Nurturing the courage to question, challenge and explore.

Community

Reaching out to play an active role in our local community and beyond. Recognising that bringing out the best in each other brings out the best in ourselves.

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Safeguarding Newcastle High School for Girls is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and believes that all pupils, regardless of age, special needs or disability, racial/cultural heritage, religious belief or sexual orientation have the right to be protected from all types of harm and abuse. This emphasis on Safeguarding and Child Protection forms a fundamental part of our approach to providing excellent pastoral care to all pupils, including young people who may be over the age of 18 years.

The full Safeguarding policy is available for parents to consult on the school website.

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Communication between home and School Contacting us School Contact Details Newcastle High School for Girls GDST Tankerville Terrace Jesmond Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3BA

Telephone number: 0191 281 1768 Email: seniorschooloffice@ncl.gdst.net

Telephone

The Senior School Reception is open from 08.00 to 18.00. Staff are available to answer the telephone during these hours. If you telephone outside these hours you will be able to leave a message on the answerphone. The telephone number is 0191 281 1768.

In person

There is someone on duty at Reception from 08.00 until 18.00.

We ask all parents (and other relatives or family friends) to enter School via Reception. Please note it is not possible to guarantee a meeting with a specific member of staff if you turn up at Reception without a prior appointment.

Telephone messages for your daughter

The School Office is able to pass on messages to your child in exceptional circumstances, or if you are unable to contact her by another means. Please remember that pupils in Years 7-10 should not be using their mobile phones during school hours, and should not contact you directly if they feel unwell or need to speak to you for a specific reason. Under these circumstances, pupils should speak to the office staff, the School Nurse or their Head of Year who will contact home on their behalf if necessary.

Email

You are able to email the office or individual members of staff. Please see below for more guidance about who is the best person to contact regarding specific issues.

Please bear in mind that teachers have a wide range of duties during the school day, including timetabled lessons, and are not generally ‘office-based’. We ask our teachers to check their emails at least once a day during term-time, but this may mean that there is a delay between receipt and reply.

In addition, outside the normal school day, we appreciate that our teachers will be managing their marking, lesson preparation and other school commitments alongside family and personal life. We therefore have a policy which requires our teachers not to send or respond to work-related emails between 19.00 in the evening and 07.00 on the next school day. We hope that you will be understanding of this policy and not expect teachers to have read or to respond to emails during these hours.

In school-holiday time, teachers check their emails on a more infrequent basis. Therefore, if your request requires urgent attention please telephone the school office.

Staff email addresses consist of their first initial, stop, surname plus @ncl.gdst.net, example as follows: a.staffmember@ncl.gdst.net 7

Communication between home and School (continued) Contacting specific members of staff Pastoral Concerns

If you need to discuss pastoral concerns, your first port of call should usually be the Form Teacher. The Form Teacher may be contacted in writing, by telephone, by email, or in person if he/she is free when you come into School. You can also contact the Head of Year in the same way.

For 2022-2023, the Heads of Year are as follows: Head of Year 7: Head of Year 8: Head of Year 9: Head of Year 10: Head of Year 11: Director of Sixth Form:

Mrs S Mawhinney (s.mawhinney@ncl.gdst.net) Mrs D Edmonds (d.edmonds@ncl.gdst.net) Ms S Emmett (s.emmett@ncl.gdst.net) Mr W Postlethwaite (w.postlethwaite@ncl.gdst.net Ms C Chambers (c.chambers@ncl.gdst.net) Mrs H Harrison (h.harrison@ncl.gdst.net)

If the concern relates to medical issues, please contact our School Nurse, Vicki Wilson: v.wilson@ncl.gdst.net Mrs Franks-Doyle (Deputy Head, Pastoral) would also be happy to speak to you or see you regarding any pastoral issues if you feel that there is a significant concern or a concern of a particularly sensitive nature: l.franks-doyle@ncl.gdst.net

Academic Concerns

If the concern relates to a specific subject, it is usually best to contact the Subject Teacher in the first instance. Depending on the nature of the concern, it may then be appropriate to involve the relevant Head of Department as well.

If the concern relates to academic concerns across a number of subjects, please contact the Form Teacher or Head of Year.

If you are concerned that your child may have a special educational need that you want to discuss, please contact our SENDCO, Mrs Grayson: l.grayson@ncl.gdst.net Mrs Hardie (Deputy Head, Academic) would also be happy to speak to you or see you regarding any academic issues if you feel that there is a significant concern or a concern of a particularly sensitive nature: a.hardie@ncl.gdst.net

Safeguarding Concerns

If you have a safeguarding concern, you should contact Mrs Franks-Doyle as the Designated Safeguarding Lead. If it is an emergency and Mrs Franks-Doyle is not immediately available, you can contact one of the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads in Senior School: Nurse Wilson, Mrs Hardie, Miss Penny, Mrs Harrison, or Mr Tippett.

General/Miscellaneous Concerns

For any general queries or concerns, or if you are not sure who to contact, please contact the School Office in the first instance and they will direct you to the appropriate member of staff: seniorschooloffice@ncl.gdst.net 8

Communication between home and School (continued) Contacting the Head

Mr Tippett (Head) is also happy to communicate with parents about particular issues if required. However, in most cases it would be more appropriate to follow the communication routes set out above, as these are the staff best placed to deal with specific issues, and it is likely that he would need to ask another member of staff to look into your concerns in the first instance.

Keeping us informed of changes of address or contact details Please inform us immediately of any changes of address or telephone contact numbers at home, work/daytime numbers and emergency numbers and email contact.

Parental Responsibility In the interest of your daughter’s welfare and for legal reasons, the School must have accurate and up to date records of the following: - who lives with your daughter and which of these people have parental responsibility - whether there are any other people with parental responsibility for your daughter who live apart from her - whether there are any court orders which may have made changes to those who have parental responsibility or which impose restrictions on the exercise of parental responsibility If there are any changes to the above following your daughter’s admission to the School, please notify Mr Tippett immediately.

If you are going away and leaving your daughter in the care of family or friends, please advise us of the details, including emergency contact arrangements. Please also make sure that your daughter knows the contact names and numbers of the person(s) she is staying with.

If an arrangement of this type is going to be for 28 days or more it may be classed by law as Private Fostering if the person your daughter is staying with is not the parent, does not have parental responsibility and is not a close relative (step-parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt). Parents and private foster carers are legally required to inform the local authority about a proposed placement (i.e. your daughter staying with someone other than relatives as listed above) at least 6 weeks in advance. Professionals who come into contact with the child also have a duty to ensure the Local Authority is aware of the arrangement by making a referral.

Communication with Parents: written correspondence from us Most correspondence is sent to parents by email, which is why it is important that we have an accurate email address for you. We rely on parents being in the habit of checking for emails from us on a regular basis. It is therefore best that the email address you provide to School is one that you are likely to check regularly. We try to streamline the process for you by sending out nearly all our correspondence giving information, in particular about trips and events, on a Friday, in our ‘Friday Bulletin’. You may hear about PE fixtures and trips at other points during the week, and staff may still contact you directly at different times concerning academic or pastoral issues.

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Communication between home and School (continued) Communication with Parents: Parents’ Conferences Each Year Group has one Parents’ Conference each year (with the exception of Year 11, who also have an Invitation Only Parents Conference, following on from their mock examinations).

Girls in all years are invited to attend the conference with their parents. Parents’ meetings are a form of verbal “full report” and dialogue and we do encourage you to make every effort to attend your daughter’s conference.

The conference gives you and your daughter the opportunity to discuss progress with subject teachers and pastoral staff, such as Form Teacher and Head of Year. The Parents’ Conference for your daughter will usually be in a different term from the full report.

Prior to the Covid pandemic, Parents’ Conferences took place face to face, but we took the decision to move these online over the past two years. Parents’ Conferences generally run from 16.15 to 18.30.

As well as the Annual Parents’ Conferences to discuss progress, some Year Groups have additional parents’ meetings throughout the year, covering topics such as GCSE and A Level Choices, Digital Safety, and Mental Health Awareness, among other things. These events may take place online or face to face.

Communication with Parents: Reports Parents also receive regular information about their daughter’s progress through regular reports.

Termly Pupil Progress Reports Every term, pupil progress in each subject is reported, with targets set for the next term. Pupil Performance Descriptors will be sent out at the beginning of each academic year.

Annual full reports In addition to the Pupil Progress Reports, every girl receives one full report each year. This report contains a written comment for each of your daughter’s subjects, including a section on achievements and a section containing targets. There are also contributions from her Form Teacher and Head of Year.

Calendar The dates of Parents’ Conferences, meetings, reports and events are listed in our new online calendar which can be found both on the new Firefly Parent Portal or on the school website www.newcastlehigh.gdst.net The new online calendar will be available by the beginning of the Autumn term.

Pupil Planner, merits and demerits At the beginning of the Autumn Term your child is given a planner provided by the School which contains useful information about all aspects of School life. In the past, we have encouraged pupils to use their planners to record homework, but in recent years we have found most pupils prefer to use online systems to keep track of deadlines.

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Communication between home and School (continued) The planner is also used as part of our Behaviour for Learning system. This system includes merits which are awarded for excellent work and outstanding positive contributions to many aspects of school-life. Staff show pupils the merits they have been awarded by putting a merit-stamp on their planner. Staff then record the merits electronically in our SIMs system, and printed reports are then generated at regular intervals so pupils can see how many they have achieved both individually and collectively, as a form class, year group, and House.

Demerits are a low level sanction which staff allocate by writing ‘Demerit’ in the calendar pages of the planner. The imposition of demerits is designed to help the girls reflect on what they have done wrong. If pupils receive 5 demerits, they have to attend a lunchtime detention. Parents will be alerted of this, and will also need to sign their child’s planners to acknowledge that the detention has taken place.

Over the past academic year, we have reviewed our sanctions and rewards system via our School Forum.

We will be writing to parents in September to explain the changes we have made in full, and this information will also be set out for pupils in their planners.

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Pastoral organisation Buddy System Every girl in Year 7 is assigned a Year 12 Buddy who will meet regularly with her and help to ensure she settles quickly into the School.

Houses Each girl is a member of one of the four Houses: -

Acadia Carpathia Mauretania Turbinia

House events are held regularly throughout the year and many opportunities are offered for the girls to get to know and work together with members of the House in different Forms and different Year Groups.

The Houses are led by members of the Sixth Form Leadership Team, and girls in every year group have the opportunity to put themselves forward as a House Rep.

PSHE A programme of Personal, Social and Health Education is delivered to all girls in Years 7 – 11. These are weekly sessions usually led by your daughter’s Form Teacher. In Years 7-9, there are additional timetabled lessons delivered by Nurse Wilson and Mrs Edmonds, the PSHE Coordinator.

Occasionally the sessions will consist of whole Year Group assemblies or other activities with outside speakers.

The aim of PSHE is to help pupils to develop in such a way as to prepare them for the opportunities and responsibilities of life. They are encouraged to develop skills such as listening to others and confidence to put forward their own view.

Forum (School Council) In NHSG, the School Council and the structures that support it are known as “The Forum”.

All pupils are involved in the Forum through regular Form Councils, Year Councils and the Forum meetings themselves, as well as feedback assemblies to each Year Group. In addition to this cyclical system there are regular Sub-Groups, open to everyone, on a range of issues.

The Forum provides structured opportunities for all pupils to have their say on almost every aspect of schoollife, including teaching and learning, equality, diversity and inclusion, sustainability issues, mental health, and the updating of school policies such as those relating to behaviour.

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Timing of the School Day, Registration and Absence Timing of the School Day morning

afternoon

morning

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8.35 Registration & Assembly or Form Time 9.05 Period 1 10.05 Walking time 10.10 Period 2 11.10 Break 11.30 Period 3 12.30 Lunchtime 13.40 Period 4 including PM Registration 14.45 Walking time 14.50 Period 5 15.50 End of day

Tuesday 8.35 8.40 -9.10 9.10 9.15 – 10.10 10.10 10.15-11.10 11.10-11.30

Registration PSHE (30 minutes) Walking time Period 1 (55 minutes) Walking time Period 2 (55 minutes) Break

Then as Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday The School opens for pupils at 8.00.

The school day starts formally with registration at 8.35 and ends at 15.50, during which time all pupils in Years 7 to 11 are expected to remain on the premises.

The only exceptions to this are if your child is out of School ‘officially’, such as on a school-trip or fixture, or examination study leave for older Year Groups, or in response to formal requests from parents received by staff in School and approved in advance.

At the end of the day, pupils may work quietly in the Dining Hall, LRC, 6th Form Common Room or 6th Form Library until 18.00. Alternatively, they can wait in Reception.

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Timing of the School Day, Registration and Absence (continued) Travel to and from School Newcastle High School for Girls is proud to be a ‘green’ school, so we try wherever possible to promote more sustainable modes of transport. Our Senior School is located at the south end of Tankerville Terrace in Jesmond and is easily accessible by Metro from either Jesmond (4 minute walk) or West Jesmond (5 minute walk) metro stations. We run a number of daily bus services to both Senior School and Junior School and run regular shuttle services between our Senior School and Junior School sites.

Full details of the transport options available for travel to and from our School can be found by following this online link. https://newcastlehigh.vectare.co.uk/

Registration and Punctuality All girls in Years 7 -11 are expected to be present in time for registration at 8.35. They will receive late marks if they are not punctual, and may be demerited.

Attendance and absence Regular attendance is vital because any absence has the potential to affect the quality of your daughter’s learning and, at times, her social integration and interaction with her peers.

Your child will benefit most from the opportunities offered by NHSG by attending school in every session School is open and so the ideal is 100% attendance.

We monitor attendance closely, with Form Teachers and Heads of Year scrutinising the figures actively to look for patterns. The girls are informed of their attendance percentage at regular intervals, and the Head of Year may make a comment relating to it on the annual Full Report.

An average attendance figure of below 95% causes us concern as it is the equivalent to one session – either morning or afternoon – off school each fortnight; 90% represents one morning or afternoon off each week; and then every 5% drop in the figures represents the equivalent of another half-day off school each fortnight. Whenever attendance causes concern, we follow a protocol in School which will usually begin with making contact with you to discuss the situation and next steps. We may also inform the Local Authority if there is no improvement in your child’s attendance following these initial discussions, in keeping with the national Safeguarding requirements that all schools must adhere to.

Unplanned absence We understand that unplanned absence does occur, such as related to illness. Please see below for the procedure to follow should such an absence be necessary. We would ask you though to exercise judgement about whether your child needs to be off for minor ailments - most children will cope in school with these.

However, there are particular protocols to follow around illnesses connected to vomiting and diarrhoea – keep the child off school until 48 hours have elapsed since they have become symptom-free.

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Timing of the School Day, Registration and Absence (continued) Planned absence We would ask that planned absence be kept to a minimum, with medical and other appointments arranged around the school day if possible, to reduce the amount of time off school which might be needed.

Term-time leave of absence or holidays Similarly, it is our expectation that parents will not take their children out of School for holidays which fall within our published term-dates. We are required to follow the Department for Education’s ‘School

attendance Guidance for maintained schools, academies, independent schools and local authorities’ (August 2020), which states that ‘Head teachers should only authorise leave of absence in exceptional circumstances’. Term-time holiday would not normally be regarded as ‘exceptional circumstances’.

Therefore it will be unlikely that the School would be able to authorise requests for term-time holiday, other than in truly exceptional circumstances.

Term dates for the following academic year are normally set and published by the end of November of the preceding academic year. Parents are asked to note these dates and share them with partners and relatives who may be booking holidays on their behalf so that bookings during term-time may be avoided.

All requests for leave of absence in exceptional circumstances should be made in writing to the Head for pupils in Years 7-13. All requests should be made in advance and in good time for the Head to make a considered response.

Should a pupil have leave of absence from School, whether authorised or unauthorised, teachers will not normally set personalised work but the pupil will need to take the initiative to obtain work and to catch up.

Absence procedures Unplanned absence If child is not well enough to come to School in the morning (including days when she is due to go out on a school trip or visit), it is helpful if you can notify the School before 9.00 by emailing SeniorAbsence@ncl.gdst.net or telephoning Reception. If a pupil is absent on a given morning without explanation and no information has been received, parents will be contacted by Reception, on the morning of the first day of absence, and subsequent days if notice of absence has not been provided by parents.

When your daughter returns to School after the period of absence, the Form Teacher, may request an additional email or telephone call confirming details about the absence to supplement information provided over the telephone.

Planned Absence If the absence is planned because of a medical, dental or other appointment, you should inform School in writing, by email (seniorabsence@ncl.gdst.net) or telephone (0191 281 1768) in advance.

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Term Dates 2022-2023 SEPTEMBER 2022 W T F

M

T

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

M 7 14 21 28

T 1 8 15 22 29

NOVEMBER 2022 W T F 2 3 4 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 25 30

M

T

JANUARY 2023 W T F

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

M

T

6 13 20 27

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

S

S

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

S

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

7 14 21 28

MARCH 2023 W T F 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30 31

S 4 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

M 1 8 25 22 29

T 2 9 16 23 30

W 3 10 17 24 31

S 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

M

T

W

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

S 1 8 15 22 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

MAY 2023 T 4 11 18 25

School Holidays

F 5 12 19 26

JULY 2023 T F 6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

Bank Holidays

OCTOBER 2022 W T F

M

T

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

M

T

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

M

T

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

M

T

W

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

M

T

5 12 19 26

M 7 14 21 28

Study Days

16

S

S

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

DECEMBER 2022 W T F 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30

S 3 10 17 24 31

S 4 11 18 25

FEBRUARY 2023 W T F 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24

S 4 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

S 1 8 15 22 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

6 13 20 27

JUNE 2023 T F 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30

S 3 10 17 24

S 4 11 18 25

T 1 8 15 22 29

AUGUST 2023 W T F 2 3 4 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 25 30 31

S 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

APRIL 2023 T F 6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

W

Lunches and Co-curricular Activities Lunches All pupils in Years 7 to 13 take school lunch. The termly cost of this is added to the school fees.

Co-curricular activities The School runs a wide range of co-curricular activities which are run by staff and members of the 6th Form.

These activities take place before school, at lunchtime or after-school. Every term we produce a co-curricular timetable which is communicated to pupils and parents. Details are also given via Year Group Teams and announcements during Form Times and assemblies.

Information about our co-curricular programme or a comprehensive list of all activities will be available through SOCs (an electronic calendar system) and details will be sent to you in due course.

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Instrumental and vocal tuition, 2022-2023 In Newcastle High School for Girls we have enormous opportunities to study a plethora of musical instruments. These are taught by our peripatetic tutors, all of which are carefully selected. We are proud to have some of the region’s finest musicians teach in our department. Pupils who learn instruments then have the chance to participate in NHSG’s wonderful, high class ensembles, including Orchestra, Jazz Band, Choir, Chamber Choir and Rock and Pop Ensemble. It is impressed upon pupils that when they learn an instrument they also attend an ensemble to maximise their involvement.

In Years 7-9 pupils are taught on a rota to avoid missing the same lesson too frequently, a system which is highly successful. In Years 10-13, pupils will be taught during lunchtimes and before and after school, to avoid missing lessons. Pupils will be required to inform teachers of their lesson times and to take responsibility for having their planner signed by their instrumental teacher to ensure that all parties are aware of when a pupil needs to leave class.

This is a fabulous opportunity for the pupils here to gain a skill that could last the rest of their lifetime and provide them with endless enjoyment, as well as many opportunities. These include playing in the wide range of instrumental and vocal ensembles that NHSG has to offer and taking advantage of numerous performance activities both internally and externally.

Further to that, as each pupil begins to achieve grades in her instrument, this is something which will prove a valuable addition to a CV or UCAS Personal Statement, with the higher grades even providing additional UCAS points. Instrumental ability is highly regarded by all universities, as it shows a commitment to regular practice, use of the intellect, and a high level of co-ordination.

The following instruments can be studied at NHSG: Piano Violin Viola Cello

Flute Oboe Clarinet Saxophone Bassoon

Trumpet Trombone Singing

Classical Guitar Electric Guitar Bass Guitar Drums Acoustic Guitar

Lessons last for 30 minutes, and are generally taught individually. Some teachers may take on pairs or even groups at their discretion (generally only if similar ability students are available). Lessons during 202223 will be charged at £205 for a series of ten, payable at the start of each term direct to the teacher. Ten lessons’ notice (or ten lessons’ fees in lieu) is required to terminate lessons. If a teacher misses a lesson it will be made up at a later date. Unfortunately, teachers cannot undertake to make up lessons missed by girls who are absent from School, or who fail to attend for any other reason.

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Instrumental and vocal tuition, 2022-2023 (continued) To register to begin lessons in any of the instruments listed, please confirm your requirement by completing the section in the electronic information forms we have asked you to complete by Friday 1st July.

We cannot guarantee a September start for girls whose forms are returned after this date.

If your child already has lessons at NHSG Junior/Senior School, you do not need to reapply using the enclosed form; lessons will continue automatically unless you have given your child’s teacher the appropriate written notice of cancellation or unless the peripatetic teacher will no longer be working at NHSG Senior School.

If your child’s teacher is not listed and you would like them to continue lessons on their instrument please complete the electronic form referred to above.

The following staff will be giving Instrumental and Vocal tuition in NHSG from September: Ms Alessandra Amorino (flute) Ms Annie Ball (piano) Mr Gary Cowey (saxophone, clarinet, piano) Ms Amy Robson (singing) Ms Emma Hughes (guitar) Mr Alistair Lord (brass) Mr David Lourie (Drum Kit) Mrs Alison Northey (piano) Mr Jonathon Trevor (violin, viola, piano) Mr Andy Watt (guitar) Ms Penny Kempson (violin/viola) Any questions regarding instrumental and vocal tuition should be directed to Mr Newey, Director of Music, d.newey@ncl.gdst.net.

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Speech and Drama tuition, 2022-23 Speech and Drama lessons are open to every pupil in the School, both those who have previous experience of (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) examinations, and those who have not chosen to have lessons in previous years. The lessons are open to all, regardless of their ability or experience.

Speech and Drama lessons place emphasis on the individual needs of students in Public Speaking and Acting. These individual lessons ensure that every pupil is given the very best in vocal training and acting.

Pupils are given one private lesson per week which lasts for 30 minutes. It is also possible for pupils to have a shared lesson with another student if they would like to perform duologues.

In order to disrupt curriculum lessons as little as possible, Speech and Drama lessons operate in a similar way to Music tuition; they work on a rotation system and we aim to offer lunchtime slots to girls who also have Music lessons.

Pupils are offered the opportunity to sit LAMDA examinations in which they are able to gain graded qualifications leading to Bronze, Silver and Gold awards which can be used to gain UCAS tariff points.

Should your child wish to enter the LAMDA examinations there will be a fee of approximately £40 per examination.

It is possible for pupils to take lessons without ever entering into the LAMDA examination system, for example if they wish to develop their skills in public speaking and voice control in order to help them in their future careers.

Lessons are taught by a specialist Speech and Drama teacher, Mrs Maggie Childs.

Lessons during 2022-23 will be charged at £205 for a series of ten, payable at the start of each term direct to the teacher.

Payment for lessons is made at the start of each term directly to the Speech and Drama teacher. There is an additional fee for LAMDA or RADA examinations.

To register to begin lessons, please confirm your requirement by completing the section in the electronic information forms we have asked you to complete by Friday 1st July.

If you have any questions about Speech and Drama tuition please contact Mrs Dobson, Director of Drama, by telephone or email to a.dobson@ncl.gdst.net.

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Educational Visits: consent arrangements Parents of pupils joining Year 7 are asked to complete and return the Educational Visits Consent Form (the EV Form) in the preceding Summer Term. This is then processed in time for the first day of the Autumn Term and is in place for the five academic years of Years 7 to 11.

Parents of pupils joining other Year Groups are asked to follow a similar system, with the EV form covering all subsequent academic years up to and including Year 11.

For all pupils, another EV Form is issued in advance of the Sixth Form.

Pupils are not permitted to go on any trips in a given academic year if the completed, signed Educational Visits Consent Form is not held on file at School.

Once this consent form is in place, however, you will not be asked to consent to your child’s participation in other local trips and visits or day trips within the UK, although you will be informed by letter/email of when they are taking place and given the opportunity to withdraw your consent if you wish.

You will be asked to complete an ‘Update Consent Form’ – which allows you to pass on any changes to your contact details or information about your child, such as medical or dietary issues - shortly in advance of every trip which includes an overnight stay. This is because our procedures require both the EV Form and the Update Form to be in place for all residential visits.

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Homework and Internal Examinations Pupils are encouraged to develop the capacity for independent learning by completing homework assignments outside of the lesson environment.

Teachers set homework tasks which are designed to promote learning and progress. The nature of the tasks varies and could include traditional written work alongside reading about or exploring a particular topic, learning or revising, preparing materials to present in future lessons or reflecting on work they have done.

In Years 7, 8 and 9 we would expect pupils to complete around one hour of homework each weekday evening. Teachers do not set work for the following day; this encourages the pupils to manage their time efficiently and combine homework with other co-curricular activities. In addition to this, each subject provides additional half termly stretch and challenge homework tasks that pupils may choose to complete and submit.

The amount of homework will increase in Years 10 and 11. In addition to their timetabled homework assignments, we expect pupils to take greater responsibility for their own learning by developing independent study skills and completing individual extension tasks. Pupils are guided to articles, blogs, websites and additional reading that they can work on independently and which will further develop their understanding and knowledge base of the course.

We try not to be overly prescriptive about the precise time pupils should spend on homework because we appreciate that some individuals spend longer than others on some tasks.

At the start of each academic year pupils may regard homework as onerous and it may take longer to complete than it is designed to. This is not unusual so we would ask that you allow a period of time for your daughter to get used to the demands of homework and settle into a good working routine.

If, after an initial settling-in period, your child is regularly spending significantly less time or significantly more time on homework, we ask parents to inform the subject teacher or Head of Year so that this can be monitored. Do also inform us if, after the initial period, your child appears to feel distressed about homework as we will be able to support her to keep the importance of homework in perspective.

Please bear in mind that some pupils will complete some tasks in School time – whether at lunchtime or before or after school.

When homework is not submitted Teachers will give pupils who have failed to hand in homework on the due date the opportunity to hand it in the following day. They will also issue a demerit. If the homework does not come in on the following day, the teacher may issue a further four demerits and put the pupil into lunchtime detention to make up the missing work.

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Homework and Internal Examinations (continued) Office 365 At Newcastle High School for Girls our ICT infrastructure is supported by the Microsoft Office 365 suite of applications. This means that your child will have her own OneDrive, which is securely backed up in the cloud to store all of her work. This also means that we can approach their daily education in innovate new ways using technology in the classroom to enhance the delivery of subjects. Although every department will use these technologies in their own way to supplement the nuances of their courses, one whole school approach is that work is hosted and distributed via Microsoft OneNote, whilst homework is distributed and collected via its Classroom Notebook feature. This has many benefits such as automatically adding information to calendars, allowing feedback and for results to be centralised. This will be introduced to new Y7 pupils in their first week with us, supported further in their first term of ICT lessons, and parents will be invited in during the Autumn Term for a demonstration of how this works, and discussion of how you can support your child with this technology at home.

Internal Examinations Internal school examinations are held annually for Years 7 -10 during the Summer Term. If your daughter is absent from a school examination, the staff will decide if/when she should take the examination. As it is difficult to supervise examinations outside the set period, papers may be given to your daughter to be done at home, in any free time at School, or, by agreement with the Head of Year, in other subject lessons.

Year 11 internal examinations take place towards the end of November.

23

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities At NHSG we aim to provide high quality teaching and learning experiences which enable and inspire all pupils to achieve across an incredibly wide range of activities. In order to ensure academic success, pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties or learning support needs are offered appropriate advice and assistance to ensure that their experience of school is successful and happy. We identify and provide appropriate, specific support through close liaison between the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO), parents, the pupil concerned and the teaching staff.

The Senior School has a designated Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator, in line with the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice. In order to inform teachers of how best to support pupils with specific learning needs in the classroom, the SENDCO works with each pupil on the school’s SEN register to produce a Learning Plan. This plan details and describes the difficulties the pupil concerned faces and outlines individual support strategies that she and her teachers can implement to help address these difficulties. In order to assist with early identification of support needs, parents of new entrants to the School should forward any existing assessment documentation (e.g. dyslexia screening reports, psychological assessments, letters from medical consultants) and any other relevant information directly to the SENDCO. Parents will be informed by the SENDCO or Head of Year of any concerns or difficulties their daughter may be experiencing and this will be monitored by subject teachers and supported through differentiation of classroom activities. As part of our continuous assessment, staff may assess whether a pupil has an underlying learning difficulty that could be hindering the learning process. In some cases it is necessary to involve the expertise of outside agencies and the SENDCO will advise parents if further professional assessment or support is required. The GDST advises that any additional costs incurred by the use of external agencies must be met by parents and are not part of the fees paid to the School.

All the staff at NHSG work together in liaison with parents to ensure that all the pupils in our care are given the best possible advice and support to enable each individual to reach her full potential across all activities in school.

Pupils with Disabilities It is our policy to make reasonable adjustments for pupils with disabilities. If your child does have any special requirements, or the nature of her existing requirements change, please contact the SENDCO or School Nurse depending on the nature of the disability.

24

School Uniform and Appearance We rely on parents’ help in ensuring the smart appearance of the pupils, particularly with regards to skirt length. School skirts should be worn just above the knee, when standing and are available to buy in 3 standard lengths to accommodate pupils of different heights. Skirt lengths should not be altered except in exceptional circumstances to accommodate particularly tall or short pupils and only with the prior written agreement of the school. To allow for growth and variation in body shapes, skirts worn up to 7.5cm above the top of the knee cap when standing will be considered to be regulation length.

All girls in Year 7 to 11 should arrive in School every morning in full uniform unless they have PE that day, in which case they are allowed to arrive in full PE kit, which must include tracksuit bottoms and ¼ zip mid layer.

Please note that following a full review of the Senior School uniform and PE kit during 2021-22, our new uniform items will come into effect from September 2022. However there will be a 24 month transition period before any new uniform items become compulsory i.e. by September 2024. Please bear this in mind before making any purchases. In addition to buying uniform from our suppliers, you can also purchase good quality second hand uniform directly from the School (please see details below).

As an accompaniment to the uniform, we have sourced a good quality, ergonomically designed backpack with integral device pouch which forms part of the compulsory uniform offer for our Junior School pupils.

This is also available as an optional item for Senior School pupils and we recommend it as a good quality, practical item. As the school backpack is not a mandatory item in Senior School, we ask, if your child does choose an alternative product, that you help her choose an adequately sized school bag (one that will take A4 sized files) so she is able to carry correct equipment between School and home properly.

Handbags are not suitable.

In addition: • • •

False nails and nail varnish should not be worn.

No jewellery may be brought to school or worn with school uniform, except earrings (one stud in each ear), one small pendant necklace and watches. No facial or body piercings may be worn.

If hair is dyed, the colour should be within the range of natural hair colours.

School cannot be responsible for loss or damage to watches, necklaces and earrings and, for this reason, we recommend that pupils should not wear high value items to school.

Please note that staff will ask pupils to remove piercings that contravene the above policy, so you should ensure any additional piercing is done at the start of the Summer holidays so they can be removed in time for school.

We ask that you ensure that your child wears her uniform correctly both in and out of School as each pupil is an ambassador for Newcastle High School for Girls.

School uniform and PE kit are supplied through Schoolblazer.

When necessary for safety or hygiene, long hair should be securely fastened back, e.g. in laboratories, PE and dance lessons and when undertaking adventurous activities on trips, for example. We also ask that parents help ensure that all items of uniform are clearly labelled with names – a service that our uniform and sportswear supplier, Schoolblazer, offers as a matter of course on all items bought from them.

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New Uniform Web: www.schoolblazer.com Email: customerservices@schoolblazer.com Helpline: 0333 7000 703 Monday - Friday 9.00 a.m. – 8.00 p.m., Saturday 9.00 a.m. -5.00 p.m.

Our new uniform items will be available from Schoolblazer at the above link (alongside some of our legacy uniform items that are only subtly different from the new ones which will be continue to be sold at a discount to the new items until all stocks are exhausted).

NHSG preloved school uniform shop You can purchase good quality preloved uniform items from our online shop: newcastlehighschool.square.site

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School Uniform and Appearance (continued) Senior School Uniform List Please note that the uniform or PE/Dance items can all be purchased through Schooblazer. Unless the item is marked with an *, which indicates that the item is available exclusively from Schoolblazer, items may also be purchased from other outlets.

Compulsory items Jacket* Skirt* OR Full length polywool trousers V necked jumper* Long/short sleeved blouse Outdoor Coat Tights Shoes

Optional Active Backpack* Pashmina Hijab Lab Coat

Grey with school crest on lapel Teal/black plaid Length: no more than 7.5cm above the knee Plain grey: can be worn as an alternative to skirt Teal Plain white revere collar, no school crest Black (any plain black coat or jacket, without fur trims/coloured parts, may be worn) Black opaque Plain black 3cm max heel height Shoes with open toes, platform soles, stiletto and kitten heels and backless shoes are not permitted. Boots are also not permitted.

Black with school crest Teal Plain black, teal or grey White

Stationery A range of stationery items and equipment, including, but not limited to the following, will be useful in the majority of lessons. Subject teachers may advise of additional requirements as and when necessary.

Basic stationery such as pens, pencils, a highlighter Scientific calculator of any type (e.g. Casio fx-83/85 series) Ruler Protractor Pair of compasses Drawing pencils: HB, 2B and 4B Pencil eraser Pencil sharpener A glue stick (e.g. Pritt stick)

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School Uniform and Appearance (continued) PE Kit Please note that the uniform or PE/Dance items can all be purchased through Schooblazer. Unless the item is marked with an *, which indicates that the item is available exclusively from Schoolblazer, items may also be purchased from other outlets.

Compulsory Fitness T shirt* Midlayer top* Training pants* Skort* Running Shorts* or PE shorts* Swimming hat* (Year 7 only) Swimming costume (Year 7 only) Hockey socks*

Teal with school crest Teal with school crest Black with school crest Black and teal with school crest Black with school crest Teal with school crest Plain black Teal and white hoops

Optional Swim/Stuff bag* Sports Bag* Fitness leggings* Netball socks Active Jacket* Base layer top Limitless adjustable sports bra Sports hijab

Black with school crest Black with school crest Black with school crest White Black with pro viz school crest and name Plain black A variety of colours are available Plain black

The following items relating to PE lessons and activities can be purchased through a retailer of your choice.

Compulsory Trainers

Shin pads Gum Shield Swimming goggles

Must be suitable for participation in a variety of indoor and outdoor physical activities and have non-marking soles. Fashion trainers such as Nike Airforce 1’s or those with a raised sole are not permitted.

Compulsory for football and hockey only Compulsory for Hockey only Year 7 only

Optional Hockey stick (optional but recommended for those playing co-curricular hockey) Tennis racket (optional but recommended for those playing co-curricular tennis - summer only) Astroturf Shoes/Boots (optional but recommended for hockey and football)

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School Uniform and Appearance (continued) Pupils will spend several lessons during the two-week timetable in the Physical Education Department and we hope that the pupils will also be involved in lots of co-curricular activities. Pupils will need to be well organised to ensure that they have the correct, fully named kit on each occasion. ALL kit should be clearly named.

To help you in the first few weeks, here is a list of the equipment pupils will need for each activity (please refer to the previous page for the full PE kit list).

Netball:

-

-

skort/training pants fitness t-shirt white socks lace-up trainers, which provide support and cushioning (ie not fashion shoes) with a non-marking sole. ‘Nike Air Force 1s’ are not appropriate for physical activity mid layer top

Hockey/Football:

-

skort/training pants mid layer top fitness t-shirt hockey socks (teal and white hoops) shin pads gum shield hockey stick (optional but recommended for those playing extra-curricular hockey)

Gymnastics/Fitness:

-

PE shorts/running shorts or fitness leggings fitness t-shirt

Cross Country:

-

PE shorts/running shorts training pants (if cold) mid layer top fitness t-shirt white socks trainers

Tennis

-

tennis racket (optional)

Swimming: (Year 7 only)

-

Plain black costume School swimming hat towel goggles

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School Uniform and Appearance (continued) Pupils will spend several lessons during the two-week timetable in the Physical Education Department and we hope that the pupils will also be involved in lots of co-curricular activities. Pupils will need to be well organised to ensure that they have the correct, fully named kit on each occasion. ALL kit should be clearly named.

Dance Kit

In Years 7 - 9, PE kit may be worn for Dance lessons.

The following optional items would also be suitable for those taking part in Dance performances, or GCSE Dance.

Dance leggings Dance T-shirt Dance Hoodie* GCSE Dancers (Years 10 - 11) Dance leotard

Plain black, however PE training pants must be worn over the top when not in a Dance lesson.

Plain black Black with school crest Plain black which can be worn instead of the kit listed above.

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School Uniform PE Information for Years 7-11 General •

No jewellery may be worn for any PE lesson. This includes earrings and any other piercings, so please ensure ear piercing is done at the start of the holidays so they can be removed for lessons.

Taping of earrings is also not allowed.

•

Hair must be tied back.

•

Asthmatic children/diabetic children – must have appropriate medication at every lesson.

•

If your child needs to be excused from a PE lesson, she must bring a note from parents explaining why, and for how long she wishes to be excused; she must wear her full PE kit to come to the lesson.

•

Pupils are encouraged to take part in all lessons.

•

Alternative activities can be provided for those with slight injuries if they cannot take part in the full lesson.

•

Parents of a pupil with a health problem that may affect her participation in PE are asked to advise the relevant member of the PE staff.

As well as PE lessons, pupils are encouraged to become involved in extra-curricular activities.

A list of the clubs and teams will be displayed on the PE notice board and SOCs (electronic calendar and events system) in early September.

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Property, BYOD, Mobile Phones, Lockers, Drinking Water Pupils’ Property All property, including articles of clothing, PE kit and other equipment, musical instruments, purses, watches, etc., must be clearly marked with the owner's name.

Items of a high monetary or sentimental value (including designer clothes, shoes and bags) must not be brought into School except in exceptional circumstances (see Money).

Please do not allow your child to bring hair straighteners or other electrical appliances into School. We are aware that pupils sometimes go directly from School to stay with friends or other family members, but please bear in mind that locker space is very limited in School and the rule about valuable property still applies. Such sources of heat must not be used in school except under the supervision of a member of staff.

Please note that School cannot take responsibility for loss of or damage to personal items.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) In September 2019, we introduced our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme throughout the Senior School. The requirement for all pupils will be for them to bring an internet-enabled laptop or tablet with keyboard to school each day. Their device will become an essential route to access the best possible learning experiences. It will also become essential for managing and organising their work, and their workload.

Parents will receive a separate letter and leaflet explaining more about the BYOD programme including full details of specifications for devices, software required and policy and procedures. Briefly, pupils should: • •

•

•

•

Have their own device available for every lesson. Devices should be insured and should be carried in a protective case for transportation between home and school, and between lessons.

Devices should be fully charged at the beginning of each day. If battery power will not last the whole day, then pupils can use their own chargers in the sockets around school to charge their devices between lessons.

Pupils need to take the utmost care to ensure their device is kept safe through the day. They should keep their device safely in their bag, or leave it securely locked in their locker, when it is not needed.

Pupils will be given training on how to get the best out of their devices to support their learning early in the academic year. They will receive support in school for configuring their device, installing necessary software and fixing technical issues that might arise.

It is worth noting that all of the software that needs to be installed onto every device is provided free with the GDST’s and the school’s various software license agreements. All of the essential software for BYOD is therefore available for no additional cost. That said, anti-virus software is not provided. Free options do exist and pupils will be sign-posted to use these, but you may wish to consider purchasing the required virus protection for your daughter’s device

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Property, BYOD, Mobile Phones, Lockers, Drinking Water (continued) •

It is also worth noting that part of the Year 7 induction will include the setup of their devices, so there is no requirement for parents to configure accounts or install software unless they wish to.

If you have any questions after reading the additional letter and leaflet regarding BYOD, please contact Mr Lee Wills, Head of ICT (l.willis@ncl.gdst.net).

Mobile Telephones and other electronic devices Every pupil in Senior School should have an internet capable laptop or tablet with keyboard with them every school day. The prime purpose behind our BYOD approach is to ensure that every pupil has immediate access to important on-line learning opportunities when and wherever needed. BYOD is our approach to using technology to support learning, but girls may wish to have other devices in school, most specifically their mobile phone.

Our expectation is that pupils will not need their mobile phones during lessons. Of course, they should keep their devices safe, but during lessons, phones should be put away in a pocket, a bag or locked safely in a locker, with ringers disabled or phones set to Airplane mode. There will be occasions when mobile phones will have a place in lessons, but this will only be when directed by a teacher that this is the best way to support what is going on in the lesson.

Pupils in Years 7-10 are not allowed their mobile phones for personal use between the hours of 8.35-3.50.

We would be grateful if parents could support this rule by not contacting pupils on their phones between these times.

For pupils in Year 11, we will allow them the privilege of using their phones outside of timetabled lessons, as long as they adhere to the following expectations: •

• • • •

•

Pupils may use mobile phones and other internet-enabled devices before and after school, and during break and lunchtime sessions. They should not use them in corridors and when moving around school buildings so as to ensure they remain alert to their surroundings and their own safety as well as that of others.

They may not use mobile phones or other internet-enabled devices when eating their lunch in the Dining Hall.

Phones and devices other than BYOD devices must be switched off, or put into ‘airplane mode’ and set to silent, during lessons, unless the teacher of that lesson gives permission for them to be used.

If phones, or other devices, are used during lessons without a teacher’s permission, they may be confiscated until the end of the School day.

Pupils should not use any device to record other members of the school community in any way, without their express consent. This means, no photos, videos or screen and sound recordings of anyone without their knowledge and agreement, and in lessons, also only under the instruction of the teacher.

We encourage girls to make use of the School’s guest wireless network. If girls choose to attach their devices to the school’s guest wireless network, their internet use will be subject to the same filtering policies as if they were using their device or a school computer.

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Property, BYOD, Mobile Phones, Lockers, Drinking Water (continued) We are sure you will understand that the School cannot take responsibility for the safe use or care of any mobile phone or similar device. It is the responsibility of the individual pupil to look after their own equipment in school, and when travelling to and from school or when on any school trip. Pupils should ensure that their mobile phone is stored safely when not in use and locked in their locker during PE lessons, or at other times when they cannot keep their phones with them.

Lockers Each girl has a locker which she should secure with a padlock. Parents/girls should provide their own padlock (we recommend 32mm-40mm in width), but the School offers for sale a suitable padlock if you would to prefer to purchase it from us at a cost of £5 from Reprographics.

Please note that at times, rarely and in exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary for staff to search lockers along with other possessions such as bags and clothing: this will only be during school time with the girls who are affected present at the search. School staff can search for any item with pupil consent, or for prohibited items without consent. Prohibited items include: knives or weapons; alcohol; illegal drugs; vapes; stolen items; tobacco, cigarettes and papers; fireworks; pornographic images; other dangerous items. Prohibited items may be confiscated, disposed of, or handed to the police.

Lost Property If a pupil loses something, she should search thoroughly for it, then ask about it at Reception. She should inform her Form Teacher if the item cannot be found.

School Property Damage to school property must be paid for by the pupil who causes it.

Money If pupils do carry money and cards, it must be in a named purse.

We prefer pupilss to bring only minimal amounts of money to School. No money should be left around the School in unattended bags or unlocked lockers. If sums over £5.00 must be brought to School, they should be given to Reception for safe--keeping. The School will accept responsibility for sums of money. greater than £5.00 which are handed to Reception for safe-keeping but will not accept responsibility for the loss of money under any other circumstances.

Borrowing money in emergencies The Finance Office is able to lend money to girls who have lost or forgotten money so they can pay for travel home, but we ask that this is repaid the following school day.

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Property, BYOD, Mobile Phones, Lockers, Drinking Water (continued) Water bottles and drinking water Pupils may bring a re-usable water-bottle into School, which may be filled from the drinking fountains and mains–supply during the day. Pupils are permitted to take a drink of water at any time of the day, including during lessons, if they feel the need. The school actively discourages the use of single-use plastics. Refillable water bottles can be purchased from the reprographics office.

The exceptions to this rule are in the laboratories, the LRC, and the ICT suites, where food and drink are not permitted for Health and Safety reasons or to protect the books and equipment.

No hot drinks may be brought into School.

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Ideas for Year 7 reading Here is a list of books which we recommend, or which have been recommended to us.

As well as some classics, there are exciting new titles for you to enjoy.

Read some of these books in the holidays and be ready to write a review or join in a group discussion during the next term in English lessons. We are always interested to hear your recommendations, so why not keep a reading diary in which you note down the titles and authors of all the books you read, and give each one a star-rating? Happy reading!!

Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

Skellig

David Almond

Millions

Frank Cottrell Boyce

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

John Boyne

Boy / Going Solo

Roald Dahl

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

My Family and Other Animals

Gerald Durrell

The Book of the Banshee

Anne Fine

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Graham

The 13 Treasures

Michelle Harrison

Skulduggery Pleasant.

Derek Landy

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

C. S. Lewis

Stop the Train

Geraldine McCaughrean

Goodnight Mr. Tom

Michelle Magorian

Anne of Green Gables

L. M. Montgomery

The Railway Children

Edith Nesbit

The Borrowers

Mary Norton

Tom’s Midnight Garden

Phillipa Pearce

The Silver Sword

Ian Serraillier

Black Beauty

Anna Sewell

The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien

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Ideas for Year 8 reading Watership Down

Richard Adams

No Bed for Bacon

Caryl Brahms & S.J. Simon

Agnes Grey

Anne Bronte

Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Goggle Eyes

Anne Fine

Twopence to Cross the Mersey

Helen Forrester

Diary of Anne Frank

Anne Frank

The Snow Goose

Paul Gallico

Stories from Shakespeare

(eg: Garfield & Foreman)

The Owl Service

Alan Garner

The Phantom Tollbooth

Norton Juster

A Wizard of Earthsea

Ursula le Guin

A Pack of Lies

Geraldine McCaughrean

Private Peaceful

Michael Morpurgo

The Red Pony

John Steinbeck

The Amulet of Samarkand

Jonathan Stroud

Lark Rise to Candleford

Flora Thompson

The Sword in the Stone

T. H. White

Vicky Angel

Jacqueline Wilson

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Ideas for Year 9 reading Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

Pride & Prejudice

Jane Austen

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Anne Bronte

Wuthering Heights

Emily Bronte

Looking for JJ

Anne Cassidy

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Rebecca

Daphne du Maurier

The Tulip Touch

Anne Fine

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Mark Haddon

Cider with Rosie

Laurie Lee

Chinese Cinderella

Adeline Yen Mah

Northern Lights

Philip Pullman

Wide Sargasso Sea

Jean Rhys

Short Stories

Saki

I Capture the Castle

Dodie Smith

Let the Circle be Unbroken

Mildred Taylor

Daughter of Time

Josephine Tey

Broken Soup

Jenny Valentine

The Kingdom by the Sea

Robert Westall

The Illustrated Mum

Jacqueline Wilson

Jeeves

P. G. Wodehouse

The Chrysalids

John Wyndham

The Book Thief

Marcus Zusak

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Ideas for Year 10 and 11 reading Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen

The L-Shaped Room

Lynne Reid Banks

Noughts and Crosses

Malorie Blackman

Lucas

Kevin Brooks

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Tracy Chevalier

The Mill on the Floss

George Eliot

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

A Room With a View

E.M. Forster

Cold Comfort Farm

Stella Gibbons

Brighton Rock

Graham Greene

Far From the Madding Crowd

Thomas Hardy

The Go Between

L.P. Hartley

I’m the King of the Castle

Susan Hill

Heat & Dust

Ruth Prawher Jhabvala

Sons and Lovers

D.H. Lawrence

The Carbon Diaries

Saci Lloyd

1984

George Orwell

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Muriel Spark

The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck

Doctor Jekyll & Mr Hyde

R.L. Stevenson

Anita and Me

Meera Syal

Under Milk Wood

Dylan Thomas

The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R.Tolkien

39

Medical Issues and the School Nurse The School Nurse may be contacted during the School Day via Reception (telephone 0191 2811768), or email v.wilson@ncl.gdst.net. The Nurse is situated near Reception on the ground floor of the Dame Catherine Cookson Building on the Tankerville Terrace site. The Nurse’s role is to promote the health, wellbeing and protection of the pupils in the school community, through clinically effective, high quality nursing care.

Medical Records and Health Checks For every pupil, a Pupil Health Assessment Form should be completed and signed by a parent or guardian and returned to School. This is sent to all parents when girls join the School or when they transfer between Year 6 and 7. These forms should be completed and returned prior to admission.

All pupils have a health-check in Year 7. During these checks general health and welfare is discussed; height and weight are also monitored. If there is anything you wish to discuss with the Nurse before your daughter is seen, the Nurse is very happy to speak to/meet parents. You will be notified prior to the health assessments taking place.

Illness and Accidents It is assumed that all pupils attending School are healthy and fit enough to cope with the School day without leaving lessons for medical attention. The School Nurse and first aid qualified staff are there for accidents, emergencies and illnesses that occur during the course of the School day. For minor injuries and ailments, in the first instance the pupils will be cared for by the designated First Aider in the area in which they are working. This will enable them to receive prompt treatment without the need to locate the Nurse, and reduce the amount of time they are absent from lessons.

If your child has been absent from School because of vomiting or diarrhoea, please note that it is school policy that she stay away for 48 hours after she has become symptom free, to prevent cross infection.

If a pupil is too unwell to remain in School then the Nurse or first aid trained staff at reception will contact her parents so that she may be taken home, or inform parents if the pupil needs to be taken to hospital.

Any pupil who has had an accident requiring urgent medical treatment will be taken to the RVI in Newcastle.

In addition to the normal First Aid cover available in school, the Nurse will usually be available in the Medical Room for general consultation at the following times (unless she is off-site at Junior School or elsewhere): Morning break Lunch times

11.10 - 11.30 12.30 -13.35

Generally healthy pupils attending school should be able to manage their day around these times, without the need to leave lessons.

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Medical Issues and the School Nurse (continued) So, whilst the Nurse will deal with serious medical issues such as allergic reactions, accidents, breathing difficulties, breaks/sprains, etc., epilepsy and hypoglycaemia, pupils will not be allowed to ask to leave lessons to get paracetamol for cramps, headaches, etc. or because they feel vaguely and generally unwell.

Headaches should normally wait until the recognised times or until the pupil returns home. Exceptions would be a headache coming on suddenly causing a pupil to become distressed, and then help should be sought.

NHSG is committed to teaching and building resilience in the pupils and an important part of that is encouraging pupils to take care of their own health as they grow and to develop essential coping skills.

We do not encourage pupils to take unnecessary medication in School; however, the pupils are permitted to carry small quantities of paracetamol or other simple pain relief medication, for their own personal use.

In addition, they are also encouraged to seek out simple strategies and alternatives to medication, such as fresh air, gentle exercise and drinking sufficient quantities of water.

Pupils should not telephone parents to ask to be picked up because they are feeling unwell. Instead contact will be made by a member of staff such as the School Nurse, or other designated First Aiders including Reception. We will try not to send your child home during the School day unless she is genuinely unwell and unable to cope with lessons.

The Nurse supports girls to deal with various health conditions and wellbeing issues, such as asthma, diabetes, mental health and sexual health issues. The Nurse works with the School Pastoral Team, families and external agencies in order to support each pupil’s health needs and enable her to attend School.

Medication in School If at all possible, medicine should be given at home and not in School. However, in certain circumstances there may be occasions when a pupil requires prescription medicine during the school day. Parents are asked to complete the Administration of Prescribed Medication in School consent form which can be issued on request by the School Nurse. Girls can carry their own medications such as inhalers, insulin pens, antihistamine or Epipens for anaphylactic shock. They are also permitted to carry paracetamol or simple pain relief medication, for their own personal use, and self-administer only when necessary.

Parents are responsible for monitoring whether their child has taken medication during the School day.

When you sign the health assessment form/medical consent form, you are giving your consent to the School Nurse or another designated First-Aider to administer over the counter medicines when appropriate.

Medication given in School will be documented in your child’s planner, and on the School’s electronic system. Spare emergency medications must be left at Reception. Parents are responsible for providing the emergency medication and need to note the expiry date and replace the medication when necessary.

Prescription Medicines

These should be in a dispensed container with the pupil’s name, name of medicine, directions for use and the date of dispensing. Non-prescription medicine should also be in the original container with instructions.

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Medical Issues and the School Nurse (continued) Asthma Pupils with asthma are encouraged to participate in all school activities and for their asthma to be well managed. Please ensure that pupils have their inhalers with them at all times, clearly marked with their name. Please provide a spare, named inhaler, to be kept at main Reception. Parents are responsible for providing the inhalers to be kept in School and need to note the expiry date of the inhaler and replace it when necessary.

From 1st October 2014 the Human medicines (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2014 allows schools to buy salbutamol inhalers, without prescription, for use in emergencies. The emergency salbutamol inhaler should only be used by children for whom written parental consent for use of the emergency inhaler has been given, who have either been diagnosed with asthma and prescribed an inhaler, or who have been prescribed an inhaler as reliever medication. Information and consent forms will be sent to parents who have informed us their daughter has an inhaler.

Nut allergies Nuts should not be brought in to School, as there is a risk to pupils who suffer severe allergic reactions.

From 1st October 2017 the Human medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 allows schools to buy Adrenaline Auto Injectors, without prescription, for use in emergencies. The emergency Adrenaline Auto Injector (AAI) should only be used by children, for whom written parental consent for use of the emergency AAI has been given, who have been diagnosed with anaphylaxis and prescribed an AAI. Information and consent forms will be sent to parents who have informed us their daughter has an AAI.

Health Care Plans Health Care Plans detail the level of support that School may provide for a pupil who has significant needs resulting from a medical condition or illness, particularly in an emergency e.g. Anaphylaxis, Asthma, Diabetes and Epilepsy. These are arranged with the parent, School Nurse, health professional and School as necessary.

Immunisations

The School works closely with the NHS Community Team on immunisation programmes such as the HPV vaccination programme for girls in Year 8, and Diptheria/Tetanus and Polio, and Meningococcal ACWY in Year 9.

Mental health in School NHSG and the GDST are aware of the challenges faced by young people, and the impact on their mental health. There are several events over the school year to increase awareness of mental health, as well as regular training for staff on mental health. The school nurse, the school counsellor and staff support pupils with mental health concerns, as well as supporting parents to access appropriate external support and advice. Please see p.50 for links to useful information.

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Medical Issues and the School Nurse (continued) Newcastle NHS C-Card Scheme NHSG recognises the need to support pupils in all aspects of their health. Pupils over the age of 13 are able to access confidential sexual health advice and contraception (condoms) in school provided they have demonstrated sufficient maturity and are Gillick competent. Pupils will always be encouraged to talk to their parents/guardians. Any safeguarding concerns disclosed in a confidential setting will be reported according with the safeguarding policy. There is more information on this service on the following link: https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/services/sexual-health/c-card/

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) The Nurse supports the teaching staff by being involved in PSHE. She covers a range of subjects including sex and relationships, hygiene and healthy eating. We also work with external agencies to provide relevant PSHE sessions.

Counselling in School We have our own School Counsellor who works with the pupils three days a week. The counsellor sees pupils for a number of reasons, and this gives pupils the opportunity to explore their thoughts and feelings in a safe and structured environment. More information is available from the School Counsellor or the School Nurse, and also on Firefly.

Confidentiality in School The school nurse and school counsellor follow their professional codes of practice (BACP and NMC) and are able to provide confidential support and advice to pupils over the age of 13, provided they have sufficient maturity. Pupils will always be encouraged to talk to their parents/guardians. Any safeguarding concerns disclosed in a confidential setting will be reported and follow the safeguarding policy.

External agencies The Nurse often works with external agencies and parents to provide additional support to those pupils who require it.

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Policy information Pupil Code of Behaviour The pupil Code of Behaviour is part of the Discipline and Behaviour for Learning Policy.

All pupils have a summary of the Code of Behaviour in their planner. At the beginning of the academic year, and at other times, staff go through the Code of Behaviour with the girls so they are fully aware of its contents. This includes our system of sanctions and rewards.

Pupils who breach the Behaviour for Learning Policy and Pupil Code of Behaviour whilst on school business, will be dealt with in the same manner as if the incident had taken place in School.

For incidents that take place outside of School and not on school business, these policies will still apply if there is a clear link between that behaviour and maintaining good behaviour and discipline among the pupil body as a whole. This includes bullying behaviour within the school community, behaviour in the immediate vicinity of the School or on a journey to or from School, or online or using other electronic devices such as mobile phones.

A copy of the Discipline and Behaviour for Learning Policy and the Pupils’ Code of Behaviour is available on the School website.

ICT Acceptable Use Agreement and related policies The ICT Acceptable Use Agreement is issued to all new pupils on entry to the School and to current pupils whenever it is revised and updated by the School or GDST. It contains guidelines concerning the use of ICT in and out of School. Any infringement of the ICT Acceptable Use Agreement is taken seriously and may result in sanctions being imposed.

Although not connected to school business, behaviour out of school hours which breaches the ICT Acceptable Use Agreement – such as nasty messages sent by text, email or through social media - will be dealt with in the same way as if the behaviour had taken place in school hours.

We ask you to monitor your child’s use of electronic communication and all messaging and social networking sites.

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Policies The following policies are available on Firefly and the external website: •

Admissions

•

Anti-bullying

•

Complaints Procedure (GDST)

•

Equal Opportunities Statement

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Exclusions (GDST)

•

English as an Additional Language

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First Aid

•

Health and Safety

•

Safeguarding and Child Protection

•

Safeguarding Procedures

•

Discipline and Behaviour for Learning

•

SEND Policy and Procedures

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Pastoral Information from the Pupil Planner: where to turn for help…

We all need extra help at times and this page is designed to give you some ideas about how you might find that help.

If you have an accident or feel unwell during the school day Go to the known first-aider in the area of the School you are in, this will usually be the Faculty Technician.

If they feel you need further treatment, they will advise you to see the Nurse. When the Nurse is off-site, teaching or in other meetings, Reception will contact a first-aider. If, during lessons, you feel seriously ill, speak to your teacher, who will seek help from a first-aider or send you to the Medical Room to see the Nurse. You should not ask to leave lessons to get paracetamol for cramps, headaches, etc. or because you feel vaguely or generally unwell. As long as your parents are aware and happy for you to take paracetamol, you may bring a small quantity in for your own personal use, without the need to see the Nurse.

If you have an accident or feel unwell during break and lunchtimes you can go to see the Nurse in the Medical Room. Alternatively you can go to Reception who will contact a first aider.

If you are not well enough to stay in School your parents will be contacted and asked to collect you. You should not telephone your parents directly.

NHSG encourages you to take care of you own health as you grow. We encourage you to seek out simple strategies and alternatives to medication, such as fresh air, gentle exercise and water.

The Nurse is available to talk to, offer advice and discuss problems or worries regarding health concerns or other issues, such as friendship issues, relationships and healthy eating.

If you need help or have worries about friendships or bullying We want you to be happy and enjoy your life at NHSG. However, there may be times when you feel worried or unhappy about something. It doesn’t matter if it is something to do with the School or another part of your life. You might want to talk to your friends but if not you can talk to any member of staff you trust or feel comfortable with. This may be your Form Teacher, Subject Teacher, Year Head, or any other teacher; it may also be the School Nurse, Mrs Franks-Doyle, or Mr Tippett. The staff have experience in dealing with these sorts of problems and all of them will be able to offer you help if you approach them.

The Head Girl, Sixth Form Leadership Team, Sixth Form Buddies, and Anti-Bullying Ambassadors will also be happy to help you or to find the best person to talk to.

You could also arrange to see the School Nurse at a time agreeable to you both. All problems brought to the School Nurse are confidential between you and the Nurse but sometimes may need to be shared with others. The Nurse will always discuss this with you before making any disclosure to a third party.

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Pastoral Information from the Pupil Planner: where to turn for help School counselling NHSG has a qualified counsellor who works in School three days a week. Counselling offers a safe place to help you understand your thoughts and feelings, and find ways of coping. The counsellor can help with various issues such as stress over exams, friendship difficulties, family issues and difficult feelings. Please see the School Counsellor or the School Nurse for more information.

The School has a Safeguarding Policy, which is set out to help and guide staff to safeguard your welfare in any area of your life.

Useful websites and numbers, which could be of help, if you do not feel able to share your worries at home or at School:Useful websites and numbers Childline

0800 11 11 www.childline.org.uk

Eating Disorders Youth Line

08456 34 76 50 www.b-eat.co.uk

Papyrus (Youth suicide prevention)

0800 068 4141 www.papyrus-uk.org

Samaritans

08457 90 90 90 www.samaritans/org.uk Text: 07725 909090

Self-injury support

www.selfinjurysupport.org.uk Text: 07800472908

Streetwise

www.streetwisenorth.org.uk

Young minds

www.youngminds.org.uk Parent Helpline: 0808 802 5544

Winston’s Wish (for bereaved children)

0808 020 021 www.winstonswish.org.uk

If you want to make a complaint Sometimes you may wish to complain if you feel you have been unfairly treated or if you have suffered bullying, verbal or physical abuse. Perhaps you may feel your privacy has not been respected or maybe you have had something stolen or damaged.

If so, you may complain to any member of staff and take a friend with you if you wish. You may also make a written complaint to your Head of Year, Mrs Franks-Doyle or Mr Tippett.

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