The Central Way

The Central Way A guide for pupils and parents

The Central Way is the way we do things around here. The way which Central expects its students to conduct themselves both in school and outside of school as members of our community.

This guide will provide you lots of information about the high standards we expect.

It gives you information about:

 Central SHINES  The Central uniform  Our school day  Classroom expectations  Excellent behaviour for learning  Attendance  Homework expectations  Online and social media guidance  Our student support services  Communication with school

Central SHINES is really important to us. It sums up what we want for every single member of our Team Central community.

For our school to be the very best we want to make sure that everyone at Central SHINES by:      

Setting the highest expectations High quality teaching Individual progress for all students Nurturing respect Embracing our community Shaping futures

We have a series of principles which help us on our way to making sure everyone SHINES     

Students are at the heart of every decision we make Relationships are central to our success We strive together towards shared goals We experience shared reward We offer choice and challenge; our curriculum and wider learning opportunities are as unique as every child in the school

The Central Uniform

First impressions count!

At Central Lancaster High School, we ask our students to wear their uniform with pride and to represent the high expectations of our school.

Our school uniform can be purchased from Uniform and Leisure Ltd, Common Garden Street, Lancaster.         

Black blazer with school logo Clip-on school tie Black CLHS skirt only or black school trousers White shirt or blouse with top button fastened Black knitted V neck jumper (optional) Black or white socks or tights Plain black shoes (no trainers, no boots) Suitable outdoor coat (no denim, leather or hooded tracksuit tops etc.)

Central Lancaster P.E. kit as supplied by uniform shop (hoodie is optional)

Expectations and examples Students should be clean and tidy, shirts are to be worn tucked in.

Skirts should be no more than 10cm above the knee, skirts should not be rolled over.

The blazer is compulsory and must be worn at all times.

The jumper is an extra and not to be worn instead of the blazer.

Trousers should be appropriate school trousers, not be drainpipe but straight. No black jeans or leggings.

The school tie is a clip-on and it is not acceptable to take the clip off and wear it as a short tie. Students will be expected to buy another tie if they do this.

Coloured nail varnish is not allowed, acrylic nails must be short in length, natural in colour and with rounded tips. Jewellery (including earrings and bangles) is NOT allowed. No facial piercings are allowed.

No extreme hairstyles are allowed and hair must be natural in colour. Hair should be tied up for PE, Science, practical subjects and when asked.

Make-up and fake tan should be minimal and natural with no false eyelashes.

Hats are not to be worn inside and baseball caps are not allowed.

Footwear plain black school shoes are our expectation. These must be plain black in colour only. Trainers are NOT permitted.

School bags or rucksacks should be waterproof, black, navy or grey in colour and large enough to carry exercise books, school equipment and an A4 folder.

Our School Day Start School Starts Tutor Time Period 1 Period 2 Break Period 3 Period 4 Lunch Period 5 School Ends Compulsory Exam Sessions Tues & Wed (Year 11 only)

8:40 am 8:45 am 9:05 am 10:05 am 11:05 am 11:20 am 12:20 pm 1:20 pm 2:00 pm

3:05 pm

End 9:05 am 10:05 am 11:05 am 11:20 am 12:20 pm 1:20 pm 2:00 pm 3:05 pm 3:05 pm 3:45 pm

Students are NOT allowed to leave the school premises at lunchtime.

8:45 am to 9:05 am ACE/ARC/Tutor time PLUS one day a week assembly slot for year groups ACE = Aspiration, Character and Endeavour and enrichment activities ARC = All reading in class Exam Sessions will be compulsory for all Year 11 pupils

Classroom Expectations My learning SHINES when…

Everyone in the class follows common routines and meets highest expectations. It is the responsibility of every student to follow these expectations.

Orderly start and end to the lesson – students standing behind chairs at start and end of the lesson Correct equipment is used based on the class teacher’s expectations Immaculate uniform at all times Students are punctual to school and to classes

No interruptions to the class

Instructions are followed on the 1st time of asking Follow the teacher’s insistence on silence All homework is completed

I take pride in my work and follow these guidelines for great presentation 1. Put the date on the right hand side and underline 2. Underline the title/sub-headings 3. I use blue or black pen unless otherwise told (no felt tipped pens or turquoise etc.)

4. I put one line through mistakes 5. I do not scribble/graffiti in my exercise books 6. I use my neatest handwriting 7. I glue worksheets neatly into my book Plus, any other subject specific rules and guidelines.

All students are challenged  Thinking hard, trying hard and working hard is our expectation  Developing resilience is key  “Let’s have a go” replaces “I can’t do it”

Work shows evidence of high quality feedback and student/teacher dialogue  Teachers will follow the Central marking and feedback policy and students are expected to respond appropriately to feedback to develop learning.

Excellent Behaviour for Learning We strongly believe that all individuals at Central Lancaster High School have a right to learn; we also believe that no individual has a right to disrupt the learning of any other student.

These principles underpin our ethos of developing a positive behaviour for learning culture for all.

All members of the Central community have the same rights, responsibilities and rules: Rights  To feel safe at school  To learn to the best of their ability  To be treated with respect Responsibilities  To ensure you allow others to feel safe at school  To ensure that you allow everyone to learn to the best of their ability  To ensure that you treat everyone with respect  To have excellent attendance and punctuality Rules     

I will respect other people and their property I will do as I am asked by all members of staff I will be well mannered and helpful at all times I will attend lessons in full uniform, on time and “ready to learn” I will not refuse any reasonable request from any member of staff

Attendance There is a direct link between good school attendance and student achievement. As a school we always aim for and encourage 100% attendance but we expect a 96% or more attendance rate from your child. The chart below explains the comparison between days absent and percentage attendance.

We reward students with great attendance through a number of initiatives and we closely monitor students whose attendance falls short of our expectations.

Days Weeks absent absent % from from Attendance school school 1 99.5% 2

-

99%

3

-

98.5%

4

-

98%

5

1 Week

97.5%

Good Attendance

10 Requires Improvement

15

2 weeks 3 Weeks

4 Weeks 5 25 Weeks 20

95% 92.5%

90% 87.5%

30

6 Weeks

85%

35

7 Weeks

82.5%

40

8 Weeks

80%

Requires great improvement

We will communicate with parents regularly about attendance and we will invite parents into school to discuss attendance where necessary. Should your child have an appointment e.g. with the doctor or dentist in school time, please send a letter with them or write a note in your child’s planner. If you would like to discuss attendance at any time, please do not hesitate to contact the school’s Attendance Officer, Michael Aldren on 01524 32636, via our text messaging service on 07624812294 or by using the contact form below.

Homework expectations Homework is an essential part of secondary school and enables students to develop independent learning skills. Class teachers will set homework and it is our expectation that this is completed in full and on time.

We ask for support from parents in ensuring homework completion is treated with importance.

Online and Social Media Guidance Electronic communication systems such as social networks, blogs, mobile phones, and email have become increasingly important in our daily lives and often have important benefits but, as we all know, there are also risks to be considered.

Access to the Internet can take place almost anywhere at any time and it is important that students, teachers, and parents are aware of the risks and know how to use modern technologies appropriately and are able to discuss the issues in school, at home, and between friends, and what actions to take when something goes wrong.

On our website you will find web links, documents and information about online safety so you can decide what is right for your family when using the Internet and associated technologies.

We allow our students to have their phones in school so that they can contact their parents on their way to school and on their way home. Phones are not to be used in school/lessons unless authorised by the member of staff in charge.

Our student support services We have three key things that we are keen to ensure for our students; that they are safe, happy and successful. At Central we are committed to working with you to try and meet these aims.

We have a range of very strong student support services and systems in school and these may be accessed at different times during your school life at Central.

The first port of call is your Form Tutor, they are always available to give you help, guidance and support. Form Tutors are supported by Achievement Leaders who have an overview of each student’s progress across all subject areas.

Key contacts for you when making communication with school are: Form Tutor Achievement Leaders: Miss Carr (Years 7 and 8), Mr Sheard (Year 9) and Mr Moore (Year 10 and 11) Assistant Achievement Leader: Mr Clark (all years) Student Support Officers: Mrs Miller, Mrs Kelly and Mrs Guppy Director of Behaviour for Learning: Mr Williams Director of Impact: Mr Mackie For individual subject queries you should make contact with the individual class teacher.

In partnership with school We ask you as parents to be supportive of the expectations that are outlined in The Central Way and to support our school rules which extend beyond this booklet.

The first port of call for information about the school is always our school website. We will communicate with you via email and text message predominantly with copies of school letters being placed on our website. You should let us know if you have no access to these methods of digital communication so that we may send you paper copies.

We ask you to work with us in partnership; we understand that you always have your child’s best interests at heart, as do we. For parents this sometimes creates anxieties and frustration, however, at Central Lancaster High School we will not tolerate physical or verbal abuse, intimidating or aggressive behaviour directed towards any member of the CLHS school community and will take appropriate action to calm and diffuse any situation that may arise, in a fair and consistent manner.

We ask you to be respectful: ‘We will be polite to you and show you respect; in return we ask the same of you’.