Welcome to your new schoolThis is the session where you, the parent/carers get to ask any questions you have prior to the students starting in September.

No question is irrelevant! Don’t go away wishing you had asked something!

A Reminder of Key people:• Mr O’Brien (Head of Lower School)• Miss Hiscoke (Deputy Head of Lower School –

responsible for progress)• Your Key Stage Co-ordinator Judith Garland

(first contact for parents)

• Your Form tutor• Peer Mentors – Year 9 students assigned to your

Form Group

• Befrienders – Year 8 students you have informally swapped contact details with (if you wanted to)

I am your form tutor• Fill this space as you wish…

Registration• Registration is a legal requirement.

• Takes place at the start of period one (8.45) and at the start of period four (13.30)

• If a pupil arrives late they must sign in with Carol/ Gill in the attendance office

• 3 lates = a half an hour after-school detention.

• Please phone the school on each day of absence.

• For planned for absence – get a form from reception.

Illness:• We want to keep students in school.

• If pupils feel unwell: sent to Key Stage Co-ordinator.

• If necessary parents will be called to collect the child- the pupil should not call home themselves!

• On leaving the school the pupil must sign out at reception

• Medication: (i) None is administered without prior arrangement. (ii) No paracetamol is issued either!

Attendance

• Attendance is really important• Aiming for 95% for all students• 95% is 9.5 days off – 47.5 hours of teaching missed!• 90% is 19 days off – 95 hours of teaching.•We reward students for really good attendance.• Students who end up on less than 90% will not be allowed on the Rewards Trip.

Filofaxes:• Each pupil is given one on their first day of term. • They stick their timetables in here.

• Each day pupils write HW into it.

• From September 2012 all homework will be available to see online via the school website www.neatherd.org.

There will be an emphasis on project style tasks.

• Parents sign filofax once a week. Notes to tutors can be written in the spaces also. Please communicate as much as possible.

Uniform:• Requirements are detailed in the ‘Intake Booklet’

and Pupil Filofax.

• Be aware that:• Blazers- not hoodies, fleeces etc..• Socks – brown or black.• Shoes- not trainers. If there is an issue with shoes,

please provide your child with a note for the reason. • Makeup- not appropriate.• Trousers – tailored, not skinny.• Jewellery: (i) Earrings- studs only, no hoops.

(ii) Body/ Facial Jewellery- not allowed.

(iii)No excessive jewellery.

Mobile Phones and MP3 players• These are banned.• The mobile phone and MP3 players/ music

devices should be put away in the pupil’s bag throughout the school day- including lunch and break. • If the pupil needs to contact their parent they

may use the reception phone, if urgent.• If a parent needs to contact their child- they

may do so through reception. • Mobile phones can only be collected via

reception by parents/ carers.

Form Time• Takes place every day, between 9.45 and

10.10am.• During form time, students will:

A)Attend assemblies – two a week.B)Be mentored, one to one or in small groups by

their form tutor.C)Hear from their school council representative.D)Read silently whilst the form tutor collates merit

points.E)Work with peer mentors.F)Take part in form time sessions linked to our

theme of the half term. Recent themes have been Respect, Honesty, Leadership…

Merit Points• Meritpoints• Meritpoint certificates and badges• Congratulations certificates• Subject postcards• Excellence Certificates• Wall of Fame• Star of the Week

• RAFFLE! – every 4 weeks• Rewards trips eg Pleasurebeach, Cinema and Shopping

and Norfolk Show. More to come.• Discos

In the canteen:• Refreshments available. Tea, coffee

and biscuits available.• Bird’s School Uniform supplier.• Alison Thompson – Parent Support

Advisor.

• Mr O’Brien – Head of Lower school• Miss Hiscoke – Deputy Head of Lower

School• Mrs Williamson - SEND

• Senior Leadership Team

Over the summer…• It would be nice to spend the first half an hour of

the first day talking in our form groups about we have done over the summer.

• Try and write a postcard to your new form tutor (note down their name now!) about something nice you have done over the six weeks.

• Bring it in on the first day.

Questions…