The Student in School

On entry all of our students are placed into a mixed ability tutor group and assigned to a tutor. Tutor groups are the basis of our Guidance and Welfare system. We believe that membership of these groups helps students to settle in and gives them a sense of security and belonging. We take careful note of friendship groups, information from Primary Schools and parents' wishes when assigning students to tutor groups.

The tutor is the first point of contact for all routine matters regarding students. They meet their group every day and monitor welfare as well as academic progress. The Heads of Year oversee all the tutor groups in a specific year group and the Head of Guidance & Welfare has overall responsibility for this system.

We value the views of all our students. Every tutor group sends representatives to The School Council. This group meets regularly to discuss issues raised by students and to inform the Senior Leadership Team of student opinions and suggestions. The Council also has a fundraising role and actively supports several charities.

We all work together to make our school happy, productive, secure, caring and orderly. This creates an atmosphere in which all of us, students, teachers and other staff can achieve our potential.

The rules which guide us are based on our Code of Conduct. This is based on common sense and mutual respect. We expect all students to adhere to it. If a student allows their standard of behaviour or work to slip, we work to help them to rethink their attitudes. Discipline here is aimed to be constructive as well as corrective. We all make mistakes; it is part of growing up. What is important is that we learn from them.

We greatly value the support of parents and carers in helping us to create a positive approach to learning amongst all our students. We believe in establishing a culture in which students are proud to celebrate their successes and those of others. All parents will receive a copy of our Home-School Agreement.

We have a range of sanctions including lunchtime and after school detentions. Parents will always be informed, at least a day in advance, of detention after school. We ask parents to accept responsibility for safe transport home in such cases.

Bullying and Racism

We have active policies on Bullying and Racism. We aim to address issues in a sensible and sympathetic way. We recognise that both bully and victim need help and support. All incidents are investigated and recorded in the Bullying Register. Copies of the Policies are available from the School Office. Incidents of racist behaviour or racial bullying are recorded in a separate register. Parents are always informed. Both bullying and racism are addressed formally through the PSHE programme of study. Between September 2007 and July 2008 we registered 6 incidents of bullying and 2 incidents of racism. These are regarded by Ofsted as extremely low figures.

ATTENDANCE IS VITAL

We rely on the support of parents to ensure regular and punctual attendance. We all realise that the long term effects of poor attendance can be very serious. Any unauthorised absence will show on students' attendance records. It is essential we are informed in advance of any planned absence. We can only authorise absences for certain clearly defined reasons. A special Holiday Request form is available where, in exceptional circumstances, a family holiday unavoidably coincides with term-time. This should not exceed two weeks per year. Holiday leave will be granted only at the discretion of the Head of Guidance & Welfare and only when the paper procedures have been followed. The Education Welfare Office asks us to stress that in law "No parent can demand leave of absence for the purposes of a holiday as a right". Records of a student's attendance are available at any time from tutors and are sent home with official reports.

The school's attendance record is above the national average; the vast majority of our students come to school enthusiastically.

The tables below show the statistics for authorised and unauthorised absence.

Absence Report 2007 - 2008

This report covers the period September 2007 up to 23rd May 2008

The number of students who attended the school	737
The number of student sessions (number of Students x days x am/pm)	221,552
The number of student sessions missed due to an authorised absence	13,689
The number of student sessions missed due to an unauthorised absence	178
No. of students with at least one authorised absence	701
No. of students with at least one unauthorised absence	19
% of sessions missed due to authorised absence	6.2%
% of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence	0.1%

When a student returns to school after any absence we ask parents to provide a written note to the tutor. Alternatively, the School Office can take telephone messages. All students arriving late must report to the school office. Our Education Welfare Officer monitors student attendance weekly and is actively involved in following up cases of poor attendance.

ILLNESS

If your son or daughter is really ill, please keep him or her at home. Where a child is taken ill in school it may be necessary for us to contact you. It is vitally important that we have an up-to-date emergency contact number for all students. Where any student needs immediate or emergency medical treatment we will take them to the Health Centre in Church Stretton. Parents will, of course, be contacted as soon as possible. Any medication which students need to bring to school MUST be left in the school office.

LEAVING THE SCHOOL DURING THE DAY

Only those students who go home for lunch may leave the premises at lunchtime. This can be arranged via the Head of Year. In exceptional circumstances, students may obtain an exeat (one day pass) to leave school during their lunch hour. This will only be issued on receipt of a parental letter.

Doctor or dentist appointment cards should be shown to the tutor.

STUDENTS MUST ALWAYS REPORT TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE WHEN LEAVING AND RETURNING TO SCHOOL.

UNIFORM

We have a compulsory school uniform developed in consultation with parents, students and staff. Full details of the uniform and our philosophy are given in Appendix 1.

AROUND THE SCHOOL

Our students are welcome to use the school site between 8.30 am and 4.00 pm on school days. Outside of these times they should be supervised by a member of staff or have clear permission, in advance.

We expect everyone to respect and care for the school environment. It is the responsibility of all of us, including students, to see that classrooms, corridors, toilet areas and the school grounds are kept clean and tidy. Ample waste bins are provided around the site and we do not tolerate litter!

If a student damages any part of the furnishings or fabric of the school they should report it immediately to a member of staff. Where damage is deliberate the student may be asked to repair it. If this is not possible we may ask the student or parents to contribute to the cost of repair.

LUNCHTIMES

We have a cafeteria system offering a wide range of meals and snacks. Students can choose a fixed price menu or a selection from the jacket potato/pasta/salad bar, the hot food counter or the sandwiches and snacks bar. We encourage students to choose balanced meals and healthy options. They can, of course, bring their own packed lunch to eat in the dining hall. We do not allow food or drink to be taken out of the dining hall at any time.

The cafeteria also operates a tuck shop during morning break. A range of hot and cold snacks, fruit and drinks is available. We have drinks vending machines and water fountains available to students outside of lesson times. All our students are encouraged to bring plastic, sports type water bottles to school. They are allowed these in lessons as well as breaks and lunchtimes. Students are not allowed to bring carbonated (fizzy) or sugary drinks

At lunchtime all students have access to a common room where they can relax, meet friends and socialise. They also have a work room for quiet study. There are rules regarding the use of these rooms which we expect all students to respect. Games are allowed on the field and students are encouraged to go outside, weather permitting.

SAFETY

This is everyone's responsibility. We ask our students (and parents!) to co-operate with us to ensure the smooth and safe running of the school.

In particular, students must not bring the following into school:

game boy type computers
skateboards
rollerskates/blades
toy/fake/real guns, knives, weapons
any other items which could cause disruption, offence or danger to others

The following items are also banned:

liquid tippex
chewing gum

This is a non-smoking school. Smoking is strictly forbidden in school, on the way to and from school, while in uniform or while representing the school. Cigarettes, alcohol, drugs or any other such substance are strictly banned from school.

There are obviously some areas of the school that can only be safely used under the direct supervision of a member of staff. These include the science laboratories, craft, design and technology rooms, the gymnasiums, swimming pool, drama studio and art rooms. Students are not permitted to use these areas unless a member of staff is present.

PERSONAL PROPERTY

This is a large community and keeping track of personal possessions can be difficult. Items which are lost or mislaid are taken to the school office. If named, they are retuned to the owner. The following points are explained to all students:

All clothes, kit and personal items should be clearly named.
Lost/missing items should be reported to the Tutor or Head of Year (after enquiring at the office).
PE kit/towels should be taken home for washing at least once a week.
All belongings should be cleared before school holidays.
Expensive cameras, watches, stereos, etc should not be brought into school
Money should never be left in coats or bags. The school office is always prepared to keep large sums safe until students need them.
Money, watches and valuables should be removed for PE, Games and Drama. The member of staff in charge will have a safe storage box for these items.
Personal stereos/iPods are allowed for student use at break and lunchtimes. They must not be worn in lessons and should not have external speakers.

MOBILE PHONES

We recognise that mobile phones can contribute a great deal to our students' safety. Mobile phones are allowed in school but must only be used at break and lunchtimes. We encourage our students to use their phones responsibly, in particular the use of camera phones to take photographs of individuals (staff or students) is prohibited.

There is a payphone in the school foyer available to students. Students should not be contacted in school other than via the school office and we encourage them to contact home only via the office.

TRANSPORT

Students must remain seated and wear their seat belt on all school buses, this includes the school minibus. Only in exceptional, pre-arranged circumstances can students be dropped off anywhere other than home or school. We encourage all students getting off our buses to wait for the bus to move away first, before they cross the road.

Our school buses are organised by the Education Authority. We will, of course, help parents with queries or concerns.

Behaviour on buses is monitored by senior students. All students have an allocated seat, fixed on a seating plan. Our students are often commended on their behaviour on school transport. However we deal seriously with any incidents of bullying, smoking or bad behaviour.

CYCLING

We have purpose made cycle racks in front of the school office - these are the only ones that students should use. Secondary school students should NOT use the Primary School cycle racks.

We expect all students who cycle to school to use commonsense and to consider the safety of others as well as themselves. For instance:

Dismount at the gate
Ride in single file (not on the pavement)
Wear a helmet
Make sure they have working front and rear lights