In Year Admissions - Welcome Booklet

The School Day

08.30-08.55 - Registration/Assembly
08.55-09.55 - Period 1
09.55-10.55 - Period 2
10.55-11:15 - Break
11:15-12:15 - Period 3
12.15-13:15 - Period 4
13.15-13.55 - Lunch
13.55-14.55 - Period 5

Students should arrive at school by 8.20am and be in their form room by 8.28am, following the warning bell.Students should be dropped in Wharf Road if travelling by car. Please do not drive into the school campus.

Students arriving late must sign in with the Attendance Officer up until 8.55am. After that time the students will need to sign in late on the Chromebook outside the Medical Room.

Tutor Groups
Students are placed in mixed ability tutor groups, which are carefully arranged by our admissions team, where there is space.

In the overall education of each student, the Form Tutor is very important, being directly responsible for the general welfare of all of the students in their group and for monitoring and encouraging their academic progress.

Each tutor group is placed under the guidance of a Head of Year, who oversees the Year Group. We urge parents not to hesitate in contacting us if there is any area of concern and the initial way of doing this is through the Form Tutor. Contact details for all tutors will be made available at the start of term.

Alternatively, you or your child may contact one of our Student Support Officers (SSO). The SSOs are able to assist students/parents with a wide variety of issues from attendance, behaviour and attitude, to problems at home, health and emotional well-being. Students may contact the SSOs during the school day and they are all available during break and lunchtimes. Parents/carers may contact them via the school office, either by phone or email.

Good behaviour and a positive attitude to learning are essential from the outset, and this is reflected in our Recognition and Consequences system. When difficulties occur, the student is supported by the pastoral system, the behaviour team and by the Learner Support Department.

All parents/carers are invited to meet teaching staff twice a year. The first meeting will be the parent information evening in July. The second meeting, around March 2025, will be with the different subject teachers. You will also receive an academic progress report each term.

Parents and students are also asked to read the Home School agreement and the ICT Code of Conduct. You will be asked to confirm that you have read, understood and agree to these on the electronic admissions form.

House System
Every member of the John Colet Community, students and staff, belong to one of our houses:

Jade
Topaz
Zircon
Amethyst
Citrine
Garnet

The aim of the House System is to give students a sense of belonging to their school community so they take pride in the school environment. The system is designed to give some healthy competition between students (and staff!) and allow them to develop a wider skill set.

Safeguarding Statement

At this school, the health, safety and well-being of every child is our paramount concern. We listen to our students and take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is that children will enjoy their time as students in this school.

We want to work in partnership with you to help your child to achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution.

On rare occasions our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult other agencies even before we contact you. The procedures which we follow, have been laid down by the Buckinghamshire Area Child Protection Committee and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all. A copy of this policy is available here.

Privacy Policy

Please take the time to read our Privacy Policy.

Image Consent

Please see information regarding image consent. You will be asked to indicate your image consent preference on the electronic admissions form.

School Counsellor Support

We are fortunate to be able to access the services of a fully qualified counsellor here in school and referrals for counselling can be made by either the student or through a member of staff. Details of this support can be found here.

Subjects

Leaders provide an academic curriculum. This gives pupils lots of choice about the subjects they want to continue to study in key stage 4. Leaders encourage all pupils to study a humanities subject or a modern foreign language. Nearly all pupils go on to ambitious destinations after they leave school. They are well prepared for the next stages of their education. (Ofsted, February 2020).

Please see our Curriculum pages for full details of the Curriculum offered at John Colet School.

Special Needs

The school gives support to students who have difficulties in coping with aspects of the work. Some of this comes through the pastoral system and some through our Learner Support Department. This department aims to meet the specific learning difficulties of particular students who would otherwise fail to achieve their potential. The work of teachers and assistants in this area is crucial to some students, and parents/carers who think this may involve their child should contact the SENCo, Miss Bendel, by completing and returning the SEND form.

Homework

We attach a lot of importance to homework for the following reasons:

It helps to reinforce the idea that education is a process that cannot be confined to school hours.
It allows the student time to pursue work started at school to a greater depth at home.
For the student who is actively involved in his/her education, it should be enjoyable to do work at home.

Parents/carers are asked to monitor the work that their children are undertaking and we offer an optional homework club from 3pm until 4pm each day to offer support to students in completing their homework.

Attendance

All students must attend school regularly and be absent only for personal medical reasons. In the case of dental or hospital appointments in school time, an email or letter should be sent beforehand to the Medical Officer, swo@johncolet.co.uk. As our school day finishes at 2.55pm, it is appreciated if such appointments can be made out of school hours if at all possible.

In the event of absence, parents/carers are asked to telephone the school on the first day of absence before 8.30am and every day of absence thereafter. If the voicemail box is full, please email swo@johncolet.co.uk instead.

If you need to collect your child during the school day for a medical appointment we would ask you please to notify the school as follows:-

If possible please make appointments at the beginning or end of the school day as this is less disruptive to learning.
If the appointment is at the start of the school day, please telephone or email the school to let us know and please send your child in with a copy of the appointment card when they return to school. Please ensure that your child signs in with Matron on their return.
If the appointment is during the day they should come to school with either the appointment card or a letter from you detailing what time the appointment is and what time you will be meeting them. We request that you come in to reception to meet your child. The child must sign out with Matron before leaving the school site.

Our Attendance Officer is responsible for monitoring attendance and can be contacted with any questions or queries, via the school office. Additional attendance information can be found here.

Medical Problems

Please see the attached letter from the Medical Officer.

If your child has any medical problem or condition which could have an effect on his or her life in school it is very important that we should know. Please see our policy on Supporting Students with Medical Conditions.

If your child has a medical condition, please complete and return the Health Care Plan. Obviously, the staff will respect the confidentiality of parent/carer and child over such matters.

Should it be necessary for medication to be administered, we will require written permission stating dosage, timing etc and you should complete and return the attached form.

The electronic admissions form will ask you for medical consent and for paracetamol consent. Please also complete and return hard copies of medical forms to the Medical Officer.

Should a problem or condition arise after you have completed the initial admission paperwork, we ask that you advise us as soon as possible and complete the medical forms.

Lunchtime Arrangements

We have a lunch service where students can buy hot and cold meals through a cashless system. A sample menu can be found here. We do not encourage students to eat in any part of the school building other than in the hall, but they may eat outside if they wish.

Details of our cashless catering system can be found here. Consent for your child’s biometric data to be collected will be sought on the electronic admissions form. Students will be set up on the system within the first week of starting, and should bring a packed lunch with them until they have confirmation that they are able to use the system.

Payments for meals are made via parent mail.

We do not allow students to go home for lunch or leave the school premises at lunchtime. The only exception to this rule are Sixth Form students who are able to leave the school site should they wish.

Please note that packed lunches should not contain nuts or peanuts or products containing nuts/peanut.

Free School Meals

Children whose parents/carers receive one of the following benefits are entitled to free school meals and will generate pupil premium for their school:

Income Support
Income-based Job Seekers’ Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit, provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). (Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit Run-on – the payment someone receives for a further 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit – their children are entitled to free school lunches. Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also eligible to receive free school meals.

The Pupil Premium is a Government scheme that provides funding to schools of £935 per pupil whose parents receive one of the qualifying benefits listed on this application form.

The school can use this money to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers. Money can also be allocated to subsidise trips, equipment and uniform.

If your child is entitled to Free School Meals please complete the attached form.

School Uniform and PE Kit

Our uniform is intended to give a sense of pride and identity with the school. It is also designed not to cause any financial difficulties for parents/carers. It may be obtained from PL School Wear, 56 Edison Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8TE. 01296 488000. www.theprintlab.co.uk.

ALL ITEMS OF CLOTHING SHOULD BE CLEARLY NAMED

Uniform Cards

Form tutors will check uniform and jewellery every morning and ask students to rectify any issues. Students will be given a Uniform Card at the start of each term and must carry one at all times (except in P.E.). Students receive a signature on the card if they are not wearing the correct uniform or not wearing the uniform correctly. This can be signed by the tutor or by any member of staff during the school day.

3 signatures on the card in a term will lead to, in the first instance to a tutor detention, 15 minutes at break or lunchtime. Further detentions in the term will be half an hour attitudes to learning detentions with the Head of Year (HOY) escalating for persistent offenders. Tutors will check the uniform card regularly.

Equipment

We expect that students will start school with those items that will help them to work well in each lesson.

This should include the following:

2x black/blue pens
1x red pen
pencils
rubber
sharpener
30cm ruler
highlighter
scientific calculator
protractor
pair of compasses
dictionary
notebook
earphones for music lessons
a reading book for tutor periods
a French/English dictionary for use at home.
coloured pens or pencils are also useful, but not essential.

Lockers

School lockers are available to hire via ILS.

Bicycles

Students who wish to cycle to school will be pleased to know that we have the facility of a locked, covered bike shed, where bikes can be left secure throughout the school day. We would always suggest that students bring their own bike locks as added security. We ask that students show consideration to other members of the community, especially on the cycle paths and pavements around school. Cyclists should wear a helmet and appropriate lights are required in winter months. Students who wish to cycle to school are required to apply for a bike permit. This can be applied for by completing this form.

Supporting the School

There are two main ways that we seek parental support at John Colet School.

The first is via the PTA, who aim to raise funds via initiatives such as second hand uniform sales and the Vale Lottery. If you are interested in becoming involved or in joining the PTA, further information can be found here.

Secondly, we ask for your help in providing a higher level of opportunity outside of the classroom to enhance your child’s education. Public funding contributes to this, but will not allow us to provide everything that we think your child needs and deserves.

We are inviting all parents/carers to make a regular agreement by standing order of £5 per month for the 5 years your child is at John Colet. Our Development Fund has charitable status and so parents/carers can Gift Aid their donation. This is how it works:

A parent/carer donates £5 per month (total £60 in the year).
We can claim an extra £15 in tax meaning that we get £75.
Higher rate taxpayers can reclaim £15 back in tax on their self-assessment form meaning that the donation actually costs £45 to the parent/carer.

To donate, please complete the standing order form plus the necessary Gift Aid declaration. We would ask you to return this to school in hard copy, as a signature is required by the bank.

All donations of any size will make an enormous difference to the opportunities on offer to your child here at John Colet. Previous purchases from this fund have included IT provision in Modern Foreign Languages and Science and the purchase of a second new 17 seat lightweight school minibus. Please be assured that all students are treated equally irrespective of parental financial contributions and all gifts are valued by the school.

Mobile phone and Electronic Devices Policy

We are aware that students have phones for emergency reasons so we have opted for a “No See, No Hear” approach. It is required that mobile phones/electronic devices are switched off during the school day. The only exceptions to this are when the teacher gives permission for the device to be used at a specific time in a lesson for a specific purpose.

If a mobile phone/electronic device is seen or heard in school (including break and lunchtime) then the item will be confiscated and kept securely in the school office until a parent/carer is able to come in to collect it. It is the student’s responsibility to inform a parent/carer that an item needs collecting. Staff are not able to look after mobile phones/electronic devices for students at any time.

If a parent/carer needs to contact their child during school hours, we would advise that they phone the school office, rather than contacting them via a mobile phone, as this runs the risk of the phone going off during a lesson. Messages left with the office will be passed on to the student promptly and they will be able to come to the Student Reception to phone a parent if required.

On occasion, students have contacted a parent/carer during the school day using their mobile phone following an incident or issue in school. The parent/carer has then come straight into school demanding to see a member of staff and becomes very frustrated when there are no staff available to meet with them and/or staff are unaware of the issue prior to the parent arriving. We wish to work in partnership with parents, but a parent/carer coming into school and demanding to see someone straightaway is not acceptable.

Sixth Form students are allowed to use their mobile phones/electronic devices in their Common Room and the Library but nowhere else in the school. Any confiscated Sixth Form mobile phone/electronic device will be returned by the Head of Sixth Form.

Mobile phones/electronic devices (other than calculators) must never be taken into public examinations. The school will provide secure storage for these items prior to the examination.

If there is a whole school emergency which may cause the school to close then students will be allowed to use their mobile phones to contact a parent/carer and to rearrange transport.

School Trips

Students are able to take mobile phones to help with communication if travel arrangements are changed at short notice.

The student’s mobile phone should not be used otherwise as one of the aims of residential trips is to help the student to become more independent. For residential visits, parents/carers will be given the school mobile phone number which the group leader will have and any contact with the trip should be through this number.

Other electronic devices must not be taken on day trips.

Other electronic devices may be taken on residential trips with the Trip Leader’s prior permission to help with the journey. Parents/carers/students must be aware that it is highly unlikely that secure storage for such devices will be available at any centre/hotel/hostel and that staff will not be able to look after them. As such items are not stored securely, they would not be covered by the trip insurance and so are taken completely at the student’s own risk.

Mobile phones/electronic devices have many positive uses. However, they can also be abused, for example, the unsuitable use of a mobile phone or other electronic device would include:
taking photographs or making recordings (other than where authorised by a teacher for academic purposes)
placing photographs or recordings on the internet (e.g. on social networking sites) without the permission of those in the photograph
any activity connected with text/cyber-bullying
gaining access to inappropriate internet sites

These are not acceptable at John Colet. If a member of the staff of the school has any suspicion that a mobile phone has unsuitable material stored on it, students will be required to hand over the phone to a member of staff and the content looked at. In such instances the student concerned will be dealt with accordingly. In some cases, the Police may become involved.

Parents/carers need to be aware that mobile phones/electronic devices are not covered by school or school trip insurance. Any item brought into school is at the student’s own risk.

Charging and Remissions for Educational Activities

Please take the time to read our Charging and Remissions Policy for Educational Activities.

Next Steps

Thank you for taking the time to look at this transition information for your child. We hope that it has answered any questions you may have. We would ask that you now complete the Admissions Form which has been emailed to you and we very much look forward to welcoming your son or daughter to John Colet School.