The School Day
8:30 - 15:00 each day amounts to 32.5 hours in a typical week
Year 7, 8 & 9 leave school at 2.45pm. If any students in Year 7, 8 & 9 have RE, PE, Art or a Design Technology, Food, Product design or Textiles lesson Period 5 they will remain in their lesson until 3pm.
Due to school expansion in 2014, 2016 and 2023 and the large numbers of students on site, over 1400 who travel long distances, it’s important to support safety of young people and the wider community with a staggered dismissal.
Students start to arrive from 7.30am. They are to go to dining hall where a supervised breakfast club takes place. All other areas of the school are unsupervised until 8.25am
Punctuality
All students should have a 100% punctuality record. Only lateness for exceptional reasons will be excused. Regular lateness is unacceptable.
Students should be in school by 8.15 a.m. and in their Tutor Room at 8.25 a.m. Students who arrive after 8.30 a.m. but before 8.45 a.m. should go to Reception to be registered by a senior member of staff. Students who arrive after 8.45 a.m. must go to the Attendance Officer to be signed in. Students are not allowed to arrive late for Lesson 1 without a slip from the Attendance Officer, unless they have had a music lesson in school.
In cases for example, where the absence at registration was for attending an early morning medical appointment, the appropriate authorised absence code will be entered.
The school’s procedures for dealing with poor punctuality are outlined below:
Stage 1: Tutor monitors punctuality weekly and discusses any concerns with the student.
Stage 2: Attendance Officer will write home issuing a ‘Punctuality Warning Letter’ informing the family if their daughter has accrued 3 - 4 lates per term
Stage 3: Attendance Officer will write home issuing a ‘Punctuality Student Contract Letter’ informing the family if their daughter has accrued 5 -7 lates per term HOY will initiate a Student Contract to monitor punctuality daily. Students will have their lunch time withdrawn on any day they arrive late; they will be able to purchase food from the Dining Room if necessary. A student on contract who is late twice in any one week will be sanctioned as stated in the Punctuality Contract.
Stage 4: Parents invited to meet with Head of Year (more than 8 lates)
Stage 5: Parents invited to meet with SLT Link and Head of Year (12+ lates)
Stage 6: Headteacher invites parents to meet and discuss continued concerns about punctuality. For Sixth Form students a meeting will be held with the Assistant Headteacher – Head of Sixth Form and /or Headteacher to consider if the student should be entered or withdrawn from their Sixth Form courses. Recoursing options will be considered in line with criteria set out in Sixth Form entry policy.
Stage 7: Governors Pastoral & Well Being Committee invites parents to meet and discuss continued concerns about punctuality,
Cognus Attendance Support Team Letter
Morning Supervision
Students are only permitted to enter on to the school site from 7:30am at the earliest if they are coming to Breakfast Club. Breakfast Club is open from 7.30am to all students in the Dining Hall only. Students should not be accessing other parts of the school buildings at this time. Students have the option to either purchase breakfast or to use the Dining Hall quietly. The daily Breakfast Club is supervised and operates weekdays, Monday through to Friday, term time only. Chartwells serve healthy hot and cold food.
