Information, Parents' Comments and Study Links

If you have a problem concerning your child, ring in to the Year Head or email the school to request an appointment. The above photograph shows Miss Vosper contacting a parent after corrective action had taken place in school. We hold on record a photograph of every child on our school roll. Pupils who do misbehave are thus easily identified. If a case of bullying comes to our attention, a child is able to scan these photographs to identify the pupil causing the problem.

Useful Information

►Punctuality
Pupils are expected to arrive at school by 8.40am for the morning session and by 12.55pm for the afternoon session. Those who rely on buses must ensure that they allow themselves plenty of time to catch a bus each morning and may expect to arrive at school a little earlier than 8.30am. Parents are asked to ensure that they inform both school and the bus company about any problems with bus services. Pupils who arrive late will be punished by detentions of appropriate length in all but exceptional circumstances. Parents are asked to notify us whenever such circumstances apply. Parents are contacted if lateness gives rise to concern. Persistent lateness is referred to the Educational Welfare Officer for action.

►Attendance
Parents have a legal obligation to ensure that their children attend school whenever they are fit to do so. They must not be kept away from school to look after younger children or sick relatives and are only allowed to take family holidays in school time (maximum two weeks per year) if work schedules make it absolutely impossible to take family holidays during school vacations. Furthermore, good attendance is valued not only by the school but also by prospective employers; consequently the school encourages good attendance and rewards it by placing it at the heart of its positive discipline system. In order to earn the most presitgious awards pupils must attend school regularly.

►Absence
Parents have a legal obligation to explain their children's absences from school. It is desirable that every effort be made to contact school on the first day of absence and that an additional note of confirmation (signed and dated with full details) be sent upon the child's return to school. In cases where this does not happen, school has an obligation to pursue the matter until an explanation has been received. If such attempts fail, the absence is recorded as unauthorised and is reported to the Educational Welfare Officer for action.
Whenever it is possible - eg. medical appointments - parents should inform school in advance that their child will not attend school on a particular day and should provide appropriate documentary evidence - eg. an appointment card or a note of explanation.
Whenever it is intended to take a holiday during school time the pupil must take home a holiday form for completion by his/her parents and ensure that it is returned to school before the holiday takes place.
Children who do not expect their parents to offer prompt explanations of their absences are more likely to play truant than those who know that their parents maintain appropriate contact with school.

►Leaving the site during the school day
Pupils must not leave the site during school sessions unless they are under the supervision of an appropriate adult - eg on an educational visit - and must not leave the site at lunchtime unless their parents have applied for a pass authorising them to do so. Children will be permitted to leave the site during the day following requests from their parents - eg. in emergency situations, to attend medical appointments - but not simply in response to a telephone call; the school will, however, supervise the handing over of pupils to relatives or friends, but only in circumstances where it can be absolutely satisfied that in so doing it is meeting the wishes of the parents or legal guardian. Once children have left the site following parental request, the school ceases to be responsible for their safety and welfare.
It is possible for pupils to abscond from the site without being observed; if they do so they also immediately cease to be the responsibility of the school. Parents are asked, therefore, to emphasise to their children the importance of not doing so.
NB Teaching staff may legally attempt to restrain children who are intending to leave site without permission, but generally we do not consider physical restraint desirable for a number of reasons.
If pupils are known to have absconded, it is school policy to inform their parents or, where this is impossible, other appropriate adults as soon as possible.

►BULLYING - POSSIBLE SIGNS THAT A CHILD IS BEING BULLIED
For detailed information go to:-
http://www.bullying.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/bully

A pupil may indicate by signs or behaviour that he / she is being bullied. If you are concerned and become aware of any of the following, you must consider asking if someone is threatening or bullying your child. Contact the school by telephone (01226 711542) or through the Contact Us facility on the left of this page. That will go directly to Mrs. Fletcher in the school office. She will then take the initial steps to remedy the situation.

Pupils may:

■Be frightened of walking to or from school

■Be unwilling to come to school

■Start to arrive late to registration or lessons to avoid the bully

■Begin underachieving in their school work

■Appear regularly with clothes or books and bags damaged or destroyed

■Be hungry (because dinner money was stolen)

■Become withdrawn, appear depressed and apathetic

■Become easily distressed, quick to tears, overly sensitive

■Stop eating

■Have unexplained bruises, scratches, cuts etc

■Have their possessions go missing

■Ask to borrow or begin stealing money (to pay the bully)

■Continually lose their dinner money, lunch token or bus fare

■Refuse to say what's wrong

■Give improbable excuses to explain any of the above

Parents and teachers must never ignore any incidents, or alleged incidents, of bullying. To do so will always undermine the confidence of pupils in feeling that bullying is taken seriously at Willowgarth High School.

►Comment on Drugs
The School:
1) actively discourages the misuse or illegal supply of drugs on or off the school premises;
2) aims to help students by maintaining an effective programme of health and drug education within the curriculum as an essential part of their personal development;
3) shares the responsibility for education with parents by keeping them informed at all times;
4) will always take appropriate action to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of all members of its community.

►Drugs Education
Drugs awareness education is an integral part of the school's programme of Personal and Social Education and part of our policy of being a health promoting school. The programme is delivered in a supportive environment by a well-trained P.S.E. team. The Head of P.S.E. ensures that the school and governors are aware of good, up-to-date educational practice and necessary training needs and is responsible for coordinating the drugs education programme, which:

1) is cognisant of students' different starting points, cultural and family backgrounds;
2) provides accurate information about the full range of legal and illegal drugs;
3) challenges the use of stereotypical images;
4) encourages students to be aware of the effects and dangers of drugs;
5) provides details of the relevant law;
6) encourages students to develop skills to deal with drug-related situations;
7) helps students to develop decision-making skills;
8) helps students to promote their own health care;
9) is consistent with the school's system of pastoral care;
10) makes pupils aware of both internal and external forms of help;
11) promotes student awareness of their role in helping others;
12) encourages parental interest and awareness.

►Management of Drugs Incidents
Within the pastoral system of the school an ethos will be encouraged that enables students to feel confident enough to discuss any problems or concerns with staff. Students will be made aware that staff have access to helping agencies and will deal with such matters in a professional and caring way. The Drugs Policy Team will take responsibility for coordinating the school's approach to drug incidents; the assistant headteacher will take overall responsibility and will inform the headteacher and governors if necessary.

Parents with concerns or complaints about the school's curriculum are invited to raise these matters in the first instance with the Headteacher, who will investigate and try to resolve them to the satisfaction of all concerned.

If informal attempts to settle the complaint are unsuccessful, the Headteacher will provide the complainant with a copy of the LEA's procedures for making a formal complaint together with the names and addresses of the Chairman of Governors and the LEA's designated officer. According to the nature of the complaint, it may then be considered either by the Governors or the LEA. The Governors have established a sub committee of six members to consider such formal complaints referred to them.

 

 

 

 

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