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Working in Partnership
We are delighted that your child is joining our school. This "Welcome" booklet is designed to provide information
which you may find helpful as your child makes the transition from primary to secondary school.
Download here
As part of our induction programme for new students this year, the following opportunities have been provided:
• Year 6 Open Evening for parents and students, October 2008
• Visit to the North Lodge site for students June 2009
• Planned Induction activities over 5 days at the start of term in September 2009
• Coffee mornings and drop-in sessions for parents
Effective learning is based upon a partnership between students, teachers, and parents. School and parents need
to work together to reinforce expectations and to support students in achieving their potential. Good communication
supports this.
Making Contact with the School
Parents can contact school in a variety of ways:
• by writing a note for the tutor (or teacher) in your child’s Student Learning Organiser
• by telephoning the school directly. General queries or issues of concern relating to Year 7 students
should be directed to the Year 7 Learning Co-ordinator (Mr Robison) in the first instance who will try to
respond as quickly as possible.
• by writing a letter to your child's tutor or to the Year 7 Learning Co-ordinator.
• by appointment. Parents are welcome in school at any time but as staff have teaching commitments,
it is important to make an appointment first.
• by e.mail:
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(identify the member of staff)
Our door is always open – feel free to contact us.
Student Learning Organiser
Each student is issued with this at the beginning of the year. These have proved successful with students, teachers
and parents as an effective aid to learning.
The Organiser becomes a record of achievement and is used in a variety of ways:
• as an information guide
• as a homework diary
• as a reading log
• as a record of achievement and merit awards
• as a home-school contact book
Home-school contact
The Organiser is used by parents and staff as a means of communication between the school and home.
The tutor and teachers will comment if appropriate in the Organiser and will respond to your observations to us.
• We hope that you will check the Organiser on a daily basis and write comments for the tutor as necessary.
• Please sign the Organiser on a weekly basis – this indicates to us that you have seen the Organiser.
• Encourage your child to keep the Organiser graffiti free and in good condition. The Organiser should NOT be
decorated or drawn on; it is a school book and should be looked after in the same way as other school books.
The Organiser is NOT the personal property of a student. Replacement Organisers can only be purchased to
replace lost Organisers at the discretion of the Assistant Headteacher / Year Co-ordinator. Students are
required to bring their organiser to school EVERY DAY as it will be used in every lesson.
Homework
Homework is a vital part of learning. It develops student understanding of work covered in class and develops the skills
needed for success in coursework and examinations.
• all students are expected to do homework.
• students are given homework in up to three subjects per day.
• students in Year 7 should spend around 1 hour each evening completing homework or independent study
(about 20 minutes for each subject)
• students record details of homework set in their homework diary and the deadline for completing homework.
• homework can take many forms, it is not always written.
• please help your child in completing homework by :establishing times at night when it will be done.
• by providing somewhere quiet to do work each evening.
• by praising efforts
• by checking the Organiser on a daily basis.
• contact school if your child is not regularly recording homework or claiming that none has been set!
If you have any concerns about homework, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Study Facilities
• At lunchtime and after school we have study facilities and support available for all students. At North Lodge this
includes Homework and other Clubs, and the use of the library (Learning Resource Centre) and ICT facilities.
Further details will be given to students in September and throughout the year.
Attendance
• Success in school is closely related to attendance. We would encourage all parents to keep a close eye on their
son/daughter’s attendance (see Learning Organiser) and to avoid taking holidays during term time.
• Please note that parents do not have a right to take children on holiday in term time. Leave of absence must be
requested in advance to the school. Please ask at reception for a holiday request form.
• If your child is unwell and cannot attend school, please inform us. We welcome a telephone call on the first day of
absence. A written note of explanation addressed to your child’s tutor is required on the first day back after any
illness. This can be written in your child's Organiser or in a letter.
• Children will not be allowed to leave the premises during school hours for essential appointments unless permission
has been requested in writing or a doctor’s /dentist’s card presented beforehand.
• Parents/carers must at all times then report to the school office and collect their child from the reception area.
Students will not be allowed to leave the premises unless accompanied by a parent/carer.
Valuables
Please ensure that no valuable items are brought to school, for example walkman stereos, Ipods, mobile phones,
pagers, jewellery or large sums of money.
Valuable items will be confiscated, including mobile phones which are seen or heard, and parents/carers will be asked
to collect them from school.
£ Other than for school meals at lunch time, if your child does need to bring money to school, please place it in a sealed
envelope with your child's name and tutor group clearly written on the front together with the reason for the money
eg Sam Smith 7.5 School visit to Paris. £25 deposit.
Equipment
Books and most other equipment are supplied. However, all students are expected to bring to school every day the
equipment essential for school work:
• pens (blue or black ink)
• HB pencil
• coloured crayons / pencils
• ruler
• rubber (NOTE: ‘Tipp-Ex’ is NOT allowed in school)
Please help your child to get the most from school by ensuring they have these items .
For Maths, students require:
A transparent ruler (graduated in cm, mm and inches); a sharp pencil (HB), a pencil sharpener; a pair of compasses;
colour pencils; a protractor; blue or black biro or pen (no felt-tips for writing); a rubber; a Scientific Calculator
(you will be given guidance on this; there is no need to buy one before you start at Park View if you have not got
one already) and Set squares (30,60,90 degrees and 45,90 degrees).
Please note that a sturdy bag is essential! Students will need to carry all equipment with them during the day.
NOTE: At the end of periods 2 and 3, students may leave bags in the classrooms which they will use for their next lessons.
Enrichment Activities
At Park View, we promote the social and personal development of students as well as their intellectual development. Our
vast range of enrichment activities supports this.
• Extra-curricular activities take place at lunchtimes and after school.
• In May, there is International Week for all students at North Lodge when lessons have an International focus.
• As a Language College, we are able to provide increasing opportunities for visits abroad. At the beginning of Year 8
your child will be offered the first opportunity to take part in a study visit to France or Germany or Spain.
For visits and outdoor activities away from school, we do not ask parents to pay for tuition but we do ask for contributions
towards the cost of transport and accommodation where required.
Any queries about these costs should be directed to Mrs Cowie, Deputy Head teacher.
Rewards and Sanctions
We value success of all kinds at Park View. Students gain Merit Awards in a number of categories, including effort, quality
of work, attendance, and contributions to the school and community.
Student success is often celebrated in school via award ceremonies.
Park View students are frequently commended for their high standards of achievement and behaviour.
The Park View Code:
Follow staff instructions immediately.
Settle to every task quickly without disturbing others.
Bring all necessary equipment and arrive on time, correctly dressed.
Be polite to adults and other students.
Chewing, bad language, and litter are not acceptable.
Makes clear our expectations. At times, our young people do need to be reminded of the correct way to behave
and to perform. Your child may be asked to do extra work at home or at school to make up for time wasted or
work not done during a lesson.
Detention :Parents are reminded that the school can detain students after school but you will be given at least
24 hours notice. You will be given notice of this in the Student Learning Organiser by the teacher. You may
also be informed by the Year Co-ordinator, Guidance Manager or other members of staff.
Note: students who are absent on the day of a detention will complete the detention on the first day they return
to school. Failure to complete a detention satisfactorily at the time stated will lead to further sanctions.
If a student becomes a persistent offender or has difficulty settling into school routines, then they may be placed
‘On Report’ so that they can be continuously monitored and supported in their learning.
It is our expectation that the behaviour of all students will bring credit to themselves, their parents and the school.
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