Pastoral Information

On entering the college each pupil is placed in a mixed-ability tutor group which is carefully constructed to take into consideration issues such as friendship patterns and backgrounds.

The tutor is the member of staff who will be in closest regular contact with your child. The tutor sees your child daily and needs to be aware of any problem affecting attendance, behaviour, homework or progress. Your child's tutor may contact you should problems arise.

Each year group has a Head of Year who has oversight of all pupils and works closely with your child's tutor. They can be contacted at college if you have any queries or if problems arise.

Heads of Year are sometimes available to take telephone calls during the day. However, the college office will take messages throughout the day and pass information on to the Head of Year.

The Heads of Year are:

Working closely with the Heads of Year are two Assistant Headteachers, Mr M Morrell and Mrs L Farrell. They are also available to speak to with respect to Pastoral matters.

The Headteacher, Mr D Randle, Deputy Headteachers, Mr S White and Mr M Kojder, may also be contacted should the need arise.

If you wish to come into college to speak to a member of staff it is essential to telephone first to make an appointment. If this is not possible then every attempt will be made to organise an interview with a member of the senior staff, although this may involve a waiting period.

Pupils' Responsibilities and Discipline

It is our aim to produce a well-ordered, hard-working and caring community where pupils are valued as individuals and treated as young adults.

College Leaders are appointed each year and these pupils will be expected to share in the responsibilities associated with the day to day running of the college.

Pupils are elected to serve on Year Councils and College Councils.

The aim of our College Council is:

To facilitate this, our College Council is divided into three voices:

Pupil Behaviour

We expect high standards of behaviour from all pupils and we try very hard to make sure that discipline is based on firmness and fairness. Good behaviour, work and attendance is rewarded through the College Referral System. This aims to recognise and reward those pupils who have a positive attitude to learning. Pupils who fail to follow the requirements of the Code of Conduct may be put on report, kept in detention or placed in the Link Room. We seek your support for college sanctions because we know that by working together we are able to achieve the best for your child.

When it is decided that a detention is appropriate, parents will be given notice in advance that their child is being detained. It is the pupil's responsibility to show you their detention slip as it is not possible to telephone every parent. All parents should be aware that the college has a strict policy concerning after college detentions. If it is necessary to detain pupils after college, parents should note that these sessions are compulsory and play an integral part of college discipline.

Finally, we will not tolerate bullying, violence, threats of violence, bad language, insolence or abuse. Any of these could lead to a pupil being sent home and only re-admitted after parents have been interviewed. In extreme cases it may be necessary to exclude a pupil from college.

Attendance

Absence from college for part or all of a day can be permitted only for personal illness or a medical appointment. We would encourage parents to avoid arranging medical and similar appointments during college hours.

Full attendance is required at all lessons and pupils will be expected to copy up any work that is missed. To ensure that the college can fulfil its role in the education of all pupils, parents are asked to contact college by telephone or a note on the first day of any absence.

The pupil on their return to college must bring in a note giving reasons for and the exact dates of the absence. In all cases the full absence must be covered by a note, which should be given to the tutor. It is the parent's responsibility to inform the college of any absence. The college also operates a computerised telephone system that automatically contacts parents if pupils are absent from college.

An appointment card or letter must be produced beforehand to cover dental or medical treatment. The pupil will then be marked present if they return to college within that session. Where a lengthy absence is involved (e.g. hospital treatment), please contact the Head of Year to ask for appropriate work to be set as soon as the pupil is well enough. In certain cases it is possible for home tuition to be arranged.

If pupils need to leave college during the course of the normal college day, they are required to collect a permission slip from their Head of Year. A truancy collection system is operated by GM Police and pupils without authorisation could be detained.

Law now requires colleges to record all absences. Any period of absence not supported by a letter will be considered unauthorised (i.e. truancy). Truancy is dealt with seriously. The Education Welfare Officer can call on the home to assess the problem and/or issue a warning. Parents may be asked to appear before a committee to explain the reason for the truancy, a penalty notice may be issued or in extreme cases a fine or a court summons may be issued.

We would also like to remind parents that there is no entitlement to take a family holiday during term time. All holidays taken during term time have to be recorded as an absence and will affect your child's overall attendance record. As a rule the college will not normally give consent for family holidays during term time.

In summary:

Punctuality

We feel that punctuality is essential for three reasons:

Pupils arriving at college after the 8.45am bell will be kept until Period 1. In addition, they will also attend a 15 minute detention at break time on the same day. Failure to attend this detention will result in a one-hour after college detention. Pupils arriving after 9.00am must sign in at Pupil Reception. In addition, they will also attend a one-hour after college detention. A letter for these detentions is given to the pupil, notifying parents/carers before it takes place. Persistent lateness may lead to a period of time being spent in the Link Room to address the issue or further periods of detention.

Pupils Leaving College During the Day

Under no circumstances may a pupil leave the college without the permission of a senior member of staff such as Mr D Randle, Mr S White, Mr M Kojder, Mr M Morrell, Mrs L Farrell or the appropriate Head of Year.

In every case the pupil must "sign out" in the special book provided at Pupil Reception and hand in a note from the member of staff who has given permission. When they return to college they need to "sign in" at the Pupil Reception so that the pupils who are present in the college can be accounted for in an emergency.

Anti Bullying Policy

Introduction

We are committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our pupils, so they can learn in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our school. If bullying does occur, all pupils should be able to tell and know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively.

We are a TELLING school. This means that anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell the staff.

What is bullying?

Bullying can be:

Objectives of this Policy

Procedures

  1. Report bullying incidents to a member of staff you trust and feel comfortable with;
  2. In cases of serious bullying, the incidents will be recorded centrally by staff;
  3. In serious cases parents will be informed and will be asked to come in to a meeting to discuss the problem;
  4. If necessary and appropriate, police will be contacted;
  5. The bullying behaviour or threats of bullying must be investigated and the bullying stopped quickly;
  6. An attempt will be made to help the bully (bullies) change their behaviour.

Outcomes

  1. The bully (bullies) may be officially warned. Other consequences may take place including detentions or the use of no blame meetings where appropriate;
  2. If possible, the pupils will be reconciled;
  3. After the incident / incidents have been investigated and dealt with, each case will be monitored to ensure repeated bullying does not take place;
  4. If the bullying persists fixed term exclusions will be considered;
  5. In extreme cases where the bullying is persistent over a long period of time permanent exclusion may be considered.

Prevention