Parents and guardians are encouraged to contact the school if at any
time they are concerned about their child. In addition to the
consultation evenings, there is an open afternoon, immediately after
school, when parents/guardians are welcome to come in and chat to senior
staff.
Bullying only affects a few pupils in this school, but we recognise
that for those few it can be very distressing. There is a firmly
established pattern of helping both victims and bullies which has worked
very well since its implementation some years ago. Our approach now has
drawn much praise from the County.
Assessment is an important part of children’s learning and at
Hartismere our assessment policy aims to improve a pupil’s performance
by concentrating on achievement rather than failure. The system supports
teachers and pupils working together and we hope to give the kind of
information which will be useful for pupils, their teachers, their
families and other users of our assessment system. Assessments are made
in relation to skills, motivation and effort.
A very detailed profile is produced for each pupil during the course
of the year at a time which is most appropriate to their learning needs.
This involves a considerable amount of self assessment by the student
and shows their achievement in all aspects of school life.
The pupil and form tutor work together to agree a summary of
individual personal and social development. Parents are an important
part of the assessment process and are asked to comment on their
child’s performance.
If a pupil is ill and unable to attend school, parents are asked
either to telephone the school (especially if the absence is likely to
be for three days or more) or to send a note on the pupil’s return to
school.
Permission to leave school for medical and dental appointments should
be obtained from the Head of Year before the appointment. Pupils must
‘sign out’ before they leave the premises. If family holidays have
to be taken in school time, then a form, available from the school
office, should be completed beforehand.
Parents continue to have the responsibility for their children’s
well-being at school in circumstances where it has been agreed that a
member of staff will act on the parent’s behalf in administering
medicine.
Steps are taken to minimise the risk to pupils of being involved in
accidents whilst at school, but inevitably they do sometimes occur. The
school has a Medical Room with the normal first aid facilities. In cases
of emergency, the Head Teacher endeavours to get in touch with parents:
if that is not possible, he will act on the advice of the Medical
Officer consulted. It is essential that parents provide emergency
telephone numbers if they are not at home during the day.
Any special circumstances regarding the health of a pupil should be
outlined by parents to the Head of Year.
The great majority of our pupils appear to enjoy coming to school and
have a very good attendance record. Last year our attendance rate for
the whole school was 94%. This is commendable and well above the
national and county average. The 6% absent rate covers all types of
absences, including those who are on holiday or have long term
illnesses. We have a very few unauthorised absences i.e. when
parents/guardians have not given permission for their children to be
away; over the whole of last year there were fewer than 21 half-days.
A number of consultation evenings are arranged each year to enable
discussions to take place with teachers; the dates of these sessions are
made available to parents early in the Autumn term. They are arranged so
as to complement the issuing of Pupil Profiles. Each year group has one
session during the year. An appointment system operates between 5.00 pm
and 8.00 pm.
In addition to these, there are two evenings for parents of Year 6
pupils in the year before their children join the school, one in
November, and one in July. There is also an evening for pupils in Year 7
who have just arrived at the school. We hope that this will ease the
process of transferring to a new school. Year 9 have an extra evening to
discuss option choices. We have an Information Evening for Year 10
parents in the Autumn term to discuss such issues as Work Experience and
the demands of GCSE. Year 11 have a ‘Pathways’ evening in the Autumn
term where they can see the options open to them post 16, and an
invitation evening when staff ask to see certain parents.
These dates appear in the calendar planner issued to pupils and
parents at the beginning of each academic year.
A Certificate Presentation Evening is held annually. Additionally,
occasional meetings are arranged in response to particular needs, e.g.
developments in the National Curriculum which might affect the
syllabuses currently in use.
Newsletter
Each half term the school publishes a full and detailed Newsletter. A
wide range of the school’s activities is reported in its pages, from
the sporting and cultural side of school life to staff news and
curriculum developments. The first issue of the school year will include
parts of the pupil planner relevant to parents.
The Hartismere High School Association is an association open to
parents, teachers and friends of the school. Its purpose is to raise
funds for the school and to enable those connected with the school to
get to know each other through the various activities which it promotes.
In the past, these have included annual Summer Fêtes, Promises
Auctions, race meetings, musical evenings with children participating,
and wine tastings. The Association also promotes a Grand Prize Draw and
runs the 100 Club.
Hartismere High School Association has raised money for various items
such as computers, lights for the Drama department/PE equipment,
Multi-media computers and books for the library.
New parents are most welcome. We try to enlist one committee member
to represent each village in the school’s catchment area.
Each year, pupils, parents and friends of the school contribute to
the School. The Fund is used to subsidise sporting and other educational
trips and to purchase items of equipment that could not normally be
financed by the school’s allowance from the Local Education Authority.
In addition, the Fund is used to subsidise pupils wishing to attend
visits and residential courses.
All items of a personal nature should be clearly marked with the
owner’s name. Lockers are available for pupils to lock away their
personal effects when not needed. Valuable items or large sums of money
must not be brought to school as responsibility for them cannot be
accepted.
Hartismere High School
