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.
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.
Each
year, pupils, parents and friends of the school contribute to the School
Fund, either directly by making a donation or by supporting sponsored
events. 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.
The Education Reform Act 1988,
requires local authorities to establish local arrangements for the
“consideration and disposal” of certain complaints by parents and others
about the school curriculum. Complaints to be dealt with by these
arrangements would be those where it is alleged that the authority or
the governing body of any county has acted, or is proposing to act,
unreasonably in respect of the school curriculum and related matters or
has failed to discharge any duty in relation to these requirements.