Welcome To Felpham Community College!

We are delighted that you have chosen Felpham Community College as the secondary school for your son/daughter and look forward to many successful years of working together. Please see the following pages for key information and links to documents to ease the transfer process for you and your child. In these unprecedented times, we are working closely with our Year 6 colleagues to ensure we make the transition from primary to secondary school as smooth as possible. We are excited to meet your child soon and to welcome them as part of our community. Best wishes

Mr M Anstiss Headteacher

Year 7 Team

We hope this information pack provides you with all the information that you will need prior to your child joining us in September. However, if there is anything that you would like more information on, please do email us at transition@felpham.org.uk.

The Year 7 Team are as follows:

Mr E Whiffin, Deputy Headteacher

Mrs S Reeves, Year 7 Leader

Mrs R Wilson, Year 7 Manager

Arrangements for the First Day of Term Friday 4th September 2020

What your child should bring:

Bag (named, strong and suitable) Reading book Key-ring for a locker key Packed lunch - please note the following:

Please provide a packed lunch unless the school has been able to register your child’s fingerprint to access our canteen prior to the start of term. Lunch will be provided for students in receipt of free school meals.

Bottle of water in a clear plastic bottle - we have FCC reusable bottles for

sale at £1.50. Pencil case (named) containing:

Pens (black, blue and red) Pencils Coloured pencils Ruler Eraser Basic calculator Sharpener

Please note that we sell all of the equipment needed above at low cost in the stationery shop in our Library should you need to purchase on the day. On arrival: Your child should meet in front of the main building at 8.25am where they will

be directed into the main hall for assembly. The Year Leader will ask students to line up in their tutor group and their

Form Tutor will accompany them to their tutor room. During periods 1 and 2 students will be given a student planner, their

timetables and locker keys (if available). They will then take a tour of the school during which they will be shown where their lockers are allocated.

Students will be taught lessons during periods 3 to 5 and return to their

Form Tutor in their tutor room period 6. The school will need to take your child’s fingerprint should you wish them to

use the canteen, if we have not been able to do this before September, your child will have this taken during the day too.

School Term and Holiday Dates 2020 - 2021

Autumn Term 2020

Thursday 3rd September* to Friday 18th December 2020

*Thursday 3rd September is INSET day Term starts for students in y7 and y12 on Friday 4th September 2020

and for students in years 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 on Monday 7th September 2020

Half term: Monday 26th October to Friday 30th October 2020

Spring Term 2021

Monday 4th January to Thursday 1st April 2021

Half term: Monday 15th February to Friday 19th February 2021

Spring Break: Friday 2nd April to Friday 16th April 2021

Summer Term 2021

Monday 19th April to Friday 23rd July 2021

Half term: Monday 31st May (bank holiday) to Friday 4th June 2021

INSET Days

There will be five INSET Days during the academic year when the school is closed for staff training.

The first INSET Day is Thursday 3rd September 2020, dates for the remaining four will be available on the school website.

The School Day

The school day begins at 8.25am and ends at 2.50pm. During the day students will have six different lessons each of which last 50 minutes.

The day is divided up like this:

8.25 Warning Bell

8.30 - 8.35 Registration

8.35 - 8.50 Tutor Time or Assembly

8.50 - 9.40 Lesson 1

9.40 - 10.30 Lesson 2

10.30 - 10.50 Break

10.50 - 11.40 Lesson 3

11.40 - 12.30 Lesson 4

12.30 - 1.05 Lunch

1.05 Warning Bell

1.10 - 2.00 Lesson 5

2.00 - 2.50 Lesson 6

2.50 End of day

School Communication - how we keep in touch

Website

The school’s website is full of useful information for parents and students. It also has a ‘News’ page which we use to publicise important events and information, such as GCSE and A level results and school closures etc. It can be found at www.felpham.com.

The website news page also feeds the schools Facebook and Twitter accounts which can be found at: www.facebook.com/felphamcc and @felphamcc respectively.

You can contact the school via the ‘Contact Us’ on the website page or by emailing fcc@felpham.org.uk.

PS Engage

Of paramount importance to our school is the safety of the students and effective communication with parents/carers. We use a system called PS Engage to send text and email messages to parents/carers. Messages are sent to all priority 1 contacts (we ask parents/carers to nominate at least one point of contact, but you can nominate more). Most routine correspondence is sent via email and we will use text messages to highlight particularly important messages.

We use PS Engage to send a text message to parents/carers for all unreported student absences. If your child is absent, and you have not notified the school, you will receive a text message informing you of the absence and requesting that you either text or call the school to explain this.

By sending messages directly to you, we can ensure that if your child is absent you can reply quickly and easily to inform us of the reason for the absence thus ensuring your child’s safety.

For absence messages (and some general messages) you can reply by simply replying to the message as you would any other text message.

You can also download and install the My Ed app that allows parents/carers to see information about the school directly to your smartphone or tablet. Messages are free of charge via the app.

Student and Parent Bulletin and Newsletters

The school emails a weekly Student and Parent bulletin to all students and parents/carers every Friday during term time. The bulletin contains information about upcoming events, whole school and year group notices and messages from individual staff and departments. The school also emails a newsletter to parents/carers at the end of each term, celebrating the events our students have been involved with.

CareMonkey

CareMonkey is on-line system that we use to record student medical details, emergency contacts and parent/carer consent for school trips. It is used to organise and manage school trips by providing instant access to student data on mobile devices in an emergency. With CareMonkey you will never have to complete another paper consent form, less hassle for you and less work for us.

You will receive an email from CareMonkey Administrator (admin-eu@caremonkey.com) asking you to register and complete a medical profile for your child. You will receive regular reminders from CareMonkey until this is completed. We then send an online consent form for each school trip that your child is invited to attend. Students must have a completed medical and consent form to take part in a school trip.

Further details regarding CareMonkey can be found at https://www.caremonkey.co.uk/.

School Communication - how we keep in touch

ParentPay

Felpham Community College is a cashless school (as far as possible). We use ParentPay for all payments to the school including lunch money, school trips and the deposits for our library and locker keys.

ParentPay is used to track payments from a specific group of students, for example instalments for a school trip. To make this type of payment a parent/carer must register with ParentPay to access their child’s account. We will provide you with a letter containing registration details before your child joins the school in September, so that you can top-up their lunch money and pay the library and locker key deposits ready for the new term. Please note we are unable to accept cash for library and locker key deposits.

Further details regarding ParentPay can be found at https://www.parentpay.com/.

GO4Schools

GO4Schools is a powerful online system that supports whole-school improvement by making it easy to capture, analyse and share classroom data in real time, allowing staff, students and parents/carers to monitor progress and make better decisions.

The system is used to record student assessments, homework and behaviour (both positive and negative). Students and parents/carers can logon to GO4Schools to track performance.

Further details regarding GO4Schools can be found at https://www.go4schools.com/.

Microsoft 365

Each student at Felpham Community College is given a Microsoft 365 account when they join the school. This includes an email address and access to five copies of the Microsoft Office desktop applications which you can download and install on any device at home including PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Students also have access to Microsoft OneDrive with up to 1 Tb of data storage. We encourage students to use OneDrive to store their work so that they do not need to use memory sticks, which are easy to lose or corrupt.

Licenses to use the Office applications and OneDrive are valid all the time that your child is a student at Felpham Community College. Please ensure that you and your child reads and understands the Acceptable Use Policy.

Felpham Community College ICT Acceptable Use Policy

The Governing Body of Felpham Community College adopted the ICT Acceptable Use Policy for all staff and students on 16 March 2016. Introduction ICT resources, including Internet access, are potentially available to all students and staff within the school. All users are required to follow the conditions laid down in this policy. Any breach of these conditions may lead to withdrawal of the user’s access, monitoring and or retrospective investigation of the user’s use of services, and in some instances could lead to criminal prosecution. Any breach of the conditions will be considered a disciplinary matter. The school networked resources are for educational purposes and may only be used for legal activities consistent with the rules of the school. Any expression of a personal view about the school or County Council matters in any electronic form of communication must be endorsed to that effect. Any use of the network that would bring the name of the school or County Council into disrepute is not allowed. The school expects that students will use ICT appropriately within the curriculum and that staff are responsible for providing guidance and instruction in the use of these resources. Staff need to be vigilant when supervising students using computers, especially when using the internet. Misuse of the computer system by students will be dealt with in accordance with normal school disciplinary procedures. Use of the network, internet or the school’s Microsoft 365 deployment will only be permitted upon receipt of a permission and agreement form signed by the student and a parent or legal guardian. ICT resources are regularly monitored to ensure they are being correctly used by staff and students. Conditions of Use The following conditions of use include all computers in the school, all computers owned by the school which may be used off-site, and all school computer networks. Personal Responsibility 1. Access to the networked resources is a privilege, not a right. 2. Users are responsible for their behaviour and communications made using the

school ICT resources. 3. Staff and students must only use the resources for the purposes for which they are

made available. 4. Users are to take due care with the physical security of hardware they are using. 5. Users are responsible for reporting any misuse of the network to the Network

Manager. Any misuse of the network will be reported to the Leadership Team member responsible for ICT or the Headteacher immediately.

6. Staff and students must change their passwords on a regular basis, meeting the secure password requirements which have been set by ICT Department.

7. Staff should lock their computers when they intend to leave them unattended. Page 1 of 4

Acceptable Use Users are expected to utilise the network system in a responsible manner. It is not possible to set definitive rules about acceptable usage, but the following list provides some guidelines: Network Etiquette and Privacy Students and staff are expected to abide by the rules of network etiquette. These rules include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Be polite - never send or encourage others to send abusive messages. 2. Use appropriate language - users should remember that they are representatives of

the school on a global public system. Illegal activities of any kind are strictly forbidden.

3. Do not use language that could be calculated to incite hatred against any ethnic, religious or other minority group.

4. Privacy - do not reveal any personal information (eg home address, telephone number) about yourself or other users.

5. Students must login with their own user ID and password, where applicable, and must not share this information with other users. They must also log off after their session has finished.

6. Do not use, or attempt to use, another user’s password to gain entry to ICT resources or folders.

7. Password - do not reveal your password to anyone. If you think someone has learned your password then contact your teacher or the ICT Department.

8. Electronic mail and Microsoft Teams messages - are not guaranteed to be private. All messages will be monitored against a list of appropriate keywords in order to meet safeguarding requirements. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities will be reported to the County Council or police. Do not send anonymous messages.

9. Disruptions - do not use the network in any way that would disrupt use of the network by others.

10. Users will not be allowed access to unsupervised and/or unauthorised chat rooms and should not attempt to gain access to them.

11. Students finding unsuitable websites through the school network should report the web address to the ICT Department.

12. Do not introduce “pen drives” into the network without having checked for viruses. “Pen drives” should only contain files to support learning.

13. Do not introduce files into your Microsoft 365 account without having checked for viruses. Microsoft 365 should only contain files to support learning.

14. Do not attempt to visit websites that might be considered inappropriate. (Such sites would include those relating to illegal activity). All sites visited leave evidence in the county network, if not on the computer. Downloading some materials is illegal and the police or other authorities may be called to investigate such use.

15. Users should not make use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) services in order to bypass the internet filtering which is set by the school, when making use of the BYOD (bring your own device) scheme.

16. Unapproved system utilities and executable files will not be allowed in students’ work areas or attached to e-mail.

17. Files held on the school’s network or Microsoft 365 will be regularly checked by the Network Manager and should not be deemed as private.

18. It is the responsibility of the User (where appropriate) to take all reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the conditions set out in this policy document, and to ensure that unacceptable use of the network does not occur.

Page 2 of 4

Unacceptable Use Examples of unacceptable use include but are not limited to the following: 1. Students are not allowed to use another student’s workspace even if that student

gives verbal or written permission. 2. Students finding workstations or laptops logged on under another user’s should

log off the machine whether they intend to use it or not. 3. Accessing or creating, transmitting, displaying or publishing any material

(eg images, sounds or data) that is likely to cause offence, inconvenience or needless anxiety. (The County Council have filters in place to block e-mails containing language that is or may be deemed to be offensive).

4. Accessing or creating, transmitting or publishing any defamatory material. 6. Receiving, sending or publishing material that violates copyright law. This

includes through Video Conferencing and Web Broadcasting. 7. Receiving, sending or publishing material that violates the Data Protection Act or

breaching the security this act requires for personal data. Transmitting unsolicited material to other users (including those on other networks).

8. Unauthorised access to data and resources on the school network system or

other systems. 9. User action that would cause corruption or destruction of other users’ data, or

violate the privacy of other users, or intentionally waste time or resources on the network or elsewhere.

Page 3 of 4

Additional guidelines 1. Users must comply with the acceptable use policy of any networks that they access. 2. Users must not download software without approval from the ICT team. 3. Users must comply with software licence agreements and copies of licence

agreements must be provided to the ICT team prior to software being loaded onto the network.

Services There will be no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the network service offered by the school. The school will not be responsible for any damages suffered while on the system. These damages include loss of data as a result of delays, non-deliveries, or service interruptions caused by the network or your errors or omissions. Use of any information obtained via the network is at your own risk. Network Security Users are expected to inform the ICT team immediately if a security problem is identified. Do not demonstrate this problem to other users. Users identified as a security risk will be denied access to the network. Physical Security All users are expected to ensure that portable ICT equipment such as laptops, digital still and video cameras are securely locked away or returned to the ICT department when they are not being used. Items that need to be left over breaks and lunchtimes for example will need to be physically protected by locks and or alarms. Wilful Damage Any malicious attempt to harm or destroy any equipment or data of another user or network connected to the school network will result in loss of access, disciplinary actions and, if appropriate, legal referral. This includes the creation or uploading of computer viruses. The use of software from unauthorised sources is prohibited. The school reserves the right to request re-imbursement by parents/carers in extreme cases. Media Publications Named images of students (eg photographs, videos, web broadcastings, blogs, TV presentations, web pages etc) will not be published on the internet. The school uses digital video as a medium to enhance teaching and learning; this material is only to be used for educational purposes. If parental consent has not been given every effort will be made to remove instances in which such students are shown. If large groups are being filmed this may prove impractical. Page 4 of 4

Data Protection Felpham Community College collects and uses personal information about students, parents or carers and other individuals who come into contact with the school. This information is gathered in order to enable us to provide education and other associated functions. In addition, there may be a legal requirement to collect and use information to ensure that the school complies with its statutory obligations.

Data Controller Felpham Community College complies with the Data Protection Act 2018 and is registered as a ‘Data Controller’ with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Reg. No. Z5370849). The Data Protection Officer (DPO) for the school is Mr P Rayner, School Business Manager. We ensure that your personal data is processed fairly and lawfully, is accurate, is kept secure and is retained for no longer than is necessary.

The Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data We process personal data because it is necessary in order to comply with the schools legal obligations and to enable it to perform tasks carried out in the public interest. Where the school process personal date solely on the basis that you have consented to the processing, you will have the right to withdraw that consent. Please refer to the Felpham Community College website for further information regarding data protection, including policy and privacy notice. http://www.felpham.com/Policies-and-Guidance

School Attendance

Regular attendance and punctuality are vital ingredients for student success in school. Good attendance means at least 96% (this equates to a maximum of 6 days off per year). If attendance falls below 90% a student is classed as a Persistent Absentee.

Felpham Community College expect all students to be at school and in class on time, fully prepared for their lessons.

The school will work with students, parents/carers and the Pupil Entitlement Investigation Service to support a consistently high level of attendance. Our Attendance Leaflet is on our website under Our School and Policies and Guidance and can also be viewed via this link: Attendance Leaflet.

School Uniform

School uniform is a key feature of a successful school.

If students look smart it creates a work-like atmosphere in school and leads to fewer distractions from learning. Good uniform also reflects well on the school in the community and fosters a sense of pride and belonging.

Individuality and creativity are important but should be expressed by students through the curriculum they follow, rather than through personal appearance. If you are in doubt please contact the school before purchasing. Our Uniform Leaflet is on our website under Our School and Policies and Guidance and can also be viewed via this link: Uniform Guidance. Price lists and ordering information from our uniform suppliers will be sent shortly.

Our Canteen and Cashless Catering Service At Felpham Community College we use a cashless catering system. The system uses the image of a person’s fingerprint to enable them to access their account and purchase items from the canteen and other service points within the school. Each account holds information about the student and their purchases. Parents/Carers can access their child’s account via the internet to add money and view what purchases have been made. Each student will need to register their fingerprint which is translated into a unique alpha-numeric code. The image of the fingerprint is then discarded to prevent it from being used for any other purposes. By law, we are required to obtain the consent from at least one parent/carer to allow us to use their child’s biometric data. More information will follow about fingerprint registration and consent.

Free School Meals

We are aware that fewer students are currently registered for free school meals than has been the case in previous years. We wish to ensure that all families with such entitlement have the opportunity to apply to be included in the scheme. There are two reasons why it is important that families entitled to this benefit register their claim:-

Students receive a daily allowance, currently £2.35, which enables them to purchase a healthy two-course hot lunch. Furthermore, our cashless catering system does not differentiate between a student who pays for their meals and a student on free school meals.

All schools receive additional funding from the government based on the number of students who are entitled and have claimed free school meals. Just registering your child for free school meals means that the school gets this extra money. As I am sure you will appreciate, any additional funding for schools is always needed to help the school provide a full and enriched education for all of its students.

Full information about free school meals is available on the West Sussex County Council website, please click here. If you think you may qualify for free school meals, please either complete their on-line form or download and complete a paper copy. Please note all applications for free school meals should be made before the end of the Summer Term.

Medical Room

The Medical Room service is run by a qualified member of staff who, together with other appropriately qualified staff, enables the school to fulfil its responsibilities for medical care of all students on our roll.

The Medical Room service and First Aid provision are subject to very strict guidelines to which the school is obliged to comply. Our Medical Conditions in School policy is on our website and can also be viewed via this link: Medical Conditions in School Policy.

Please also be aware of the following strict guidelines, which apply to Medical Room practice:-

Prescribed medicines may only be administered with written parental consent

on a special form available from Reception or the Medical Room. Medication such as antibiotics will only be administered from the Medical Room if it is required four times per day, making one dose necessary during the school day.

Paracetamol may only be issued to students with verbal consent from a parent/ carer at the time the paracetamol is given if parental permission has not been given via CareMonkey.

If parental permission has been given via CareMonkey, paracetamol can be issued to students between 12 noon and 2.00pm without verbal consent.

The time that paracetamol is administered will be entered in the student’s diary by the Welfare Assistant.

No medication or advice can be given so no medical supplies or creams are kept in stock.

Mineral water is available for purchase in the cafeteria, tap water is available from water fountains and the cafeteria. Drinking water from the Medical Room is not available. Students are encouraged to bring water to school and to drink water in lessons, provided it is in a clear plastic bottle.

It is the parents/carers responsibility to make sure that their child is well enough to attend school. Students attending school must be well enough to cope with lessons and be able to take part in all planned activities.

Students with asthma are encouraged to carry their inhalers with them. However, a spare inhaler is also advised to be kept in the Medical Room.

Students with auto-injectors for allergies must carry their auto-injector on their person and a second auto-injector must be kept in the medical room.

Please keep the medical room updated with current contact telephone numbers at all times in case of an emergency.

Music Tuition

Here at Felpham Community College, we strongly encourage all students to consider taking additional music tuition. Learning an instrument has been shown to increase confidence and relieve stress, whilst improving memory and problem-solving skills. It is fun, creative and rewarding! We also have many ensembles at FCC that students can join once they are learning an instrument. Our visiting West Sussex Music teachers are highly experienced and very friendly - they will teach complete beginners, up to the highest levels. Currently, our visiting teachers offer music tuition in the following instruments: Voice Guitar Drums Strings: Violin, Viola Piano and Keyboard Woodwind: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone Brass: Cornet, Trumpet, French horn, Trombone If the instrument you are interested in is not listed, please let me know by emailing me. To find out more, please visit the West Sussex Music website: www.westsussexmusic.co.uk Click on the ‘Making Music’ tab and here you will find here information about ‘Prices’ and ‘Making music in school’ - you can apply for lessons here. Please apply this summer term for your child to begin in September. Lessons and instrument hire (one instrument only) are free to children in care and those in receipt of free school meals. There is also pupil premium funding available. Please take advantage of this fantastic bursary by emailing Ali.Unsted@westsussexmusic.co.uk or myself for more information. If you are considering buying an instrument, please email me first - we might have an instrument in school that your child can borrow, or I can give you advice about the best make and model for your budget. There are also instrument hire schemes from West Sussex Music and local music shops that are a brilliant option for beginners. We look forward to seeing high numbers of our new students begin or continue their music tuition journey. Mrs Deal, Curriculum Leader for Music jdeal@felpham.org.uk

Welcome to the Library

In the library at Felpham Community College we pride ourselves on being able to provide your child with the best reading material available. Reading - whether for study or pleasure - is a pastime which we actively encourage, and there are many opportunities for students to become involved in book award schemes and discussion groups.

Each year we run a Reading Club designed specifically for year 7 students, which meets once a week and allows those who take part to vote on their favourite fiction books from a selection of shortlisted titles. In addition, we support all areas of the curriculum with an up-to-date range of non-fiction material which is constantly being reviewed and updated.

In order to ensure that we can offer the best possible selection to every student, we ask for a deposit of £5.00, which will be returned to you once your child leaves school, upon safe return of all book loans. Payment for the library deposit will be by ParentPay, more information will follow shortly. Please note we are unable to accept cash for library deposits.

Lockers

Your child will be offered the opportunity to have a locker at a cost of £5 (deposit), £2 of which will be returned to you once your child leaves school, upon safe return of the key. Lockers are provided as near to students’ tutor rooms as possible.

If your child loses their locker key they should let their Form Tutor or Year Office know. Parents/Carers will need to pay £5 for a replacement key. The school do not keep replacements keys in stock, they need to be ordered and can take a significant amount of time to replace. We highly recommend students bring in a key-ring for locker keys. Payment for the locker key deposit will be by ParentPay, more information will follow shortly. Please note we are unable to accept cash for locker key deposits.

Stationery Shop

At Felpham Community College students are expected to be well equipped for lessons. We run a stationery shop in the school library on a daily basis that offers good value for money. If you have not been able to purchase equipment for your child beforehand, they will be able to buy a starter pack from the library for £14.00 on the first day of term.

Starter pack includes: 1 x pencil case

1 x handwriting pen 4 x eziball biros

1 x set of colouring pencils 1 x ruler

1 x pencil 1 x highlighter 1 x maths set

1 x scientific calculator

We often stock other items like folders, dividers and different pens etc, students can come into the library and see what we have in stock.

Equipment for specific lessons is listed below:

English: Pocket dictionary and thesaurus (recommended for home use)

Maths and Science: A scientific calculator (recommended Casio Fx-83GTX), this can be purchased from the school or local retailers.

A compass

A long ruler (30cm)