St Laurence School Year 6 – 7

2020

“We care - We inspire - We succeed”

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Welcome to St Laurence School

This booklet has been put together to help you prepare and become familiar with the ‘normal’ procedures at St Laurence. Of course, due to Covid-19 and now having received the updated national guidance (2nd July), we are busy putting plans together for all of the students to return at the start of September. We will keep all parents/carers updated via emails and our Year 6 page, on the website. Our mission is to develop young people with active and creative minds. Within the context of our Christian foundation, we aim to foster a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on our values and beliefs. St. Laurence strives to be an outstanding school, offering a broad and challenging education to meet the needs of all students. We are committed to inspiring students to achieve the highest standards of intellectual and personal development through a stimulating and comprehensive curriculum. Within a caring, respectful, inclusive community, we cultivate a desire to learn, take risks, and accept challenges. We want our students to be resilient and adaptable, equipped with the knowledge, skills and curiosity to continue their education and become fulfilled, confident, socially responsible adults.

We care. We inspire. We succeed.

For up to date information, newsletters, events, uniform lists and policies, you can visit the school website at www.st-laurence.com I hope you enjoy reading through this booklet with your child. Mrs K Rhodes

KS3 Director of Learning and Progress June 2020

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St Laurence’s Christian Vision and Collective Worship

Our Mission and Values are rooted in the narrative of the martyr St Laurence, who when ordered

by the prefect of Rome to bring the treasures of the Church, responded by saying “people are the

Church's treasure". In Matthew 6.21, we read: “for where your treasure is, there your heart will

be also”. At St Laurence you will find a School whose vision and practice is informed by the belief

that people are our treasure, as a gift from God, and are far more important than narrow

definitions of educational excellence. In our practice you will see where our heart is.

Collective Worship is the heartbeat of the school. It is a daily occurrence, which is based

the assumption that there are students with Christian faith but also students with other

faiths and those with no faith. Collective Worship includes the wider tutorial programme,

and its daily ‘Breathing Time’, as well as the regular weekly gatherings of Houses. Collective

Worship is seen as an interactive and integral element of daily school life. It is an

opportunity to be still in our busy day, connect with our school’s Christian vision and values,

consider in our lives, our relationships, our community, our world and an to take an

opportunity for prayer or reflection regarding some of life’s biggest questions

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House Team

Ashley Ms Whittle (Head of House) Mrs Proudman (Assistant Head of House)

Budbury Mrs Power (Head of House) Mrs Northeast (Assistant Head of House)

Conigre

Miss Walsh (Head of House) Miss Reinfelder (Assistant Head of House)

Huntingdon Mr Daniels (Head of House) Mrs Cate Mrs Wilde Mrs Pepler (Assistant Heads of House)

Westfield Mrs Kendall (Head of House) Mrs Brown (Assistant Head of House)

Emails can be found on the website under: - Contact us - Staff contacts - Pastoral leadership

Alternatively, call main reception (01225 309500) and ask for your HOH or AHOH

Maternity cover Maternity leave

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Making Contact Please contact your tutor in the first instance with any concerns or queries. They will signpost you to the correct person. Once you have settled in, you will be more familiar with the systems and you will be able to contact members of staff directly. Concerns If you do have a concern, please let us know as soon as possible, even if it does not require us to take action straight away. Problems that have been left for some time, can become more difficult to investigate. Attendance Expectations

• We expect 100% attendance at St Laurence School. Research has shown that there is a direct relationship between excellent attendance and successful exam outcomes.

• Our aim is to work with parents and carers to ensure that every student has the highest level of attendance that they possibly can. We appreciate your support in making sure that your child misses as little learning time as possible.

• If lessons are missed, the expectation is that students catch up on the work. Punctuality

• Students need to be in school before 8.30am so that they can be in their classrooms ready to start learning at 8.35am.

• We monitor punctuality carefully and have a clear sanction system to remind students of the importance of punctuality to school and also to lessons.

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Uniform

Please find the details of our school uniform requirements below. We use the parents’ online ordering service from Price and Buckland (https://shop.price-buckland.co.uk/stlaurenceschool).

School Uniform 2020-2021

Items Requirements Additional Guidance

Polo shirt Navy blue St Laurence polo shirt with school logo and House initial

▪ No T shirts should be worn underneath the polo shirt

Jumper Navy blue ‘V’ neck St Laurence jumper with school logo – choice of two styles of jumper.

▪ No cardigans, alternative jumpers, sweatshirts or hooded sweatshirts instead of the school jumper

Trousers Navy blue and standard school style

▪ Trousers should be formal in style and of full length to the ankle

▪ No ‘chino’ or ‘jeans’ style trousers ▪ No visible outer pockets or external stitching

Skirt As an alternative to trousers, a St Laurence skirt may be worn - choice of two styles of skirt. Plain black or navy blue opaque tights must be worn with skirts throughout terms 1 to 5.

▪ Skirts should sit on the waist and not be rolled up or taken in in order to shorten or narrow them

▪ Tights must not be ripped or have tears in them

▪ Socks should not be worn in addition to tights ▪ Socks should be worn with regular school

shoes if tights are removed in term 6

Shorts As an alternative to trousers and skirts in term 6 ONLY, St Laurence shorts (available from Price and Buckland) may be worn – choice of two styles of shorts.

▪ Socks and regular school shoes should be worn with shorts

▪ Alternatives to the St Laurence shorts are not permitted

Footwear Black or navy blue, flat shoes

▪ No trainers, boots or sandals ▪ No platform or canvas shoes

Outerwear Coats should be plain ▪ No denim or leather ▪ No hooded jumpers or sweatshirts ▪ Outerwear should not be worn indoors

Jewellery

▪ Piercings should only be worn in the earlobe ▪ Maximum of ONE plain stud per earlobe ▪ No nose studs or other piercings ▪ No rings, necklaces or chains

Hair style Hair should be of a natural colour

▪ No extremes in style ▪ No shorter than a ‘Number 2’

Make up

▪ No make-up in Y7 and Y8 ▪ Discreet make up only in Y9-Y11 ▪ No nail varnish or acrylic nails ▪ No false eyelashes or eyelash extensions

Bags Ruck sacks required

▪ Large enough for A4 books and at least one A4 folder

Mobile devices

Outside of social time/before or after school all phones, other mobile devices and headphones (wired or wireless) should be stored in bags, not carried in hands or placed in pockets

▪ Wired headphones should not be worn beneath clothing or threaded through the polo shirt.

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St Laurence School PE kit

Boys

Compulsory Items Requirements

PE Polo Shirt (Unisex) Royal blue St Laurence PE Polo with logo

Rugby/Football Shorts Navy blue St Laurence shorts with logo

PE/Athletics shorts White/Royal Blue St Laurence shorts with logo

Rugby Shirt Blue St Laurence reversible shirt with navy blue band

Rugby/Football socks Navy blue St Laurence socks

White sports socks Plain white

Boots Football or Rugby boots

Trainers Suitable for sports activities with non-marking soles – not leisure/canvas

shoes

Optional Items Requirements

Tracksuit Trousers Plain navy blue

Blue hooded top Blue St Laurence hooded top with logo

Girls

Compulsory Items Requirements

PE Girls’ Fit Polo Shirt or

PE Polo Shirt (Unisex)

Royal blue St Laurence PE Polo with logo

Girls’ Fit Shorts Navy blue with St Laurence logo

Hockey/Football socks Navy blue St Laurence socks

White sports socks Plain white

Blue hooded top Blue St Laurence hooded top with logo

Trainers Suitable for sports activities with non-marking soles – not leisure/canvas

shoes

Optional Items Requirements

Tracksuit Trousers Plain navy blue

Navy leggings Can also be worn for Dance

Boys and Girls

Protective Equipment (Compulsory)

Shin Pads and Gum Shields

Dance (Compulsory )

Navy leggings and/ or PE Shorts

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GENERAL INFORMATION

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Normal timings of the day

• Arrive at school by 8.30am at the latest

You will get used to walking between classrooms to different subject areas and seeing lots of people. We do not expect there to be any silly behaviour in corridors or between lessons (for example: pushing, shoving, running, shouting /screaming). Make sure at all times you are sensible and respectful.

Every day you will need:

The Student Planner ✓ bring in EVERY day ✓ take PRIDE in its appearance and content ✓ do not scribble on the cover, remove or fold the pages. ✓ keep a thorough record of TARGETS set ✓ have messages from parents to school and school to parents If you lose or forget your Student Planner, you must tell your tutor.

Lessons start at: 8.35am

Assembly/Tutorial is at: 9.35am

Break is at: 10.05am

Lunch is at: 12.20pm

Last lesson ends at: 3.00pm

St Laurence Extra activities are generally between:

3.15pm – 4.20pm

• A rucksack to carry your belongings

• A pencil case containing: pens, pencils, sharpener, rubber, ruler, highlighters, colouring pencils and a red biro (for editing).

• A reading book

• Snack and drink for break (if you wish), arrangements for your lunch (restaurant or packed lunch).

• Bus fare/pass if necessary

• Student planner

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First week’s arrangements Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd September 2020: School closed to students for staff training. Thursday 3rd September 2020 (Year 7 and 12 only) Timings and the organisation of these days will be published to parents separately.

Friday 25th September 2020

School closed to students for staff training

Wednesday 21st October 2020

End of Term 1 - 3:00pm (note: may be different from other local schools)

Other important dates for Term 1

Please check the website for all St Laurence term dates

St Laurence Extra There are a wealth of clubs and activities across the school including various clubs in Sport, Music, Drama, Art, Crafts, Languages, Computing, Gardening etc. that run in the six terms of the year. Specific details on which clubs are running and when will be available in September. Important points:

1. Almost all clubs are free 2. You do not need to have done it before or to have done it outside of school.

We want you involved and our expectation is that all students take part in at least one club during the year.

Cashless Payments The website also holds information on Cashless Payments (under ‘Information’) which explains in detail how the school operates online payments using 'ParentPay' and how to set up Cashless Catering. You will also receive a letter to help you with this.

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Here is a sample timetable of a WEEK A (this is not your timetable) Days of the week Lesson number Subject

Initials of the teacher

Room number

• You will have a two-week timetable – WEEK A and WEEK B.

• Your tutor will help you with the teachers’ initials and where the rooms are!

WEEK A Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

LESSON 1 Geography History P. E. Drama French

TBQ F5

SM A2

KR SH

PLB F7

VT F18

TUTORIAL Tutorial

Collective Worship (CW) Tutorial Briefing Tutorial

MWM D10

MWM WMC

MWM D10

MWM TH

MWM D10

LESSON 2 Science P. E. Maths French Dance

HP T10

KR SH

DTH M1

HPY F18

SEY TH

LESSON 3 Maths PSHE Science Music Food

DTH M11

HP T10

HP T16

KRW MC2

MD D6

LESSON 4 English Resistant Material Maths English English

ECH F14

SCC D2

DTH M1

ECH F14

ECH F14

LESSON 5 Geograpy German English PE Maths

THN F19

EA F20

JCW F12

JHR Gym

DTH M11

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Literacy at St Laurence Literacy is connected to all forms of communication: reading, writing, speaking and listening. We encourage the use of dictionaries in our lessons.

Codes that may be used in marking:

Sp. - Spelling mistake: error underlined or circled in text P. - Incorrect or missing punctuation: error underlined or circled in text. C. - Mistake in use of capitals: error underlined or circled in text. // - Missing paragraph: inserted between sentences where paragraph should begin.

- Word missing: inserted on line where word should be.

- Poor expression or meaning unclear: drawn underneath the line.

Get into good habits

• Write in blue or black fine ink.

• Every piece of work should have a title and the date that is underlined with a ruler.

• Do not scribble or doodle inside or on the outside of your planner, exercise books, files, folders etc.

• Do not waste space in books. When a piece of work is finished, draw a line under it with a ruler.

• Draw graphs, charts and drawings in pencil.

• Tippex is not allowed in school.

At St. Laurence we believe that a little extra help at home can make all the difference when it comes to supporting your child’s literacy. Helping with spelling at home Spelling Strategies

1. Look, cover, write, check.

2. Say words out loud including silent letters e.g. the ‘d’ in Wednesday.

3. Learn words within words e.g. ‘finite’ in ‘definitely’ and ‘table’ in ‘vegetable’.

4. Thinking of common words in subjects to learn e.g. conclusion, spatial, photosynthesis.

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Independent Learning Centre

At St Laurence we are very privileged to have our Independent Learning Centre, which includes a library service as well as computers, a reading space, offices and a meeting room. Mrs Lown and her team are there to help if needed and each day there is a Homework Club with Teaching Assistant Support. The ILC is open till 4:30pm every day and you do not need to book in to attend. It occasionally closes early when being used for Parents’ Evenings. The ILC is also open during student lunches for homework, but not during break time. There are 11,000 books in the ILC. You may borrow 3 books for 3 weeks. These can be renewed. We do not ‘fine’ you (ask for money) if you forget to return a book but do remember that this means other students cannot borrow it. Please remember the ILC is a St Laurence learning environment used for all students in the school. It is for: Research, Reading, Private Study, Homework Computers are only available for school work, 2 students maximum at a computer. No food or drink is allowed in the ILC The school code of conduct applies at all times. In the next couple of pages there are lots of suggestions of books that we think you’ll enjoy, but if you are ever stuck you can always pop into the ILC and talk to Mrs Lown or one of her team. You can also email ilc@st-laurence.com and ask for a recommendation!

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Bookbuzz

This year to welcome you to St Laurence we are taking part in the BookBuzz program. You can choose a book from the 17 choices below, this will be yours to read and keep, although you could always choose to buddy up with a friend and read each others, or try and read the whole selection which will be available in the ILC!

You might like to spend some time thinking about which book you would like most, something that interests or challenges you. In September, Mrs Lown and her team will ask you which book you would like.

This year book choices are:

• A Darkness of Dragons – S. A. Patrick

• And then I turned into a Mermaid – Laura Kirkpatrick

• Crater Lake – Jennifer Killick

• Check Mates – Stewart Foster

• City of Ghosts – Victoria Schwab

• Home Ground – Alan Gibbons

• Icarus was Ridiculous – Pamela Butchart

• Little Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties – Humza Arshad and Henry White

• Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean it – Susan Day

• Little Bird Flies – Karen McCombie

• The Switch Up – Katy Cannon

• Talking to Alaska – Anna Wolts

• Real-Life Mysteries – Susan Martineau

• The Haven – Simon Lelic

• Some Places more than Others – Renée Watson

• Animals Up Close – DK

• Super Side Kicks – Gavin Aung Than

Great Reads for the Summer. Enjoy reading a book Reading is very important; therefore we would like you to read a book over your holidays. Here are some of our most popular reads at St Laurence, perhaps you might find your new favourite?

Adventure Comedy

Steve Backshall

Chris Bradford

Bear Grylls

Anthony Horowitz

Katherine Rundell

Robin Stevens

Tiger Wars

The Way of the Warrior (S)

Mission Survival (S)

Stormbreaker: Alex Rider (S)

Rooftoppers The Girl Savage Wolf Wilder The Explorer

Murder Most Unladylike (S)

David Baddiel

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Jeff Kinney

Jonathan Meres David Solomons

David Walliams

The Parent Agency Head Kid

Framed Millions Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (S)

World of Norm (S) My Brother is a Superhero

The Midnight Gang Fing

Drama History

Malorie Blackman

Sarah Crossan

Susin Nielsen

R.J. Palacio

Annabel Pitcher

Onjali Q Rauf

Pig-Heart Boy

Weight of Water Apple and Rain (C)

No Fixed Address

Wonder

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece

The Boy at the Back of the Classroom

Laurie Halse Anderson

John Boyne

Susan Cooper

Candy Gourlay

Geraldine McCaughrean

Michael Morpurgo

Chains (C)

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Ghost Hawk

Bone Talk

Middle of Nowhere Where the World Ends

War Horse Private Peaceful

Fantasy/Science-Fiction Sport

Sophie Andersen

Maz Evans Derek Landy

Rick Riordan

Veronica Roth

Philip Pullman

The House with Chicken Legs

Who let the Gods out? (S) Skulduggery Pleasant

Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief (S)

Divergent (S)

Northern Lights (C )

Dan Freedman

Mitch Johnson

Alexander Kwame

Andrew Norriss

Jason Reynolds

Lauren St John

Jamie Johnson (S) Unstoppable

Kick

Booked Rebound The Crossover

Mike

Ghost

The One Dollar Horse/The Glory

S = Series

C = Challenging Read

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Systems at St Laurence

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Assessment and Reporting You will have two reports in year 7. The first one is an interim report that will be issued in November

and will report on key learning behaviours that we refer to as the ‘Learning Profile’. This information

will give you a good idea about how well you are settling down to study in secondary school. You will

be able to discuss this report with your tutor at the tutor review evening in November.

Later in the year, you will have a subject evening where parents/carers and students come to St

Laurence to meet teachers and talk about your progress. Towards the end of the year, you will

receive a full report, which will tell you how well you are doing in your subjects and if you are making

the progress you should. Your teachers will also provide a subject specific learning target that is

important for you to work on. You will also be able to write your own statement about your first year

at St Laurence.

Learning Profile – seen on school reports Teachers will talk about these key learning behaviours in lessons and comment on them in your

school reports. This tells you how well you are working as a student at St Laurence. The three key

areas are:

• ‘Prepared for Learning’ by being organised and taking responsibility;

• ‘Attitude to Learning’ displayed through determination and self-control;

• ‘Engaged in Learning’, showing interest and participating positively.

On-line Homework app All homework is set on ‘ClassCharts’. You will be shown how to access this on Day and parents can also access the homework. We ask parents to continue to support your child and the school with the completion of homework.

Homework expectations We want you to build excellent home study habits right from the start of Y7 and will be monitoring your home learning really carefully. In Term 1 you will receive key pieces of weekly home learning in Maths, English and Science as well as vocabulary to learn in French and German and material gathering for ADT. We will be expecting you to be able to complete ALL of your homework and meet the deadlines. Homework will then increase from Term 2. ✓ Complete your home learning somewhere quiet and peaceful

(If this is difficult at home, you can use the ILC after school). ✓ You must report any difficulties with the work to the subject teacher at an early stage, before

it becomes a problem. ✓ Homework should not be left till the last minute!

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Social media With the ever growing impact technology and the internet has on all of our lives, it is important

that we work together to keep our young people safe. As a school we teach ‘esafety’ in PSHE and

have our own rules regarding mobile phones and the use of emails in school time (see policies on

our website). However, we do need parents and carers to support us and be very vigilant, about

the use of devices, access to the internet and be aware of the communications their children are

having, through social media sites.

Here we have a list of top tips to help you and your child:

• When it is time for bed, keep all devices out of bedrooms.

• The minimum age for Social media sites is 13 years old (see below).

• Sending bullying or threatening messages is against the law. Make sure your child understands that they must not forward abusive texts, emails or images (including those that are sexual in nature) to anyone – they must report them to an adult they trust.

• Have a rule that homework needs to be completed first, before technology time.

• Have a dedicated time slot or timed sessions on game consoles.

• Make sure you have your internet filtered at home.

• The majority of families have these rules in place, even if your child says that they don’t!

• Do not contact your child on their mobile phone whilst they are at school. Please use the official system of phoning in through reception with any messages. We also expect children to use this system if they need to contact you.

Recommended ages restrictions for using social media.

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Health

Place2Be, the mental health charity, has some helpful information for parents to help them support their children for what can be a daunting time - moving from primary to secondary school. For more information: https://www.place2be.org.uk/what-we-do/parent-carer-resources/ready-for-secondaryhigh-school.aspx

Always remember:

1) Keep talking 2) Let them know they are loved 3) Continue to set rules 4) Be there when things go wrong

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We value emotional wellbeing as highly as academic success. The diagram below demonstrates various pathways for support.

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Anti-Bullying We are opposed to bullying in all its forms and are committed to embedding a school culture that is fully inclusive, encouraging respect for difference and diversity and ensuring that all students learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment without fear of being bullied. We set out to educate students about the issues surrounding bullying and to deal effectively with incidents when and where they arise. We have recently completed the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s All Together Programme which is a national programme that provides tools for schools to review and strengthen their existing provision, as well as support to help develop best practice approaches in six key areas of schools’ Anti-Bullying work: school leadership, school policy, data collection and evidence, prevention, responding and intervention and staff training and development. We were awarded an All Together SILVER Award in recognition of the quality of the provision that is in place at St Laurence School.

How students report bullying: If you are being bullied or you think someone else is, you can do the following things:

• Report your concern directly to a member of staff in person or by email. It is likely this might be your tutor, HoH or AHoH.

• Talk to one of the school’s Anti-Bullying Ambassadors – you can find their details in a leaflet kept in Student Reception

• Email stopbullying@st-laurence.com When bullying is reported, staff will listen to you, take what you say seriously and then take prompt action.

We will circulate our Anti-Bullying Policy which will be updated in September. The policy contains much more detail about our provision and approaches. You can find the existing policy on the school website.

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Rewards Our reward system is built around the school’s values and the grid below shows examples of the different positive behaviours that will be rewarded at St Laurence School.

Value Understood as… Positive behaviours

Care

about self, others, the school community and the wider community

▪ actions that are polite, kind, helpful or respectful ▪ charity work, volunteering ▪ peer support e.g. buddying, mentoring ▪ making a stand e.g. anti-bullying, environmental issues ▪ wearing uniform well

Inspire

motivating others, leadership, attitude

▪ mentoring e.g. spelling and reading challenge ▪ role modelling e.g. lead learners ▪ taking a lead e.g. literacy leaders, school council, ▪ showing team spirit and motivation e.g. sports ▪ displaying a positive attitude ▪ sustaining effort even when it’s tough ▪ participating in after school clubs ▪ contributing to the success of lessons

Succeed

achievements in and out of school, behaviours sustained over time, a significant change

▪ displaying pride in work ▪ demonstrating focus, independence, reflection ▪ quality of HW ▪ challenging self ▪ attendance ▪ punctuality ▪ achievements out of school e.g. sports, music, arts, ▪ academic progress ▪ positive learning profile ▪ participating in school events

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Rewards system continued….. Positive reward points will be awarded in ClassCharts at 3 different levels:

Bronze

Expected Behaviours

2 points

Silver

Regular, Significant Contribution

10 points

Gold

Sustained, Exceptional

25 points

Students will be able to collect points by displaying positive behaviours in the different areas: Care, Inspire, Succeed. They will be recognised individually as they reach significant milestones: 250, 500, 850 and 1000 points across the academic year. All individual points will contribute to the tutor group totals for competition in the House and to the House totals which will lead to the prestigious House Trophy that is awarded to the winning House in the House competition at the end of the academic year. We will also share success with parents and carers through postcards and letters home as students have told us how much they value their success being shared in this way. Finally, to add a little fun into our new rewards system, there will be an opportunity to ‘win’ prizes in our Rewards Raffle. Many of the ideas for prizes have been suggested by the students themselves and there should be something to inspire everyone to succeed.

Your contributions will be vital!

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Behaviour Consequences

We have high expectations of behaviour at St Laurence as this is essential for success. Our positive

approach to behaviour management reflects our school ethos: We care; We Inspire; We Succeed.

All students at St Laurence have a responsibility to follow the school’s Code of Conduct and to meet

our expectations of behaviour whether that is in a classroom setting, during social time, travelling to

or from school or in an environment outside of school where students are representing the school.

We work hard to support students to demonstrate high standards of behaviour by:

▪ having very clear expectations

▪ rewarding good behaviour

▪ promoting positive relationships

▪ understanding our students as individuals.

When behaviour falls below expectations, it is met with consequences which are then recorded on

ClassCharts as negative behaviour points. Key members of staff monitor the behaviour record of

each student so that support can be offered to ensure that all students are able to make any

necessary changes to their behaviour in order to meet to our high expectations.

We will contact parents and carers at an early stage if we have concerns about negative behaviour

patterns so that we can all work together to support students to make the right choices.

Please remember: ➢ Mobile phones are not to be used when walking to and from lessons or in the classroom

(without teacher direction). If they are used, they will be confiscated and will need to be collected by an adult at 4.15pm that day.

➢ Chewing gum is not permitted in school. Read the uniform list thoroughly and take particular note of: ➢ no make-up in Year 7 and 8 ➢ no gum ➢ no aerosols ➢ no nail varnish or acrylic/false nails ➢ jewellery rules

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Behaviour Consequences continued…

Behaviour Consequence Behaviour Support

Warning Where students do not meet behaviour expectations, they can expect to receive a warning from a member of staff. Usually, the warning is sufficient to allow students to adapt their behaviour and no further consequence is needed.

Restorative Conversations Whenever behaviour falls below expectations and a consequence has been issued, there will be a conversation with the student to rectify any issue and support students to take responsibility for negative behaviour, enabling a positive way forward.

Formal Warning If students do not respond to the warning and continue to display behaviour that does not meet expectations, the member of staff will issue a formal warning. The warning will be recorded on Class Charts as a Level 1.

Tutor Phonecall Behaviour Points on Class Charts are regularly monitored by the House Team and the Deputy Headteacher. If necessary, the tutor will make contact with parents and carers at an early stage if we have concerns about negative behaviour patterns. This will enable us to work together in supporting students to make the right behaviour choices.

Detention/Host Lesson If a student chooses not to change their behaviour following the formal warning, the member of staff will issue either an after-school detention, often to catch up on work missed, or a host into another classroom for the next lesson where work will be completed that has been set by their usual subject teacher. This will be recorded on Class Charts as a Level 2.

Behaviour Reports If early intervention is not successful and a student’s behaviour becomes cause for concern, the HoH will ensure that steps are taken to support the student in displaying the high standards expected. This will involve further contact with parents and a series of behaviour support reports monitored by the tutor, AHoH, HoH or a member of senior staff.

Internal Exclusion/Community Service There are occasions where repeated examples of negative behaviour or single incidents that are more serious will result in a senior member of staff issuing either an internal exclusion or a period of community service. This is recorded on Class Charts as a Level 3.

Support to Learn If, when monitoring behaviour, it is noticed that patterns of behaviour have developed, either in a particular subject or across many subjects, the HoH or HoD might refer the student to Support to Learn for a fixed period of time. They will work with staff to make changes to their behaviour so that they can make a positive return to their usual class(es).

External Exclusion On the very rare occasions where behaviour is extremely serious, the Headteacher may decide to externally exclude a student for a fixed amount of time. This is recorded on Class Charts as a Level 4.

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Attendance Matters

Here at St Laurence, we are committed to providing our students with the very best learning opportunities, enabling the young people in our care to achieve their full potential. Research has shown regular attendance and good punctuality are crucial factors in this success. So, whilst regular attendance is a legal requirement, it is also vital for students to maximise their learning and achieve their full potential. Our aim is to work with parents and carers to ensure that every student has the highest level of attendance that they possibly can. What can you do at home to support good attendance in school? There are a number of important steps that you can take to ensure your child maintains a high level of attendance:

▪ Ensure your child attends every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Lesson time begins

at 8.35am so students need to be in school before 8.30am so that they can be in their

classrooms ready to start learning on time.

▪ Ensure the school has up to date contact details. You can phone (01225 309500) or email

(attendance@st-laurence.com) with any contact changes. We will contact you by telephone if

your child is absent and you have not contacted us by 9.00am. This ensures that truancy is

quickly identified.

▪ If your child is ill, or away from school for any other reason, contact us via the absence line

(01225 309501) before 9.00am or email the attendance team directly on attendance@st-

laurence.com.

▪ Completed Absence from School Forms are required for all other absences. These are

available to download on our website https://st-laurence.com/documents-and-forms.

▪ Please make sure you advise us every day your child is absent.

▪ If for some reason your child is staying with another adult temporarily, please inform your

Head of House so that we can update contact details.

▪ Ensure that all routine medical/dental appointments are made outside of school time.

▪ Contact your child’s tutor, Assistant Head of House or Head of House if you are experiencing

difficulty in getting your child into school.

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What does good attendance look like?

Attendance Days of absence per academic year

98% Less than 4 days Excellent attendance

96% 8 days Good attendance

93% 14 days Below average attendance (national average attendance rate is 95%)

90% 20 days Poor attendance and classed by the government as ‘Persistent Absentees’. Parents of these students could face legal action from the Local Authority.

How do we monitor attendance?

The attendance of students at St Laurence School is monitored on a regular basis. We identify any student whose attendance is causing concern and take the following action: ➢ A first letter is sent to register our concern with parents/carers and to make them aware of the

current level of attendance.

➢ If absences are due to high levels of illness we may send a letter requesting a medical explanation

or evidence so that we can record the absence as authorised. If a child’s long term absence is for

genuine illness, the school will do whatever it can to support you and your child.

➢ If there has been no further improvement we will invite parents/carers to a meeting at school in

order to identify ways that attendance can be improved.

➢ If attendance remains a concern following a further review, we may no longer authorise absence

and will make a referral to our Education Welfare Officer who will hold another meeting and will

also consider whether legal action is appropriate.