A STEM Centre of Excellence and Leadership Development School

The Heath School Inf

orma

tion f

or Pa

rents

2012

We’re in the business of learning

www.heathschool.org.uk

‘A truly outstanding School’

OFSTED 2010

A school for the 21st Century.

A Centre of Excellence where everyone has aspirations to learn, progress and achieve.

A cooperative, innovative and dynamic community with a clear sense of purpose and pride in

promoting personalised learning for all.

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The Heath School

Telephone number : 01928 - 576664

Email : hmullaney@heathschool.org.uk

School Web Site : www.heathschool.org.uk

School Address : Clifton Road

Runcorn

Cheshire

WA7 4SY

The Year 7 Team September 2012

Progress Coordinator Mr D McNamara

Assistant Progress Coordinator Miss F McCurry

SENCO Ms A Farr

Senior Leadership Link Year 7 Mrs E Rowlands

School Dates 2012—2013 3

The School Day 3

Extra Curricular Activities and School Trips

3

Uniform and PE Kit 4

Friends and falling out 5

Lunch Time 5

Buses 6

Attendance and Punctuality 6

Home Based Learning 7

Academic Structure 8

Partnerships with Parents 8

Home - School Agreement 9

STEM and Teaching School 10

Rewards and Consequences 11

Key Staff 12

Contents

Welcome from Mr McNamara

Progress Coordinator Year 7

I am pleased to be able to welcome you to The Heath for the start of what we hope will be a long and very successful partnership. This booklet contains lots of information that you will find useful over the coming year. Please keep it for future reference. We are proud of our reputation for creating a welcoming and supportive environment that promotes achievement. The school closely follows the guidance for the safeguarding of our students and protecting their welfare is always of the utmost importance. If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me via the school office or by E mail. I am looking forward to working with you to maximise the potential of your child. We believe every child matters and every child can succeed. Yours sincerely Mr D McNamara mcnamarad@heathschool.org.uk

Peripatetic lessons are popular at The Heath

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The Heath School offers students the opportunity to enjoy the experience of residential holidays. At the start of Year 7, the trip to Kingswood enables the students to forge new fr iendships and gain confidence. T h e r e a r e s e v e r a l established residential holidays on offer that include a dance and tennis

Encourage your child to join after school activities. They are a great way to make friends and build confidence. The Heath offers a range of extra curricular activities ranging from Netball and Foot-ball to Lego. Dance and Drama clubs are also very popular. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is very popular with our older students.

trip to Spain, a theatre trip to London and a skiing trip each year. At the end of the academic year the students enjoy activity day. Many trips run on this day including Alton Towers and Chester Zoo. Activities also run in school ranging from sports to crafts. There is something for everyone to enjoy.

Extra Curricular Activities and School Trips

School Dates 2012 - 2013

The Music

Department

coordinates a

comprehensive

range of

instrumental tuition.

Further details are

available from

Miss A Dale

Head of Music

School opens for students School closes

TUESDAY 4th September 2012 FRIDAY 19th October 2012

MONDAY 29th October 2012 THURSDAY 20th December 2012

MONDAY 7th January 2013 FRIDAY 15th February 2013

MONDAY 25th February 2013 THURSDAY 28th March 2013

MONDAY 15th April 2013 FRIDAY 3rd May 2013

TUESDAY 7th May 2013 FRIDAY 24th May 2013

MONDAY 3rd June 2013 FRIDAY 19th July 2013

INSET Days

MONDAY 3rd September 2012 MONDAY 22nd July 2013 TUESDAY 23rd July 2013 WEDNESDAY 24th July 2013 FRIDAY 5th October 2012

8.30 am - 8.55 am Canteen open for Breakfast

8.55 am - 9.15 am Registration and Assemblies

9.15 am - 10.15 am Lesson 1

10.15 am - 11.15 am Lesson 2

11.15 am - 11.30 am Break

11.30 am - 12.30 pm Lesson 3

12.30 pm - 1.10 pm Lunch

1.10 pm - 2.10 pm Lesson 4

2.10 pm - 3.10 pm Lesson 5

The School Day

Students enjoying a Maths lesson.

Skiing America 2011

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The School seeks to have high standards of dress, behaviour, achievement and presentation. All students should comply with the following standards and should be properly dressed in school uniform at all times, including whilst travelling to and from school, lunch and breaks. Hooded Sports tops are not allowed.

Jewellery - one small pair of earrings, one ring and a watch may be worn. No other jewellery is to be worn. Nose studs, facial piercings or tongue piercings are not allowed. Hair should be an appropriate style for school. Closely shaven heads or extreme hair styles are unacceptable - this includes unnatural hair colours and hair extensions. Make-up and nail varnish are not allowed. Students wearing make-up or nail varnish will be asked to remove it. The students present the public face of The Heath School and we rely on your help with maintaining high standards. PE Kit Your child will need to bring their PE kit on days when Dance or PE are on their timetable.

ITEM DESCRIPTION STANDARD Black blazer Official school badge Must be worn when moving around

school Black skirt/pinafore Regulation style No fashion skirts

Knee length - within 5 cm above/below Black trousers Tailored style Not jeans or canvas style White shirt/blouse Buttoned to the collar – short or long

sleeve Must be tucked in

House tie Official clip on tie Worn outside the shirt – not tucked in Black jumper/cardigan V necked Not zipped Socks/tights Black/white socks or black tights No patterned tights Black shoes Low heeled Boots are not allowed.

No pumps or trainers. No sport logos

A brand new PE top has been designed for this year. Students may also wish to purchase a Heath School hooded top, this is an optional addition to the PE kit, and is for use during PE lessons and when representing the school at sports fixtures. PE Kit and uniform are available from Best Sports in Runcorn Old Town. www.bestsports.co.uk Best Sports will be at The Heath on 13th/14th June when you come to meet your child for the transition evening. You will have the opportunity to order/buy your child school uniform at this time. Equipment for Lessons All students must carry a school bag that is waterproof and strong enough to protect their books and equipment. For every lesson the minimum amount of equipment required is: a pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, student planner (provided by the school) and the correct books for the days lessons. Form tutors will check student equipment on a daily basis. In mathematics lessons your child should also bring a scientific calculator. The mathematics faculty recommends a Casio scientific calculator, it is important for your child to be confident in using their own calculator and for that reason your child should bring it to all mathematics lessons. For Technology lessons, your child will also need coloured pencils and black fine liner pens.

New design PE top blue with school crest

Royal blue games shorts

Royal blue socks

Trainers - black or white with non-marking soles

Gum shield/shin pads (optional)

Football boots (Boys - for playing on the grass)

Uniform

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The first couple of years in secondary school can bring a few upsets between friends as groups change and some long-established friendships alter. It may be that your child w i l l exper ience more squabbles with friends at this time and may find the changing dynamics upsetting. This is a really common phase and is usually nothing to worry about. The best response is to keep calm, encourage your child to focus on the positives and allow the situation to play out.

Usually the situation tends to change very rapidly - often falling-out between friends can cause huge upset one day and be completely forgotten the next, with children announcing they are best friends again! However, if you feel that a situation has become an ongoing concern or you are worried, contact your child’s Form Tutor who will do whatever they can to support you and your child in resolving the situation as quickly as possible.

Cyber bullying is a relatively new phenomenon and issues which can flare up in school often take place outside of school on internet chat sites such as Facebook and MSN or via mobile phones. Parents can greatly reduce the risk of cyber bullying by being aware of what their child is doing on-line and monitoring inter-net use at home. Help them to be responsible. Be aware that Facebook requires individuals to be at least 13 years old to open an account.

from, including pasta, baguettes and a different hot choice each day. The hot choice ranges from roast dinners to fish and chips on Fridays! From September 2012, the cost of a ‘Meal Deal’ at The Heath is £2.10. Included in the meal deal is a hot meal, drink and a snack (fruit, yoghurt or biscuit). Students in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) can spend up

to the value of the meal deal currently (£2.10) each day. Please ensure you apply for FSM if you think your child may be entitled. The school receives funds based upon the number of students who are eligible for FSM. Still apply for FSM even if your child prefers to bring a packed lunch. You can get further information and a form to apply from the school office.

In October 2011, the canteen staff at The Heath were awarded ‘Blakemore Nat io n a l Aw ar d f o r Customer Service and Care’ and in July 2011 canteen S u p e r v i s o r , N i c o l a Holdsworth, was awarded ‘Halton Supervisor of the Year’. The school has also achieved Healthy Eating Status. The canteen offers a variety of different food for the students to choose

Friends and falling out

Lunch Time

There may be opportunities for your child to represent the school during Open Evenings or Academic Review Days. This valuable experience enables the students to gain confidence and share their enthusiasm for our school with others. Encourage them to make the most of the leadership opportunities available to them at The Heath.

Students enjoying a Textiles lesson with Ms Eustace.

The students at The Heath enjoy taking part in Operation Christmas Child. Their generosity each year helps others who are less fortunate. The rivalry between forms to collect the most shoe boxes can become very competitive!

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The journey to school can be a source of worry for you and your child, if possible do a run through on the bus together during the summer holidays. If you are picking your child up at the end of the school day in a car, for the safety of all of our students please do not drive onto the school site. Attendance and Punctuality Attendance and punctuality are a priority at the Heath. High standards of attendance and punctuality are essential for students to learn, progress and achieve. At The Heath attendance is closely monitored by the Form Tutor, Assistant Progress Coordinator, Miss McCurry and the Attendance Liaison Officer, Mrs Preston. The school works closely with the Education Welfare Service regarding all attendance and welfare concerns and supports the Education Welfare Service in the legal framework that it operates within. We work closely with parents, and you will be notified if your child’s attendance starts to fall. This contact could be made by telephone call or by letter from the Assistant Progress Coordinator or Attendance Liaison Officer. On such occasions we appreciate parental support, and are happy to meet with parents to discuss support for their child. Should your child experience any difficulties attending school for whatever reason please contact school as soon as possible to enable us to support your child. If students are absent from school, it is essential that on the first day of absence parents/carers telephone the school to inform us of the reason for their absence. When your child returns to school they must have an absence note to give to their form tutor, even if someone has already telephoned the school. Under normal circumstances school will authorise illness absences. However, where deemed necessary, the school will ask for medical evidence for this absence. All medical/dental appointments should be made outside of the school day. Should this not be possible, please inform your child’s Form Tutor prior to the appointment (letter or medical card). Holidays during school term time are not permitted, (unless for exceptional circumstances). Should parents take their child out of school during term time for a holiday not authorised by school, the Education Welfare Service will be notified and in the majority of circumstances parents will receive a penalty notice. (approximately £50.00 per parent per child) It is an expectation at The Heath that all students arrive at school on time, two late marks in a week will result in a detention after school for half an hour.

Buses - Morning

Buses to Clifton Road 61 and 82A from the Bus Station via Greenway Road and Moughland Lane 61 from Murdishaw Centre via Halton Lea South and Halton Lodge 82A from Halton Lea South via Halton Lodge

Buses that come into the school grounds J23 From Halton Lea North via Palacefields Avenue and Beechwood Avenue to school J53 From Weston Point via The Heath offices and Westfield Road to school 70 From Sandymoor along the busway to school

Buses - Afternoon

Buses that leave the school grounds J23 Return Journey 70 Return Journey J53 Return Journey J23 Murdishaw, Runcorn East, Windmill Hill and Halton Lea

Buses that leave Clifton Road 61 and 82A Currently 61 runs every 20 minutes and 82A runs every 30 minutes. You can check the most up to date times at www2.halton.gov.uk

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Home Based Learning Home based learning is work that is set to be completed outside the timetabled curriculum. It contains an element of independent study in that it is not usually directly supervised by a teacher. Home based learning will enhance student learning, improve achievement and develop students' study skills and is an integral part of the curriculum. Evidence suggests it is important factor in raising student achievement for students of all abilities. Not all home based learning is completed at home; some tasks may require resources (books, software, equipment) more readily available at school so it maybe necessary or desirable to carry out the task at school during lunch time or after school. The aims of Home Based Learning is to enable students to:

take ownership and responsibility for learning consolidate and extend work covered in class or prepare for new learning activities access resources not available in the classroom develop research skills have an opportunity for independent work show progress and understanding enhance their study skills e.g. planning, time management and self discipline

Tasks may include:

revision consolidation of work preparation for the next lesson practice - learning by doing completion of controlled assessment assignments research reading interviews drawing/sketching

Parents Role Your support for Home Based Learning is vitally important. You can help enormously by showing interest in the work and giving praise where it is due. Establish a regular routine and ensure your child has a quiet place to do their work. Encourage your child to make use of their school planner to record the tasks they need to complete and check and sign it each week.

The amount of time spent on Home Based Learning tasks will vary week by week. The table below illustrates the usual amount set in each curriculum area over a two week period.

Subject Year 7

English 2 x 30 mins

Maths 2 x 30 mins

Science 2 x 30 mins

Tech 2 x 30 mins

Other subjects 30 mins each

Students from 8KRY the Annual Award evening July 2011

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Academic Structure

Before students arrive at The Heath we have made extensive contact with their individual primary schools to ensure that they have a smooth transition to The Heath. As part of this, we communicate with their year 6 class teachers looking at their talents, strengths, attitudes and level of commitment.

On arrival at The Heath, students are placed into ability sets in one of two equal bands which are appropriate to their individual primary profiles as well as their KS2 SAT results.

Throughout their time at The Heath, Heads of Department and Senior staff will track and review the individual performance of students and there will be some adjustment between teaching groups if required to aid progression.

In year 7, students will study :-

English, Maths, Science, Religious Studies, Physical Education, Information Technology, Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education, Art & Design, Design Technology, Dance, Drama, French, Geography, History and Music.

The House System

All students and staff at The Heath are in one of our four houses - Apollo, Mars, Venus and Neptune. There are many opportunities for students to support their house, including inter-house competitions and sports day.

Partnerships with Parents In year 7, it is our aim to ensure that all students are able to settle quickly into life at The Heath and receive as much support as they need. Your child will be in a mixed ability Tutor Group with a Form Tutor, who generally remains with the Tutor Group until the students are in year 11. Form tutors soon get to know their tutor groups very well and are able to de-velop strong working relationships with parents. Your child’s tutor will be your first and most regular point of contact with the school. You may also wish to contact the year 7 Progress Coordinator or one of your child’s subject teachers. They can be contacted by e mail, phoning the school and leaving a message or send a note in with your child. It is inevitable that at times a very small number of students may misbehave and appropriate sanctions will be implemented. Repeated or serious misbehaviour will result in the school contacting parents for a meeting with Progress Coordinator and, when appropriate, a member of the Senior Leadership Team. At times some students require special guidance or support. If this is the case the Progress Coordinator may refer them to the Centre for Student Intervention. This is a team of specialist staff who work with students and parents and can offer advice on personal, behavioural, social, emotional and learning issues. To maximise the potential for all students, The Heath recognises the importance of positive relationships between the school, our students and their parents/carers. The Home - School agreement clearly sets out the expectations for all three parties.

‘In lessons, students are keen to do well, and demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning. They participate enthusiastically in learning activities and take pride in their work.’ Ofsted 2010

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Home - School Agreement The Student agrees to: Attend school regularly, on time and properly equipped Be polite, helpful, showing respect to others and their property Wear the correct school uniform and be smart in appearance Do all my classwork and homework as well as I can Follow the school’s expectations and take PRIDE in The Heath Keep the school free from litter and graffiti Deliver to my parents letters or information which I am asked to take home Keep any mobile phones switched off during the school day and appreciate that carrying it openly

means risking confiscation The Parents/Carers agree to: See that my child goes to school regularly, on time and properly equipped Ensure that he/she wears the correct school uniform Make the school aware in good time of any concerns or problems which might affect

his/her work or behaviour and provide notes to explain absence Support the school’s policies and guidelines for behaviour and sanctions Support my child in homework and other opportunities for learning at home or outside

the school Attend parents’ consultations and discussions about my son’s/daughter’s progress Keep the school up to date on matters such as addresses and telephone numbers Reply as necessary to letters and messages from the school Phone the school switchboard if we need to get a message to your child

The School agrees to: Care for your child’s safety and happiness Ensure that your child has the opportunity to achieve his/her full potential as a valued member of the

school community Let parents know, in good time about any problems or concerns which are affecting your child’s work

or behaviour Provide a balanced curriculum meeting the needs of your child and set appropriate home based tasks Aim for high standards of work and behaviour by building good relationships and developing his/her

sense of responsibility Keep you informed about school matters in general through the newsletter and your child’s progress

in particular Encourage, reward and celebrate the success of your children Protect your child and members of the school community by having a strict mobile phone policy

Take PRIDE in The Heath

PUNCTUALITY Arrive on time, ready to learn, with everything you need.

RESPECT Ourselves, others and our environment. Treat everyone as you would want to be treated

INDEPENDENCE Think and take responsibility for your own learning and making the right choices.

DRIVE Aim high, set goals and make them happen. Dare to dream.

EXPECT The best from yourself and others.

Make the most of every opportunity

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Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

The Heath is a STEM Centre of Excellence and this means that your child will be coming into an environment with a number of defining features. We have a distinctive curriculum with a greater emphasis on Maths, Science and Technology and a commitment to use these areas to bring about sustained improvement in the quality of education across the school.

We have made substantial investment in the use of ICT in all subject areas. Laptop computers can be used in most classrooms and, as we expand our network, we constantly seek software that can personalise the learning experience for each child.

We take care to assess the preferred learning styles of our students and guide them within a technology rich setting.

From day one, we seek to prepare your child for the world in which they will grow up in. We aim to offer pathways to success for all of our students that cater for their learning needs and enable them to leave The Heath and make a positive contribution to society.

Leadership Development School

As a leadership development school The Heath recognises the importance of nurturing leadership qualities in its staff and its students. Encourage your child to take full advantage of the leadership opportunities avail-able to them at The Heath.

The leadership opportunities for students includes:

Form Captain, Vice Form Captain, School Council Representatives

House Captain, Duty Monitors, Prefects, Peer Mentors

Junior Leadership Team, Dance Captains, PE Captains

Duke of Edinburgh Award, Cyber Mentors.

Teaching School Status

The Heath School recently became one of only 200 schools in England to be granted teaching school status. The designation by the National College for School Leadership entitles the school to lead the training and professional development for staff. The teaching schools initiative began last autumn, marking a shift to-wards school-centred training and development. The programme gives outstanding schools the freedom and autonomy to lead a group of schools, working with other partners including at least one university, to deliver high quality support for teachers and leaders at all stages in their career.

The National College has responsibility for the designation and quality of the teaching schools programme, working closely with the Department for Education (DfE), as the national network grows to 500 teaching schools by 2014.

Steve Munby, Chief Executive of the National College, said: “Teaching schools [like The Heath] need to be at the top of their game to take on this role - outstanding in their own performance and have a track record of raising standards through school-to-school support.”

Principal Mrs. Mullaney said: “The Heath and our strategic partners are already working in collaboration to promote outstanding teaching, learning, leadership and management across the North West. We have formed a strong Learning Teaching and Leadership Alliance which is composed of schools from across Halton together with Priestley College and Edge Hill University. This is a very exciting time at The Heath and we are very proud to have been recognised as one of the top 200 schools in the country.”

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Rewards

All the staff try to reward students for outstanding work. These rewards can include:

Telephone call or letter of praise sent home from the class teacher/Head of Department.

Praise from Head of House in House assemblies

Quick notes Achievement of good grades in assessments

Verbal praise in lessons VIVOs given

Positive comments in books

Department Certificates

Praise from Progress Coordinator in Celebration assemblies

And Consequences

...but sometimes there are consequences for inappropriate behaviour. These consequences can include:

Quiet word from the teacher

Student moved away from friends

Time out Warnings given Detention

Student placed on Department or Form Tutor report

Incidents will be recorded on the students record

Internal referral to another teacher in the department if instructions are not followed

In extreme cases other measures may be taken

Contact made with parents

Detentions

* Detentions can be after school, at break time or at lunch time. * For detentions at the end of the school day, students are usually given 24 hours notice. * The Heath appreciates the full support of parents in ensuring that after school detentions are completed. * Parents are expected to arrange transport /collection for their children. * If there is a serious reason why your child cannot attend detention, you must contact the school and request for the detention to be rearranged. Deliberate non-attendance is likely to result in isolation or possibly exclusion. Some Year 6 students have a fear of receiving a detention for all sorts of reasons. The type of behaviour that would result in your child receiving a half hour detention includes failure to complete homework without a valid reason, two late marks in a week, referral from the classroom for disturbing the learning environment for others, failure to bring the correct equipment three times in a week. The majority of students leave The Heath without ever having had a detention, so reassure your child as they may never get a detention.

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Key Staff There may be times when you need to contact the school. Your child’s form tutor or Progress Coordinator will usually be able to resolve any issues that may arise. You can contact your child’s subject teachers directly if you wish to, they are named in your child’s planner and on their timetable. Each subject area has a Head of Department (details below) who you can contact directly if necessary. Members of the Senior Leadership Team, who you may have cause to contact are also listed below.

Subject Head of Department Subject Head of Department

English Mrs W Segal Science Mrs W Bradford

Mathematics Mr C James Technology Mrs G Spencer

PE Mrs F Sibley Music Miss A Dale

Humanities & History Miss G Piggott Religious Studies Mrs B Green

Geography Mr S Barlow Drama Miss J Hodson

Modern Foreign Languages Mr J Bond Spanish Miss F McCurry

Information Technology Mr L Holleran Art Mrs H Wade

Dance Mrs S Barnes PHSE Mr D McNamera

Dear Parents and Carers, This booklet is intended to be a helpful introduction to our school and to tell you something about our procedures, practices and personnel. I trust you have found the information to be of use. If you have any constructive comments to make about the information included in (or missing from) this booklet I would like to hear them. Many thanks, Mrs N McNamee Assistant Principal mcnameen@heathschool.org.uk

The Senior Leadership Team

Mr R Rogers Vice Principal - Responsibilities include curriculum

Mr J Jardine Vice Principal - Responsibilities include student progress

Mrs E Rowlands Assistant Principal - Responsibilities include pastoral care and behaviour

Mr S Byrne Assistant Principal - Responsibilities include teaching and learning

Mrs N McNamee Assistant Principal - Responsibilities include transition Y6 to Y7

Mrs H Newcombe Assistant Principal - Responsibilities include Literacy throughout school

Mrs H Mullaney Principal

Mr S Dewhurst Business Manager