General
Information
George Stephenson High School is proud of its working relationships with parents and carers. We are committed to working closely with parents so that we can help every student succeed in school and we are always striving to develop and improve our links with parents.
In this section you will find information on:
Admissions, general school information (including uniform and school policies), governor information and the school's involvement in the Leading Parent Partnership Award.The 'For Parents' section contains useful information about the school and how we will support your child. It also provides advice and guidance for you as a parent/carer to help you work with us in a successful family-school partnership.
Here you will find information on:
Care, guidance and support (including the Parent Guide), SEN provision and Safeguarding information, Parents' Forum, Extra-curricular activities and our School Prospectus.We hope that you will find this information helpful both in answering queries and supporting your child's education. If you have any suggestions about how we could make improvements to this section of the website, please contact us to let us know.On this page, we have included some important information about the school which we hope you will find useful.
Attendance and Punctuality:
Children's attainment and achievement is directly linked to high school attendance. According to school data children who are persistently absent regularly miss their targets and miss out.School starts at 8.25 a.m. Students should be in their tutor rooms by this time. Students are expected to attain a minimum of 95% attendance or above - this means no more than 10 days leave for any reason in any year. All students compete for attendance awards each half-term term.
To find out more information about our Attendance Policy, please call the school and speak to Louise Dunn, Deputy Headteacher, our Education Welfare Officer (EWO) or our Attendance Officer.
Further information can be found in the Attendance section of our website.
Parents are advised that holidays will not be authorised in term time.
School Uniform
All students are expected to wear full school uniform at all times. The uniform (including guidance on jewellery allowed in school) is described in this General School Information section, in the Guide for Parents and in the student planner.
Home School Agreement
Every school is required by law to have a Home School Agreement. This is to ensure that families and schools are working together to support children's learning and development in the best possible way. You will be asked to read and sign the agreement when your child starts at George Stephenson High School.
Complaints
If parents are dissatisfied in any way with the curriculum or school organisation we encourage them to take their concern to their child's Guidance Manager in the first instance, then to the Deputy and/or Headteacher. If they are still not satisfied they can write to the Chair of Governors at the school address.Schools must have a complaints procedure in place in order to meet requirements laid down in the Education Act 2002. Any parent has the right to enter a formal complaint if he or she thinks that certain things are not being done properly. Copies of the Local Authority's Complaints Policy and Procedure followed by the school are available on this website or on request from the school.
First Aid
If your child requires First Aid, they need to inform their teacher. The member of staff will contact a dedicated first aider, who will assist the student. If medical attention is required, a parent or carer will be informed to collect the student. Please make sure the school is kept up to date with any changes to contact details, using the SIMS Parent app. Parents will be notified of a First Aid incident via a First Aid E-Form sent through Parentmail on the same day. If the First Aider judges it necessary, they will contact a parent or carer directly instead.
Administering Medication
Prior to staff administering any medication, the school must have written confirmation from the parent or carer. To comply with government legislation, we also require written confirmation of instructions from a health practitioner.
Please note: there is no legal duty requiring staff to administer medication; however, staff are unable to do so without the appropriate consent form.
There are three situations which may arise:
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Staff administering medication on an ad-hoc basis (usually short-term treatment)
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Staff administering medication for more complex medical needs
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A student carrying/administering their own medication
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If your child has any of the above needs, please contact the school as soon as possible and staff will arrange for the relevant form to be issued.
Please note that the school is unable to hold and administer medication that is not prescribed by a GP/hospital. Prescribed medication will be kept in the first aid room and/or with your child once the relevant paperwork has been completed.
At the end of each week, an E-Form will be sent via Parentmail with a record of the medication administered to your child.
Contact Telephone Numbers
Parents are responsible for providing the school with some point of contact for their child, for example, a telephone number at home and at work as well as the telephone number of a friend, relative or neighbour.It is very important that parents keep the school up to date regarding any change of contact details.
Parents' Information and Newsletters
A leaflet display in the visitors reception area which provides information about the school, extended services and family learning and is updated regularly.Our school administration team are always willing to give information you may need. We keep a file of letters sent home to parents.
Achievement for All
At George Stephenson High School we follow the Achievement for All behaviour and rewards system to encourage positive behaviour within our school environment. Rewards are made at class and on a whole school level. High standards of behaviour are actively encouraged across the school. We help students to resolve their differences and conflicts in positive and constructive ways so that they may learn the skills to do so independently. We encourage students to report all incidents of name-calling, including racist names, violence or bullying. These incidents are taken very seriously and are recorded and dealt with swiftly.
To find out more information about Achievement for All, please refer to the Parent Guide and your child's planner.
Care, Guidance and Support:
The Guidance SystemThe main school is organised into a strong guidance system, made up of five year groups, each with a Guidance Manager, Achievement Support Co-ordinator and a team of Form Tutors. The work of our guidance system is based on raising achievement and supporting students in every possible way as they progress through the school.
Student Voice
We have a Year Committee for each year group and a School Committee which meets every term. Two elected students represent each tutor group on each Year Committee and two elected students from each year group are on the School Committee. The committees set their own agenda and pace of meetings. We value student voice and are committed to inviting the student's opinions and including their ideas in the management of the school and local issues.