Information for new starters

Hello to our new students and families. We hope you are looking forward to joining us soon. There’s lots to think about: new school, new routines, new friends and new experiences, so we have included some useful information to help you in your move to the Brookvale Groby Learning Campus.

If you have any questions that we haven’t answered then just see our contact list on the back for the best person to speak to.

Welcome to the

Brookvale Groby Learning Campus

May 2017

This meeting is an opportunity to visit the school and to hear from the Brookvale Headteacher, Katie Rush, the Groby Community College Headteacher, Robert Coles and Deputy Headteacher, Greg Godwin to introduce you to life at Brookvale and to our expectations as a school.

We respectfully ask parents not to bring children to this meeting (if at all possible) due to space constraints in our school hall. Surnames A-L please attend session 6.00-7.00pm, surnames M-Z from 7.30-8.30pm.

Welcome Days These will take place on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th July. Students should make their own way to the campus and meet outside our main reception at 8.40am on the first Welcome Day. Brookvale staff will meet students and take them into the main hall.

“What should my child bring on Welcome Days?”

Please bring a pen, pencil, ruler and water bottle plus a packed lunch or have money ready-loaded on to the cashless catering account. Students will have their thumb prints taken during the morning so that they are able to purchase items from the canteen at break and lunch.

“What should my child wear on Welcome Days?”

We are aiming for all our new pupils to make friends from other primary schools on Welcome Days, so please no primary school uniform. Instead, please send your child in practical clothing such as jeans, T-shirt, jumper or sweatshirt and flat shoes or trainers. No revealing clothes or high heel shoes.

Access to Campus Due to Health and Safety considerations, our site access is barrier controlled and parents are not allowed to drive on to campus for drop offs or collections between 8:15am and 3:30pm, to allow access for the buses to the site and improve safety for all students.

Parent Partnership Meetings Monday 26th June

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The School Day

Time Lesson

8.45am-9.00am Registration

9.00am-10.00am Lesson 1

10.00am-11.00am Lesson 2

11.00am-11.20am Break

11.20am-12.20pm Lesson 3

12.20pm-1.20pm Lesson 4

1.20pm-2.10pm Lunch

2.10pm-3.10pm Lesson 5

If your child has a medical condition, a meeting will be arranged for you to come in to school to meet Mrs Parke, our Pastoral Services Manager and a Health Care Plan will be put in place. This will need to be ready before our Year 6 Welcome Days in July.

Students who have been diagnosed with Asthma must carry their own inhaler with them at all times. We also encourage students to bring in a spare, named, inhaler which we will keep in the main school office.

Students who have been prescribed a Pre-Prepared Adrenaline Injection (Epi-Pen) must carry their own epi-pen with them at all times, including for PE and away sporting fixtures. In addition to this a spare, named, in-date, epi-pen will be kept in Campus Reception. An Emergency Action Plan must also be completed by the prescribing doctor and this will need to be in school before our Year 6 Welcome Days. Please do not hesitate to con-tact Debra Parke if you have any questions about medication in school.

Medical Conditions and Medication

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Autumn Term 2017

School Opens Thursday 31st August 2017

Half Term Monday 16th - Friday 20th October 2017

Staff Training Day Monday 23rd October 2017 (no pupils)

School Closes Friday 22nd December 2017

Spring Term 2018

School Opens Monday 8th January 2018

Half Term Holiday Monday 12th - Friday 16th February 2018

School Closes Friday 23rd March 2018

Summer Term 2018

School Opens Monday 9th April 2018

May Day (School Closed) Monday 7th May 2018

Half Term Holiday Monday 28th May - Friday 1st June 2018

School Closes Friday 13th July 2018

Website Information Our website www.brookvalegroby.com contains a great deal of useful information for parents/carers and students. Please use it for reference whilst your child is at the campus.

Term Dates 2017-18

Transport to Campus Leicestershire County Council Transport Some students are eligible for free transport. This can be due to a number of reasons such as; a family's circumstances, a child having special needs or the distance travelled to school. If you think your child might be eligible for free transport please contact LCC’s Passenger Transport Department on 0116 305 0002 transportassessments@leics.gov.uk Campus Buses: Place to be Reserved As we welcome students from a wide area who are not entitled to free transport we have organised several bus routes. Students are dropped off and picked up in the campus grounds. Students are issued with a photo ID bus pass and replacements cost £5.00. Please see our website for route details and times.

To reserve a place on any of the bus routes please complete the enclosed form and return with a deposit payment to the school office, no later than Monday 2 June. The balance for Autumn Term is then due by 30 June. Places are allocated on a first come, first serve basis.

Pay the Driver Bus Our partner bus company, G H Watts, provides transport from Kirby Muxloe. The current cost is £1.50 per journey or £12 for a week’s pass. Places do not have to be reserved and students pay the driver. For details of the routes provided by this service please see our website. Cycle We provide a lockable bike compound where students can leave their bikes during the day.

BLUE Western Park / New Parks / Newfoundpool / Fosse Road North/A50

GREEN Kirby Frith / New Parks / Glenfield

YELLOW Glenfield Station Road and Elmtree Avenue

PINK Cropston / Thurcaston / Glebelands / Beaumont Leys / A50 Groby Road

PURPLE Thornton / Stanton / Markfield / Newtown Linford / Anstey

Term Due By CITY – GREEN BLUE YELLOW

PINK PURPLE

Deposit for Place on the Service Deposit: 2 June 2017 £50 £50 £50

Autumn: 31 AUG to 22 DEC 2017 Balance :30 June 2017 £125 £180 £190

Spring: 8 JAN to 23 MAR 2018 8 December 2017 £115 £145 £158

Summer: 9 APR to 13 JUL 2018 9 March 2018 £147 £185 £202

TOTAL £437 £550 £600

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Cashless Catering/ParentPay

Our Canteen operates a cashless system which is ‘biometric’; students are recognised by their thumbprint. Adding money to a student's lunch account is a simple process through our Internet payment system provided by ParentPay. Students are also able to load cash onto their account using the machine in reception but it is much better for students if parents pay on-line.

To register for ParentPay please follow the instructions below, using the log-in and password details that are printed on the letter included with this booklet. You can also use this system to pay for school trips and a locker.

Already have a ParentPay account?

If you already have an account with another school, you can simply log in to that account as normal and add your child attending Brookvale using the Add a child tab on your homepage.

New to ParentPay? If you are new, visit www.parentpay.co.uk and activate your account via the account login area on the homepage of the website, using the activation username and password you have been sent.

Registration: Students will be registered for cashless catering on the Welcome Day. Please load money onto your child’s account in preparation for the Welcome Day on 5th July.

Free School Meals Students eligible for free school meals use the cashless system in exactly the same way as everyone else.

If you are not sure if you are eligible for free school meals please visit www.brookvalehighschool.co.uk, ‘parents’ tab. Please do take the time to apply, even if your child may not wish to eat in the canteen. Every successful application brings additional funding to the school for the benefit of all students.

All students transferring to Brookvale from a City school will need to re-apply for their free school meal entitlement with the county council.

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We aim to provide healthy nutritious food, cooked on our premises, using locally sourced produce where possible. Water is available throughout the day. Breakfast Club is open daily from 8am to 8.35am. Selling cereal, toast and drinks. Break is 11am to 11.20am. Toast, paninis, pizza slices and breakfast baguettes are available. Lunch is served between 1.20pm and 1.50pm and students can buy a traditional hot dinner, pasta or jacket potatoes with a side serving of vegetables or salad and a piece of fruit for £2.20*. A vegetarian option is always available.

Cold baguettes are on offer, with a piece of fruit for £2.20*.

Packed lunches can be eaten in either of our dining halls. *Prices correct at time of print.

Does your child have a food intolerance or allergy? If so please contact our Catering Manager Helen Gray who will be happy to discuss individual arrangements for your child.

Lockers

Lockers are available for students’ use for Years 7-9. If you would like a locker to be allocated to your child, please log-on to ParentPay and select ‘Lockers’ to make payment. A key will be issued to the student on their first day of term.

We charge a deposit fee of £12 and a refund of £2 is given for a returned locker key at the end of Year 9. Replacement locker keys cost £4.

School Canteen

We expect all students to wear full school uniform. We want to make sure that students and parents are completely clear about what is, and is not, allowed so that money is not wasted by purchasing inappropriate items. See table opposite. We strongly recommend that all items of uniform are named so that they can be returned to the student if lost. We believe uniform is important for several reasons.

It encourages the students to "dress for success", to feel pride in the school and feel part of the school community.

It reduces the scope for competitive dressing, which can be a source of much unhappiness for some children.

It is practical and relatively inexpensive.

How to Purchase Uniform

We are holding a uniform sales event on Tuesday 6th June, 3.30 – 5.30pm in the Brookvale school hall. Payment please by cash only, we are unable to accept card and cheque payments. You will be able to try on and purchase Brookvale jumpers, cardigans, ties and Campus PE kit. Skirts and trousers are available from the Uniform Direct city centre shop on Humberstone Gate or online at www.uniform-direct.co.uk.

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School Uniform

Brookvale School Uniform

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Item Where and What to Purchase

Blue v-neck jumper or cardigan with school logo The school jumper or cardigan must always be the next layer after the white shirt. A jacket, hoodie or coat must not be worn as a replacement for the school jumper or cardigan.

Available from school. All students must have a school logo jumper or cardigan. They should not be tucked into skirts or trousers when worn.

Clip-on Brookvale tie Available from school. A tie must be worn at all times (including break and lunchtime) except when participating in PE.

Plain black tailored, formal school trousers for males or females.

Available from Uniform Direct. Other suppliers' "schoolwear" ranges may not meet our uniform requirements. We do not allow: denim, rivets, leggings, low-waisted trousers, chinos, trousers that are tight on the legs or made of a stretchy material, trousers made of any fabric other than standard school trouser fabric, nor any trousers that follow a current fashion trend.

Knee length plain black formal pleated skirt. Available from Uniform Direct If a skirt is purchased from another supplier it must comply with our requirements and be pleated.

White formal school shirt with stiff collar and short/long sleeves.

Shirts should be buttoned up to the neck. Shirts should be long enough to be tucked into trousers/skirts at all times. Long sleeves can be rolled up to the elbows, but short sleeves should not be rolled up.

Plain black flat or low heel school shoes or plain black trainers. Below the knee, smart, black, low heeled, polishable boots are permitted in the winter months.

No sandals, high heels, wellingtons, doc-martins. The soles of all shoes/boots must be black. Socks must be plain black with no coloured frills. Tights must be plain, black opaque. Trousers cannot be tucked into boots.

PE Kit Campus Polo Shirt and Campus Hoodie Black shorts/jogging bottoms Black socks and trainers

Available from Uniform Direct. Compulsory Campus PE Polo Shirt and Campus Hoodie. Plain black shorts/jogging bottoms or Brookvale jogging bottoms.

No jewellery except one pair of small ear studs or sleepers (ear-lobes only) and/or a watch.

No other visible piercings will be allowed.

No make-up or nail polish or nail extensions. Only the most discreet make-up is allowed, it should be subtle and of a natural appearance. If staff decide make-up is too noticeable, removal will be required.

Belts, hairbands etc. need to be plain black and discreet.

All outside wear must be removed in school lessons, assemblies etc.

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Timeline to Secondary School 1. Send back the blue form for bus travel with a deposit if you would like to

apply for a place, on a first come, first served basis (by Monday 5th June

at the very latest).

2. Come to our uniform sale on Tuesday 6th June 3.30-5.30pm.

3. Parent Partnership Meeting for all parents is on Monday 26th June

[parents/carers only]

Surnames A-L 6.00 - 7.00pm M-Z 7.30 - 8.30pm

4. Register for ParentPay and load money to cashless catering if you would

like to use the canteen for break or for school dinners on the Welcome

Days and the beginning of the new term.

5. Pay on ParentPay for a locker, if required.

6. Students join us for your Welcome Days on Wednesday 5th and Thursday

6th July.

7. Check you have money on the cashless catering system if you would like

to use the canteen when you start the new term.

8. Enjoy a long summer holiday.

9. Thursday 31st August: Get up, eat a good breakfast, put on your new

uniform and we will see you at 8.40am for your first day. Don’t forget to

bring: a bag large enough to hold A4 folders, a water bottle, pen, pencil,

ruler, rubber.

Our Pastoral Support team is there to help students with a variety of issues; support, mentoring, signposting and alternative curriculum. They also act as a close link with parents, carers, students and staff. Students can make appointments to see members of the team by going to Pastoral Support before school, at break or lunchtime.

School Contact Information

General Enquiries/Absence line School office: 0116 287 9921 fax 0116 281 7050 reception@brookvalegroby.com Medical queries Pastoral Services Manager: Debra Parke dparke@brookvalegroby.com Transport/ParentPay queries Student Services Manager: Debbie Lee 0116 281 7001 dlee@brookvalegroby.com Pastoral/Student queries Head of Year 7: Tina Rumming trumming@brookvalegroby.com SEN/Learning Support queries SENco: Michelle Tointon btointon@brookvalegroby.com Finance/Catering queries Business Manager: Helen Smart hsmart@brookvalegroby.com

No Phone Zone Mobile phones must not be visible or switched on at school between 8.30am and 3.10pm. This includes mobile devices such as watches that are also mobile phones.

Family Information Service This free, impartial service is available to answer your questions and support families on a variety of issues, e.g. behaviour, childcare, welfare benefits and schools. Tel 0116 305 6545, www.leics.gov.uk/family

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