Dear Parents/Carers
I would like to firstly thank all parents, carers and wider family members and their friends for supporting our young people and our Academy. I would also like to thank you for the many lovely comments received verbally on the phone, by email and social media thanking us for our work with our young people, this means a lot to our staff family. We have had a fantastic 2022!
It has been wonderful to welcome parents back into the Academy this year. We have thoroughly enjoyed inviting you back into the academy. Our school remains at the heart of our community.
Together we continue to drive standards and progress for all students, as well as educating our young people about:
Be safe, be respectful, be responsible.
I know that you will support me in ensuring that your children follow these rules which are the essential foundations for our Positive Discipline for Learning Policy. The overarching aim of our policy is to promote positive behaviour, to ensure our students grow into safe, respectful and responsible citizens and to allow them to learn in a calm and purposeful environment.
Year groups remain in allocated areas for form time to enable Learning Managers and SLT links to visit forms, ensuring a positive start to the day.
Student Uniform and Resources
A reminder that all students should have their bag (large enough for an A4 folder), planner and pencil case with equipment.
I know that during the festive period many students may change their hair colour and grow accustomed to wearing nails and make-up, therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of our uniform expectations for our return:
- Full Academy uniform is expected at all times including uniform for PE
- Plain black socks when wearing trousers
- Plain black tights (at least 40 denier) when wearing a skirt
- Plain black, below the ankle, polishable, sensible school shoes free from embellishments and decorations (no canvas / plastic / trainers / boots, etc) please see our Uniform Policy for further clarity. There has been an amendment to the uniform policy and this was communicated to parents on 14 December 2022, you can find that information here. Please read this carefully.
- No jewellery except a wristwatch
- Make-up must be very discrete, eyebrows of normal shape and colour, fake eyelashes are not allowed and students will be expected to remove them
- No nail varnish or false nails, hair must be a natural colour and style
- Chewing gum, fizzy pop (including energy drinks), big bags of sweets and crisps etc are NOT allowed anywhere on site. We are aiming to be a healthy eating site. Students may wish to bring a refillable water bottle – there are water stations around the Academy where free fresh water can be accessed. Please note that students MUST have a water bottle to be able to use these water dispensers.
- We are a no mobile phone site, phones are not allowed anywhere on the academy site. If your child chooses to bring in a phone, it must be switched off and in their bag. We are not liable for any breakages or theft. If a phone is seen by a member of staff or heard then this will be confiscated and must be collected by a parent/carer or other responsible adult.
Transport
If your child arrives by public transport, we ask all students to be reminded of our behaviour policy and ensure they are safe, respectful, and responsible. Though we continue to educate our young people and work closely with parents, we do ask that you speak to and educate your children about appropriate behaviour on public transport, when they are no longer on our school site.
Students will be allowed to bring their bike onto site and lock in our bike sheds, they need to bring their own bike lock to ensure safety. No electric bikes or electric scooters are allowed on site. Students must walk push-bikes in and out of our grounds to ensure the safety of other students.
Contact with parents and carers
It can be difficult to make contact with the academy as a result of our busy phone lines. Please use the following links where we will ensure a response or a follow up call is made:
Attendance and punctuality at the academy is vitally important
Please
do not book holidays during term time as this will be counted as an unauthorised holiday and may incur a fine. If you know that your child is going to be absent, please telephone the Academy where possible before 8:30am or email
attendance@shafton.outwood.com
Our students must arrive between 8:10 and 8:20 every morning. Anyone arriving after 8:25 will enter through our late door and gain a 30 minute detention. This is because all curriculum time is essential.
Important Dates for the remainder of the 2022/23 academic year:
- Tuesday 3 January 2023 | Students return: Y7, Y8, Y9, Y10, Y11 08:10 - 08:20
- Tuesday 7 February 2023 | Revision Festival: 5 - 7pm
- Monday 13 February - Friday 17 February 2023 (inclusive) | February Half Term
- Monday 20 February 2023 | Students return after Half Term
- Tuesday 21 February 2023 | Y11 Event: Once Upon A Prom
- Tuesday 21 March 2023 | School Production 7pm
- Wednesday 22 March 2023 | School Production 7pm
- Tuesday 28 March 2023 | Progress Evening: Y8 - Y11
- Monday 3 April to Friday 14 April 2023 (inclusive) | Easter Break
- Monday 17 April 2023 | Students return: Y7, Y8, Y9, Y10, Y11 08:10 - 08:20
- Monday 1 May 2023 | May Day Bank Holiday
- Monday 8 May 2023 | Additional Bank Holiday
- Monday 29 May - Friday 2 June 2023 (inclusive) | May Half Term
- Monday 5 June 2023 | Students return after Half Term
- Tuesday 6 June 2023 | Progress Evening: Y7 - Y10
- Tuesday 13 June 2023 | Careers Festival
- Thursday 22 June 2023 | Year 11 Prom
- Friday 23 June 2023 | Year 11 Prom Breakfast
- Saturday 1 July 2023 | Annual Shafton BikeFest
- Monday 3 July 2023 | Year 6 Transition
- Tuesday 4 July 2023 | Year 6 Transition
- Wednesday 5 July 2023 | Year 6 Transition World of Work Event
- Thursday 6 July 2023 | Year 6 Transition Year 6 Transition Information Evening
- Thursday 20 July 2023 | Summer break: Academy closes to students
I wish you all a lovely New Year and I look forward to seeing students on Tuesday 3 January 2023.
Yours faithfully,
Alison McQueen
Principal
Frequently Asked Questions
Question | Answer
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Who is the SLT link for my year group? | Y7 - Mr Simpson: i.simpson@shafton.outwood.com Y8 - Mr Mellor: j.mellor@shafton.outwood.com Y9 - Mrs Littlewood: e.littlewood@shafton.outwood.com Y10 - Mr Jeffries: p.jeffries@shafton.outwood.com Y11 - Mr Peel: t.peel@shafton.outwood.com
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What is the number to ring if my student is absent? | Please ring 01226 717730 and press 2 when prompted to do so
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Can my child bring a packed lunch? | Yes we have a specific area that they can eat in with a packed lunch
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How do I put money on my child's account? | Your child will receive a letter detailing how to access iPay, the cashless payment system used by the academy.
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What after school clubs can my child take part in? | Our enrichment programme will be added to our website and shared via social media
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My child has special needs, how will their needs be met? | Our inclusion team will be working with you to ensure that we still meet the needs of all students. This may look different than it did previously but we will keep communicating with you to get this right.
- Key contacts are:
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Year 7 Learning Manager: Mrs Westerman a.westerman2@shafton.outwood.com
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Year 8 Learning Manager: Mr Holmes b.holmes@shafton.outwood.com
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Year 9 Learning Manager: Miss Wooller s.wooller@shafton.outwood.com
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Year 10 Learning Manager: Mrs Sellars k.sellars@shafton.outwood.com
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Year 11 Learning Manager: Mr Turner j.turner2@shafton.outwood.com
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SENDCo: Mrs Burgin l.burgin@shafton.outwood.com
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SEND Officer: Miss Askwith j.askwith@shafton.outwood.com
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Inclusion Coordinator: Miss McCue: k.mccue@shafton.outwood.com
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My child has medical needs or food allergies, who should I contact? | Please contact your child’s Learning Manager or Miss Robinson, our Healthcare Assistant, at l.robinson@shafton.outwood.com
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Why is it important that my child brings their own equipment to the academy? | This is really important. We want all students to be equipped and ready to learn and being prepared is an important part of this engagement. Anyone who is struggling please email enquiries and we can support them through our hardship fund.
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Are rubber shoes like the ‘Vivienne Westwood’ style acceptable? | Rubber shoes are fine as long as they have no details or embellishments, i.e. no hearts, gold or silver embellishments or other details are allowed.
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Are kickers with the very small logo at the side acceptable? | Yes
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Can my child wear black trainers? | No as per the policy, shoes must be worn
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My child wants their ears pierced. What happens now? | Please do not have any piercings when your child is due at school as they will have to remove any earrings as this is part of our behaviour policy.
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Can my child wear any non-Outwood uniform? | A plain white shirt with a collar can be worn. This does not have to have the Outwood swirl on. A plain black V-Neck knitted jumper can also be worn. Blazers must have the Outwood logo on. Trousers and skirts must adhere to the uniform policy changes shared with parents on 14.12.22
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Could my child loan a tie if they lose it? | We have a small stock of uniform that we can loan to students until a replacement can be bought or the original item is found. This includes: ties, shoes, blazers. In addition, we have black tights to support in an emergency hygiene situation. Repeat issues with uniform can result in a sanction.