Further to my communication last week, 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 academic year.
Secondly, 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.
In readiness for our return in September, I know that you will support me in ensuring that your children follow these rules which are the essential foundations for our whole behaviour policy. The overarching aim of our behaviour 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.
To support a calm and purposeful arrival in the academy, we have the following in place for a 8:10 arrival:
Y7 main arrives via back atrium doors. Atrium side.
Y8 back atrium doors. Dining room side
Y9 main reception doors.
Y10 and Y11 KS4 door
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.
September - Return dates
Student Uniform and Resources
Please ensure all students have their bag (large enough for an A4 folder). Students will receive their planner on their first day back which then must be brought into the academy every day and presented at arrival to the door every morning. This is used as a teaching resource and also for recording praise and rewards.
All students must wear full uniform, please ensure that new uniform where required is purchased in plenty of time. I know that during the holiday 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 the Uniform section on our website for further clarity. For skirts please see North West section of uniform policy only.
No jewellery except a wristwatch (smart watches which connect to the internet/record media etc are not allowed)
No rolling over of skirt waistbands. Students should wear the Outwood twin pleated skirt with the logo but if students would prefer to move to a non-logo skirtthis must be box-pleat style.
Make-up must be very discrete, eyebrows of normal shape and colour, fake eyelashes are not allowed and students will be sent home 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 now 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.
It is essential that students also have their own basic equipment (pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, whiteboard pen, highlighter, pencil case, etc). We have purchased these items for students and will give everyone a pencil case fully stocked on their return, however, students are encouraged to use their own. Students can purchase an additional pencil case, with equipment, for £1 using their parentpay account, pencil cases can be collected from Reception when payment has been made. All students must carry a bag and a planner. Planners must be kept clean and free from graffiti. Students must bring their planner, equipment and bag with them each day as a minimum expectation. We will issue C4 detentions where a student does not have equipment with them. For KS4 students Y10 and Y11, it would be appreciated if your child could bring their own scientific calculator to use in lessons.
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. Unfortunately as a result of a minority of students presenting unacceptable behaviours Stagecoach made the decision this academic year to cancel one of their buses creating transport problems for our families. 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 and in the community, 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 scooters are allowed on site. Students must walk 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.
INSET Dates (students will not be in the Academy on these days):
Monday 4 September 2023
Tuesday 5 September 2023
Friday 27 October 2023
Friday 22 December 2023
Monday 22 July 2024
You can access term dates and closures on our website; additionally, we will share key dates information on our website very soon. We will text you when this is available.
I hope that you have a lovely summer and I know that myself and the rest of the staff team are looking forward to seeing all students return in September. Enjoy time with your families and hopefully some sunshine.
Yours faithfully,
Alison McQueen
Principal
Outwood Academy Shafton: Frequently Asked Questions
Q:What is the number to ring if my student is absent? Please ring 01226 717730 and press 2 when prompted to do so
Q: Can my child bring a pack lunch? Yes we have a specific area that they can eat in with a packed lunch
Q: 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.
Q:What after school clubs can my child take part in? Our enrichment programme will be added to our website and shared via social media
Q: 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.
Q: My child has medical needs, who should I contact? Please contact your child’s Learning Manager or Miss Robinson, our Healthcare Assistant, at l.robinson@shafton.outwood.com
Q: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.
Q: 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 detail are allowed.
Q: Are kickers with the very small logo at the side acceptable? Yes
Q:Can my child wear black trainers? No as per the policy shoes must be worn.
Q: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. Any piercings should be done at the start of the holiday allowing them time to heal and then be removed for our return. We do not allow plastic retainers.
Q: 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 situation.
