Letter to Parents/Carers (09/11/2022)
Dear parents and carers,
We hope that you had a safe and enjoyable half term. I am writing to you with some updates for the term ahead.
As we enter the mock exam period for our Year 11 and Year 13 students, we must ensure that all of our students are maximising learning time in and out of lessons. We will be reminding all year groups of our clear expectations, as outlined in our "Havelock Way" over the coming days and applying sanctions where necessary. It may feel more strict to some students but it is important that they understand why we have these expectations in place, to ensure no time is wasted in lessons and all students can learn without interruptions.
We are very clear about our high expectations, with key information regularly updated on our website and our Student Guide published each year, including with updates as needed if we have changes in staffing. You can find this, along with many other useful documents, if you scroll down on the Parent Information page on our website. Our website also includes clear information on uniform and equipment. Please ensure that your child is in the correct uniform, with the correct equipment, each day. This serves as an even playing field for all students in our community. In cases of hardship, please contact your child's head of year so that we can see what support can be made available.
Our behaviour policy is applied to all year groups, with clear expectations to allow all students to learn in a positive environment. If a student is not focused on their work or disrupts a lesson in any way, they are issued with a "C1", recorded on the board. A "C2" is issued if there is any further issue, serving as a final warning, allowing the student the opportunity to remain in the lesson and follow the clear expectations, including focusing fully on their learning. A "C3" will then be issued if there are any further issues and at this point the student will spend the rest of the lesson in our removal room, where they will be supervised to work independently from their knowledge organiser. A detention will be issued for the same day. C2 and C3 notifications are recorded centrally so you should receive notification of these on the My Child At School (MCAS) app. If you would like any help with installing or using the app then please contact our reception team. It is important that all parents and carers have the app as it allows very quick, clear communication with home for key notices as well as celebrating successes such as completed rewards cards.
If a student does not attend their timetabled lesson or tutorial on time, or report to the removal room promptly for a "C3" then this will be treated as internal truancy. Students should not be out of lessons without a note from the teacher or a valid, up to date, toilet pass. Internal truancy may result in a suspension and follow up work to enable the student to understand the safeguarding implications of them not being where they are supposed to be.
We have recently had reports of some poor behaviour in our community by young people, including some of our students. This is very disappointing and we regularly talk to our students about the importance of representing themselves and the academy with pride at all times. Please can you reiterate this message at home. We continue to work closely with our local policing team and educate our students about actions and consequences as part of our personal development programme.
We have around 1000 students at Havelock and we want them all to succeed. We are promoting the rewards and recognition available to students at the moment, as an encouragement for all students to work hard, be kind and make an active contribution to the Havelock family. We will be writing to you shortly with details of our Christmas rewards programme, including some planned trips and events over the Christmas break for some students. We also have a number of celebration events such as our annual Santa Run, Christmas Jumper Day, and Inter House Singing competition, all planned for the end of this term. Students will break up for Christmas at 12.00 on Monday 19th December and return to school for the new term on Wednesday 4th January. These dates, along with the recently published dates for 2023-24, can all be found on our website.
Attending school punctually and maintaining good routines, including being punctual to all lessons, are key to success and we appreciate your support as parents and carers with this. We recently published (also available on our website) a full list of tutor email addresses so that it is easy for you to contact your child's tutor to ask any questions and raise any concerns early on. Our tutors are supported by a team of Heads of Year and a wider pastoral care team who are all keen to help.
Thank you for all of your ongoing support.
Kind regards,
E Marshall and the leadership team at Havelock
