Changes to College Day Agreed

Categories: Principal's Blog

The governors meeting on 19th July took note of the responses from parents, staff and students to consultation on changes to the college day.  The changes were approved unanimously. The new arrangements are as shown below.  
 
We will publish the days for each House in the next few days on the website, and every student in September with their timetable will get the days they will be in assembly or in personal tutoring for the whole year.  There will also be a slip for parents to sign to let us know if they want their child to stay in college until 3.20pm even when they could go at 3pm.
 
Our thanks go to the people who filled in the form on the website, phoned in or came to the meetings with governors.  Although this does mean a change in everyone’s routine it is going to mean:
 
  • Much less queuing and crowding at lunchtime
  • A proper conversation about every students progress with their tutor every week
  • Those students who bring the right equipment, wear their uniform properly and always get to things on time having a real reward – up to three afternoons when they finish a bit earlier.
The agreed changes are:
  1. The amount of time spend in lessons will stay the same – at 25 hours per week.
  2. College will start 5 minutes later with all students coming in at 8.40am and going directly into lesson 1. There will be no morning registration.  We will register in all lessons.
  3. All students will have a 45-minute lunch break, within a one hour slot. Half of our students will have their form time in the first 15 minutes, and the other half in the last 15 minutes – so everyone will have the same amount of time but there will be less people using the cafeteria at the same time.
  4. Lessons will finish at 3pm. One day a week students will have an assembly from 3-3.20pm, and another day they will have their meeting with their personal tutor, again from 3 to 3.20pm.
  5. Students who have been punctual, worn their uniform correctly and brought the correct equipment to lessons will be able to leave college early at 3.00pm on three days a week. We will run short “Paybacks” every day from 3 to 3.20pm for any student that has missed a session, been late to lessons, failed to bring the right equipment to lessons or not worn their uniform correctly. 
  6. The pattern for every week will be the same so parents will know for the whole year what time their child will finish college.  Every day there will be places in college open so that students can either wait for friends or do homework up until 3.20pm, so there will be no problem where parents prefer their child to stay until then.
  7. After college clubs and activities will start at 3.20pm each day.
 
The timings of the new college day will be:
 
8:40 Students report to lesson 1 – one hour
9:40 Lesson 2 – one hour
10:40 Morning break – 20 minutes
11:00 Lesson 3 – one hour
12:00 Lesson 4– one hour
13:00 Parker and Dickson Houses tutor time (15 minutes) Brady and Rumbelow Houses Lunch (45 minutes)
13:15 Parker and Dickson Houses Lunch (45 minutes)
13:45 Brady and Rumbelow Houses tutor time (15 minutes)
14:00 Lesson 5– one hour
15:00 Personal Tutor Time (20 minutes)
One day each week each house will have assembly
On another day each student will have a small group mentoring session with their tutor
Students who have failed to attend the earlier tutor sessions or been late, or who have incurred another related sanction will have House “Payback” time.
Students who have none of the above can either attend a free end of school supervised activity or go home
 
15:20 End of student’s normal working day on-site. Clubs and after-college activities begin.