Return to school : September 2024

We ask that you read the information that follows so that you are aware of our expectations for students and parents in readiness for the start of the new academic year this week.

When does the new school year start?

The first day of term for students in Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 will be Wednesday 4^th September 2024.
The first day of term for students in Years 8, 9 and 10 will be Thursday 5^th September 2024.

How can my child enter the school site?

The main entrance on Weekley Glebe Road will be the single point of entry and exit for students. entrance points for the academy site.

The pedestrian gates at the main entrance will open each morning at 8:15am. Only members of staff are allowed access to the site before this time.

If your child arrives on the Country Lion bus, they will be asked to wait by the main doors until they are open to students. This area is under cover.

Please be aware that students must not arrive before 8:15am to avoid large groups gathering on pavements.

Can I drop my child off by car?

Please do not enter the school site by car to either drop off or pick up your child at the start and end of the school day. The reduction of traffic on the site has a positive impact on the safety of children and adults on site.

The only exception to this rule is for students who have mobility issues and need to be dropped closer to the academy entrance doors. If you wish to apply for a disabled bay parking permit, please email wendymillsop@kba.uk

Park and Stride parking is available at the end of Weekley Glebe Road.

We also ask that parents are considerate to local residents if parking on the street in the area surrounding the school.

I have heard that the timings of the school day have changed. Is this true?

Yes. The timings of the school day are changing as of September 2024. The most significant change is that students will go straight into period 1 at the start of the day rather than going to their tutor groups.

The exception to this is on Wednesday 4^th and Thursday 5^th September when all students must go to their tutor rooms on arrival for the distribution of timetables and sharing of other centrally organised information.

Period 7 Lessons

There will no longer be a Period 7 lesson on Tuesday for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Year 11 will have Period 7 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Years 12 and 13 will have period 7 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The timings of a normal school day are shown below.

Day of the Week	End of School Day
Monday	All students finish at 3:00pm
Tuesday	Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 finish at 3:00pm Years 11, 12 and 13 finish at 3:50pm
Wednesday	Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 finish at 3:00pm Years 11, 12 and 13 finish at 3:50pm
Thursday	Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 finish at 3:00pm Years 12 and 13 finish at 3:50pm
Friday	All students finish at 3:00pm

Students must be seated in their Period 1 lesson at 8:25am each morning, ready for the register to be taken and the start of the school day. The morning register will be taken at 8:30am.

Our advice is for students to plan for arrival at 8:20am at the latest. By doing this, students will ensure that they are always on time.

If your child arrives late to school in the morning, they will be placed into a 30 minute after school detention on that day.

Why has the school moved to a 2 week timetable?

We have moved to a two week timetable as this allows us gretaer flexibility with regard to timetable and curriculum.

What equipment does my child need for school each day?

Students should arrive at school every day fully equipped for learning. Please ensure that your child has an appropriate school bag as well as a pencil case with the following items, the first five of which will be checked in lessons and in tutor time every day.

Black pen (ballpoint)
Green pen (ballpoint)
Pencil
Ruler
Whiteboard pen

Other equipment students should have every day:

Chrome Book* (fully charged)
Scientific calculator

Students can choose to bring coloured pens or pencils but please be aware that the following items are banned: permanent markers and correction fluid.

*Students in Year 7 will be issued their Chrome Books during the first week of term.

Can my child have a locker?

Lockers are available for students. Locker rental is organised through Secure Locker Rentals. Please use this link to book a locker for your child.

Which tutor group is my child in and who will be their form tutor?

The tables below show the names of form tutors in Years 7 to 13. Your child will be able to access their timetable via their Chrome Book.

The best way to check any details regarding your child’s timetable is to use the Parent Portal on the Arbor app. Once you have downloaded the app, you may find this page on our website useful.

Tutor Group	Tutor	Tutor Room
7B1	Miss Gorst	N1.02
7B2	Miss Sams	N1.03
7G1	Mr Politano	N1.04
7G2	Miss Staley	N1.05
7P1	Miss Bonner	N1.06
7P2	Miss Dove	N1.09
7V1	Miss Peschiera	N1.10
7V2	Mrs Fraher and Mrs Syed-Anderson	N1.11

Tutor Group	Tutor	Tutor Room
8B1	Miss Amrar	C1.04
8B2	Mr Yeo	C1.05
8G1	Mr Dhadli and Mr Teare	C1.06
8G2	Mr Male	C1.07
8P1	Mrs Jillings	N2.05
8P2	Mrs Donovan	N2.06
8V1	Mr Dodge	N2.07
8V2	Mr Dillon and Mrs Unsworth	N2.08

Tutor Group	Tutor	Tutor Room
9B1	Mr Bott	S1.02
9B2	Mr Brown and Mr Teare	S1.03
9G1	Mr Atkinson	S1.04
9G2	Mrs Shocklidge and Mr Di Salvo	S1.05
9P1	Mrs Page-Streeton	S1.06
9P2	Mrs Stirzaker	S1.07
9V1	Mr Gourlay	C1.02
9V2	Mrs Thompson and Mrs Earle	C1.03

Tutor Group	Tutor	Tutor Room
10B1	Mrs Abbey (Miss Mackay)	N2.02
10B2	Mr Marshall	C2.01
10G1	Mr Mabbutt	C2.02
10G2	Miss Daly and Mr Mason	C2.03
10P1	Mr Cooper	C2.04
10P2	Mrs Dempster	C2.05
10V1	Mrs Thomas	C2.06
10V2	Mrs Jensen and Mrs Pringle	C2.07

Tutor Group	Tutor	Tutor Room
11R1	Mrs Yarde	A2.04
11R2	Mrs Craig and Miss Furniss	S2.01
11R3	Mr Major	S2.02
11R4	Miss Marshall	S2.03
11R5	Miss Holland	S2.04
11R6	Mr Hounslow	S2.05
11R7	Mrs Thom	S2.06
11R8	Mrs Elliott, Mr Mason and Mrs Iliffe	S2.07

Tutor Group	Tutor	Tutor Room
12R1	Miss Bainbridge	S0.15
12R2	Mrs Randle and Mrs O’Sullivan	A2.03
12R3	Mr Shepherd, Mr Pringle and Miss Perkins	N0.09
12R4	Miss Watts	N2.01

Tutor Group	Tutor	Tutor Room
13R1	Mrs Coates and Mrs Earle	S0.17
13R2	Mrs Chan	N0.08
13R3	Mrs Commons and Mrs Syed-Anderson	A2.13
13R4	Mr Tulley	N0.10
13R5	Mrs Druce	S0.16

What uniform does my child have to wear?

Please ensure that your child wears full and correct school uniform every day. The information below provides an overview of what is and is not acceptable. Students without correct uniform will be given uniform to borrow when they arrive at school. Students should wear their KBA PE kit on days when they have PE on their timetable.

Secondary School Uniform Year 7-11

Item	Compulsory or Optional?	Purchase From
KBA blazer	Compulsory	Karlsports
Black trousers	Either trousers or KBA pleated kilt are compulsory	Any retailer
KBA pleated kilt	Either trousers or KBA pleated kilt are compulsory	Karlsports
KBA House tie	Compulsory	Karlsports
KBA V-necked jumper	Optional	Karlsports
White formal shirt	Compulsory	Any retailer
Black polishable shoes	Compulsory (No boots, trainers of other forms of footwear are allowed)	Any retailer
Plain black or white socks/tights	Compulsory	Any retailer

Secondary Physical Education School Uniform (to be worn on timetabled PE days)

Item	Compulsory or Optional	Purchase From
KBA sports polo shirt	Compulsory	Karlsports
KBA black training trousers OR KBA black sports leggings	Compulsory (Plain black or branded black training trousers / leggings are not allowed)	Karlsports
KBA sports hoodie	Compulsory	Karlsports
KBA sports shorts	Optional (No other shorts allowed)	Karlsports
KBA sports skorts	Optional (No other shorts allowed	Karlsports
KBA sports zip rain jacket	Optional	Karlsports

Are there any other expectations about my child’s appearance?

Like most schools, we have rules regarding what is and is not acceptable. The information below provides a breakdown of these rules.

Jewellery

A single ring and one pair of small, plain stud or sleeper size earrings and a watch are the only items allowed. All jewellery must be removed for PE activities and is brought into school entirely at the student’s own risk. Students must not wear multiple rings or ear piercings or piercings in the nose, tongue or gum. Students may be asked to remove these and they may be confiscated.

Hairstyles

Students are expected to have moderate hairstyles, avoiding extremes. A definitive list of acceptable and unacceptable hairstyles is impractical, but our guiding principle will relate to whether the hairstyle is appropriate for a professional, working environment.

Make Up

Discreet make-up only is allowed. In practical terms this means no bright lipstick, eye shadow or eye liner.

Nails

False nails can represent a health and safety risk in physical education lessons and are not appropriate for school. It is far easier to maintain the cleanliness of short, natural nails than longer acrylic or varnished ones. Clear or subtle nail varnish is allowed.

Is my child allowed to bring their mobile phone to school?

Your child may bring their mobile phone to school, but mobile phones are banned from being used at any point on the academy’s site, whether indoors or outdoors.

Mobile phones are not just distracting, but when misused or overused, they can have a damaging effect on a pupil’s mental health and wellbeing. It is to be recognised that the enhanced functions of many mobile phones give the most cause for concern and are most susceptible to potential misuse. Examples of misuse include the taking and distribution of images of others on the academy site without permission, the capture of indecent images, exploitation and bullying. It must be understood that mobile phones can have a negative impact on a pupil’s safety, dignity, privacy and right to confidentiality.

We operate a ‘See it, hear it, lose it’ policy regarding mobile phones. This simply means that a mobile phone will be confiscated if it is seen or heard on the academy’s grounds*.

This restriction is always in place while students are on the grounds of the academy; this includes when students arrive and leave at the end of the day. It is also in place after enrichment clubs have finished. Phones should be turned off (not just put on silent) and put away before students enter the academy gates and not turned on again until they have left the site.
We recognise that some parents/carers, in the interests of their child’s personal safety, may wish their child to have their mobile phone with them for their journey to and from the academy but must stress the importance of parents/carers clearly communicating that this must be always turned off on site.
Mobile phones that are seen or heard will be confiscated and stored in a secure place at Student Reception and can only be collected by a student at the end of the academy day.
If a student repeatedly has their mobile phone confiscated the device may be kept until parents/carers make an appointment for it to be collected or an additional sanction may be put in place.
Students will be able to contact staff on duty/staff running clubs if there is an emergency and they require to speak with their parent/carer although we do not envisage this to be necessary. Whether or not a situation is an emergency can only be determined by a member of staff.
We will ensure that any important messages are relayed to your child through the day if you leave a message at reception. However, please be aware that this facility should only be used for emergencies.
Students who refuse to hand the phone over to a member of staff will face a further sanction. In these instances, parents will be contacted by the relevant Head of Year to ask for support with getting the student to make the right decision.

*Please note that if a member of staff does not physically see the phone, then this can still be confiscated if they are sure the student has been using it e.g. if a text has been sent to parents.

Breakfast Meet and Greet

Breakfast Meet and Greet will be available for students in both the canteen, run by our welfare team, and in our Support For Learning room, run by the SEND team. These sessions will start at 08:15 and will finish in time for your child to attend their Period 1 lesson and receive their registration mark. If you would like more information about either of these opportunities please contact Laura Terrett (Assistant Principal overseeing Welfare) lauraterrett@kba.uk or Clare Henderson (SENDCo) clarehenderson@kba.uk

Secondary