Dear Parent/Carer - Westwood College, Leek

Student Progress Check (SPC): For Year 9 10 and 11Throughout the year you will regularly receive information that tells you how well studentsare progressing in their subjects. This information will be published for students to takehome and will be available on the College VLE. This will help students keep track of theirown progress, and inform you as parents. The progress information for each subject willbe presented as follows;The ‘Going to’ GradeStaff will record a working at grade. This is a grade that the student would be expectedto be achieved at the end of Y11 (or Y13) provided that the student continues to work ina similar vein as at the time the report is generated.The ‘Target Grade’ – For Years 9 to 11 this grade is produced using prior data from KS2.For Years 12 and 13 target grades are based on prior GCSE dataThe ‘Effort Grade’ - The 4 effort grades that can be awarded to students are:1.‘Excellent’- For students who participate fully in their learning, both alone and withother students. Classwork is completed with attention to detail and pride and allhomework’s have been handed in on time. The student displays very high levels ofengagement, courtesy, collaboration & cooperation in lessons. Behaviour isconsistently exemplary.2.‘Good’– For students who participate fully in their learning, both alone and withother students, most of the time. Homework is completed on time and to a goodstandard and the student displays good levels of engagement is typicallyconsiderate, respectful and courteous in lessons. Behaviour is consistentlyexemplary.3.‘Inconsistent’ - For students who can work well but need input from the teacher tostay on task. The student may answer direct questions but not always be fullyengaged in the lesson. Classwork may be brief with less concern for detail orpresentation. Homework is not always handed in on time or to a good standard.They regularly forget to bring appropriate equipment to the lesson.4.‘Unsatisfactory’ - For students that are not making an acceptable effort to improvetheir performance. The student may need regular input from the teacher due to alack of concentration. Homework may frequently be late or not completed. Thestudent is responsible for behaviour that distracts the teacher from teaching andother students from learning.Attendance – This will be reported per subject, and as an overall figure.

Behaviour for LearningBelow are the core values that we hold with regard to how our staff and students areexpected to conduct themselves (behave).IntroductionBehaviour for Learning covers all those aspects of the college that contribute to a positivelearning environment. The core purpose is to establish practice and expectations of bothstudents and teachers that allows students to learn and teachers to teach, where allmembers of the college are expected to develop an environment that supportsoutstanding learning. The primary aim of Westwood College is to allow all students accessto an education where their learning leads to independence. Independent learners aresuccessful and can make informed personal choices about their future.Students can contribute greatly to outstanding learning if their behaviour supportslearning. Below are our expectations:Students: Be punctual; arrive in college prepared for all lessons. Follow directions and actively contribute to the lesson. Where appropriate enter into discussion, ask questions and answer questions. Arrive to lessons expecting to learn, to work hard and to be challenged. Meet challenges with determination and perseverance. Ask for help when it is needed, check your understanding with the teacher. Avoid behaviour which is likely to distract other students from the lesson.Others: Listen sensitively to others, be polite and show courtesy Be prepared to support your peers, question them politely and critique their worksensitively. Help others to remain focused by reminding them to be on task when theirattention wanes. Be respectful of others and the college environment.Teachers will support students Behaviour for Learning by: Having very high expectations of Behaviour for Learning and will not allow poorbehaviour to affect the learning of other students. Planning lessons that are structured, relevant, and engaging. Expecting all students to engage themselves with the tasks presented in the lesson. Finding ways to build students’ confidence and self-esteem. Providing regular and useful feedback on the progress made by students. Recognising the efforts and achievements of each individual.

Parents and Westwood College – General InformationWe welcome and encourage your involvement in your child’s education. Good linksbetween home and college bring positive benefits for all of us. Whenever you wish tocontact the college please use the details found at the front of this booklet to contactyour child’s Form Tutor or the relevant Head of Year. How can you help your child?ooooooooMake it clear that you want him/her to do his/her best at collegeTake an interest in your son/daughter's work and life at Westwood.Look regularly at work and praise good marks.Provide a quiet atmosphere at home for homework to be done.Support your child in sports and performing arts activities.Contact the college if you think there is a problem.Attend Parents' Evenings.Support college events, especially those involving your childrenThe "Home/College Contract, a copy of which is in the college Planner, is intended toemphasise these points. The College Planner is issued at the start of the academic year.Please read and sign the contract. Your son/daughter’s tutor will sign it on behalf of thecollege.Access to the CollegeWe do regret that for safety reasons we must ask that parents who bring their children tocollege by car NOT TO DRIVE INTO THE OLD HALL OR NEW HALL STAFF CAR PARKSbetween 8.45 and 9.00 am or between 3.45 and 4.00 pm as it is not possible for vehiclesto turn without delaying or endangering others. Students can be dropped or collected atconvenient points in Westwood Park Avenue or the bus park. An exception will, of course,be made if a student is temporarily or permanently disabled, but not if he or she is merelylate.Attendance and PunctualityA student’s education should have the minimum of interruptions. If your child is illPLEASE TELEPHONE THE COLLEGE BY 9.30am ON EACH DAY OF ABSENCE ON EXT116. If we have not received a message from you by this time, and your child has notregistered at college, we will try and contact you. Our prime concern is safety and if astudent has not arrived at college we feel sure that you would wish to be informed at theearliest opportunity. Please confirm with your child’s Tutor the reason for their absencesas this allows us to support students on their return and keep accurate records ofattendance.The College will use the services of external agencies which may involve a visit to thehome to enquire about extended or persistent unexplained absence.Punctuality to school is a core expectation, students should be on site and in their tutorroom by 8.50 am. This is to ensure we are able to register students and move to lessonswithout delay or disruption. We recognise that there are occasions where circumstancesbeyond our control can cause difficulties getting to school, however these are usually rareand will impact on a number of students. Students who are late persistently will be givena range of sanctions that are deemed appropriate and parents contacted.

College FundEvery year we ask each family to make a contribution to the College Fund of 5. Thecontribution is entirely voluntary and we understand that some families may not be ableto afford to contribute. We also hope that some Parents or Carers will want to make alarger contribution. The fund is used to support all aspects of college life which are notprovided for by normal funding routes.DetentionsOccasionally it is necessary to detain students as a punishment, for poor behaviour, tocomplete work which ought to have been done or because of lateness to college. This cantake place during the school day or at a specified time as arranged by a teacher. We doreserve the right to impose a same day detention for students with persistent poorbehaviour or following a significant issue which can be referenced to the CollegeBehaviour Code. In the rare event this is necessary we will contact you. Parents or Carersare responsible for making proper travel arrangements for detained students.Damage to school propertyIt is our practice to require payment for damage done to college property. If the damageis accidental, but caused by reckless behaviour, then a contribution to the repair isrequired. If the damage is deliberate then the whole cost is charged, unless parents preferthe police to be involved.Leave of AbsencePlease avoid arranging medical appointments, where possible, during college time as thisis detrimental to your child’s progress. Requests for a leave of absence, for reasons otherthan illness, should be made to Mrs Janette Reader, Assistant Headteacher, please notethat we only have discretion to grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. Inthe event of students taking time away from college they are required to catch up thework missed and we welcome support from parents for this policy.Lunch TimeAll students are supervised at this time and must remain on the site to have a collegemeal or have sandwiches; for reasons of safety and wellbeing they will not be allowed offthe site to visit local shops or amenities. Any parent, who wishes their child to go homefor lunch, as they live within an appropriate walking distance from the college, shouldseek permission from the college in writing. Only students who live within a very shortdistance of the college, and are able to go home and return within the time available forlunch will be given permission to leave the site.If a student needs to leave the site for any other reason, or at any other time of the day,a letter or contact from a parent or carer is required students then must sign out viareception.MedicationFor safety reasons should your child need to take medicines during the college day (e.g.to complete a course of antibiotics) please do not allow your child to bring moremedication to college than they require for the day. All Medicines should be clearlylabelled with your child’s name, the dosage, time and frequency of administration. Whereappropriate we encourage students to be responsible for and to manage their ownmedication. If this is not a sensible option we ask that parents/carers discuss this withtheir child’s Tutor or Head of Year as soon as possible.

STUDENTS WHO HAVE ASTHMA MUST ENSURE THAT THEY CARRY THEIR INHALER WITHTHEM ATALL TIMES. IN ADDITION, A SPARE INHALER CLEARLY NAMED MUST BE HANDEDINTO BOTH RECEPTIONS. PLEASE COMPLETE THE ASTHMA CARE PLAN DOCUMENT IN THENEW ADMISSIONS BOOKLET.If your child has diabetes, epilepsy or a history of severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxisplease ensure that you discuss the appropriate medical action required with their Tutoror Head of Year and provide this information in writing, in the form of a Care Plan. Maywe reassure you that all medical information regarding your child will be treated withsensitivity and only disclosed to members of staff who would need to know the medicalhistory of your child, so as to be able to take the appropriate action in the event of anemergency.Personal ItemsThe college accepts no responsibility for loss/damage to personal items brought onto thecollege’s premises.CyclesStudents coming to college on bicycles should enter by the New Hall entrance and leavethem in the available area opposite the front of the building. Please note we do not haveany lockable bicycle sheds. We advise that Bicycles be locked and accessories removed.The college accepts no responsibility for bicycles left on the premises. For safety reasonsstudents must not ride around the site on their bicycles.Students who are Lost, Hurt or UnwellAnyone who is lost - go to the reception office of the Hall that you are in (anyone can helpyou to find it). The receptionist will deal with your difficulty.If a student feels unwell or has an injury that needs attention they need to report to eitherOld Hall or New Hall reception. Once in reception the staff can look to support the student,this may involve first-aid and or a discussion with a senior member of staff who willmake the decision as to what action is required and whether parents/careers shouldbe contactedWe are aware that as the vast majority of students have mobile phones students dooccasionally contact relatives themselves without any discussion with the staff at thecollege. Should this happen can we ask that you a contact the college to discuss what isrequired before making any arrangements for a student to be collectUp-to-date informationInformation about the college can be found through the following routesThe College website: www.westwoodcollege.coop, Facebook: WestwoodCollegeLeek orthe Virtual Learning Environment (VLE): www.vle.westwoodcollege.coop.These are regularly updated with news and forthcoming events. As a Parent or Carer youwill be issued with a unique username and password for the VLE early in October whichwill enable you to view the specific information regarding your child’s attendance andprogress.

Cashless SystemWestwood College has a fully cashless system. All financial interactions – paying for foodat lunch times, contributions for school trips and visits, purchasing subject revisionguides etc. are made through The ‘Trust-e Cashless Solution’ this allows us to provide arobust, efficient and secure service both in how the canteen facilities operate in schooland in the receiving of payments.The cashless system incorporates the latest technology and can eliminate the need forstudents to carry cash at all. It is a very convenient way for parents/carers to transferfunds to pay for their child’s lunch school trips etc.We use a Biometric method of identifying an individual person. Biometric is simply analgorithm based scan, which reads between 50 & 130 points on the finger/thumb. All newstudents are given training on how to use the system.A daily ‘spend limit’ of 10 in the canteen which is programmed into the system. Thiscan be increased or decreased for an individual student by making a written request tothe college’s finance office. A minimum deposit of 11 is required when adding moneyinto a student’s account and any money spent on food and drink or other purchases willbe deducted on a daily basis. There are two payment options available to you: Online payments through the Web based ParentPay portal PayPoint which is available at nearby locations in the town (list enclosed).ParentPayParentPay offers you the freedom to make secure payments online using your credit ordebit card whenever and wherever you like - safe in the knowledge that the technologyused has the highest internet security available.You may already have an account, you will be able to continue to use this account whenyour child joins Westwood College as the account details are linked to the uniquereference number that follows a student through their education. If you need to open anew account when you join Westwood College we will provide you with the informationto set up your online account which is activated using a unique username and password;you will be prompted to change these, and to keep them safe and secure. If you havemore than one child at college, or children at other ParentPay schools, you can create asingle account login for all your children.Making a payment is straightforward and ParentPay holds a payment history for you toview at a later date; no card details are stored in any part of the system. Once you haveactivated your account you can make online payments straight away. Monthly or termlypayments are helpful as they keep down costs.For further information on ParentPay, please visit www.parentpay.com.PayPointParents/Carers who need to continue making payments by cash may do so using thePayPoint network at local convenience stores. PayPoint payments are recorded byParentPay and can be seen by logging into your ParentPay account and viewing yourpayment history online.The nearest PayPoint stores to the college are given on the enclosed list. Please notify theFinance Office if you wish to use the PayPoint facility. A plastic card will be issued to youto make cash payments for school meals at local PayPoint stores. The first card is free ofcharge; however, any lost or damaged cards will be charged at 2.00 each. Payment cardstake about two weeks to arrive but we can issue a barcode letter as an interim measure.

As per current legislation we operate an ‘Opt In’ policy for the cashless system with ourcanteen facilities and therefore require you to give your permission. The permissionrequest is part of the ‘admissions booklet’ already distributed (If you have not received abooklet please contact the College). If you choose not to have your child registered onthe Biometric System a 4 digit PIN Code will be allocated. Please note that PIN codes donot have the same level of security and it will be your child’s responsibility to rememberthe code and keep it secure at all times.How do ‘free meal’ entitlements work?All Free School Meal Entitlements are entered on to the system automatically. TheCashless Catering System will, on a daily basis, automatically allocate the appropriateaccounts with the free meal amounts. Students with Free School Meal Entitlements remainanonymous at all times, as all account types are accessed in the exact same mannerregardless as to whether paid for or not. Please note any monies not spent from the dailyfree meal allocation will not be carried over to the next day.ParentPayOnce you have received your activation letter from the college, with your activation logindetails you will be able to activate your account and start making payments. This letterwill be sent to you soon by the college. ParentPay accepts MasterCard and Visa creditcards, and Maestro, Switch, Delta, Electron, Solo and Visa debit cards. Some schools maylimit the use of credit cards for some transactions; you will be informed by the collegedirectly of any such restrictions. ParentPay holds a very limited amount of informationabout you and your son/daughter solely for the purpose of administering your account;however ParentPay does not use your personal information other than for supporting thecollege. We do not share or give information to any other organisations. We operate understrict guidelines set out by the Data Protection Act 1998.ParentPay will NEVER contact you by phone, email or mail and ask you to divulgeconfidential information like passwords or card numbers. If you are ever contacted bysomeone claiming to be from ParentPay, please contact immediately on 0845 257 5540.For more information please visit www.parentpay.comPayPoint Locations in Leek.A & G Lyford LtdCo-op West StreetThoroughgoods37 Derby StreetLeekStaffordshireST13 6HUWest StreetLeek69-71 Queens DriveLeekStaffordshireST13 6QFStaffordshireST13 8AXBargain Booze2 The AvenueCheddletonStaffordshireST13 7JBASDA SupermarketNews MarketOne StopSpringfield RoadLeekStaffordshireST13 6EN82 Broad StreetLeekStaffordshireST13 5NS173 Cheadle RoadCheddletonStaffordshireST13 7HN

Financial DifficultiesFrom time-to-time families can face acute financial difficulties. Where possible we arewilling to help in such circumstances. Assistance is available through contact with theHead of Year with the cost of, specified resources (such as revision guides) educationalvisits and, in some circumstances, uniform and P.E. kit. With the assurance that any helpremains confidential.Free School MealsParents claiming some benefits can claim Free School Meals for their child if they areregistered at a Staffordshire school. School meals are a good way to ensure that yourchild eats well at lunchtime, and you can save yourself time and money. Even if you donot want your child to have the mea

Westwood College Westwood Park Leek, Staffordshire ST13 8NP Telephone Numbers:- Old Hall 01538 370930 (8.00 am - 4.30 pm) New Hall 01538 370931 (8.30 am - 4.30 pm) Fax: Old Hall 01538 370932 Fax: New Hall 01538 370933 Student absence reporting: Extension 116 Email: wwoffice@leekfederation.org.uk Website: www.westwoodcollege.coop