Dear Families,

We hope you are well and have enjoyed the fabulous weather over the summer holiday. We are looking forward to welcoming you back in September. As we approach the end of the school holiday, I want to remind you about our return to school date and to provide some important information about our expectations.

Before we move on to next year, I would like to take this opportunity to praise our students who sat GCSE’s and A-Levels, we are delighted with their results and we know the vast majority have achieved the grades needed to progress on with their next steps in education, including the majority of Year 11 returning to continue their studies with us in the Sixth Form.

Return to School

Year 7 and 12 will return to school on Wednesday 2^nd September. Year 7 students need to be onsite by 8:28am, they can arrive and leave the school site through any of our gates, please ensure you have agreed which gate you will meet your child at should you be collecting them from school at the end of the day.

For all Year 12 students who have already enrolled into the Sixth Form, they should arrive at school at 12:30pm. For students who are yet to enrol in the sixth form they should attend school from 9:30am and meet with the Sixth Form team to discuss enrolment and what a course oSer may look like for them with us.

All other year groups return on Thursday 3^rd September, students need to be onsite by 8:28am, they can again enter through any gate.

As you are already aware, we have high expectations of all members of the Academy community because we want everyone at Joseph Leckie to achieve highly and to enjoy coming to school. Please can we therefore remind you of the following:

Mobile Phones

As mentioned before the end of term, the new Government guidance on mobile phones became statutory on Monday 29th June. Mobile phones in schools - GOV.UK This states that schools should be mobile phone free zones by default and that at no time during the school day should students access their phone.

We will initially try to manage this with the support of our families and cooperation from our students. Doing nothing diSerent is not an option, and we do not want to ban phones from school site or have to bring in methods for storing phones on site, but that might be necessary if students and parents do not work with us to make our school mobile phone free.

Parents/carers need to reinforce these rules with us and must not use student mobile phones to contact your children through the day. Unless you feel it absolutely necessary for your child to carry a phone, I would ask you to encourage your child to leave their phones at home.

To achieve the Government aim of the school being a mobile phone free zone, the following processes will be implemented for any phone that is simply seen, heard or used at any time on the school site.

The mobile phone will be confiscated and be returned only to a parent/carer, who must collect it from Reception and provide proof of identity. Mobile phones will not be returned directly to students. The table below outlines the sanctions that will be applied if a student’s mobile phone is seen, used or heard anywhere on the Academy site.

 

First confiscation	60-minute detention on the next day.	Pastoral manager calls home to discuss confiscation.
Second confiscation	SLT detention on the following Friday until 4.20pm.	Head of Year calls home to discuss confiscation.
Third confiscation	1 day in internal reflection until 4pm.	Inclusion Administrator to arrange parent/carer meeting with HOY. The student will be directed to engage in an intervention session focused on understanding the reasons for, and the importance of, maintaining a mobile-free school environment.
Fourth confiscation	2 days in internal reflection until 4pm.	Inclusion Administrator to arrange parent/carer meeting with HOY and SLT link.
Fifth confiscation	A period of internal suspension until 3.30pm.	Inclusion Administrator to arrange parent/carer re-integration meeting with HOY and Assistant Principal Behaviour. A repeat of the intervention session.
Six confiscations or more	OP-site direction at another school. Possible mobile phone ban which will include random searches.	Inclusion Administrator to arrange parent/carer meeting with HOY, Assistant Principal Behaviour and Vice-Principal.

 

If a student refuses to hand over their mobile phone, they will be internally suspended. The student’s parent/carer will be informed and may collect the mobile phone at the end of the school day; however, they must also attend a reintegration meeting with the student’s Head of Year and/or SLT link. Refusal of internal suspension will result in an escalated sanction which may include an oS-site direction at another school.

The evidence is very strong about the harm mobile devices can cause to children, we must abide by the new Government legislation it is not optional, and in doing so we hope it will start to create a healthier lifestyle for our students, helping them to become less dependent on their mobile devices.

Attendance

All students are expected to arrive on time on the date stated above and please note that we will follow up on all students who are not in school. The first week back is as important as all other weeks when new courses and classes will start. Attendance is key to success – we made significant progress with improved attendance above National averages last year and that needs to continue.

Lateness

Students need to ensure that they are on the Academy site by 8.28 at the latest in the morning and be in form groups or lined up for their assembly by 8.30. Parents should ensure that their child has set oS early enough to get onto site by this time. Students are also reminded that they should arrive to lessons on time, there are consequences for lateness in the morning and to lessons.

Holidays in term time

Absence for holidays or time abroad will not be authorised and we expect all students to return for the start of term. Anyone who has not returned on the relevant start date, will receive a visit from our Home School Liaison team.

Uniform

There should be no hoodies, tracksuit tops or trainers worn. We will be reinforcing this on return, making calls home and issuing consequences where students do not have the correct uniform. If there are any exceptional circumstances it is important that you liaise with your child’s Head of Year or Pastoral Manager to discuss these.

For full clarification of our Uniform and Appearance Expectations, please refer to the policy on our website: Joseph Leckie Academy - Uniform

Hairlines/eyebrows patterns/Piercings/False nails

The Academy does not permit any lines or patterns in students’ hair. Any patterns or lines should be grown out so that they are no longer visible in time for the start of term. Hair colouring needs to be in line with our Uniform and Appearance policy which states that ‘excessively bright or unusual colours are not allowed. Piercings - 1 plain stud per earlobe is permitted. False nails (gel or acrylic) and nail varnish are not allowed and should be removed in time for the start of term.

Equipment for Learning

Students are reminded that they need to have a full set of basic equipment at their disposal so that they can complete work without needing to ask the teacher. All students must bring a pencil case with a range of stationery items, including spare pieces of equipment.

Lanyards

Students are expected to wear a lanyard at all times. If your child is going into Year 8 and above, they should continue to use the lanyard they have been issued with. Students who are joining us in Year 7 will be given a lanyard in their first week. Anyone in Year 8 and above who has misplaced their lanyard should order one online using Arbor.

Academy timings

8.20am - 8.28am	Enter school site via any entrance gate. All morning entrance gates are locked at 8.28am
8.30am- 9.00am	Form / assembly
9.00am – 10.00am	Period 1
10.00am – 11.00am	Period 2
11.00am – 11.15am	Morning break
11.20am - 12.20pm	Period 3
12.20pm - 2.00pm	Period 4 (Including lunch)
12.20pm – 1.00pm	Lunch 1 (Years 7/9/11)
1.20pm -2.00pm	Lunch 2 (Years 8/10/12/13)
2.00pm – 3.00pm	Period 5
3.00pm	Enrichment opportunities

 

Class Charts and Arbor App Reminder

Students and parents in Years 8 and above should already be using the Class Charts app and for logging into our behaviour/rewards monitoring platform and Arbor for accessing information on attendance, timetables, progress data and reports. It is really important that you check both apps regularly. We use Arbor in particular for live updates, information, letters and important messages in addition to allowing you to access specific information on your child.

Timetables for this academic year will be live on the Arbor and Class Charts apps on Tuesday 1^st September.

If any parent is unsure about how to log in and wants a reminder, please contact your child’s Head of Year and they will be able to help you. We will email Year 7 parents their Class Chart logins on 1^st September and parents will be able to set themselves up a login to access the app.

Please ensure you have downloaded both of these Apps as it is vital that all parents and students ensure they are checking the Class Charts and Arbor Apps regularly, to keep up to date with their child’s progress in school.

Heads of Year and Pastoral Managers

Every year group this year will have a Head of Year and non-teaching Pastoral Manager attached to them to work with the year group. These colleagues will play an important role in leading and managing the year groups and will be key points of contact for families.

 

Year Group	Head of Year	Pastoral Manager
7	Miss Akhtar and Mr McKenna	Mrs Gandy
8	Miss Griffin	Miss Bird
9	Mr Taylor	Miss Marston
10	Mr Gain	Mrs Kumar
11	Mr Khan	Mrs Devey

 

Working in partnership with us gives your child the very best chance of success and so we look forward to continuing to work together to provide the very best opportunities for your child. We hope you enjoy the remainder of the summer break and look forward to seeing you soon.

Thank you for your continued support,

Yours faithfully,

Mr McNaughton

Principal