SCHOOL OFFICE

The co-operation of all members of staff is requested in order to facilitate the smooth running of the office.  The allocation of duties among the office staff is as follows:

Lucia Davis	Marion Harding	Claire Antal	Noreen Dongray	Philippa Boxer
HR Manager	Reception	Office Manager	Reception	External Communications
Headteachers PA	Free School Meals	Admissions Manager	Medical Room	Social Media
Confidential Work	Medical Room	New Year 7 Intake	Outgoing Post	Medical Room
		Medical Room
Works closely with: - SLT - Business Manager

Any work required by other members of staff (e.g. letters, programmes) should be e-mailed to office@sjb.surrey.sch.uk

Please see further information on communications with parents

Within our Trust we strive to have a relentless focus on learning and teaching. Our ethos in relation to achieving great learning is to have BELIEF in every child:

Believe in every child

Excellence for all

Learning environments promote creativity

Inspire each child to improve

Every child an individual

Foster curiosity, champion confidence

The L&T website facilitates the sharing of best practice across the Trust, cross phase and discipline. It is where all resources from all schools can be located to enhance lesson planning and ensure ideas are shared with teachers in our schools.

XAVIER CET WEBSITE

To access the website go to this link: Xavier CET – L&T Resrouces

By selecting ‘learning and teaching strategies’ you will be able to search by aspect of pedagogy. Additionally, all research projects are published here.

OPEN LESSONS & JOINT LEARNING GROUP

Within the trust we are committed to sharing best practice in relation to our teaching approaches. There are two windows (Spring 1 and Summer 2) where you have the chance to reflect on your practice by visiting and observing other colleagues within the MAT. All 3 Secondary schools meet regularly to discuss learning and teaching. Should you wish to get involved you’re most welcome!

As a school, we subscribe to the EEF model of ‘disciplinary literacy’: this is the belief that literacy is key to learning across all subjects and that subject-specific approaches are crucial to raising the standards of literacy for all our students. All teachers should be promoting, and supporting, all their students to read, write and communicate effectively in their subject. Studies have shown that strong, well-rounded literacy skills are a strong predictor of outcomes later in life and it is our role as educators to champion literacy and ensure we are giving all our students the best opportunities to succeed.

 “Every teacher is a teacher of Literacy”

 

Following the ‘Disciplinary Literacy’ model, there are six key strands that we as teachers must prioritise in order to promote high standards of literacy across the curriculum:

Provide targeted vocabulary instruction in every subject:

• Prioritise explicit vocabulary instruction of Tier 2 & Tier 3 words in your subject that helps students fully access the curriculum and express themselves clearly and coherently
• Use approaches such as ‘The Frayer Model’, ‘Talking frames’ and ‘The SEEC Model’ to promote depth of knowledge and make connections between words.
• Ensure that there is a progression of Tier 2 & Tier 3 words as students progress through KS3-KS5 and that opportunities to revisit language are planned into the curriculum.

Develop students’ ability to read complex academic texts:

(See ‘Reading’ below for further details on reading strategies)

• Expose students to a wide-range of texts related to your subject & encourage them to actively engage with what they are reading.
• Encourage them to use their existing subject knowledge to understand new texts whilst also engaging some of the approaches below (see ‘Reading’) to improve students’ comprehension.
• Clear modelling and group work is a crucial step to promoting independence and expertise.

Break down complex writing tasks:

• Writing is challenging & students will benefit from explicit instruction in how to improve in your subject. Whilst the general expectations of literacy (such as spelling, grammar and punctuation) apply to all subjects, the skills needed to write a mastery-level answer in Science differs greatly to the ones needed in History.
• Teacher modelling and mastery examples are good options to promote high-quality answers and provide students with a level to aspire to.
• To ensure high-standards of literacy within writing tasks, students must be given three things:
  – The opportunity to plan their work prior to writing an in-depth piece.
  – Constructive feedback from their teacher that highlights specific areas for improvement.
  – An opportunity to evaluate and improve their work following feedback.

Combine Writing instruction with reading in every subject:

• Reading & writing are intrinsically linked as reading helps students gain knowledge which leads to better writing, whilst writing can deepen students understanding of ideas.
• Combining reading activities and writing instruction in your lessons is likely to improve students’ skills in both (Example: Reading an article on climate change in geography & writing a short opinion piece on the causes and their effects).
• Although a KS2 focus, the teaching of spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) may need to be done explicitly when using a particular skill in a piece of writing. To help with basic standards of grammar, ‘Bulletproof your work’ is a tool available on the L&T tools app to facilitate self-checking/proof reading work.

Provide opportunities for structured talk:

• Building on our work we’ve done last year with oracy, studies have shown that high-quality oracy and discussion contribute to a students overall literacy development as well as developing their ability to articulate their ideas clearly and coherently.
• Oracy also plays a large part in ‘closing the vocabulary gap’ and gives students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of subject-specific Tier 2&3 language.
• High quality talk is well-structured (see our ‘Talk Rules’ and ‘Group Discussion Roles’) and provides ample opportunity for students to articulate their views clearly.
• Teachers can support students by modelling high quality talk by including key vocabulary and metacognitive reflection.

Provide high quality literacy interventions for struggling students:

• Although this tends to happen on a wider-scale throughout the school (led by the Literacy Coordinator & L&T Leads) there is opportunity to provide intervention within lessons/homework.
• Intervention should be targeted to support those students with the weakest levels of literacy: this could include, but not exclusively, SEND students who may need specific resources/targeted work to ensure they are making the progress they are capable of.
• Homework provides a good opportunity to pre-teach new vocabulary or embed learned vocabulary. Using resources such as a ‘Vocabulary Grid’ encourages students to demonstrate their understanding of key vocabulary for your subject.

Reading

Reading is of utmost importance for all students. It is the sole factor that can impede their success in school and in life beyond SJB. Reading can impact life expectancy, a child’s happiness and can serve a key role in exposing students to content that they would not otherwise experience. Reading should be taught explicitly and require conscious effort from pupils. Great reading teaching develops pupils both in the moment and in developing excellent future habits. Effective teaching includes teachers reading aloud, pupils reading aloud, teacher modelling and explanation, and questioning. In order to fully develop the skills to read (and become a skilled reader) a child must be given the opportunity to practise a range of skills that lead overall to a clear understanding of a text:

• Decoding the letter combinations and sounds that form unfamiliar words to aide reading proficiency (accurate recognition of 97% of words)
• Fluency when reading with speed and accuracy
• Word Meaning must be fully understood leading to ultimate Comprehension of a text and its various modes and layers of meaning.

Skilled readers read automatically and effortlessly. There are a lot of subconscious processes taking place when we read, including inference making, predicting and drawing on what we know to make sense of the text. Over time, we develop automaticity in each of the components of reading. For children to achieve this level of  proficiency, they need years of practice.

As a school we are committed to both encouraging students to have the opportunity to read, as well as supporting them in strategies to be able to read proficiently according to the skills required in their various subject disciplines. We will be continuing to develop our practice in Disciplinary Literacy this year, please speak to the Literacy Coordinator or one of the leaders of the 4Cs CLT  for support with this, however, please try to do the following:

1. Check each child’s reading age in your class on Arbor and ensure texts are modified accordingly (ATOS text reader, rewordify)
2. Model reading fluency and decoding to the students by reading aloud as well as using oracy to encourage group discussion about a variety of texts.
3. Provide opportunities for reading comprehension in class and for homework.
4. Explicitly teach vocabulary to students using the ‘Frayer model’ and ‘SEEC Model’ use spelling & vocabulary tests – ensure that key Tier 2 & 3 vocabulary is revisited regularly to ensure understanding.
5. Encourage students to infer the meaning of texts aloud, “It says…I say…So…”
6. Promote oracy regularly within your lessons and facilitate high-quality, structured discussions that support your curriculum and encourage students to articulate themselves clearly and coherently.
7. Promote reading for pleasure both within and beyond the curriculum e.g. 5 books to read if you love. Also ensure that you demonstrate your own love of reading and that you value it as a role model to your students.
8. Use a range of academic reading tasks and materials for homework in order to have reading support your course/ unit progression.For additional strategies & resources go to:
   https://learningandteaching.sjb.school/category/language-for-learning/

“Simply put, we can’t keep preparing children for a world that doesn’t exist.”

Cathy N Davidson

As an Apple Distinguished School (2021-2024), we’ve seamlessly integrated technology within our pedagogy and practice across the school. The SJB school community fosters a culture of innovation that strives to instil a love of learning; to prepare our students for their future, we must ensure that they are digitally literate so that they will develop the 21st century skills required to be successful in life – creativity; collaboration; curiosity; and communication. 

CORE APPS & STRAGEGIES

Our core apps wheel contains 13 apps and strategies that we use all the time; they all help develop 21^st Century skills. The 3 central apps should be used in every lesson, the apps round the outside have been identified as ways to transform our teaching, ensuring our students are inspired, creative and empowered.

LEARNING TOOLS APP

We have created an easy to use AfL tool that allows students to communicate the progress they are making in relation to learning. The app includes traffic lights, target setting, true or false and a SPAG proof reading checklist that allows students to check their own work.

SHOWBIE APP

Showbie is an app every department uses to assign, collect, and review student work. Teachers share lesson resources, and provide rich feedback in the form of voice notes, annotations, and videos. Likewise, students can annotate worksheets directly in the app as well as submit work from virtually any other app. Showbie can also be used on a desktop so is designed to be used with all key stages. You can learn more about the app in a short how-to video we created for staff. Visit the section on workflow to see how departments organise Goodnotes.

GOODNOTES APP

Goodnotes is a notetaking app that students use to organise and store their work. Work is organised into folders by subject and within the app students can sketch and annotate by hand or by typing. Visit the section on workflow to see how students should organise their learning within this app.

4. Apple Clips – a powerful video-editing app.
5. Quizlet – digital flashcards, matching tasks and live quizzing
6. Keynote – presentation app
7. Socrative – formative assessment tool linked to Showbie
8. Onedrive – file hosting service used for collaborating
9. Seneca – effective and engaging revision website with self marking formative assessment.
10. Modelling – using visualisers and recorded videos to model concepts and skills to students.
11. Quizizz – engaging formative assessment tool
12. Padlet – app/website that acts like a digital noticeboard.
13. The Day – subscription with a wealth of news articles.

DIGITAL LEARNING RESOURCES

More information about all these apps as well as other useful tech resources can be found on the Learning & Teaching Website

Metacognition is a set of behaviours which maximise the potential for and efficacy of learning. A metacognitive learner is one who has control over their cognitive skills and processes and understands how learning happens. They are able to apply this understanding to help them learn more effectively. This then aids their lifelong learning skills.

At SJB, we strive to promote metacognition in our classrooms by implementing the following strategies:

1. Plan, Monitor & Evaluate

2. Modelling & Metacognitive Talk

3. Challenge Zones

4. Exam Wrappers

5. Graphic Organisers

More information about metacognitive strategies can be found on our L&T Website – https://learningandteaching.sjb.school/2021/10/08/science-of-learning-metacognition/#more-7061

Whilst metacognition is about monitoring and controlling our thought processes before, during and after a task, self-regulation, on the other hand, is about monitoring and controlling our emotions and behaviours before, during and after a task.

More information about self-regulation strategies can be found on our L&T Website – https://learningandteaching.sjb.school/2023/01/10/science-of-learning-self-regulation/#more-7295

Pedagogy at SJB is underpinned by the principles of Teaching for Mastery that originated from Shanghai and is based on the fundamentals of Bloom’s taxonomy. In its simplest terms, teaching for mastery ensures that all children develop a deep understanding of an educational concept before moving on. It builds solid foundations, in small steps, so that learning is really secure. Challenge is provided through depth, not acceleration into new content.

Mastery is a continuum that might not ever be achieved but students should always keep working towards it. Underpinned by the belief that all students can achieve, given the right conditions: good teaching, enough support, the right materials and resources, lots of effort and a positive ‘can do’ attitude. Mastery learning is based on a ‘keep up, not catch up’ philosophy and assumes the very highest expectations are set for all students; no learner should ever be ‘capped’.

Mastery learning encourages students to take responsibility for reflecting on their learning of both knowledge and skills. Additionally, it encourages learners to think deeply about concepts, as well as explore links between topics in order to really secure understanding.

At SJB we believe in 5 aspects of Mastery Learning:

1. Small Steps: Learning is developed in small steps.
2. Modelling: Information is presented in a variety of ways to enhance understanding.
3. Mistakes: Are celebrated and used to drive learning; misconceptions are exposed.
4. Precise Language: Retention is aided by use of consistent and accurate subject specific language (Tier 3 vocabulary).
5. Questioning: Is skilful and draws out knowledge as well as promotes links so students understand the interconnectedness of learning.

We endeavour to ensure our teaching always reflects the principles of mastery learning, by following the Mastery Delivery Model:

The following CPD opportunities are optional for all staff. We suggest that staff sign up to two sessions a year. The sign up list will be circulated in September.

Autumn

Fri 23 Sept (am)	Quick wins in the classroom using core apps	Digital Learning
Block 1 Wed 5 Oct (pm)	Using praise and consequences effectively	L&T / Pastoral
	Scaffolding to support and challenge	L&T
	Coffee & Chat: Supporting students with ADHD	SEND
	Using iPads to support assessment for learning in the classroom	Digital Learning
	Leading a team in a changing climate	Leadership
Block 2 Mon 12 Dec	How to master mastery in your classroom	L&T
	Building strong relationships with parents	L&T
	Using the iPads to support SEND students	Digital Learning / SEND
	Models and tools to aid strategic decision making	Leadership
	Book club: A discussion on the latest pedagogical research	Other

Spring

Block 3 Mon 20 Feb	Strategies to support students' long term memory	L&T
	Utilising technology to support students' revision	Digital Learning
	Coffee & Chat: Supporting students with ASD	SEND
	The role of external agencies in supporting families and students	Pastoral
	Book Club: A discussion on the latest pedagogical research	Other

Summer

Block 4 Tue 4 July	Student Voice: What we like about our lessons and what would help us learn even better	L&T
	Effective peer and self assessment	L&T
	The impact of external influences on young people	Pastoral
	Developing talent and succession planning	Leadership
	Book Club: A discussion on the latest pedagogical research	Other

LETTERS HOME

All written communications to parents are sent via email. All emails to large groups of parents MUST be sent by the school office so that we can monitor bulk communications home and ensure that parents aren’t being bombarded! Any communication sent to a large group of parents will be emailed by the school office using Arbor.

If you would like to send a letter home to more than 35 students then please email the text you would like to send to office@sjb.surrey.sch.uk where it can be picked up by any of the front office staff.

We aim to minimise bulk communications to parents to only the essentials otherwise they simply don’t read them! We aim to send one bulletin to all parents every week on a Thursday so as to minimise the frequency of bulk emails. If your communication is addressed to all parents then it must be with the office by midday on Wednesday so that it can be included in the weekly bulletin.

As a rule we won’t send several reminder letters to parents about the same thing. Instead we will use social media to remind parents of an event in the week before it happens.

SOCIAL MEDIA

We have three main SJB social media accounts:

• Instagram @SJB_Surrey
• Facebook @SJBWoking
• Twitter @SJBSurrey

If you’re into social media then please follow us!

Anna Kitching is in charge of the whole school social media presence. Her role is to filter posts, support with graphics and ensure that there are regular posts highlighting the wide variety of activities and rewards going on in school each week.

If you would like anything posted on the SJB social media channels then please email it to office@sjb.surrey.sch.uk where it will be picked up and posted at an appropriate time. For us to post we will need at least one picture or short video clip and a short catchy blurb to go with it.

Rules on posting images of students:

• Please ensure you have permission from any student / member of staff before posting their image on social media.
• Please ensure that full names are not used alongside an image of the child (ie. just use forename alongside a photo, or if there is no photo then you can use their full name).
• Please ensure that the photos are appropriate and that school uniform/dress is correct (ie. skirts knee length, top buttons done up etc.)

CONTACTING INDIVIDUAL PARENTS

Email is a really easy way to contact parents of individual students. You can access parent email addresses and phone numbers quickly via Arbor or you can send messages directly from within Arbor. You are welcome to contact parents as and when appropriate (unless the HOY/LK/MAH have given other information in pastoral briefing or via email). Please always take heed of any notes written on Arbor regarding contact arrangements. If you are emailing the parents of more than one student then please either send via Arbor, or send separate emails or bcc them so that personal email addresses are not shared with other parents.

Parents do have access to the email addresses of their child’s teachers and frequently use it as a means of making contact. This can be a really positive way of building a relationship with some parents. But remember, if you ever receive an email that you are not happy about then pass it on to your Curriculum Leader or Head of Year as relevant.

PARENTS EVENINGS

Parents evenings happen once per year for each year group. They all run virtually using School Cloud. Dates are in the calendar / academic planner. Timings vary for each year group:

• Year 7 & 8 parents evenings run from 3-7pm with lessons finishing early at 2.15pm to facilitate the early start.
• Year 9 to 13 parents evenings run from 4-7pm (school day as normal)

Years 7-11 parents can book 5 minute appointments, Year 12 and 13 book 7 minute appointments. It is expected that all staff will attend the evenings for the year groups they teach.  Appointments are booked by the students/parents in the fortnight prior to the evening.

Here at SJB, we don’t just value what happens inside the classroom, but also what happens out of it. We believe that well-balanced, broad education, and certainly one that gets the best out of the children, should combine curricular and extra-curricular activities. The activities we run, as well as day trips, residential and international trips and reflection days help to shape the students and give them experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Running activities is also a fantastic way to get to know different students, often those you don’t teach in lessons, and see a different side to them and discover their hidden talents.

Where possible, our Year 7, 8 and 9 students are expected to take up two activities per week, one of which should be a sporting or outdoor activity, but they can always do more! The schedule of activities is published termly, and students sign up in form time through Arbor. Departments are expected to run at least one activity, so speak to your Curriculum Leader to see how you can get involved. We are always looking to develop and expand the selection of activities we run, so if you are interested in bringing something new then speak to Charlotte Wyatt, our House and Extra-curricular Activities Coordinator to discuss starting a new activity.

HOUSE SYSTEM

In addition to the extracurricular programme, we also run a House System. This is an opportunity for students to work together as a team, compete in events, and win points for their houses. There are multiple House Competitions that run throughout the year, from House Music, Inter-House Sport and Sports Day to House Baking and the Year 7 Christmas Card Competition. If you would like to introduce a new House Competition or want to find out more about how you can get involved in the House system, please see Charlotte Wyatt.

In addition to the House Competitions, students can earn points through 100% attendance, nominations and credits, as well as attendance at extracurricular activities and recycling. Every student and member of staff are assigned to a House, and it is a fantastic way to get into the competitive spirit and galvanise your form group.

Students can be awarded House Points on Arbor for lots of different things – please use these to reward the students in your lessons and around school when you catch them being good!

We have eight houses, four men and four women, all of which are inspirational role models for the children. The houses are all paired to work together as a colour. They are:

Blue Houses

• King – Martin Luther King is a highly renowned Christian who sacrificed his life for justice and civil rights.
• Stang – Sister Dorothy Stang devoted her life to bringing change, and saving the land, in the Amazon Rainforest. She tragically lost her life as a martyr during her missionary work in Brazil.

Yellow Houses

• Romero – Oscar Romero was an Archbishop in El Salvador. He stood up for freedom and justice and was assassinated in 1980.
• Curie – Marie Curie was an influential scientist, who developed use of radiation in medicine, science which has helped save countless lives.

Green Houses

• Bosco – St Don Bosco committed his life to education and young people.
• Pankhurst – Emmeline Pankhurst pioneered female rights, as part of the suffragette movement, ensuring that women were given the right to vote.

Red Houses

• Kolbe – St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Catholic priest who took the place of another prisoner and sacrificed his own life in Auschwitz during WW2.
• Seacole – Mary Seacole was an Inspirational Jamaican nurse, who gave selflessly, and overcame obstacles, to help the wounded soldiers in the Crimean War.

SCHOOL TRIPS

School trips are an important aspect of student life at SJB.   We have a window (February half-term to May half-term) where no trips are run for KS4 and KS5 to ensure students get the best deal (KS3 may go on a trip in this window as long as no KS4/KS5 lessons are lost by staff supervising).  Only 1 trip is allowed in KS3 per curriculum area. Only 1 trip is allowed per year per curriculum area in KS4 and KS5.

Jacquie Coady is our Trips Co-ordinator – all trips must be booked through Jacquie to ensure that the all the relevant forms and checks are completed.  You can find the Trip Approval Form on the School Hub and at the end of this handbook alongside some trip check lists – please follow the process within it. The Risk Assessment Form is also on the School Hub and at the end of this handbook. Mike McKenna is in charge of Trip Risk Assessments and will support with and sign off this process (although it is the responsibility of the trip leader to write it).

If you are interested in arranging a trip or have any questions regarding trips please see Lee Evans in the first instance to arrange a suitable date within the diary, then download the Trip Approval Form from School Hub or the Staff Handbook and get the step 1 and 2 completed (which includes sign off by Lee Evans). Once the initial trip approval is complete, see Jacquie with the full details of the trip you wish to be arranged and she will organise all aspects of the trip for you including obtaining the required number of quotes before booking anything.

Residential Trips – If the trip has been run before and a very similar model is required then Jacqui will be able to liaise directly with the tour company to sort the details and get the costs etc. for you so please speak to her in the first instance. If the trip is new or there are going to be significant changes then please see Jacquie in the first instance so that she can provide contact details for the tour companies we tend to you, however, please note that it will then be your responsibility to liaise with them and sort out the details and costs of the trip; once this is done it can then be handed over to Jacquie who will manage the student sign up / payment process etc.

Jacquie will send out all trips letters directly. If you need something sent to a group of students who are going on a trip please go through Jacquie, you can do this by emailing her at j.coady@sjb.surrey.sch.uk or going to see her in finance.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Student voice and the development of their leadership skills is very important to us. We’re revamping the Student Leadership model for 2023-24 and more information will be coming in September!

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACCIDENTS TO STUDENTS

Any student who is injured or taken ill whilst on school premises must go to the school office where trained first aiders will assist.   

CAR INSURANCE                                                              

Please see Anna del Vecchio, Facilities and Contracts Manager, if you require information regarding the use of your car on school business.   Members of staff are covered by the school’s insurance for ‘Motor – Occasional Business Use’.   Please note that commuting is not regarded as business use.

CATERING – INNOVATE CATERING SERVICES

All food is cooked on the premises by our catering company, Innovate.  They cook all food from fresh, local ingredients daily and promote a menu of first class, healthy, nutritious and varied meals. The Fast Supper is open from 8.00am to 4.00pm daily (hot meal served period 5 only) and the Sixth Form Café is open from 8.00am to 2.30pm.

CASHLESS CATERING

SJB operate a cashless catering system managed by Claire Antal. You will be given detailed information regarding setting up your account on your first day. Once you have your link code letter (issued by the Finance Office), you need to go to the SCOPAY website (www.scopay.com/login.html) to register your account. Once your account is activated, and you have topped up your balance, you need only to have your finger scanned by the Data Manager, Alison Rolland to be able to enjoy all the fabulous catering facilities available at SJB.  Please ensure that your catering account is kept in a credit situation.  Debts on your catering account are not permitted.

CATERING FOR EVENTS

If you require any catering for events, you are arranging please contact Claire Antal with exact information as to your requirements.  Please allow at least 5 working days’ notice for any catering requirements. This will then be organised through Innovate Catering Services and delivered to you in time for your event. Claire will need to know which cost centre is to be charged at the time of booking.

If you have adhoc visitors that require lunch, there is a General Hospitality Account or some departments have a Departmental Hospitality Account. This can be used at the till point on the day in question.  If you have visitors that will be in school on a more regular basis, please advise the Claire Antal who will arrange for them to have a cashless catering account of their own.

DELIVERIES

If you do need to have a personal parcel or Amazon delivery, please feel free to have it delivered to school as the office is manned all day and we have arrangements for the weekend.   Please see the office staff for further information or advice on this service.

DRY CLEANING

We provided a service where you can get your dry cleaning collected from school and then returned – there is a 1 week turn around, Wednesday to Wednesday. All you have to do is leave it tied up in a carrier bag with your name on in the box in finance, pay Finance before it’s picked up on a Wednesday and then go and collect it the following week.

END OF TERM

At SJB we never ‘wind down’ at the end of term.   Normal lessons and homework take place right up until the final assembly.   Students and staff then ‘wind down’ by going home early on the last day!

EXAMINATIONS

We are currently recruiting for a new Examinations Manager. Until we do so, Sally Powell is able to help with any queries including assigning logins to the exam board websites etc.

GOVERNORS

We are extremely fortunate at SJB to have a very active and supportive Governing Body.  Our Chair of Governors is Ruth Egan and she can be contacted by addressing an email to her at governors@sjb.surrey.sch.uk

THE HUB

The Hub is open daily from 8.15am until 5.30pm. It is a multi-purpose learning space where the students can work independently or collaboratively; read quietly, do their homework or use their iPads and access PCs and printers – the sky’s the limit! The space can be used by any students. The space is supervised before school from 8.15-8.45am and during period 5 lunch. After school the learning support department run a homework club in there that is available to any students who wish to attend.

The Hub can be booked out by prior arrangement with Adelina Berishaj who supervises in there from 8.15-8.45am each day.

MOBILE PHONES

We do not allow any Year 7 to 11 students to have phones on site. If seen they should be confiscated and taken to the front office asap for safe-keeping. They will then deal with next steps. For your reference the following sanctions apply.

Sanctions

1. First offence – parents will be able to collect the phone in person from their HOY. They should contact the relevant HOY via email to arrange a suitable time for collection
2. Further offences – students will be able to collect their phones from their HOY after 2 weeks.

PLASMA SCREENS

Any information to go on the main school plasma screen (e.g. photos of school trips etc.) may be emailed at any time to plasma@sjb.surrey.sch.uk.   Please ensure you include in your email the time and date you want the information displayed.   For information relating to Sixth Form plasma please email details to the Sixth Form Assistant Manager, Jennifer Damiano (j.damiano@sjb.surrey.sch.uk)

PAPER

We are trying hard to get rid of every unnecessary piece of paper.  Please think carefully before circulating pieces of paper.  Most things can be sent electronically now and accessed on staff/student iPads – if it can be viewed electronically, don’t print it!  All the time we are circulating/filling in unnecessary pieces of paper we are not preparing outstanding lessons.   Please email whenever possible.

Any unnecessary bits of paper should be given to a member of the SLT.   Please remember:

• no agendas to be circulated
• no typed minutes of meetings – any action points to be noted in the meeting and communicated electronically
• no evaluation forms, queries etc. to be circulated – see Frazer Harte if you’d like an electronic survey created

REPAIRS

If you see any item of furniture, equipment or fabric of the building which is in need of repair, please email the details to maintenance@sjb.surrey.sch.uk.  Similarly, if you would like anything done to your room please email the same address.

SCHOOL MINIBUS

If you wish to use a minibus, please speak to anyone in the Finance Office.  All drivers must to be over 21 years of age and to have held a full car licence for two years.  In addition, it will be necessary to take a minibus driving assessment for which you should see finance at least 2 months prior to you needing it! If you would like to drive the minibus please see Anna del Vecchio to arrange a test.

SECURITY KEYS

Tony, Premises Manager, Rohan, Assistant Premises Manager and Greg our Maintenance Assistant, open the building at 6.00am and lock up at 6.00pm.   All members of staff are asked to vacate the building by that time in the evening.  The site team do a great job but they find it really difficult to lock up at 6.00pm as they can’t get staff to leave the building.   Please do your bit to help them by leaving on time.   If that is not possible, arrangements must be made with them to ensure the building is properly locked overnight and the security alarm is not improperly activated.

Individual members of staff may hold keys for frequently used rooms.  Please see Anna del Vecchio, if you need a key.

All external doors to the main buildings are secured by a key held only by Tony, Rohan, Greg, Headteacher and Deputy Heads.

STAFF SICKNESS / ABSENCE

Staff absence comes in all shapes and sizes and at one point or another we all need to take time off, whether it be due to sickness, because one of our children is ill, a family wedding, or a child’s graduation; we are fortunate that in general it is very low. As a school we have always tried to accommodate requests for absence. For example, we are understanding when a member of staff must take the day off because their child is ill; and we try our hardest to accommodate staff wanting two days off to go to their best friend’s wedding abroad. We know how hard you work, and we want to be as flexible and accommodating as we can be.

Xavier does have two policies that cover staff attendance and leave (Attendance Management Policy and Special Leave Policy). We think they are very restrictive; they don’t allow for the give and take required to make for a happy and healthy working environment, but they are there for us to fall back on should we need to. We want to remain lenient and facilitate requests for special leave where we possibly can. We want you to feel that you can come and ask for a day off to attend your best friend’s wedding, or the morning off to attend your child’s sports day, we want you to come forward for support when you’re struggling because these things are important. We want to remain flexible and accommodating and we don’t want anyone to feel guilty when they genuinely have no alternative other than to take the day off and look after their ill child or are sick themselves…

But we do need all staff to to understand that the consequence of that flexibility is cover and that there needs to be give and take. We all need different things at different times in our lives and in a school where the timetable is rigid for the 39 teaching weeks each year, we have to work together as a community to facilitate time for each other. But absence during term-time needs to be kept to a minimum for us to do the best job for the children. It’s all about balance. If things ever become unbalanced for individuals, we will have to default to the Xavier policies.

For unplanned absence please email both your line manager and cover@sjb.surrey.sch.uk (teaching staff) l.davis@sjb.surrey.sch.uk (support staff) before 7.30am so that Lee/Lucia can pick up that request. We ask you to make sure that you leave a phone number so that you can be contacted if there are any queries. Or instead phone Lee (ext 136) or Lucia (ext 112) directly.

We will be having a big push with attendance for students in September, and this is important for staff too. To do a great job, we need to be here! The Headteacher will see all staff following a period of absence for their return to work discussion, please don’t worry this is just to check in, make sure you are all set and able to work and see if we can help with anything.

STAFF DRESS

All staff are expected to dress smartly in formal business wear to set a positive example to the Sixth Form students whose dress code mirrors that of the staff.

STAFF PAY                                                                       

Staff will be paid on the 22nd day of each month or on the preceding Friday if the 22nd falls on a Saturday or Sunday.   If you have any problems with pay, please see Lucia Davis.

STAFF WITH CHILDREN

Please have alternative arrangements in place so that you don’t need to take time off if your child is ill.  Unpaid leave may be taken to look after children who are ill where there is no alternative.

STUDENT MEDICATION

There are a number of students in the school who take medication.   The medication is stored in locked cupboards in the school office.   All details will be on Arbor including where a student has an IHP (individual healthcare plan). If students are out on trips, please check required medication with the school office.   There is separate information regarding procedures in the event of a student becoming ill or having an accident; please familiarise yourself with these guidelines.