St Andrews' Policies

LINKS WITH PARENTS POLICY

The School is keen to have links with parents and sees the education and development of the individual child as a joint responsibility.

Regular updates on pupils’ progress are made to parents both in the form of written reports and via parents’ consultation evenings.

In between these fixed points: -

  • Parents are encouraged to let the School know if they have concerns about their child, either academic or pastoral. Initially such concerns should be raised with the child’s Form Tutor or the subject teacher concerned. If the concern continues, parents should contact the Head of Nursery, Junior , in the case of the Senior School the Deputy Head. If the matter is still unable to be resolved, then parents should contact the Headmaster.
  • In the event of serious or urgent concerns, a parent may contact the Headmaster or Deputy Head direct.
  • Should the School have concerns about a child’s progress or well being, those concerns will be shared with parents, except in an extreme case where Child Protection Procedures apply.
  • The School welcomes the existence of the Parents’ Association and its contribution to the School Community.
  • The School undertakes to keep parents informed of arrangements and general information. To this end, the Headmaster issues a regular newsletter and a termly Calendar of Events is sent to all parents.
  • To aid communication, the vast majority of letters to parents are issued on a fixed day of the week. Letters that need to be sent home at other times will either go via the post or have a reply slip attached.
  • Where parents are living separately, copies of letters are sent home with the child and also, by post, to the parent with whom the child does not reside for the greater part of the time. Copies of School Reports and invitations to Parents’ Consultation Evening are also issued in this way. The only exception to this is where a parent is excluded by a Court Order from having contact with his/her child. The fact a parent does not contribute to the child’s fees does not exclude them from their right to be informed about their child’s progress and arrangements pertaining to their child.
  • In all matters, the School welcomes the views of parents and, where appropriate, will take those views into account in any decision-making. Parents are free to contact the Headmaster and/or the Governors to express their views. The Governors issue a yearly report giving details of their work and their thoughts on the future development of the School.
  • On proposed Whole School changes, parents are consulted.

BULLYING POLICY

The School recognizes that Bullying may take many forms: -

  • Physical
  • Repeated name calling / taunting
  • Rude or intimidating looks or gestures
  • Extortion or threats
  • Interfering with another’s property
  • Isolating the victim
  • Generating fear
  • Cyber bullying

The issue of Bullying is addressed within the curriculum and in the establishing of codes of behaviour within the classroom and beyond. It is further addressed in tutorial time and regularly via assemblies – either explicitly or implicitly.

The School takes a clear and open stand against Bullying of any kind and all members of the School community have the right to be free from any kind of intimidation.

All members of the School community, by being members of the community, give tacit assent to the School’s Code of Conduct (Appendix A).

Pupils in all sections of the School are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and to consider the effects their actions may have on others.

If a pupil feels they are being bullied they are encouraged to confide in one of the staff who, if they cannot deal with the situation themselves, should report it to a member of staff who can.

The pupil will be listened to and will be entitled to have an input into any planned course of action. Where a pupil feels they cannot speak with a member of staff, it may be more appropriate for their parent to report the concern on their behalf.

In either case, we encourage the reporting of any alleged bullying sooner rather than later to prevent situations getting out of hand.

The course of action taken will depend on the ages of the children involved and the nature of the Bullying.

The aim of any course of action is to support the victim while making the perpetrators realise the effects of their actions and bringing the Bullying to an end.

In the case of cyber bullying, the School reserves the right to read a pupil’s personal text/answer phone message, or read the content of the involved website(s)

In the case of an adult feeling he / she is being bullied they should employ the School’s Grievance procedure, as set out in the Staff Handbook, to report it.

CODE OF CONDUCT

CARE – COURTESY – CO-OPERATION

This policy applies equally to every member of the school community, whatever her / his age or position.

At. St Andrew’s School:

  • We will, at all times treat each other with politeness, courtesy and respect.
  • We will endeavour to do our best at all times, i.e. in our work, in our behaviour, in our appearance and in the language we use.
  • We will be honest at all times with ourselves and each other.
  • We will listen to each other
  • We acknowledge the right of everyone to learn.
  • We will arrive punctually and fully prepared for lessons.
  • We will endeavour to complete all work on time.
  • We will think at all times about the safety of all members of the school community.
  • We will care for the school, including the grounds and all equipment by treating it with care and respect.

The guidelines in this policy statement should enable the school to run smoothly and for pupils to feel confident in their dealings with staff and vice-versa. They should also ensure that all the resources of the school are used productively to enable all pupils to achieve their best.

HEALTHY EATING POLICY

This policy reflects government guidelines and the standards as set out in the Bedfordshire Healthy Schools Scheme with regard to healthy eating. We believe that food has a significant role to play in determining the health and well being of all individuals.

At St Andrew’s we endeavour to help pupils develop a positive attitude to healthy eating and encourage healthy eating patterns within the school community and beyond.

Aims

  1. To encourage pupils, parents and staff to opt for healthier snacks and packed lunches.
  2. To help pupils and staff to understand the importance of a healthy and safe diet in the context of a healthy lifestyle.
  3. To ensure that everyone understands what healthier choices are.

OBJECTIVES

  • A “Healthy School” task group to promote and encourage healthy eating initiatives.
  • A planned programme of food and nutrition will be delivered as part of the spiral curriculum.
  • Healthier Eating will be promoted in a consistent way by all teaching and non-teaching adults in the school.
  • Pupils and staff will be treated with equal respect in dining areas and encouraged to eat socially.
  • Suitable facilities will be available for pupils and staff to eat packed lunches.
  • Pupils and staff will have access to drinking water.
  • The Senior School Tuck Shop will aim to provide some healthier options that are actively promoted e.g. fruit and cereal bars.
  • Ideas for healthy break-time snacks will be listed in the parent’s handbook.
  • To provide pupils in the Prep Dept. with the opportunity to buy a healthy ‘in-house’ snack at break-time e.g. slice of wholemeal toast
  • Healthier packed lunches will be actively encouraged.
  • To produce a school ‘Lunch-Box Book’ with ideas, information and recipes for healthy packed lunches.
  • To offer students in Years 10 & 11 opportunities to purchase, in school, a healthy lunch. These ‘trial’ lunches will help the school to ascertain the feasibility of offering them on a regular basis. Give Senior Girls the opportunity to buy ‘in house’ healthy lunch once per week.
  • Sweets as treats will not be used to reward.
  • Food provided for school functions will aim to meet healthier eating criteria. All educational materials related to food will be assessed for accuracy and updated
  • This policy will be monitored by the Healthy School Task Group and reviewed as appropriate.

INTERNATIONAL POLICY

Rationale:

The governors and staff recognise that:

  • Global issues are an important part of the lives of our students living in a world where economies are increasingly interdependent and global communication is a daily reality. Our students have access to the internet and increased opportunity to travel, watch news stories from around the world, as they develop and follow for example, international sporting events as they happen.
  • The global dimension should be reflected in the attitudes and values of our students, the ethos of the school, the Programmes of Study and Key Skills.
  • Through the inclusion of an international focus, we are able to offer to our pupils, a range of experiences that will enhance their learning and raise awareness of their national and international identity.

Objectives:

  • To provide an informed awareness of countries, cultures and languages other than our own.
  • To encourage greater involvement in environmental issues.
  • To develop curiosity about other cultures.
  • To enable children, staff and governors to experience daily life in other countries.
  • To promote the use of ICT in meaningful contexts for the development of communication skills.
  • To provide an added opportunity for the promotion of equal opportunities, racial equality and Citizenship.
  • To develop and fully exploit a variety of global learning partnerships. This will include activities such as:
    1. E-mail and internet projects.
    2. Interacting with visitors from other countries (students & adults)
    3. Student/staff visits to places of cultural interest in the UK and abroad.
    4. Students exchanges and foreign work experience placements.
  • To actively encourage the study of foreign languages for all our students by offering a range of appropriate language options.
  • To organise regular celebrations of our rich and diverse heritage.