Charlton School

Dear Parent / Carer,

Following Mr McNaughton’s letter which details opening procedures for all students, I write with some specific information for our new Y7 year group. As stated in the letter attached the school year will start on Wednesday 2nd September at 8.40 for Year 7 only, they will be joined by years 10 and 11 on Thursday 3rd September and then by years 8 and 9 on Friday the 4th September. As you know we were sadly unable to run our transition days as planned in the summer term, so are very pleased with the decision to have only Y7 students on the first day of the autumn term, giving our new students a chance to settle in before being joined by older students.

On the first day, Wednesday the 2^nd of September, we ask that students enter school through the external gate at the bottom of the carpark onto the courts. They will be greeted by their form tutor and asked to line up in their form groups for the register. Mrs Berry, Mr Simms and Ms Kirkman will also be available to give enhanced support to individual students if needed. The gates are accessed at the bottom of the school carpark next to the PE building. We understand that the first drop off can be an exciting and sometimes worrying time for both parents and students, therefore allow parents to wait in the car park by the bottom gate until they are happy their child is settled. Where possible please wait inside your car and ensure a safe social distance is kept throughout the drop off process.

Following registration on the courts there will be a welcome assembly in the sports hall from Mr McNaughton. Students will then go with their form tutor to their tutor base and take part in activities designed to help them settle in and make friends. Amongst these activities are a school tour, reminders about equipment and uniform, the ‘worry wall’ where children are encouraged to talk about their transition concerns and seek reassurance from their form tutor. There is also a session designed to introduce the Charlton Values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience which will help students readjust to school life.

Timetables will be issued during the extended tutor time on the first day and tutors will take time to ensure children know where to go for their lessons. There will be an increased staff presence during lesson changeover to ensure children can find their way around the school building and can ask for directions if needed.

Reminders for the first day

• During the school tour students who have returned their biometric permission slips in the welcome pack will have their fingerprint scanned for use in the canteen. If you have not yet returned this permission slip please bring it with you on the first day. Spare copies of the letter, and other information from the welcome pack can be found by following this link: https://www.charlton.uk.com/parent-student-information/transition/transition-2020.
• You will be contacted at the beginning of September with details of how to add funds to parent pay. Where this is not possible before the 2nd of September cash will be accepted in the canteen, as soon as you receive information please aim to begin using the cashless catering system to avoid delays at the till and minimise risk associated with handling cash.
• If your child has completed the ‘best of me booklet’ they should bring it with them and hand in to their form tutor on the first day, again spare copies of this are available by following the link above to the transition 2020 page on our school website.
• Students should arrive in full school uniform, they do not need their PE kit on the first day. A reminder that only a wristwatch and one pair of plain silver or gold earrings can be worn. Bracelets worn for religious reasons are also permitted.
• Students should bring a pencil case with them on their first day, they must have the following equipment: Two black or blue pens, a red pen, a pencil and a ruler. There are also optional extras including highlighters which are handy in lessons and perhaps some colouring pencils. Students will also be given the option to buy an Art Kit in September. Scientific calculators will be available from the Maths department for £6. Students are encouraged to bring a backpack to school to keep their belongings safe.
• Mobile phones should be off and away until the end of the day, if your child brings a mobile device into school it should be turned off as they arrive and put safely into their backpack until the end of the school day.
• Further guidance and reminders can be found in the virtual transition evening presentation by following this link: https://www.charlton.uk.com/media/19241/virtual-transition-evening-presentation-2020-via.pdf. There is also a wealth of information on the school website on the transition page.

At the end of the day on Wednesday the 2^nd of September there will be a short assembly in the sports hall before students are dismissed through the bottom gates, if you are collecting your child please remain in vehicles where possible and ensure a safe social distance is maintained. From Thursday the 3^rd of September children should arrive at school at 8.40 and enter the building through the main entrance as detailed in the letter attached here.

We are really looking forward to meeting our new students, starting secondary school is an exciting milestone for young people and we are committed to ensuring that your child will have a fantastic start to the school year. I would like to thank you again for your support and understanding throughout the transition process which thanks to you has been a great success despite the challenging circumstances.

Kind Regards

Mrs Vickers