Key Information & Frequently Asked Questions
Whilst the school operates a general first aid provision and will endeavour to provide the best possible care within ‘first aid’ parameters, it should be noted that our first aiders are not trained medical practitioners.
There will inevitably be times when a student develops aches or pains such as headache or toothache during the school day. One or two paracetamol tablets can be administered and this will only be given if the student is showing signs of distress and the school has parental consent.
Students should not contact parents directly to collect them if they feel unwell; they must report to the medical room or pastoral team who will make the appropriate arrangements.
If students need to take medication during school hours this can be left in the medical room. Please ensure it is clearly labelled with the student’s name, form and dosage. This also applies to other medicines used for conditions such as hay fever. Please keep the school informed of any changes to regular prescribed medication this includes if it is stopped.
Children who require inhalers will be allowed to carry their own in their bag. A spare inhaler should be brought to school to be kept in the medical room for use in emergencies. The student’s name should be clearly marked on the inhaler and box and the contents should be renewed periodically. Staff are made aware of children who suffer from asthma and will notify the first aider immediately of any serious attack.
The school holds spare inhalers for use in an emergency and only if we have been informed that the student is asthmatic.
Parents are advised to notify the school immediately if they discover that their child has epilepsy. Swimming will only take place if one-to-one supervision for students can be arranged.
Diabetics who require insulin can bring it into school and either keep it with them or give it to the first aider to keep until needed. Supplies of specific food can be kept in the refrigerator in school.
The school must be made aware by parents of any ongoing medical conditions or serious allergies a child may have, along with written notification of any appropriate medication which may be needed together with a small supply of that medication or EpiPens. With EpiPens, one must be named and kept in school, one to be kept with the child. The first aider will notify parents when the ‘use by date’ approaches.
Any necessary equipment or medication must be with the child if staying to after-hours clubs/events, or when the child attends a trip, or any school-based activities in holiday periods.
If a student has a condition where an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is in place, a copy of the EHCP should be provided to the school for reference and records.
It is extremely important for parents/carers to keep school up to date with new addresses, numbers and an email address. The majority of general or urgent information for parents/carers is made via email and text and therefore, if your number or email is not up to date, there will be a delay in the receipt of important news. Please ensure we have your email address and a valid mobile number. The data collection form, as mentioned above, is the ideal way to ensure we have your correct details.
Clacton County High School; governors and staff, take seriously the responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of the children and young people in the school’s care.
Copies of the Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy and Data Protection Policy are available to download via the school’s website.
The school provides safe and secure bike sheds for our students use; this facility is a privilege and not a right. It is the responsibility of parents and students to ensure that bikes are in a roadworthy condition, and ridden with due care and attention, in accordance with the Highway Code. Therefore, the school reserves the right to check that all bicycles are in a safe and well-maintained condition. If either the bike or cyclist fail to meet expectations, then the privilege of bringing a bike on to the school site may need to be considered.
The computer system is owned by the school and is made available to students to further their education and to staff to enhance their professional activities including teaching, research, administration and management. The school's Internet Access Policy has been drawn up to protect all parties - the students, the staff and the school.
The school reserves the right to examine or delete any files that may be held on its computer system or to monitor any internet sites visited.
All internet activity should be appropriate and access should only be made via the authorised username and password, which should not be made available to any other person.
Social networking sites – no student should post images or video footage or malicious comments that could cause harm or distress to either school staff or students or use images of the school or the school name on any internet site without prior consent.
Activity that threatens the integrity of the school IT systems, or activity that attacks or corrupts other systems, is forbidden.
Users are responsible for all e-mails sent.
Use for personal financial gain, gambling, political purposes or advertising is forbidden.
Copyright of materials must be respected.
Posting anonymous messages and forwarding chain letters is forbidden.
As e-mail can be forwarded or inadvertently sent to the wrong person, appropriate language and content should be considered.
Use of the network to access inappropriate materials such as pornographic, racist or offensive material is forbidden.
Students found in breach of any of the above expectations will be sanctioned in accordance with the school’s Behaviour for Learning policy and the use of computers in school may be withdrawn.
At Clacton County High School we teach our students to be PROUD of what they do and how to achieve the success that they rightly deserve, both at school and in their lives as a whole. Having pride in what they do and how they present themselves will enable them to increase their self-esteem; this in turn will help them realise their dreams. Our PROUD initiative supports our ethos of ‘Higher Expectations, Raising Aspirations’ by promoting an attitude to learn and do well. Being a student at CCHS is more than just about academic results, we want all of our students to be part of the broader community, to have compassion and empathy for others and to become good citizens with an understanding of the importance of modern British values. Our PROUD ideals focus on Perseverance, Responsibility, Opportunity, Unity and Diversity and encourage students to look beyond school and exceed their own personal expectations.
If you feel that your circumstances may qualify your child to receive free school meals or you are already
entitled to them, then please visit the East of England Consortium Website
https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/ofsm-east.
If you do not have online access, then please contact the school reception for assistance.
If you are eligible for free school meals, you will need to arrange a ParentPay account at
www.parentpay.com, so that the school can add funds to your child’s account on a daily basis.
Our restaurant Clouds uses biometric fingerprint recognition similar to Apple’s Touch ID, to provide a cashless payment system. Children have their fingerprint taken and this creates a mathematical algorithm, which is used to identify them when they pay for food in Clouds. It is useful to note that it is impossible to recreate a user’s fingerprint from the mathematical code.
Parents will need to set up a ParentPay account, at www.parentpay.com, to which they may add money and then allocate it to their child’s ‘Dinner Money account’ to pay for food at break and lunchtimes. Students can also check the balance of their account, using dedicated reader stations positioned around the school.
If your child is eligible for free school meals, you should still set up a ParentPay account, as this is required for the school to add monies to on a daily basis.
Attendance is important at CCHS and vital to achieving success. It is expected that students attend school every day it is open and such attendance is celebrated and rewarded. Rewards and a certificate may be given to students with 100% attendance each term and throughout the year.
Students will not be allowed to take holidays during school time, unless for exceptional circumstances agreed in advance.
The parent is legally responsible for ensuring that their child receives a suitable education. (Section 7, Education Act 1996)
Failure to ensure that their child attends school punctually and regularly could lead to legal action being taken against the parent. This could result in each parent receiving a fine of up to £2,500 for each time or up to 3 months imprisonment.
Local Education Authorities are required by law to enforce school attendance.
By law, only the school can approve absence, not the parent.
If a child is ill, the parent must contact the school on the first day of the student’s illness and each day after, as long as the absence continues. Telephone the ‘Student Absence Line’ on 01255 424266 and select option 1.
The school will attempt to contact the parent of any student whose absence has not been established by previous contact via the ‘Student Absence Line’.
When a child returns to school following a period of absence he/she must provide the attendance office with written confirmation of the reasons for the absence signed by their parent even after a telephone call.
The school complies with government legislation, which states that term time leave of absence can only be taken in ‘exceptional circumstances’. For example; forces personnel on leave from a foreign posting or significant family events or circumstances. If this is the case, a ‘Leave of Absence’ request form must be completed; this can be obtained from the attendance office. When returned to the attendance office, it should be accompanied by a letter of explanation.
If the school considers an application has not justified ‘exceptional circumstances’ approval will not be given. This is a school decision.
If the leave of absence is then taken regardless, the school may seek to apply for a Penalty Notice in accordance with Education (Penalty Notices) Regulations 2004.
Holidays in term time for financial reasons.
Looking after siblings.
Birthdays.
Visiting relatives.
90% attendance = one day missed school per fortnight.
One school year at 90% attendance = four whole weeks of lessons missed.
90% attendance over five years of secondary school = half a school year missed!
Research suggests that seventeen missed school days a year = GCSE grade DROP in achievement.
If a child’s attendance improves by 1% they could see a 5% improvement in attainment.
The greater the attendance, the greater the achievement.