Letters and Emails

Dear Parent/Carer,

Welcome!

I am delighted that your child will be joining Chancellor’s in September and I look forward to welcoming them to the school.  

Confirmation of acceptance

It is very important that you confirm that you wish to accept your child’s place at Chancellor’s with Hertfordshire County Council (or your Local Authority if you are not in Hertfordshire). You can do this, by accessing your account online and following the instructions provided, or using the paper response form included with your allocation letter. The deadline to accept your child’s place is 15 March 2024.

If Chancellor’s was not your highest preference school, but you are happy with the allocation and no longer wish to pursue a place at any of your original higher preferences, you must let the Admissions and Transport team know immediately by opting out of the continuing interest process, otherwise you risk losing your place at Chancellor’s. To ‘opt out’ of the continuing interest process, please see the information on the Hertfordshire County Council’s website. Those without access to the internet can contact the Customer Service Centre for a ‘What Can You Do Now?’ leaflet on 0300 123 4043.

Induction

As you will be aware, we are committed to ensuring that our students receive the very best educational experience and leave our school with the qualifications and skills that are essential for their future lives.  We want your child to be happy and successful at Chancellor’s and we place a great deal of emphasis on the highest standards of pastoral care.  

In order for your child to make the very best start in September, we have organised a comprehensive induction programme.

• Firstly, during May, one of our pastoral leaders will visit your child’s primary school to meet them, their current Year 6 teacher and the other children who will be joining Chancellor’s. This will provide us with the opportunity to see your child in their own school setting, as well as the chance to speak in detail to the staff at your child’s primary school to help us ensure that the transition to Chancellor’s is a smooth one. 

• In June, we will invite you and your child to attend an informal interview with a member of our staff. This will be a chance for us to learn more about your child and answer any questions that you or your child may have.

• On Thursday 11 July, we hope that your child will spend the day at Chancellor’s.  This will give them the chance to experience school life at Chancellor’s in readiness for September. On the evening of 11 July, there will be an opportunity for you to attend an information evening for parents and carers of Year 6 students.  At this event you will hear from a number of key staff and meet your child’s form tutor if they are available.

• Finally, we hope to organise a two day summer school for your child to attend, either at the start or end of the summer  holidays. There will be a cost,  which will be confirmed at a later date with a reduction for students and families who require it. Please can I ask you to use this link to give an initial expression of interest and preference of summer school. 

Next Steps

During May, we will email you some important information. This will include a link to give you direct access to Arbor, the school’s management information system, so that you can enter all the personal information for your child directly onto the school’s system. You will also receive a link to the Year 7 Transition site, which will hold the key information you will need ahead of your child starting at Chancellor’s in September.

All transitional communication and information will be sent via email. Therefore, please ensure you are happy for all information to be sent to the email address we currently have for you. If you would like for us to use an alternative email address, please email admin@chancellors.herts.sch.uk with your child’s name and the email address you would like us to use.

We want the transition from primary school to Chancellor’s to be as smooth as possible, so please do not hesitate to contact the school should you have any concerns or questions about the process. 

I look forward to working with you in the coming months and years to ensure the very best for your child.

Yours sincerely,

David Croston

Headteacher

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are delighted to announce the launch of a dedicated transition website tailored specifically for the Year 6 to 7 transition process. This resource covers all the essential information you will require prior to your child starting at Chancellor’s. We encourage you to thoroughly explore this resource, as it contains answers to the majority of inquiries you may have.

Access to the site is available through THIS LINK, and it is also conveniently located on our website under Admissions/Year 6 - 7 Transition 2024/25.

It is important to note that, similar to last year, we will not be distributing any paper or hard copies of letters or information pertaining to the Year 6 to 7 transition. Instead, all communication will be conveyed directly to you via email or through our Transition Site.

We will be requesting your children’s information through our Arbor parent portal at a later stage.

Should you have any queries regarding the aforementioned information, please do not hesitate to contact me via email.

Kind regards

Miss Thompson – Resources, Communications & Marketing Officer

thompsona@chancellors.herts.sch.uk

Dear Parent/Carer,

We hope you are enjoying looking through the Dedicated Transition Site and are finding it useful. As a reminder you can find the link for the transition site on our website

www.chancellors.herts.sch.uk/Admissions/Year 6-7 Transition 2024/25

Again this year we are not sending out any paper/hard copies of letters or information regarding Year 6 to 7 transition. We are also not sending out any forms to complete, we request that you update all the important information on the Arbor Parent Portal.

Arbor

We have now set up the Parent Portal/Arbor App, and created an account for you.

How to get started

1. Wait for your welcome email from us telling you Arbor is ready - you won’t be able to log in before

2. Click the link in your welcome email to set up your password

3. Go to the App or Google Play Store on your phone and search ‘Arbor’

4. Click ‘Install’ on Android or ‘Get’ on iPhone then open the App

5. Enter your email, select the school, and then enter your password

6. Accept the Terms & Conditions and enter your child’s birthday

You can also access the portal via the website on a computer if you would prefer than the app.

If you have any queries with logging in please contact itsupport@chancellors.herts.sch.uk

For more information please see the Arbor help sheet on your dedicated site which can be found HERE, you will need to click on the Arbor section.

Important Student Information

We will be collating all student personal information via our Arbor Parent Portal App. Therefore it is vital you login in to your Arbor account (see below) and complete all the necessary information regarding your child by Friday 7 June 2024 (it may be easier to enter all this information on a computer rather than your phone).

Important Information we need:

Student profile information (check name, DOB, address etc), you will not be able to change the name or date of birth. If this information is incorrect please email thompsona@chancellors.herts.sch.uk and we will update this for you

Enter at least 2 additional emergency contacts

Check all contact telephone numbers and email addresses are correct

Enter all dietary information (allergies etc.)

Enter all relevant medical information, ensure this is completed with detailed diagnosed medical conditions. If your child has a serious medical condition (diabetes, heart conditions, epilepsy etc) please enter this on the portal but also email admin@chancellors.herts.sch.uk and include details and medications if needed.

Please refer to the Arbor page on the dedicated transition site, where you can find all the areas of Arbor which you will need to update.

If you have any questions regarding all of the above information, please contact me by email.

Miss Thompson –  Admissions | Resources, Communications & Marketing Officer

thompsona@chancellors.herts.sch.uk

Dear Parent/Carer,

If you are interested in a space for your child on the GB4 Coach for September 2024 please could you Click Here to complete a Survey.

This survey is designed to gauge interest and determine how many families would like a place on the coach. Please note that completing this survey does not reserve a place for your child, nor does it guarantee a spot on the coach.

We are conducting this survey to ensure we can try to accommodate everyone interested. Depending on the level of interest, we may consider arranging an additional coach but this will be dependent on numbers as we can only run this on full capacity. Therefore, it is crucial that we gather accurate numbers to make the necessary arrangements.

For your guidance last year's payment was £1290.00 per seat. We must stress that this is just a guide and not an indication of what this year's costs will be. This will depend on supplier costs and demand.

Please understand that this survey is merely an expression of interest. It does not hold or guarantee a space for your child. A subsequent letter will follow with detailed instructions on how to reserve a place on the GB4 coach, including payment details and the initial deposit required to secure a spot.

Additionally, please note that the GB4 coach service is an annual commitment. To help us plan effectively, we kindly request that you complete the attached survey by the 31st May 2024.

Your prompt response will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Kind regards,

Finance

Dear Parent/Carer,

Interview

As part of the Induction Process, you and your child are invited to attend an informal interview with a member of our Pastoral Team. This will be a chance for us to meet you and your child and answer any questions that you may have.

Your interview has been scheduled for: Date and time on your email

All interviews should not take any longer than 5 minutes.

When you arrive for your interview, please come to the School Reception at your given date and time, there you will be met and taken to your meeting.

Please note there is limited parking in the school car parks, therefore you may have to use the local roads to park and walk to the school. We ask that you do not block residential drives or pathways and please be considerate of our local neighbours.

Kind Regards

Miss A Thompson

Admissions | Resources, Communications & Marketing Officer

Dear Parent/Carer,

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to the Chancellor’s School community; I am looking forward to meeting you both at one of our transitional events over the coming weeks.

Interview

As part of the Induction Process, we have invited you and your child to attend an informal interview with a member of our Pastoral Team. This will be a chance for us to learn more about your child and answer any questions that you both may have. The interviews should take about 5 minutes or so. You should have received your appointment details this week, if you have not received them please email Miss Thompson thomspona@chancellors.herts.sch.uk.

Secondary Transfer Day

On Thursday 11 July, your child will have the opportunity to experience a day at Chancellor’s School.  On this day, students will participate in lessons, be introduced to their Form Tutor, meet the rest of their year group and familiarise themselves with their new surroundings.  

Students will need to wear their primary school uniform, bring a packed lunch, a suitable bag and stationery. 

You will receive an email at the beginning of July with more details and timings for the day.

Information Evening

On the evening of Thursday 11 July around 4.30pm, there will be an information evening for parents and carers of Year 6. At this event, you will hear from a number of key staff and meet your child’s Form Tutor. This will take place virtually and information for this will be sent out at the beginning of July.

Information Pack

We do not send out any paper/hard copies of letters or information, all the relevant information you will need to start is on a bespoke transition site. You should have received this information and the link via email, the link to the transition site is also on our website as well under Admissions/YEAR 6 - 7 TRANSITION 2024/25. 

We will also be collating all student personal information via our Arbor Parent Portal App. You should have received all the necessary login details to input all the important personal information for your child. 

If you require any further information or have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at harrisonn@chancellors.herts.sch.uk

I look forward to meeting you and your child during the Induction Process. 

Kind regards,

Miss Harrison - Head of Year 7 and Transition

Dear Parent/Carer,

We would like to remind you about a few important bits of information for your child’s transition into Year 7.

Arbor Parent Portal

Firstly, thank you to all the parents/carers that have already logged on and started filling in all the necessary information for your children. If you have not logged in to Arbor please can you do so as a matter of urgency, we do need all the up to date information for your child before the transition day in July.

Parent Consents

On the Arbor Parent Portal there are various consents for you to consent to or decline. We plan to do all the children’s thumb prints for the Biometric system at the Transition Day on 11 July, therefore we ask if you could consent or decline consent so we have this information ready.

We also have a few other bits of information that we need and cannot get through the portal, therefore could you please complete this ONLINE FORM as well.

Lockers

The booking system is open for renting a locker for your child. If you have not done so already, please see the letter on our website under Admissions/YEAR 6 - 7 TRANSITION 2024/25 or on the Transition Site.

We look forward to meeting you and your child next week at the interviews.

Kind regards

The Admissions Team

Dear Parent/Carer,

We have created a special site especially for the children. We would be grateful if you could share this site with your child.

Within the site it has some helpful tips on starting secondary school, summer tasks and a message from their new Head of Year.

Here is the link to the site: Year 6 Chancellor's School Student Guide 2024

You can also find the link on our website under Admissions/Year 6 – 7 Transition 2024/25

Please can you ask your child to have a look at the site before they come to their interview next week and if they have any questions, they will be able to ask them at their interview.

We look forward to meeting with you all next week.

Kind regards

Miss Thompson – Resources, Communications & Marketing Officer (Admissions & Transition)

Miss Harrison – Head of Year 7 and Transition

Dear Parent/Carer,

Thank you to all the parents and carers who have already logged into Arbor and begun entering the necessary information for their children. We still need critical details for some students. If you haven't done so, please log into Arbor and complete all required sections, including at least two emergency contacts and any medical conditions.

Parental Consents

Please review the various consents available on the Arbor Parent Portal. We need your response regarding the biometric system for your child’s thumbprints by Transition Day on July 11. Your consent or decline is crucial for our preparations.

Additionally, we need some information that isn't available through the portal. Kindly fill out this ONLINE FORM if you haven't done so already. If you completed it last week, thank you and please disregard this reminder.

Kind regards

The Admissions Team

Dear Parent/Carer,

Student:

Chancellor's School uses ParentPay, allowing you to make on-line payments to school using your debit and/or credit card. You will be able to pay for items such as school trips, dinner money, music lessons and voluntary School Fund donations. You will also be able to view your child's meal choices. We hope you will realise the advantage of this payment method and how easy it is to use ParentPay. Your child need not bring money to school and you can make payments at a time convenient to you. A quick guide for parents can be found on the ParentPay website. Please be assured that ParentPay offers the highest security for online payments.

New to ParentPay?

Your secure online account can be activated using the unique activation username and password below; you will be prompted to change these and to keep them safe and secure as your Username and Password for future logins. Please visit www.parentpay.com and activate your account via the Account login area on the home page of the site.

Already have a ParentPay account?

If you already have a ParentPay account, you can simply login to that account and add your other children via the Add a child tab on your home page. You will need the following activation username and password to do this.

Username: 

Password:

Once you have activated your account you can make online payments straight away. We would also like to encourage parents/carers to sign up for email alerts so that if new payment items are added or your child's canteen account goes below a certain threshold, you can be notified and pay as necessary.

If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us at finance@chancellors.herts.sch.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Finance Office

Chancellor's School

Dear Parent/Carer,

The Finance Department posted all ParentPay letters out yesterday, therefore you should receive your ParentPay details by the end of this week. These were sent out by the postal system and not via email. If you have not received your letter by the end of this week, please email finance@chancellors.herts.sch.uk.

Once you have received your ParentPay letter please set up your account as soon as possible.

For those interested in the GB bus service from Hammond Street, Cuffley, and Goffs Oak to school, you will need to have your ParentPay account set up to pay deposits and reserve a seat. The booking for this service has NOT yet opened; you will receive an email with prices and details closer to the time.

Kind regards

The School Office

Dear Parent/Carer,

Thank you to those who participated in our recent survey regarding the GB4 Bus Service to school for 2024-25.

The GB4 Bus is run by Golden Boy Coaches on behalf of Chancellor's School. More Information can be found here in regards to this together with other transport options that are available.

After carefully reviewing the survey results, it is unfortunately not cost effective to run a second bus. Therefore, as we have this year, we will only have one bus available for the upcoming academic year. Consequently, the number of spaces is limited, and we anticipate the demand to be high.

We will be sending out an email next week with further information on how to reserve your child's seat.

Please ensure that you are prepared to make the necessary payment promptly and that your ParentPay account is set up and active.

Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind Regards

Finance

Dear Parents/Carers,

World of Work Opportunities for Chancellor’s Students – Can you help?

A key part of education at Chancellor’s School is learning about the world outside school and to deliver this effectively we want to involve a wide variety of ‘real life’ professionals in our work related learning events.

We are planning two key events for next academic year, which you or your employer might be willing in taking part in.

1. ‘Chancellor's Careers Day’ Event - Date to be advised

Half hour workshops for students in Years 9 -10.

Would you consider sharing your personal career journey to inspire and inform our students about your career? (What you do and how you got there). We are looking for a diverse range of professionals who are passionate about their jobs. This popular event helps our students to make more informed choices about their future career, or consider options they had never thought of before.

2. Work Experience Programme - Dates to be advised

A 1-day placement for a Year 7 student – Work Shadowing Day (Jan 2025)

A 5-day placement for a Year 10 student (Jun 2025)

A 5-day placement for a Year 12 student (Jun/Jul 2025)

A 1-day placement for a Year 13 student (Jan 2025)

Does your organisation take students on work experience?

Would you/your organisation consider hosting a Chancellor’s student?

Work experience is an invaluable introduction into the world of work and helps students develop key employability skills for the future. We are always on the look-out for new placements and carefully match students to employers. Employers tell us this is a great way to recruit future talent, and spread the word about their business.

If you are interested in supporting our work related learning curriculum (or simply finding out more about any of the above events) we would love to hear from you! Please provide your contact details by completing the questionnaire HERE and our Careers Coordinator will be in touch.

Kind regards

Mrs S Antwi

Assistant Headteacher

Dear Parent/Carer,

Secondary Transition Day – Students

On Thursday 11 July, your child(ren) will have the opportunity to experience their first day at Chancellor’s School. Children will be introduced to their form tutor, participate in lessons and meet other members of their year group as well as having the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new school surroundings.

Your child(ren) will need to wear their primary school uniform, bring a packed lunch and have a suitable bag and stationery (pen, pencil, eraser and ruler). Children should be dropped off by the gate at the top of the turning circle at the following approximate times:

8:45am – students from Hatfield, Cuffley and the villages

8:50am – students from Potters Bar

8:55am – students who live in Brookmans Park or any other towns not stated

We are staggering the arrival times as Pine Grove can become very congested with school-related traffic. Please leave sufficient time to park considerately and be prepared to walk the final stage of the journey, so that passing points are maintained on the road and road users are able to continue to move freely up and down the road. We ask you to be ready to say goodbye to your child and to return quickly to your vehicles. There will be various staff present to meet your child(ren) at the school gates and to help them as they arrive at their new school. Please do not panic if you are running late, as we will make sure your child(ren) join in with the activities as soon as they arrive at the school.

Please can I also ask you to collect your child(ren) promptly at the end of their transition day at 2.15pm. Students will be dismissed from the school gates and, once again, school staff will be on duty to make sure everyone leaves safely.

Biometric system

If you have agreed to your child(ren) using the biometric system, their thumbprint will be taken on the day, to be used in the school canteen in September (you can consent/or decline consent to the biometric thumbprint via the Arbor parent portal). If you have not given permission for your child(ren) to use the biometric system, a pin number will be allocated to them instead.

Medical information

If you have not already done so already, please ensure your contact details and medical information for your child(ren) is up to date on Arbor prior to Thursday 11 July. This is to ensure we have the most up to date information in an emergency. If your child has a medical healthcare plan in place for conditions such diabetes, allergies requiring an epipen, severe asthma requiring an inhaler etc. please email our Medical Assistant at admin@chancellors.herts.sch.uk no later than Tuesday 9 July 2024.

Virtual Parents’ Information Evening

On Thursday 11 July at 4:30pm, there will be a virtual information evening for parents and carers of Year 6 children. At this event, you will hear from key staff. The email contact details that we have for you on Arbor will be used to send you the link to the virtual event, you should receive this no later than Wednesday 10 July 2024.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you and your children to the Chancellor’s School community.

Kind Regards

Miss A Thompson

Resources, Communications and Marketing Officer

Dear Parent/Carer,

GB4 Bus: Academic Year 2024 – 2025

The GB4 bus is run by Golden Boy Coaches on behalf of Chancellor's School. Please see the attached timetable for guidance.

We are delighted to inform you that despite the increased cost of living and high level of inflation, we have been able to secure the price of a seat on the GB4 bus for the next academic year for £1,308.00 per seat. This is an increase of only 1.4% compared to last year’s cost (£1290.00) and I am sure you will appreciate this is a very reasonable increase when all other factors are taken into account.

Every year we determine the cost of a seat by dividing the cost of the coach by the number of seats, and other than a small banking charge, do not pass on any administrative costs for the service. This price includes the cost of the bus pass, however, there will be a £5.00 charge for a replacement card.

The price of £1308.00 is based on all seats being sold and the bus running at capacity. However, based on numbers using the service over the last few years we do not anticipate this being an issue, and due to the demand for seats, we normally have a small waiting list.

Payment can only be made via ParentPay from 7am on Monday July 8th. Please do not try to make payment until then.

We have scheduled the following payment plan:

8th July 2024 – £436.00 deposit to confirm the intention to purchase and secure a seat on the school bus.

2nd September 2024 – Second instalment of £436.00.

4th November 2024 – Final instalment of £436.00 will be due

We will confirm the final price towards the end of August on the basis of the number of families who have paid their deposit.

Seats can only be secured by payment of the £436.00 deposit via ParentPay on July 8th.

This is on a first come first served basis, therefore once all seats have been confirmed by payment of the deposit there will be no other seats available. Seats cannot be reserved by any other method. We anticipate a very high demand for places so please do not delay in securing your place if required. If you are unsuccessful in securing a seat and would like to be added to a waiting list please email finance@chancellors.herts.sch.uk

Kind Regards

Finance Officer

Dear Parent/Carer,

Just a reminder regarding Secondary Transition Day for students on Thursday 11 July 2024.

Arrival

Your child(ren) will need to wear their primary school uniform, bring a packed lunch, including a water bottle and have a suitable bag and stationery (pen, pencil, eraser and ruler). Children should be dropped off by the gate at the top of the turning circle at the following times:

8:45am – students from Hatfield, Cuffley and the villages

8:50am – students from Potters Bar

8:55am – students who live in Brookmans Park or any other towns not stated

We are staggering the arrival times as Pine Grove can become very congested with school-related traffic. Please leave sufficient time to park considerately and be prepared to walk the final stage of the journey, so that passing points are maintained on the road and road users are able to continue to move freely up and down the road. We ask you to be ready to say goodbye to your child and to return quickly to your vehicles. There will be various staff present to meet your child(ren) at the school gates and to help them as they arrive at their new school. Please do not panic if you are running late, as we will make sure your child(ren) join in with the activities as soon as they arrive at the school.

Pick-Up

Please can I also ask you to collect your child(ren) promptly at the end of their transition day at 2.15pm. Students will be dismissed from the school gates at the top of the turning circle, where you dropped off.

Second-Hand uniform

There will be a second-hand uniform stall to purchase uniform items outside the school in the morning. You can pay for your items via ParentPay afterwards.

Biometric system

If you have agreed to your child(ren) using the biometric system, their thumbprint will be taken on the day, to be used in the school canteen in September (you can consent/or decline consent to the biometric thumbprint via the Arbor parent portal). If you have not given permission for your child(ren) to use the biometric system, a pin number will be allocated to them instead.

Medical information

If you have not already done so already, please ensure your contact details and medical information for your child(ren) is up to date on Arbor prior to Thursday. This is to ensure we have the most up to date information in an emergency. If your child has a medical healthcare plan in place for conditions such diabetes, allergies requiring an epipen, severe asthma requiring an inhaler etc. please email our Medical Assistant at admin@chancellors.herts.sch.uk prior to their arrival on 11 July 2024.

Kind Regards

Miss A Thompson

Admissions | Resources, Communications and Marketing Officer

Dear Parent/Carer,

Tomorrow (Thursday 11 July) at 4:30pm, there will be a virtual information evening for parents and carers of Year 6 children where you will hear from key staff. Mr Croston the Headteacher will start the meeting promptly at 4.30pm, therefore please can you be logged on and ready for the 4.30pm start.

The link to access this virtual event is below:

LINK to Parents’ Information Evening

I hope you can all attend this informative online evening.

Kind regards

Miss Harrison – Head of Year 7

Dear Parent/Carer,

At Chancellor’s, we believe that students will benefit from carrying out regular and varied practical activities in Art, Design & Technology, Food and Textiles.

Whilst certain consumables are bought from school funds in order to fulfil the core curriculum requirements, we aim to provide students with the opportunity to tackle more challenging, substantial and enhanced ‘design and make’ tasks with the help of parental contributions.

We therefore ask for a one off contribution of either £75 or £45 that covers all of the cost of the additional resources needed for KS3.

If you are able to contribute £75 (which works out as £25 per year), this will cover all of the basic materials that your child needs and help pay for additional extra resources for enrichment tasks in the various subjects. 

If you can only contribute £45 (£15 per year), then this  will pay for the basic materials in Design and Technology, Textiles and Art. 

Please pay via ParentPay. You should have received a letter with your ParentPay login details and you will find on there the option to make these one-off contributions.

Please note that the voluntary contribution does not include the ingredients for practical food lessons. You will be asked to provide all of the key ingredients for practical Food sessions, although there will be occasions when students may need to access store cupboard ingredients.  In addition to this, it is beneficial for students to have the opportunity to taste food products and demonstrated dishes.

We thank you in advance for your continued support and the opportunities these extra funds provide.  

Kind regards

Mr Field - Head of Faculty, Technology

Miss Harris - Subject Leader, Art