We are really looking forward to you joining the school next term. We understand starting a new school means learning about new people, places and ways of doing things. Below you will find some useful information for new joiners but please do not feel like you have to know everything from week one! We are here to support you through the process every step of the way.

Finding Your Way Around

You will soon find your way around the school, and everyone is very friendly and will be happy to help! 

On your Moving Up afternoon you will be taken to some of the key places that you will visit on a regular basis.

What to Expect...

On your first day:

• You will need to arrive at school between 8.00am and 8.30am (please note that there are staggered start times to the day for different ages to help with congestion on the driveway)

• You will be met at the Student Entrance (at the top of the school drive) or from the Turning Circle if you arrive on the school minibus. 

• You will have an induction programme with your Form Tutor, who will go through things such as handing out and logging on to your Chromebook, joining classes on our Google Platform (The Learning Platform), timetables, and our expectations

• You should bring the following things with you:

  • Your pencil case with all the relevant equipment (see the microsite)

  • A named water bottle

  • A case for your Chromebook (suitable for an 11-12 inch device)

  • Earplugs or headphones to use with your Chromebook

  • A padlock for your locker (please let your Form Tutor know the code, or provide a spare key in a named envelope to your Form Tutor)

  • Your named PE kit in the Farlington PE bag 

• If you are joining the school in September, you should be wearing your Winter Uniform. If you are joining at another point in the year, please refer to the 'Uniform' page on this microsite 

• You will then have some lessons (depending on your timetable)

• You will finish lessons at 4.20pm and then ‘deregister’ with your Form Tutor, who will dismiss you at 4.30

• You will either leave the school from the Student Entrance or you will go to Prep (and Tea), until 5.30pm, when the buses will leave (from the Student Entrance)

In your first fortnight…

• You will be coming straight to your Form Room in time for registration every morning (this starts promptly at 8.25am)

• You will know when and where to go for our Assembly

• You will begin to meet all your teachers (we have a two-week timetable)

• You will be beginning to find your way around and getting used to the timings of the lessons - don’t worry if you get things wrong, we are all here to help you and point you in the right direction!

• You will be getting used to organising your books and folders, going back to your lockers at break and lunchtime to swap over your things - your bag will be very heavy otherwise! Again, we are here to help you with this and know that this can take a bit of getting used to!

• You will be given your Homework Timetable and your Form Tutor will explain how you will record this. Homework will begin gradually from Week 3. If you are unsure about your homework, please contact your teacher or speak to your Form Tutor - we know that this can be a big adjustment and we know you may need a bit of support in becoming more organised and independent. 

• You will have chosen some activities to get involved with (either in the lunch time activity slot or after school

By Half Term…

• You will be used to the timing of the school day

• You will be used to organising your equipment and books/folders at break and lunchtime

• You will be used to writing your homework in your E-planner and managing your time (either in Prep or at home) to complete this

• You will know who to speak to if you are unsure about anything

• You will have taken part in our first Open Morning of the year on Saturday 27th September

• You may have taken part in a music recital

• You will be taking part in clubs and activities

For a full list of equipment, please see the equipment page

Chromebooks and the Learning Platform

All students starting in Middle and Senior School will receive their Chromebook on the first day. Your teachers use Google Classroom to put work on for the lesson and to record the homework. It is called The Learning Platform.

• You should bring your Chromebook to school every day - please make sure it is named

• You should make sure it is fully charged 

• Please bring a case for your Chromebook

• You should get out your Chromebook if your teacher asks you to

• You should not open your Chromebook unless your teacher has asked you to

• There is software on your Chromebook called GoGuardian - this monitors what you use to make sure you are safe and ensure that you are using it how your teacher has asked you

• You must not use your Chromebook for anything other than what your teacher has asked you to

• All homework will be posted on the Learning Platform by your teachers and you should be recording your homework in your E-planner

You will have virtual classrooms for your subject plus a form room, which your teachers will invite you to join. You can also see the wellbeing links here, including the link to the school counsellor and our SpeakSafe button. You will also have an E-planner to keep track of your homework.

Positives

You will receive Positives for things such as great effort in classwork and homework, being kind and helpful, and taking part in school events. You might even receive Commendations (these are worth 5 Positives).

Positives can help your House win the term’s Table of Treats.  When you reach 30 Positives in a term, you receive the Head of School treat and 60 leads to the Headmaster’s Commendation Award. Those students in each form with the highest number of points each term also win an individual prize!

Expectations of Behaviour and Conduct

We are very proud of our Farlington community, and in particular the high standards of conduct of all our students.

Basic courtesies:

1. Walk sensibly around school, respecting the personal space of others and refrain from boisterous behaviour anywhere in the school. 

2. Open doors for adults, and let them through first 

3. Take your hands out of your pockets when talking to members of staff or other adults

4. Listen attentively to people when they are talking to you; look interested; don’t interrupt until it is your turn to speak

5. The greatest courtesy of all is merely to add “Please” to all requests and to say “Thank you” for all services rendered

6. Greet people: all members of staff, all visitors to the School

7. If you note visitors to the School are looking lost, offer to help them: “Are you looking for someone? Can I help you?” 

8. If the Headmaster enters a room, you should stand up

Classroom Expectations

1. Arrive on time 

2. Bring all of your equipment with you

3. You should not be going to lockers in between lessons - you should organise your equipment / books etc at break and lunchtime

4. You should ensure that your Chromebook is charged up

5. Listen and participate as required

6. Put your hand up, don’t call out

7. Remain seated during the lesson (where applicable!)

8. Use Google Classroom to regularly keep track of work set, and to organise your studies. You should also check your emails regularly in case teachers have sent you something directly. Remember to use your E-planners

9. Hand prep/homework in on time and to a good standard

10. Manners

11. If you need to miss a lesson (e.g. for a music lesson), email your teacher in advance asking for permission and make sure you catch up on the work missed

Negatives

On the rare occasion where behaviour falls below our high expectations, students may be given a ‘negative’ which is used to help monitor behaviour and provide the necessary support. Your Form Tutor will go through this with you on your Induction Day. 

Other Points to Note

Behaviour Code of Conduct - you will have a Google Form to complete which sets out the Code of Conduct and your agreement to adhere to this.

Mobile Phones:

• For Middle School students, we have a strict zero-tolerance of mobile phones during the school day. We do understand that your parents / caregivers may wish for you to have a phone (for example if you take the bus). In this case, they need to write to Miss Bischoff (cfb@farlingtonschool.com) to ask for permission. You will then need to hand your phone in to your Form Tutor in the morning and it will be returned during deregistration. 

• For Senior School students, you may bring your phone to school but you must hand it to your Form Tutor at the start of the day. Your phone will be returned to you at the end of the day. Please note that Sixth Form students may keep their phones all day.

IT Code of Conduct - you will be required to complete an IT Code of Conduct Google Form which records your agree to adhere to our expectations (including use of social media).

Uniform - we are very proud of our smart appearance. Blazers are to be worn at all times unless given permission not to - we want you to be comfortable and will always follow a common-sense approach (for example in hot weather). Hair that is long enough should be tied up fully in a plain hair-tie, and should not be extreme in style (if in doubt about any planned hair styles, please check with your Form Tutor). One pair of plain studs may be worn (one in each ear-lobe), no bracelets or necklaces. Students in Middle School may not wear make-up (including nail varnish).  

Timetables

You will be given a timetable in September which has all your lessons, rooms and teachers on it.

It may seem a bit confusing to start with but you will soon get the hang of it - and if you’re not sure where you’re going, everyone is really friendly!

Sports and Matches

We encourage everyone to participate in sports for health and wellbeing. We have Games afternoons in the timetable so that everyone can participate in fixtures against other schools. There are lots of different sporting activities that you can take part in and you will find out more about this in September

Clubs and Prep

Clubs

There are lots of different clubs you can join. The timetable will be posted in your Virtual Form Room shortly after the start of term.

• Information on paid-for clubs (some are after school and some in the school day) will be disseminated in preparation for the Autumn Term

• Information on free clubs (some are after school and some are during the 1.30pm Activity Slot) will be given to you shortly after the start of term. Your Form Tutor will go through this with you

Prep

Prep runs every day between 4.30pm and 5.30pm and is a good opportunity to get on with homework.

You will be expected to let your Form Tutor know each morning whether you will be going home at 4.30 or staying to Prep (or another activity).

You may wish to have Tea (e.g. toast, cup of tea or squash and cake) before Prep - there is a book you need to sign in the Dining Hall which you will be shown

Extra-curricular Music and Drama

There are lots of opportunities to have private music lessons or have Speech and Drama lessons (LAMDA). 

We also have lots of opportunities for participating in performances throughout the year!

Important Dates 

The term dates can be found on the school website here, and the key events are found on our school calendar, which is called SOCS (your parents/carers will be sent information on this). 

Frequently Asked Questions

Remember! We know that you are new and it will take you a while to get to know how things work. We are all here to support you!

Some things that you might be wondering about in the first couple of weeks…

Q: I’m not sure where to go, what should I do?

First of all, remember that we understand that it may take a while to get to know where all your lessons are. You will find that all the teachers are very friendly and the other students are too! Please do ask! You can always go to the main reception to ask. In the first few weeks of term, if you arrive late or get mixed up, nobody will tell you off!

Q: I’ve forgotten my blazer / folder / Chromebook / pencil case - what should I do?

If you’ve forgotten something, you should tell your Form Tutor in the morning so they can help you. Being in Year 7 is about learning to develop your organisational skills and independence, and we know that it’s a big change. In the first few weeks, we will be very patient with helping you to get it right!

Q: My Chromebook is broken / not working - what should I do?

There is a Chromebook clinic which runs during registration. If you ask your form tutor, they can tell you what you need to do. It is important that you tell your form tutor if your Chromebook is not working (or you have forgotten to charge it) as they will need to let your teachers know 

Q: When are the bells rung?

Break time starts at 10.15 and Lesson 3 begins at 10.35. The bell will ring just after 10.30, and you should make your way to Lesson 3. At the end of lunch time, a warning bell will ring at 1.55pm and you should go to your lockers to get everything you need and make your way to Lesson 6. A second bell will ring just before 2.05pm, and you should be lining up and ready for your lesson at that point.

Q: My parents haven’t arrived to pick me up 

If nobody has arrived to collect you after 4.40pm, please go to the main reception to let them know and then head to Prep (if it is before 5.30) - even if you are expecting them shortly. This is to ensure that we know you are safe and supervised. If you finished school at 5.30pm and no-one has collected you by 5.45pm please go to the main reception.

Q: I’ve lost my blazer / Chromebook / kit

You will be able to ask your form buddy or your form tutor. Most lost property finds its way to the main reception. Please make sure everything is named.

Q: When and where do I get changed for PE?

The girls’ changing room is just by the locker room, and the boys’ changing room is by the Sports Hall. Your PE teacher will give you instructions on changing times, however, if you are not sure, you can always ask your form tutor who will be able to help you. 

Q: What should I do if someone has been unkind to me / if I feel upset or worried?

First of all, remember that your teachers are here to help you. You can always talk with a member of staff at school, such as your Form Tutor, Head of School or Mrs Gilbert (who is our Head of Safeguarding). If you want to get in touch by email, you can use the Speaksafe link on your Virtual Form Room - this sends an email to Mrs Gilbert.