FAQs

Admissions Information

What communications will I receive?

After 1st March 2024 (National Offer Day), the school will send out several communications to parents/carers regarding their child’s transition to Robert May’s School. By the end of March, the school will have sent an email containing a link to download the Edulink One app and a request to complete a digital registration form for your child. This  information is essential in ensuring that we have all the relevant information regarding your child before they start with us in September. Once communications have been sent, they will contain a link to the communication below.

Communications that will be sent will include: 

Home to School Transport

What are the arrangements for Home to School transport?

School transport is not organised by Robert May’s School. If your child is eligible for transport to and from school, you will need to apply for a bus pass directly through the Home to School Transport Team at Hampshire County Council. For more information on how to do this, please click here. Further information and FAQs on travel arrangements can be found here. 

Please note the deadline for applying is 31st May 2024. Late applications are likely to result in transport not being available in September 2024. This may require you to make your own transport arrangements for the first term of school, even if your child is eligible for statutory transport.  

When should we expect to receive bus passes?

Parents/carers will receive an email through the online portal confirming the outcome of their application. As school transport is not organised by the school, we are unable to advise when you will receive your child’s bus pass. If you have any concerns, please contact Hampshire County Council directly on 01962 846924 or school.transport@hants.gov.uk.


Alternative transport arrangements (private)

National Express / Mortons operate a privately-funded transport service for those students from Basingstoke and the surrounding areas. For further information, please contact Jayne Jackson on 01256 889082 or click here.

Uniform Information

How do I purchase school uniform items?

All information regarding how to purchase new or second hand school uniform and sizing requirements can be found on our school website here. Please ensure you refer to the school expectations on uniform which can be found here. 

With regards to PE, students do need to have all the compulsory items and wear them when required. Leggings/training pants and fleeces are optional but as the students are expected to do PE in all weathers, they might be useful for those that feel the cold and for those in sporting teams. Football boots (not metal studs or metal blades) are required for all students for cross country, rugby and football. Astro turf trainers or indoor trainers can be worn both inside and outside so one pair of either means that students can use them on multiple surfaces. 

Please note that from the Summer Term (after Easter), students have the option of wearing green polo shirts with the RMS logo. 

Please ensure all clothing and equipment is clearly named (forename and surname - not initials). FoRMS: Friends of Robert May's School (formerly PTFA) earns commission on all name labels purchased from Stikins. Our School Fundraising number is 16909. If you place an order, we would be grateful if you could please ensure this number is entered prior to checking out to raise funds for FoRMS.  

Please note there will be a Uniform Sizing event at Robert May’s School on Wednesday 3rd July from 4-7.30pm. 

The last date for ordering school uniform via School-shop will be Monday 29th July.

Starting at RMS

How will my child know where to go on their first day? 

On the first day of the school term, only Year 7 and Year 11 students will be in school. Year 11 students and members of staff will be on hand to meet your child at the front of school and direct them to the appropriate place. They will all be provided with a map of the school site.

Will my child have a locker? 

Students are able to rent a locker at the school to store their belongings. This is optional and will cost £10 per academic year. Priority is given to Year 7 students. Students must provide their own padlock. A communication regarding how to order a locker was sent to parents/carers on 24th May 2024. Your child will be notified of the location of their locker once payment has been made and they have started at the school.

What are the lunch arrangements? 

Students can purchase food from 1 of the 3 serving locations or bring a packed lunch. The school operates a cashless catering system which uses biometric fingerprint recognition technology. Once parents/carers have consented to the use of biometrics, their child's fingerprint will be taken and a WisePay link code will be emailed home to enable parents/carers to download the WisePay app.  Students will pay by using their online account which parents/carers will need to top up in advance. Arrangements to set up your child’s lunch account will be made when they come into school in September.  More information can be found on the Catering page of the website.

Free School Meals:
We know that having a nutritious meal during the school day is important for children’s health, wellbeing and learning – and we want to ensure that all children who are eligible for free school meals benefit from this scheme. If you think that your child may be entitled to free school meals then you can make an application by following the link via Hampshire County Council here. Further Information on eligibility criteria can be found on the Hampshire County Council website here. Once your application has been approved, the council will inform the school and we can then start providing free school meals for your child. We treat all recipients with complete discretion.  Students entitled to Free School Meals will have their daily allowance (currently £2.80) added to their account. However any unused Free School Meal allowance will be removed from the accounts as soon as lunchtime is over.

What time does my child need to be at school? 

All students need to be on site for 8.20am each day to get to registration for 8.25am.  Please find a link here to the school day timings.

Where can I find the school's key dates and information? 

The Robert May’s School website is regularly updated with key information and a parent bulletin is published on the website and emailed to parents/carers every Friday afternoon. Term dates can be found here.

What if my child loses something at school? 

Please ensure all clothing and equipment is clearly named (forename and surname - not initials). Lost property goes to reception where students can go to claim items. More information and a list of lost property can be found here. 

FoRMS: Friends of Robert May's School (formerly PTFA) earns commission on all name labels purchased from Stikins. Our School Fundraising number is 16909. If you place an order, we would be grateful if you could please ensure this number is entered prior to checking out to raise funds for the PTFA.

How do I pay for my child's school lunch, trips etc?

WisePay is the school’s current online payment facility and is our preferred payment method. More information can be found on the School Payments page here.

When will I know my child's tutor group/tutor? 

You will be notified of your child’s tutor group by the end of the summer term, as well as further information and messages from the Head of Year team.

When will my child know their timetable? 

Timetables will be given to the students on their first day in September. 

Transition arrangements for students with SEND. 

Year 6 students experience a typical day at Robert May’s School during 2 induction days at the end of June. Additional transition mornings are also arranged with our partner primaries to support a small number of students that might be anxious or have SEND needs. These students are identified by the partner primaries and will have a personal tour of the school and spend time in the Learning Support Department where they meet the Learning Coaches who might be supporting them when they join in Year 7. 


Our Learning Support Manager, Mrs Lynne Parker, will be in contact with primary schools regarding students without an EHCP but who are on the SEND register. Please liaise with the SEND team in your child’s primary school as they are there to support you and your child and will work closely with us to ensure we have all the information we need to make that move to secondary school as smooth as possible.

For those students with an EHCP, Mrs Abigail Gray (Director of Inclusion / SENCo) will liaise with the school SENCO to arrange a Transition Partnership Agreement meeting in the summer term.  

Home School Communications

Who should I go to if I have a concern about my son/ daughter? 

Pastoral concern or query: Your child’s form tutor is your first port of call. Tutors are available to be contacted via email. If you would like to contact a tutor, please email info@rmays.com including the name of the tutor you wish to contact. They will then respond to arrange a convenient date and time. 

Academic concern or query: Please contact your child’s subject teacher or Head of Department via email. If you would like to contact a teacher, please email info@rmays.com including the name of the tutor you wish to contact. They will then respond to arrange a convenient date and time. 

You can find out more about Home School Communications on the website here.

What can my child do if they are upset or having friendship issues in school? 

They can talk to any member of staff, their form tutor or go to the Head of Year office.

What if my child forgets something? 

Teachers will be understanding in the early weeks of the term. If they need something important, the reception team can contact home for it to be sent in.  

Homework Expectations

How much homework will my child receive? 

It is the School’s policy that all students are set homework appropriate to their age and ability. The rationale behind homework assignments is that any extended learning opportunity should be meaningful, enjoyable and support their learning, whilst helping students to develop effective private study habits outside of school. This will encourage our students to become independent enquirers which is one of the key skills needed for further education and the world of work.

As there will be a wide variety of tasks set by teachers, the amount of time students spend on homework will vary, but as a general guide we would expect about 1 - 1.5 hours of additional study per evening in the lower school (KS3), and between 1.5 - 2.5 hours in the upper school (KS4).

You can find more information on Prep and Homework on the website here.

Equipment and Digital devices

What are the rules on mobile phones? 

Robert May’s School is a mobile-free zone for students during the school day between 8.20am and 2.50pm (Years 7-9)/2.55pm (Years 10-11). Students' mobile phones must be switched off or on silent mode and placed in bags or lockers during this time. Students may use their phones before or after school. Any student who uses their mobile phone during the school day will have it confiscated for the rest of the day. Students can collect it from the Headteacher’s office at the end of the day. If your child has their phone confiscated for a third time in a term, you will be contacted and asked to collect the phone. 

If a student needs to contact home urgently, then they can go to reception. 

Please note: the school does not accept liability for mobile phones that are lost, stolen or damaged.

What equipment will be needed? 

Students should have a pencil case with pens, a pencil, a sharpener, a rubber, a ruler, colouring pencils, a scientific calculator, a pair of compasses, a protractor and set square and a glue stick. Maths kits/calculators are available to purchase prior to September and these will be handed out to students when they start. Maths kits cost £4.50 and calculators cost £22.50. A communication to parents/carers regarding how to order these was sent on 24th May 2024.

Laptops

At Robert May's School we are committed to providing the best education possible for our students. This includes access to resources that will support learning and develop skills useful in employment and further education. Laptops are a key tool in supporting your child's learning and development. All Year 7 students will be using laptops in all lessons to complete a variety of tasks including note taking, research, coding, composing, design and photography. 

In order to ensure that your child can fully engage with the new curriculum we are asking you to purchase a device through Freedom Tech, who give the ability to buy upfront or spread payments over time. A communication detailing further information and FAQs, in addition to how to order a laptop, was communicated on 7th June 2024. Please refer to this page for details regarding the scheme.

Languages

My child has already been studying Spanish/French/German and we'd like him/her to continue in Year 7. Is this possible?

A communication regarding language choices will be sent soon. If there is a specific reason for wanting your child to continue with a certain language, please send us an email letting us know what the preferred language would be and the reason for your request.  We are not able to guarantee that students will be allocated the language they request but we will do our best to accommodate it. The Year 8 into 9 options process provides an opportunity to study a second language.


Extra-curricular Clubs and Activities

Where can my child find out about Extra-curricular clubs?

Information regarding extra curricular activities can be found on the website here. A link to this is also included in the parent bulletin that is emailed home every Friday.  Students are invited to attend as many clubs as they wish. Teams can change so we encourage all students to continue to come along to clubs if they wish to represent the school. 

What are the late bus routes?

Students that want to stay for an extracurricular club after school have the opportunity to catch a late bus on Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, which leaves school at approximately 4.15pm. Bus passes for required days of each term must be purchased in advance through the late bus pass portal. 

Click here to see the late bus route and click here to read the late bus service terms and conditions. You can also find this information on the website here.

FoRMS: Friends of Robert May's School 

FoRMS (formerly PTFA) is everyone from the families of staff and students to others in our local communities and businesses keen to provide their support. Their purpose is to help enhance the education, enjoyment and wellbeing of every student, every day. Together they organise activities and raise funds for things students would otherwise be without. 

FoRMS is always keen to welcome new members to the team. If you would like to find out more, please send an email to secretary@friendsofrms.com. Further information on FoRMS, upcoming events and fundraising opportunities, committee meetings and their second hand uniform sales, can be found here.