Year 7 Transition September 2024

Once you have accepted the place with us, these will be the next steps:

1. You will receive a letter from us inviting you to attend an admissions meeting so that we can meet with you and your child in person and gather important information that will ensure the transition process runs smoothly.

2. Our information evening for new parents/carers will be held on Wednesday 3 July 2024. This meeting will be held after school and more information will be shared with you very soon.

3 Hackney's Transition Day is Thursday 4 July 2024 and your child will spend the day with us familiarising themselves with their new school and meeting key staff who will support them throughout their educational journey with us. They will also, of course, get to meet their new classmates!

4. The first day of term for the academic year 2024/25 will be Wednesday 4 September 2024.

We are looking forward to your child joining the academy, and hope they are too.

We hope that, in this section, we can answer some of the immediate questions you and your child might have about joining our school. 

What Is The School Uniform?

Your child will be part of the first cohort of students who will join The Excelsior Academy and will, therefore, wear a completely new uniform. Please see the uniform section for more information.

Is My Child Allowed To Bring A Mobile Phone To School?

Students are not allowed to use mobile phones while they are on site. Students may have them in their possession, but they must be switched off and put away safely. If a phone is seen or heard on the school site it will be confiscated and returned to parents/carers after a week, on a Thursday, by appointment.

What Equipment Does My Child Need To Bring To School Each Day?

• a pencil case (students) sitting public exams will need a clear plastic one)
• black pen x 2
• green pen x 1
• red pen x 1
• pencil (HB) x 2
• ruler (30cm/12")
• eraser x 1
• sharpener x 1
• colouring pencils
• highlighter pen
• scientific calculator (we recommend the Casio FX-*%GTPLUS-SB-UH, which we sell via ParentPay)
• pocket English dictionary
• reading book (either the students own or one borrowed from the library)
• a plastic water bottle

Students can purchase stationery items from student reception for small cash amounts.

What Items Should My Child Not Bring To School?

• toys or other personal items - the school cannot be responsible for personal items brought on site in the event they are lost or stolen
• jewellery - students may only wear a pair or single small stud earrings
• cash - maximum of £2 if you need to buy equipment from student reception 
• sweets
• no nuts of any kind - we are a nut-free school
• fizzy drinks and juice, just water, please
• spray cans of deodorant (this can affect students with asthma)
• compass - this will be provided in maths lessons
• metal combs with metal tongs
• any item banned by the Academy

We would prefer that students do not bring a phone to school, however, we accept that for safety reasons you may wish them to do so. It must, therefore, be switched off and put away safely at all times whilst on the school site.

When Is The First Day Of Term?

For our new Y7 students, the first day of term will be Wednesday 4 September 2024.

Am I Allowed To Take My Child On Holiday In Term Time? 

No - your child should be in school on time, every day. If your child’s attendance becomes a cause for concern, you may be issued a fine or be subject to court proceedings.

What Should I Do If I Have A Pre-Planned Absence?

You must provide the school with evidence of the reason for your child’s absence in advance. Please give the school as much notice as possible. Where notice is not given, the absence may be logged as unauthorised. You may be subject to a fine and/or court proceedings for persistent offences.

What Should I Do If My Child Has A Medical Appointment?

You must provide the school with evidence of the medical appointment so that the absence can be logged as being for medical reasons. Please give the school as much notice as possible. Parents/carers can email information to absent@excelsiorcst.org . Students leaving for an appointment during school time must be collected.

Non-urgent medical appointments should be made outside of school hours whenever possible but we understand that sometimes this is unavoidable. 

Should My Child Miss The Whole Day If They Have A Medical Appointment?

Your child should return to school after the medical appointment if they are well enough. If your child’s medical appointment is in the middle of the school day, your child should attend school in the morning as usual and should be picked up to attend the appointment.

What Happens If My Child Is Ill?

If your child is too ill to come to school, you must phone 020 7275 1546 to let us know before 8:15am. We expect students to have at least 95% attendance.

What Happens If My Child Feels Unwell During The School Day?

If your child feels unwell whilst they are in school, they should let their class teacher know or find their Head of Learning or Student Manager if it is at break or lunchtime. If necessary, a member of our first aid team will assess your child and decide what to do next. If your child needs to go home, they must be collected by a parent/carer.

What Do I Need To Do If My Child Has A Medical Condition Or Needs Medication Whilst At School?

If your child has a medical condition, please provide the school with as much information as is needed for us to effectively manage the condition while your child is in school. If medication is needed regularly, please provide the medication and permission for your child to have it administered on site. All medication is stored securely in our medical room. If your child has asthma, please ensure they bring a pump to school at all times and ideally provide a spare which we will keep for them in the medical room. If your child has allergies, please let us know so we can inform our chef and, if an Epipen is needed, please ensure your child carries one with them at all times, again, we can keep a named spare in the medical room for emergencies.

Can My Child Use The Toilet Whilst At School?

Students are not permitted to go to the toilet during lesson time as this disrupts lessons. They should use the designated student toilets in between lessons or at break or lunchtime. Students with specific medical needs may be issued with a toilet pass. Medical evidence should be provided.

What Break/Lunch Options Are Available For My Child?

At break time, a selection of snacks and beverages are available to be purchased. Water is available free of charge. 

At lunchtime, a selection of hot and cold meals is available. The full menu is issued every week. You may also provide a healthy packed lunch (no nuts please).

How Do I Make Payments For My Child’s Meals?

Payments can be made using ParentPay (www.parentpay.com). It is a cashless means to make payments for your child’s meals. Your login details will be sent to you before your child starts school. Please email mail@excelsiorcst.org should you have any difficulties making payments.

How Do I Get Free School Meals For My Child, If I Think I Am Eligible?

Due to changes in legislation, all primary school children are entitled to free school meals regardless of eligibility. This is not the case at secondary school. If you think that your child may be entitled to free school meals, you will need to apply via Hackney Education's website. If you have already registered and have a free school meal account, you can check your eligibility by logging in with your existing account details.

How Can I Communicate With The School?

The best and fastest way to contact the school is via email mail@petcheyacademy.org.uk. Your email will be forwarded to the relevant person.

Alternatively, you can call the school on 020 7275 1500. Your request will be handled as quickly as possible, however, meetings with teachers are by appointment only as the member of staff you would like to speak to may be teaching.

Where the reason for contacting the school is regarding your child, please provide your child’s full name and form class so that your child can be easily identified, and your request can be dealt with as soon as possible.  

Please note that we aim to respond to enquiries within 24 hours.

What Do I Do If My Contact Details Change?

If your telephone number, home address or email address changes, please let the school know as soon as possible. You will be able to email the new contact details to: mail@excelsiorcst.org , or you can call: 020 7275 1500 and let the receptionist know of the changes. It is important, and in the best interests of your child, that the school has the means to contact you when needed.

What Extra-Curricular And Enrichment Activities Are Available For My Child?

We offer a wide range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities to students and actively encourage participation as this enhances and extends classroom based learning.

A full list of the activities on offer will be provided in September. Your child will then complete a Google form to sign up for their chosen activities.

Can My Child Cycle To School?

Cycling or walking to school is strongly encouraged as it is better for your child's health and the environment. We have bike racks by the main entrance that are locked throughout the day but you should provide your child with their own chain. You should also ensure that your child always wears a helmet.

The Academy does not accept responsibility for bikes stored in the bike racks. 

How Will My Child Know What The School Rules Are?

When your child meets their new tutor, they will take your child through the rules. You will have signed a Home/School Partnership Agreement whereby you, your child and the academy agree to work together to enable students to achieve the very best outcomes in school.

Who Can My Child Speak To If They Are Worried About Anything?

Your child should speak to their tutor if they have any concerns or worries. Their tutor will be able to support and guide them and may also refer them to their Head of Learning or Student Manager. We also have a Student Welfare Manager in school for additional support if necessary. If your child is worried about a particular subject they should speak to that particular subject teacher at the end of their lesson.

For any other questions or queries, please contact mail@excelsiorcst.org

We wish your child every success for their educational journey with us.

Whether you are getting ready to start secondary school in September, or you’ve already started, this activity pack from Young Minds can help you to understand how to get through this new part of your life and how to look after your mental health at the same time.

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/media/151j4yqc/pupil-resource.pdf

This agreement aims to encourage shared responsibility between home and school, so that each student achieves their best and, in doing so, contributes positively to the school community. We will go through the agreement in more detail with you when you come for your admission meeting.

Home School Partnership Agreement

The school wishes to use information about your child as part of an automated recognition system. This is for lunch purchases from our catering provision.

The information from your child that we wish to use is referred to as ‘biometric information’. Under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (sections 26 to 28), we are required to notify each parent of a child and obtain the written consent of at least one parent before being able to use a child’s biometric information for an automated system.

Students will have two ways to identify themselves for purchases: 

1. their fingerprint (preferred option)

2. a pincode

Students eligible for free school meals won’t be distinguishable from other students, therefore removing any potential awkwardness associated with their entitlement. It will still be for parents to make payment directly into their child’s account using ParentPay or your child will be able to deposit cash via Paypoint at local convenience stores. Details regarding ParentPay will be sent to parents for their children who will be starting in September. 

The biometric (fingerprint) identification system is used in numerous schools and is endorsed by the DfE. It uses the finger to uniquely identify each student or member of staff. The system measures many aspects of the finger to do this. Each student has their finger registered, which will then be translated into a unique identification code. 

The system does not store an image of the fingerprint. To work within current legislation, every school has to obtain parental consent for the use of the student’s biometric data. We will be able to obtain your consent when you come for your admission meeting.

You can withdraw your consent for the use of their fingerprint at any time by writing to the school. In addition, your child may at any time object or refuse to allow their biometric information to be used even if you have given your consent. We would appreciate it if you could explain this to your child. If you choose not to consent to your child’s fingerprint being used but still want them to purchase food at school, they will be issued with a pin code to use. Using a pincode is a slower method to pay for school lunches and not as secure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do You Need To Take My Child’s Finger Image?

By taking an image of your child’s finger we can turn this information into a digital signature. 

Can Finger Images Be Used By Any Other Agency?

No, the software we use turns your child’s finger image into a mathematical algorithm. The image of the finger is then discarded. The information that is stored cannot be used to recreate an image of the child’s finger.

What Happens When My Child Leaves The School?

When a student leaves school all biometric data will be securely deleted by the school from our systems as part of the school leaver process.

How Does It Work?

When the child places their finger on the scanner, the software matches their finger image with the unique digital signature held in the database.

From September 2024, The Excelsior Academy will have a completely new uniform.

Year 7 students will be the first cohort to wear the full new uniform.

Items can be purchased from Trutex Hackney via their website or from their uniform shop, address details below. 

We will notify you as soon as these items become available to purchase.

Uniform shop details are as follows:

Trutex Hackney

31 Broadway Market

Hackney E8 4PH

www.trutexhackney.com

In the meantime, here is a preview of some of our new uniform items.

What is the DPR?

DPR stands for Dynamic Progress Reporting and is an online reporting system that allows teachers to track the progress of your child in terms of meeting subject objectives for the Pathway they are on and report this to both parents and students in a dynamic way.

What are the Pathways?

Pathways are how we determine what grade your child should be working towards for public examinations. Each child is placed in a Pathway and generally, your child will be in the same Pathway across all of their subjects.

DPR Information Evenings

We run regular information evenings for parents to explain more about how the DPR works and how you can use it to monitor the progress of your child.

DPR for Parents App

DPR has recently launched a specialist App for parents to download onto a tablet or mobile device which enables them to access the DPR easily to track their child's progress in real time. We will share more information about this with you before your child starts school. In the meantime, you might be interested to see this short YouTube video.

We are a cashless school and use Parent Pay to allow students to pay for meals. Students will need money in their account to purchase food in school.

For students in receipt of Free School Meals, accounts will be topped up automatically. If you think you may be eligible for Free School Meals and have not yet applied, please do so via the Hackney Education website:

Hackney Education

We use cashless catering tills at the point of purchase. Parents/Carers will only be charged when their child purchases a meal.

Please use the following link to view our privacy notice.

Privacy Notice for Parents/Carers