1. education
2. school

Coopers School
Hawkwood Lane Chislehurst Kent
BR7 5PS
Principal: Mrs S Puxty BSc (Hons) NPQH
Tel:
Fax.
Email:
Website:
020 8467 3263
020 8295 0342
[email protected]
www.coopersschool.com
’Enabling learners of today to become achievers of tomorrow ’
25 March 2015
Issue 13 2014/15
Dear Parents/Carers
We say goodbye at the end of this term to Mrs Prested, Ms Erice, Mr Pullen, and Mr O‟Boyle who all
leave us to take up positions in other schools/colleges. We also say goodbye to Mr Russell. We wish
them all every success for the future. We welcome Ms Routledge to the MFL Faculty.
Calendar, Contacts and Parent Events
Please follow the link below to access our events calendar and a reporting cycle overview:
https://portal.cooperstc.com/CLG/Webdocs/Lists/Parent%20Calendar/calendar.aspx
Please see the website or follow this link to the Gateway for updated staff e-mail addresses:
https://portal.cooperstc.com/CLG/Parent/Documents/Teaching%20Staff%20Email%20List.pdf.
Dates for your diary :
Date
Calendar Item
26 March
27 March
28 March – 4 April
30 March – 10 April
13 April
16 April
17 – 20 April
20 April
27 April
29 April
A2 Biology Student Conference (Miss Williams)
 Last day of term – early finish at 1.30pm – one hour lessons
 Year 7 and 9 trip to see Puccini‟s Madama Butterfly at the Royal Opera House,
London – by invitation only (Miss Watson)
 Year 8 HPV2 Immunisations (Mrs Bowler)
Lower School Ski Trip to Zell am See, Austria (Mrs Iles)
Easter Revision Programme – please see full timetable attached with this
newsletter
First day of Summer term – all students in school at 8.30am
Dedicated Learning Day
 Year 8 English trip to the Globe Theatre – Shakespeare Stage Fighting and
Staging Workshops (Miss Aspill)
 Year 10 GCSE Geography Field Trip to Eastbourne (Miss Ryland)
 Year 10 GCSE Geography Field Trip to Broadstairs (Mr Snook)
 Academically Able Parent/Student Workshop, 4.00pm, Main Hall (Mr Watson)
Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Practice Expedition, Broadstone Warren Activity
Centre, Ashdown Forest, East Sussex (Miss Ryland)
A Level Psychology Unit 1 and Unit 2 Student Conference in London (Mrs Iles)
Early Finish for students – dismissed at 2.00pm
Year 8 Parents‟ Consultation Evening, 4.00pm, Main Hall (Miss Cuinnea)
Update on Uniform : Shoes – Miss Salt
There has been a recent review of the type of shoes that are permitted to be worn by students at
Coopers. I would like to draw attention to the points below which form part of the Learning Charter.
There are no huge changes to the previous descriptions but they have been streamlined to give more
clarity about what is acceptable, and what is not, when buying shoes for school.
Chair of Governors: Andrew Downes
Vice Principals: Sue Wood | David Lucas | Mandy Smart | Rob Carling
Respect Responsibility Fairness Pride Honesty Achievement
Coopers School is an Independent Academy Trust operated by the William Willett Learning Trust which is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 07520128.
The Registered Office is at Hawkwood Lane Chislehurst Kent BR7 5PS



Shoes should be FORMAL in style and plain black leather (or leather look). Stitching and laces
should be plain black so that no other colours are visible on the shoe.
Canvas shoes of any description are NOT allowed.
No boots are allowed so the top part of the shoe must sit below the ankle.
Students who arrive to school without the correct footwear will not be admitted into lessons. Student
Reception will lend plimsolls until the student is in correct footwear. Only Mrs Puxty can authorise the
wearing of incorrect footwear. If there is a medical reason why the student cannot wear correct school
shoes for either a short period of time or longer term, then we require a doctor‟s note before this can be
authorised. If you are unsure, please ASK your child‟s Community Year Leader before purchasing.
Please note that footwear being sold under the banner of „School Shoes‟ does not necessarily comply
with our standards.
Thank you in anticipation of your support of our standards.
GCSE Pod – Mr Lucas
The school currently subscribes to a service called GCSEPod
which is completely free to your son or daughter and which we
believe will be of great benefit to them during the coming year.
GCSEPod has over 3,500 teacher-written, audio-visual podcasts produced specifically for mobile
devices and containing all the right facts, quotes, keywords, dates and annotated diagrams that learners
need for GCSE success. The GCSEPod website can be viewed on mobiles, tablets and PCs and the
podcasts can be downloaded for offline viewing. The podcasts are also mapped to the curriculum and
are designed to support students in the classroom, with their homework and during exam time.
We recommend that you discuss GCSEPod with your son or daughter, ensure that they have correct
login details to enter the site and encourage them to make use of this service throughout their year.
Many teachers may set homework on the site using the “Assignment” feature as GCSEPod has already
been proven to have a significant impact on A*-C performance and we aim to make it an integral part of
learning for every GCSE student studying at the school.
All students have already been registered with GCSEPod and, therefore, simply need to activate their
account and choose a username and password. To access GCSEPod for the first time, students should
follow these four steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to www.gcsepod.com and click “Login” in the top right hand corner
Click “New here? Get started.”
Enter their name, date of birth and choose their school
Select a username and password (to be used when they next login) and select the subjects they
study
Once logged in, students can search for podcasts by keyword, by a specific exam or by subject area.
Students can create their own personalised learning playlists which can be easily downloaded for offline
viewing. Help guides explaining how to use the site are available at www.gcsepod.com/help.
If you have any questions regarding the GCSEPod service please contact Mr Lucas,
[email protected], who is leading the roll out in school. For specific technical advice please
use the help pages on the website or email [email protected].
Page | 2
International Women‟s Day – Mrs Maddison
On Monday 9 March, Year 9 girls were invited to a Business
Breakfast to hear inspirational speaker Angela Ferreira. Angela is
an independent TV producer who has worked for the BBC and
Channel 4. She has produced many shows including the MOBO
awards, Isle of Wight Festival and other shows on Channel 4 such
as Big Brother.
This was the first of two events in celebration of International
Women‟s day. The second will be reported on in the next
newsletter by Miss Donegan.
Girls dressed in business attire for the day and were treated to breakfast.
Year 10 and 11 girls helped supervise the whole event and showed great
maturity and leadership skills.
The theme this year for International Women‟s Day was „Make it Happen‟ and
Angela‟s talk, which was on her own life experiences, certainly showed that
with hard work, girls could make anything happen!
“During International Women‟s Day we undertook the role and responsibility of
being part of a business environment and a role model to younger years. The
visitor was very inspiring and informed us of various responsibilities of women
in strong job roles” – Kelsey Banton and Rae Firminger (Year 10)
“Myself and a few Year 10 and 11 girls helped to organise an event for
International Women's Day. I helped to organise the music, entertainment
and food – I enjoyed this as I like having responsibilities and organising
events. I also liked how it was an inspiring day and helped me look at
different perspectives of how to work your way up in business and to be a
successful independent woman” – Elle Georgiou (Year 11)
Year 9 students said they liked learning about how women can work their way
up, and felt that Angela was inspirational. The experience left students feeling that they wanted to try
their hardest, work hard to achieve the goals they wanted, and were inspired to really pursue the career
their career choices. Students believed they would be able to make an impact.
Sainsbury‟s Active Kids 2015 – Mrs Haslam
Don‟t forget to send in your Active Kids vouchers which go towards an exciting
range of sports and other equipment. Active Kids vouchers can be collected from
28 January until 5 May at all Sainsbury‟s stores, petrol stations and when ordering
goods online. Please donate your vouchers to us in the collection box which is
located at Student Reception.
Pi Day – Mrs Armstrong
Throughout PD, Year 7 through to Year 10 students
took part in the annual Pi day competition. Students had
to recite Pi to as many decimal places as possible. The
winners were Phoebe Grove (Year 9) who recited Pi to
a phenomenal 126 decimal places followed very closely
by Őnder Rasit (Year 7) who recited Pi to 120 decimal
places. Third place went to Phoebe Bailey (Year 7) who
managed to recite Pi to a respectable 50 decimal
places. Congratulations go out to all winners and all
students who participated. Phoebe Grove now holds the
record for the most amount of decimal places recited,
beating last year‟s winner by 16 decimal places.
.
Page | 3
World Challenge Expedition to Botswana and Zambia – Miss Ryland
As part of their preparations, each student will be taking part in fundraising
events in school and as individuals. Thank you for all those that have
supported our fundraising so far. On 7 March, Charlie Williams (Year 10)
took part in the Nuts Challenge and came in 7th in the 14-19 year olds
category. The Nuts Challenge is a 7-28k assault course UK adventure
race in Surrey, where participants encounter mud, a water assault
course, climbing, crawling and challenging obstacles all the way round.
Well done Charlie for raising an amazing £1,623.50!
Dedicated Learning Day – Friday 13 March – Mr Toal
Our Dedicated Learning Days are held five times throughout the school year and are a wonderful
opportunity for our students to learn outside a normal structured lesson. Year groups are attached to a
group or subject area during each DLD which allows students to develop a passion for a subject that
they may not have previously had. Please see reports below giving a flavour of the kinds of things that
took place during March‟s DLD.
DLD History Trip to the Imperial War Museum – Miss Horsley and Miss Alexander
Miss Alexander and Miss Horsley took thirty Year 8 students and two Sixth Formers to the Imperial War
Museum, London. Students were able to enrich their understanding of the First World War and trench
warfare in the fantastic new 1914-1918 exhibition. Students were
blown away by the hands on, interactive and informative exhibition
put together for the centenary of the First World War. The Imperial
War Museum was incredibly impressed by the behaviour of our
students, commenting that they were the best behaved students of
the day. Students engaged well with their experience, asking
pertinent questions and reflecting on their learning within the
classroom. An enjoyable day was had by all.
As part of the centenary commemorations Coopers has been
awarded two places on a Centenary Battlefield Tour to Ypres and
the Somme in October 2015.
Additionally the History Department would like to hear your family
stories about experiences from the First and Second World Wars to
commemorate 100 years since the start of the First World War and
70 years since the end of the Second World War. Please contact Miss Horsley
[email protected] or Miss Alexander [email protected] if you have a story to
tell.
Page | 4
DLD Year 13 English Literature Trip to Doctor Faustus – Mrs Norwood
Year 13 students were treated to a rare screening of
Jude Law's dramatic performance as the eponymous
Doctor Faustus, watched from the ornate
surroundings of a private auditorium at the V&A. This
text forms a central component of the A2 Literature
examination on the gothic, and an understanding of
how the text works in performance is essential. Many
of the students left with different interpretations of the
play and said that whilst Mephistopheles was less
captivating than the Greenwich Theatre version,
Jude Law presented a more energized and powerful
view of Faustus.
DLD Year 10 Drama – Ms Stanley
Year 10 Drama GCSE students spent the recent DLD with the Drama Department. The focus for the
day was physical theatre, which we have also been exploring in lessons as part of the GCSE course.
After a thorough warm up, Ms Polaszek and Ms Stanley lead the
group through a series of exercises developed by the theatre
companies Complicite and Frantic assembly, including the horseshoe lift used in the stage production of „The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night Time‟ and Frantic Assembly‟s chair duets.
A horse-shoe lift
Having worked physically all morning, the group watched Frantic
Assembly‟s production of
„Lovesong‟ streamed via the
Digital Theatre website in the
afternoon.
We had a brilliant day. The students worked hard and impressed us
with their fearlessness and creativity. A highlight for everyone was
the chair duets –
truly beautiful to watch, especially when the whole group performed
together.
Anthony and Bria work on their chair duet
Comic Relief 2015 – Miss Cuinnea
A huge thank you to everybody who contributed to Coopers‟ fundraising for
Comic Relief this year – we raised an amazing £1,250!! Activities included a
superb Coopers Bake-Off with a stunning array of baking skills on display.
Cakes were on display for judging during the morning, with all cakes being cut
and sold at first break.
Bake-Off winners in each category
were:
Year 7:
Year 8:
Year 9:
Year 10:
Harrison Wibley
James Hall
Kristopher Warrick
Christina Melvin
Staff Winner: Miss Donegan
Page | 5
And a big well done to Harrison Wibley, who was voted the overall winner of this year‟s competition with
a truly awe-inspiring cake of chocolate fingers – yum!
We also stuffed as many balloons as possible into a car, with students and staff invited to guess how
many balloons there were – we managed to squeeze an unbelievable 169 balloons into the car – well
done Ethan Hunter for guessing the right amount.
In addition, staff enthusiastically joined the students in dressing up as book characters for the day,
rushing to pay their £1 for the privilege. Most faculties decided on a particular “theme”, with faculty staff
taking different characters. It all made for a colourful and fun day, whilst raising money for this very
worthy charity.
Page | 6
News from the Library – Mrs Pickup
Big Boys don’t cry – Malorie Blackman
The Weight of Water – Sarah Crossan
13 Reasons Why – Jay Asher
My Sisters Lives on the Mantlepiece –
Annabel Pitcher
Lucas – Kevin Brooks
A Monster Calls By – Patrick Ness
Wonder – R J Palacio
Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli
Can‟t find the book you want in the Library? Visit your local libraries:
Chislehurst Library, Red Hill, Chislehurst, BR7 6DA
Petts Wood Library, Frankswood Avenue, Petts Wood, BR5 1BP
St Paul‟s Cray Library, St Paul‟s Cray, BR5 2RW
World Book Day Competition – Design a National Book Token
This hugely popular drawing competition is back! Take part this year by designing
a book-themed National Book Token. A panel of judges will select a winner and
runner-up in each of three age categories: up to 8 years, 9-12 Years, and 13-16
years. One overall winner could see their design turned into a real National Book
Token and distributed to bookshops nationwide in time for Christmas!
Closing date for entries is Friday 17 April 2015.
All entries should be produced on A4 paper in portrait format. The token design
must be drawn within a rectangle measuring 127mm wide x 81mm high (template available in the
Library). Further information can be found at http://worldbookday.com/competitions/token. Winners will
be announced in the summer.
Page | 7
Prizes in each age range are:
First Prize
£250 National Book Tokens for the school
£100 National Book Tokens for the student
£100 National Book Tokens for the teacher
Runner-Up Prize
£150 National Book Tokens for the school
£30 National Book Tokens for the student
£50 National Book Tokens for the teacher
BBC2 500 Words Competition
We are delighted to print two of the many entries for the competition:
The Stranger Who Comes At Midnight
By Marcus Legemah Year 8
The stranger who comes at midnight stands there every night without fail. He uses the shadows like a
mask and cape. You never see him all at once; just tiny parts of him. He moves like a blanket in the
wind; smooth, without purpose. I know when he is near. I hear minute thuds in a regular pattern. The
house screams in the form of floor boards creaking. When I see a section whether it be its white gloved
hand or his blank, black and emotionless face I feel: worried, scarred, confused. CREAK! CREAK! My
eyes broaden as I hear the scream of the house. It is coming…!
I lay there; eyes wide open; waiting for him. Day passes and night falls. My mind is fresh with last
night‟s horrors and I ponder what tonight will bring. Will he come? Will he not? “Of course he will” I
murmur under my breath.
Screams of the house awaken me. I can see the tip of an ark black
cape brush past my door frame. My heart beats faster. Silence!
But not a normal silence, an eerie silence, something was
happening something I didn‟t know. I buried my head under my
blanket, I feel like it‟s made of steel and will protect me, but it won‟t.
I close my eyes and count to 10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6….. I was interrupted
by the house screaming out to save me. It is there! The stranger
who comes at midnight stands there every night without fail.
One Last Day
by Mason Parker Year 8
I am Kyoshi and today is 6 December 1941. I have just been told that I am chosen to serve the
Japanese army in a Kamikaze mission. Tomorrow we are attacking Pearl Harbour in a surprise military
strike. They tell us that this attack will take place at 7.48am Hawaiian time. I am feeling very scared. I
have written a letter to my family to say farewell. I don‟t want my family thinking me a coward and I want
to serve my country.
I could even survive, couldn‟t I? I was chosen for this attack and I want my family to be proud of me and
meet my destiny. The other chosen pilots look sad; you can see it in their eyes.
The day has arrived 7 December 1941. We are preparing the planes for the attack. Hundreds of planes
are on the decks, too many for me to count. I have never seen so many pilots all together. We are all
going to die!!
Our plan is simple, to destroy the Pacific fleet. The American‟s could not fight back from this surely!!
It is approaching 5am and we are beginning our journey. Japanese planes have filled the sky over Pearl
Harbour. I am still waiting to go, I don‟t think I can go through with this. A sudden fear has come over
me, would my parents be disappointed in me. Would I be disowned and put shame on the family if I
don‟t go ahead with this?
I begin to think of my family and all the memories we have made together, I will never see them again.
Why did I go ahead with this? Why am I giving my life away for the Japanese army? I am at my wits
end!!
Page | 8
My time has come it is too late to pull out now. I am being ushered into my plane. This is the last time I
walk on God‟s earth. I just hope it will all be worth it. The plane splutters as it starts with a cloud of black
smoke from the exhausts. I begin my journey as I take off and ascend into the clouds above me. The
flight to Pearl Harbour feels like a life time, the fleet of planes swarming together like a flock of birds,
making sure we stay out of the US radar so that our attack is a complete surprise. The hum of the
aircraft is loud and the turbulence worries me, and is amplified by the silence and loneliness I feel as I
complete my mission and my destiny.
Before we reach Pearl Harbour we must make sure that the USA cannot retaliate with force and we need
to stop them getting airborne with their planes. Bombs are falling around me as my comrades drop
bombs on the USA bases which are just inland of Pearl Harbour.
The devastation being caused is immense. I begin to think of the innocent people who are being injured
or killed. Why have I done this, is it too late to turn around and go back?
It is too late, my time has come ahead of me, I see my target. I cannot turn back and give up now. I
must serve my country. I ascend higher and begin my decent directly down. The throttle is pushed as
far as it will go, dodging anti-aircraft shells being fired from warships. I am on the way down, eyes fixed,
shaking with fear. Adrenalin rushing through my veins. Through immense G Force I feel myself going in
and out of consciousness.
I will never know if my mission was complete….
News from the Sixth Form – Mr Baker
Dedicated Learning Day – Friday 13 March
For DLD, Year 12 students were taught
how to „Market Themselves‟ with the help
of Future First and a number of Coopers‟
Alumni. Students met ex-students with
jobs varying from nurses to lawyers and
collaborated with them to uncover useful
interview techniques which the exstudents themselves had once used.
Year 12 students left the session with
practical advice and guidance on the
steps they can take towards building a
unique personal brand, alongside a
greater knowledge of the various routes
available after leaving Coopers‟ Sixth
Form. The day was a huge success with
students and alumni taking a lot away
from the session.
Stars of the Week – Year 13 (week beginning 9 March 2015)
Nominated for “excellent oral communication skills – able to persuade
others and construct a good argument”
Adam Armstrong
Megan Carroll
Benjamin Clarke
James Cozens
Jordan Gallifant
Matthew Hargrave
Jonathan Igbokwe
Lucy Kelleher
Crystal Matarira
Emily McGarry
Sam O‟Flynn
Adam Parsons
Lara Shakespeare
Ryan Spicer
Albert Stitt
Lase Walker
George White
Page | 9
Stars of the Week – Year 12 (week beginning 16 March 2015)
Also nominated for “excellent literacy skills – able to write clear and
structured essays and reports”
Keilah Boyd
Hannah Brown
Leanie Coote-Scott
Nicole Daniels
Joseph Dennehy
Harry Edmunds
Sydney Fowler
Paige Hilton
Amelia Holland
Jade Hutchinson
Simran Kalsi
Stephen Kasolo
Angel Keene
Jodie McLaren
Ethan Moore
Gemma Newton
Teddie Newton
Gabriel Olayera
Ben Ramsay
Bradley Royer
Sherif Sekoni
Alex Staggs
Grace Thomas
Eliz Ustusoy
Amelia Ward
Jessica Williams
Sports News – Mr Pullen
Coopers 1st Xv Rugby – Mr Hobbs
Coopers 20 v 26 Darrick Wood
This was another exhilarating game for the Sixth Form which really was a game
of two halves. It took twenty minutes for the deadlock to be broken, which was by Darrick Wood. From
that point on Darrick were on the front foot and were playing with confidence. Although Coopers
defended like Trojans they couldn‟t get enough good possession to make a difference. At 0-12 down at
half time, Coopers knew that if they played tactically they had a chance. Two early tries from Freddie
Ashdown gave Coopers the momentum they needed, and at 10-12 Coopers looked like the dominant
team. A sloppy try was conceded at the wrong time by Coopers which was scored by an ex-Coopers
student (David Amire) for Darrick. At 12-19 Coopers needed to score again to stay in touch with the
opposition. Chasing the game meant Coopers were a little stretched and Darrick scored again to make it
10-26. The team raised their game and with ten minutes to go, Marc Pouani scored two well worked
team tries to give Coopers hope. If a couple of refereeing decisions had gone our way and kicks
converted, Coopers would have been deserved winners. However, it was not to be and Coopers needed
another three minutes on the clock to get the result but the referee blew the whistle for full time.
Men of the Match : Aaron Rayner and Marc Pouani
News from Performing Arts – Mrs Stanton
Coopers School debuts at the Music for Youth Festival – Miss Watson
Coopers School students
travelled to the Coopers‟
Company and Coborn School
in Upminster to participate in
the regionals of the Music for
Youth festival. We took along
with us our Year 9, 10 and 11
steel pan bands who
performed Bob Marley‟s
reggae song „I Shot the
Sheriff‟, Daft Punk‟s hit „Get
Lucky‟, „Circle of Life‟ from Disney‟s The Lion King and Olly Murs‟ „Dance with me tonight‟. We were
praised for clear introductions and adding warmth to our sound, with one adjudicator commenting that
our tone was warm and had a great vibe to it. The adjudicators were impressed with the effort our
students put in to memorising their parts (the only way our steel pan teacher would have it!) and
presented a polished performance overall.
Page | 10
We were also treated to a
performance by several
orchestral ensembles from
other schools, and Coopers
students enjoyed watching
schools perform classics such
as John Williams‟ E.T. and
Holst‟s Mars from the Planets
suite. Dionne Desa found the
whole experience thoroughly
enjoyable, with Kayleigh
Dixon and Georgina
Carpenter reviewing our
performance as “fantastic,
and the best yet”. We will find
out next month whether we
are successful getting
through to the nationals in
Birmingham, but Coopers
students have certainly put us
on the map!
Enrichment – Mr Toal
Activities Week this year takes place from Monday 29 June – Friday 3 July. The booklet detailing all the
exciting trips and activities planned for this week is attached with this newsletter. Once students have
decided what they would like to take part in, please sign up using WisePay.
If parents/carers would like to contribute to the ever-changing Enrichment programme in any way, please
contact Mr Toal for further information [email protected].
Collecting/Dropping Off Students – Mr Carling
Marjorie McClure Gates and Coopers Car Park
Students are not permitted to enter and exit the Coopers site via the Marjorie McClure gates. There are
many vehicles using these gates at the beginning and end of the school day and students are putting
themselves in danger by using them. Please enter and exit Coopers using our own pedestrian gates.
There have also been a number of incidents of parents using the Marjorie McClure gates and trying to
park in their car park. For health and safety reasons, except by prior arrangement with Marjorie McClure
School, please note that there is no parking on site available in their car park.
As a member of the Chislehurst community, Coopers works hard to
be a good neighbour. The roads around the School get very
congested at dropping off/picking up times and this can cause
problems for our neighbours. Please be vigilant when waiting to
collect your son or daughter, and ensure you are not blocking
driveways or other access points. Please also do not use the section of road between Hawkwood Lane
and the car park gate for dropping off or picking up your children as cars reversing/exiting to Hawkwood
Lane cause a potential safety hazard for students.
Page | 11
Free School Meals/Pupil Premium – Mr Carling
Was your adopted child formerly a „looked after child‟ and adopted on or after 30 December
2005?
From April 2014, schools in England can receive the Pupil Premium for children adopted from care, or
who left care under a Special Guardianship Order on or after 30 December 2005. Schools can also
claim the Pupil Premium for children who left care under a Residence Order on or after 14 October 1991.
The Pupil Premium is to help schools raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap
with their peers. It is paid to schools in respect of disadvantaged pupils in Reception to Year 11. The
Government has extended the coverage of the Pupil Premium in recognition of the traumatic
experiences many adopted children have endured in their early lives and a realisation that their needs do
not change overnight.
To enable Coopers to claim the Pupil Premium for your child, you will need to urgently inform us about
your child and provide supporting evidence, for example, show us the original Adoption (Court) Order.
This will then trigger the payment of the Pupil Premium to the school from April 2014.
Letters have been sent to all families who claimed free school meals last year as a reminder to provide
updated information. If you are newly entitled and have not claimed I do encourage you to do so.
Students cannot receive their free meal until the paperwork has been completed.
If you have any queries please contact Mr Carling, Academy Manager, [email protected].
Parent Forum
Parent Forum is made up of interested parents, and meets once every half-term to discuss matters
important to Coopers‟ Parents and their child‟s education. Meetings are at 6.00pm and normally last
approximately 90 minutes. This year we are hoping to grow and develop a PTA aspect to the work.
Minutes and dates of meetings are available on the Gateway. If you are interested in joining Parent
Forum, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Polaszek at [email protected]. We would
also welcome any suggestions for future topics for discussion.
Wednesday 25 March
Tuesday 12 May
Tuesday 23 June
Topic to be decided
Topic to be decided
Topic to be decided
Messages from the Attendance Team – Mrs Costin
Reporting Absence
Could parents/carers please report student absence on the dedicated School Absence Reporting line
and not via Community Leaders or Form Teachers. Parents/Carers can also use the dedicated text
number; full details advising how to report absences are on the School Website. Many thanks.
Requests for Leave of Absence
The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force on
1 September 2013. These regulations state that the Principal may not grant leave of absence during
term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Family holidays do not count as “exceptional
circumstances”. Absence during term time directly affects each student‟s achievement. The School
works with the Local Authority in improving school attendance. For your information, parents/carers who
take students on holiday during term time may be referred to the Local Authority Education Welfare
Service for legal consideration. Further information on Attendance can be found on our website – please
go to Information; Attendance and click on Attendance Guidance.
Page | 12
Absence due to Medical/Dental Appointments
Please note missing lessons for a medical or dental appointment is counted as an authorised absence
which will affect student attendance as well as missing vital work in lessons missed. Where possible
parents‟/students‟ support in arranging appointments outside school hours is much appreciated. When
this is not possible, students should only be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary for
the appointment. We appreciate if, for example, it is for a hospital appointment in London then travelling
has to be taken into consideration. However, in an attempt to support an improvement in attendance
students should sign in before/after medical appointments and avoid, as far as possible, taking a whole
day off to attend a medical appointment. Furthermore, students should provide evidence of
appointments by way of letter or appointment card; this will ensure a swift signing out process for
students involved. Your support and cooperation is much appreciated.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Easter break.
Yours faithfully
Shirley Puxty
Shirley Puxty
Principal
Page | 13