Pupil Info Booklet 2020 21

Welcome to
LINSLADE SCHOOL
Learning today, leading tomorrow

NEW YEAR 5 INTAKE 2020
INFORMATION BOOKLET FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

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High achievement for all is our shared responsibility PAGE
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Contents
17
TOPIC 17
Welcome Letter 18
20
Absence Due to Sickness 22
Absence from Games or Extra-Curricular Activities 18
Anti-Bullying 16
Attendance Policy 23
Behaviour and Discipline Policy 17
Bluebells 5
Break Times 18
Child, School and Family Link Officer 13
Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities 12
Communication Routes 23
Early Birds 14
E-Praise 19
Essential Equipment 14
Getting Involved – Why not join us as a Linslade School Governor 5
Google Classroom 17
Health Issues 5
Homework 7
Houses 15
Illness at School
Keep Kids Safe 4
Keeping Us Informed of Your Contact Details
Linslade Learning Toolkit 20
19
Linslade School Home School Pupil Agreement 2020-21 7
23
Learning Support (Special Educational Needs) 4
Linslade Pastoral Support 16
Letters to Parents and Carers 17
Linslade School Parent Teacher and Friends Association 14
Linslade School: Home – School – Pupil Agreement 16
Lost Property 23
Mobile Phones 22
Our Curriculum 20
Packed Lunches 15
Parents’ Forum 16
Procedures in the Event of a School Closure 24
Pupil Premium Pupils 22
Reports 19
School Meals 9
Staff you may wish to contact 23
Statement on Safeguarding
Support for Pupils and Families 8
Term Dates 2020/21 14
The Equality Act 7
10
Times of the School Day 18
Travelling to School
Twitter/Facebook
Uniform
Young Carers

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July 2020
Dear Parents/Carers
We are really pleased to welcome you to Linslade School as our new intake of families for
September 2020. It goes without saying that w​ e will do all we can to support the transition from
Year 4 to Year 5. F​ irstly, we want to thank you for your support in this difficult time. We understand
that in this year, more than other years, the children have had to cope with some very uncertain
times and unique situations.
At the time of writing, we are planning for 165 pupils to join Year 5 in September.​

The aim of this booklet is to provide you with more detail about the day to day life at Linslade so
that we can support your child both before and during his/her time with us. Whilst we hope we have
pre-empted your questions, please do not hesitate to contact us if you feel t​ here is anything we
have missed. Y​ ou can do this as always via our n​ ew intake email address:
[email protected]
We look forward to building or renewing our relationship with you as families of our 2020 intake.
We want to reiterate that we have a passionate and dedicated team of senior staff with a clear
vision, who are driven by a commitment to develop students academically, physically and socially.
Our teachers share our passion for all round educational excellence.
We will encourage children to work hard and in return, they will be recognised and rewarded
throughout their time at Linslade. We are keen to have well behaved students with a ‘can do’
attitude that will work well together, support each other and enjoy school in a safe and positive
school environment.
Finally, I look forward to meeting you personally over the course of, what we aim to be, a long,
happy and successful relationship as we work together to ensure the best learning opportunities for
your son or daughter.
With very best wishes

Mark Gibbs
Headteacher

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Linslade School: Home - School - Pupil Agreement 2020-21

Please look for the Pupil Agreement in your child’s Linslade Learning Toolkit. We believe that a
good relationship between home and school is the most effective way for ​each pupil to fulfil his
or her potential and make the most of the wide range of opportunities available at Linslade.

Linslade School will:
● provide a fulfilling and challenging education;
● provide a secure and caring environment which, in turn, promotes a safe and healthy
lifestyle;
● encourage every pupil to do his/her best;
● promote the values outlined by our Values School status;
● provide a clear framework for behaviour management and encouraging pupils to make the
right choices.
● set homework regularly;
● maintain a positive environment for learning;
● communicate regularly with parents/carers about their child and his/her progress;
● provide a range of extra-curricular activities;

Our families will:
● take an active interest in their child’s education;
● encourage their child to do his/her best;
● provide good facilities to help with homework;
● support actively the school’s approach to behaviour and standards;
● share responsibility for their child’s behaviour;
● encourage their child to take a pride in their school and play a full part in school activities;
● contact the school at an early stage in the event of any problems;
● attend consultation evenings and other school events whenever possible;
● support their child in extra-curricular activities;
● ensure that their child attends school in accordance with the school’s attendance policy;
● act as responsible digital role models and refrain from using social media to voice concerns
about school issues.
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Our pupils will:
● do their best and show a positive attitude to learning;
● complete homework on time and to the best of their ability;
● take an active part in extra-curricular activities;
● take a pride in their appearance;
● keep to the school’s code of conduct;
● exercise self-discipline and take responsibility for their actions in the real world and online
worlds;
● show courtesy and respect to all members of the school community in the real and online
worlds;
● respect the school environment;

Together we will:
Uphold the values of the school and support our children’s learning so they can be proud of
themselves, our school and our community.

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Houses

We have four houses at Linslade:

● Bassett Blue
● Norton Green
● Salusbury Red
● Leighton Yellow

Each pupil and member of staff is allocated to a house as they join the school. Different activities
are organised through the houses including sports competitions, fundraising and photographic,
dance and drama competitions. Our annual sports day is a popular event that is contested
enthusiastically by staff and pupils alike. More house competitions will be introduced during next
year.

Linslade Support- Communication Sheet

On a day-to-day basis, parents/carers and teachers communicate through the pupil’s Linslade
Learning Toolkit. The grid below is intended to help you to identify who is best placed to help you
should you need to make contact with the school.

Your child’s FORM TUTOR is the first port of call if there is a problem at Linslade. Pupils see them
every day for morning and afternoon registration and through teaching. They will monitor pupil
progress across the curriculum and encourage all pupils to take part in the extra-curricular
activities. The form tutor is a motivator, team builder, praise giver, listener and inspirer, they may
also be the first person to speak to the pupils when their behaviour is unacceptable. Please click
below for further details.

https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Communication-Routes-30062020121543/

The School Office will deal with some types of issues, and will contact you if your son/daughter is
ill at school and needs to be collected. We also operate a first day response system if your
son/daughter is absent and no contact has been made with the school. Office staff will pass on
messages to teachers as soon as it is possible to do so. Teachers will respond to your enquiries as
soon as they can, but please be understanding if the response is not immediate as all teachers
(including senior staff) have teaching timetables. It is our aim to respond to all enquiries w​ ithin two
working days.​

Keep Kids Safe

Keep Kids Safe is a way of coordinating our methods of contacting parents and carers. The system
allows us to contact you by text, voice message or email. Where we have not been informed in
advance, we use this system to inform you of a child’s absence and request that parents/carers
call our designated number 08453 570159 (local rate) or text 07624 812166 in response to any
such enquiry.

These numbers should also be used to inform the school of a child’s absence. ​We ask that you
notify us on each day by 9.15am of your child’s absence in order to help us ensure his/her
safety.

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You may also receive a text or voice message from time to time, informing you of events such as
extra-curricular activities, after school detentions, notifications of consultation evenings,
cancellations of a fixture or school closures etc. Please also keep an eye on our Twitter page
@linsladeschool

How you can contact the school:
• You will be able to find important information on our website www.linsladeac.co.uk
• You can ring us on 01525 372640 between 8.15am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
You can leave a message if we are busy, or it is out of hours and we will get back to
you as soon as possible.
• You can email any member of staff. Our email addresses are @​ linsladeac.co.uk so Mr
S Smith Is s​ [email protected] ​for example, and you can find a list of all staff on
our website.

If you would like to meet a specific member of staff in person, please phone or email in

advance and make an appointment.

How we will contact you:
Parentmail –​ the majority of messages to parents will come from Parentmail. We
will send you a link so that you can register to receive messages, either via email
or the Parentmail App. We will also use this to ask you to fill in forms for visits for
example, and to pay for things like school dinners and trips.

Social Media –​ Our Facebook and Twitter accounts are used to broadcast news
and events about the school, department events, clubs and activities. We will not
reply to messages sent to us on Social Media, so please send an email if you
require a response.
Email ​– Individual teachers will send you messages directly from their email
account if they need to.
Text Messaging -​ We will use this for emergency announcements such as school
closures, and for quick reminders about attendance.
Phone –​ We will phone when we can, during normal working hours.
School Newsletter ​– This will be sent as an email, approximately every two
weeks, and includes useful information, updates from year teams and good
news stories about clubs, sports and the arts.

We will do our best to reply to a voice message or email within 24 hours.

We take safeguarding very seriously, so please be understanding if we protect young
people by refusing to give out any information over the phone or by email.
There is information in each newsletter regarding unsubscribing from our
communications. Please do get in touch with Mrs L Allen, [email protected], if you
would like to discuss this further.

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Letters to Parents and Carers
General letters and newsletters can be found on our website w​ ww.linsladeac.co.uk Newsletters
and other general communication are sent home via parentmail.

Twitter & Facebook
We use our Twitter page to communicate good news stories and updates. We are delighted to
have a growing number of followers among our families but request that pupils do not have their
own access until they are 13 years old. We would also like to encourage our followers to ensure
their own safety by means of making sure their profiles are set to private. Please also be advised
that whilst Twitter is used as an outward facing information system, we do not respond to individual
questions or comments via Twitter or Facebook. Twitter @linsladeschool. Facebook
@linsladeschool

Keeping Us Informed of Your Contact Details
Should your contact details or personal circumstances change, please contact the school in writing
to advise us of this. Please also ensure that the contact details in your child’s planner are updated.
We will send out regular reminders of this.
Please do ensure we have ​at least two additional contact numbers for use in an emergency.
We have had instances in the past where a pupil has needed medical assistance but we have not
been able to contact his/her family.
GDPR c​ ame into force in May 2018 and required us to review some of our information processing
procedures. A copy of our Privacy Notice and GDPR Policy is available on the school website. We
will not share personal information about your child without obtaining your permission.

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THE SCHOOL DAY
Unless attending ‘Early Birds’ or a pre-school club, pupils should not be on site until 8.35a.m. in
order to be in their form room at 8.40 a.m. at the latest. The school gates are locked at 8.45 a.m
(this may be subject to change, given Government guidance)

There is also a range of activities after school which pupils are invited to attend.
https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Extra-Curricular-Opportunities/
However,pupils should remain on site after school ​only i​ f they are being supervised by a member
of staff.

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Autumn Term Dates 2020- 21

Monday 7th September 2020 - Friday 18th
December 2020
Half term 1 week commencing 26th October 2020

Spring Tuesday 5th January 2021 - Friday 26th March
2021

Half term 1 week commencing 15th February 2021

Summer Tuesday 13th April - Wednesday 21st July 2021
Half term 1 week commencing 31st May

Training Thursday 3rd September 2020
Days: Friday 4th September 2020
Monday 4th January 2021
Monday 12th April 2021

Please note that whilst these dates may be very close to those of other schools in the town, they
may not be exactly the same. Please take care when looking at training days.

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Uniform
We have a compulsory school uniform for all pupils who, we hope, will take pride in their
appearance and develop a feeling of belonging to a good school​. Please name every item!
Appearance is important and pupils are expected to wear the correct uniform at all times.

- Please ensure hair is of its natural colour, of an even cut a​ nd not excessively short.​ All
long hair should be tied back off the face. ‘​Tramlines’ and shaved patterns are not
allowed.​

- Hair products and/or spiked hair are not allowed in school.
▪ Make up (including eyelash and eyebrow tinting) and jewellery (including earrings) are not

allowed.​ Retainers and/or plasters are not accepted.
▪ The list is below, you can also access via our website

https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Uniform/​.Please also see photos below -

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Boys’ Uniform Boys’ PE Kit

Long black trousers (not jeans or ‘combat’ styles). PE top available from Wear2School.

Belts should be plain black. Black shorts.

White shirt. White short socks.

School house tie. Long red socks.

Maroon jumper embroidered with the school logo School red reversible rugby shirt -

(Available from Wear2School)

Pupils should wear sensible plain black waterproof Football boots (safety studs should be

school shoes. Neither boots nor trainers (or other used).

sports shoes) are allowed. No visible logos please

e.g. Adidas, Nike.

Dark coloured socks. Shin pads.

Gum shields.

Trunks for Year 5 swimming (not

shorts), long hair tied back or hat.

Goggles are permitted.

Towel.

Optional Summer Uniform: (​ May be worn from Easter onwards) Plain white polo shirt and

jumper. Shirt, tie and jumper may continue to be worn if preferred. Boys and girls may wear

black, tailored, knee-length shorts (not cargo shorts).

Girls’ Uniform Girls’ PE Kit
PE top available from Wear2School.
Black school trousers or ​kn​ ee length skirts,​ pleated
(available from Wear to School) ​– no​ ​Lycra.​ Black shorts.
(Trousers should be straight legged, not fashion White short socks.
trousers such as jeans, ‘hipsters’, ‘flares’, or Long red socks.
leggings).* School fleece​ ​available from Wear2
School
Belts should be plain black. Football boots (safety studs should be
used).
White shirt. Trainers

School house tie.

Maroon jumper/cardigan embroidered with the
school logo.

Pupils should wear sensible plain black waterproof
school shoes. Neither boots nor trainers (or other
sports shoes) are allowed. No visible logos please
e.g. Adidas, Nike.

White socks o​ r b​ lack tights with skirts. Shin pads

Black socks with trousers. Gum shields

Girls in Years 7 and 8 ​only​ may wear plain flesh One piece for Year 5 swimming (not

coloured tights. shorts), long hair tied back or hat.

Sports/trainer socks are not allowed. Goggles are permitted.

Towel

Optional Summer Uniform:​ (May be worn from Easter onwards) Plain white polo shirt and

jumper. Shirt, tie and jumper may continue to be worn if preferred. Boys and girls may wear

black, tailored, knee-length shorts (not cargo shorts).

* Trousers with decorative zips or studs are not permitted.

Most items of uniform can be purchased from a variety of shops, including chain stores. The whole
range of uniform can be obtained from ‘Wear2School’ in North Street, Leighton Buzzard.

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Essential Equipment:
All pupils must have a strong bag in which to carry their equipment to and from school. This must
be named. School bags should be of a size that will accommodate A4 books and files, but should
also be of a size that will fit comfortably into the child’s locker. Lockers are 42 high x 29 cm wide
and 42 cm deep.
A bag is also necessary for a games kit; a holdall or rucksack is ideal. Games kit can be brought
into school on a Monday and kept in the pupil’s locker until Friday when it should be taken home to
be washed.
Every pupil must have certain basic items of equipment in order to work effectively within school.
We recommend o​ ne​ pencil case including:

● A writing pen (blue/black) x 3
● A pencil x 3
● A pencil sharpener
● A rubber
● Coloured pencils
● A 30 cm transparent ruler (marked in mm and cm and not flexible)
● A protractor
● A solid glue stick
● A non-scientific calculator clearly marked with the pupil’s name.
● A WOWO pen for use on mini white boards.
● A set of highlighter pens to include pink, green, yellow and orange
- Scissors are provided by the school.
- Knives, including penknives, must not, on​ any account​, be brought into school.
- Chewing gum is not permitted.
- Please do not allow your child to bring expensive items eg iwatches or large

amounts of money into school, as if lost or damaged, the school will not be
responsible.

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E-Praise
E-PRAISE POINTS
At Linslade our philosophy is to reward students positively for behaviour, attitude and commitment
in all aspects of academy life. The New E-Praise system enables members of staff to reward
students immediately, so they can see their hard-work and effort is being acknowledged. Students
are awarded points for a variety of reasons, for example: effort, independent learning and effective
participation in class. Parents and students are also able to view the student profiles online, which
enables parents to share in the achievements of their son or daughter.
Self-discipline and high personal goals will go a long way to attaining the best possible standards
for each student but it is also important for us to acknowledge and reward your efforts. This, of
course, will happen informally by verbal or written encouragement from teachers, but considerable
effort or achievement will also be rewarded.
Achievement Assemblies
Every term Achievement Assemblies are held to celebrate the efforts and successes of students.
Achievement Assembly Newsletters are sent home and attached to the School website. Award
photographs are also displayed around the School to celebrate achievement both in and out of
school.
Postcards Home
Well done postcards may be posted home to congratulate students for sustained good work,
learning, behaviour, improving standards and completing larger pieces of high quality work.
Achievement Lunch
Students from each year group are recognised for their achievements/progress and invited to
attend an achievement lunch with the senior leaders of the School
Displays of Students’ Work
Displays of students’ work and photographs of trips, and other extra-curricular activities are
displayed around the School. Each department also has its own student of the month competition.

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Travelling to School

Please click here for further details

https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Travelling-to-school/

Our Curriculum

In Year 5 we will have a primary model where Year 5 pupils will spend approximately 50 percent of
the week with their class teacher. The beauty of a Middle School is that we can also offer specialist
teaching starting in Year 5 in subjects such as French, PE, Computing and Design. As the children
move through the school and into Years 7 and 8 the children will receive specialist teaching as
they would in any secondary school. Our primary age pupils (Year 5 and 6) will have a focus on
core literacy and numeracy skills. Our curriculum is enhanced by specialist classrooms and
specialist provision.

Homework

We believe homework plays a vital part in reinforcing the work done in class and is one of the best
ways in which pupils can learn on how to become more independent learners.
Homework will always be meaningful and we expect it to be completed to a high standard. This
requires a quiet space, a table or desk to work at and freedom from the competition of other
distractions.

Developing regular homework habits is a key area where parents/carers can make an essential
contribution to their child’s progress. We will work closely with families whose child shows evidence
of struggling in this area. Please contact your son’s/daughter’s form tutor in the first instance if you
have any questions or concerns regarding homework.

Google Classroom

Linslade Middle school have recently become a Google Classroom school. Google Classroom is a
free and secure learning network for teachers, students and schools. It provides a safe way for us
to connect, share content, access homework, participate in discussions and receive class
information.

Using Google Classroom allows you and your child to have access to classwork and homework
content that the teachers upload at any time through the Internet. It is accessible online and
through any mobile devices with Internet capabilities—including iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Additionally, the use of Google Classroom will help keep students and parents informed.
Classroom is also useful to check on work missed when absent and to ask questions about
assignments.

Google Classroom is used as an educational tool and will be used strictly for educational purposes.
Guidelines for using Google Classroom are as follows:

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● Students will be required to use appropriate grammar instead of texting language.
● The site will be used to discuss school-related content only.

Every child in the school now as a google login (please contact their form tutor if they are unaware
of it)
To access Google Classroom, follow these steps:
N.B: We recommend using Chrome Web Browser

Step 1:
Go to​ ​www.classroom.google.com
Step 2:
Click 'Go to Classroom' and then login using the username
Step 3:
Enter password
To watch a Youtube tutorial, click here ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5UQ2V3nRp4 o​ r
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl-tBjAM9g4

Linslade Learning Toolkit
All pupils are issued with a Linslade Learning Toolkit that covers the whole academic year. The
planner contains a number of sections including: timetable, a day-by-day diary and information
designed to support learning. Parents/carers are asked to check planners on a r​ egular weekly
basis. There is also a space for comments and it is a useful first point of contact between home
and school.

One of the biggest differences between lower and middle school is how we report to parents and
carers. We have already scheduled an evening in October in order to support families new to
school in understanding our assessment and reporting practices. Please look out for a letter
inviting you to this evening. This will also be an opportunity for you to learn more about the nature,
timing and frequency of our reports.

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​

Pupils are expected to play outside at break times, please do send your child with a warm coat
when needed. If they bring a snack to school, this should be eaten in the dining room. Our catering
team offers a wide selection of snacks for sale at break. Where families choose to provide snacks,
we would like to ask that a healthy option is chosen. We would also like to ask families for their
support in discouraging their children from purchasing snacks on the way to school – especially
where this includes sugary sweets and high energy drinks.

Our school catering service provides an excellent range of hot and cold food with healthy options.
Meals can be paid for on a half termly, weekly or daily basis. The cost of these will be released in
September. Payments should be made via the ParentMail system. New parents/carers will receive
login details in September.

Our menus are published in advance on the school’s website.

Should you need to apply for Free School Meals, please contact Central Bedfordshire Council
direct on:

0300 300 8306
This line is open 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and

8.30am to 4.30pm Friday

Please do this – even if your child may prefer a packed lunch – as by registering for Free School
Meals, we are able to access an additional sum of money (Pupil Premium) which can then be used
to support his/her learning.

Packed Lunches

If your child brings a packed lunch to school, please would you ensure that it is made up of healthy
food choices, e.g. a sandwich/wrap, fruit, yoghurt. Please avoid sweets, chocolate and foods with
high sugar or additive content. Please also ensure that lunch boxes are named clearly throughout
the year.

Lost Property

All items of clothing and equipment must be clearly marked with the owner’s name.​ If they
are not, tracing losses becomes almost impossible. We recommend the use of woven name tapes
for clothing and indelible marking on other items. Please ensure these are placed in an obvious
place. When found, lost property is handed in at the main school office. This should be the pupil’s
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first port of call after having retraced their steps in an attempt to locate a lost item. Where possible,
property is returned to the rightful owner.

Illness at School
Please click below for further details-
https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Illness-at-School/

Absence Due to Sickness
A telephone call must be made before 9.15a.m. on each day of absence to 0845 3570159 or a text
should be sent to 07624 812166. Please then send a letter to your child’s form tutor on their return
to school. If a pupil suffers from sickness and/or diarrhoea, they should be kept away from school
for 48 hours after he or she has stopped being ill.

Absence from Games or Extra-Curricular Activities
Non-participation in games or PE should be communicated directly to your child’s PE teacher.
Where possible, rather than taking part in the activity, he or she will be allocated to a
coaching/helping role. This will involve him/her changing along with the other children.
If your child will not be taking part in an extra-curricular activity to which he/she has been allocated,
please notify the school office on 01525 372640.

Mobile Phones
All mobile phones must be switched off at the school gate and placed in their bag.
If a pupil is found to be using his/her mobile phone during the school day, it will be confiscated and
kept in the School Office awaiting collection by a parent/carer.
If a parent/ carer does wish to contact their child during the school day, please do call the school
(on 01525 372640) and not your child’s mobile.

Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities

At Linslade School, we pride ourselves on offering an extensive range of extra-curricular activities
with a large number of lunch time and after school clubs available throughout the year.
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During the first week of each term, pupils will have the opportunity to sign up for clubs of their
choice. Most of our clubs and activities are offered by Linslade staff and are, therefore, free. A
small number may be offered by external providers. Where this is the case, a charge may be made
by the provider.
Please look out for a letter about clubs and activities in the first week of term.

Early Birds
‘Early Birds’ is our ever popular before school breakfast club. Open from 8.00 a.m. Monday to
Friday, pupils are welcome to join us for a range of breakfast treats for just £2.00 per day (payable
in cash); pupils in receipt of Free School Meals attend free. We welcome pupils from all year
groups - there is no need to book.

Bluebells
After-school care until 6.00 p.m. is available through ‘Bluebells’ child care provision (term time
only). Further information about Bluebells’ flexible service is available through school or by
contacting ‘Bluebells’ directly on 07593 952769.

Anti-Bullying

Please click on link below for our anti-bullying policy-
https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Policies/

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Support for Pupils and Families

We make sure that each child is known really well by the F​ orm Tutor who helps each student to
settle in. The Form Tutor also checks on the overall progress of pupils and offers them support
and guidance. Your child’s Form Tutor is your first point of contact in the event of any worries or
concerns.

The work of the Form Tutors is co-ordinated by the ​Head of Key Stage 2 who has overall
responsibility for the pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 prior to handing over to a new Head of Year for
Key Stage 3

We hope parents/carers will contact the Form Tutor if they are at all concerned about any aspect of
their child’s life at school.

Young Carers

Please see below link for further details -

https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Young-Carer/

Linslade Pastoral Support

The Pastoral Support Team is based in the student services centre and work on a daily basis with
the SLT and Heads of Key Stage, tutors, parents/carers and outside agencies. Pupils at Linslade
School are encouraged to fully attend, achieve their potential, behave and respect students and
staff as well as themselves. It is important that they feel safe and participate in school life and that
barriers to their learning are minimised.

Both SSC and our Hub are purposely-designed areas at the heart of our support provision at
Linslade and is run by Miss Lee, Mrs Wallace (Learning Mentor) and Mrs Tait. ‘The Hub’ is
available at break and lunchtimes to support pupils who do not feel comfortable in and amongst
games and activities on the playgrounds or in the courtyards. It is also the base for our ‘​ Buddy be
Friends​’ initiative, where Year 8 pupils are trained to be good friends to Year 5 pupils and help
them to settle in to life at their new school.

Both the SSC and ‘The Hub’ are used for small group work during lesson times and are available
as a ‘retreat’ for pupils who may be experiencing difficulties or challenges.

Health Issues

Health education, including aspects of sex and relationships education, forms part of science,
personal, social & health education, P.E. and food technology lessons at Linslade. Pupils are, at
all times, encouraged to pay due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life.

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Learning Support (Special Educational Needs)

The Learning Support Department at Linslade aims to support pupils and their learning during their
time with us. We recognise that pupils need support in a variety of different ways to reach their full
potential. This additional support may address particular literacy or numeracy needs, or patterns of
social and emotional behaviour. We have a strong team of support staff who can work with pupils
either through in-class support, small group work or individual help.

To help us ensure all children can cope with the ever increasing demands placed on them after
transition, all Year 5 pupils will undergo a few routine screening tests in their first few weeks at
Linslade. These include assessments that can help to identify Dyslexia, as well as others that
provide the current spelling and reading age of all of the children.

If you require more information on Learning Support at Linslade, please contact Mrs Parry
in the first instance.

Pupil Premium Pupils

Please click the link below for further details -

https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Pupil-Premium/

Attendance Policy

Regular school attendance is vital if pupils are to take full advantage of the educational
opportunities available to them. It is the legal responsibility of parents/carers to ensure that their
son or daughter attends school regularly and arrives on time.

Each pupil has a m​ inimum attendance target of ​97%. All attendance is monitored on a fortnightly
basis. When attendance falls below 90%, contact will be made with home by the pupil’s Head of
Year and targets put in place. The Head of Key Stage will bring any attendance that falls below
90% to the attention of the Access and Inclusion Team (formerly Education Welfare) so that
appropriate interventions can take place. Where there is a long term absence as a result of
genuine illness, we are able to make an application to the Medical Needs Team for Home Tuition.
Please do keep us informed of your son/daughter’s individual circumstances should this be the
case.

The school actively discourages holidays within term time.​ New regulations with regard to
leave of absence in term time took effect as of September 2013 as follows:

Amendments to the 2006 regulations remove references to family holiday and extended leave, as
well as the statutory threshold of ten school days. The amendments make clear that Headteachers
may ​not g​ rant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Headteachers should determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if the
leave is granted.

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What does this mean for us at Linslade?

We have revised our attendance policy. This is published in full on our website. Please do take
time to take a look at this. However, in the meantime, ​we would like to ask families not to book
holidays in term time as a matter of course.​ If there are extenuating circumstances affecting the
family, please contact the Headteacher directly so that he can be aware of your situation and can
work with you as far as it is possible to do so. We would like to request that, in the interests of
fairness and transparency, a​ ll families are open with the school rather than, as can happen,
stating a child is unwell when they are, in fact on holiday – which is unhelpful. When such
cases come to light, it is our practice to issue a fixed penalty notice fine. ​We also appreciate
being contacted before a booking is made rather than being faced with a fait accompli.

In the ​exceptional case that you do need to apply for leave of absence for your son/daughter,
please write to the Headteacher giving as much notice as possible, ideally A​ T LEAST FOUR
WEEKS​ before the date when you would like the period of absence to begin.

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Behaviour and Discipline Policy
Please click the link below for further information -
https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Policies/

Procedures in the Event of a School Closure
Please click on link below for further details -
https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/School-Closure/

Child Protection Referral
As a school we have a statutory duty to assist children’s services departments acting on behalf of
children in need or enquiring into allegations of child abuse. As well as this statutory duty we have
a pastoral responsibility towards our pupils and we recognise that pupils have a fundamental right
to be protected from harm. Children cannot learn effectively unless they feel safe and secure and
are supported in the case of any additional needs. We therefore have a Safeguarding Policy,
which reflects both our statutory duty and our pastoral responsibilities.
If we have a concern that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed, we have a duty to
refer this to Children’s Services. In making any referral, the school is not making any judgement, it
is for Children’s Services to decide whether there should be an investigation.

Early Help Assessment
There are times when we may need to refer a young person to an external agency, by completing
an Early Help Assessment referral form. Any such referral will involve the pupil and parent/carer.
Before we can do this we will need to seek your permission. We will then complete the appropriate
form.

Linslade Middle School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students.
Our school policy for Safeguarding including Child Protection can be accessed via the school’s
website, under policies and can also be found here:

● Safeguarding Policy

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The Equality Act

The Equality Act requires us to be aware of any specific needs relating to all users of the school.
The Pupil Data Collection Sheet issued ahead of your child joining the school requests this
information in terms of meeting the needs of all pupils. However, we recognise that parents/carers
may also require specific support in terms of either coming to or accessing communications from
the school. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you feel we need to make appropriate
arrangements in order to meet your needs.

Getting Involved – Why not join us as a Linslade School Governor?

Have you thought about becoming a parent governor at Linslade as a member of our Local
Governing Body? You don’t need to know anything about education when you join as full induction
will be given. The key is to have an interest in the school, be able to give some time (6 evenings a
year) and be willing to give your perspective on the overall direction of the school and its key
strategies. Having a particular skill e.g. finance, marketing or the law would be very helpful. If you
think this might be for you, please contact Elaine Rabbitt, Chair of the Local Board of Governors at
Linslade.

For further information on our Governance structure, please click on the link below -

https://www.linslademiddle.beds.sch.uk/Governance/

Linslade School Parent Teacher and Friends Association

The LSPTFA provides much needed support for the school as a result of a range of fund-raising
and out of school activities throughout the year. For example

- Discos
- The annual Talent Show
- The Year 8 Leavers’ Party

None of this can take place unless we have the support of families and friends of the school. If you
think you could help us in any way whatsoever, please contact us either via the school 01525
372640 or by emailing us at: ​[email protected]​ .

Parents’ Forum

Our Parents’ Forum is held once each term and enables families and senior staff to meet to
discuss key issues linked to life at Linslade with senior staff and Governors. Issues addressed to
date include: communication, the school prospectus, Ofsted, homework, reports, consultation
evenings, behaviour, anti-bullying initiatives and the new school website.

Dates for each Parents’ Forum are advertised in advance via the school newsletter.

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Staff you may wish to contact

(As of September 2020)

Headteacher Mr. M. Gibbs
Deputy Headteacher Mr P Stock
Assistant Headteacher Mr. P. Edwards
Assistant Headteacher Ms S. Cooper
PA to the Headteacher Mrs. L Allen

Head of Learning Mrs T. Walbank
Learning Support Coordinator (SENDCO) Mrs. C.Parry
Head of Key Stage 2/ Key Stage 2 English Mrs. E. Wassef
Head of Maths Mrs. B. Jones
Head of Science and Technology Mrs. L. Coleman
Head of Humanities (including RE) Miss S​ . Efthiamades
Head of The Arts Mrs. L. Taylor
Head of Modern Languages Mrs. J. Inns
Head of PE and Whole School Events Mr. T. Cronin

Welfare and Wellbeing Officer Mrs. D. Tait

Chair of the Local Board of Governors Mrs. E. Rabbitt
(Please contact the school in the first instance)

We are always very willing to see parents and carers at the school, or to answer queries on the
telephone. However, while it may be possible to make personal contact with a particular member
of staff by visiting the school during normal hours, we prefer parents and carers to make an
appointment in advance by means of a letter, email or a telephone call.

Linslade School
Mentmore Road

Linslade
Leighton Buzzard

Bedfordshire
LU7 2PA

Tel: 01525 372640 Fax: 01525 851437
School email: ​[email protected]

Website: w​ ww.linsladeac.co.uk

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