www.mersthamparkschool.org HANDBOOK YEAR 7 TRANSITION Merstham Park School PHOTO
Igniting a passion for learning
CONTENTS 2 OVERVIEW WELCOME FROM KEY STAFF AT MERSTHAM PARK SCHOOL Welcome from Head of School - Mr Ward Welcome from Assistant Headteacher - Mrs Strachan Welcome from Head of Year 7 - Mrs Cronin Welcome from SENCo & Assistant Headteacher - Mr Briggs KEY TRANSITION DATES Transition Day PARENT & CARER INFORMATION EVENING MPS Summer School First day at secondary school Liaising with primary schools Support for students with SEND VIRTUAL SCHOOL TOUR Meet the Departments General information Uniform TIMETABLE INFORMATION School day SCHOOL VALUES CLASS CHARTS WELCOME LETTERS FROM CURRENT YEAR 7 STUDENTS! FURTHER INFORMATION 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 17
OVERVIEW We have produced this guide to help ease the transition process so that Year 6 can start to get to know their new school, the sta and students. If you have any questions please email us at: [email protected] We would also encourage you to follow us on social media to see all the great things we do. We are on facebook and also have a lot of information on our website. 3
Welcome from Head of School - Mr Ward WELCOME FROM KEY STAFF AT MERSTHAM PARK SCHOOL A warm welcome to all our new Year 7s to what, I am sure, will be a fantastic 5 years for you here at Merstham Park, or MPS as we refer to ourselves. I am immensely proud to be Head of School and I hope you are excited about joining the MPS family and becoming part of our community. It is likely that a lot of you will be feeling a little nervous about joining your secondary school. This is perfectly normal and is to be expected. Our friendly sta will help to make sure your transition from primary school to MPS is as easy as possible for you. At MPS, our ethos is simple: to ignite a passion for learning in all of our students. We want you to be excited about getting up every morning and coming to school for another day of learning and being the very best that you can be. 4 We are a values driven school and we expect you to model our school values both when at school and on your way to and from school. You will hear a lot more about our values in September. I look forward to meeting you soon. Welcome from Assistant Headteacher - Mrs Strachan Hello new Year 7 students. I am very excited to meet each and every one of you as you begin your transition to secondary school. As Assistant Headteacher I work very closely with the Head of Year 7 and Learning Mentors to ensure that you are happy, safe and well behaved at school, as well as ensuring that you are making progress across all of your subjects. I hope this handbook gives you a avour of what life is like at MPS. We completely understand that the transition from primary to secondary is a nervous time for some of our new students, however once you have met our community of friendly sta and students, I am con dent that you will feel at ease and ready to succeed at MPS!
Welcome from Head of Year 7 - Mrs Cronin Welcome to our new Year 7s! I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with you all as your Head of Year. As your Head of Year, it is my job, along with your Learning Mentor, to support your transition into secondary school. Whether you are excited, nervous or a little bit of both, you are joining a wonderful community that encourages one another to succeed. We already have high expectations of each and every one of you and I am excited to see what your futures hold, and relish the opportunity to be a part of shaping that with you. WELCOME LETTERS FROM CURRENT MPS YEAR 7 STUDENTS 5 Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning Welcome from SENCo & Assistant Headteacher - Mr Briggs Hello Year 7. My name is Mr Briggs and I am an Assistant Headteacher. One of my jobs is to make sure that you get the support you need if you are struggling with your learning, so please do speak to me if you need any extra help. We have a brilliant team of Learning Support Assistants who will be in many of your lessons, and they can help if you are unsure of what to do; they also help before school and after school in Study Space, so do go along and get some support whenever you want!
6 TRANSITION DAY KEY TRANSITION DATES & TRANSITION DAY Transition Day Parent & Carer Transition Evening 6.30 - 7.30 p.m. KEY TRANSITION DATES TUESDAY 27 JUNE TUESDAY 27 JUNE MPS Summer School MONDAY/TUESDAY 24/25 JULY First Day at MPS TUESDAY 5 SEPTEMBER This will take place on Tuesday 27 June 2022 from 9.30 a.m. - 2.30 p.m. You should attend wearing your primary school uniform and bring with you a bottle of water and a pen. Your lunch will be provided for you but if you wish to bring a packed lunch, you are welcome to do so. We are a nut free school so please ensure that any food brought into MPS is free of nuts. Please note: You may also be invited to a separate afternoon of transition if you are coming from one of our small feeder schools or if you have any special educational needs. You will receive an email, as the session is by invitation only.
Parent & Carer Transition Information Evening This Transition Information Evening is for parents and carers and will start promptly at 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday 27 June 2022 in our Main Hall. Please enter using the Community Entrance. There will be a presentation from Mr Ward, our Head of School and Mrs Strachan, our Assistant Headteacher overseeing transition, as well as our Head of Year 7, Mrs Cronin. Liasing with Primary Schools We will be meeting with all of your primary school teachers throughout the summer term before you join us, hopefully in person, but if not, virtually. This will help us to understand your individual needs. By talking to your primary school teachers we can ensure that we are nding out how we can best support you as well as gathering information on your strengths and areas for development. Support for students with SEND Some students with special educational needs may have questions around what support will be o ered to them at MPS. We work very closely with primary school SENCo’s to ensure that as much information as possible is gathered so that students’ needs are met. We would recommend that if you have any additional questions or concerns that you email our SENCo, Mr Briggs, at [email protected] MPS Summer School We will be running a 2 day Summer School with a range of activities on Monday 24 July and Tuesday 25 July 2023. This will be an opportunity for you to meet new friends who will be starting secondary school at the same time! Lunch will be provided, but please remember to bring a bottle of water with you. We would encourage all students to attend. First Day at MPS Your rst day as a Year 7 student will be on Tuesday 5 September 2023. This will be a normal school day starting at 8.45 a.m. You will receive a free school lunch on this day, but if you prefer to bring in your own packed lunch, please ensure that it is nut free. PARENT & CARER TRANSITION INFORMATION EVENING 7 https://forms.gle/6zoQENiPKyzEmwLcA
Art Design & Technology English Integrated teaching Project (ITP) Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Music Physical Education (PE) Science VIRTUAL SCHOOL TOURS & MEETING THE DEPARTMENTS 8 Meet the Departments http://www.mersthamparkschool.org/1379/information-for-prospective-parents https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCinhGUk9P-n_zJBUAoFLPaw http://www.mersthamparkschool.org/568/curriculum-intent Please click through to our YouTube channel here to meet the teachers and get a flavour of all of the departments at MPS. On this channel, you will also be able to see how our new home came to life between July 2021 and August 2022.
GENERAL INFORMATION 9 Uniform Our uniform supplier is YOUR IMAGE who are based on the Holmethorpe Industrial Estate in Redhill. Your Image will supply your blazer, tie, trousers, skirts, jumper and P.E. kit and they can also supply school shirts or blouses. Uniform at MPS is determined by the colour of the house you will be in, so please do not order any uniform until you have been advised about your house. This will be during the week of 15 - 19 May 2023. Your Image will be coming into MPS to carry out uniform ttings on the following days: Tuesday 23 May 2023: 4.00 - 7.00 p.m. Thursday 25 May 2023: 6.00 - 9.00 p.m. Tuesday 6 June 2023: 4.00 - 7.00 p.m. Your Image: 28-30 Holmethorpe Avenue, Redhill, RH1 2NL Tel: 01737 766106 You can order uniform from Your Image’s website: https://yourimageschoolwear.co.uk/school/merstham-park-school/ School shoes must be plain black, sensible leather shoes. Students must not wear canvas shoes or trainer style shoes. Students not wearing appropriate shoes will be loaned alternatives which they will be expected to wear while at school. Students are allowed to wear one pair of small, plain stud or sleeper size earrings in the lobes of their ears and a watch. All jewellery must be removed for PE activities and is brought into school entirely at the student’s own risk. Nose studs and all other types of piercing are not allowed. Students are not allowed to wear rings. Any other jewellery will be con scated until the end of the day. Make up of any description is discouraged and students will be asked to remove any make up which is considered excessive. Nail varnish, gel nails, acrylic nails and other false nails are not allowed. No bandanas, caps or large hair accessories are allowed. Only MPS hoodies are to be worn with our school uniform. All other hoodies will be con scated.
TIMETABLE INFORMATION The two week timetable has 50 hours of lessons running each fortnight, each week containing 25 hours. The weeks are divided into Week 1 and Week 2 and these are clearly laid out on students' timetables. 8.15 Gates open/HW Club (optional) Learning Mentor time Period 1 Period 2 Break time Period 3 Period 4 Lunchtime Period 5 Learning Mentor time Enrichment Activities/HW Club 8.45 - 8.55 8.55 - 9.55 9.55 - 10.55 10.55 - 11.15 11.15 - 12.15 12.15 - 13.15 13.15 - 13.55 13.55 - 14.55 14.55 - 15.15 15.15 - 16.15 SCHOOL DAY 10 Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning
INCLUSION We strive to meet each child’s needs through a personalised, bespoke curriculum We respect each other for our unique characteristics and embrace equality for all We actively strive to support those members of our community who need our support COLLABORATION RESILIENCE We promote leadership skills in our students through involving them in all aspects of school life We promote teamwork and recognising the power of working together We encourage our students to be independently minded whilst respectful of others within the community We inspire a ‘can do’ attitude in our students to support them to overcome challenges We prepare and equip our students for their future, encouraging them to grow, learn and ourish We promote courage and resilience in all members of our community RESPECT We promote an understanding of others views and show consideration towards them We value our learning opportunities and approach them positively We demonstrate respect to all members of our community SUCCESS We encourage all our students to achieve their aspirational goals We have high expectations of our learning community We promote the celebration of shared successes School Values Our School values at MPS are, inclusion, collaboration, resilience, respect and success. All of our values are powerful and have a place in helping us to develop our students into the responsible citizens we desire them to be in this modern world in which we live. As a community focused school, ‘Inclusion’ is the bedrock on which our other values sit. Our desire to educate students in more than simply an academic capacity is clear in our vision at Merstham Park and being a values driven school is a key part of us achieving this. We consider a values driven school to be one which fully embraces its values and expects all members of its school community to model these values. 11 Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning
PHYSICAL EDUCATION Class Charts At MPS we use an application called Class Charts to help you keep track of your achievements, access your behaviour report, view assigned homework tasks and track any detentions you may get. Class Charts for students can be accessed via the Class Charts website, or using iOS and Android apps. You will be given an access code by your teacher when you start at MPS in order to log in. Your parents will also have a code so that they can keep track of your achievements too. Parent Pay Merstham Park School is a cashless school and we request that all payments for school lunches, school trips and after school clubs are made using ParentPay. On starting at MPS, you will be issued with a ParentPay Username and Password which will give you access to your child's account. If your child is having school lunches, you must ensure that their account is always in credit. A school lunch costs £2.34 a day / £11.70 a week. 12 Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning
Our current Year 7 students know that making the jump from primary school to secondary school is a bit scary as well as exciting! These students have experienced the transition and are happy to share their experiences with you via letters they have written. We are very excited to welcome you into MPS in September 2023. In this letter I would like to tell you a little bit about what it is like starting secondary school. Only one year ago I moved primary school to MPS and I felt excited that I am going to a new school, but I also felt a bit nervous; that is normal and remember that everyone is feeling nervous about joining a new school. A few things I really love about MPS is how kind everyone is. All the teachers, and especially your Head of Year are here to help if you are worried or upset. I have found this helpful because I was very nervous at the start of secondary school, but when I talked to somebody, I felt much better. If you feel like you will have no friends here at MPS, do not worry. I made friends within the first two days of starting secondary school and have made more in the time I have been here. My final top tip for starting secondary school would be to just be yourself. People would like you more for who you are and it really doesn't matter if you are not like everybody else, otherwise, if you were, the world would be boring. Good luck starting at MPS! From Daisy WELCOME LETTERS FROM CURRENT MPS YEAR 7 STUDENTS 13
Dear new Year 7, We are looking forward to welcoming you to MPS in September 2023. In this letter I want to tell you a little bit about what it is like starting secondary school. Only last year I moved from primary school to MPS and I felt nervous because I had to talk to new people. We have Learning Mentor groups and I am in Priory, which is red. There is also: Buckland = Purple, Earlswood = Turquoise, Gatton = Yellow, Mercers = Blue and Nutfield = Green. If you are good you get awarded house points and that is a good thing as these can build up to vouchers. I found having house points is good because it helps you control your actions because you don’t want to be getting any negative points!! From Mason Dear new Year 7, We are looking forward to welcoming you to MPS in September 2023, in this letter I want to tell you a little bit about what it is like starting secondary school. Only last year I moved from primary school to MPS and I felt really nervous as I didn’t know anyone. Fast forward to now and I have loads of amazing friends. A few things I really like about MPS are the lessons as they are really interesting and my friends. If you are unsure about something you can always ask our student leaders or a teacher. My final top tip for starting secondary school would be to talk to lots of people in your year and find people that like the same thing as you. From Joe 14 Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning
Dear new Year 7 student, We are looking forward to welcoming you to MPS in September 2023. In this letter I want to tell you a little bit about what it is like starting secondary school. Only last year I moved from primary school to MPS and I felt nervous, terrified and scared to come in, but as soon as I got here I knew I was safe and I was going to make loads of friends and you will too! A few things I really love about MPS are how helpful and nice the teachers are and how well they will help you and I know you would definitely like them. I have found that making friends and helping people is helpful because it's nice to do things for others! I hope this is helpful! From Macie Dear new Year 7, We are looking forward to welcoming you to MPS in September 2023. In this letter I want to tell you about what it is like starting secondary school. Only last year I moved from primary school to MPS and I felt nervous. A few things I really love about MPS are the teachers. I have found lessons helpful because it improves your knowledge. If you are unsure about something you can always ask the teachers. My final top tip for starting secondary school would be try your best in every lesson! From Cayden 15 Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning
16 Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning We are looking forward to welcoming you to MPS in September 2023, in this letter I want to tell you a little bit about what it is like starting secondary school. Only last year I moved from primary school to MPS and I felt extremely nervous but then realised there is nothing to be worried about. A few things I really love about MPS are the teachers and the students, all the teachers are really supportive and all of the students are really kind. I also love the app Classcharts because it's easy to do your homework because they tell you what to do on Classcharts. Classcharts is where teachers set homework. I have found Classcharts and Google classroom really helpful because it is really easy to access homework. If you are unsure about anything when you join MPS you can always talk to your Learning Mentor because you are with them two times a day. All Learning Mentors are very supportive, if you have any questions or worried about anything, don’t be afraid to talk to them. My final top tip for starting secondary school would be to be organised, when you get homework do it straight away, make sure you have all your equipment, make sure you have the correct uniform, if you are organised you won’t be told off or get any detentions! From Oliver
FURTHER INFORMATION 17 We have developed this transition handbook in order to give some certainty and reassurance for students who are due to start at MPS in September 2023. We are looking forward to visiting lots of you in your primary schools. We are proud of our fantastic pastoral team who will do their utmost to ensure that you have the best transition experience possible. Have a great summer when it arrives and we look forward to meeting you at the Transition Day on Tuesday 27 June 2023, at MPS Summer School on Monday 24 July and Tuesday 25 July 2023 and on Tuesday 5 September 2023 for your rst day at MPS. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact: transition@mersthamparkschool.org Merstham Park School Igniting a passion for learning
Igniting a passion for learning
Merstham Park School Head of School: Andy Ward 01737 919 491 Taynton Drive, Merstham, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 3PU [email protected] www.mersthamparkschool.org GLF An Academy within GLF Schools Find out more www.mersthamparkschool.org Follow us on twitter.com/mersthampark