Year 9 – HOY End of Spring Term ltr 1.4.2022 (1)

1 April 2022

Dear Parents/Carers
Year 9 – End of Spring Term
This has been a busy term for Year 9 and it seems to have been flown by. During this term students
have selected their GCSE options and our data team are currently processing these options. I would
anticipate that options choices will be confirmed by the end of May, but I would ask for your patience and
understanding with this as it is a very busy time of year for our data team, with PPE’s and the upcoming
exams.
Year 9 have been well represented in extra curricular activities this term and I hope this continues into
next term as they really do benefit from attendance.
ClassCharts data for the majority of Year 9 students has been incredibly positive again this term and this
is reflected in the amount of positives that have been awarded since January. I would like to recognise
those students who turn up day in day out ready for learning and embody our Respect and Pride motto,
well done to you.
As we move to the Summer term, I look forward to seeing how Year 9 will take up different opportunities
that the school has to offer in support of their Character Awards. We will continue to focus on individual
challenges. I am particularly keen to continue promoting students being kind and respectful towards
each other and would remind parents to keep monitoring their social media usage in support of this.
I hope Year 9 students take the time to rest over the Easter break returning ready to continue to follow
our expectations of students at EPCS during the Summer term.
Equipment
The Easter break provides an excellent opportunity to replace and restock your child’s equipment. A
student that is not equipped, causes significant disruption to the learning environment and valuable
learning time is lost as they are not organised. It also means they cannot be successful across the
school day. We ask for your support with this, making sure you have agreed upon and purchased items
to support your child. A personal reading book, their own water bottle and a fully stocked pencil case to
fully engage with their learning are the minimum required. Upon their return to school, students will be
provided with a student handbook and a place to write their timetable in. Stationery equipment can be
purchased from school via your ParentPay account.
Uniform
When we return in April, Summer uniform will apply and students who wish to, may wear an EPCS logo
polo shirt (light blue in colour), no other polo shirts may be substituted. Please note this is an optional
uniform item. If students have outgrown their school shoes, please ensure that these are replaced in
time. If students are without the correct uniform then we ask that you provide them with a dated and
signed note and that the issue is rectified within three days. Students attending school without the
correct uniform and without a qualifying note will have break and lunch time removed until the issue has
been resolved.

Mobile Phones
All students in Year 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 must hand in their mobile phone during morning tutor (Roll Call)
as they are not permitted to have mobile phones in their possession. The phone should be silenced and
notifications turned off. Students arriving late (after Roll Call) will be expected to hand their phone into
Raising Standards for safekeeping. The phone will be collected by the late team when they enter via
reception. If a student is late without a valid reason they will incur a 20 minute late detention to be
served the same day after school.
Parents have agreed to these arrangements as part of the home school agreement so please do not
make any other arrangement with your child. The only exception is made for students who for medical
reasons have a medical monitoring device on their phone (currently 2 students in school). Students
experiencing anxiety are advised to take regular breaks from their phone to support their health and well
being. This is not therefore a reason for them to be keeping a phone on their person. If they need
support we have adults in school to support them. Parents wanting to communicate with their child
during the school day should do so via the school office.
Students who have a planned appointment, for example, the dentist must let their tutor know. They can
collect their phone from the Raising Standards office when they sign out at the Welfare office. When
students arrive late to school after having attended an appointment, they should hand their phone in
when signing in at the Welfare office.
Parents and students should be clear that the misuse of mobile phones will not be tolerated and failure
to hand in their phone will be treated seriously by the school as it is in clear breach of our rules. Misuse
of their mobile phone will be dealt with using the principle of “see it, hear it, and take it”. If a student is
found in possession of a mobile phone between 8.50am and the end of the school day, communication
will be made home and the parent/carer will be responsible for visiting the school to collect the mobile
phone by appointment.
We ask for your support with this and to explain our clear expectations to your child to avoid any conflict
with staff. Full details of the school’s Mobile Phone Policy can be found on the school website. Thank
you for working with us to make sure the rule is applied equitably and fairly to all students and incidents
involving students misuse of phones are minimised.
Medical issues
Please update the school regarding any changes in your child’s medical history that will impact on our
duty of care or compliance with standard school rules. Please email welfare@epschool.org with any
details. Our welfare team will be happy to discuss with you any changes to ongoing conditions or
medication and you should make sure any out of date medicines are replaced if still needed. Epipens
and asthma inhalers need to be checked.
Communications
Please inform the school of any changes in your named contacts (two are needed for legal reasons)
or if any other details have changed, for example your email, mobile phone number or address as it
ensures you receive communications from the school. Please email info@epschool.org. If we need to
get hold of you for any reason it is very important we can do so.
Attendance
We will continue working in partnership with WPA Education Welfare Services in promoting a positive
approach to attendance. Could I please remind parents to contact the school before 8.00am if your child
is unable to attend for any reason. The telephone number of our student absence line is 01344 304567
option 1 or 01344 390824 (direct line) and the e-mail address is attendance@epschool.org. It is likely
that you will receive a telephone call or text message from the school if your child does not arrive and
you have not informed us of the reason. Please respond to this so that records can be kept accurately.
Please note the school is unable to authorise holidays in term time following the DfE criteria even if the
change of date is linked to COVID.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the support you have given over the last term and
we look forward to working with you into the Summer term. We wish you a restful Easter break and we
look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 19 April, at 8.40am (Week A).
Yours faithfully

Miss L Preston
Head of Year 9