PHYSICS

 Eight sixth form Physics students attended the Robinson Prize Lecture for Cosmology, at the University of Newcastle, entitled “Why is the Universe Biofriendly?”.  Lecturer and award recipient, Professor Paul Davies, is a world-renowned expert and is currently Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University.  He chose to discuss the link between Physics, cosmology and spirituality and the issues that lead us to question why our universe is “designed” – the hand of creation.  He offered proof of such since if, for example, a proton has just a little more mass then it would be more stable than the neutron and the heavier elements, of which we are all made, would have never come into existence.  It was a fascinating talk and left as many questions and “floating ideas” as it answered.  A brief dip into the concept of the Multiverse brought us all up to date.  After the lecture, there was a book signing and Tony Tang and Michael Chan took the opportunity to “grill” the professor on advanced aspects in Physics and Quantum Physics; the irony that in these sort of studies the incredibly large and the incredibly small are each as important as the other.  The other students participating, George and Michael Don Chima, Ken Xu, Daulet Alzhanov and David Roper made up for their shyness at the lecture when, at the Chinatown meal afterwards, the group animatedly discussed all aspects of the lecture, with some points proving controversial, humourous and/or stimulating.  The group discussion was made more interesting by the multicultural background of the students with each contributing their own ideas about the significance of this branch of cosmology and Prof Davies’ lecture points.

 CAROL SERVICE

The school’s annual Carol service took place at St.Michael’s Church, Dalston on Friday 2^nd  December. The headmaster, Mr N Rice, welcomed parents to the service and thanked St Michael’s P.C.C. for their help and support. The Rev. Steve Carter began the service by leading the congregation in prayer. Traditional carols were interspersed with a variety of songs, readings and the nativity. The main reading was ‘The Christmas Truce’ read by Jamie Charnley, Charlie Bruno and Angus Johnstone. This was a new poem written for Armistice Day, 11^th November 2011. The Senior School Choir sang ‘Wherever you will go’ by Alex Band, Aaron Kamin and Oliver Hutterer. This year’s Christmas Nativity, ‘All you need is love’ written by Benjamin Batt, was performed by the Junior School and with the narration delivered by Amy Brennan and Emily Allan from Year 7. The service ended with the blessing.  Parents were then invited to the Christmas Fayre at school. Many thanks go to all those taking part and also to the staff and parents who helped pupils with their preparations

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

Last weekend began with Years 10 and above completing practice exams on Saturday morning.  Years 9 and below enjoyed a morning at AMF Bowling and then after lunch continued the fun when Mr Adkins took the youngest pupils out for a spot of tuck shopping.  The older pupils decided to spend the day either relaxing around school or taking the opportunity to do some private study – only stopping for a trip to the supermarket to also replenish their supplies of tuck.  Sunday began with a swimming trip, but the highlight of the weekend was another trip to Dumfries Ice Bowl with over 30 boarders signing up.  The rink was once again not too busy so our pupils had plenty of room to practise their manoeuvres.  Unfortunately, some of these were at ‘ice’ level!  We left with no injuries and lots of smiles. Throughout the weekend, the TV room, Games room and ICT room were made available to the pupils as was the Sports Hall which tends to be popular with the older boys. 

Monday 12^th December

ROCK NIGHT

 During the last week of term a charity concert was held at the ‘Brickyard’ in Carlisle. The event was organised by sixth form students Keleigh Gray, Joanne Fung, Esther Tsang and Ray Tsang. All four are involved in the BTech Subsidiary Diploma  Music Performing course and they were helped by their Music teacher, Miss Hiekka. The event allowed them all to gain valuable experience in various roles that they were not familiar with.

 The ‘Rock Night’ was held in aid of the Eden Valley Hospice and the organisers were keen to raise funds for the Eden House itself. Through this event and talks in the school there has been an increased awareness of the work of the hospice in caring for terminally ill children and this became something close to the hearts of the organisers and the school..

 The ‘turnout’ at the concert was great and the organisers would like to thank all those pupils, parents, staff and the general public who attended and helped to raise funds.  Funds were raised before the event through concerts in school, a non-uniform day and raffles through the PTA who the organisers would also like to thank.

 There were many performers and the more nervous were well supported by the audience who offered huge encouragement to everyone. Five talented bands played for over two hours with some excellent performances and all deserve the school’s appreciation.

 The event also attracted several sponsors and the organisers would like to thank; Mountelm, David Allan,  Metcalfe Coaches, Border Food Ltd and Roy Hetherington for their support. Together the four organisers managed to raise £1000 for the Eden Valley Hospice (Eden House) and to be congratulated for their efforts. They in turn, would like to thank Miss Hiekka for all her support.

 JUNIOR SCHOOL

 Infants, Juniors and Year 7 travelled to the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick to see their production of ‘The Firework Maker’s Daughter.’ Having just read the book and focussed in Literacy upon the key characters the children were quickly absorbed by the performance. In particular they commented upon the way in which ‘Hamlet’ was brought to life, the effects of the music, the lighting and their obvious enjoyment of the humour created by Rambashi’s hapless band.

The junior schools annual Christmas party was held in school on Tuesday 6^th December. This year’s fancy dress theme was ‘TV, book or film’ characters. The winners were Amber Hetherington from Mrs Hewitt’s class dressed as Sponge bob square pants, Carrina Rogerson from Mrs Gate’s class dressed as Hermione from Harry Potter, Teddy Swire from Mr Thompson’s class dressed as Homer Simpson as the overall winner was Mirren Pinkerton from Mr Thompsons dressed as Shaun the Sheep.  The children enjoyed playing lots of different party games before having a party tea in the dining room.  After returning from their party tea each of the children were presented with a present from Santa.   Thanks to all the parents for the wonderful costumes and the staff and students for helping at the party.

 CHRISTMAS FAYRE

 Many parents, pupils and teachers attended the Christmas Fayre which was held after the Carol Service. Mulled wine and mince pies were available on arrival at the school and various raffles were held during the course of the evening. The PTA had prepared several stands and Mrs Green and Year 11 pupils provided a variety of extremely tasteful confectionaries. The tombola proved popular with the pupils but staff were careful to ensure that the bottles of wine and spirits they had won were passed directly to their parents. An extremely sociable and happy event ended at about 8.30pm with over £800 being raised to support school funds. Many thanks to all those PTA members, staff and pupils who helped on the night.

 PARENTS’ EVENINGS

 Next term’s Parents’ Evenings will take place on Wednesday 11^th January ( Juniors and Years 7 to 10) and Thursday 12^th January (Years 11 to 13). Both meetings begin at 4.30pm with staff remaining in the school until 7.30pm for those parents arriving later in the evening. A sixth-from presentation for parents and pupils in Year 11 will be held in the Geography room @ 4.30pm on the Thursday evening. This presentation was delivered to pupils in Year 11 earlier this term and is being repeated for the benefit of all parents.

CONCERT

Year 13 Btec Music group organised a Non- Uniform day as part of their fundraising project for Eden Valley Hospice in Carlisle. A total of £210 was made, a big thank you to everyone for their support!

To continue fundraising, Keleigh Gray, Joanne Fung, Esther and Ray Tsang are putting together a Rock Night on the 5^th December. The concert is at Brickyard, Carlisle, starting 7pm. Tickets are sold in aid of Eden Valley Hospice, charity number 1008796. Bands and soloists from years 9-13 will be performing a variety of rock, pop and dance music. Tickets can be purchased from the school office or directly from Eden Valley Hospice, all donations are welcome!

MULTI CULTURAL COUNCIL

The school’s Multi Cultural group were involved in their first event of the term – helping to distribute ‘toffee apples’ to members of the school last friday. This exposed all overseas pupils to one aspect of our particular culture which they all found to be quite amusing especially the difficult task of actually eating the apples (photographs attached). Two further events planned for this term are a celebration of Kazakstan Day and the preparation of various continental foods for the Christmas Fayre in December. This year’s elected council members are Gabriella Perez (Spain – Chairperson), Alexandra Sulzmaier (Germany – Secretary), Chloe Oake (UK), Jan Svoboda (Czech Republic), Michael Don Chima (Nigeria) Yuanbo Tang (China), Keleigh Gray (UK), Daulet Alzhanov (Kazakstan), Josef Kovarik (Czech Republic), Joanne Fung (Hong Kong), Anaid TItoyan (Russia), Aly Said (Egypt) and Emily Wroblewska (Poland).

PREFECTS’ LUNCH 

The hard work and commitment of all the Prefects in the school is to be commended.  The Head Prefects, Chloe, Michael, Sam and Keleigh, ensure all duties run smoothly and the sixth form Prefects themselves are to be congratulated on their effectiveness and reliability.  Their presence at break and lunch times is welcomed by staff and the attendance of the Form Prefects at morning registration is appreciated by form teachers.   These supervisory roles have enabled them to be involved in the running of the school and earned them respect from the younger pupils. 

It must also be mentioned that the Prefects are assisted by the excellent team of House Prefects, who are selected from Year 11.  These pupils help by being on duty in various corridors within the school during breaks, correcting uniform throughout the day when necessary and delivering mail. 

 A SPECTACULAR SPECTACLE!

On Saturday, 5^th November the Junior Boarding School were taken to the Dalston Fire Show. It as a great night with an amazing Bonfire and Fireworks. Many thanks to the Dalston Recreation Association for hosting this event.

The same evening the Senior Boarding School were taken to Carlisle to see the Fire Show. It was a very successful night with everyone enjoying themselves – despite the ’foggy’ conditions. Many thanks to the PTA for supplying the coach and refreshments. 

16^th November 2011

JUNIOR SCHOOL

The junior assembly held on Friday 4^th November focussed on Bonfire night.  The juniors listened to the story about Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot understanding that this is how the tradition originated.  We then looked at the firework safety code and discussed the importance of following this on bonfire night.

The infants held the junior school class assembly this week.  The focus for this assembly was ‘Healthy Eating and Food.’  The children emphasised the importance on eating a healthy, balanced diet and how each group of food is essential is maintaining this.  The lower and upper juniors were invited to take part in the assembly by putting images of different foods in to groups and the infants enjoyed rewarding them with house points.

 ANTI BULLYING WEEK

All members of the school have been heavily involved in work related to anti-bullying week. The aim was to highlight the uniqueness of the individual and to show how our differences make us who we are and therefore should be admired and celebrated. The whole school were invited to an assembly on Wednesday given by members of Years 5, 6 and 7. This was seen as a celebration of ‘Unique Me!’ Day.

The theme in all lessons was uniqueness and bullying. The Mathematics department had conducted questionnaires with all members of the school as well as parents. These are being analysed over the coming two weeks. In English, the appearance of bullying in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was discussed for speaking and listening assessment and prose writing. The Japanese poem ‘Create Haiku’, based upon bullying issues, formed part of Year 12’s A level English work. Years 7 to 9 created posters and played an educational game on being ‘special’. Geography lessons looked at inequalities around the world, child labour and the techniques used by countries of the Developed World and Multi-National Companies to exploit other regions of the world. Students studying German tried to identify the ‘Perfect European’ which involved an understanding of the uniqueness of people all over Europe in terms of their cultures, religion, foods and traditions. The theme of food was further developed for the day in Home Economics. How does where you live, peer group pressure and social factors affect food choices were some of the questions raised? Junior School children made muffins with happy and unhappy faces and finally a unique design and, Year 9 pupils looked at the staple foods of people around the world before making their own unique pizza.  The Science department took the opportunity to examine the influence of genes and hormones on us and how this makes us all unique. The menstrual cycle, individual growth rates, digestion, crone’s disease, coleac intolerance, lactose intolerance and food allergies were among those topics discussed. Many thanks go to all staff and pupils for all their hard work during this very important week.

23^rd November 2011

Junior School Assembly

The Junior School held an assembly about anti-bullying week.

The Senior School were invited along, and we came in listening to the Sugababes music video “Ugly” which consisted of a large variety of people doing unique things and showing us how it’s good to be different. Children got up and said what anti-bullying week was all about, and the importance of recognising and preventing bullying and how it is good to be yourself. They showed some celebrities that had been bullied during school; among them was Pierce Brosnan, Sandra Bullock and Tom Cruise, and they made the point that these people overcame being bullied and went on to be very successful. The children then got up in front of a backdrop that said “bullying hurts, inside and out” and recited the different forms of bullying like verbal and cyber bullying among many others. They also told us about Snowflakes, and how they all look the same, yet each one is completely unique in its own way. Then some of the Juniors did a short scenario set in a school playground about cyber-bullying. A girl had been receiving hurtful texts, her friends advised her to go to a teacher. The teacher then went to the girl who had sent the texts to see her side of the story, the girl confessed to sending the texts and then admitted that she was jealous of the other girl and her new phone, and just wanted to make her feel bad. Then the children stood before a new backdrop which read “words are truly powerful” and read out poems they had written about joy and happiness and what constitutes them.

All of them stood up to sing a song called “123 it’s good to be me” accompanied by the Piano, the song had actions and all of them sang it enthusiastically. They then said a short Prayer, thanking God for the people who listened and helped the victims of bullying. To finish off they discussed the rights and responsibilities of those who have been bullied, are bullies or those who are there to help stop bullying. They then showed us a quote by Lady Gaga “you have to be unique and different and shine in your own way” then we all got up to leave with Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way” playing in the background.

To celebrate ‘Unique Me!’ day the children in Lower Junior’s wrote and word-processed 10 fascinating facts about themselves and displayed these on a poster along with a picture of themselves.  They also looked at children’s eye colour in maths, recording this onto a tally chart and then recording the information onto a graph.  They completed a piece of work answering different questions about themselves and finished with a discussion on bullying, what they thought it was and if they had felt bullied at any time. This was an interesting and thought provoking exercise for all the children and staff. Some weeks ago the children had completed questionnaires on their experiences of bullying; the upper juniors used statistics gathered then to draw graphs and to discuss the significance of this information. They also wrote emotive poetry to try and express how they felt in unhappy situations as well as discussing the many different kinds of discrimination in society. The Infants have also thought about different forms of bullying, how children display these and the sorts of things we can do to stop bullying in school.  They talked about how each of the children was different and the types of things such as hobbies that make us special; they were encouraged to find positive things to say about one-another. They also collected information about children’s hair and eye colour, using ICT to put this data into pictograms.

Junior School visited Carlisle Cathedral recently.  We were shown around the cathedral looking at different artefacts inside and outside to reinforce work the children had been doing in Religious Education.  The children were shown where different ceremonies were carried out and how the building had changed over the years.  They visited the treasury to look at the different treasures that had been found.  We would like to say a big thank you to Mrs Boumfrey for her continued support showing us around once again.

30^th November 2011

GEOGRAPHY

Last week Mr. Robinson, ably assisted by Mr. Wroblewska took year ten on a field trip to St. Bees as part of their GCSE studies on coasts. They were blessed with clear blue sky and sunshine after a rather dark and wet journey to get there.  They spent most of the day studying different aspects of the coastline including longshore drift and coastal defences. They collected a variety of data to measure the different processes. It was very use to apply the theory out in the field and to see the impact of coastal defences on the cliffs. Stephanie Kwok (from Hong Kong) had never been to a beach before, so at the end of the day she was instructed, with the assistance of Molly Paterson, in the art of making sandcastles with a bucket and  spade purchased from the café. However, Mr. Robinson could not resist the urge to get involved and added practical advice as well as physical construction. A very successful day and lots of good geography.

TRIP TO MANCHESTER CITY

 Once again a coach load of 47 pupils enjoyed a day out at the Etihad Stadium for some training followed by a match – Manchester City v Newcastle.  Pupils aged from 9 to 18 years had some football coaching at the new training grounds where Jonathan Roome and Jack Silver were pointed out as being particularly talented! Despite the millions they offered for them, I explained that they were needed for the school teams.  Daniel Richardson, the school’s U16 goalkeeper, was lucky enough to receive one-to-one goalkeeper training.   All pupils were given a poster of the Manchester City football team.

 After lunch, pupils visited the shop and enjoyed some pre-match entertainment before taking their seats.  The match was an exciting one with pupils enjoying the atmosphere and taking part in the ‘Poznan dance’ after every City goal.  We were lucky enough to see Mario Balotelli’s penalty and then two minutes later, Micah Richards’ goal.  The only disappointment of the day was not that Newcastle scored a goal, but the announcement that there were no chips available at half time!  The final score of 3-1 made up for that.

 All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day.  Some of them were experiencing this for the first time and were surprised by how much they enjoyed it.  It must also be mentioned that the head coach mentioned how polite, well-behaved and appreciative our pupils were when training.  

 Many thanks go to Mrs Bradley, Mr Sayer and Mr Thompson, and also the Prefects present, as they all made the day possible.

 ENGLISH

On Sunday 20^th November, pupils from A level English Language and A level Literature classes went to see a production of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” at The Sands Centre, Carlisle. “This vicious, barbaric… and blood-thirsty production” was performed by the Icarus Theatre Company, currently on a nation- wide tour.

 The 6^th Form students, afterwards in the classroom, constructively criticized the play and evaluated the whole performance.

As everyone knows, there are not many laughs in Macbeth, but the Porter scene, Act two, scene 3, was particularly entertaining. Macbeth, the main protagonist, had a strong voice and every word was well enunciated; perhaps he could afford to be strong, as all the other actors had four to five roles to present, which at times, the students commented were confusing. However, they enjoyed the fight scenes, which they said were well choreographed and the actors took advantage of all the stage space. When asked about their views of the setting, expectations of fairy tale castles and dark woods were dashed, as the modern take on settings are abstract and minimalist, using lighting systems for atmospheric effects and a little dry ice. Once they realised there would be no scenery shifting, they remarked on how a little imagination could go a long way; just as in Shakespeare’s day!

 DRAMA

To end Anti –Bullying week, 6^th Formers, Ruth Chamberlain and Charlotte Kennedy, supervised by drama teacher Mrs Robbins, taught a drama session with Bullying as its theme.

The English AS students wrote a lesson plan which divided the key stage 3 pupils into groups. Each group was given an individual scenario. Pupils that are usually confident and assertive were given the roles of victims; those pupils, who are less assertive, were given the roles of bullies.

The outcome, at the end of the lesson in a whole class evaluation, was that it was difficult to be in role as a character that was the antithesis of their nature, but it also gave an insight in how it feels to be a bully and to be bullied.

Ruth and Charlotte commented how they had enjoyed the challenge of teaching drama and it reminded them of how much they missed not studying the subject any longer.

School Sport:

Saturday 1st October – Lime House U13 Girls Hockey lost 1-2 to their counterparts from St Bees. Throughout the game, Vicky Bruno and May Percival were a constant thorn in the St Bees defence, but the team was unable to convert sufficient chances, while St Bees were far more clinical at the opposite end.

Monday 3rd October – Lime House U11 Girls Hockey took part in a seven a side tournament organised by Austin Friars/St Monicas. In thie first game, they emerged victorious 2-0 against St Monicas, before being defeated by a strong Casterton side by 0-2. Other matches resulted in a goalless draw against Windermere, a 0-1 defeat against Mowdon Hall and a 1-2 defeat against Hunter Hall. All the players were commended by Mr Bills for their efforts, with standout performances coming from Beau Studholme (Yr5) and Abbie Spittle (Yr5) on her debut.

Wednesday 5th October – Lime House 1st XI Girls Hockey defeated St Bees 2nd XI by 2-0. With a much changed lineup from last season, the 1st XI approached their first fixture this season with some foreboding. After a reasonable first half played into a strong wind, the side regrouped at half-time. A much stronger second-half performance tested the well organised St Bees defence and forced the St Bees goalkeeper into a number of good saves. Alice Chamberlain (Yr10) made a number of probing runs down the right-wing, which resulted in the award in a number of penalty corners. One of these was eventually converted by Alice Murray (Yr12) with a powerfully driven shot in the bottom of the goal. The second goal arrived soon after. The St Bees defence cleared the ball into the path of Vanessa Wroblewska (Yr11), who placed her shot into the bottom left corner. The whole team deserved credit for their effort, but a special mention should be made of Anaid Titoyan (Yr10), Vicky Bruno, May Percival and Sarah Saint (all Yr8) who all made their 1st XI debuts, playing against pupils who were a minimum of three years older than themselves.

National Poetry Day

To celebrate National Poetry Day last Thursday, some groups devoted their lesson to various poets. Year 7 studied “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth and have been challenged to learn at least one stanza by heart; Year 8 have been doing some creative writing on “The Listeners” and “Someone” by Walter de la Mare and Year 9 have extended their reading of “Private Peaceful” by Michael Morpurgo with an analysis of the “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen. The year 10 group, including our overseas pupils, grappled with the Scottish dialect of “To a mouse” by Robert Burns which has greatly enhanced their understanding of their GCSE set text “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck.

Assemblies

The junior school class assembly this week was led by the infant’s class.  The assembly theme was ‘seasons’ as this is what we have been learning about in class over the last few weeks.  The lower and upper juniors were welcomed to the assembly by Bruno Studholme.   In class the infants had created some seasonal pictures and had written sentences to read out.   Each child then showed different props and clothing and the juniors had to guess which season they were from.   Niamh Marshall ended the assembly by reading a poem titled ‘The haymaker’. 

Army Careers Exhibition at Alcar

The Army Careers Exhibition was again this year a big success with thousands of pupils from around the north of England getting a chance to browse round and enjoy the stands, displays and demonstrations at the event. This year a total of 60 students from Lime House School attended getting a chance to take part in Military vehicle tours, tackle the Mini Assault course challenge, take some pot shots on the Paintball range and enjoy some of the more exciting activities that although not for everyone were enjoyed by most. The climbing tower, aerial ropeway and mini motorbike were great fun but not for the faint hearted and just as entertaining to watch as students queued to get their chance. The day was enjoyed by all and the pupils from Lime House School seem to be all ready looking forward to next year. Well done all and thanks to all the Armed Forces for all their efforts in arranging such and enjoyable and informative event.

Activities

Over the weekend, the main activities offerered to boarding pupils included a trip by students to Whinlatter ‘Wild Play,’ which is a new facility built at Whinlatter Visitor Centre targeted at children aged 7-12. Other students decided to participate in music activities, swimming and cinema trips, while new pupils in Year Nine and Year Ten were given the opportunity to visit Maryport Aquarium.

Monday 19th October

ASSEMBLIES

This weeks Upper Junior Assembly centred around recent descriptive work covered during Literacy. Narrated by Leon Turner, it began with a series of ghostly character descriptions of a highwayman and his steed, a beheaded Tudor nobleman and a one-legged sailor. Noah Dalgliesh, Alex Juhoor, John Coulthard and Elizabeth Coulthard read out their diamont poems based upon interesting animals, contrasting one with another. The audience were encouraged to participate having been given a series of adjectives as clues to favourite foods and famous people. Daniel Blaylock and Mirren Pinkerton showed us how best to describe our changing moods. The audience was bemused when a thief ran into the assembly hall and pinched the narrator’s script. They proved to be very observant witnesses however, successfully describing what she was wearing. The closing prayer focussed minds upon the beauty and power of words. 

DEBATES

7T’s debate last week argued the motion: pupils should be allowed to wear non-uniform in school and show their individuality.  The class was evenly split to deliver its arguments although, perhaps surprisingly,  there were a few more arguments against this motion than there were for it.  The Year 7 pupils did a marvellous job in looking at both sides of the argument, as initially many were in favour of wearing non-uniform but once they considered other factors, such as the importance of looking smart and tidy if we all wore the same uniform and how this can be a valued lesson for life, they were able to make more informed decisions. All pupils have to be commended for delivering their arguments clearly and concisely, but special praise has to go to Joseph Marrs and Amy Brennan who did a wonderful job in answering questions from the floor.  The votes were then cast, and it was very surprising to see the motion was defeated unanimously as all members voted against it.  Pupils obviously see the advantages of wearing school uniform!

THE PHYSICS OF SUPERHEROES

Some of Lime House School’s sixth form Physics students, George Don Chima, Michael Don Chima,  Samuel Ho, Alzhanov Daulet,  Clement Hung,  Ringo, Ken Xu and Tony Tang were fortunate to be able to attend the recent Institute of Physics lecture held at Westlakes Science and Technology Park in West Cumbria.  Professor Alan Davies, a mathematics lecturer at University of Hertfordshire, started his lecture by informing  a large audience that his motivation to develop his lecture had been provided to satisfy students demanding that their physics modeling examples be made more “true to life”.  He developed a lecture showing how the feats of various superheroes (has anyone heard of Vanishing Violet? ) could be tested with Physics.  The students gasped with horror when he “proved” that Spiderman had “killed” his girlfriend by imposing un-survivable G-forces on her with his web-rescue.  It was an extremely enjoyable and entertaining lecture and Clement made certain that Ms Bradley knew that they, too, felt she should give them “true-to-life” examples such as the feats and exploits of Superman and his fellow Superheroes!  What better way to spend and evening than being entertained by mathematics and physics.

JUNIOR SCHOOL

The year 3 / 4 class assembly was about Diwali the festival of light.  The children made divas lamps from clay to show everyone.  They explained the different ways that people celebrate the festival of Diwali.  They linked Diwali with other festivals that use light to celebrate and showed pictures of fireworks using powerful adjectives to describe their firework.

The Junior school went on a trip to Carlisle Castle. They learnt about different aspects of Castle life.  A workshop was held by the heritage team about medieval food and how a person became a Knight.  Some of the children were able to dress as a knight and a spit boy.  The experience was linked with a trip round the castle looking at different aspects of how a castle was built.

Monday 31st October

Poetry Club

The first meeting of poetry club discussed the meaning of poetry and how its condensed language can convey in a few lines to its reader a spectrum of emotions, from laughter to reflection: the world view to introspection.

The group then worked on the poetic device of alliteration, to form tongue-twisters. Maggie Lo, year 9, meditated on a melange of meaningful and meaningless musings to entertain her friends.

Next we concentrated on concrete poems, not as heavy as you might think- these are shaped poems which reflect the subject matter.

Latterly, due to this hallowed time, we are studying themes and ideas connected with the gothic genre, and using extracts of Tennyson’s “The Kraken” and “In Memoriam”, in addition Browning’s ”The Laboratory” as models before we create our own gothic poetry.

Infants & Lower Juniors

On Tuesday 18^th October the infants and lower juniors visited Pizza Express in Carlisle for a pizza making workshop.   The restaurant managaer welcomed the children and explained what they would be doing.  Each child enjoyed making their own base by patting and stretching out the dough before placing this on a tray.  They then decided which toppings they would add to their pizza before these were put into the oven to cook.  Afterwards all the children enjoyed eating a slice of their own pizza before returning back to school where they ate the rest for lunch.  A special thanks to the staff at Pizza Express, Kate and Rachel, for making this trip so enjoyable.

FRIDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER

SATURDAY MORNING EXAMINATIONS

The first session of Saturday morning examinations began on September 17^th. All pupils in Years 10 and above will be given past GCSE, AS and A2 papers as part of their preparation for national examinations at the end of their courses. It is important that day pupils, as well as boarding pupils attend so that they can quickly become accustomed to the examination invigilation process. All parents have been sent a copy of the examination timetable and one is available on the main school notice board in the entrance hall.

EVENING ACTIVITIES

All boarding pupils have commenced their evening activity programme (4.30 pm – 5.30 pm) that is also available to day pupils. The programme of events is as follows: Mondays: Mixed Netball (Years 7 to 11), Film Making (Juniors – Year 9), Jewellery Making (Any Year), Cooking (Years 7 to 9) and GCSE ICT (Year 11 Boarders) Tuesdays: Craft Club (Juniors – Year 9), Level 2 Food Safety in Cooking (Year 10 +), Art & Textiles Club (Any Year), Junior Hockey (Years 4 – and GCSE & A Level Chemistry ‘Drop In’

Wednesdays: Badminton & Tennis (Any Year), Poetry Club (Any Year), Computer Club (Years 7 – 9) and Chess Club (Any Year) Thursdays: Fitness Club (Any Year), Senior Hockey (Years 9 – 13), Football (Juniors – Year 7), Drama Games (Juniors – Year 7),

Knitting Scarves (Any Year), Cooking (Years 7 – 9), GCSE ICT (Year 11 Boarders).

Day pupils are also welcome to join in with the Saturday morning activities (9.00 am – 12 noon) that are altered every weekend.

EVENING HOMEWORK SESSIONS

Once again, the evening homework sessions are proving popular with day pupils. Pupils in Years 10 and above can join these supervised sessions from 4.30 pm to 6.00 pm, Monday to Thursday. Pupils in Years 9 and below have supervised homework from 6.00 pm until 7.00 pm after attending an evening activity and supper. Day pupils in Years 9 and below can attend the earlier homework session although some are now staying behind for activities, supper and homework. On Friday evenings all pupils attend an early evening homework session. Years 9 and below (4.30 pm – 5.30 pm) and Years 10 and above (4.30 pm – 6.00 pm). Once again, day pupils are encouraged to attend, leaving the weekend completely free of any homework commitments.

OPEN MORNING

The school is holding an Open Morning on Saturday 24^th September from 10.00am until 1.00pm. Interested parents are more than welcome to bring their children along with them. This event is open to children of all ages within the Junior & Senior schools. Examples of pupil’s work, courses offered and teaching materials used will be available. Children will be able to join in with a range activities involving our present pupils. Members of the teaching staff as well as some pupils will conduct tours of the school throughout the morning. Any parents wishing to attend should contact the school office to register (01228 710225).

NEW PUPILS

The new term has started with the arrival of many new day pupils throughout both the junior and senior schools. A very warm welcome was extended to the new overseas boarding students who have travelled from all over the world to attend the school. This term has seen new arrivals from Egypt, Nigeria, USA, Spain, Kazakstan, Macau, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Russia and Iran. The school’s cross-cultural committee will be meeting for the first time next week with pupil’s eager to learn of the customs, foods, festivals and events experienced in those parts of the world our new boarders come from.

FRIDAY 30th SEPTEMBER

Activities

Junior Hockey Activity: Mr Bills has been pleased with the response of pupils within the Junior School and Year Seven to the Junior Hockey Activity. The emphasis has been placed upon developing individual and team skills, within an enjoyable environment. This has been aided by the voluntary contributions of Alice Murray (Yr12) and Emily Harrison (Yr11), who have willingly given up their free time to assist in the coaching of younger pupils.

A number of fixtures against other schools have already been arranged at both U11 and U12 age groups. Some pupils will also be selected to represent the school at U13, alongside their counterparts from Year Eight. So far, there has been much promise shown by Hope Cloy who has worked hard at developing her goalkeeping skills.

Mr Thompson’s teacher led assembly focussed upon Autumn. Infants, Lower and Upper Juniors came together to think about the characteristics of Autumn. A selection of images served to highlight Autumnal features of the countryside and to help the children understand its place in the farming calendar and to appreciate harvestime. Naturally, changing weather characteristics featured, though the recent unseasonal heatwave may well have cast some doubt about Mr Thompson’s ideas.

One of the many activities on offer on a Monday evening is Cookery club. So far the group who consist of junior and year 7 pupils have made a variety of pizza’s, fresh fruit cocktail kebabs and mars bar cake. Nicole Gray, who is a year 11 Home Economics GCSE pupil, has given invaluable support to the group. The next thing we will make is

fruit scones.

The last weekend in September was a very busy time for the Boarders and those Day Pupils who chose to join us.

On Saturday we had an Open Morning which involved many of the Junior and Lower School students. The Senior School were treated to an ‘historical tour of Carlisle’ and then had ‘free time’ in the city to have lunch and shop.

On Sunday the Junior School and Year 7, after swimming at The Pools, spent the day at Trotters World of Animals. The ‘hands on’ approach at Trotters was thoroughly appreciated by the group.

The older students went to Keswick to sample its delights. The day was a great success for all concerned. Our new intake of ‘Overseas Students’ were particularly captivated by Derwent Water and the beautiful Lakeland Town.

Once back at school, the Senior School watched a film on the school’s new cinema screen whilst the Juniors and Lower School played Bingo.

Assemblies

Year 9 delivered the first form assembly of the new academic year. The assembly was based on ‘All about me.’ Each member of the form took it in turns to inform the lower school about the things they enjoyed and the things they are good at. A few of the things 9H enjoyed doing were horse riding, ice skating, playing and watching football and listening to music. Emma and Maggie played a short piece on the piano and Zoe entertained us by performing a jazz routine.

The theme for the junior school assembly this week was ‘the power of smiling’.  We talked about what makes us smile and how happy times are shared with our family and friends.  Children participated by saying what made them happy giving reasons why. The children watched a power point presentation about how smiling had a positive effect on both our own lives and others around us.  We closed the assembly by thinking about different ways we could make someone else smile over the weekend.

 Charlotte Kennedy in Year 11 took part in the Cross Country National English Schools championship in Nottingham. She qualified for this event as she won the City championship and came 2^nd in the County competition. At the national Charlotte finished a respectable 77^th out of 350. Previously she had also been scouted for Northern England. She is now training for her track season and she aims to qualify for the English Schools Athletics Championship at Gateshead in July.

 Also hoping to do well is Kerry Regan in year 7. Kerry also represented the City and County in Cross Country earlier this year and is hoping to follow in Charlotte’s footsteps and gain Country representation in Athletics.

PRIZE GIVING

Some of the pupils who received awards at our recent Prize Giving Ceremony

The school’s Prize Giving ceremony was held recently for both the Junior and Senior Schools. A variety of awards were made as well as positions of responsibility announced for next year. 

SUBJECT AWARDS 

ENGLISH Robert Johnson 

ENGLISH James Brennan 

ENGLISH LITERATURE + CORE PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Charlotte Kennedy 

MATHEMATICS Angus Johnstone 

MATHEMATICS Ashley Tsui 

SCIENCE Ani Palanimurugan 

SCIENCE Ruth Chamberlain 

CHEMISTRY Irene Chan 

BIOLOGY – Christopher Freer 

PHYSICS – Tony Tang 

PSYCHOLOGY & MUSIC – Keleigh Gray 

ACCOUNTING – Eddie Chow 

GEOGRAPHY Charlotte Wilson 

GEOGRAPHY Matthew Thompson 

HISTORY & RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – Lauren Lawson 

CORE PHYSICAL EDUCATION Gina Hartley 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Alice Murray 

ENVIRONMANTAL SCIENCE – Chloe Oake 

ICT – Charlotte Wilson & Alistair Johnstone 

GERMAN  – Erin Balfour & Lloyd Wilson 

CITIZENSHIP Adam Bunting 

ART  & HISTORY – Clara Freer 

CDT & HOME ECONOMICS – Jamie Laidlaw 

CDT & BUSINESS STUDIES – Sarah Boak 

MUSIC – Kerry Regan 

HOME ECONOMICS – Lauren Baillie 

DRAMA Jamie Charnley 

EAL & ART – Anaid Titoyan 

EAL – Mark Leung 

LEARNING SUPPORT – James Allan & Richard Wilson 

JUNIOR SCHOOL 

Miss Hebson’s class – Niamh Marshall & Amber Hetherington 

Mrs Gate’s class – John Coulthard & Mirren Pinkerton 

Mr Thompson’s class – Abbie Barnes & Leon Turner 

Mrs Thompson – Henry Reading 

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD SCHEME 

Bronze Awards 

Emly Harrison, Richard Wilson, Nicole Gray, Rachel Nunn, Lloyd Wilson, Michael Spittle, Kris Faulder, Rob McKay, Jack Jones, Vanessa Wroblewska, Petr Kovarik, Michael Brennan, Daniel Richardson and Emily Irving. 

Silver Awards 

Billy Lam,  Lauren Baillie, Alice Murray, Joe Reed-Brough, Clement Hung, Hannah Pike, Jonathon Roome, Matthew Thompson, Christopher Freer, James Brennan, Josef Kovarik and Kelvin Yu. 

SPECIAL AWARDS 

The Victoria Lowther Memorial trophy is presented to the student who like Vicky was helpful, respected by staff and pupils, mixed well, was of delightful disposition and made excellent progress in the school not just academically but socially as well. This award was given to Sam Lo 

The Jonathon Trueman Fair Play Award is a new award which has been given to the school by Jonathan’s relatives. Jonathan was a very keen sportsman and extremely likeable character and like him this award will be presented to a pupil who is always positive, tries their hardest without complaint, has an excellent sporting yet competitive attitude, is extremely well-mannered and popular throughout the school. The second recipient of the Jonathon Trueman fair play award was Joe Reed-Brough 

ENGINEERING EDUCATON SCHEME AWARDS 

The first project was aimed at reducing running costs of dust extraction at Twoey Toys, Wigton and the second the construction of an underwater viewer for the use of wheelchair users at Watchtree Nature reserve. 

Not only did they receive their National Award but both groups received the British Science Association’s Gold Crest award. 

Frankie Lam, Adam Chan, Kelvin Li, Valen Chung, Michael Chan and Sam Lo. 

Akpevne Oghenejobo, Chloe Oake, Jan Svoboda, Josef Kovarik, Tony Tang and Jonathan Roome. 

PREFECTS APPOINTED FOR NEXT YEAR  

 Oscar Vaughan, Kelvin Yu, Natalie Balmer and Esther Tsang from Salkeld House. 

Alice Murray, Ruth Chamberlain, Clara Freer, Charlotte Kennedy and Alan Chik from Hawkesdale House and Chris Trott from Lonsdale House 

Deputy Head Prefects are Keleigh Gray & Sam Lo 

Head Prefects are Chloe Oake and Michael Chan 

The school wishes everyone a very pleasant and relaxing Summer holiday. Next term resumes on Monday 12^th September. 

Definition

A pupil has special education needs if he or she has a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A pupil has a learning difficulty if :

he or she has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of his or her age.

he or she has a disability which either prevents or hinders him or her from making use of educational facilities of a kind provided for children of the same age.

Special Educational Needs means educational provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, the educational provision made generally for pupils of the same age.

In dealing with this case a staged approach will be used. There are THREE stages, only the initial stages are the responsibility of subject / form teachers, however an understanding of all stages is required. At ALL stages parents have a right to be involved.

School Action

The following steps need to be taken:

i. Subject teachers must take the initiative and register their concern in respect of a pupil’s difficulties. The `Special Educational Needs Planning Sheet` record should be used. It records the concerns raised. The physical, learning, emotional and social should all be considered.

ii. The teacher should speak with the pupil and parents notified of the concern.

iii. The teacher should gather information from various sources and attempt to address the pupil’s special educational needs e.g. increased differentiation of work set. This should be done in consultation with the Special Needs department.

iv. The progress that the pupil makes should be monitored for a set period of time. Targets should be set and detailing criteria against which the pupil’s success at meeting these targets can be measured. Detailed objectives should be recorded on the `Objectives` record.

v. A review should be made after the monitoring time has elapsed. On the completion of the review an `Evaluation Sheet` record should be completed.

vi. On evaluation 3 possibilities exist:

I. The pupil no longer requires a special programme

II. A further special programme needs to be planned

III. The Special Needs Department should take prime responsibility for the pupil’s programme planning, in this case the process enters School Action Plus.

In summary this stage focuses on the response made by the class teacher and the class-based resources used.

School Action Plus

This is the point at which the Special Needs Department takes control and initiates further assessment and collects additional information. An individual education plan is drawn up by the Special Needs Department. At this point the school will consider that the need the support of outside agencies (e.g. educational psychologists) to help in providing advice and support. Here the teacher, Special Needs Department and specialist help will work together to formulate a programme for the pupil.

Consideration is made for the need for a statutory assessment and, if appropriate, to make a multidisciplinary assessment. A statutory assessment need not lead to a statement. The assessment might indicate that the pupil’s needs can be met within the school with the provision of an additional piece of equipment.

Statement of Special Educational Needs.

This comes into effect once a multidisciplinary assessment has been made. The Statement is written by the Education Authority and is a legally binding document. It must be reviewed at least once a year and involve all necessary agencies.

This policy was revised in August 2011 and will be reviewed in August 2012.

Objectives

The school places a high value on fieldwork, excursions, visits and organised holidays. Such trips are of enormous benefit. It is a central part of the ethos of the school to provide the opportunity for educational visits and school excursions.

Pupils’ physical and moral safety is of paramount concern. The School accepts that trips, visits and outdoor activities cannot be completely without risk but it requires that those staff in charge take all reasonable precautions to protect the health, safety and welfare of pupils and staff, and minimise the risk of untoward or dangerous situations. (in accordance with DCFS Guidance Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits)

Equal Opportunities
Every effort will be made to ensure that School journeys, visits and activities are available and accessible to all who wish to participate, irrespective of special or medical needs, ethnic origin, gender, religion etc.

Pupils with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities, Special Educational and Medical Needs
Wherever it is feasible, pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities should be included, whilst maintaining the safety of everyone in the group. Any problems/limitations should be considered at the planning stage and when carrying out the risk assessment. Special attention is made to supervision ratios. Each leader, for information, should hold summary sheets containing details of the pupil/pupil’s special needs. The group leader should discuss the visit with parents of those children with special needs to ensure sufficient support is in place for each child and the teacher.

In order to assess whether a trip should be allowed the following criteria will be applied :
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Criteria for Departmental Trips

These should have a genuine educational value and/or academic relevance and benefit. Obvious examples would include Geography and Biology Field Trips, Modern Languages trips and Work Experience, History trips to the World War 1 Battlefields etc. They can be day or residential trips.

Criteria for Recreational Holidays

There are a number of purely recreational trips that take place during the year. A variety of weekend activities and excursions are provided for boarders. There are also some trips abroad. These include visits to Germany in the autumn and Ski-ing in the winter. New recreational trips would be considered.

Communication with Parents
 It is imperative that parents are given full and complete written details regarding the organisation of all visits off the School campus. For all visits, including residential, a letter specific to that visit will be sent to parents and their consent obtained. Copies of all such letters should be given to  the School office for storage. Residential visits will involve a parent’s meeting, where all pertinent information to that visit is outlined and emergency procedures explained. A Parental Consent Form should be completed for each pupil; a medical consent form is also required for all residential visits. This form obtains permission for the staff member in charge of the trip to make medical decisions on behalf of the parents if they cannot be contacted for any reason in an emergency.

Parents are required to give permission in advance for emergency medical treatment.  Full contact details for parents must be obtained.

Parental Planning

In order to assist with future planning and budgeting, each year a sheet goes out to parents with details and approximate costs of all trips during the next academic year. Any proposed trip or tour for the next academic year must have been approved by the end of the Lent Term of the previous year.

The Number of Subsidised Staff on Trips

There needs to be some standard arrangements for this so that the school is confident that:

• Legal requirements regarding supervision and safety are fully met
• Pupils are well cared for
• Staff are able to enjoy the experience as it is undertaken in their free time
• Parents are not unduly subsidising unnecessary staff.

In most cases the travel company gives a standard number of free or subsidised places. (This normally varies from 1:12 to 1:8). This figure should be made clear in writing on the Trip Proposal form. If the member of staff organising the trip believes that there is a particular reason for having additional staff this MUST be cleared with the Headmaster during the planning stage of the trip.

Financing of Trips

All trips should be self-financing. If there are any unexpected losses they should be explained in writing to the Bursar.

Detailed accounts of all school trips must be given to the Bursar within one month after the return to school.

Parents will be charged for any trips either by direct payment to the school or by instalments on the termly disbursement account.

No money held on behalf of the pupils should be paid into a private bank account.

Planning the Trip

• At the earliest possible opportunity gain the permission of the Headmaster for the trip by filling in a Trip Proposal form. This should be done before the trip is mentioned to pupils.

• Prior written consent should be obtained from parents to the trip or tour programme, to the exact cost of the trip, to any activities (or possible activities) undertaken on the trip, to the accommodation to be used and to the arrangements for dealing with medical emergencies.  A trip Medical Consent Form must be completed for each pupil.  

• The parents of any pupil with special needs should be consulted regarding all arrangements for the proposed trip and activities they will be involved in.

• Adequate travel insurance must be arranged. This will be covered by the tour companies arrangements for insurance cover or by the school insurance. Parents should be provided with copies of insurance cover.

• If the trip is residential there must be a nominated person who acts as the home based contact. There should also be an emergency back-up. These will be the staff accompanying the children on the trip. 

• For residential trips a phone pyramid with parents must be organised to facilitate communications in case of delay, accident or change of plans.

• If BOARDERS are going on day or residential trip Mrs Fisher MUST be fully informed about departure and arrival times. The Kitchen staff must also be informed if meals will be missed or extra meals needed.

Documentation

The following should be lodged with the school office before you leave.

For all Trips

• Copies of all letters concerning the trip sent to parents, these must be approved by the school office  before they are sent out.
• The School Trip Proposal Form which will contain: a list of names of all pupils and staff; addresses and contact name of place to be visited, the trip organiser’s contact number and the contact number for the emergency back-up.
• A Risk Assessment

For Residential Trips
Both the above and :

• Name of home based contact
• List of contact phone numbers for the pupils and staff (remember that parents may not be at their usual address during the holidays)
• Phone number and address of your place of accommodation
• Details of itinerary

For Trips abroad
All the above and:

• Flight /ferry times and details
• Passport details

Safety and Welfare

It is essential that the trip leader should make a careful and written risk assessment of all aspects of the trip. This MUST be handed into Mrs Fisher at least 7 days prior to departure. 

Good practice would include :            

• Making a preliminary visit to the site of the trip (If this is not feasible you must discuss with Mrs Fisher)
• Looking into the qualifications of any outside instructors or guides to ensure they meet nationally required standards.
• Ensuring that there will be acceptable provision of sufficient and appropriate food and drink.
• Ensuring that as far as possible pupils should not be exposed to smoke from cigarettes when travelling.
• Adequate emergency care should be available and arrangements made for caring for any pupil who is ill.

Medical Issues

• First Aid kits must be carried. Consult the school office well in advance of departure.
• In the case of pupils who need medication check with parents whether they wish you to keep and administer it (always get this permission in writing) or whether the pupils are competent to administer it themselves. In either case note down details of the drug and dosage.
• In hot countries care should be taken to ensure that pupils are protected from the harmful rays of the sun and from the effects of dehydration.
• The exact circumstances of any accidents, injuries or illnesses must be carefully recorded.

Accommodation

• For residential trips always check all allocated rooms on arrival at your accommodation and make sure that there is nothing unsafe and that you have noted anything that is broken, missing or in any way inadequate. Inform the hotel management at once.
• Pupils MUST be shown Fire Escape routes in hotels and guest houses on arrival.
• Make sure that the pupils know where to find a member of staff in the night in the case of any emergency.
• Members of Staff must check that all pupils are in their rooms at the appropriate bed-time. The security of their rooms should also be checked and where there are locks these should be used. If pupils are sleeping in downstairs rooms windows should be shut.
• Host Families : Where pupils are staying with host families parents should be quite clear that these families may be totally unknown to school staff. Social services guidelines suggest that it is wise for all accommodation to be personally checked in advance by staff. Of even greater significance is the expectation that all adults, who, during the visit may have unsupervised access to pupils should be checked through the procedures laid out in the School Safeguarding (Child Protection) Policy.  Any host families must be supplied with clear, written guidelines covering such things as provision of meals, standard of accommodation, bedtimes, levels of supervision necessary, a contact number of the person in charge of the party and any special instructions regarding medical conditions, allergies etc.

Supervision Levels

SENIOR SCHOOL

• Mixed parties must contain at least one male and one female member of Staff. If all pupils are over 16, there may be circumstances in which this rule need not apply on a day trip. (Seek advice from the school office as far in advance as possible). On all overnight trips involving a mixed group there must be at least one male and one female member of staff.
• Volunteers accompanying residential trips should be CRB checked.
• Ten pupils per member of Staff on non-hazardous trips abroad or on residential trips in this country is the guideline.
• For day trips in this country the number of pupils may be higher, but there should never be a ratio of less than one teacher per 20 students.

JUNOR SCHOOL

• Visits that involve pupils from Nursery and Reception should have supervision ratios of 1:4, and be accompanied by a qualified pediatric first aider.
• Visits that involve pupils in Years 1 to 3 should have a supervision ratio of 1:6 adults to pupils.
• Visits that involve Years 4 to 6 should have a supervision ratio of 1:10 pupils.
• Residential visits should be at a supervision ratio of 1:10 adults to pupils
• Residential visits abroad should be at a supervision ratio of 1:8 adults to pupils.

Always take a  mobile phone on every outing.  There is a school mobile phone available. This can be booked out from the school office.  Please always ring into school if you are delayed. 

Supervision of Swimming in Swimming Pools

Staff must ensure that the Swimming Pool is safe. This would include :

• Are there accurate signs displaying the depth of the pool ?
• Are there lifeguards present
• Is there a poolside telephone and an alarm
• Is the water clear and regularly tested for cleanliness
• Is the water less than 1.5 metres deep ? If so diving must not be permitted.

A member of staff must always remain on the side of the pool. There should be a supervision level of at least 1 teacher to 20 pupils.

Supervision of Swimming in the Sea or other natural waters

THIS IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. IT SHOULD ONLY BE UNDERTAKEN IF THE PARTY LEADER GIVES PERMISSION AND IF A TEACHER PRESENT ON THE TRIP HOLDS A RELEVANT LIFE GUARDING QUALIFICATION.

Pupils Left Unsupervised

• If it is intended that pupils are to be left unsupervised by a member of staff at any stage (e.g. allowed to go shopping or even out in the evening), parents must be informed in writing and in detail prior to the trip that this will be occurring. 
• Pupils should never be allowed to go off in groups of less than three and should always have a report back time.
• Pupils should never be allowed to swim or take part in any activity which may cause harm unsupervised.

Behaviour on the Trip

All pupils should observe the highest standards of politeness, courtesy and conduct at all times. Particular care needs to be taken when on public transport or in residential accommodation. Even out of school time pupils are representing the school and should do everything in a way that reflects positively on them as well as on their school. The expectations of good behaviour must be explained to pupils before any trip and reiterated as appropriate.

Drinking Alcohol

The normal procedure is that pupils should not be allowed to drink alcohol when on School trips. There may however be exceptions to this :

• If the pupils are of a legal drinking age in the relevant country.
• If the Headmaster has been consulted.
• parents have signed a consent form which makes it clear under what circumstances the pupils are allowed to drink (eg with meals, when a member of staff is present or in other reasonable circumstances)

Smoking

Smoking is not be permitted on School trips.

Pupils Sent Home

It should be made clear to parents in advance that if a pupil is sent home for misbehaviour then parents will be expected to pay for all costs incurred.

Minibus Trips

Minibuses are booked via the school office. All drivers must be over 25 (except with special permission) and have passed the appropriate test before transporting pupils.

Pre-departure checks

Although the School Driver is responsible for the maintenance of minibuses, the law directs that the driver is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is fit for use. Therefore before departure basic checks on the vehicle ought to be carried out :

• Lights (including hazard warning lights)
• Tyre pressures and wear
• Fluid levels: oil, brakes, radiator, windscreen washer
• Wipers and horn

Seatbelts

The driver should check that all passengers have correctly adjusted and fastened their seatbelts.

Doors

The driver should check that all doors are properly closed before departure.

Luggage

Ensure that any loose items (bags etc) are safely stowed at floor level and are not blocking the way out of the minibus.

If the minibus has a roof rack, check that it is secure. It is the driver’s duty to make sure that anything stowed on the roof rack is secured safely at all times.

Length of Driving

For all but short journeys, it is strongly recommended that there should be two drivers

After three hours of driving, drivers MUST take a break of at least 20 minutes (except where a relief driver is available)

Speed Limits

Speed limits must be adhered to at all times.

Accidents / Incidents / Vehicle Faults

Any of the above must be reported to the school office on returning to school.

Taking a Minibus Abroad
(YOU MUST CONSULT THE school office BEFORE PLANNING THIS)

Anyone considering taking a minibus abroad should acquaint themselves with the Department of Transport Regulations. In addition the following must be borne in mind :

The vehicle should have a tachograph which must be used.

There is a continuous driving limit of four and a half hours (with a minimum break of 45 minutes between sessions). 

You may not drive for more than nine hours a day.

When driving in the EU the following documents are required:
(a) The Insurance Certificate
(b) A Green Card from the insurance company,
(c) Vehicle accident/recovery insurance,
(d) The registration document for the mini-bus,
(e) A letter of permission from the registered mini-bus owner,
(f) An Own  Accounts Certificate for EU travel.

It is essential to take with you:
(a) Spare bulbs,
(b) 2 red triangles,
(c) Headlight deflectors.

After the journey:
(a) The driver should complete an appropriate entry in the bus logbook for every trip.
(b) The driver is responsible for ensuring that the bus is left in a clean and tidy state.

If in doubt about any aspect of a school trip you should consult the school office.

 Evaluation and Reporting
Whilst verbal feedback of a trip may be given to the Head on the day, a written evaluation of each visit should be made (in note form) on the end of the risk assessment form. This should be carried out within a week of the visit and submitted to SMT. After consultation any arising issues should be noted, addressed and / or resolved. Children may also be involved in this process. Any appropriate letter of thanks should be written and sent.

Management and Development
The Health and Safety officer is Mrs Fisher. It is the Health and Safety Officer’s responsibility to:

• Update, communicate and discuss School policy in relation to trips/visits.
• Provide support for staff planning and organising trips.
• Advise and liaise on current Department for Education and Skills‛ guidelines, especially Health and Safety issues.

This policy was updated in August 2011 and will be reviewed in August 2012.

The School has a legal duty to be non-discriminatory towards disabled students and to provide equal access and opportunity to the curriculum.

Aims:-

• Support the ethos of the School community which respects the rights of disabled students, to have equal access to the curriculum, extra-curricular and other services
• Equally value and encourage all children
• Foster positive attitudes towards disability within our community
• Notwithstanding the above, and the School’s desire to enrich the lives of all our students by pursuing an inclusive policy towards all students which reflects the diversity of the outside world and our Christian values, the School places equal importance on ensuring that no student’s education and progress is impaired by the behaviour of another student

To achieve our aims, the school has produced this Disability Policy.  The Senior Management Team will:-

1. Review the School’s Disability Policy and Accessibility Plan at least every three years.
2. Make recommendations with a view to improving the accessibility of its education to students or prospective students with disabilities by means of reasonable adjustments.

Admission to the School

• Depends upon prospective student meeting the School’s entry criteria to maintain and, if possible, to improve the educational and general standards for all its students, in keeping with the School’s aims.
• The School must feel reasonably sure that throughout the student’s time at school, it will be able to educate and develop the prospective student to the best of his/her potential and in line with the general standards achieved by the student’s peers
• The School policy is to apply these criteria to all students and potential students, regardless of any disability of which it is made aware by parents.  The School has a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments not to put any disabled student or potential student at a substantial disadvantage compared with other students who are not disadvantaged because of disability
• Lime House School requires parents to inform the School in respect of the disability of a prospective student in the relevant section of the application form
• In assessing any student or prospective student, the School may take such advice and require such assessments e.g., Educational Psychologist’s report, and recommendations as it regards as appropriate

Physical Access

Under the legislation we are not required to remove or alter physical features.

• Parents should be aware that the School site covers a wide area with many old buildings of more than one storey and without lifts.  Like many secondary schools, the School ‘policy’ of subject areas with designated classrooms, requires students to move around the site, necessitating the use of steps or stairs in buildings to access classrooms.  Students with impaired mobility will therefore be somewhat disadvantaged by these problems
• The School is addressing these issues as part of the buildings development and refurbishment programme but some substantial improvements cannot be achieved by reasonable adjustments short of major alterations at prohibitive cost to the School
• The Accessibility Plan to meet the legal planning duties will seek to improve physical access within the constraints of local planning permission and the budgetary impact outlined above.
• Pupils with disabilities have full access to the ground floor areas of the main school building including the Assembly Hall, School Offices, Geography, Business Studies, Mathematics, ICT, Art, Games and TV Rooms as well some of the boys and girls toilets. The main entrance hall is fully accessible from the car parking area at the front of school. One of the Science laboratories, the English block (5 teaching rooms and toilets), the Music room and the Sport Hall have full access for pupils with disabilities. Full access is also available to the Junior School (May 2011)
• Some areas of the school, whilst accessible to most pupils with disabilities may be inaccessible for those with more specific disabilities. These areas usually have access via steps and include two Science laboratories, the CDT block, PE and German rooms, the Dining Room and three Sixth form rooms, the Home Economics room and one Mathematics room. (May 2011)
• Our boarding accommodation occupies the second and third floors of three buildings and access is made via a series of staircases and there are no lifts. Access may prove difficult for some pupils with more specific disabilities. One area of girl’s boarding accommodation is to be found on the ground floor with one set of stairs to the main bathroom and shower area. This makes access for some pupils to this area a little easier. (May 2011)
• Full access for pupils with disabilities will be made to the Dining Room and two Science laboratories by March 2012.
• Parents with pupils who have disabilities are more than welcome to view the school’s access arrangements. 

Education

• Staff will continue to be made aware of students with Disability or Special Educational Needs (by the Head of Special Educational Needs and the Deputy Head). This will occur at the beginning of each term.
• Staff will continue to be made aware of strategies to make “reasonable adjustments” within the classroom so as not to place disabled students at a substantial disadvantage in accessing the curriculum.  Such strategies will be included in Departmental Handbooks. This includes making written information accessible in a range of different ways for disabled pupils, where it is provided in writing for pupils who are not disabled.
• Staff will need to adapt their teaching to the learning patterns of all the students according to their abilities and needs.  Such differentiation should be reflected in Departmental Schemes of Work
• The implementation of reasonable adjustments to classroom management, teaching and expectations, should not prejudice the progress of other students, nor their Health and Safety (e.g. labs, workshops, sports equipment)
• The School, as an independent school, is not required under legislation to provide auxiliary support such as a classroom assistant, or auxiliary aids e.g. laptops or hearing loops

Sporting & Recreational Activities

• The School will continue to provide equal access to all school activities for disabled students, within the constraints of the physical nature of the site, the budgetary costs, the Health and Safety implications and difficulties of supervision
• Individual Risk Assessment and management strategies will be provided for disabled students engaged in school trips or visits.

Welfare Awareness

• Staff and students are to be made aware of disability and understand its effects and accept and support disabled students as part of School life (e.g. PSE, Assembly)
• Appropriate staff Inset will be provided on a regular basis to enhance understanding of disability, the need for making reasonable adjustments in compliance with our legal duties and to improve our educational provision
• The School’s Equal Opportunities Policy, Bullying Policy, Codes of Behaviour, student and staff handbooks, will be updated to reflect inclusiveness and the difficulties faced by disabled students, thereby improve understanding and integration
• The School will agree with parents appropriate regular means of communication with regard to the student’s progress, behavioural issues and the effects of any medication.

This policy applies to all present and future students in the school as well as those in EYFS.

This policy was updated in August 2011 and will be reviewed in August 2012.

Policy Statement

The welfare of our pupils is the school’s paramount concern. As a School we do all that we can to promote the welfare of pupils and to ensure that children are protected from harm both within the School and beyond our direct control. To that end we are committed to:

• Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel secure and are encouraged to talk and are always listened to.
• Ensure that all children know there is an adult in the School whom they can approach if they are worried or in difficulty.
• Include across the curriculum, including PHSE, opportunities which equip children with the skills they need to stay safe from harm and to know to whom they should turn for help.

It is the responsibility of all staff to be fully aware both of the County’s Child Protection Manual (a copy is kept in the staffroom and the  Head’s Office) and the School’s procedures in relation to child protection.

This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Act 1989; and in line with government publications: “Working Together to Safeguard Children” 1999, “Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families” 2000, “What to do if You are Worried a Child is Being Abused” 2003, Circular 10/95 DfEE, ”Safeguarding Children: Child Protection: Guidance about Child Protection Arrangements for the Education Service” 2004;  DCSF guidance ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education’, ISI Regulations 2009 and the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) Procedures.

The School takes seriously their responsibility under section 175 of the Education Act 2002 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; and to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements within our school to identify, assess, and support those children who are suffering harm.

The School operates safe recruitment procedures including CRB checks in compliance with the Independent Schools Standards Regulations.

The School undertake an annual review of the school’s child protection policies and procedures and of the efficiency with which the related duties have been discharged.   The Designated Child Protection Officer is Mrs. Diane Rice
We recognise that all adults, including temporary staff and volunteers have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm, and that the child’s welfare is our paramount concern. Should any deficiencies or weaknesses in child protection arrangements be identified, by any member of staff, including temporary staff and volunteers, they must be notified immediately to the Head so that they can be remedied without delay.

In the case of EYFS pupils, Ofsted will be informed – as soon as is reasonably practicable, but at the latest within 14 days – of any allegations of serious harm or abuse by any person living, working or looking after children at the premises (whether that allegation relates to harm or abuse committed on the premises or elsewhere), or any other abuse which is alleged to have taken place on the premises and of the action taken in respect of these allegations. �
Assurance is obtained in writing and logged that appropriate child protection checks and procedures apply to any staff employed by another organisation who work with the school’s pupils on another site.  

As a School we believe that we should provide a caring, positive safe and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of the individual child.
This policy is available on the school’s website and by request from the School Office..

Aims of the Policy

• To support the child’s development in ways that will foster security, confidence and independence.
• To provide an environment in which children and young people feel safe, secure, valued and respected, and feel confident, and know how to, approach adults if they are in difficulties believing they will be effectively listened to.
• To raise the awareness of all teaching and non-teaching staff of the need to safeguard children and of their responsibilities in identifying and reporting possible cases of abuse.
• To provide a systematic means of monitoring children known or thought to be at risk of harm, and ensure we, the School, contribute to assessments of need and support packages for those children.
• To emphasise the need for good levels of communication between all members of staff.
• To develop a structured procedure within the School which will be followed by all members of the School community in cases of suspected abuse.
• To develop and promote effective working relationships with other agencies, especially the Police and Social Services.
• To ensure that all adults within our school who have substantial access to children have been checked as to their suitability.

Procedure Statement

Procedures for safeguarding children will be in line with the ‘What to do if you are worried a Child is Being Abused’ best practice guidance, and LSCB procedures. 

Personnel
At Lime House School, the Senor Mistress, Mrs Diane Rice is the Designated Child Protection Officer (DCPO) ( Level 3  June 2010. In her absence the Deputy Head, Mr Craig Thompson ,who also holds responsibility for safeguarding children within the school’s EYES setting and liaising with local statutory children’s agencies, will undertake the role

The DCPO is responsible for:

• Referring a child if there are concerns about possible abuse, to the Children’s Services Assessment Team, and acting as a focal point for staff to discuss
• concerns.
• A written record of the referral will be sent to the Assessment Team and a copy sent to Children’s social care within 48 hours of making a referral by telephone. Children’s social care should acknowledge this written referral within one working day of receiving it.   
• Keeping written records of concerns about a child even if there is no need to make an immediate referral.
• Ensuring that all such records are kept confidentially and securely and are separate from pupil records.
• Ensuring that an indication of further record-keeping is marked on the pupil records.
•  Liaising with other agencies and professionals
• Ensuring that either they or the class teacher attends case conferences, core groups, or other multi-agency planning meetings, contributes to assessments, and provides a report which has been shared with the parents.
• Ensuring that any pupil currently on the child protection register who is absent without explanation for two days is referred to their key worker’s Social Care Team.
• Organising child protection training for him/herself every two years.
• Organising child protection training for the Head and all staff every three years and ensuring that part-time and voluntary staff who work with children are made aware of these arrangements.
• Providing,  the Headmaster, any changes to the policy and procedures; training undertaken by the DCPO, and by all staff; number and type of incidents/cases, and number of children on the child protection register (anonymised).
• Providing training for Senior pupils in Prefect or mentoring roles on what to do if a disclosure is made to them.
• Deal with allegations or disclosure of abuse by pupil/s to another by informing the Headmaster. On all such occasions will discuss the content of the allegation with the parents of both pupils and if appropriate Cumbria Children’s Services.

All new staff, as part of their induction, will receive training in Safeguarding Children which will include how to respond to a pupil who discloses abuse. Part-time, temporary staff and volunteers will be made aware of the arrangements and procedures.

All parents and guardians are made aware of the responsibilities of staff members with regard to child protection procedures through publication of The School’s Safeguarding (Child Protection) Policy on our website,

Our selection and recruitment of staff includes checks for their suitability with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Practical Advice for Staff

In any school there is the possibility that pupils will show signs and symptoms of abuse or will disclose to staff that they have been abused. The Children’s Act 1989 lays down certain requirements about how staff must deal with these situations. The following notes are intended to provide practical advice to staff on how to handle disclosures and to provide guidelines for dealing with such disclosures that must be followed by all employees of Lime House School. In line with our statutory obligations the interests of the child must be paramount, though the School will also wish to take account of the interests of other pupils, staff and parents.

(A) Definitions of Abuse

The following should be taken as accepted definitions of the four types of abuse:

Neglect
‘Persistent or severe neglect or failure to protect a child from exposure to danger, or extreme failure to carry out important aspects of care, resulting in the significant impairment of the child’s health or development.’
Physical Abuse
‘Actual or likely physical injury…or failure to prevent physical injury or suffering.’
Sexual Abuse
‘Actual or likely sexual exploitation of a child or adolescent.’
 Emotional Abuse
‘Actual or likely severe adverse effect on the emotional and behavioural development of a child caused by persistent or severe emotional ill-treatment or rejection.’

(B) Symptoms of Abuse

Many of the following symptoms may occur for reasons other than abuse and inevitably some pupils who have been abused will not display any of these symptoms. The distinctions between the different aspects of abuse are manifestly not rigid, but they should be useful as a guide.

Neglect or Emotional Abuse
The pupil:     Looks extra-thin and poorly
                      Complains of hunger, lacking energy
                      Has repeated accidents, especially burns
                      Is left alone at home inappropriately
                      Is repeatedly unwashed, smelly
                      Is kept away from school medicals
                      Is reluctant to go home, especially at weekends
                      Is unusually ‘hard’ or ‘detached’ when told off
                      Is unable to make normal friendships

Physical Abuse
The pupil has:    Injuries that are not adequately explained by the pupil
                             Current bruising/injury with a long history of bruises and accidents
                              Injuries getting progressively worse or occurring in a time pattern (e.g.
                              every Monday morning)
                             ‘Grip’ marks on arms or ‘slap’ marks (cheeks, arms, legs)
                              Long marks which could be from a belt or cane; stub marks from a   cigarette
                              Bruising on both sides of the ear. Any symmetrical bruising is suspicious
                              Teethmarks from a bite; bruised eyes, especially if both at once.
                              A reluctance to go home, especially weekends

Sexual Abuse
The pupil:      May repeatedly openly masturbate
                        May behave in a precocious sexually provocative way
                        May run away from home
                        May appear unhappy or isolated
                        May have aggressive eruptions
                        May be kept away from school medicals
                        May have persistent problems with sleeping, nightmares, bedwetting
                        May struggle with anorexia, bulimia, or excessive ‘comfort eating’
                        May be reluctant to go home

(C) Action

Suspicion of abuse from observation

• Any teacher who is concerned about a pupil based on any outward symptom must discuss the matter with the child’s Tutor.
• The Tutor must mention the concern to those in the school who may be able to provide more information e.g. School Nurse, the PE department, previous Tutor etc.
• After consultation, the Tutor should ensure that the Senior Mistress is informed.
• If there is concern about an injury, the child should be sent to the School Public First Aider to seek medical advice.

Disclosure of abuse by the pupil : The five R’s
Where a pupil actually discloses that he/she has been abused the following guidelines must be followed.

RECEIVE

Listen without shock, disgust or disbelief and accept what is said. To communicate “I believe you” is vital. (It may be that it is not true but that is not for us to decide.) Give plenty of time and allow for plenty of silence.

REASSURE

It is helpful to the pupil if the adult is able to communicate something of the following:
‘You’re not to blame, it’s not your fault’
‘You’re very brave to have told someone’

But do NOT make promises that you are unable to keep:
“I’ll stay with you”; “everything will be ok now”; “I won’t let him hurt you again”; “I won’t tell anyone”

REACT

Ask open-ended questions: “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”

Do not ask leading questions (eg ‘Did he also touch you anywhere he shouldn’t have done?’) as this may invalidate any future legal proceedings

Do not ask ‘accusing’ questions:  “Why didn’t you tell someone earlier?”
 “Why didn’t you tell your Mum?”

Do not criticise the perpetrator: If it is a family member emotions are going to be horribly mixed but the family staying together may well be the preferred solution.

Do not ask the pupil to repeat it all for any other member of staff.

RECORD

Make notes as soon as possible afterwards. Do not record your assumptions and interpretations, just what you heard and saw. Do not destroy original notes even if you later write things up more neatly and fully.
Record date, place, time, any non-verbal behaviour and words used including ‘pet’ sexual words (if any used).
Draw a diagram if bruising is apparent to give exact location.

REFER

Confidentiality is an important principle but in cases of abuse no member of the School community can maintain absolute confidentiality. Every school must designate a senior member of staff to be the liaison with social services and other agencies for such cases. In this school the Senior Mistress is the DCPO and therefore all referrals that involve Lime House School pupils must go through her.
The Headmaster or DCPO will disclose any information about a pupil to other members of staff on a need to know basis only.
The School will always undertake to share its intention to refer a child to Children’s Services with their parents or guardians unless to do so could put the child at greater risk of harm, or impede a criminal investigation. If in doubt, we will consult with the Duty Manager at the Assessment Team on this point.

Essential Staff Action

• In all cases the teacher/adult to whom the disclosure of abuse is made must immediately refer the matter to the Senior Mistress (DCPO). If the Senior Mistress is unavailable then the Deputy Head should be contacted. If she/he is unavailable then the Headmaster or other member of SMT must be contacted.
• If the disclosure happens after school hours, the teacher/adult should attempt to contact any of the above at home.  If this proves impossible and there is a fear that the pupil is ‘at risk’ (i.e. it is unsafe for them to go home) then social services may be contacted direct.
• Inevitably some pupils will ask or plead with the teacher not to tell anyone else. In these cases :
• Do not negotiate with the child, but do firmly yet sensitively explain that you must refer the matter to the Senior Mistress. Whilst we may wish to give them a day to think it over, no teacher is in the position to do so. The matter must be referred before the end of the school day.
• Do allow him/her to voice his/her fears over “What is going to happen next?” The answer is that the Senior Mistress will ring Social Services that day who will then decide on what action to take. It may involve them coming to School and talking with the child. Do reassure the child that they regularly deal with this and will understand his/her fears about his/her family etc.
• In circumstances where the child is extremely distressed, he/she should not be left unattended. Ensure another member of staff sits with him/her while you are telling the Senior Mistress.
• Do stay with them and be the ‘support person’ if a social services interview does happen.

Always remember that a child wants the abuse to stop.

Cases of doubt after disclosure

In some situations a pupil may drop hints that ‘something wrong is happening’ but never actually gets to the point of declaring that they have been abused. Teachers or any School employee who wish to maintain confidentiality, at this stage, need not disclose details of what was said but should still pursue the matter.

In these cases the following guidelines should apply:

a) The teacher/adult within 24 hours should discuss the matter with the child’s Tutor in general terms. The Tutor should then liaise with School nurse, PE department etc to gather any other information.

b) The child however will have chosen the teacher/adult to disclose to for a particular reason so it may not be appropriate for the Tutor to take over. The Tutor would therefore work with the teacher/adult with the hope that the child will choose to disclose more.

c) The teacher/adult/Tutor should discuss the matter, if necessary without naming the child, with the DCPO who will provide guidance and advice as to the strategies to pursue.

d) If after following these steps there is still cause for suspicion or concern of abuse the matter must be referred to the DCPO. The teacher/adult does not have to wait for proof of abuse.

Support for Staff

We recognise that staff working in the School who have become involved with a child who has suffered harm, or appears to be likely to suffer harm may find the situation stressful and upsetting.

We will support such staff by providing an opportunity to talk through their anxieties with the DCPO and to seek further support as appropriate.

Allegations against staff

All School staff including temporary staff and volunteers must ensure that no situation could arise involving any of us which could reasonably be construed as acting against the safety of each child.  We all understand that it is not always an easy line to draw but crossing that line, or being in a position where it appears that the line has been crossed, is unacceptable.

The following notes of guidance are intended to assist staff to deal with this difficult issue.

This guidance is not exhaustive and is designed to set out principles rather than to give detailed and specific advice. Clearly, the circumstances in which staff work vary (e.g. working with very young children, boarding staff, sports staff, etc.); this guidance is meant to give general principles only.

• The relationship between staff and students/pupils is a professional one. It is fully expected – and, indeed, hoped – that staff in the school have a friendly and caring relationship with students/pupils; nevertheless, the basis of that relationship is professional not personal. It is suggested that a good test to apply is to reflect on whether the child’s parents would be happy with the relationship if they were standing with you.
• A personal relationship between staff and a student/pupil is inappropriate unless it is with the full knowledge and consent of the student’s/pupil’s parents or guardians. Circumstances in which such a personal relationship may arise would be when your own children are friends with those in the School or when you have a personal relationship with parents of children in the School. It is not normally appropriate for a member of staff to meet with a student/pupil out of school hours or off School premises except with the prior knowledge and consent of parents and the School.
• In general, unnecessary physical contact with students/pupils should be avoided. In some circumstances, physical contact between a member of staff and a student/pupil is necessary and beneficial; it might be, for example, that a Reception teacher might need to pick up a 5 year old who has fallen over in the playground, a sports coach may need to demonstrate to a student/pupil how to hold a racket or a secondary teacher may give a student/pupil a gentle pat on the back as encouragement. In rare circumstances it may be appropriate for members of staff to use reasonable restraint in circumstances where a student is behaving in a manner which endangers him or herself or other people. In these situations, staff are advised to be very sensitive to the student’s/pupil’s likely reaction and to watch out for signs that the student/pupil is apprehensive or uncomfortable.  We all have our own personal space that needs to be protected. Wherever possible when working with students/pupils, other people (adults, colleagues or students/pupils) should be present or the door should be open.
• Over-familiar words and actions, displays of affection, discussion of one’s personal life or the personal life of the student/pupil are normally inappropriate. Sexual innuendo is wrong in all circumstances. Staff are advised to avoid actions, words or expressions that could be interpreted as suggesting that they have an emotional relationship with any student/pupil. In the professional staff-student/pupil relationship it is not appropriate to single a student/pupil out for favours or to suggest to a student/pupil that he or she is a special friend.
• Occasionally it is necessary for professional academic reasons for staff to communicate with students/pupils out of school. Except where absolutely necessary, personal email addresses, home or mobile phone numbers should not be given, asked for or used. A staff mobile phone number might be given to students/pupils for use during an educational visit; where possible, a school mobile phone should be used for this purpose.  Pastoral matters should not normally be dealt with by personal email or using personal phone contacts. Only in the most exceptional circumstances, for instance, where there is well-founded concern for the unexplained whereabouts of a student, should pastoral matters be dealt with by personal email or using personal phone contact. In any event, records of all contacts should be kept on the student file so that if it is necessary to use email or personal contact, the reason why will be specified in the written record. It is very difficult to envisage circumstances under which individual texting is appropriate except through official school channels. 
• Members of staff who in the course of their professional duties need to work on a one-to-one basis with a student/pupil (e.g. a piano lesson, a maths tutorial, etc.), in particular one of the opposite sex, are advised to take care to ensure that the circumstances of the meeting or lesson are professional.  Staff are advised to use a room which has vision panels in the door or keep the door open and ensure that colleagues know that the meeting or lesson is taking place. It is helpful if the meeting or lesson can be arranged during normal school hours or immediately before or after school when there are plenty of other people about.
• Staff are advised to avoid threatening words, raised voices and any aggressive contact such as holding, pushing, pulling or hitting, which could amount to or which could be interpreted as a criminal assault.
• Members of staff do have the right to use reasonable physical force to restrain students/pupils in order to prevent them from committing a criminal offence, injuring others or themselves, damaging property or behaving in such a way as to compromise good order and discipline. The DfES Circular 10/98 sets out more detailed advice simply and clearly.
• Social networking sites, such as Bebo, Facebook and Myspace, pose risks for all staff in terms of professional integrity and the welfare of pupils. Staff should not use these sites to contact or communicate with pupils. Many pupils will post information which is inappropriate in language or visuals. To view such pages may alter your judgement of pupils, to be known to be viewing them may alter a pupil’s view of you, and to comment to pupils about what you have seen is likely to have an impact on your professional reputation as well as possibly causing distress to pupils concerned. Should you become aware of material about yourself, the School, or a pupil which is inappropriate, the Senior Management Team should be informed and they will instruct a member of staff to check the allegations and inform the appropriate authorities. You should not check it out yourself.
• If you are at all concerned about anything which has occurred or which has made you uncomfortable, you are strongly encouraged to discuss the matter with a senior colleague at the earliest opportunity even if it turns out that nothing untoward has happened. As a matter of good practice it is advisable to make a written record, dated and signed, of any such incident.

If a pupil does make an allegation about a member of staff, the member of staff receiving the allegation will immediately inform the DCPO who will inform the Head.

The DCPO on all such occasions will discuss the content of the allegation with Cumbria Childrens’ Services.

If the allegation made to a member of staff concerns the DCPO, then the member of staff should immediately inform the Deputy  Head. In the absence of the Deputy Head, the Headmaster should be immediately informed.

If the allegation concerns the Head, then the DCPO will immediately inform Cumbria Childrens’ Services  without notifying the Headmaster first.

The School will follow the Cumbria procedures for managing allegations against staff. Under no circumstances will we send a child home, pending such an investigation, unless this advice is given exceptionally, as a result of a Strategy Meeting.

Suspension of the member of staff, excluding the Headmaster, against whom an allegation has been made, needs careful consideration, and the Headmaster will seek the advice of the SMT Should any member of person (whether employed contracted, a volunteer or student) be considered unsuitable to work with children and their services are no longer used, the Independent Safeguarding Authority will be notified within one month of the termination of their employment. In the case of a teacher who is a member of the GTC (or eligible for membership) the GTC will also be informed.

The school recognises that failure to make such a report to the ISA constitutes an offence and that such failure may result in the School being removed from the Dfe Register of Independent Schools.

The School recognises that compromise agreements may not apply to members of staff who leave the school under suspicion of being unsuitable to work with children.

In the event of an allegation against the Headmaster, the decision to suspend will be made by the Proprietors with advice being sought.

If any allegation is made against a member of staff who is resident at the School arrangements will be made for alternative accommodation away from children pending the investigation.

In the case of serious harm the Police will be informed from the outset.

Whistleblowing

We recognise that children cannot be expected to raise concerns in an environment where staff fail to do so.

All staff should be aware of their duty to raise concerns, where they exist, about the management of child protection, which may include the attitude or actions of colleagues. If any member of staff is dissatisfied with the way that the DCPO has dealt with their concern over the welfare of a pupil they may contact the Deputy Head or Head. They are also at liberty to contact Cumbria Children’s Services independently. Always remember that the welfare of children is of paramount importance.

Contact Details

Carlisle Area
Children’s Services
3 Alfred Street North
CARLISLE
Cumbria
CA1 1PX
Tel: 01228 227002
Fax: 01228 601572

The Independent Safeguarding Authority
PO Box 181,
Darlington DLI 9FA                                                             Telephone: 03001231111

Children’s Safeguarding Operations Unit (List 99)
Mowden Hall
Staindrop Road
Darlington DL3 9BG                                                            Telephone: 01325 391302

This policy was revised in August 2011 and will be reviewed in August 2012.

At Lime House School we aim to provide a demanding and liberal curriculum delivered by experienced staff who have high expectations and model excellence.  Very able students are equally entitled to have their needs recognised, supported and challenged.  We aim to nurture and develop talent.  We aim to promote best practice.  The School aims to provide equality of opportunity for all students to be inspired, motivated and enthused by an innovative curriculum that offers both enhancement and enrichment.  All students are encouraged to be both positive and proud of their abilities and to feel valued and supported by all staff.  Lime House School aims to provide the opportunities and resources to ensure this occurs.

 1. Introduction

In order that gifted and talented students receive a coherent approach, it is necessary for all staff to be aware of this policy and to act upon it.  Academically Gifted and Talented students have as much need for differentiated work as any other students.  Each subject/department will be asked to consider their provision for this cohort of students, and to monitor and develop that provision in line with curriculum developments, their department development plan and other school policies.

2. Identifying gifted and talented students

Gifted students have ability in one or more curriculum subjects.

Talented students have ability and interests in other areas such as sport and expressive arts.

A definition:

“’Gifted learners’ are those who have abilities in one or more subjects in the statutory school curriculum other than art and design, music and PE; ‘talented learners’ are those who have abilities in art and design, music, PE or performing arts such as dance or drama” Source: Excellence in Cities (EiC)

At Lime House School we have a complex mix of students of varying abilities and talents.  We take the viewpoint that all students have a gift or a talent that may not fit a “profile” or be observed academically but deserves to be respected and developed.  The nationally recognized figure of 5-10% of intake as Gifted and Talented does not fit comfortably with our philosophy of developing all students to be the very best that they can be……….but is taken as a useful starting point.

Lime House School policy believes that self-respect develops through the respect of others and that this:

“….rises not from shaping, manipulating, bossing or controlling other persons but rather, from respecting them enough to allow and encourage them to affirm their own tastes, preferences and choices.” (AH Maslow)

At Lime House School our policy is to give each and every student the time, space and opportunity to find out for themselves where their own interests lie and to enable them to develop this interest through stimulating lessons and enrichment opportunities.  All of the staff constantly work to support this policy; it maximizes opportunities for the students through an extensive sport programme including internal and external competitive sport, expressive art events and activities, enrichment activities based on academic subjects and excursions and visits to develop all aspects.

A register of students who “self-select” by asking to participate in additional activities has evolved and successfully identified a wide-ranging Gifted and Talented contingent of students.  Inclusion on the Gifted and Talented register is fluid and enables students to find a place where they feel happy and comfortable.  It has been nationally recognized that children will not continue to participate in activities that do not “feed” their innate gift or talent and as such Lime House School resists a prescriptive list based solely on percentiles.

Highly academic students will be supported with intellectual stimulation through attending lectures and activities that develop advanced understanding of their environment.  They will also be encouraged to take part in activities organized by third parties specifically designed to develop these students beyond that which has been designed to satisfy the student population in the UK as a whole.

Highly academic students, who are able but underachieving or disaffected, need to be identified and targeted.  Behavioural problems will never be a reason for non-inclusion.

2.1 Identifying gifted students

Academic baseline data will be used to aid initial identification of academically-gifted students.  A student will be identified as gifted if:

• They have an equivalent KS3 SAT level 7/8 in English, Mathematics or Science.
• They have a current mean CAT score of at least 129

In addition to these:

• The Senior Mistress and Deputy Head Teacher gather data on ‘skills’ from primary school. G & T students from primary school will be identified on ‘transfer’ in relation to specific subject areas.
• Departments will be invited to identify individual students who they feel fit the profile of a gifted student based on National Subject Criteria levels.  Subject specific student referral sheets are provided for this purpose and formative and/or summative assessment evidence is required for this.
• Any individual member of staff can nominate a student.

2.2 Identifying talented students

Departments are asked to identify students who may not fulfill the academic criteria above but who may display a particular talent in Art, Music, Drama, Sport or in some area beyond that studied purely towards examinations.  On a termly-basis bids will be invited from Departments in order to support extra activities specifically aimed at these students.  A bid must contain:

• Details of the specific activity or type of activity planned.
• A list of students who have been identified as being invited to participate in the activity.
• A clear demonstration that this activity is designed to move beyond the scheme of work and cannot be supported within allocated curriculum time.

The Gifted and Talented Coordinator will keep a record of regular voluntary participants in enrichment activities and events.  Those who clearly excel in any field will be included on the register regardless of academic ability.  Staff and parents are referred to the list below, identified by Denise Yates, Chief Executive, NAGC, to assist in the identification of a child they believe may benefit from being identified as Gifted and Talented :

Characteristics that help to identify gifted and talented children:

• Reasons well & learns rapidly
• Has extensive vocabulary & talked early
• Early or avid reader
• Asks lots of questions & learns more quickly than others
• Has a very retentive memory
• Is extremely curious & can concentrate for long periods on subjects of interest
• Perseverant in their interests
• Has a wide general knowledge & interest in the world
• Enjoys problem-solving, often missing out the intermediate stages in an argument & making original connections
• Has an unusual & vivid imagination
• Is intense and shows strong feelings & opinions
• Concerned with justice & fairness
• Has an odd sense of humour
• Sets high standards & is a perfectionist
• Loses interest when asked to do more of the same
• Is sensitive (feelings hurt easily)
• Shows compassion & is morally sensitive
• Has a high degree of energy
• Prefers older companions or adults
• At times mature judgement for age
• Is a keen observer
• Is highly creative
• Tends to question authority
• Has facility with numbers
• Extremely good at jigsaw puzzles

Lime House School tempers its belief in the usefulness of this list with the recognition that some Gifted and Talented young people do not necessarily fit these expectations.  Regardless of the quality and scope of provision, there may reasonably be the expectation that the potential of some young people remains unlocked or untapped.  The presence of such individuals and groups should always be anticipated.  This will be particularly the case for gifted and talented learners who also have one or more learning disabilities.  Lime House School believes they the school is particularly well-placed in assisting this group of young people through the specialist provision provided by our Learning Support Department and through our well-maintained CReSTeD status.

3. The Curriculum

The school will provide the gifted and talented students with their full entitlement to the UK National Curriculum and, additionally, provide access to curriculum enhancement in both UK Curriculum areas and, where appropriate, outside.  EAL provision will be provided to enable foreign student’s language skills to develop such that this is not a barrier to their ability to participate in a Gifted and Talented programme of activities.  Subject teachers will be made aware of those students on the Gifted and Talented register and should seek to monitor progress against published attainment data.  Heads of Departments/Subject Leaders will advise colleagues within their subject on strategies to challenge gifted students.  The school will seek to discover and utilise a range of strategies to improve the teaching and learning of the gifted and talented.

4. Enrichment

The pace and differentiation of lessons by task and by level are critical in order to provide enrichment.  These challenge and use a variety of teaching and learning styles in order to increase motivation, inspiration and enthusiasm.  Greater flexibility in the curriculum and extending the range of qualifications available will provide some effective differentiation and will increase, as links with partnership schools become more established.

The Gifted and Talented Coordinator (GaTC), in conjunction with departments, will plan an enrichment programme for those students identified as Gifted and Talented within the school.  This will include sessions held within school led by school staff or external speakers, as well as educational visits.  The aim of the programme will be to offer additional and different experiences in order to broaden the perspectives of the Gifted and Talented cohort.  In addition, the opportunity to meet with other Gifted and Talented students, sometimes across year groups, and from different schools, should also be supported.

5. Parents

The gifted and talented programme will be a three-way partnership at all times.  Parents will be given details of the school’s approach towards Gifted and Talented students and details of the Gifted and Talented Enrichment Programme.  Occasionally, it is possible that parents will not wish their child to be part of the programme.

6. Organisation and the Role of the GaTC:

The GaTC at Lime House School is responsible for coordinating provision for the Gifted and Talented students. This role involves:

• Coordinating the identification and provision of education for students identified as Gifted and Talented within the Lime House School learning community.  This will include, if necessary, assessing and raising awareness of the needs of individual students, to enable all teachers to differentiate classwork and homework as necessary
• Overseeing the day to day operation of the school’s Gifted and Talented policy
• Maintaining and updating the gifted and talented register
• To liaise with students, parents, form tutors and subject teachers to ensure that ILPs are produced, where necessary, in order to support students with learning needs and to monitor the implementation and review of these plans in order to support student learning where Gifted and Talented provision has become an issue
• Coordinating and arranging access to master classes and Summer Schools to provide further challenge/support
• Liaising with external agencies where appropriate
• Ensure familiarity with the range of strategies for identifying and providing for different types of ability
• Lime House School will support the GaTC in keeping up to date with developments and thinking in the teaching of gifted and talented learners
• Lime House School will support the GaTC in keeping in touch with key national organizations and with other coordinators through national networks eg National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE), National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), Children of High Intelligence (CHI) and the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (AGTY) and the Brunel Able Children’s Education (BACE) centre
• The Gifted and Talented Coordinator will report back to the Senior Management Team periodically, specifically through the Senior Mistress, about the development and implementation of provision for Gifted and Talented students.

 6.1 Department Link Teachers with the aid of Head of Department

Each department has identified a ‘Link’ teacher who will work closely with the GaTC to ensure best practice in their department area for students on either the SEN or G & T register. Their role involves:

• raising department awareness of best practice inside and outside school
• ensuring all members of the department are aware of which students are on the G & T register
• arranging placement in an appropriate class/set to meet a particular talent or gift
• ensuring department statement on policy and practice is in place and known by department members
  • ensuring department policy and practice is reflected in scheme of work and appears on agenda regularly
  • contributing to effective criteria and review department record of G & T students in each year group annually
    • monitoring effective differentiation regardless of grouping policy, of extension and enrichment activities
    • Investigating the opportunity for a student to enter for examinations earlier than their peers, in a subject
    • where the student has a particular talent and where this is considered beneficial to the individual and taking into account social implications of this action
    • monitoring that different extension homework is set and ensuring that schemes of work specify extension work.

 6.2 Role of Class Teacher

• differentiate specifically for G and T in lesson planning and homework
  • show awareness of characteristics of G & T to aid identification within subject area
  • know which students in each class have been identified as G & T
  • provide a range of teaching and learning strategies which extend (e.g. critical thinking, problem solving)
    • target command words which extend very able using, e.g. Blooms taxonomy
    • set up activities with different ‘entry levels’ and elements of choice
      • exploit media ICT to extend very able students.

6.3 Role of Form Tutor

• tutors are responsible for ensuring whole student overview through mentoring
• tutors are required to liaise with the GaTC so that all relevant subject teachers are aware of students abilities.

6.4 Role of all staff

• monitor with Form Tutors achievement and attainment of students identified as G & T via range of information
• celebrate work of all students and identify, as far as possible, potential to develop gifts and talents
• encourage student’s participation and promote opportunities for leadership and communication skills
• monitor with Form Tutors G & T issues arising and ensure information is disseminated to departments/GaTC
• ensure that the various threads of provision for the gifted and talented (including teaching and learning, extracurricular enrichment, pastoral support and community links) operate coherently and relate to each other
• ensure that the components of teaching and learning, including classroom provision, study support, workplace learning and enrichment opportunities — make sense as a coherent package
• Ensure that study-support must complement classroom provision effectively — it should not simply be a bolt-on extra that bears no relationship to the curriculum that the gifted and talented follow
• Ensure that acceleration, extension and enrichment should be planned coherently within subject areas

7 Monitoring and Evaluation

Any monitoring or evaluation, in terms of integrity of the policy and its implementation and the effectiveness of its provision, must consider students’ workloads and possible effects on motivation / self-esteem. It is done through:

• monitoring the identification of students (GATC)
• monitoring provision for and academic progress of those students through the school (GATC)
• accountability for monitoring Gifted and Talented students identified in any year group (Senior Mistress)
• updating annually the departmental policy & practice, consistent with whole school policy (Subject leader/Head of Department)
• monitoring progress of G&T students using summative and formative assessment and own observations (class teacher)
• induction session on the G & T policy for new staff to explain JCG policies and procedures (GATC)
• the House Point system to motivate & celebrate achievement of all students
• recommendations to NAGTY (National Academy) – a good method of celebrating achievement throughout the whole school (class teacher/GATC)
• achievement of G&T students is tracked using value added data from both CATS and GCSE predictions (Data Analysis)
• formative information is gathered from mentoring and appropriate targets set based on G&T data.
• Tutors are required to forward relevant information to the GATC (form tutors)
• G & T items can be seen regularly on department agendas and Head of Department meetings
• students are proud to discuss their achievements (all)

The policy and/or procedures will, where necessary, be revised in light of these evaluations.

10. Conclusion

• The gifted and talented will be monitored and membership of the cohort will be flexible
• At all times the well being of the individual student belonging to the cohort must be paramount. The key concepts to the gifted and talented programme must be opportunity, challenge, self-selection and enrichment
• The gifted and talented programme must impact on the whole curriculum in order to be effective.
• Curriculum delivery must be flexible
• Opportunities for enrichment may be offered beyond the normal school day

This policy should be read in conjunction with all other school and national policies; in particular QCA Guidance documentation on www.qcda.gov.uk/2345.aspx

Businesses and organizations that are able to tap human potential, to organize effectively around human effort, and satisfy the inherent need for human beings to do meaningful work, will endure.  Maslow seemed to realize that as a world and its people became more complex, the importance of building environments where people could reach their potential would become imperative.  His writings, his essays, and his many books give us a roadmap into the next century of work…………….

The Maslow Business Reader, Abraham H Maslow, Edited by Deborah C. Stephens, 2000.  John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Named GaTC:                                         Ms Fran Bradley

Policy Revision Date:                         August 2011

To be Reviewed:                                   August 2012 or as legislation requires

Useful references:

QCA Development Agency

http://www.qcda.gov.uk/2346.aspx

National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE)

http://www.nace.co.uk/

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

http://www.nagcbritain.org.uk/

Children of High Intelligence (CHI)

http://www.ndparking.com/chi-charity.org.uk

National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (AGTY)  “`                                                                                                  http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/giftedandtalented

Brunel Able Children’s Education (BACE) centre

http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/sse/sseres/sseresearchcentres/bacehome