School Information Pack (2017)
Dear Parents/Carers
On Tuesday 5th September 2017 we will be welcoming your child into our school. This will mark the start of what we hope will be a happy and successful school career and a fruitful partnership between school and home.
We have produced this booklet to provide you with some of the basic information about our organisation, routines and expectations. Please go through it with your child so that you all feel well prepared and confident about the move to Al Markaz Academy. If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at school and we will be pleased to help. We look forward to working with you in September.
Please keep this information stored safely as you may require it throughout the academic year.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Razia Akhtar
Headteacher
Aims of the School
To provide an Islamic environment for students in which they can study and practise their faith
To promote Islamic morals and refine student’s characters
To help students fulfil their academic potential in all subjects
To develop responsible citizens who can make a positive contribution to society
NB. Although Al Markaz Academy promotes an Islamic ethos it openly welcomes and admits pupils from all backgrounds regardless of their race, religion and ethnicity.
NB. Should you decide not to send your daughter to our school, please inform us of this decision as soon as possible so that we may contact the Local Education Authority to remove student names off our school roll.
School Timings:
Morning Registration: 8.10 – 8.30 am
Lesson 1 8.30 – 9.30 am
Lesson 2: 9.30 – 10.20 am
Break: 10.20 – 10.30 am
Lesson 3: 10.30 – 11.30 am
Lesson 4: 11.30 - 12.30pm
Lunch: 12.30 – 1pm
Lesson 5: 1.00 – 2pm
Afternoon Prayer: 2pm – 2.20pm
The school premises will be open from 8am should any parents wish to drop their children off before registration.
Get into good habits
Young people form habits very quickly. Please encourage the habit of regular and punctual attendance. Excellent attendance and timekeeping will enable students to reach their full potential.
The school is required by law to record the attendance of every student. The registers are a record of who is absent or late and are a legal requirement. Attendance and absent rates are sent out as part of school reports.
The school has a system of rewards to further support and encourage ‘good habits’ of school attendance.
Travelling
Travelling from afar can sometimes cause your child to be late to school. If your child is persistently late to school because of public transport, we ask that you encourage your child to catch an earlier bus. School is open from 8.00 am every day with supervised areas (Main hall and classroom). If your child is late due to attending a medical appointment the production of an appointment card or note is essential.
First day of absence
Regular attendance at school is the responsibility of parents. If your child is too ill to attend school then it is vital that the school is alerted on the first day that they are absent. You can contact the school by telephone or email preferably first thing in the morning. If we are not contacted then it is assumed that your child is absent without your permission i.e. truanting.
We will try to contact parents on the first day of absence, however, it would be most helpful if you could let us know of your child’s absence as soon as possible. We may, with your permission send you a text from the school mobile and ask that you respond at your earliest convenience.
When your child has returned to school after being absent you must write a note in their planner with the reason for absence and sign it. It would also be very useful, if possible, for a copy of a medical note to be brought in to confirm their absence so we may keep it for our records.
Unauthorised absence can put your child at risks that are beyond the control of the school or you as parents. We work closely with the LEA and Department of Children’s Services and, when appropriate, the Police Community Support Officer to try and ensure that students are not put at risk in this way.
School Absence Telephone Number: (01274) 270043
Email:
Let us help
Sometimes young people get worried about going to school. This may be for various reasons, such as they are struggling with a subject or they are being bullied. If you are worried about your child and their attendance then do not hesitate to contact the school and speak to the head teacher Mrs Razia Akhtar.
Attendance and Education Welfare/ Education Social Work Service:(01274) 385761
Attendance and Punctuality Matters
Parents’ checklist:
· Contact school on the first day of your child’s absence using the school telephone number.
· Ensure that your telephone/mobile numbers are up to date.
· Encourage your child to aim for 100% attendance each week.
· Encourage your child to be on time each day and for every lesson
· Try to arrange holidays during official school holiday time
· Family holidays during term time are strongly discouraged. Letters of request must be sent to the head teacher and will be dealt with at her discretion
· Try to arrange routine appointments out of school hours
· Be firm with your child about her attendance – if your child is ill in school we will always contact you if it is deemed necessary.
· Inform your child that they must not leave school without permission from a member of staff. Someone from school will contact parents prior to your child going home.
· Tell your child that they must always sign out at reception for health and safety reasons.
· If problems persist then do not hesitate to contact school to discuss them
Student’s Checklist
· To attend regularly and on time.
· To arrive fully prepared for the day (wearing uniform, equipment, bag, planner, homework etc).
· To report to reception if you arrive after 8.30 am.
· To inform your form teacher of any known problem that will prevent you from attending school at any future time.
· To sign out at reception if you have official permission to do so.
· To perform wudu and pray salat ul zuhr in the afternoon.
School Uniform
At Al Markaz Academy we want to maintain high standards of school dress. In
order to achieve this we are looking for your help in ensuring that our simple dress
code is strictly followed. If there is a problem about sending your child to school on a
particular day without full school dress, please send a note of explanation.
School Blazer – A burgundy blazer with the school logo embroidered onto it. Students will be shown a selection of sizes to choose from on the first day of term. Once the right size has been selected, details on how to purchase them will be provided to parents during the first week. Blazers with the embroidered design will cost approximately £22.
Plain black jilbab containing no patterns or embroidery to be worn over plain black trousers.
Plain black headscarves which are to be worn by students but other hair accessories, such as flowers, headbands etc are not acceptable.
Footwear –Plain black shoes and plain black/white socks.
Jewellery is not permitted apart from one pair of small, plain stud earrings and an inexpensive wrist watch. We do not want any other jewellery in school for reasons of both health and safety.
Make Up is not permitted no matter how minimum it may be. Students will be expected to remove it with suitable cleansers kept in school if they arrive with it on. We will contact parents if there are serious concerns.
Hairstyles – No extremes of fashion are allowed (either colour or design).
Valuables –Mobile phones or tablets are tolerated in school but not encouraged. Such items must only be used for emergency purposes e.g. contacting parents.
If a student is found to be using such items inappropriately then it will be confiscated by staff and stored in a safe place until their return at the end of the day. If this happens on more than three occasions it may be confiscated for longer and parents will be contacted.
We cannot take responsibility for loss or theft of such valuables. Our insurance does not cover them. Even in PE where a valuables box may provide some security we will not be held liable for mobile phones, which are stolen or lost.
PE Kit
White polo shirt
Black tracksuit bottoms
Equipment
We consider a pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, protractor, compass and calculator to be basic equipment for all students. In addition, a bag suitable for carrying A4 size books, PE kit and a school planner are essential and we expect everyone to have one.
Homework
We believe that regular and meaningful homework enhances and supports the work that students do in the classroom. Students will be set regular homework in all subjects. Not all homework will be writing. It could involve research, for example, or revising for a test. Children are expected to record their homework in their planner on the day it is set and meet all deadlines.
Rewards System
We place great emphasis on rewards at Al Markaz Academy and aim to recognise and acknowledge every possible achievement by our students. Our rewards system is based on the awarding of credits. Children can be given credits for a whole host of positive things such as good work or behaviour in each of their subjects, for good attendance, for bringing the correct equipment, raising money for charity etc. All credits are recorded in student’ planners and awards will be given for those who reach a certain amount. Achievements in all school years are also recognised in assemblies.
Sanctions
A range of sanctions may be used against students who do not follow the reasonable rules of the school. Usually we will inform parents and involve them in dealing with concerns about their child’s behaviour. Detentions for young students are normally held at breaks or lunchtime (where we make sure students still have their meal.)
No students of the school will be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, colour, disability, age or social position. If any student displays behaviour of intolerance towards another, disciplinary procedures will be taken.
Parents Day
This will involve parents being invited into school to discuss their daughter’s progress and achievements with subject teachers. The parents days will take place in December and May. Exact dates will be provided to you closer to the time. Written reports will also be given to parents towards the end of the academic year for each subject.
Communication from School to Home
As the school progresses we are likely to send a number of information letters home to you via your child or via email. Each child is a given a school planner in which to record their homework on a daily basis. We sometimes use the planner as a means of communication with home and we would ask you to look at the planner on a weekly basis.
We always aim to work closely with parents and will contact you as soon as possible, usually by telephone or text, if there is an issue about your child which we want to discuss. Similarly, if you wish to talk to a particular member of staff, please remember that they may not be available immediately because of their normal teaching commitments. If you wish to see someone, it is much more helpful to check in advance when they are free during the day and make an appointment.
Health and Welfare
All accidents, no matter how minor are reported to members of staff. An accident report book is filled in. Minor cuts and bruises are dealt with immediately, but for more serious injuries parents will be contacted directly. In urgent cases, the child will be taken to hospital, accompanied by a member of staff. Medicines are not administered at the school unless the child has an on-going condition such as asthma. Any medicines must be clearly labelled with the child’s full name and instructions for use. Parents must provide written authorisation for the staff to administer the medicine. All eventualities will be recorded. Children who are known to have a serious or contagious illness should be kept at home.
Every Child Matters
This is a government initiative that was launched in 2003 and applies to the well-being of children and young people from the day they are born to until they reach the age of 19. It is based on the idea that every child, regardless of their individual circumstances or background, should have plenty of support throughout their life. There are 5 key principles to this policy:
To be healthy
To stay safe
To enjoy and achieve
To make a positive contribution
To achieve economic well-being
This is achieved at our school with:
· PSHCE
· PE
· Various learning opportunities in our curriculum
· Through recognition and rewards for achievements
Holiday dates
School starts Tuesday September 5th 2017
Holiday / Break starts / Return to SchoolHalf Term / Friday 20th October / Monday 30th October
Christmas / Friday 15th December / Tuesday 2nd January
Half Term / Friday 9th February / Monday 19th February
Easter / Thursday 29th March / Monday 16th April
Bank Holiday / Friday 4th May / Tuesday 8th May
Ramadan & Half term / Friday 25th May / Monday 18th June
Summer break / Thursday 19th July
Lunchtime arrangements
Healthy eating is essential for a healthy lifestyle and at Al Markaz we provide school lunches for the price of £1. We encourage all students and parents to pack fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy balanced diet for any daily snacks. Fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolates should be avoided.