Welcome to Ousedale School Newport Pagnell Campus Transition

Welcome to Ousedale School Newport Pagnell Campus Transition 2020

Dear Year 6, We know that your transition to Ousedale School will be a little bit different this year. However, just because we can’t come and meet you in person, doesn’t mean that we haven’t been thinking about your transition and planning to make sure that you have a good start to your years at Ousedale School. We have put together this powerpoint so that we can still share with you all of the information we would normally go through in our visits to your school or when you would have come to visit us for your transition day. Hopefully it will answer any questions you have. If you get to the end and still have things you would like to find out, please discuss this with your teacher who can contact us. We will answer them for you as soon as possible. We look forward to meeting you soon! Mrs Baines (Pastoral and Academic Leader for Year 7) and Mrs Penny (Assistant Headteacher)

Key Staff Mrs Carbert Head Teacher Mr Glover Deputy Headteacher Mrs Baines Pastoral and Academic Leader for Year 7 Mrs Penny Assistant Headteacher Mrs Freer Year 7 Learning Mentor

Role of the Form Tutor At the end of June, your parents will receive a letter which will let you know the name of your Form Tutor. You will see your Form Tutor twice a day for registration so they are your first point of contact in school. If anything is ever worrying you, it’s important that you speak to your Form Tutor straight away and then we can help resolve any problems. Form groups have been put together based on the information that your current school has given us. We will not make any changes to tutor groups at this point. We ask everyone sees how they settle. Remember – just because you might not be in a tutor group with your friend, it does not mean you won’t see them in other lessons or at break or lunch times. We think it’s important that this is a fresh start for everyone. You will know some people in your tutor groups from your current school. However, it will also be a great chance to meet new friends too!

What does the school look like? When you arrive at the Newport Pagnell Campus, the first building you will see is the reception. Behind reception is what we call ‘the Pringle’ which is a seating area you can enjoy with your friends.

On the right is the Newport Pagnell campus library. This is open before school, break time, lunch time and after school. You move around the school for your different lessons.

You will take part in a wide range of lessons and each Department has specialist equipment to support your learning.

PE and Sports, Music and Drama You will get the opportunity to try a range of sports at Ousedale School. You will also have the opportunity to take part in lunch time and after school clubs and also try out for our sports teams. There also lots of music and drama clubs both at lunch times and after school for you to get involved in, along with our regular school productions.

Your first day Whilst we are still unsure of the final plans for schools in September, we want to reassure you that we will make sure that you are made to feel welcome and comfortable as quickly as possible. We will send out specific details to your parents or carers nearer the time, but please don’t worry about this. When you come in to school, you will have an opportunity to meet your Form Tutors and be taken to your form room where you will be given your timetable. Do not worry about bringing PE kit on the first day. However, you will need a pencil case with all the correct equipment (see later slide) and also a packed lunch.

Our School Day - Monday On a Monday, our school day is slightly different. This is because we have form time and assembly for the first 30 minutes each Monday. This means that every lesson on a Monday morning is 5 minutes shorter. Assembly / tutor time: Lesson 1: Lesson 2: Break: Lesson 3: Lesson 4: Lunch: Lesson 5: 8. 45 – 9. 15 – 10. 10 – 11. 05 – 11. 30 – 12. 25 – 13. 20 – 14. 0014. 05 - 15. 05

Our School Day: Tuesday to Friday Registration: Lesson 1: Lesson 2: Break: Lesson 3: Lesson 4: Lunch: Lesson 5: 8. 45 – 8. 55 - 9. 55 - 10. 55 - 11. 20 - 12. 20 - 13. 20 - 14. 00 14. 05 - 15. 05 Punctuality It is really important that you are on time for school every day. You need to be at your form room, ready to start the day by 8. 45 am. If you are late to school, you will be given a 20 minute detention that lunch time.

Breaks and lunch times • The canteen is open before school, break and lunch time. This is a great place for you to meet up with your friends. • It can get very busy, so you will need to queue up in pairs and the teachers will let you in a few at a time. • In your first week, year 7 lunch starts 5 minutes earlier than everyone else so that you have priority going in to the canteen. • There also lots of outside areas we would encourage you to use to sit and meet up with your friends. • The School Library is also open before school, at breaks, lunch times and after school (except a Friday). There always different activities happening in the Library and after school it is a good place to go to get your homework done before you head home. • The SEN area also runs a lunch club every day, so if you are a little nervous about where you might go, you could head there.

Canteen Sample breakfast, snack and lunch menus

What will you need to bring with you? • When you arrive in September, you will be given a Planner. This will be where you can write down your timetable and homework and will help you organise yourself. • You will need a good sized bag! At the Newport Pagnell campus, we do not have lockers so you need to carry your books with you for that day. This means you need to be very organised the night before and make sure you pack the right equipment for the next day. • On your first day, make sure you bring a packed lunch. We take your thumb print for you to access the canteen and it is possible we might not be able to do this straight away. Therefore, bring a packed lunch for your first few days, just in case. • Make sure any equipment you have (PE kit, lunch boxes, pencil cases etc) is named in case it gets lost. • You will need to have your own pencil case, calculator and other key equipment. A full list is on a different slide.

What lessons will I be doing? You will be taught some lessons as a form group, but not all of them. • For Maths, English and Science classes will be allocated from the start based on your teacher assessment levels from your current school. These will be reviewed by October half term • For all other classes, you will be taught in mixed ability groups. • You will also have lessons in a number of other subjects: History, Geography, Modern Foreign Languages, RE, Music, IT, Design Technology, Art, PE and Wellbeing. Some of these are taught as a tutor group and some are mixed with students from different tutor groups. • You will be taking part in the Accelerated Reader programme as part of your English lessons and prizes will be available for those of you who read the most!

Clubs and extra-curricular activities • There are lots of extra opportunities for students and we would encourage you to take these up • After February half term and after May half term, you will be able to choose an Enrichment option. These take place on a Wednesday afternoon for 6 weeks. You can take part in a range of activities trying out different sports, music, craft, coding etc. There a wide range of activities to choose from! • Leadership roles – we will encourage as may of you as possible to take part in Leadership roles. This means you can have your say in decisions made in school and share the views of your fellow students. • We will encourage you to take part in school, national and international competitions.

The Ousedale Learner In lessons, we ask students to try their best to be an Outstanding Ousedale Learner. This means trying to be: - Collaborative - Determined - Engaged - Organised Have a look at the definitions next to each box. You will soon realise that our expectations are very straightforward. We want everyone to be on time, be polite, behave well and try their hardest in lessons.

Uniform As a student of Ousedale School, we expect you to wear your uniform with pride. This means: • Ties worn properly – up to your top button • Shirt tucked in • Blazer on (unless told otherwise by your teacher) • Black tights to be work at all times under a school skirt • Shoes must be plain black all over (no coloured logos etc) • School trousers must not be tight fitting. They must be loose at the ankles.

Mobile Phones Whilst you can bring your mobile phone in to school, this is completely at your own risk. The school is not responsible for your phone if it gets lost, damaged or stolen. If you do bring your phone to school with you, it must be off for the vast majority of the day. The only times you are allowed your phone on are during break and lunch times and this is only if you are outside. You are not allowed to be on your phone in any school buildings. This includes the Canteens or Library.

Basic Equipment It is essential that you have the right equipment for your lessons. This is the basic equipment that you should have with you in September. • Pen x 2 • Pencil sharpener • Rubber/eraser • 1 calculator • 1 geometry set (set square, protractor, compass etc) • 1 x 30 cm ruler • You will be given your Planner when you arrive at school.

Homework In the first half term, only core subjects will set homework once a week, to support your transition to secondary school. After October half term you will receive the following homework: • Once a week: Maths, English, Science, MFL, History, Geography. • Once a fortnight: PER, Music, IT, Art, Technology. As a guide, you can expect that each homework task or activity may take up to 30 minutes.

Any questions? Please have a think about whether you have any questions for us. Your teacher can email your questions to Mrs Baines (anneka. baines@ousedale. org. uk) by Monday 6 th July. We will then be able to respond to these before the end of term.