Parent Hub

Welcome to our Parent Hub Page. Here, you will find everything you need to support your child's journey at The Grange Academy.

If you wish to contact us, please click here.

Parent Agreement - The Grange Way

This is what we call 'The Grange Academy Way'. All key stakeholders play a part in ensuring our students experience the best opportunities during their time with us at The Grange. Here is a reminder of our parent commitment.

My Child at School App

One of the ways that Parents/Carers can stay up to date with their Childs attendance and behaviour is to sign up to our MCAS 'My Child at School App'.
MCAS_Login.pdf

Reporting Absence for your Child

Why is Attendance Important?

Every day and every lesson matters. Persistent lateness or absence leads to gaps in learning, making it harder for students to understand current lessons and affecting their concentration and behaviour. Frequent absence profoundly impacts achievement.

Reporting Absence:

If a pupil cannot attend school due to illness or other reasons, parents/carers should contact the school office between 8:15 am - 8:30 am. The academy must report any unauthorised or continued absences to the Hertfordshire Attendance Team, who will contact the family directly. For prolonged absences, parents/carers should inform the academy.

Please refer to our attendance policy for more information.

School Day

Please see the below for school day timings:

Time	Period /Break/Lunch
8.25 - 8.30 am	Morning Line-Up
8.30-9.20 am	Period 1
9.20-10.10	Period 2
10.10-11.00	Period 3
11.00 - 11.20	Break
11.20-11.50	Tutor
11.50 - 12.40	Period 4
12.40 - 13.25	P5a Lessons – Y8,9,11 Lunch – Y7,10,12,13 (students sent to line up at 13.15)
13.25 - 14.10	P5b Lessons – Y7. Y10, Y12, Y13 Lunch – Y8, Y9, Y11 (students sent to line up at 14.00)
14.10 - 15.00	Period 6
15.00 – 15.50	P7 Year 11 only (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri)

School Lunches and Parent Pay

It is important to us that children eat well. Our catering team, 'Cucina,' takes great care to provide healthy and balanced diets to our students. The menus incorporate dishes from around the world to introduce our students to both familiar and new tastes and flavors. This is further enhanced by our 'Celebration' days, where we offer a range of different items.

Parent Pay Cashless System:

The Grange Academy is a cashless school. We use a secure online system called 'Parent Pay,' which allows parents to access details of their child's financial activity. All food is paid for using this system.

To access the Parent Pay website, please click here.

Student Medical Information

If a student has an accident or feels unwell, they must tell a member of staff straight away. If they are too ill to remain in school, their parents/carers will be contacted by a member of our academy staff. Students are not permitted to call home on their own. They must speak to a member of staff first.

Medicines:

Students are not permitted to carry medicine with them. For more information, please contact your child's Head of Year or the Academy Welfare Officer. All inhalers and EpiPens should be labelled with your child’s name and class. Specific medical plans relating to their use should be completed with the support of the academy as necessary. For detailed guidelines, please refer to our Medical Policy.

Behaviour

In the first instance, you should refer to our behaviour policy for information. You can find a link to this policy here.

At The Grange Academy, we expect our students to follow our expectations at all times. Students should be able to enjoy their lessons in a warm, friendly, and safe environment. We acknowledge good behaviour with achievement points and other rewards. However, should a student not support and demonstrate our core values of Knowledge, Aspiration, and Respect, we will impose clear sanctions for unacceptable behaviour.

Anti-bullying:

At The Grange Academy, we promote a common anti-bullying approach in which we support each other, provide positive role models and shared values, and are clear that we will not tolerate unacceptable behaviour. If bullying is suspected or reported, the incident will be dealt with by members of our Pastoral Team.If you are concerned that your child could be experiencing bullying, please let us know as soon as possible, and we will work together to resolve the situation. Students can use our online reporting system if they feel this would be a more suitable way to report information. They can do this by emailing us.

Parent Working Group

Our Parent Working Group is set up to develop relationships between the Academy and all parents/carers. We regularly hold Parent Working Group meetings for parents to attend so you can hear our view and we can hear your views on various topics and issues that impact our children. We always use your feedback to help the Academy continue to grow.

This year, we will have held six PWG meetings, which have included:

Autumn Term 1 – Principal welcome, vision, and values
Autumn Term 2 – Curriculum and Assessment
Spring Term 1 – Communication and Reports
Spring Term 2 – Sanctions and Rewards
Summer Term 1 – Homework (held in Summer Term 2)
Summer Term 2 – Enrichment

If you have any further questions regarding the above, please email us. We look forward to developing our new programme for 2024/25.

Booking for a Parents Evening

At The Grange Academy, to make life a little easier, we have an online booking system that allows you to book appointments electronically for any of our parent consultation evenings. You will be sent information prior to the event, but you can log into the booking site by clicking here. Please find the login guide here.

PSHE and RSE

We believe that PSHE and RSHE education plays a crucial role in preparing young people for the challenges and responsibilities they will face as they navigate adolescence and beyond. By addressing topics such as mental health, relationships, consent, and personal safety, we aim to empower our students to make informed decisions and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

In 2023/24, we conducted two parental consultations regarding the topics and delivery of these programs, receiving positive feedback from parents on both occasions. We will continue to consult with you as we move into the 2024/25 academic year, once the Government has completed its consultation period on RSE.

Withdrawing children from RSE

You have the right to withdraw your child from sex education delivered as part of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in secondary schools. This right can be exercised up to three terms before your child turns 16, except in exceptional circumstances. If, at that point, your child wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the school should arrange for this to take place during one of the three terms before the child reaches the legal age of sexual consent (16). There is no right to withdraw from Relationships Education at the secondary level. We believe that subjects such as family, friendship, and safety (including online safety) are important for all children. You are welcome to contact the following individuals to discuss the programme content further:

Additionally, you can review the help and guidance we have provided for parents and students here.

Inclusion (SEND)

At our academy, we believe in creating inclusive environments that aim to meet the needs of all students. We want to ensure that our Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision offers appropriate support for those facing barriers to their learning.

We provide support within all four broad areas of SEND:

Cognition and learning
Communication and interaction
Sensory and Physical
Social, emotional and mental health

Our school SENDCO, Jo Ricketts, leads on the provision for students with SEND to ensure that it is of the highest standards. For information regarding SEND: inclusion@thegrange.futureacademies.org.

Free School Meals (FSM)

Your child can get a free school meal if you receive any of the following:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (as long as you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you don't get more than £16,190 a year)
Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Universal Credit (with annual earned income of no more than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits you get).

You can verify your eligibility here.

Attendance & Punctuality

Why is being on time important?

Every minute counts. If your child arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer. Being just 15 minutes late each day throughout the academic year is equivalent to losing 10 days in the classroom!

What can you do to support your child's attendance:

Medical Appointments: Where possible, book them outside of school hours.
Family Holidays: Plan trips during the 175 days when students are not in school.
Illness: Avoid allowing your child to stay home for minor complaints or illnesses. If they are well enough to be up and about, they are generally well enough to attend school.
Punctuality: Ensure your child arrives at school on time and ready to learn.

Reporting a Safeguarding Concern

All staff at The Grange Academy are committed to providing outstanding safeguarding. All staff receive annual safeguarding training.

If you have concerns that a child or children are being harmed, are at risk of harm, or receive a disclosure, you must report it to us immediately, and we will take appropriate action.

To contact the safeguarding team, please email using the details below. You can also report concerns in person by speaking to a staff member at the Academy. Provide as much information as possible, including your name, so we can respond quickly.

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mr Jon Nagle j.nagle@thegrange.futureacademies.org

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Ms Kelly Seabrook k.seabrook@thegrange.futureacademies.org