School Office & Administration
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
- To be available to staff, pupils and parents, to provide or to receive information.
- To deal with all administrative aspects of the school under the direction of the Senior Leadership Team and Governors.
- To ensure that all the administrative and secretarial requirements of the teaching staff are provided.
- To ensure that the efficient running of the School Office is maintained.
The core aims of the school are to be a centre of excellence and achievement and to provide a wide spectrum of education opportunities; to be a respected place of academic teaching where learning takes place in a caring, stimulating and supportive environment.
The main role of the School Office is to provide an efficient service and effective resources to support and maintain this ethos and the high standards of the school. To be able to achieve this, we need the continued support of colleagues, parents and pupils.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Please consider the following matters concerning the service provided by the School Office. Matters included in this section:
- HOLIDAYS
- ABSENCES
- PUNCTUALITY AND ATTENDANCE
- APPOINTMENTS
- ILLNESS AND MEDICAL CARE
- UNIFORM
- LOCKERS
- LOST PROPERTY
- MOBILE PHONES
- CHANGE OF DETAILS/CIRCUMSTANCES
HOLIDAYS
It is against school policy to take holidays during term time. If a girl needs to miss school for any occasion other than illness or an emergency, permission must be sought by writing to the Headmistress in advance. The school has the authority not to authorise a request for a student to miss school for any reason.
ABSENCES
Please note that written confirmation is required for any and every absence during normal term time. This applies even when an absence has been reported over the telephone. Letters should be given to the Form Tutor or the School Office on your daughter’s return, confirming the reason for the absence. If absence is likely to be prolonged, please inform the School Office as soon as possible and certainly within three days.
If your daughter is in school but not going to be in registration (am or pm) e.g.
because of a sporting event/club, music lesson, meeting with a teacher etc, she must
inform her Form Tutor or the School Office.
PUNCTUALITY AND ATTENDANCE
Watford Grammar School for Girls sets high standards of attendance. Students must leave home early so as to arrive on time, thus avoiding any unexpected problems with buses and trains.
It is a good idea to be in school by 8.30am, but a bell rings at 8.40am to tell girls that they should be in their form rooms for registration. Morning registration takes place at 8.45am.
If girls arrive at school late (i.e. after 8.55am), they MUST report to the School Office to sign in before they go into class. Your daughter must bring in a letter to her Form Tutor the following day explaining her lateness. Failure to do so will result in an “unexplained/unauthorised” absent mark on her register. Repeated late arrival will result in a late detention.
It is your child’s responsibility to check the PE notice board concerning sports fixtures and to inform you of the date, venue and time for collection.
Please only telephone to leave a message for your child in a real emergency. It is not possible for office staff to deliver non-urgent messages to students.
Please ask your daughter to come into the Office if she has forgotten anything that you subsequently bring into school. The Office cannot deliver items to individual children, but will look after them until they are collected.
APPOINTMENTS
Please avoid making dentists, opticians, doctors or hospital appointments during school hours if possible. Appointment cards/letters must be provided beforehand if the appointment is during school hours and parents must sign in/out at the school office. Please also make sure that your daughter is aware of the appointment (make a note/reminder in her planner if necessary). It is not possible for office staff to look for your daughter to remind her of her appointment.
Girls in Years 7, 8 and 9 MUST be collected by an adult. Please note that we do not permit any junior girl to leave the school premises alone and appointments will be missed if no one arrives at school to accompany her.
ILLNESSS AND MEDICAL CARE
Mrs Duffy is the school Matron. She can be contacted on 01923 223403 Ext 227, should you wish to discuss any health issues or concerns regarding your daughter. Please note that Matron cannot administer medication to students unless it is provided by a parent/guardian in the original package with a letter giving permission for her to do so. All medication brought to school is stored in a locked cupboard.
INHALERS
Girls who suffer from asthma must ensure that they carry an inhaler that is clearly named and in date, with them at all times. Any girl who is listed as asthmatic will not be allowed to go on school trips or to attend sport fixtures if she does not have her inhaler with her. It is important that Matron is kept up to date with any change in her condition.
EPIPENS
Girls who suffer from allergies that may result in them experiencing an anaphylactic shock should inform Matron. As well as carrying an Epipen themselves, they should give one to Matron, along with up to date contact details and a current passport size photo, for identification purposes, to be stored in the School Office. This should be replaced promptly when out of date or used. Girls who are prescribed an Epipen will not be allowed to go on school trips or to attend sport fixtures if she does not have her Epipen with her.
There is a small medical room available for the girls to receive treatment for minor injuries sustained in school and to rest if feeling unwell. If your daughter feels too unwell to continue with her lessons, a parent/guardian will be contacted and asked to collect her. Please ensure that we have your current and up-to-date contact details and also ensure that you have contingency arrangements in place for a third party to collect your daughter if you are unable to do so for any reason.
No girl below Year 10 is allowed to leave school on her own either to go home unwell or to attend an appointment. She must be met by an adult and signed out of school by Matron or office staff.
PLEASE NOTE THAT if your daughter is unwell, you must contact the School Office as soon as possible to inform us that she will not be able to attend school. On the day of her return to school, she must bring in a letter explaining the reason for her absence.
IMMUNISATIONS
Year 8
The HPV (Gardasil) immunisation is ONLY offered to girls in year 8. The HPV immunisation requires three injections to given on three separate occasions spread over the school year.
Year 10
The Tetanus, Diphtheria & Polio immunisation will be offered to girls in year 10. Those who miss it will be recalled the following year.
Parents are asked to complete, sign and return Consent Forms promptly to Matron once received. Every girl must return a signed Consent Form stating whether or not you wish your daughter to be immunised.
Counselling
There is a confidential Counselling Service available in school. For more information please contact Matron.
School Nurse
There is a confidential ‘Drop In’ service available in school, provided by the School Nurse NHS Support Agency. For more information please contact Matron.
UNIFORM
All girls are expected to wear correct school uniform. The school maintains a stock of very good quality second hand uniform at very reasonable prices, many items hardly used. Please contact Mrs Duffy at the school office for further details.
LOCKERS
Every pupil in the school has her own locker in which to keep, safely and securely, her school equipment and personal possessions. Girls are responsible for the security and privacy of their lockers and for taking proper care of the keys at all times.
In order to guarantee security, please provide a padlock for your daughter's locker; a spare key should be left at home. In extreme cases, it may be necessary to cut away a padlock to gain access to a locker if a key is not available; if this happens, a new padlock will need to be purchased.
Lockers need to be kept clean and tidy at all times. Food and drink should not be stored overnight.
LOST PROPERTY
It is each girl’s responsibility to clearly name all her possessions (i.e. uniform, PE kit, books, files etc) and store any valuable items in her locker. Please stress to your daughter that she must always look after her purse and refrain from bringing valuable items into school. The school cannot be held responsible for the loss of money or personal property (e.g. mobile phones, iPods, MP3s etc.) on the school premises. The girls can see Matron should they wish to keep certain items in the “valuables box” (also located in the PE department – see PE staff).
Named lost property is returned to the girl when handed in to the School Office.
MOBILE PHONES
If it is necessary for your daughter to have a phone, it must be turned off and kept in her locker. She must not use it in school. Staff will confiscate any mobile phone found in school and hand it to the Headmistress who will keep it for a week. Girls are not allowed to use their mobile phones in school for any reason whatsoever. If they are unwell, have any concerns or need to contact parents in an emergency, they must see Matron in the School Office and she will make the necessary arrangements. The school will not be held responsible for lost or damaged phones.
CHANGE OF DETAILS/CIRCUMSTANCES
Please inform the school office of any change in circumstances (change of address/contact numbers/mobile/emergency contact details etc) ASAP so our records can be updated accordingly. This includes changes to a parent's circumstances that do not seem directly to affect the girl: for example when a parent changes surname following marriage or separation, and the daughter retains her original surname, we still need to know about the change so that we address you correctly when writing, and know who to ask for by telephone.
(Detailed notes of all the above and additional guidelines can be found in the PARENTS’ HANDBOOK given to all parents before they start school in Year 7).
The Office Team
Mrs S Dabiran – PA to Headmistress
Mrs P Duffy – Matron
Mrs A Ratcliffe – Sixth Form Secretary
Mrs M Humberstone - Reprographics Technician
Mrs V Mensah - Office Manager
Ms S Jackson – School Receptionist
Mrs S Clifford - Attendance Secretary
Mrs L Withers – Admissions Secretary
