Harlington Community School

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11th September 2009

Dear Parents and Carers,

I wanted to take this opportunity to write to all parents and carers and their children and welcome everyone back to a new term at Harlington. If you are the parent or carer of a child who has just commenced their studies here, then a warm welcome to the Harlington community.

It is my privilege to be leading the school this year. Although our first newsletter is to be published in October, here is a little information about changes that are occurring in the school. You will see from the information below that I am hoping that some of you will take the opportunity to become more involved in our journey to becoming an Outstanding School.

Please check the school website (www.harlington.hillingdon.sch.uk) regularly for further updates.

Examinations Results update
If you have seen the local press recently, you will know that Harlington significantly improved its exam results last year, both at GCSE and at ‘A’ Level. A summary of the progress we have made is shown here:

A Level Results	2007	2008	2009	GCSE Results	2007	2008	2009
Pass Rate	88%	94%	96%	5 A*-C	35%	41%	51%
% A-C Grades	50%	56%	74%	5 A*-C including English & Maths	25%	26%	38.6%
APS	184	180	205.5	% of A* and A Grades	-	-	14%
				% of Higher Grade Passes (A*-C)	-	-	64%

This is testament to the hard work on the part of the students who sat their examinations in June, and the staff who supported them. I am very pleased to see so many students returning to the 6th Form to begin their A Level and BTEC courses.

New and Returning Staff
I would like to introduce you to several new members of staff who have joined us this term.
Ms Chander joins the Humanities Faculty
Mr Currin and Mr.Thompson join the Science Faculty
Mr Nzereogu joins the ICT Faculty
Mr Rees – Curriculum Leader, Art
Ms Sirimanne joins the Maths Faculty

Welcome Back!
We are also welcoming back Ms Strudley, Director of Study for Transition and Year 7, who returns from her maternity leave and congratulate her on her marriage in August. She is now known as Mrs Hall.

Job Opportunities
We currently have the following vacancies, as we are expanding our student support team:

We are also looking to appoint a member of site staff, following a retirement.
Please check the website and the local press for details of how to apply.

Do you have a problem? Contact details
We hope that you are happy with the education your child receives here and that they are happy and settled in school. However, we are a listening school, and would like you to contact us if you have any concerns. Here are the people who are best placed to help resolve any concerns you may have. May I please ask that you avoid coming to the school without an appointment, as staff often have teaching commitments, and cannot leave class to come to speak to you.

Form Tutors
Almost every form group has 2 Form Tutors, and we would ask that you contact them in the first instance if you have any concerns. I have attached a list of Form Tutors with this letter for your information.

However, if for any reason you cannot resolve matters with your child’s Form Tutor, the following people are here to help:

Year Group	Tutor Team Lead Personnel	Senior Leader for the Year Group
Year 7	Ms Scarrott, Behaviour Manager Mrs Hall, Director of Study	Mrs Reilly, Deputy Headteacher
Year 8	Mr Folkes, PSC Manager Mrs Pinnock, Director of Study	Mr Murphy, Assistant Headteacher
Year 9	Ms Said, Behaviour Manager Mrs Pinnock, Director of Study	Mr Whitten, Assistant Headteacher
Year 10	Ms Callen, Behaviour Manager Ms Gibbons, Director of Study	Mrs Reilly, Deputy Headteacher
Year 11	Ms King, Behaviour Manager Mr Bruno, Behaviour Manager Ms Gibbons, Director of Study	Mrs Statters, Deputy Headteacher
6th Form	Mr Walker, Head of Year 12	Mr Hasham, Assistant Headteacher

Head's Surgery
I will be holding a Head’s surgery once a month. This is an opportunity for any member of the Harlington wider community, including parents and carers, to come in to see me to discuss any matters pertaining to the school.
The dates for this term are:

14th September - 4pm unitl 6pm
19th October - 4pm until 6pm
16th November - 4pm until 6pm

Please contact the Head's PA, Mrs Frost on hcs@hillingdongrid.org if you would like to make an appointment.

Opportunities for Parents and Carers

Parent Governors
We have some vacancies on our Governing Body for Parent Governors, and welcome expressions of interest. Please contact Mike Chapman, Clerk to the Governors c/o the school if you would like an informal chat about what being a Governor entails.

Parent Council
Parent Council – we are looking for a group of parents to form a Parent Council. The purpose of the council is to review elements of our school improvement. We are considering a ‘virtual’ council, where all communication is via email – what do you think? Please contact me if you would like join the Parent Council -hcs@hillingdongrid.org

This term we are looking at policy review and analysing the results of the parent survey.
Policies for Review:

Behaviour for Learning Policy
Attendance Policy
Race Equality Policy

Parent Survey
A survey will be going out to all parents and carers at the end of September – please let us have your views! Check your child’s bag for the survey!

Building Works
The school is undergoing some refurbishment at present, notably some repairs to our roof. I would be grateful if you could reinforce the safety messages we are promoting in school. Students should stay away from the building works, and are not to go near the scaffolding that is currently erected. We hope that the roof repairs will be completed by the end of this term.

New Zebra Crossing
The zebra crossing is finally here! However, some of our students seem to have forgotten the Green Cross Code! Please help us in reinforcing the messages about road safety that we are currently promoting. Young people at secondary school are statistically more vulnerable to road accidents; obviously we do not want to add to the statistics.

School Uniform
The students look fabulous at the moment; thank you to all parents and carers who have kitted out their children in the correct uniform. May I ask that if you are unsure about the items that are permitted, that you contact your child’s Director of Study before you purchase items, as well as consulting the agreed uniform list?

We would much rather be talking to your child about their learning, instead of discussing infringements and ‘adaptations’ to the school uniform. Thank you to the vast majority of students who do not challenge the school uniform rules.

We do seclude students if they are incorrectly dressed, and also contact you to send them home to get changed. Again, this takes time out of their learning, so we would be grateful if you could support us in upholding the school uniform rules.

Swine Flu Update
We will be working to all agreed guidance from the DCFS, and the current advice is that schools will remain open even if there are confirmed cases of swine flu. However it is extremely important that we have up to date telephone contact numbers in case your child falls ill and has to be sent home.

If your child displays the symptoms of swine flu, then please do not send them to school until they have recovered. Please inform us by phone of the reason for absence.

We have also been promoting good hygiene, to prevent infection transmission.

We will of course inform you if there are any changes. Please check the website regularly, for any updates.

Promoting the school and celebrating achievement
We are actively looking to promote the achievements of our students, both in school and In the local and national press. This will include photographs as well as written press releases.

If you do not wish your child to be used in promotional material for the school, then please return the enclosed slip to Mrs Green, Marketing & Communications Manager. If you do not return the form, then we will assume that you are happy for us to include your child in our achievement promotions.

Calendar
You should have received the school calendar by now via ‘pupil post’. Please contact your child’s Form Tutor if you have not received one. We will shortly be putting the calendar onto the school website.

Please do not hesitate to contact me to let me know of things you are happy with, or any concerns you may have.

I look forward to meeting many of you during the course of the term, and hope that some of you will take the opportunity this year of becoming actively involved in the decision making processes of moving our school to becoming an Outstanding institution.

Yours sincerely,

Ms E A Horrigan
Acting Headteacher