Introduction
At AHS, our exceptional outcomes are a consequence of our calm, safe and supportive school environment and our culture that is free from disruption.
All members of our community, students, staff and parents, have the same clear expectations of behaviour, and these are supported by clear daily routines as the norm.
Students receive praise and rewards for following these expected standards and we may use sanctions to give extra support to students who do not yet meet our expectations. The circumstances when sanctions might be used are clearly communicated to students, staff and parents, on a yearly basis, on our website and around the School site, and any interventions are fairly and consistently applied.
Please see our Policies page for our up to date Behaviour Policy and Behaviour Matrix. Please also remind yourself of the Home School Expectations you signed up to when you joined the school.
Our staff and students model our core values below throughout their school life:
Boundless aspiration
We’re looking for big ideas and bright futures, underpinned with ambition, rigour and respect for your environment. Walk tall and never lose sight of where you’re headed.
- Be aspirational, always work to the best of your ability.
- Aim to fulfil your potential in all that you do; classwork, homework and cocurricular.
- Take responsibility for your own learning by asking for help if you do not understand something.
- Make the very most of leadership opportunities within your Form and the School.
Resilient bravery
In trying to get it right, sometimes you’re going to get it wrong. It’s never the end of the world. Have confidence that you will learn from it and come back stronger. Fully commit to what you’re doing, aspire to achieve a little bit more than you thought you could.
- Try new things in our risk-free environment. For example, answering a question for the first time in a lesson or trying a new skill in a sports lesson.
- Challenge unacceptable behaviour and let staff know if you see this – so that you take ownership and responsibility for your community.
Curious engagement
We live in a dynamic world of variety, diversity and change. Enjoy and engage with respect. Be curious, don’t settle with what you know now. Look to embrace difference, seek out alternative points of view, open yourself up to new ways of thinking.
- Treat everyone as you would wish to be treated.
- Listen to and respect others’ views, treating people fairly, regardless of differences.
- Attend school every day and take advantage of the many co-curricular and leadership opportunities to increase your enjoyment of school.
- Enjoy school! Enjoyment stimulates imagination, helping you adapt and solve problems. It can improve relationships and connection to others, by fostering empathy, compassion, and trust. It triggers the release of endorphins, which promote an overall sense of well-being.
Selfless generosity
By fostering an inclusive and compassionate community, we prioritise teamwork, valuing others, and kindness. Through collaboration and unity, be empowered to grow personally and academically.
- Be kind! We ask you to support each other and have consideration for the learning needs of other students.
- All students have responsibility for the school site, ensuring it remains a pleasant and safe place to be by helping to keep it clean and tidy.
- Help us recycle as much as we are able to preserve our planet’s resources.
- Please walk on the left in corridors, being aware of those around you and following the one-way system and report any accidents or dangers.
- Be punctual and always have the correct uniform and equipment for lessons and activities.
- Line up quietly before a lesson so it can start promptly.
- Play an active part in all lessons: give your full attention and try your best.
School Routines:
Registration and Attendance
Students are not allowed on the school site before 7.30 am. Any student arriving at school between 7.30 and 8.00 am needs to enter via the main front entrance and wait in the canteen. During the majority of the school day, only sixth formers may enter the school through the main entrance.
Students must be in your form room by 8.45am. If students are not present when the register is called, they will be marked as absent. If a student arrives before the end of registration, their tutor will change the mark to ‘Late’. If a student arrives after registration has ended, they must sign in on the appropriate list in the main entrance hall.
All absences will be followed up and must be explained by a written note or email from parent/carer. If a parent/carer wants their child to miss school for a particular reason, they should fill in a ‘Leave of Absence’ form which can be accessed here. Holidays will not usually be authorised by the school in term time.
Records of late arrivals and unauthorised absences are kept and monitored. It is important that every effort is made to maintain a good record of attendance and punctuality throughout a student’s time at AHS.
Medical and dental appointments should be made outside school time whenever possible. Students should bring in a note from their parents/carers or they should send an email to school either before or on the day of the appointment to let us know what time the student will be leaving and the reason.
Whenever students leave school between 0845 and 15.30 they must sign out at reception to ensure that their absence is taken into account in the event of a fire. When they return from an appointment they must sign back in at reception.
Movement Around the School
We ask that students:
- Walk on the left hand side of all corridors.
- To ease congestion in the Science block and Tower block one way systems exist on the stairs and in the corridors. Students must follow the signs which are clearly displayed at entrances and on the stair wells.
- Students access the Harding Hall through the Gym block. They should not use the Main Hall as a short cut.
- Students must not enter Science laboratories, IT or Technology rooms until a teacher has asked them to do so. At break and lunch times students should not be in either of these areas unless they are supervised by a member of staff. Neither food nor drink must be brought into these buildings by students unless as part of a planned lesson.
- Although students may carry food purchased in the canteen out of the canteen, they may not eat or drink in any of the corridors. This causes unnecessary litter and spillages, which puts the safety of others at risk.
- Mobile phones are not allowed during the school day (08.45-15.30) and if seen may be confiscated. In an emergency students may ask to use the phone in reception or ask if they may use your phone under the supervision of a member of staff.
- The Turnfurlong exit and fences along all sides of the field are out of bounds to all students during the school day. This is to ensure your their safety on a large site where you are not always within sight of members of staff. The only exceptions are Year 11 students, who may wish to leave the site on Wednesday lunchtimes, and the sixth form.
Conduct in Lessons
At the start of each lesson there should be silence whilst the register is taken and at all points in the lesson when a teacher or student is addressing the whole class. Food and drink will not normally be consumed in lessons.
Students are expected to give their teacher their full attention. Students are expected to try their best at all tasks set by their teacher.
At the end of the lesson students should push their chairs under the desks, pick up any litter, and wait quietly to be dismissed. At the end of the day the teacher will tell students whether chairs should be stacked or placed on top of the desks.
Break or Lunch Times
Students may eat in the canteen if they purchase food from there. Packed lunches are eaten outside – e.g. the covered areas outside the canteen or the marquee. If it is wet or particularly cold, students will be notified if they are allowed to eat in their form room. If this is the case, please be very careful not to drop litter or spill drinks and make sure that the floor, desks and chairs are entirely free from litter or spillages by the end of each break or lunch time. Drinking water is available around the school; students should bring their own water bottles to meet our sustainability aims.
After School
After school the Library is usually open for students to do homework from 3.30pm until 4.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays (students need to book in and out each day). Students can also sit in the dining room or reception until 4.30 pm. Unless students are taking part in a supervised activity, they cannot be on site after this time as reception closes at 4.30 pm and we do not have a guaranteed first aider on site after this time.
Care of Belongings
The school does not have an insurance policy which covers the loss of personal belongings on the school premises. Students should therefore not bring items of value into school.
Students are responsible for ensuring the safety of all their own possessions and everything should be clearly named. Lockers are provided and students should store valuables in these when they are unattended.
Money
Amounts of cash exceeding £5 should not be brought into school. If there is a particular reason for bringing in a larger sum of money students should leave it at reception for safe keeping during the day. There is no need to bring money in for school trips and visits since payment is through Parentmail.
Books and Equipment
Exercise books should be kept neat and tidy. Covers should be kept free from graffiti. Students should keep textbooks in a good condition because, if they are lost or damaged, the cost of a replacement will be charged. All books and equipment should be clearly named.
Lost Property
Students should report any missing items to the reception at break or lunch time. On a regular basis all items of unclaimed lost property are put on display in the main corridor. Following this all items which remain unclaimed are disposed of.
Tipp-ex and Chewing Gum
Neither Tipp-ex (or any other form of correction fluid) nor chewing gum are allowed in school.