Parent Handbook 2017
Contents Aims & Ethos ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. p3 Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. p4 Admin and Routine ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. p5 Food …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. p9 Communications ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. p10 Pastoral & Safeguarding ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… p11 Boarding ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. p13 Academic …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. p14 Uniform and Pupil Appearance ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. p18 Breadth and Balance ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. p18
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Aims and Ethos Bishop's Stortford College is a place of learning - a place where boys and girls have wonderful opportunities to become fulfilled, skilful and happy young men and women. Ensuring this process of all round growth - academically, morally, spiritually, athletically and creatively is our aim. Every pupil is encouraged, taught and challenged to fulfil his or her true potential, by being immersed in an environment of discovery and wholehearted participation. We strive to allow time and space for academic work to be balanced by sport, music, drama and a diverse choice of other activities, including service to the local community. Through these we aim to allow our young people to acquire a confidence in their relationship with adults. We hope that an appreciation and love of creativity will remain with them for the rest of their lives, and we make sure that each pupil has the chance to join in and try new experiences, whatever their abilities and interests. We aim to give pupils opportunities to exercise responsibility and leadership as well as showing care and concern for their younger peers. Our aim is that our young people, as the result of an education here, should be able to contribute constructively to society and play a full role in it, whatever their chosen path. Since its foundation in 1868 as The Non-Conformist Grammar School, Bishop's Stortford College has had its roots in the Christian faith, whilst welcoming and valuing young people from all faiths or none. Encouraging each pupil's spiritual discovery and expression is an important part of the work of the school. In the Prep School and Pre-Prep, pupils are organised into Forms that are small enough to enable staff and pupils to work closely together. A strong pastoral system provides firm foundations for learning — happy pupils who feel well supported learn well. The role of the Form Tutors and Heads of Year is crucial in fulfilling our aim to provide a secure and structured community for all our pupils, in which these young people can fulfil their potential whilst learning to live and work together in a spirit of cooperation, kindness, mutual respect and enthusiasm, establishing harmonious interaction between pupils and pupils and staff and pupils. We aim to provide a broad and varied educational experience for our pupils. Within this environment we aim to develop well-rounded, adaptable and interesting young people who are confident, but not arrogant, self-assured but not complacent and who have a sense of responsibility and care towards others.
Bishop’s Stortford College Prep School 10, Maze Green Road Bishop’s Stortford Hertfordshire CM23 2PJ Tel: 01297 838583 e-mail: prep@bishopsstortfordcollege.org website: www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org. Mr William J Toleman – Head of the Prep School Dr Philip Hargrave – Chair of Governors Any correspondence for Dr Hargrave should be sent to the above address. 3
INTRODUCTION This guide is intended to provide quick and easy reference to some aspects of Prep School operations. It should be read in conjunction with the information contained on the school website and, for convenience, web links are given to key policies and procedures. Additional information about the structure and daily routine of the Prep School are included in the Current Information booklet together with lots of other useful facts and figures. The latest edition will be sent to you on publication.
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ADMIN AND ROUTINE Absence/Late Arrival Pupils should arrive between 08:10 and 08:20 for registration at 08:25 in Form rooms. Pupils arriving after this time must register at the Prep School office. Please let the office know before 09:15 if pupils are ill via email to prep@bishopsstortfordcollege.org or via telephone 01279 838583. If pupils are not registered or an absence is not reported by 09:15 a text will be sent home. Following absence for illness, a letter or email of explanation to the Form Tutor should accompany the pupil upon return. For long term absences a doctor’s note is required. Requests for leave of absence may be granted in exceptional circumstances. An email to ask permission for a pupil to be absent should be sent in good time to the Head at headofprep@bishopsstortfordcollege.org. Assembly Assembly begins at 08:35 on each day of the week except Fridays and Saturdays. On Fridays, Form One to Upper Third pupils have PSHEE (personal, social, health and economic education) whilst Shell have their own assembly in the Shell building. Shell PSHEE is timetabled throughout the day. On Saturday morning Forms One to Upper Third have a House meeting whilst Shell have a League meeting in the Shell building. On most Wednesdays, the Lower Third and Upper Third have their assembly in the Memorial Hall and the rest of the Prep School assembles in the Prep School Hall. A variety of staff personnel, including the College Headmaster and the Chaplain, lead those assemblies and pupils themselves regularly contribute. Calendar You will receive a copy of the termly calendar at the beginning of each term as an aide-memoir to anticipate events that you may wish to put in your diary. Highlights of the forthcoming week appear each week in the Newsletter which is sent via SchoolPost. A calendar up-date comes each week in the Newsletter which is sent via SchoolPost. The Calendar is also regularly updated on the College website.
Carol Services There are three Carol Services, one for Lower Shell and Upper Shell, one for Form 1 and Form 2 and another for Lower and Upper 3rd. All pupils are expected to attend.
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Chaplain Mr Morris is the College Chaplain who takes assemblies in the Prep School each week and teaches R.E. He is always available to listen and he can be contacted on the chaplain’s hotline: 01279 838673 or via his email: chaplain@bishopsstortfordcollege.org Daily Routine Shell
Prep School
7.55am–8.10am
Boarders breakfast
8.10am
Children may arrive in the Shell 8.10am playground from this time
All pupils may arrive in class from this time
8.20am
Registration
8.20am
Registration
8.30am
Assembly
8.30am
Assembly
8.55am
Lessons begin
8.55am
Lessons begin
10.50am
Morning break
10.50am
Morning break
12.20pm
Lunch in the Dining Hall
12.30pm
Lunch in the Dining Hall
1.25pm
Lunch break ends
1.25pm
Lunch break ends
3.20pm
Home time for day pupils*
3.20pm
Afternoon break
3.20—5.00pm
Optional ‘late stay’
5.00pm
Home time for day pupils*
5.00pm
Boarders return to House
5.30pm
Dinner for boarders
5.30pm
Dinner for boarders
6.00pm
Supervised prep for boarders
7.30pm
End of prep time
*On Saturdays, Shell pupils finish at 12.30pm. On Wednesdays, Shell pupils may finish after lunch at 1.30pm. However, most pupils stay on to take part in a series of activities.
7.55am–8.10am Boarders breakfast
*On Saturdays, school finishes at 3.00pm. On Wednesdays, our 9 to 12 year olds finish at 4.00pm, after games, if not involved in a representative match.
Friends of the Pre-Prep and Prep School When children join our school, their parents are welcomed as members of the Friends organisation. Parents, as members of Friends, work tremendously hard to support the work of the College in providing social and fund raising opportunities that enhance the children’s overall school experience. Friends also offers families a great chance to make new friends. Most recently, the Friends have organised a fundraising Christmas Fair, May Ball, Summer Fun Day and for the enjoyment of pupils, School Discos. Money raised during these events has funded a sail sunshade for the Prep School library, an action camera for extra-curricular activities and trips, wigwams, a sensory garden for the Pre-Prep and has contributed towards the establishment of the Pupil Council. For more information, please contact the Friends Chairperson, Kaff Booty, on 07979 374664 kaffbooty@gmail.com, or refer to the Joining Information booklet. Grandparents’ Day This is a biennial event which takes place in June of even years. It is an opportunity for children to share their school with their grandparents, during which they can enjoy a tour of the school with their grandchild, listen to a concert and conclude with afternoon tea. 6
Governors A list of Governors is available on the College website. Illness If your child is ill at school, it is likely that you will receive a telephone call to see whether or not it is possible to collect him or her. Alternatively, we have a Matron and Medical Centre where injuries can be treated and pupils can remain until parents can collect them. Late Stay Requests for supervised Late Stay for Shell pupils should be directed to the Head of Shell. Pupils may stay until 17:00 on week days, except Wednesday when late-stay finishes at 16:00. Formers may stay late until 18:00, except on a Wednesday when late-stay finishes at 17:00. It takes place in PS3 and is supervised by a member of staff; pupils are expected to read or work on their prep. Pupils who are not collected by 17:15 from the Memorial Hall, Prep School Car Park or Sports Hall Car Park will be taken to the Late Stay room to await collection by 18:00. The Prep School Late Stay telephone number is 07535 587216. Leave Weekend Every three weeks or so, we enjoy a Leave Weekend/Exeat which means that school finishes on a Friday at 15:20 for Lower Shell and Upper Shell and 17:00 for the rest of the Prep School. There is no Saturday school on a Leave weekend. Late Stay still takes place for Shell pupils, but not for the formers. Lost Property All items of games kit and uniform must be clearly labelled. Labels can be ordered through the Uniform Shop. Each pupil has a lockable changing room locker. Items misplaced may be found in lost the property bins in the Sports Hall or outside the Staff Room. Memorial Hall This is the school chapel used by pupils from the Senior School for assembly on most days and by Lower Third and Upper Third Form pupils in the Prep School on most Wednesdays. Mobile Phones Mobile phones are not allowed in the Prep School. In an emergency pupils may come to the Prep School office to make a phone call. Please make sure your child is equipped with appropriate contact numbers for this purpose. If you want your child to bring a phone to school for use outside school hours, they must deliver it, on arrival, to the Prep School office for collection at the end of the day.
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Off-Games If pupils are unable to attend Games because of injury or illness, they need to inform their tutor in the morning with a letter from home or from the medical centre and attend the OffGames session, which takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in PS3. This is a supervised session and pupils may complete catch-up or prep. On Saturday (only) there is no Off-Games session and pupils should be collected from school at 12.30. They should sign out before leaving school. Shell pupils who are Off-Games are looked after within the Shell building. Parents’ Evenings These happen twice a year for most year groups and provide an opportunity for formal communication to parents. Parking and Pick-up This is not easy on the College campus during the peak times of delivery and collection of pupils. Please be careful and patient at these times. Pupils can be picked up from in front of the Memorial Hall, the Prep School Car Park, or from the Sports Hall car park which are all supervised by a member of staff until 17:15 (apart from Wednesday until 16:15 and on Saturday until 15:15). There is additional parking at the Pre-Prep (off the Great Hadham Road). Policies College Policies, Reports and Publications including Safeguarding, Anti-Bullying and Complaints procedure can be found on the College web site. http://www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org/181/policies-reports-and-college-publications Signing In/Out If a pupil has to leave the school during the school day for a medical or other appointment, he or she must report to the Prep School office to sign out. When the pupil returns, it is important to sign back in again in the same way. Staff A list of College Staff can be found on the College website. http://www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org/293/college-staff Snow Days On the rare occasions when we have a significant snow fall, the College will remain open and operational for those who can attend easily. We will endeavour to put together the best programme we can with the staff available. However, if it is dangerous, please do not attempt to bring the pupils to school. Speech Day This is held on the final Friday afternoon of the Summer term. All the pupils attend and parents are invited to come along too. It is an opportunity for the Prep School community to come together to reflect upon the year that has just passed and to celebrate the pupils’ many achievements. Walking to School Permission in writing is required to allow a child to walk unaccompanied to and from school.
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FOOD Break Pupils may bring in water, fruit or plain biscuits for break time. Drinks should be in a plastic container not glass. Sweets, chocolate or crisps should not be brought in. Lunch Choices There is a good selection of food available for pupils. Every day a salad bar is available; hot food includes two hot main dishes, a vegetarian option and pasta dishes with a choice of sauces. The Catering Manager is Gary Law and he will be pleased to discuss anything to do with food. gary.law@bishopsstortfordcollege.org The Healthy Eating Catering and Dining Hall Policy can be found on the College website. Nuts The College is a nut-free zone. Please ensure that any item brought into school or on any trips and away fixtures is nut-free.
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COMMUNICATIONS Communication is at the heart of a successful relationship between home and school. We try very hard to make our communication good and regular and we encourage you to communicate regularly with us. It is important that the College has the most up to date contact details and it is important that the pupils know these too or have them written down in case of an emergency. Your child’s Form Tutor is your first point of contact. Drop-in surgeries are available on one morning each week and the timetable for these can be found in the calendar. Messages are regularly communicated via a company called SchoolPost. SchoolPost
Information such as the weekly newsletter, parents’ evening letters, letters regarding school trips and many other non-personal letters are sent in an email via SchoolPost. Reports are also available on a parents’ SchoolPost account for which parents will need their password. If parents forget their password, there is a link for a password reminder on the login page. If we need to contact parents urgently, for example in the case of bad weather, we use a text messaging service, via SchoolPost. It is important for parents to keep the office updated with email and mobile phone addresses. Further details are included in the Joining Information pack and if you have any further questions, please contact prep@bishopsstortfordcollege.org Email for Pupils All pupils from Form One to the Upper Third are given a school email account. This account is the only email account that can be accessed from school. The accounts can be accessed by clicking on the College Community link on the College website. Pupils should check their account regularly because the school often uses email to send information to pupils. If children forget their password, or have any other problems with their accounts, they should contact MIS@bishopsstortfordcollege.org. In ICT lessons, children are taught how to use their email account properly and safely. Urgent Information If we need to get urgent information to a group of parents we will use a text messaging service. Please ensure that your mobile numbers are up-to-date with our current text message supplier, SchoolPost. Urgent information can also be found on the College website in the College Community area, Prep School, Latest Announcements. 10
Newsletter This is a weekly publication which chronicles the activities of the week just completed and highlights details of the events in the week to come. It appears on the College website (password protected) and is e-mailed home via SchoolPost. Website The College website can be found at www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org
PASTORAL AND SAFEGUARDING If you have a concern and would like to discuss it, a note via your child, an email to prep@bishopsstortfordcollege.org will bring about a swift response or a telephone call to the Prep School Office (01279 838583). Similarly, if we have any concerns about your child, his or her Form Tutor is likely to contact you. The Head of Year is also available to you if for any reason you feel unable to speak to the Form Tutor. He or she may also contact you if we feel that there is something we need to discuss. In addition, you may prefer to contact any member of the Senior Management Team or the Head. Parents of boarders may feel it more appropriate to contact the Houseparents. Bullying Bullying of any kind is not tolerated at the College. The school has an Anti-Bullying Policy and a procedure to be followed in all incidents of bullying. Please refer to the Anti-Bullying Policy on the school website along with other key school Pastoral Policies.
BRIGHT@BSC Be Respectful, Impressive, Gracious, Helpful, Thoughtful
We expect pupils:
To show respect for other children, adults and yourselves and to have good manners. To say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ To greet adults appropriately. To walk around school in a calm and sensible manner. To be smart in appearance when in school uniform. To respond promptly to teachers’ requests. To thank the organisers of school trips. To thank adults who have helped in any way, e.g. bus drivers, parents helpers, dining hall staff etc. To treat others, and their property, as we would expect them to treat us. To take a pride in the school, all its buildings and equipment.
In other words…
To behave as you know you should at all times, both in and out of school, and remember what you are here for.
Remember: every pupil in this school has a right to be happy. Treat all others as you
would like them to treat you. 11
Counsellor The College has a Counsellor available to pupils and staff. In the Prep School, we expect that most situations can be resolved by a pupil speaking to a member of staff but, just occasionally, it may be appropriate to arrange for an opportunity for a pupil to speak to the School Counsellor. This can be arranged through the Senior Teacher with responsibility for Pastoral Care, Mr Clough. An Independent Listener is also available (see separate entry). Independent Listener As well as a trained Counsellor, the College has an untrained Independent Listener, a sympathetic, friendly and wise person who is available for children to talk to or share a concern. Bernie Kayle can be contacted by ringing 07709 285569.
ICT and Internet safety ICT is an important part of Teaching and Learning. Pupils have access to the internet and email and there are safeguards in place to screen out inappropriate information. Pupils know that, should they access a site they feel their teacher would feel was unacceptable, they report it and it can be closed down by the Head of ICT.
e-safety: and the correct use of the Internet is taught as part of the ICT curriculum. All pupils from Lower Shell to Upper Third are instructed on how to use the Internet and other electronic modes of communication safely and sensibly. We encourage parents to discuss this with children at home. The Prep School operates a BYOD policy for the Third Forms. Information on this is available from Miss Sharp who is available at frances.sharp@bishopsstortfordcollege.org 12
BOARDING This is attractive to many parents and we operate a flexible range of opportunities for pupils to enjoy the boarding community in Grimwade. Some pupils are flexi-boarders and board two, three or four nights a week; some board full-time during the week (weekly boarders), going home after their sports commitments on Saturday, returning on Sunday evening; others spend seven nights a week in the boarding house during term time. Those who are full boarders and in the boarding house on a Sunday enjoy an outing on Sunday afternoon to venues such as Hatfield Forest, Great Notley Park, the bowling alley, ice rink, etc. We aim to be as flexible as possible in the boarding arrangements offered, thus assuring that pupils can make the most of their opportunities without losing the benefits of close family life. We believe that the boarding experience should be fun and we strive to ensure that every boarding pupil looks forward to returning to Grimwade House at the end of the day. Matron Matron is an important member of the boarding community but is also the first port of call for most sick or injured pupils. She is located in Grimwade, but all pupils should come to the Prep School office first.
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ACADEMIC Curriculum To see an overview of the areas of study your children will be undertaking, an outline of the curriculum for the forthcoming year is available on the school website https:// www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org/240/prep-school-subjects Homework (see Prep) Houses and Leagues Pupils in Shell are allocated to one of four Leagues: Canterbury, Durham, Worcester and York. There is a competition each term and the trophy for which they compete is called The Lady. There are four Prep School Houses for Forms One and above, Grimwade, Monk-Jones, Newbury and Westfield. A competition runs throughout each term and the overall winner enjoys a formal House Supper at the end of term. Induction Day This occurs towards the end of the school year. Pupils joining in September come in to school and spend the morning with us, including lunch. Our current pupils also move up to their new classes for the morning. Shadows: When new pupils join the Prep School, a current pupil is allocated to them as a ‘shadow’ to make sure that they know where they are going until they become familiar with the routines and teaching rooms.
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Instrumental Music Sessions These begin in Lower Shell with a ‘taster’ lesson for all pupils on a variety of orchestral instruments. They continue in Form 2 at which point they become more specialised. These lessons occur as part of the weekly timetable. Pupils may choose to have individual instrumental lessons with one of our music teachers. Learning Support We carefully monitor the progress of every one of our pupils at Bishop’s Stortford College to ensure they are reaching their full potential. Where a pupil is not making expected progress, their needs will be reviewed collaboratively by teachers, parents and the Learning Support department and appropriate additional support will be planned. If support lessons are recommended, there is an additional charge for these. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s learning and progress you can either discuss these with your child’s tutor, or contact the Learning Support department directly at learning.support@bishopsstortfordcollege.org. In addition, please inform us of any additional needs your child may have so that we are best able to support them in their learning during their time here. Prep This is a daily activity for most pupils. It involves parents in signing a prep diary for Lower and Upper Shell, or signing pupils’ prep for the Formers, to indicate that parents have seen the prep and feel that the pupil has produced work of a reasonable standard. We also ask you to write down how long the prep has taken. Parents should sign the book in which the children have done their prep. It is an opportunity to provide information and feedback to the member of staff concerned about how well the pupil has coped with the work For example, ‘this prep was completed in three minutes’, or ‘this prep took my son nearly two hours’ are a useful indication to help staff set appropriate targets. Reading All pupils are encouraged to read widely. It is particularly important in Lower and Upper Shell (but also important thereafter) that parents continue to hear their children read aloud to help check for fluency, pronunciation and to assist in developing vocabulary. Ideally this should happen every evening/day. Younger pupils are on a reading scheme: please encourage and support their reading development by ensuring that they read the books allocated – additional 15
reading material should supplement the scheme. Reports These are written and securely posted on parents’ SchoolPost accounts. A full report is written once a year for every pupil. In the other terms a ‘statistical’ or Tutor report is compiled which provides information about a pupil’s progress in each subject, effort grades and a comment by the Form Tutor. Returned Work If pupils’ work does not reach the required standard, they may be redirected to do this under the supervision of a senior teacher. Rewards and Sanctions Pupils in Lower and Upper Shell are rewarded with stars which contribute to their League competition (see Leagues). Formers have their Merits and Commendations for academic work. In sport, as pupils reach the top of the Prep School, half-colours and colours are awarded to recognise pupils’ achievements. In addition, Certificates of Commendation may be awarded and, to recognise excellence in any area, an Excellence Tie may be presented. At the end of each term there are Form prizes for Attainment, Effort and Progress. Serious breaches of discipline are dealt with in a more formal way, which includes a meeting with parents. House Contribution cups are also awarded.
Commendations and Merits—Pupils in Form One and above have a Commendations Sheet which contains the names of all the pupils. Commendations or merits are given by members of staff who sign the Commendations Sheet to record their approval of pupils’ work in class or from home, or contribution and effort during the lesson they have just taught. Every week or so the totals are added up, an average taken, and points allocated which feed into the House Competition.
Demerits - The converse of merits is Demerits, given to record dissatisfaction with a pupil’s work or effort. Behavioural demerits do not count against a pupil’s Commendations but the collection of more than one behavioural demerit could lead to a detention or a Headmaster’s Detention. The behaviour policy can be found on the College website. 16
Shell
The origin of the name ‘Shell’ is something of a mystery. One explanation attributes it to the arrival of a member of staff to the College from Charterhouse where the building in which the youngest pupils were taught was shaped like a shell. Another explanation is that, for many years, the youngest pupils in the Prep School were 7 or 8 and therefore the embryonic unit of the College. It is also the stage at which children begin to gain a little more independence and begin to break out of their ‘shell’. There are six classes of Shell pupils aged seven or eight. This is equivalent to Years Three and Four in the maintained sector. They are form taught, having one member of staff for most subjects but enjoying specialist teachers for RE, Art, music, swimming, PE and games, and Upper Shell have a specialist ICT teacher. A more detailed guide is available from the Head of Shell Kirsty.brooks@bishopsstortfordcollege.org. Virtual Learning Environment From Form One upwards, pupils are given the responsibility of remembering their own password and of using the VLE for revision, resources and homework. If children forget their password, or have any other problems with their accounts, they should contact frances.sharp@bishopsstortfordcollege.org. The VLE can be accessed directly by clicking on the logins on the College website and following the link.
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UNIFORM AND PUPIL APPEARANCE Hair Pupils in the Prep School may not have their hair dyed, bleached or artificially coloured in any way and should not have any ‘steps’ or significant difference in the length of parts of their hair. Boys should have their hair kept short, cut away from ears, off their collars and above the eyebrows; girls’ hair should be off the face and, if long, should be tied back with a navy blue hairband or ribbon. Hair gel, wax or spray should not be used by any pupils. Jewellery Pupils are not allowed to wear jewellery to school, although girls are permitted to have plain silver or gold studs if they have their ears pierced. No other jewellery, including rings, bracelets and necklaces are to be worn by boys or girls. Make-up As your daughters become older they will try to persuade you that it is all right to wear nail polish, lipstick and other make-up. You will be able to show them this document to remind them that it isn’t. School Shop/Second Hand Shop Paul Bashford runs the school uniform shop (01279 838619 – shop or 01279 731052 office). The second hand shop is located near the Lodge near the College entrance and is run by Mrs Firmin (07803 011472) and Mrs Cullen (07867 984016). Opening times are available on the College website and in the Joining Information. Uniform All items are available from the School Uniform Shop located centrally in the College Campus. It is important that each item is named with name tapes, which are also available from the Uniform Shop and that uniform is kept in good repair.
BREADTH AND BALANCE Activities In Shell there is an optional Activity Afternoon on Wednesday, during which activities are arranged at school (for example cycling awareness), whilst others travel to an outdoor centre to experience archery, rock-climbing, etc. For Forms One and Two, there are two Activities Afternoons (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and one Activities Afternoon for Lower and Upper Third on Thursday. Each activity lasts for six to eight weeks, after which pupils move to the next activity on the Activity Wheel. 18
Art Club A club for Lower and Upper Third pupils to further develop their artistic potential. This is aimed at the highly enthusiastic pupil who has demonstrated talent in the subject in class but is not suitable for the rigours of Art School. Art School This meets every Thursday lunchtime and during activities. It is an opportunity for selected pupils who show potential to work intensively on their skills and develop their portfolios as prospective Art Scholars. Additional homework is a central part of this process and develops the pupil’s independence and discipline. Courtesy Cups
Each half-term a courtesy cup is awarded to the pupil in each year group who has shown the most courteous, helpful and thoughtful behaviour. Fair-Trade Committee We have achieved Fair-Trade school status and have an active and vibrant committee who run initiatives throughout the year. Games Lower and Upper Shell have Games lessons on two mornings during the week, the Formers play games on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons. Wednesday and Saturday afternoons are often used to arrange sports fixtures against other schools. The major games for boys are rugby, hockey and cricket and for girls, hockey, netball and rounders. Pupils are divided by ability into games to allow them to develop their skills and compete at an appropriate level. Our continual assessment policy allows us to move pupils up and down a game every three weeks or so, should we feel it necessary to do so. PE and swimming takes place all year round. Marathon Day This is an annual cross-country event in which every Prep School pupil participates. Parents are welcome to come and watch and the children feel very proud that they have completed the course. Match Days These are special and numerous in the Prep School. Lower and Upper Shell parents will receive letters with match details in advance. All other pupils look at the Games Notice Board the day before the match day in order to see if they have been selected and to note down pick-up times and other relevant details. Team Lists and details of start and pick up times after matches can be found by following the login link for Prep School Teams on the College website. Your username and password can be found in Joining Information pack. 19
Bishop’s Stortford College Prep School 10 Maze Green Road Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2PJ Prep School Office 01279 838583
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