We're so excited that you are going to be a part of our school. You are joining a diverse and curious student community where you will have the freedom and empowering environment to think independently and boldly. Welcome - we hope you are excited too.
Starting a new school can be a time of big change. Alongside your visits to Wakefield Girls' and Countdown to Wakefield Girls' emails, this guide is here to help you understand more about life and learning here, to introduce you to some of the opportunities and activities on offer and hopefully help you to feel comfortable on your first day. We hope you will enjoy your time with us, work hard and have fun. We look forward to meeting you soon!
Please follow the instructions you have been emailed and arrive at the time and location you have been given.
You can come into school through any of the entrances from 8.00am onwards; the gates will be open. You will be given a code which will help you enter the school buildings. Don't worry if you can't remember it at first, there will likely be someone around to remind you!
On your first day, our friendly Registrar and your Head of Year or Form Tutor will be waiting for you. Our Senior Prefects will be on hand to welcome you too, and take you to your Form Room. You will also be assigned a Year 8 buddy who will help you settle into school life and find your way around.
Try to get involved in school life. You'll discover lots of ways in this guide. Our school has a wonderful green space called the Quad which is perfect for socialising.
It's important to speak to others to build up friendships. If you're feeling unsure at any time, do let others know how you are feeling. If you are lost, just ask any student or teacher to help you. Everyone is very kind and friendly here - and have memories of their first days too!
Here are some of the senior leaders you may see walking around school.
Ms Boyes Head
Mr Eggleston Deputy Head: Teaching and Learning
Mr Murtland Head of Sixth Form
Mrs Tingle Deputy Head: Academic
Mrs Potts
Associate Assistant Head of Sixth Form
Mr Harris Deputy Head: Pastoral
Mrs Field
Pastoral Support
Assistant
Mr Hargreaves
Form Tutor, 07JMH
Mrs Lindley
Head of Year 7
Mrs Christie Matron
Mrs Heptinstall
Form Tutor, 07SAH
Mrs Robinson
Form Tutor, 07KFR
Mrs Phillips Head of Year 8
Manson Head of Year 9
Maher Head of Year 10
Simmons Head of Year 11
Mrs Mrs
Mrs McKinlay Receptionist
Mrs Fisher
Admin Support Manager
Mrs Field
Attendance and
Admin Assistant
Mrs Cafferkey Heads' PA
The Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl and Senior Prefects are all democratically elected by the senior students and staff. You will see them often working throughout school with their team of senior prefects. There are plenty of opportunities for you to develop leadership skills during your time in school. You might like to try out for some of the leadership roles in Year 7 to develop your experience. Find out more about these roles on page 18.
Your school bag, a pencil case and a lock with two keys for your new locker. Any subject books will be provided by your teacher in your first lessons.
Your PE kit. You will keep this in your school locker throughout the week, ready for PE lessons.
A snack for break time if you'd like one, or money to purchase one from either our tuck shop or Peppers. Please remember, no nuts are allowed in school.
If you travel to school by public transport, remember to bring any money or passes you need.
Make sure to name all your personal belongings and don't bring anything valuable into school.
8.00am - 8.40am Students may come into school and go to their Form Room
Please aim to arrive at school by 8.30am. Morning Registration starts at 8.40am. Whilst waiting for your Form Tutor to arrive, you can catch up with friends and prepare your school bag with any books and equipment you might need for lessons. Your Form Tutor will register you so school knows you are here, and will inform you of any important notices and events you might need to remember.
Opposite are the timings of the school day. All lessons are 50 minutes long and then there are 5 minutes to walk to your next lesson.
School bells will ring to let you know when to go to your next lesson so don't worry about remembering every time change. If you are unsure, just ask a student or member of staff.
rrive at school after 8.40am, go to the school office n in using the Inventry screen (you will be taught how his at the start of term). If you forget, you can always f in the school office for help.
re late on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, once you gned in, go to Jubilee Hall. You will be invited in to embly. re late on a Tuesday or Thursday, once you have n, go straight to your Form room.
rrive to school after 9.10am, once you have signed-in, hatever lesson you should be in. You can ask at the office if you are unsure what lesson or room you be in.
Our dining room is called Peppers a always a large selection of nutritious hot meal, baked potatoes with vario and a choice of sandwiches. There meal and plenty of choices for dess
You will eat with your year group be will vary on a rota basis to ensure th go into lunch first. If you have a club 'fast pass' to go directly into Peppe can make it to your club on time.
Our menus change termly to make b variations in supplies. All meat serve suggestions; you can make these su
Our menus are available to view here
Peppers is also open, selling breakfas 8.15am - 8.30am: breakfast 10.55am - 11.15am: toast, pain au drinks.
Every student is welcomed into one of four houses. In these houses you will have weekly meetings, participate in House events such as sports day, charity events and competitions.
All members of staff also belong to a House; they will compete in the House competitions with you and attend the weekly House meetings.
You can earn House points for lots of things. This is important for your House rankings as it is a competition to see which House ends up the overall winner and receives the House Trophy!
At Wakefield Girls' we always want to rew hard work, commitment, contribution, effo Teachers will do so by rewarding you with school system and will show up on your F Rewards System
10 Merits: a letter sent home
25 Merits: a Bronze Award
50 Merits: a Silver Award
100 Merits: a Gold Award
Additionally, every merit you receive adds
When you join in September, you will be encouraged to get involved with our clubs, extra-curricular opportunities and leadership roles on offer.
Getting involved is vital for your wellbeing and a great way to make new friends.
Extra-curricular opportunities change and a full list will be shared when you arrive in school.
You can choose clubs from our EDGE programme - see page 16.
You can also apply for leadership roles. Discover more about these roles in the following pages.
Every Wednesday afternoon, the entire school participates in EDG which is our enrichment and development programme. The purpos this programme is to enable you to spend time trying new activitie develop passions and friendships.
There are five EDGE blocks over the course of the year, which mea will be able to do five different activities.
In Year 7 the first four EDGE activities are already assigned, which specifically designed for our Year 7 students. You will then get to c your last EDGE activity from a vast array of choices, and then in la years you will choose all your activities.
Take a look at what you can do during EDGE here.
Over the year you have five EDGE blocks, here are your first four activities.
In this creative and active course you will discover what united the ancient Greeks and how they continue to influence our lives today.
In this EDGE block you will be introduced to basic pottery skills. Techniques you will learn include: coil/ slab building, slipware and moulds. Finished articles will be fired and glazed, ready for you to take home and proudly display.
During this EDGE block you will get the chance to complete a range of tasks which will test your ability to work in a team and rise to challenges, but also develop your STEM skills.
This EDGE block provides you with practical ideas to help you boost your learning and organise your study time. It is a chance to gain and share strategies to make the best possible start to your academic career at WGHS.
We provide lots of opportunities for you to try something new and take on a challenge. You can apply for leadership roles during your time in school, whatever your year group. You will receive a document outlining all of the roles and a description of their responsibilities at the beginning of the term. You can then apply directly to the teacher who runs that leadership role. Some of these positions will be elected by your Form, and others are chosen by teaching staff.
Form Sergeants
School Council
Charity Representatives
Games Captains
Food Committee Representatives
Librarians
Diversity & Inclusion Representatives
Digital Champions
Plus in Year 8
Buddies
Plus in Year 11
Student counsellor
Subject mentor
In Sixth Form
Student Ambassador
Academic Subject Student Leader
Non-Academic Subject Student Leader
Peer Mentor
Prefect
House Official
Student Union member (our SU is fully affiliated to the National Union of Students)
Head Girl Team 18
Training is provided for students to help them support each other effectively; whether that is as form sergeants, peer mentors or prefects. Election to the roles of Prefect, Student Union, Head Girls’ team and House Captain is chiefly influenced by the results of votes cast by both teachers and students.
ential to cultivate an effective studying udents to feel their best so they can do
You should be aiming to get 8 hours of essons, you could join one of our many n EDGE activity that gets you outside doing to bring a water bottle, you can refill it at school. y diet, there are plenty of delicious options Wash your hands often and use one of the ted around school.
We want our students to be happy and settled at schoo school can be a big adjustment. If you are struggling ple and let someone know. Read more about Wellbeing in o
Top tips
At the beginning of term you will be assigned a budd who will help you as you transition into life at Wakef will answer any questions you might have and be a f school!
Get involved in school life and join some of the man activities on offer to you; you will meet students with interests and hobbies. Click here to see what's avai
Go to our Connection Club which runs every Tuesda is run by Sixth Form peer mentors who are there to support you.
We have over 50 Mental Health First Aiders in schoo staff and students. If you want to talk, they are an ex contact.
When you join Wakefield Girls' you will be given a Chromebook, alongside a charger and protective case.
Your Chromebook will be used in lessons to help you access resources and do pieces of work on it. Please bring your Chromebook into school every day.
Please charge your Chromebook each night, so it has enough charge to potentially be used all day.
Your Chromebook is your responsibility, and you should look after it. Keep it in its protective case so it doesn't get damaged whilst you are moving between lessons throughout the day.
If your Chromebook stops working throughout the day, you will be directed to the ICT Office, where they will either fix the issue or give you a replacement Chromebook.
At the beginning of term, you will be taught how to use Firefly; the school’s virtual learning environment. It provides you with most of the information you will need throughout your time at school. You can access your timetable, messages and school profile on Firefly.
All your homework tasks are set on Firefly so you can refer back to these from anywhere.
There are lots of resources for each subject that you can access at any time, in lessons or when doing homework.
What should I do if I can't find my class/classroom?
Politely ask a fellow student or staff member for help if they are around. If not, go to Reception and they will advise you where your class is located.
What should I do if I feel unwell?
If you are in a lesson, tell a member of staff. If you feel unwell at lunchtime you can visit Matron who is located in the Cliff Building. In the unlikely event of Matron not being around, go to Reception and let them know that you do not feel well.
What should I do if I leave my Chromebook at home?
Let your Form Tutor know and ask at Reception if you could borrow one for the day. You will need to hand this Chromebook back to Reception at the end of the day.
I accidentally damaged my Chromebook, what do I do?
If you are in a lesson, tell the teacher. If you are not in a lesson and you discover your Chromebook is broken, go to ICT Office where you will fill out a report on what happened, and they will either fix the issue or give you a replacement Chromebook.
I left my PE kit bag somewhere and now I can't find it, what should I do?
Firstly, go to where you had it last and carefully look through the area. If it is not there, go to Reception and ask whether anyone has handed in your item. Next, let your form tutor know and they will put a notice in assembly for the rest of the school to keep a look out. All lost property is displayed at the end of every half-term in Cushions. Please remember to label all items you bring into school with your name and form, as this will make it much easier to return property to you.
Can I go to the toilet during lessons?
Please go to the toilet before your lessons start, or during break and lunchtime. It is up to your teachers whether they will permit you to go to the toilet during their lesson. Please tell your teacher if you desperately need to go to the toilet. Students can only go to the toilet one at a time.
Can I use my phone throughout the day?
Students can have their phones in school, but they must be turned off at all times (not just put on silent). You are not permitted to take photos or videos in school. If you need to get in touch with parents during the day, please go to Reception and our support staff will contact them. Students staying in the library after school can use their phones to check messages from parents regarding pick up.
I've lost my locker key and can't get my school books!
At the beginning of the year when you bring in a lock for your locker, you will give the spare key to your Form Tutor. Ask your form tutor for the spare key. Once you've got access to your locker, remember to give your form tutor the spare key back. If your form tutor doesn't have a spare key for the locker, go to Reception and they will contact Estates who will cut off your lock.
Self discipline is promoted and considerate, courteous good behaviour, respect for self, others and the environment is the norm at Wakefield Girls’.
Students are expected to follow a standard of behaviour and staff, especially Form Tutors, will explain this so students quickly understand what is expected of them at all times whether they are in school or outside.
We regularly highlight the importance of inter-personal relationships to all students throughout their time with us via our pastoral program and PSHE lessons. We expect our students to be able to work and play in a safe, secure, friendly and supportive environment.
Code of conduct can be found in our Behaviour Policy which is here on our website.
