E-mail Contacts
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EBacc Department: including Geography, History, MFL:
Maths Department:
English Department: including Drama, Media Studies:
Technologies Department: including Engineering,
RM, Textiles and Food.
Art Department
ICT Department
Science Department:
Guidance Department: including PSHE, Citizenship,
Student Voice, Careers and FE/HE transition.
PE Department: including Dance:
Music Department:
Inclusion Department: including SEN, A4A, S2L
Alternative Education:
KS3 Pastoral Team: Year 7, 8 and 9.
KS4 Pastoral Team: Year 10 and 11.
Year 11 Standards Booklet
ebacc@kepier.com
maths@kepier.com
english@kepier.com
technologies@kepier.com
Kepier Routines
The times of the Kepier day are:
art@kepier.com
ICT@kepier.com
science@kepier.com
guidance@kepier.com
8.25 a.m.
8.30 a.m.
8.50 a.m.
9.40 a.m.
10.30 a.m.
10.50 a.m.
11.40 a.m.
12.30 p.m.
1.10 p.m.
2.00 p.m.
2.50 p.m.
pe@kepier.com
music@kepier.com
inclusiondept@kepier.com
ks3@kepier.com
ks4@kepier.com
Contacting School
Learners must be in school
Coaching (Lesson 1)
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Morning break
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lunchtime begins
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
School day ends
Staff you need to know about:
 Principal: Mrs N. Cooper.
 Vice-Principals: Mrs. D. Walker and
Mr. R. Giles.
 Senior Pastoral Leaders: Mr S. Bisset,
Mr R. Lynn and Mr S. Van Lindon.
 Year Manager
for Year 11:
Mr. P. Tait.
Welcome from the Principal.
If you need to contact Kepier outside of office hours, please leave an answer
phone message and we will contact you at our first available opportunity.
At Kepier, we believe that every child is entitled to a good
education and we promise to offer each individual the personal
attention they need to develop, learn and grow. In return we
have high expectations from our learners; standards of
behaviour, uniform and attitudes to learning are very important
to us and we insist that everyone does the best they can to
fulfil their potential.
Kepier office hours are:
8.00a.m. - 5.00p.m. Monday to Thursday
8.00a.m. - 4.30p.m. Friday.
Tel:
0191 5128960
E-mail: info@kepier.com
Website: www.kepier.com
If you have a concern and need to speak to a member of staff, your first point of contact should
be the Department Leader or Year Manager. Please remember that we are a large school and it is
not always be possible for you to speak to a member of staff immediately, especially if you
telephone during lesson time.
If you need to come to Kepier to discuss something serious, it is
helpful to telephone beforehand and arrange an appointment.
Please report to reception and the administration staff will find
the person you have come to see, if they are available.
This booklet should give you and your family more detailed
information about what to expect when joining Kepier in the
academic year 2015-2016. If you have any questions that are
not answered in this booklet, then please ask a member of
staff, who will be happy to help.
With best wishes,
Nicola Cooper.
Principal.
Kepier also have a Facebook page and an app which is available
to download and install free from the App Store and
Googleplay. We are continuing to develop the app and hope
that it will allow parents and carers to remain up to date with all relevant school information.
20
Attendance
Apprenticeships
Attendance is extremely important to us at Kepier and has an enormous impact on your child’s
individual achievement. We believe that every child should aim to have 100% attendance.
However, if your child is absent for any reason, we ask that you let us know before 8.25 a.m.
on the first day of absence. Please ring the school on: 0191 5128960.
Learners are encouraged to look at all options for moving on after school and this also
includes apprenticeships. Our Guidance Officer, Ms Watson ,will regularly advertise
apprenticeship opportunities to learners in Year 11 and will actively seek out vacancies if
a preference is known by an individual learner. There are also a number of opportunities
throughout the year for learners to participate in apprenticeship events in school, with
businesses and training providers making presentations and taking part in organised
events.
We operate a Keep Kids Safe system, which means a text will be sent to you if your child is
absent and you have not notified the school. The Year Manager will also make a “first day”
phone call for any learner who is absent when we have not received a phone call from a
parent/carer. When your child returns to school, they must bring a note from a parent/carer,
to show their coach, explaining why they were absent. Please use the planner in these
circumstances. The Senior Pastoral Leader in charge of attendance is Mr. Bisset.
Learners are encouraged to be proactive if an apprenticeship is their chosen career path
after school. All learners are asked to create accounts on the national apprenticeship
website; this allows them to search and receive alerts and emails relating to the
opportunities they are interested in . Examples of these would be hairdressing,
engineering, mechanics, joinery, bricklaying, accountancy, childcare and business admin.
This is just a small example of the opportunities available.
Learners who do not have 95%
attendance may not be allowed
to participate in some
trips/events or visits.
Create an account on:
www.gov.uk/applyapprenticeship
www.connexions-tw.co.uk
www.gov.uk/furthereducation-skills/
apprenticeships
End of Year Events for Year 11.
Key Year 11 Dates 2015-2016
Year 11 photographs:
Friday 4th September 2015
Information Evening:
Wednesday 14th October 2015.
Reward trip:
Thursday 17th December 2015.
Consultation Evening:
Wednesday 3rd February 2016.
Intermediate Maths Challenge: Thursday 4th February 2016.
Post-16 college visits:
Ongoing during the Autumn term.
Trial exams:
7th - 12th December 2015 and 29th February - 16th March 2016.
GCSE Exams:
2nd May - 1st July 2016 (anticipated dates based on previous
years).
2
Year 11 have a number of end of year events planned
to help with the moving on process. Whilst many are
designed to be formal and focused on the serious
business of continuing education and training, some
are about celebrating the time spent at Kepier. These
events include;
 Progress and Achievement Celebration - held in
school at the end of Year 11.
 End of Year Celebration - held in school at the end
of Year 11 - traditionally the last day Year 11
attend school as a whole.
 The Prom - an out of school event, usually held in
early July - learners must hit certain criteria to be
eligible to attend including attendance,
punctuality and attitudes to learning.
Our School Motto is
“Believe”:
Be
Excellent
Learners.
Invest
Everything.
Value
Everyday.
19
Important Dates 2015-2016
Moving On From Kepier
Staff training days (INSET) during the
school year are:
 Tuesday 1st September 2015.
 Friday 9th October 2015.
 Monday 4th January 2016.
 Friday 29th April 2016.
At the end of Year 11, the time comes to move on from Kepier: there are many
options to chose from and we will do our best to guide learners through the
whole process. During Year 10, learners will have been given information about
available options and also encouraged to research the various provisions in the
local area. Kepier will also arrange a number of “Moving On” events which will
include visits to many of the local college and sixth forms in the area.
Holidays during term-time.
Local Colleges and Sixth Forms
Assessments and examinations for all
year groups now run continuously
throughout the year.
Choices for colleges, sixth forms and other further education options are usually
finalised by Christmas in Year 11.
College / Sixth Form
Telephone
Number
E-mail Address
Sunderland College
0191 5116000
www.sunderlandcollege.ac.uk
Durham Sixth Form Centre
0191 3830708
www.durhamsixthformcentre.org.uk
Gateshead College
0191 4900300
www.gateshead.ac.uk
East Durham College
0191 5182000
www.eastdurham.ac.uk
New College Durham
0191 3754040
www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk
Newcastle College
0191 2004000
www.ncl-coll.ac.uk
St. Robert of Newminster
0191 5613810
www.strobertofnewminster.co.uk
Southmoor Academy
0191 553 7600
www.southmoorschool.co.uk
Learners have 13 weeks holiday a year,
when they do not attend school. Please
book your family holiday during this
time. There are discount incentives
offered by a number of travel
companies for booking holidays during
school holiday weeks.
Parents must not take a family
holiday during the school term.
Anyone who takes a holiday during
the school term will be marked as
an unauthorised absence and
further action may follow.
Illness whilst at Kepier
What does the school do if my child has an accident or is unwell during the school day?
Kepier employs a 'first-aider', who is only able to offer basic first aid. If after first aid is
administered it is decided that GP or hospital treatment is necessary, we will:
 Make your child as comfortable as possible.
 Try to contact you on the telephone numbers you have supplied.
 Ask you to collect your child and seek further medical advice.
 Request an ambulance, if the incident is deemed to be serious.
Many learners will have a one-to-one interview with a member of staff from
Connexions, as well as an interview with our Guidance Officer, Ms Watson where
various options will be discussed including college, sixth form and
apprenticeships.
It is vital for the safety of your child that you provide us with emergency contact telephone
numbers and that you inform us immediately if any of these change.
You should always make Doctor and Dentist appointments after school unless it is an emergency.
If it is unavoidable, appointments made during the school day must be confirmed via an
appointment card. Learners should take this to their Year Manager.
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3
Uniform
Useful Study Information
All learners now wear the same uniform, which
consists of the following:
 Smart, tailored black trousers (leggings are not
appropriate).
 Plain white polo shirt with a coloured year
stripe.
 Black sweatshirt with the school logo and a
coloured year stripe. Year 11 wear grey
sweatshirts with the school logo.
 Sturdy, plain, black leather-type shoes (Flossies,
boots and trainers are strictly not permitted).
Please note: Skirts are not part
of the school uniform.
Studying at home is always useful and worthwhile and
there are many excellent sites to use:
BBC Bitesize
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Biology Mad
www.biologymad.com
English Biz
www.englishbiz.co.uk
GCSE
www.gcse.com
GCSE Maths
www.gcse-math.co.uk
GCSE Pod
www.gcsepod.co.uk/home
GCSE Revision 101 www.gcserevision101.wordpress.com
Get Revising
www.getrevising.co.uk
Revision Notes
www.revision-notes.co.uk
Revision Time
www.revisiontime.com
Revision World
www.revisionworld.co.uk
S-Cool
www.s-cool.co.uk
School History
www.schoolhistory.co.uk
Skoool
www.skoool.co.uk
Spanish Revision
www.spanishrevision.co.uk
Study Maths
www.studymaths.co.uk
I AM Learning
www.iamlearning.co.uk
An alternative item of clothing/footwear will be
provided to replace any incorrect item of uniform.
This must be worn for the duration of the school
day and returned to the year office at the end of the
school day.
Failure to follow the uniform code
will result in isolation and contact with home.
Learners may wear a watch and one small, plain
stud in each ear lobe. Please do not arrange for
piercings to coincide with term dates, as students
will be asked to remove inappropriate
studs in line with our policy.
What's NOT allowed
Jewellery, fashion accessories, fashion
belts, hats, caps, scarves, gloves, jeans,
combat trousers, canvas trousers,
leggings, jeggings, coloured socks, leg
warmers, trainers, Flossies and boots.
What is acceptable is ultimately at the
discretion of the Principal, Mrs Cooper.
No other jewellery is allowed on health
and safety grounds.
Make-up, including nail varnish and false nails are
not allowed.
Hair colour must be natural and the style must not
be extreme.
No Facial
Piercings
No extreme
hair colours
Planner
Pen
Pencil
Ruler
Calculator
Bag
No extreme
hair cuts
No coloured
hair bands
Podcasts:
You can get Podcasts FREE of charge through ITunes. There are both audio and
video options covering a huge range of topics.
Here are some of the best resources:
BBC News
Bitesize Science
Coffee Break Spanish
Guardian News
How Stuff Works
Is All About Maths
National Geographic Podcasts
One Minute Mandarin
Learners must bring the following
essential equipment everyday:
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Revision Information
4
Here are some of the best resources:
Science and the Sea
Stuff To Blow Your Mind
Stuff You Missed in History Class
The Life Scientific
Best of Natural History Radio
60 Second Idea to Improve the World
Discovery News
Just Vocabulary
Radiolab
17
P.E. Uniform
Kepier P.E. uniform is compulsory for all learners in Years 7 - 11.
 Red t-shirt with the school logo.
 Navy tracksuit bottoms with the school logo.
 Red hooded top with the school logo.
 Shorts (with the school logo) and sports socks are optional.
 Sports trainers (Flossies, plimsolls, Vans, Converse or Toms are
not acceptable).
 Under no
circumstances are
leggings to be worn by
any learner.
Study Support at Kepier
During the Autumn Term, study support will be available for all Year 11 learners
within all departments. It is the responsibility of all learners to talk to their class
teachers and department leaders about the study support available and
manage their own time effectively. In the Spring Term, learners may be guided
by Department Leaders to attend more targeted interventions on specific
nights.
Learners may also be issued with intervention packs which will aim to support
them in addressing gaps in their knowledge and understanding for specific
subjects.
Kepier uniform is exclusively available at Total Sport.
You can buy or order in the following ways:
Curriculum and Enrichment Activities
During the course of each school year, Curriculum and Enrichment activities
may be offered to your child: more details will be sent out to Parents, as and
when they are available.
By post
Complete the form with payment by cheque (payable to Total Sport).
In-store
14 Hendon Road, Sunderland, SR1 2JD
On-line
Go to www.totalsport-ne.co.uk
Click on Schools / Colleges / Clubs
You will find the Kepier badge under "Schools".
Place the items of uniform required in your basket and pay with a Debit
or Credit card at the secure SagePay checkout.
School
Forms available from the main school office.
For home delivery please add £2.95 per order.
School Meals
As part of our safeguarding policy, learners in Years 7-10 must remain on site during lunch time.
Our caterers provide a wide choice of meals in the dining area. There are a number of food
options including; hot meals, pasta, salads and oven baked potatoes, as well as snack type food
and fresh fruit. We provide a free chilled and filtered water system in the dining hall for all
learners to use. We also provide facilities for those learners who wish to bring a packed lunch.
We encourage you to apply for free school meals if you are entitled to do so. An application form
is available from Children's Services Finance at the Civic Centre; Telephone: 0191 5611417; you
can also collect one from the school reception. If you believe you are eligible, please make sure
that you claim the entitlement before the start of the new school year.
Parent Portal
Parents and Carers may also pay for school meals via our ParentPay facility. This allows you to add
credit to your child’s account using credit or debit cards, 24 hours a day, 7-days a week.
Kepier now has a smartphone app to help keep you up to date with what is happening in school
and make it easier to contact us. Available free from Googleplay and the App Store.
16
5
Planners
Progress
At the start of every school year learners are
provided with a planner. The planner is used
to record details of their timetable, when
homework is set and when it should be handed
in. It is also used to record achievements and
to send messages home from time to time.
The planners are checked each week by
coaches to make sure they have been used
correctly.
Monitoring progress, target setting and
celebrating achievement are very important to
us. Each year your child will receive two short
progress reports and a longer comprehensive
report.
You are asked to check and sign the planners
each week. We also encouraged you to use
the planners to send messages into school. As
part of our commitment to working in
partnership with you, we ask you to check that
homework is being completed when it is set.
If you have any concerns please contact the
Senior Pastoral Leader, Year Manager or
Department Leader who will investigate with
individual teachers.
There will be an opportunity for you to speak
to teachers about your child's progress at an
open evening during the academic year.
Parents, Teachers and Friends Association
(PTFA)
As a school, we get many requests nationally,
regionally and locally to fundraise for various
charities. 'Kepier Cares' was started to help provide a
channel for fund raising within the school.
In order to increase community involvement Kepier
Cares is expanding to become Parents, Teachers and
Friends of Kepier and is in the process of forming a
PTFA for the school.
The first Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on
the 29th April 2015; at this time the PTFA agreed a
constitution and elected key roles to the Association.
The key elements of the PTFA structure are:
 Constitution
 Members (every parent and carer of a pupil at
Kepier is automatically a member of the PTFA, as
are Kepier staff).
 Committee (a team of volunteers elected at the
Annual General Meeting to manage the
association on behalf of its members).
A member of staff will check each learner has a
planner as they enter
through the school gates
each morning.
If a learner loses their
planner a new one must
be bought from the year
office at a cost of £3.00.
Homework
Every learner in Kepier receives homework to reinforce important life skills. Working alone,
meeting deadlines and carrying out specific tasks are important skills that will help our learners in
adult life.
Every learner will have a planner for recording homework. The planner should be used to record
specific work set by individual teachers. We want you to take an interest in all aspects of your
child's life in the school. Therefore, we would like you to check completed homework and sign
the planner. There is a space for comments or questions and the coach will address any issues
that may arise.
The PTFA aims to raise funds for Kepier and use the
money raised for the benefit of the school, individual
learners and the community. The PTFA also hopes to
strengthen community links with residents, parents,
carers, wider family members, local businesses and
primary schools.
We would welcome further support from parents and
carers, so if you would like to help in the running of
the PTFA, please get in touch.
If your child does not appear to be getting any homework, please contact their Year Manager or
Department Leader as soon as possible. On most occasions where there seems to be a lack of
homework, it is often because the learner is not writing it down when it is given.
The nature of homework may have changed since you were at school. You will recognise some
of the homework that your child brings home, but there will also be some examples that will be
very different. We do run homework clubs for all learners before and after school.
6
15
Promotion of British Values at Kepier
The Government set out their definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy. These
were reinforced in Sept 2014 due to recent events. These new regulations will sit alongside the
requirements of the Equalities Act, which also applies to all types of school.
Schools will be expected to focus on, and be able to show, how our work with learners is
effective in embedding fundamental British values.
We agree with and fully support and promote the Department for
Education’s five-part definition of British values:
• democracy
• the rule of law
• individual liberty
• mutual respect
• tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
At Kepier learners will encounter these principles throughout everyday school life. We actively
promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural values through the curriculum, PSHCE lessons,
coaching, behaviour policies and extra - curricular activities.
The curriculum is mapped in detail across the whole school to ensure we are promoting SMSC
(spiritual, moral, social and cultural development).
Below are some examples of how we promote these values in our school community:
98% of Parents
think their
children are well
looked after at
this school.
14
97% of Parents
think their children
make good progress
at this school.
96% of Parents
think their
children are
taught well
at
this school.
7
Any learner who was on the Behaviour Intervention Plan in the last academic year, will
begin the new academic year two stages back from their last position.
Electronic Devices
Safeguarding
Kepier recognises that many Parents want
their children to carry mobile phones for
safety reasons. However, whilst on the
premises mobiles MUST be switched off and
kept in a school bag or pocket. Mobile
phones must be switched off at the school
gates in the morning. They should not be
switched on again until learners leave the
school premises.
You should be aware that the school will take
any reasonable action to ensure the safety of
learners.
Music devices should not be brought into
school.
Should there be an emergency, you can
contact your child through the main school
office. If a learner needs to make an urgent
call they should do this via the Year Office.
In cases where Kepier has reason to be
concerned that a child may be subject to
significant harm, neglect, ill-treatment or
other forms of abuse, staff have no
alternative but to follow SSCB (Sunderland
Safeguarding Children Board) child
protection procedures and inform Children's
Services, Social Care of their concern.
The designated safeguarding lead
responsible for child protection at Kepier is
Vice Principal, Mrs D. Walker.
Kepier accepts no responsibility for the loss
or theft of mobile phones or other electronic
devices.
Anyone learner found to be using a mobile
phone or other electronic devices at Kepier
will have them confiscated and placed in the
safe. An appropriate adult will then be
contacted by the Year Manager and asked to
collect the item from reception; providing
you assure us we will not see the item back
in school. Otherwise they will be returned to
learners at the end of the half term.
Jewellery will also be confiscated.
8
Our School Motto is “Believe”:
Be
Excellent
Learners.
Invest
Everything.
Value
Everyday.
13
Rewards System
Out of School Hours
Kepier offers a range of opportunities to learners before and after school, as we believe that
extra-curricular activities are as important as formal lessons. We encourage learners to join the
wide variety of breakfast and after school clubs within school such as games club and homework
club. We also run numerous sporting activities such as trampolining, netball and cheerleading to
name but a few.
We have very successful teams in many sports, ranging from girls and boys football, to rugby,
netball and tennis. There are also opportunities to take an active part in the Duke of Edinburgh
Award Scheme, which many of our current learners do.
Rewards will be issued at various trigger
points throughout the year and include
certificates, canteen vouchers, and visits.
Many Kepier learners have learnt how to ski on our frequent trips to France, or have participated
in outdoor pursuits at Derwent Hill. Other regular study visits take place to Keswick, Germany,
Italy and Spain.
Charging Policy
Complaints Procedure
You will not be charged for compulsory school
activities. Sometimes, however, we will
organise extra events which we cannot
finance from the school budget.
Misunderstandings do occasionally happen.
Usually these are because parents/carers and
teachers do not have access to the same
information.
Our governors have adopted a policy which
states that no charge will be made for:
If you have a concern about any aspect of the
school, come and talk to us about it. Please
telephone and make an appointment. It is best
to contact the Year Manager in the first
instance. Telephone: 0191 5128960.
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Any compulsory school activity within
school hours.
Anything necessary for a public
examination.
Materials and ingredients for things
made in school, which learners or
parents do not want to keep.
However, we may ask you to make voluntary
contributions towards the cost of:


Voluntary activities, which may happen
during the school day.
Voluntary activities, which may happen
out of school hours.
We expect learners to take responsibility for
their own progress and be able to identify
ways to continuously improve. Learners will
be allocated a set number of points at the
start of the academic year and are expected
to keep them.
If you are not satisfied, you can obtain the
formal complaints policy from the school
website or by contacting the Governance
manager as shown below:
Ms. Judith Forster
Governance Manager
Kepier Academy
Dairy Lane
Houghton-le-Spring
Tyne & Wear
DH4 5BH
j.forster@kepier.com
School Trips
In order to be eligible to attend trips away
from school, learners will need to have at
least 95% attendance and must lose no
more than 40 points.
Forthcoming Events.
Year 7 Energiser Event:
A half day-workshop (3 hours) to
immerse students in the energy topic.
This will focus on energy, a design and
make solar powered car and
information on engineering careers.
Discover Engineering at Nissan:
Investigating what Nissan do, the
manufacturing process and careers.
Also the chance to take a tour of the
factory.
Junior Maths Challenge:
Celebrating Success Evenings:
Sanctions for Poor Behaviour
Failure to demonstrate positive attitudes to learning will result in the
following sanctions:
Stage 1 Class teacher monitors behaviour (recorded on the school
system).
Stage 2 Sanction with class teacher (15 minute detention or work
task).
Stage 3 Department intervention timetable (relocation): detention for
20 minutes in the Time Out Room after school. Department
leader monitors Stage 3 incidents (intervenes when
necessary) and informs parents/carers.
Stage 4 Sent to Time Out Room: 45 minute detention in canteen after
school. If appropriate, pastoral team return learner to lesson.
Year team to inform parents/carers.
Year team to monitor stage 4 incidents.
Extreme/Serious Incidents
Examples of serious incidents which result in extreme
sanctions:
Ø Physical violence.
Ø Swearing or using insulting language.
Ø Behaving in a manner dangerous to others.
The Pastoral team will contact home and the learner
may be excluded from Kepier.
12
Our School
Motto is
“Believe”:
Be
Excellent
Learners.
Invest
Everything.
Value
Everyday.
In addition Kepier runs one
hour detentions after school
in line with our Behaviour
Intervention Plan. The
behaviour policy can be
found on the school website.
Parents/carers will be
informed by text message if
their child has a detention.
9
10
11
92% of Parents
think that Kepier
responds well to
any concerns
raised.