Parents

Transition Information

FAQs

For parents: 

What forms should I have filled in and given/emailed to The Wren School on my child’s first day? 

• Home school agreement – Parent and child need to sign this
• Parent agreement to administer medicine form
• Locker agreement form
• Biometric Agreement form
• Admissions form
• Application for free school meals

My child currently receives Free School Meals, how do I apply for this to continue at The Wren School?

Even if your child has received free school meals at primary school, you must still fill in the paperwork to receive free school meals at The Wren School to receive the funding. The application for free school meals paperwork was issued in the admissions pack and is also on The Wren school website under transitions.

Where can I buy the school uniform?

We have one main school provider, Stevensons.
Website: www.stevensons.co.uk
Phone number: 01189 596462
Address: 11-12 Market Place, Reading, RG1 2EG.

What websites/apps should I be logging into and using as a parent to support my child at The Wren school?

Classcharts – Shows achievement and behaviour points awarded to your child, and any detentions set. Parents and child will receive logins to access Classcharts.
Parentpay – Used to pay for equipment for lessons (e.g. food technology ingredients), trips, load money on for school café and restaurant.
Teams – This is where homework will be set. Students will use their school email address and password to log in to teams.

What are the key parental events and where can I find the schools key dates and information on these?

The website is regularly updated with key information, under the tab “Parents/students tab”.
Term 1 = Settling in evening. To support your child at school we invite parents/carers and students to meet with their tutor to review how the first term has gone.
Term 5 = Year 7 parents evening, where parent/carer can meet their child’s teachers and get academic feedback on their progress across the curriculum.
Individual Support Provision (ISP) meetings are held 3 times a year for students who are on the SEND register to set targets and to ensure individualised support is given to aid their learning at The Wren school. This is co-ordinated by Mrs Juster (SENDCo) and Mrs Haywood (Assistant SENDCo).

Are lockers available?

Lockers are allocated on a first come, first served basis. The cost of a locker is £25 for the five years and £5 deposit, £30 in total. You can pay an additional £5 if you would like an extra key.
Please note that in the event of a lost key, there will be a charge for a replacement. Locker paperwork was included in the admissions pack or alternatively you can download and complete the locker form.

Can my child be in the same tutor group as their best friend?

Using the knowledge of the students that has been collated from their Year 6 teachers, we do our best to place each student in the tutor group that is right for them. The Year 7 tutor groups are carefully constructed to allow the possibility for new friendships to develop and students to be supported in an effective way. There will usually be at least one other
member of the tutor group from a student’s link primary/junior school, but it should be noted that this is unlikely to always be a ‘best friend’.

How are the tutor groups decided?

The formation of the tutor groups is critical as we want to ensure an even number of boys and girls, a mixed academic ability and a range of students from all of our main linked schools. Miss Spooner (the key Stage 3 leader) has had information from all primary schools and taken this in to account when arranging the tutor groups.
Whilst wishing to engage with parents to ensure students make a positive start at The Wren School and are not put with students they do not work well with, we cannot unfortunately accommodate individual requests for a specific students to be together.

How many students are there in a tutor group?

On average there are around 28 students in each tutor group.

How will my child know where to go on the first day?

Please head to main reception, where staff will meet you and your child, and direct them where to go.

Can I request a preferred language choice?

The Wren teaches Spanish to all students in year 7. There are 2 sides in each year group and students will be timetabled with other students from their half of the year.

When are students grouped for the core subjects?

Assessments will be completed by students in term 1 and students will be set in Maths, Science and MFL.

What can my child do if they are upset or having friendship issues?

They can talk to any member of staff, their tutor, or go to the pastoral office where their head of year and key stage leader will be based. If this has happened in a lesson, your child must speak to the class teacher so they can speak and action any consequences.

Your child’s tutor should be the first port of call, as they have the most contact with your child throughout the week. Please encourage your child to speak to their tutor in the first instance. Tutors are also available to be contacted via email. If you would like to see a tutor, please email to arrange a date and convenient time.

If I have an academic concern or query about a lesson, who do I contact?

Please contact your child’s subject teacher or Head of Department via email. If you would like to see a teacher, please email to arrange a date and convenient time. All staff email addresses can be found on our school website under ‘contact us’

If my child is ill and absent from school what do I do?
 To report your child being late or absent, please contact the school before 8.50, or as soon as possible after that on 0118 9591868, extension 241.
 Please remember to ring in on each day of your child’s absence. You can also contact the school via email at: admin@wren.excaliabur.org.uk
 If your child takes more than three days off school in a row, we would advise that you seek medical advice and also provide us with evidence of the prolonged absence. The Education Welfare Service accepts the following as medical proof:
• GP appointment card
• A text message from the health care provider, e.g. dentist, doctor, orthodontist
• Sight of medication, named and dated appropriately
• Sight or photocopy of prescription, named and dated appropriately.

If my child is going to arrive late to school what do I do?

Students should arrive at school by 8.30 at the latest.
The school gates are locked by staff on duty a few minutes before 8:40.
Students who arrive late (once the gates are locked at 8.40) must enter via main reception at the Southcote Lane entrance, and sign in.
They will be issued a late DT to attend at lunchtime, unless students have medical proof why they were late.
Please encourage your child to be on time.

My child has a medical condition/needs to take medication during the day.

The parental agreement to administer medicine form (that was sent in the admissions pack and is also attached on the transitions page) needs to be filled out and returned by email to admin@wren.excalibur.org.uk or returned to main reception, so this information can be added to the school database. Medication must be dropped at main reception, clearly labelled and this will be passed to student reception, Mrs Herbert will administer it to your child when they come to student reception at the specified times.

What happens if my child feels unwell during the day?

If your child feels unwell during the day they should go and see Mrs Herbert who is a trained first aider, in student reception at break or lunch. Students shouldn’t be going to student reception during lesson time.

Sometimes a child just needs a quiet sit down after which they may be able to return to lessons. On certain occasions Mrs Herbert may not be available, if this is the case students should go to main reception where a first aid trained member of staff can attend and assist them. We do not allow students to contact parents within school time on their own mobile phone.

If I need to contact my child, what is the best way to do this?

Please contact the school via phone or email and the pastoral admin staff will pass the information on to them. We do not allow students to have their phone on during the school day, and if they are seen with it out at school, they will have it confiscated. Please support us with this rule.

What do I do if my child needs to leave school for a medical appointment?

• Please provide your child with a copy of the appointment letter, or card (ideally before the date of the appointment)
• Your child must take the appointment letter or card to main reception, marked for the attention of Mrs J Delaney.
• You should write a note in your child’s planner to show their class teacher that they have permission to leave the lesson.
• Your child must go to main reception to sign out.
• Upon arrival back at school, your child must sign in at main reception.

Can my child bring a bike into school?

Yes. We encourage students to walk or cycle to school to stay healthy. Students must bring a bike lock to secure their bike at school using the bike racks available. Students may not cycle on the school premises and must wear a helmet. They should observe safe cycling rules on the roads as they approach and leave school.

How does the school restaurant and Café operate?

Our school caterers are Caterlink. We have a café and restaurant on site. They serve breakfast items from 8.00am– 8.40am, hot and cold snacks during break, and serve nutritious food during lunchtime, there’s something for everyone’s taste.
The cashless biometric system means that students don’t need to worry
about carrying loose change, as they just need their fingerprint to pay for food. Biometrics will be sorted on their first day at The Wren school, if not sooner when they come in for their transition day. Please ensure you have filled in the Biometric agreement form so we can ensure any dietary needs are identified and catered for. Please use the online service Parentpay to add more money on their account. If you have any queries please contact the admin@wren.excalibur.org.uk.

What happens if my child loses something at school?

Losing things at school is unfortunately, part of school life. Chances of reuniting students with their belongings increase dramatically if they are clearly labelled. In a large school it can be hard to differentiate individual’s property especially when all students wear the same uniform! a clear name tag makes returning items much easier.

If your child has lost something they should check to see if it has been handed in to lost property by seeing Mrs Herbert in student reception. They should also retrace their steps and return to the classrooms/ changing rooms they have been to that day to see if they have left it there. They should do this on the day that they discover the loss. If this proves unsuccessful, it is sometimes worth checking with lost property again, after a few days. This is why we recommend students getting a locker, so they can keep their valuables safe.

For students:

Will I make new friends?

Of course you will make new friends! Everyone will be in the same boat. If you are the only student from a primary/junior school coming here, we will make sure you have a chance to meet new people in the same situation as you. All the tutor groups are mixed up so there will be many students who don’t know others in their tutor group.

How long will it take to find my way around the school?

It should not take too long for you to find your way around. You will be given a map outlining the subjects on each floor and there will be a tour on your first day.

If you are lost around the school feel free to ask anyone in the corridors and they will be happy to help. We fully appreciate it will take a couple of weeks to find your bearings around the school.

What happens if I am late for lessons?

In September, we know that you won’t know your way round and if you are a bit late your teachers will understand. After a couple of weeks, however, we will expect you to be on time for lessons in the same way as the older year groups. Students have up to 5 minutes for movement time in-between lessons. There is a school bell that will ring when the lessons starts, if you arrive after this, you will be issued a DT.

Where are the toilets?

There are a set of student toilets on each floor. You will not be allowed to go to the toilet during lessons, unless for known medical reasons, so make sure you go before form time, at break or lunchtime.

When will I get my student planner and rough book?

You will be given your student planner and rough book during morning registration on your first day of term.

What if I get stuck doing classwork or homework?

Your teacher and tutor are always there to help you. If you are stuck with something in class or with your extended learning you can speak to your teacher or tutor and ask them to explain it again. Your fellow students are also on hand so don’t forget to ask them too. Please don’t be scared to ask questions in lessons, as we can guarantee there will be other students wanting to ask the same question! The teacher won’t necessarily know you need help unless you tell them.  Top tip, don’t leave your homework until the last possible day to complete it so if you have any questions or need help, you have time to find the teacher.

How much homework will I get?

It may vary a little, but on average there will be a couple of pieces of homework set each day. These will be published on Microsoft Teams, where parents and students will be given logins at the start of term. You can access Microsoft Teams on the home page of the website and also get an app for your mobile phone.

The planner is a communication tool between home and school. If a teacher sets homework, you expected to write what subject you have been set homework for in your planner. If you parents/carers wish to update us about any absence or other information, you can use the planner to write in a note.

Will I need my PE kit on the first day?

No we don’t expect students to bring their PE kit on their first day.

What if I forget something?

Teachers will be understanding in the early weeks of the term. Each form time tutors will do an equipment check to ensure students have the ‘Wren basics’: school planner, rough book, pencil, pen, and reading book. You are bound to make mistakes in year 7, just try and learn from them! If you pack your bag the night before, this will help organise you and ensure you have everything for the next day.

What clubs are there for Year 7 students?

The Wren school provides a wide range of opportunities for students to get involved in.

The extra curricular clubs are great for students wanting to expand their knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. There will be an opportunity for some students to represent the school at fixture too. A list of extra-curricular clubs can be found on The Wren website under the tab ‘Our school’ – Wrap around care. Most clubs will run after school from 3.30pm – 4.20pm. They are first come, first served and you can just turn up.