Parent Zone

• Keep children safe online
• Staying safe on-line
• Keeping safe in the holidays
• Safer internet day – social media guide for supporters
• How to keep children safe on-line

Keeping your child safe online

• If your child is getting a new phone or tablet for a birthday or Christmas, you may wish to consider some monitoring software to keep a parental eye on what they are doing. There are plenty available to download, some are free, some you need to pay a small subscription. An article explaining some of the more popular monitoring apps can be seen here.
• For advice and instructions on setting up the most popular devices (parental controls, internet filters etc.) see the Internet Matters website.
• If you are buying a new game for your child, make sure you are happy with it first. Just because “everybody else has got it” does not mean it is appropriate for your child. Check on the Common-Sense Media website first.

There will be three data collection points across the year (DC1, DC2 and DC3). These will be whole school data collection points as below.

Pupil Targets

We will no longer have “pupil targets”. These will be replaced with “Minimum Expected Grades”. These grades are the grades the students must achieve as a bare minimum. They will be generated using Fisher Family Trust (FFT20) data. These grades are generated using KS2 scores, along with other key indicators, including national data. A pupil’s FFT20 Minimum Expected Grade will be the grade the student would be expected to achieve whilst attending a school which was in the top 20% nationally.

Recording of Progress

All pupils will have a sticker on the front of their exercise books, located in the centre where it is very visible to see.

The student will be told their PPG at each Data Collection Point and they will write on the sticker what level they are at, at that specific data point.

Example:

The student above was meeting their Minimum Expected Grade of a 6 at DC1 but unfortunately, due to attendance issues slipped down a level and at DC2 were being predicted as being one grade below minimum expected. Secure Intervention was put in place to support this student, which improved her attendance significantly, and in fact made them realise that more work was needed to catch up. As a result, by DC3 the student had made accelerated progress and was now being predicted to achieve one grade above the minimum expected.

Reporting to Parents

Parents will receive a progress report following each data collection point. There will no longer be ‘written’ reports with comments. Reports will be data and progress indicators – but will also include attendance and Engagement Scores from lessons.

Pupil Engagement Scales

The classroom teacher will change these scores accordingly based upon the scale below, which is also displayed in all classrooms.

The school will send you a welcome email for the School Parent system called Arbor. This will have your login details and a link that will take you to the browser version of the Parent Portal where you need to set up a password.

Setup steps:

• Click the link from the email we have sent, then click Forgot your password?
• Add in your email address then click Reset password.
• If you have a child at more than one Arbor school, you will be asked to select the appropriate school.

• You’ll then receive another email. Click the link in this email to reset your password. Create your password. You will then be logged in when you click Create password. You can repeat this process any time you are unable to log in.
• Click to accept the terms and conditions.
• As a security precaution, you will then be asked to confirm one of your child’s dates of birth.

You can then close your browser and switch to using the app. The app can be downloaded for Android and iOS phones by searching for Arbor.

At Moorside High School we have a house system which allows our students to have a role in whole school competitions and is at the centre of our school community where healthy competition is encouraged. Not only do students have an opportunity to represent their House as a performer they also have an opportunity to take up a leadership role within the house structure.

The house system is an integral part of our REACH values: where students take risks, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes to achieve greatness, and go on to exceed expectations. As a school we feel it is important for students to take risks as this will in turn make them more resilient young people, urge them to constantly push themselves to be better. 

When students start their academic journey at Moorside High School they will be allocated into one of four houses. The houses are named after four iconic personalities from Stoke-on-Trent, whose personal qualities encapsulate everything that we hope our students aspire to be.

Rewards are central to the promotion of excellent work and behaviour at Moorside High School and contribute to the creation of a positive learning environment by motivating students and recognising success and achievement.

It is very important for students to feel that there are real rewards for attendance, behaviour and academic progress which exceed expectations. Engagement points are issued by teachers for genuine achievement, and they are applied consistently and fairly in lessons to provide a true reflection of a pupil’s individual Attitude to Learning.  

Merits are also recorded systematically, allowing teachers to monitor and analyse the distribution of rewards given across year groups, departments and specific student groups. Whilst also allowing us to share information about rewards effectively with pupils, parents and staff.  

The end of term assemblies include prize givings, where pupils with the most reward points have an increased chance of winning. The rewards system originated from the Year Council, and the pupils continue to lead on what they would like to be rewarded for, and they decide on the prizes or privileges for rewarding pupils

Please see below a list of external support agencies that are available for parents and carers to access:

• North Staffs Mind
• CAMHS North Staffs
• Staffordshire Families First
• Stoke on Trent Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CHAD)
• NHS Midlands Partnership Families Health and Wellbeing Service 0-19
• Green Doctor Energy Efficiency Support

In these unsettled times families are really worried about the cost of energy. Green Dr support is available for residents in Newcastle and Staffs Moorlands area.

We operate a cashless biometric catering system here at Moorside High.

On the first day at Moorside High we will take the opportunity to scan your child for the Cashless Catering (Parent Pay) system we use in school.

Parent Pay is the online payment provider.  This system offers you the freedom to make payments whenever and wherever you like, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – safe in the knowledge that the technology used is of the highest internet security available.  You will have your own account enabling you to pay for your child’s school meals in advance, offering a safe alternative to your child carrying cash in school.  If your child is entitled to free school meals the same process of purchasing food is the same, there is no difference to any child purchasing free or paid meals. If you do not have access to the internet, you can order a PayPoint card if you wish, which enables you to put money on the card at local shops.                                                                   

If your child is eligible for Free School Meals and attends a Stoke-on-Trent school, you are encouraged to register a claim by completing the online application form before the end of June.  By using the online system an immediate ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response can be obtained (which can be printed if required) any accepted applications will then feed automatically and a confirmation letter will be sent to both parents and the school, ready for September. The link for ParentPay can be found in the Parent Zone drop-down menu.

For the new academic year 2023\24, we have started using Mellors as our meal provider. You can see the Menu Tariffs and first week of meals at the top of this page.