Prospective Parents

This is our primary open event of the year, and the first opportunity for parents and pupils to come and visit the school; ahead of applying for admission. The evening gives you an opportunity to look around the school and see what life is like at Moorside. Staff will be on hand to answer your questions, as well as pupils, who will be taking part in a wide range of activities, some of which you are welcome to participate in.

The evening is held on the penultimate Thursday in September of each year. The event normally runs from around 6pm with a presentation from the Headteacher, where a prospectus can be collected, in the main hall. After the presentation, you are welcome to tour the school at your leisure. For please visit our news page for more up-to-date information and details about this event.

Moorside High School participates in the co-ordinated admissions scheme operated by Staffordshire County Council. To apply for a place, you will have to do so via your home local authority (dependent upon where you and your child resides).

Co-ordinated Scheme

Please refer to www.staffordshire.gov.uk for information regarding co-ordinated admissions to secondary schools.

Advice on the procedures including appeals should be taken from the Staffordshire Local Authority website. The Local Authority website states that parents have the right to express a preference for the school that they wish their child to attend however there is no guarantee of a place being offered at their preferred school.

It is Moorside High School’s policy to try and meet parents’ wishes where possible, however in some cases there may be more applications for Moorside High School than there are places available.

To help ensure that students have the best possible start with us here at Moorside, we host a range of days during July, prior to starting with us in September. Students take part in activities that focus on subjects such as English, Maths, Science, Computing, PE, and Art, working in a range of different groups to help to give them a feel for life at high school.

We also help the students to shape new relationships with members of their form group through team building exercises and problem-solving exercises. These days help to feed into our transition evening, where students meet with their new form teacher and hear about our expectations and values from the Headteacher.

Following on from our transition days, this is an opportunity for parents to meet the form tutors and members of the school’s leadership team. This is the perfect opportunity to ask questions and to gain an understanding of how high school life can be different to that of a primary school one. Time is also given to help support parents as they sign up to different elements of school, including the use of the different bus services, cashless catering, outlining our bad weather procedures, as well as registering for the Arbor parent portal, amongst other things to make transition run as smooth as possible.

In line with Government policy the school has an agreement with parents and students which states:

Parent/Guardians

• Ensure that my child attends school regularly and on time
• Inform the school of any concerns or problems which might affect my child’s work or behaviour
• Encourage my child to participate in the school systems which help to promote self-esteem and a community ethos
• Support the school’s policy on behaviour and discipline
• Support my child in homework and schoolwork
• Ensure that my child wears correct school uniform and follows the guidelines on appearance
• Attend annual Parents’ Evenings and other opportunities to discuss my child’s progress
• Take an interest in my child’s school life

Moorside High School

• Provide a safe and secure environment for your child
• Combat incidents of bullying
• Ensure that your child has the opportunity to achieve his/her potential through academic, sporting, musical, social, and cultural experiences
• Develop in your child a feeling of self-esteem, self-confidence and success
• Raise standards of attainment and achievement through a variety of activities
• Set, mark and monitor homework regularly as part of a positive learning process
• Instil a sense of community and shared responsibility through agreed codes of behaviour and discipline
• Keep you informed about school life and your child’s progress in particular, contact you with any concerns about attendance, punctuality, behaviour or progress
• Be open and welcoming to parents, offering opportunities for consultation and involvement wherever appropriate

The Student

• Attend school regularly and on time
• Bring all the equipment I need to school each day
• Use my Student Planner to record all homework and other important information
• Do all my class work and homework as well as I can
• Make sure I understand the school rules and obey them
• Be polite and friendly and respect others
• Help to stop bullying wherever I come across it
• Treat the building, the furniture and equipment with care and respect
• Put all litter in a bin

Together we will work towards fulfilling the potential of both the students and the school.

On Arrival

All Year 7 students must arrive promptly; remember that registration starts at 8.45am. On the first day, pupils should enter through the main door in the foyer and go directly to the front of the main hall. After the first day, students are not permitted to enter through the foyer doors and should use the entrance next to the Pupil Reception instead.

Students need to pack their bags every day and carry them with them during the day. There are no locker facilities in school.

All students in Year 7 will gather in the hall for a short meeting. They will then go to their form rooms with their tutor, where they will be given their individual timetable and school notebook and spend time familiarising themselves with the school.  They will then join their teaching groups for period 3 (at 11.10 am).

During the first week, Year 7 students eat lunch early at 11.50am to get used to the system, but after that, lunch is at 12.10 pm, so breakfast is important.  There is a Breakfast Club which operates in the school dining hall between 8.00 am – 8.40 am.  Orders for lunchtime “Goodie Bags” can be taken before school during this time to prevent lengthy queuing at lunchtime.