General Information 2
Behaviour outside the Academy
Students must apply the same high standards of behaviour when wearing uniform outside of the Academy as they do within it.
Summary of the Sex Education Policy
There is a programme of sex education within the curriculum in order to assist students to have due regard for moral consideration and the value of family life. In particular, the aims of the Academy's Sex Education Policy are to support the personal, moral and social development of all students and ensure that they have the ability to accept their own and each other's sexuality. They should learn to enjoy relationships based on caring, mutual respect and responsibility whilst learning to take responsibility for the health of themselves and those around them.
Arrangements for Students with Special Educational Needs
The criteria for admitting students with SEN are the same as for other students except where the LA decides that mainstream Education is not appropriate. Parents of a student with a statement for Special Educational Needs should discuss their child's needs with the Academy before an application is made.
Race Equality Policy
The Academy is committed to providing equal opportunities for all. The Academy's policy can be viewed on the website.
Expressing your concerns
We are fully committed to providing the best possible education for your child. However, we realise that sometimes things go wrong and that this can be an anxious time. Most concerns can be resolved through contact with your child's Form Tutor or by contacting the Learning Manager. If you feel that an issue has not been resolved then our Vice Principal can be contacted in writing or by phoning the Academy reception. We will try to deal with your concerns within twenty four hours, but certainly within five working days. If you are still unhappy, we will provide you with information about your rights and the different ways in which you can pursue your concerns.
Admissions
The Academy follows the Birmingham City Council process for admissions.
Transition of Year 6 to Year 7
* The Local Education Authority (LEA) electronically transfer The Secondary Admissions final allocation information to the school in March
* The LEA writes to parents informing them of the offer of a school place at Heartlands Academy
* The Induction Mentor deals with this information as it arrives and compiles a list of acceptances. This information arrives by post or direct telephone calls made by parents/carers
* A follow up letter is sent by the school to any parents who have not responded to the LEA's letter. If necessary the Induction Mentor phones the parents and encourages any who need more information to visit the school
* The Induction Mentor and the Learning Manager visit each primary feeder school and meet with year six teachers to gain information about all students
* This information is relayed to relevant members of staff i.e. SENCO, Behaviour Support Manager, Assistant Principal-Pastoral.
* All up dated information is shared with LEA
* The Assistant Principal-Pastoral, Learning Manager and the Induction Mentor liaise and share data to analyse the expected numbers of students on the admissions acceptance register
* Primary schools are contacted in May to complete relevant transfer information and to transfer student files
* All students are invited to attend an Induction Programme at Heartlands Academy where they will be involved in work shops throughout the day
* Parents are invited to meet with the Senior Management Team and teachers to talk about the school and any concerns they may have. Parents are invited to look over current students
Discussing student progress with individual members of staff
Parents/carers are made welcome at Heartlands Academy at all times and where possible a member of staff will make special arrangements to speak with them. If they need to speak to an individual member of staff an appointment will be made.
Routes into school
Parents make contact with the school in a variety of ways:
* Direct contact from parents to school
* LEA referrals
* Behaviour Support Services (BSS)
* 3D Education
* Wardlow Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seeker referrals
* Other outside agencies e.g. Social Services
Assessment
After the initial interview with parents/carers and the student, a school place may be offered and a letter of confirmation sent. At this point the student is placed on the school roll and allocated a tutor group. Appointments are made for assessment.
Students educated in the United Kingdom
* Cognitive Ability Assessments (CAT's) are administered and marked
* A reading and writing assessment is carried out
* Previous establishments are contacted for files to be transferred on each student
* Any students who do not perform age appropriately are referred to the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) for further assessment
* Using this data students are issued with a timetable by the Assistant Principal-Assessment
Complaints Procedure Overview and Scope
From 1 September 2003 Governing Bodies (GBs) of all maintained schools and maintained nursery schools in England were required, under Section 29 of the Education Act 2002, to have in place a procedure to deal with complaints relating to the Academy and to any community facilities or services that the Academy provides.
This procedure is to deal with all concerns or complaints relating to the actions of staff and application of Academy procedures where they affect individual students, except matters directly related to curriculum, or to a particular exclusion, child protection, special needs statementing or admission issue, all of which are dealt with under separate procedures.
Similarly, any complaints by members of staff should usually be dealt with through the appropriate separate procedures such as grievance, capability or anti-harassment.
The details of the number of complaints registered under the formal complaints procedure are available upon request.
