Preparing your Child for Year 7

Important Dates

Prior to the start of and at the beginning of the new academic year, there will be a series of transition events and information requests. To help you keep track, please use the calendar below.

EVENT	DETAILS	DATE
Admissions+ Online Form	In order to ensure a smooth transition, it is vital that we have key information about your child. Information provided will be imported directly into our Student Management Information System (SIMS). Please complete the online form by no later than Friday 12 May 2023.	28 April 2023
Chromebook Scheme	Every student will need a Chromebook for September 2023. Please ensure you have signed up to the Chromebook Scheme by Friday 11 June 2023. Please click on the letter link from Freedom Technology for information on how to purchase a device (letter). If you would like your child to use a personal Chromebook they already own (no other device types are permitted and this device must be fully insured by yourself) in school, then the device will need to be added to the school domain for £30. To register your intention, please complete this form (one for each child) by 31 May 2023.	2 May 2023
Admissions+ Online Form Deadline	Once we have students’ key information in SIMS we can set up Wisepay, which is used to pay for dinner money, school buses and trips, and create a school email address for students before their first day of term. See (1) above. Parents/Carers will not be able to pay for the Year 7 Bushcraft trip or music lessons if the Admissions+ form has not been completed on time.	12 May 2023
Music Tuition and Extra-Curricular Activities	Parmiter’s School has fantastic peripatetic music staff, employed by the school, who offer private instrumental lessons on weekly rotation during the school day. The closing date for applications for the Autumn term is Friday 9 June 2023 and further information about individual instrumental tuition, along with the application form, can be found on the Parmiter’s School website under ‘Parents - Extra-Curricular Activities’ or click here. Parmiter’s School also offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities for students. To view the timetable for the current term, please see the school website under ‘Parents - Extra-curricular activities’ or click here. Extra-curricular activities start during the second week of each term.	9 May 2023
Year 7 Transition & Team Building Experience (Bushcraft) - Initial Letter	Adventure awaits! Year 7 students will be taking part in the Bushcraft Team Building residential experience at Boughton Wood. This is an excellent opportunity for your child to secure friendships across the year group, enjoy a wide variety of activities and learn new life skills. The approximate cost for this trip is £210 and will be due for payment by Friday 14 July 2023.	24 May 2023
Music Tuition Application Deadline	Deadline for signing up for private instrumental lessons.	9 June 2023
Chromebook Application Deadline	Deadline for signing up to the Chromebook Scheme.	11 June 2023
School Locker bookings open	Year 7 students can rent a locker, for a small annual fee, to store their books and PE kit. Students can access their lockers before school, at break, lunchtime and after school. Lockers are available for rent through ILS Ltd and bookings will be available from 13 June 2023, please see the letter to parents here. For further information and to book a locker, please visit www.ilsschools.co.uk.	13 June 2023
School Transport (Bus) Application Process Opens	Parmiter’s School bus service is run by Mullany’s Coaches and the bus timetable, terms & conditions and other relevant information can be found on the school website, under the ‘Parent’ tab, or click here. Prices for 2023/24 will be confirmed later this term. Bus applications for the 2023/24 academic year will need to be submitted by Friday 7 July 2023. Parents will be notified via email if their child has a place on the school bus by Friday 21 July and the initial or full payment will be due by Friday 4 August. Bus passes will be posted home during the last week of August.	19 June 2023
Year 6 Tea Party (Selected students only)	If your child comes from a school with two students or less joining Parmiter’s, prior to starting in September they will receive an invitation to the Year 6 tea party. This will give these students a chance to get to know other students who will be joining Parmiter’s.	28 June 2023
School Transport (Bus) Application Deadline	Deadline to submit an application for a school bus place.	7 July 2023
Headmaster’s Evening	You will be invited to the Headmaster’s Evening and Transition Fair, where you and your child will meet their form tutor, purchase uniform/PE kit and other supplies such as a useful book bundle and Art pack. Chromebook, Bushcraft and Parents’ Association information and registration will also be available. This will be the final opportunity to sign up for the Year 7 Bushcraft trip.	12 July 2023
Year 6 Induction Day	Your child will spend the day at Parmiter’s School to help orientate themselves and spend time with their Form Tutor. Students will experience taster lessons and House competitions. Transition booklets will be given to all students to complete over the Summer and instructions will be given during the taster lessons. Transition booklets will help your child to better understand the forthcoming curriculum in the core subject areas and will be collected in during the first week of term and assessed. Students will also receive a Welcome letter with all the information they need for the start of term. They will be given a WisePay cashless catering registration letter and an introductory letter from the Parents’ Association for their parents/carers.	13 July 2023
Year 7 Transition & Team Building Experience (Bushcraft) Payment Deadline	Deadline to sign up for the Years 7 Bushcraft trip and make your payment via WisePay.	14 June 2023
Parmiter’s Summer School	Parmiter’s Summer School offers a range of activities, all providing great opportunities for our new Year 7 students to make new friendships, be creative and learn new things in a fun way. The approximate cost for all activity days is £30 per day and workshop events run from 9.00am - 3.00pm each day.	24 -28 July 2023
Year 7 Induction Day	Induction Day will help your child navigate our school systems and procedures. Students will again spend time with their Form Tutors and class prefects. The school does not open to all students until the following day, giving our new students time and space to gently settle into their new surroundings.	6 September 2023
Year 7 Cheese & Wine Reception for Parents/Carers	The Cheese and Wine Reception is hosted by our Parents’ Association and parents/carers will have an opportunity to socialise with other parents/carers of students in your child’s form group and meet their form tutor.	September 2023 (TBC)
Year 7 Transition & Team Building Experience (Bushcraft) Trip	Year 7 students will be on the Bushcraft Team Building residential experience at Boughton Wood. Students not going on the trip are expected in school and will follow their normal timetable.	27–29 September
Year 7 Theatre Trip	A theatre trip to see a show in London’s West End to broaden our young student’s cultural capital will be organised later in the academic year. This is a truly enjoyable evening for students and staff.	May 2024 (TBC)

Summer Tasks

During the Year 6 Induction day on Thursday 13 July, your child be given Transition work booklets to complete over the Summer and instructions will be given during the taster lessons. Transition booklets will help your child to better understand the forthcoming curriculum in the core subject areas and will be collected in during the first week of term and assessed.

Parmiter's Summer School

Each year, we run a Summer School during the first week of the summer holidays, which gives our students an opportunity to take part in a wide variety of fun activities and workshops, e.g. Sports, Science, Art and Design & Technology, Drama, etc. Workshops/activities run from 9.00am - 3.00pm. There will be a fee for all activity days.

Summer School also provides an excellent opportunity for our new students to make new friendships before starting school in September, whilst being creative and learning new skills. This is especially important for those students who may be feeling particularly anxious about starting secondary school.

Details about Summer School are sent out to parents/carers during the second half of the Summer term.

A Typical School Day

The school timetable runs on a two weekly rotation and students follow a Week 1 and Week 2 timetable. The school day starts with morning registration at 8.35am and ends after period 5 at 3.20pm. Students can arrive on the school site from 8.00am onwards. Students should be on site by no later than 8.30am.

A typical school day runs as follows:

Time	Session
8.30am	Warning bell: students proceed to Form Rooms
8.35am - 8.55am	Registration followed by Assembly
8.55am - 9.55am	Period 1
9.55am - 10.55am	Period 2
10.55am - 11.20am	Morning Break
11.20am - 12.20pm	Period 3
12.20pm - 1.20pm	Period 4
1.20pm - 2.20pm	Lunch
2.20pm - 3.20pm	Period 5
3.20pm	End of school day & start of After School Clubs

Timetable

Below is a sample student timetable, showing the two weekly rotation i.e. 1Mon is Monday Week 1 and 2Mon is Monday Week 2. Each period on the table details the subject, the teacher and the location. Students will be taught how to read their individual timetable when they join us in September.

First Day of School

Year 7 students will have an Induction Day on Wednesday 6 September 2023, which will help them navigate our school systems and procedures. Students will spend time with their Form Tutors and class prefects. The school does not open to all students until the following day, giving our new students time and space to gently settle into their new surroundings.

Uniform

At Parmiter’s, great importance is attached to the wearing of school uniform which is regarded as the keynote to good order in the school. These factors contribute to students’ wellbeing and remove the pressures of deciding what to wear and the added stress of meeting the fashion expectations of their peers.

All students are expected to wear full school uniform and the School Uniform Policy details uniform requirements for students in Years 7 - 11. There are three uniform options:

Option A: Blazer, Striped Blouse, Skirt, Pullover, Tights or Socks & Shoes
Option B: Blazer, Shirt, Tie, Trousers, Pullover, Socks & Shoes
Option C: Blazer, White Blouse, Trousers, Socks & Shoes

Our uniform is available from Stevensons in St Albans, DJ Uniforms in Bushey and Watford School Uniforms in Watford. Click here for further details and PE kit requirements. PE kit items can be purchased online, directly from our official supplier Henry Tilly Sport.

Please also remember a sensible school bag (for example a plain rucksack) – handbags and fashion bags are not acceptable as school bags.

Lost Property

All items should be clearly marked with the student’s name and form. Students can check in the PSB to see if any lost items have been handed in. Items that are clearly named will be returned to your child. Lost property not collected by the end of term is repurposed to charity.

Chromebook Scheme

In September 2021, we introduced our Chromebook scheme for students in Years 7 to 10. This scheme has seen all students in Years 7 to 11 having access to a Chromebook as part of their standard school equipment, which they use for their learning both at school and at home. We are pleased to confirm that we will be continuing this scheme with our new Year 7 students in September 2023. All students will be using Chromebooks in Year 7 and they are expected to adhere to the Chromebook and E-Learning Code of Conduct, which they will be asked to sign.

Please ensure you have signed up for a Chromebook by Friday 11 June 2023. For further information and how to navigate this process, please see our school website and the initial letter to parents.

If you would like your child to use a personal Chromebook they already own (no other device types are permitted and this device must be fully insured by yourself) in school, then the device will need to be added to the school domain for £30. To register your intention, please complete this form (one for each child) by Wednesday 31 May 2023.

Inform Newsletter

We aim to keep parents/carer up to date with all aspects of Parmiter’s life, so please don’t miss our half-termly INFORM newsletter, which is sent to parents via email. It can also be viewed on the school website under the News & Events section.

Via this link, you will also find our Teaching & Learning newsletters, the school calendar and upcoming events. Our Gallery showcases recent trips, drama productions, our Celebrating Creativity event and much more.

Parmiter's Parents Association

We are very fortunate at Parmiter’s School to have a Parents’ Association that has been an integral part of the school for more than 25 years. During this time, the PA has raised many tens of thousands of pounds from a variety of fundraising events and these funds have been spent on providing resources and equipment to enhance the education for students across the school.

The objective of the Parents’ Association is to advance the education of students in the school, in particular, by:

- Developing effective relationships between the staff, parents and others associated with the school.
- Engaging in activities which support the school and advance the education of the students.
- Providing and assisting in the provision of such facilities or items for education at the school (not provided from statutory funds) as the committee shall from time to time determine.

As a parent/carer you automatically become a member of the Parents’ Association when your child joins Parmiter’s School. For further information about the Parents’ Association, please visit the school website, under the “Parent” tab.

Parmiter's School