General College Information

For Students and Families

ATTENDANCES AND ABSENCES

  • College is open from 8.45am—4.30pm.
  • Students will be issued with individual timetables according to options chosen.
  • Students are required to sign in and out (register in Reception).
  • Teachers maintain registers of class attendance.
  • Please telephone or email the office if you are ill and not attending college. We take a very dim view of unauthorised absence. It is expected that students will attend all lessons in order to maximise their potential. Attendance and punctuality will be reported to parents on a half-termly basis.
  • 90% attendance is required in order for students to be entered for exams.
  • Vacations should be taken in school holidays (calendar available from office).

BEHAVIOUR

We expect students to be:

  • fair, polite and thoughtful
  • suitably dressed in appropriate attire for college
  • well-mannered and co-operative
  • respectful of their peers and staff and the school rules

We do not tolerate:

  • bullying
  • bad language
  • disobedience
  • stealing
  • retaliation, verbal or physical
  • drug or alcohol abuse
  • smoking

CORRESPONDENCE AND COMMUNICATION

  • All correspondence for college students will be left, with your name on, in the College pigeon hole which can be found in Reception.
  • It is very important that you check in there regularly as you may miss important information regarding exams etc.

CONSULTATIONS

  • College students are issued with half-termly reports which will include a summary of absence and punctuality.
  • All college students sit mock exams in December and January. Parents have an opportunity to discuss the results and find out about their child’s progress directly after the mock exams in January.
  • If students or parents have any issues they would like to discuss then please feel free to chat with Sam or Lindsay in the office. If it is personal, a private meeting can be arranged.

DISCIPLINE

  • We believe that courtesy, good manners and consideration for others are very important qualities.
  • The school works hard to help all its pupils achieve the real discipline that comes from within a person.
  • The development of self-discipline in students is one of the most important functions that any school can perform.
  • We believe that you are entitled to the same respect and good manners that we expect from him or her.
  • We prefer, therefore, to develop the qualities of understanding and self-discipline through example, encouragement and incentive.
  • Students should be particularly mindful of their language and dress code anywhere around the school area as they are setting an example to their younger peers. We strongly discourage smoking but if a student needs to smoke, it must be completely out of sight of the school and the surrounding areas.
  • When punishments do prove necessary, they involve the loss of some of the opportunities and privileges.
  • In the case of serious or persistent unacceptable behaviour, you will be consulted in line with the school’s behaviour policy.

FIRST AID

  • Students are expected to come to the office if they suffer an injury/accident whilst at college. All injuries are recorded and treated as necessary.
  • If a student suffers a more serious injury, we will notify a parent immediately and discuss any action needed. We have an internal monitoring system in school for these cases. Parents will be notified of all accidents by telephone.
  • If we are unable to contact parents, or in the event of serious injury, a decision may be made to take you straight to hospital.

MEDICINES

  • Medicines should not, as a rule, be brought into college. If it is essential then please ensure that you hand the medicine into the office at the beginning of the day, it will be returned when you leave.

PSHE

  • PSHE lessons in college will be timetabled monthly and will consist of careers advice, guidance on applying for universities etc

RESTAURANT

  • Students will be able to purchase hot and cold lunches from the restaurant. Lunches need to be ordered in advance.
  • Snacks can also be bought from the restaurant. Hot snacks/lunches need to be ordered by 10am in the office.
  • The restaurant also runs a tuck shop where students can purchase drinks and snacks.
  • Students may also bring in their own packed lunch or snacks.
  • Students are allowed to use the restaurant as a common room during their free lessons for socialising or for study.
  • The restaurant must be left clean and tidy and free of rubbish. If chairs are moved then they need to be put back.
  • Please be mindful that the restaurant is also used by members of the public and therefore please endeavour to keep noise to a minimum.

STAFF TEAM

The staff team for September 2016-2017 is as follows:

  • Keith Healey: Director of the School and KS3, KS4 and KS5 Maths
  • Refael Revach: Director of Finance
  • Samantha Brown: Administration Management
  • Lindsay Godden: Administration Management
  • Tracy Booth: Primary Teacher
  • Neil Brook: KS4 PE GCSE teacher
  • Joy Campbell: Secondary Humanities Teacher
  • Natasha Crowland: Secondary Maths, Business and ICT Teacher
  • Laura Donohue: Preschool and Reception Teacher
  • Eva Ford: Whole school Drama and Music, Preschool and Reception teacher
  • Jane Fowkes: Primary Teacher
  • Esmeralda Garcia: Whole school Spanish teacher
  • Sadie Hadley: Secondary English Teacher
  • Paul Hubbard: Whole school PE and PSHE teacher
  • Sue Kenyon: KS5 History, English and Law Teacher
  • Mandy Mills: Whole school Humanities Teacher
  • Dolores Montesinos: Whole school Spanish Teacher
  • Lynn Paradine: KS5 Accounts and Business
  • Graham Ricketts: Secondary Science and Maths Teacher

SUPPORT

Any of your teachers will always be happy to support you in any way they can. If you have a problem you would prefer to discuss with someone other than your tutor, speak with Sam or Lindsay in the office who will arrange for a private chat if necessary.

USE OF PLAYGROUND

  • College students are allowed to use the playground but the school rules will then apply to them.
  • Students must take instruction from the member of staff on duty.
  • College students can play football with the older Secondary students.
  • Students must use the rubbish bins provided.

STUDY GUIDE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Many students wish they had known how big a step-up A levels were from iGCSEs. The following hints and tips are taken from former A levels students who wanted to share their advice:

  • Use the past papers
    Utilise all the past papers, answer schemes and examiners reports that are available. They are an incredibly useful resource, particularly for written subjects where you get an essay question, but aren´t sure what the examiner is looking for.
  • Make lots of notes
    Make revision notes as you go through topics – although it seems like a lot of work, it will help you because the work will be fresh in your mind and you´ll be totally prepared for revision when it comes to the exams
  • Be prepared to work at home
    Classwork on its own is not enough. Even if you have no homework, you need to do something. Take notes from your textbooks, or just look over your class notes, right from the beginning of your course.
  • Get organised
    Take notes in class and then file in polypockets. If you struggle with remembering content, try rewriting your notes, if you cannot connect topics, create mind maps.
  • Respect deadlines
    If you have a piece of work to do, just do it otherwise things build up. Keep doing past papers so that you get used to the way the examiners ask the questions.
  • Don´t waste your free periods
    Your frees are “study periods” – use them wisely. It is widely accepted that if you have an hour´s lesson, it needs to be followed up by an hour´s work at home. Clearly that is a lot of homework, but if you want the best results then that is what you will have to do.
  • Get enough sleep!
    Don´t spend all your time working, or partying for that matter. You need to find the right balance for you.

PLAGIARISM

Phoenix International School takes a very dim view of plagiarism. Some examples of plagiarism are listed below. This list is merely illustrative and not exhaustive but it does indicate the range and forms of academic dishonesty occasionally practised by some learners.

  • Copying and submitting another´s essay, calculations, results or printouts etc
  • Copying or closely copying sections from text, without acknowledging the source
  • Using a choice phrase or sentence that you have come across
  • Submitting all or part of another learner´s project, dissertation or other work
  • Getting someone else or an agency to write assessments or projects
  • Using text downloaded from the internet
  • Copying or downloading figures, photographs, pictures or diagrams without acknowledging the sources

Plagiarism may occur inadvertently due to inexperience. So students should read carefully all the advice on how to reference their work properly.