Ask Away - Transition FAQs

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If you or your child have any questions regarding the transition to secondary school please email askaway@cleevepark-tkat.org and we will add them to the FAQs below - click on the question to see the answer

askaway@cleevepark-tkat.org

 

Q - What is an Executive Head, as opposed to Head Teacher and Head of School? What do the positions mean please?

A - An Executive Headteacher will frequently be an experienced Head teacher who will have responsibility for more than one school. Cleeve Meadow School was built as a co-located SEN school on the Cleeve Park site and the Executive Head is responsible for both schools and ensures they work to maximise the advantages of being co-located.

A Head of School or Senior Deputy will work with and support the Executive Headteacher. 

Q: How does the school communicate with parents, and vice versa?

A: Most of our communications are via the MyEd app, available free from your app store. Student planners are used to record homework tasks and teachers may also use these to send messages home. To contact individual members of staff parents may email direct, or ring the office and ask for that teacher to call them back.

Q: Can students use the library for homework?

A: Our librarian holds homework clubs during lunchtime and after school in the school library

Q: When can I come and see the school?

A: See our Open Events section for details.

Q: What are your transition arrangements for year 6 into year 7?

A: We have a parents’ welcome meeting, a student induction day and offer an optional summer school to allow our new intake to acclimatise to their new surroundings. We also endeavour to visit all students in the Primary Schools prior to joining. On the first day of term year 7 start with year 12, the rest of the school start the next day.

Q: What is your policy on mobile phones?

A: Phones must not be seen or heard during the school day, or they will be confiscated by a member of staff.

Q: What does a “cashless school” mean?

A: All payments in the canteen are made using our biometric system: student funds are added to their account via the parental Wisepay account. This account is also used to pay for school trips. Students may also top up their account using the onsite revaluator. If your child has been receiving free school meals, please note we do not use Bexley’s system so you would need to apply via the online application on our website. Please call the school office for further information.

 

Q: My child wants to ride their bike to school, do you have safe storage?

A: We have open bike racks in the front of the school which are covered by security cameras. Students are not allowed to ride their bikes beyond that point.

Q: What is your uniform policy?

A: All students must wear the correct uniform, available from our supplier Casey’s in Blackfen. Trainers, jewellery and make-up are not permitted.

Q: What clubs do you run?

A: We run a variety of clubs throughout the year including football (boys and girls) netball, table tennis, trampolining, dance, STEM (science technology engineering & maths), art, knitting, drama – anything a member of staff wishes to provide!

Q: Do you have a sixth form?

A: We have a popular sixth form offering a range of academic and vocational qualifications. Many of our 6th form go on to study at university, with last year’s cohort choosing a wide range of subjects including medicine, neurosciences, interior architecture & design, law and engineering. Our sixth form and careers team support all students in choosing their next steps, whether college/further education, apprenticeships or work.

Q: Are students streamed?

A: Students are streamed for English, maths and French in all years.

Q: What subjects do students take at GCSE?

A: All students take English language, English literature, maths and combined science (a double qualification). They also choose three further subjects from a range of academic and vocational qualifications, including history, geography, French, computer science, drama, art, photography, music, dance, triple science, business studies, childcare, Product design, catering, PE and sports science. The precise offering varies from year to year depending on numbers and staff availability.

Q: - Someone told me you are a “special school”, I am confused as I thought you were a regular school?

A: We are a mainstream all ability mixed school, but we are co-located with Cleeve Meadow, a fairly new free school for students with moderate educational needs. Our students are educated separately but we do share some facilities, such as our state-of-the-art performing arts suite in the Cleeve Meadow building, and our all-weather 3G pitch.

Q: What is your catchment area?

A: The precise catchment area varies. Last year it was 3.5 miles (measured in a straight line) but the previous year it was 2.1 miles. All places are allocated by Bexley Council, we do not do our own admissions.

Q - Do you play hockey as a sport either during PE/Games or an after school club please?

A - We do not currently run hockey on our PE curriculum. Extra-curricular clubs to some extent reflect the particular interests and skills of our staff and at this time we don't have a hockey specialist within the staffing team.

Q: Do you have banding tests?

A: No, we do not run banding tests. We usually run CATS tests as part of the induction days and use these results to set the children for English and maths along with the KS2 data from primary schools.

Q: Which buses serve Cleeve Park?

A: The 669 runs in the morning from Erith and terminates at our school gate, while the afternoon bus leaves from our playground. Please note this bus serves ALL schools along the route, it is not exclusively for our students. The B14 bus also stops outside the school, the 269 stop at the end of Faraday Avenue is a short walk away.

Q: How many students in a class?

A: In KS3 there are generally 30 students in a class, with around 20 in Technology lessons. In KS4 and 5 class sizes can vary depending on the numbers taking a subject, but should not exceed 30.

Q - How is the school day structured?

A - The school day is as follows:

8.35 - 9.00     - Form time
9.00 - 10.00   - Lesson 1
10.00 - 11.00 - Lesson 2
11.00 - 11.20 - Break
11.20 - 12.20 - Lesson 3
12.20 - 1.00   - Lunch
1.00 - 2.00     - Period 4
2.00 - 3.00     - Period 5 
We have made some temporary adjustments to timings while the students are in COVID bubbles but the plan is the same order, give or take 10 minutes here and there.
Q - Do you cater for food allergies?

A- Our catering provider, Chartwells, adhere to all allergen requirements. You would need to complete a form setting out your child's allergy requirements and they would then agree and provide appropriate food options with you on the basis that they plan to eat regularly in the school canteen.  No foods provided by the school contain nut.