INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Parents' Hub
Term Dates
Autumn Half Term 1 |
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Monday 2nd September (INSET Day) |
Tuesday 3rd September (Year 7 ONLY) |
Wednesday 4th September (ALL YEARS RETURN) |
Half Term Holiday: Saturday 26th October |
Autumn Half Term 2 |
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Term starts: Monday 4th November |
Christmas Holiday: Friday 20th December |
Spring Half Term 1 |
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Term starts: Monday 6th January |
Half Term Holiday: Saturday 15th February |
Spring Half Term 2 |
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Term starts: Monday 24th February |
Easter Holiday: Saturday 5th April |
Summer Half Term 1 |
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Term starts: Tuesday 22nd April |
Half Term Holiday: Saturday 24th May |
Summer Half Term 2 |
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Term starts: Monday 2nd June |
Term Ends: Friday 18th July |
Inset Days
- Monday 2nd September 2024
- Friday 14th February 2025
- Friday 27th June 2025
- Monday 21st July 2025
- Tuesday 22nd July 2025
College will also be closed
- Friday 25th October
- Friday 20th December
College Day
Enrichment
At Horizon Community College we are invested in giving our students every opportunity to develop their interests and passions beyond the classroom. Our extensive personal development program takes our students on a journey, building character and resilience ensuring personal growth year on year.
For further information regarding the clubs and enrichment activities, please ask your child to see their subject teacher.
Enrichment
Food Hall
FREE Best of both BAGELS / Porridge Every morning
Weekly Menu
Gluten Free Menu
Tariff Menu
Breakfast Menu
Events Calendar
Free School Meals
our child will qualify for free school meals if they’re in full-time education and you receive one of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- guarantee element of state pension credit
- child tax credit with no working tax credit and have an income as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed £16,190 (subject to change annually)
- support under Part 1V of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you receive)
Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals.
Your child won’t qualify for free school meals if you’re receiving working tax credits and disabled working tax credits, except for the four-week run-on paid after you’ve stopped qualifying for working tax credits.
Apply for free school meals if you live in Barnsley
If you live in Barnsley and your child goes to school in Barnsley, Bradford, or Kirklees, fill in our application form below for free school meals.
If you live in Barnsley and your child goes to school in Barnsley, Bradford, or Kirklees, fill in our application form below for free school meals.
Admissions
To apply for a place at Horizon Community College
For Standard admissions at the point of secondary transfer:
Details are available in the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council booklet ‘Admission to secondary school – a guide for Parents’ and online by clicking here.
If your child is currently in a primary school in the Barnsley area there are two ways to apply:
- Complete the application form and return it to the Headteacher of your child’s primary school.
- Apply online by logging on to the Barnsley Authority website (as per link above) and follow the instructions.
- Horizon Community College provides places for young people between the age of 11-16.
- Our arrangements for selection are handled by the Local Authority
- Our over subscription criteria is also handled by the Local Authority
If you live outside the Barnsley Authority or would like to transfer your child into a year group other than Year 7, or at a time other than at the standard secondary transfer point (ie within year, including Year 7), please contact Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council’s Admission Department (01226 773677) to obtain the appropriate application form.
Uniform
Pre-loved Uniform
To support with the ‘cost of living’ we run a pre-loved uniform shop. The shop provides the full college uniform, PE kit and Dance kit. For further information please e-mail us at info@horizoncc.co.uk.
Expectations
Supplier
Our approved uniform supplier is Vortex schoolwear. The following items should be bought from Vortex:
- The college blazer
- The college tie
- The college skirt
- The college PE polo shirt
The web address for online ordering Horizon approved uniform is: https://www.vortexschoolwear.co.uk/Secondary-Schools/Horizon-Community-College/
The following items can be purchased more widely, and do not need to be branded:
- The white collared shirt
- Black trousers (please see page 4 of the uniform requirements for approved fit).
- Black school shoes (please see page 5 for approved styles).
- For PE lessons – A choice of either black leggings, black tracksuit bottoms or black shorts. (Trainers for PE can be any colour and do not need to be branded).
Detailed information on uniform expectations can be found in the booklet below. Please read and get in touch with School teams if you have any questions.
Vortex Schoolwear
UNIFORM Policy
Pastoral Structure
Attendance
It is a fact that if attendance drops below 95%, achievement can be affected by one grade.
Attendance
Attendance on a school day is compulsory. If you are not in school then you must have a justifiable reason for absence. Parents/Carers should inform the school absence line on the first day of absence via telephone and every day there after.
If your child is going to be absent for an appointment we would ask that proof of the appointment is brought into school well in advance (whenever possible). However, we would prefer that all appointments are made outside of the child’s timetable.
Parents are requested not to arrange family holidays during term time. Requests for leave of absence should be submitted on a leave of absence form that is available within school on request and should be completed well in advance.
Punctuality
Punctuality is an important part of self-discipline and is essential to good time management.
Always make sure that you are in the appropriate classroom no later than the times shown in the section on timing of the school day.
If you arrive late for school you shall be given a one hour detention that shall be served the following day after school.
If you arrive late to school due to attending appointments/ or any other reason then you must sign in at the student reception desk. You will be marked late in the register and will need a note explaining the reason for late arrival. If there is not justifiable reason a punctuality detention shall be issued for the following night after school.
If you arrive after the closure of the register it may be recorded as an unauthorized absence. All unexplained absences shall be followed up by staff in the attendance office with a call home.
Absence Form
Leave of Absence in term time
- The Anti-Social Behaviour Act (2003) provides the Local Authority, Schools and Academies the power to issue penalty notice fines for unauthorised leave of absence in term time.
- No parent can demand leave of absence as a right.
- Any request for leave of absence must be made in advance.
- The request for leave of absence should be made by the parent /carer “with whom the child normally resides”. If this is the parent /carer who is not taking the child out of school / academy, the full name and address of the parent /carer who is taking the child out of school/academy must be provided on the form.
- There is no requirement to authorise just because a request has been made. The amendments under The Education (Pupil Registration) ( England) Regulations 2006 make it clear that head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances*. *See Code of Conduct /Guidance relating to Leave of Absence
- The circumstances of each individual request for leave of absence will be taken into account on a case by case basis.
- The decision to approve / not approve the request is for the school / academy, not the Authority or the parent. Only schools/ academies can authorise / not authorise absence.
- If important work has been missed by the pupil due to the parents making a request for leave of absence the parents should not expect special arrangements to be made by the school/ academy for that pupil to catch up that work.
If you go ahead with the leave of absence when unauthorised, you may receive a Penalty Notice issued by the Local Authority. This penalty will be £60 per child if paid within 21days; payment after this time but within 28 days is £120
Failure to pay a fixed Penalty Notice will render you liable to criminal proceedings in the Magistrates Court under Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996.
If you need to request a leave of absence please fill in the form and e-mail to attendance@horizoncc.co.uk
RESOURCES
Letters
Student Wellbeing
Horizon Community College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Horizon has a committed team of staff who are trained as Designated Safeguarding leads or ‘DSL’.
Parents and Carers can feel confident that robust procedures are in place to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with children here at Horizon.
It is important to us that parents, carers and students perceive Horizon as a safe space and encourage children to talk freely about any concerns or worries which may affect educational progress.
Children will be taken seriously if they seek help from a member of staff. Students may be referred for additional bespoke support from external agencies and will always endeavour to work in partnership with parents to inform them of additional support required or accessed for their child. However, staff cannot guarantee to consult parents first, or to keep children’s concerns confidential, if a referral must be made to agencies in order to safeguard the child’s welfare.
Keeping Children Safe in Education is statutory guidance that schools and colleges in England must have regard to when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
If you have any Safeguarding concerns regarding your child please visit our Safeguarding section of the website by Clicking here
If you require information and advice on mental health issues for young people, the following can help: www.wearemindspace.com Mindspace offer sessions in School
Apps:
ClearFear
· CalmHarm
· What’s up?
· Headspace
· SAM
· Fear Tools
· Mood Tools
· Smiling Mind
· Stay Alive
· Rezone
Helplines
· Give us a shout text service – Text 85258
· Childline – call 0800 11 11
· Samaritans – call 116 123
· Papyrus UK – call 0800 068 41 41
· BEAT (Eating disorders)– 0808 801 0711
In a crisis ring 999 or visit your local A&E department
You can get in touch with Barnsley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) using their Single Point of Access (SPA) by calling01226 644819 or dropping in to their centre Mon-Fri 9am-5pm at the New Street Health Centre.
Lemons to Lemonade-Teens anger –
TYS EIP RESOURCES IHEARTCBT Unhelpful Thinking 2020.04.20
TYS EIP RESOURCES IHEARTCBT Brain Bully 2020.04.20
TYS EIP RESOURCES IHEARTCBT anxiety Calming Techniques 2020.04.20
School work and exams can be a challenging aspect of school life. To help ease the stress, access advice through;
www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-exam-stress/
Confidential and friendly advice can be accessed through the Talk to Frank website – www.talktofrank.com.
There is also a confidential online chat and free helpline where you can speak to a trained drugs counsellor by calling 0300 123 6600
For tips on ensuring internet safety visit www.childnet.com or www.safetynetkids.org.uk
If you or someone else are upset due to issues online, contact Childline on 0800 1111
For information, advice and support on a young person’s relationship with food get in touch with SYEDA (South Yorkshire Eating Disorders Association) through; www.syeda.org.uk
Advice on how to speak to children about puberty, sex and relationships can be accessed at the Family Planning Association; www.fpa.org.uk
If you have concerns a young person is being sexually exploited, contact; PACE (Parents against child sexual exploitation) www.paceuk.info
BSARCs (Rape and abuse) http://www.bsarcs.org.uk 01226320140
Police emergency 999 112, non-emergency 101 or report it online at reportingcrime.uk
For reliable information on bullying contact; Childline www.childline.co.uk or 0800 1111 or
NSPCC – www.nspcc.co.uk or 0808 800 5000
Practical advice on how to protect young people from radicalisation or extremism can be accessed via; www.educateagainsthate.com
Samaritans – 116 123 (Call for free)
Missing people – 116 000 (Call or text for free from mobiles or landlines)
NHS direct – 111
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue – 0114 2727202
Give us a shout text service – Text 85258
Childline – call 0800 11 11
Samaritans – call 116 123
Papyrus UK – call 0800 068 41 41
BEAT (Eating disorders)– 0808 801 0711
In a crisis ring 999 or visit your local A&E department
National rail enquiries – 0345 7484950
Title | Name |
|---|---|
 Associate Vice Principal – Designated Safeguarding Lead | Mrs Ola-Craig |
 Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead | Miss Fox |
 Student wellbeing – Year 7 | Miss Askwith |
 Student wellbeing – Year 8 | Mrs Wilson |
 Student wellbeing – Year 9 | Miss White |
 Student wellbeing – Year 9 | Mrs Woodcock |
 Student wellbeing – Year 10 | Miss Gibson |
 Student wellbeing – Year 11 | Miss Cox |
Bus Timetables
- The 478 and 479 services are commercial operations and are not provided by Horizon.
- The bus timetables given are subject to change by the operators, based on passenger numbers and other factors. The college will work with operators to inform families of any changes in advance.
If you have any questions about the services, please contact the operators directly:
Globe – 01226299900
Hodgsons – 01226 288581
RESOURCES
Covid-19 Information
Y11 Exam Information
Revision Guide Links
| Subject | Recommended guide | Online link |
| English | GCSE English Language AQA Workbook – £11.18 | Link |
| English Literature | GCSE English Literature AQA Text Guide: An Inspector Calls – £6.50 | Link |
| GCSE English Literature AQA Text Guide: A Christmas Carol – £6.50 | Link | |
| GCSE English Literature AQA Text Guide: Romeo and Juliet – £5.95 | Link | |
| GCSE English Literature AQA Poetry Guide: Power & Conflict Anthology – £4.68 | Link | |
| Religious Studies | AQA GCSE Religious Studies A: Christianity and Islam Revision Guide (£8.49) | Link |
| Geography | My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9–1) Geography Second Edition (£9.75) | Link |
| History | My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9-1) History, Second edition (£10.47) | Link |
| French | Pearson French Revision Guide (9-1) | Link |
| GCSE French AQA Revision Guide | Link | |
| Pearson French Workbook (9-1) | Link | |
| Spanish | Pearson Spanish Revision Guide (9-1) | Link |
| Pearson Spanish Workbook (9-1) | Link | |
| Combined Science – Higher Tier | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science Higher Revision and Exam Practice (£15.30) | Link |
| Combined Science – Foundation Tier | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science Foundation Revision and Exam Practice (£15.30) | Link |
| Separate Sciences | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Biology/Chemistry/Physics Revision and Exam Practice (£6.80 per Science) | Biology – Link |
| Chemistry – Link | ||
| Physics – Link | ||
| Business Studies GCSE | Pearson REVISE Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Business Revision Guide + App (£5.09) | Link |
| Enterprise and Marketing | My Revision Notes: Cambridge National Level 1/2 Enterprise and Marketing | Link |
| Computing | Pearson REVISE BTEC Tech Award Digital Information Technology Revision Guide (£6.49) | Link |
| Health and Social Care | My Revision Notes: Cambridge National Level 1/2 Health and Social Care (£9.99) | Link |
| Maths | For those working at (or towards) Grade 4 | Link |
| For those working at (or towards) Grade 5 | Link | |
| For those working at (or towards) Grade 6/7 | Link | |
| For those working at (or towards) Grade 8/9 | Link | |
| Hospitality And Catering | WJEC Level 1/2 Vocational Award Hospitality and Catering (Technical Award) Study & Revision Guide – Revised Edition : Tull, Anita: Amazon.co.uk: Books | Link |
| Polish | Coursebook. Nowe tematy. GCSE Polish (czytamimowiepopolsku.com) | Link |
| Engineering | Cambridge National in Engineering Design Revision Guide and Workbook with Digital Access (2 Years): Level 1/Level 2 (Cambridge Nationals) : Reet, Claire: Amazon.co.uk: Books | Link |
| Subject | Recommended guide | Online link |
| English | GCSE English Language AQA Workbook – £11.18 | Link |
| English Literature | GCSE English Literature AQA Text Guide: An Inspector Calls – £6.50 | Link |
| GCSE English Literature AQA Text Guide: A Christmas Carol – £6.50 | Link | |
| GCSE English Literature AQA Text Guide: Romeo and Juliet – £5.95 | Link | |
| GCSE English Literature AQA Poetry Guide: Power & Conflict Anthology – £4.68 | Link | |
| Religious Studies | AQA GCSE Religious Studies A: Christianity and Islam Revision Guide (£8.49) | Link |
| Geography | My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9–1) Geography Second Edition (£9.75) | Link |
| History | My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9-1) History, Second edition (£10.47) | Link |
| French | Pearson French Revision Guide (9-1) | Link |
| GCSE French AQA Revision Guide | Link | |
| Pearson French Workbook (9-1) | Link | |
| Spanish | Pearson Spanish Revision Guide (9-1) | Link |
| GCSE Spanish AQA Revision Guide | Link | |
| Pearson Spanish Workbook (9-1) | Link | |
| Combined Science – Higher Tier | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science Higher Revision and Exam Practice (£15.30) | Link |
| Combined Science – Foundation Tier | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science Foundation Revision and Exam Practice (£15.30) | Link |
| Separate Sciences | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Biology/Chemistry/Physics Revision and Exam Practice (£6.80 per Science) | Biology – Link |
| Chemistry – Link | ||
| Physics – Link | ||
| Business Studies GCSE | Pearson REVISE Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Business Revision Guide + App (£5.09) | Link |
| Child Development | Child Development and Care in the Early Years | Link |
| Computing | Pearson REVISE BTEC Tech Award Digital Information Technology Revision Guide (£6.49) | Link |
| Health and Social Care | My Revision Notes: Cambridge National Level 1/2 Health and Social Care (£9.99) | Link |
| Maths | For those working at (or towards) Grade 4 | Link |
| For those working at (or towards) Grade 5 | Link | |
| For those working at (or towards) Grade 6/7 | Link | |
| For those working at (or towards) Grade 8/9 | Link | |
| Hospitality And Catering | WJEC Level 1/2 Vocational Award Hospitality and Catering (Technical Award) Study & Revision Guide – Revised Edition : Tull, Anita: Amazon.co.uk: Books | Link |
| Polish | Coursebook. Nowe tematy. GCSE Polish (czytamimowiepopolsku.com) | Link |
| PE | Pearson REVISE BTEC Tech Award Sport | Link |
Year 11 Intervention Timetable (Sept-Nov)
Y11 Mock Exams
Tuesday 28th January AM
English Literature Paper 1: Shakespeare and 19th Century (1 hour 40 mins)
Wednesday 29th January AM
English Literature Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry (2 hour 15 mins)
Y10 Exam Information
Year 10 Mock Exams
Revision Guide Links
| Subject | Recommended guide | Online link |
| English | GCSE English Language AQA Workbook and Revision Guide (£9.36) | Link |
| English Literature | •CGP GCSE English Text Guide – An Inspector Calls includes Online Edition & Quizzes (£5.95) •CGP GCSE English Shakespeare Text Guide – Romeo & Juliet includes Online Edition & Quizzes (£5.95) •GCSE English AQA Poetry Guide – Power & Conflict Anthology inc. Online Edition, Audio & Quizzes (£5.95) | An Inspector Calls: Link Romeo and Juliet: Link Poetry Anthology: Link |
| Religious Studies | AQA GCSE Religious Studies A: Christianity and Islam Revision Guide (£8.49) | Link |
| Geography | My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9–1) Geography Second Edition (£9.75) | Link |
| History | My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9-1) History, Second edition (£11.86) | Link |
| French | Pearson French Revision Guide (9-1) Pearson French Workbook (9-1) GCSE French AQA Revision Guide | |
| Spanish | Pearson Spanish Revision Guide (9-1) Pearson Spanish Workbook (9-1) GCSE Spanish AQA Revision Guide | |
| Combined Science – Higher Tier | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science Higher Revision and Exam Practice (£15.30) | Link |
| Combined Science – Foundation Tier | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science Foundation Revision and Exam Practice (£15.30) | Link |
| Separate Sciences | Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Biology/Chemistry/Physics Revision and Exam Practice (£6.80 per Science) | Biology – Link Chemistry – Link Physics – Link |
| Business Studies GCSE | Pearson REVISE Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Business Revision Guide + App (£5.09) | Link |
| Enterprise and Marketing | My Revision Notes: Cambridge National Level 1/2 Enterprise and Marketing | Link |
| Computing | Pearson REVISE BTEC Tech Award Digital Information Technology Revision Guide (£5.09) | Link |
| Health and Social Care | My Revision Notes: Cambridge National Level 1/2 Health and Social Care (£8.93) | Link |
Supporting Your Child With Revision
Parental Engagement Workshops
Our IT team are delivering a workshop for parents on internet safety. The session will be held at Horizon Community College on Thursday 9th February and will run from 3.45pm – 4.45pm.
Please see linked below a number of videos regarding mental health and how to support your child. If you would like any further information or support please do contact school.
Remote Education at Horizon
All students at Horizon Community College benefit from our extensive Remote Learning offer, whether they are self-isolating, need to catch-up on learning missed due to illness, or wish to revise prior learning in advance of future study or assessment.
If your child is self-isolating
Self-isolating students can access lessons live through their Microsoft Teams account, which they will be familiar with from their lessons in school. Students access live lessons by:
· Going to teams.office.com
· If requested, inputting their school e-mail address and password to log in.
· Clicking on the Teams button when Microsoft Teams opens.
· Going to the Class Team for their subject, for example 8E2 Geography, or 9A5 Mathematics.
· Clicking on the ‘Join’ button on the purple bar in the General Channel
If your child has any problems accessing live lessons, or if a live lesson isn’t available when expected, please contact info@horizoncc.co.uk and a member of staff will investigate immediately.
If your child wishes to catch up or review previous lessons
Where possible, all teachers upload their lesson resources to the Team channels for the classes they teach. This is so if a student has missed a lesson for whatever reason, or if they want to revise what they’ve previously studied, they can go through what the teacher covered, the activities set and other relevant resources. Teacher annotated materials are also available in these areas.
Students can access their lesson materials by:
· Going to teams.office.com
· If requested, inputting their school e-mail address and password to log in.
· Clicking on the Teams button when Microsoft Teams opens.
· Going to the Class Team for their subject, for example 8E2 Geography, or 9A5 Mathematics.
· Going to the relevant post in the General Channel and downloading the resources available.
If your child has any problems accessing lesson resources, or if they’re not available when expected, please contact info@horizoncc.co.uk and a member of staff will investigate.
For further information about our Remote Education offer, please read the college Remote Education Policy.
E-Safety For Parents and Carers
The internet, mobile technology and online gaming play a significant part in the lives of 21st century young people. Along with the social and developmental benefits these technologies have, there are associated risks that as teachers and parents we a) need to be aware of and b) need to understand how to effectively protect young people from.
The information below is designed to support you in understand how to keep your child safe, and direct you to some further information should you want to explore further.
Safety and Security
As you would in the real world, providing boundaries and safeguards for your child’s online safety and security is important in supporting your child as they grow and develop socially, mentally, and emotionally. It is good practice to:
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Discuss boundaries with your child, in terms of time online and what services and information you’re happy for them to access. Continue to discuss these boundaries with them as they get older and have changing interests in the use of technology.
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Make use of parental controls for online devices and software, helping you further in setting boundaries. Review them over time and make use of service providers’ own systems where possible.
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Understand which devices use the internet within your household and how they’re connected – not just laptops, PCs, consoles, and smartphones but also your TV, smart speaker, watches, clocks, etc. Also, check that these devices use your home Wi-Fi so that you can be confident your safety settings are in place.
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Have up to date anti-virus and malware protection for all devices.
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Ensure your child understands that not everyone on the internet is who they say they are, and that they know not to meet with someone they only know online.
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Consider switching off location tracking on your child’s device. This prevents others from being able to see where your child is located through social media and other services.
Social Media
Services such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok are popular methods that young people use to connect with friends, plan events and share information, such as photos, videos, links, personal messages, etc.
It is good practice to:
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Communicate with your child about what they’re seeing and taking part in on social media
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Where possible, insist that they add you as a friend online
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Make sure you are familiar with the ThinkUKnow website: www.thinkuknow.co.uk
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Seek advice – talk to parent friends and teachers if you’re unsure of something.
Cyber Bullying
The DfE’s definition of bullying – behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group, either physically or emotionally – also applies to the use of technology and social media to do so. Horizon Community College does not tolerate any time of bullying, in person or online.
If you are concerned about cyber bullying, it is good practice to:
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Know which websites your children visit and help them find the ‘Report Abuse’ or ‘block sender’ options so they can feel in control.
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Tell your child not to reply to unpleasant messages.
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Urge them to keep evidence – Not to delete bullying texts, emails, or posts on social networking sites, as they can often be traced.
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Encourage them to act and talk to you if they are being cyberbullied.
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Regularly check and clean their ‘friends’ lists on social networking sites
In College
Through our Computing, Citizenship and Personal Development offers, all students are supported in understanding e-Safety, including understanding measures to protect identity, personal information, working safely and sensible use of online services. For more information, please visit our curriculum pages: https://horizoncc.co.uk/quality-of-education/#qofecurriculum
Further Information
There is a wealth of further support available to parents and carers online. The following websites are a great starting point:
Guide to attending Online Parents Evening
The importance of Parents Evening
At Horizon Community College we believe a strong partnership between home and school is essential. Parents’ evenings are a great opportunity for you to meet your child’s teachers and to discuss how your child is performing in a variety of subject areas. Each subject appointment will provide you with information on what your child is learning, a clear understanding of how your child is progressing, and a clear understanding of the ways in which you can support your child.
We actively encourage students to attend these online appointments with parents/ carers so that all parties hear the same messages. Teachers may refer to the recent Progress report that is shared with parents/ carers via Parentmail prior to the evening.
In order that these evenings run smoothly, please see our attached guidance and information regards our online system – School Cloud.
Dates for Parents Evening This Academic Year:
Y7 Settling in Evening– Tuesday 5th November 2024
Y7 – Tuesday 29th April 2025
Y8 – Tuesday 4th March 2025
Y9 – Tuesday 4th February 2025
Y10 – Tuesday 25th February 2025
Y11 – Tuesday 15th October 2024 & Tuesday 28th January 2025
Possible questions to ask at parents' evenings
Jot down a list of questions on each subject in advance so your appointments are focused and make the most of the limited time.
Some useful questions might be:
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Is my child’s progress in line with the teacher’s expectations?
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Has he or she done anything particularly well?
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What can he or she do to improve?
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How can I help as a parent?
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How can you help as his or her teacher?
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How much time should my child’s homework for this subject take?
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What do his or her grades tell us about possible performance in important future exams?
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Does he or she contribute in lessons?
After the Event
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Go through your notes from the evening and make a list of positive actions your child can take.
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Talk with your child about what was discussed and agreed with the teachers, and go through the list of action points together.
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Pin the action list up where you can both see it and discuss your child’s progress regularly.
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If you need to, stay in touch with your child’s teacher. They will be able to tell you how things progress at school.
Parental Communications
Parentmail
School-to-Home Communication using ParentMail
ParentMail is a state-of-the-art, next generation communication and payment collection service. This is our primary means of communication with all parents.
There are lots of benefits to registering with ParentMail:-
- Access ParentMail with your own login and have access to your own personal feed – away from a busy, email inbox.
- Have all your school communications delivered to one place, so you can find them quickly and easily.
- Update your own contact information within your account without having to go to the school office to update your details.
- Receive messages and letters
- Pay for items
- Top-up dinner money
- Authorise Trips
- Download the free ParentMail App, which means you can pick up all your important school messages on the go. APP FAQs
We recommend downloading the App, as it means we can…
- Send less paper
- Stop sending text messages
- Save hours of administration time each week
- Reach parents instantly
And you can…
- See all school communications on one easy feed – so they don’t get buried in a busy email inbox.
- Receive school messages instantly – perfect for busy parents.
- Complete forms, permissions, and surveys wherever they are – easy to fill in and send back in minutes.
- Make online payments or top up dinner money – or receive reminders and alerts.
- Receive in app notifications – so you’ll never miss a school message again!
Main Benefits of our Cashless Catering System:
- Convenient way of paying for school meals. No more looking for change every morning.
- Discourages the misuse of school dinner money through spending in shops outside of the school groups.
- Specific food allergy ingredients can be barred automatically.
- Healthy eating is encouraged.
- Increased speed of service.
- Automatic free school meal allocation with the pupil remaining anonymous.
To enable students to access the school’s catering provision all parents are asked to consent for their child to be registered for the biometric system when completing their Admission Form. They will receive an invitation to register via email.
Please use the ParentMail Help link below, to read more about our Cashless Catering system. You will also find answers to some frequently asked questions.
Please note that if you change your email address or mobile phone number at any time you will need to inform school so we can amend ParentMail records.
If you experience any problems with ParentMail please do not hesitate to contact us.
More information about ParentMail and how parents can register, top up their child’s dinner money account can be found by clicking this link for help on all aspects of ParentMail ParentMail HELP
SIMS Parent APP
Information Evenings
The link below is a video recording of the annual information Evening for each year group. The purpose of the evening was to explain why the coming year is so important for your child and to highlight what opportunities are available to them throughout the academic year. We shared important information including the online tools needed to be successful with home learning and we discussed how we can work together to ensure your child achieves their full potential throughout their time at Horizon.
Adverse Weather
College protocols in the event of adverse weather
If, due to adverse weather, a decision is made to close the college before the start of the day, then:
- The decision will be communicated to all staff and parents at least one hour before the start of the college day.
- All parents will be informed of the college closure via ParentMail, with the same message published on the website for the duration of the closure.
- BMBC, the Abbey School, Springwell, Bus Operators and local radio will also be informed of the decision.
- The college will update the telephone system remotely so that students, parents or staff phoning the college will be informed that it is closed.
- The college will offer students remote learning for the duration of the closure. Students will follow their normal timetable, accessing remote lessons via Microsoft Teams.
If a decision is made to close the college due to adverse weather part way through the college day, then:
- the Principal will notify staff and parents as soon as practicable.
- All parents will be informed of the college closure via ParentMail, with the same message published on the website for the duration of the closure.
- Follow up phone calls to the families of vulnerable students will be made where necessary.
- BMBC, the Abbey School, Springwell, Bus Operators and local radio will also be informed of the decision.
- Principal Team will remain on-site until all staff and students have been dismissed safely.
- Remote learning will be scheduled for 2 hours after the closure is communicated. If the school day is to finish before this window, no Remote Learning will take place.
Instrumental and Vocal Lessons
We offer lessons on a wide variety of instruments and singing, delivered by excellent teachers from Barnsley Music Hub. If you would like to receive a letter about instrumental lessons please email info@horizoncc.co.uk. Letters will be sent via ParentMail at the end of each full term ready for students to start at the beginning of the term after.
Group Sizes | Lesson Duration | Cost per Pupil | Cost per Pupil (if you are eligible for Scheme of Aid) |
Group Lessons 3 pupils (2 in exceptional circumstances) 4 pupils
|
20 mins
30 mins |
£ 52.50
£ 52.50 | £ 17.50
£ 17.50 |
Individual Lessons We can offer a limited number of individual lessons for students who are working at Grade 3 and above.
Due to limited capacity, requests for individual lessons must be confirmed with a Music Service tutor before lessons commence and payment is accepted.
|
20 mins
30 mins
|
£105.00
£150.00 | £105.00
£150.00 |
| Instrument Hire NB: We do have a limited number of instruments available for hire free of charge from Horizon on a first come, first served basis. These are: Flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone, trumpet/cornet, trombone, bass trombone, violin. Please contact us if you would like to borrow one of these instruments. | N/A | £15.00 | Free |
More information about instrumental/vocal lessons at Horizon is available here:
If you are interested in taking up music lessons please speak to Miss Lingard or e-mail: info@horizoncc.co.uk
Careers & Post-16
Personal Guidance interview - A Parent/Carers Guide
Personal guidance interviews are the culmination of your child’s journey at Horizon. They are carried out by a qualified careers adviser who will give them impartial advice about their options. As parents and carers, you are the key influencers in your child’s life and we believe it is important that you are as well informed as possible about the options available to them.
How does it Work?
- Your child is given a sticker to attach to their planner the week before their careers appointment. It is important they keep this and show it to their teacher as proof and to allow them to leave their lesson.
- The appointment will last for approximately 30-45 minutes and this will be during lesson time.
- The appointment consists of:
- A ‘Careers Summary’ is then created by the careers adviser and young person, jointly agreeing on action points to help them to achieve their future plans.
How can you help your child prepare?
- Please talk to your child about their plans on leaving Horizon and any career areas that may be of interest to them.
- Please ask your child if they understand the range of options to them on leaving Horizon (such as A levels, Vocational options and Apprenticeships).
- If they are unsure about their plans and options (which is very common) then help them to write down or have some questions in their mind to discuss with the careers adviser during their appointment.
‘No question is a daft question’ and we will support your child as much as we can!
What Next?
- After your child has seen a careers adviser they will be a given a careers summary with some action points (eg. research a career area, or attend a virtual open event)
- Please encourage your child to carry out these action points and help them through their next steps
Lastly, we have attached a ‘Post-16 & Post-18 Routes and College Application Process’ leaflet to help you to understand all the routes on leaving Horizon and how to apply for their next steps.
We are looking forward to supporting your child to succeed and achieve their potential. Any questions, either before or after the Personal Guidance Interview, do not hesitate to contact us on careers@horizoncc.co.uk
