The New Academic Year at Trinity
Dear Parents/Carers,
The New Academic Year at Trinity – are you ready?
I hope you have all had a fantastic summer break and enjoyed the long break. Please find a reminder letter initially sent out in July informing you of all the arrangements for the new academic year. I hope this letter provides you with all of the information you need to ensure that the new academic year is a successful one.
Arrival and Departure 2024-25
Next academic year, Year 9 students will continue to use the Easemore Road entrance and Years 10 and 11 should use the Grove Street entrance to arrive and leave school. Sixth form students can choose either entrance. It is important to remember that school begins at 8.40am and students will need to be in their tutor base at this time. Therefore, it would be sensible for students to plan to arrive in plenty of time each morning, as they will be required to pouch their phone and travel to their tutor base in good time. It is also important to note that we run a ‘late gate’ system, and not only will latecomers be sanctioned but if students are persistently late then parents/carers risk being referred for a fixed penalty notice.
Uniform and Appearance Policy Reminder 2024-25.
There will be very few changes to our school uniform for September, as we have achieved a uniform that is affordable, durable and extremely smart. We have attached the uniform price document below which gives parents/carers all the information they need to purchase our uniform. This information is also on our website at Our Uniform – Trinity High School & Sixth Form Centre.
For the 2024-25 school year, except for shirts and formal black shoes, only Orchard clothing will stock and sell our uniform, as we work with them exclusively to guarantee minimal cost for maximum quality. The address of our sole supplier is Orchard Clothing Unit 30 Dunlop Road (Off Windmill Drive), Hunt End Trading Estate, Redditch B97 5XP Tel: 0845 208 0471 or 01527 545 555.
• It is well worth knowing that if parents/carers purchase school uniform in July, then Orchard Clothing are offering a 10% discount on ALL uniform.
• Once again, students will only be able to wear one of the two Trinity school V neck jumpers that are sold at Orchard Clothing. Jumpers from any other stockist will not be allowed to be worn. We consulted both students and parents and decided to offer two options for a school jumper, one sweatshirt material Trinity v neck which is available from £12.50. Orchard will also continue to sell the knitted V neck which is available from £17.95.
• Our jumpers are an optional piece of school uniform, but I must be clear that only the two v neck jumpers available at Orchard will be accepted as our school uniform and must be worn under the blazer and not to replace it. No other jumpers will be allowed. The blazer remains the compulsory piece of uniform that should be worn every day; students must always wear their blazer.
• May we also remind parents/carers that when purchasing shoes over the summer, they can be an expensive item, and therefore we wanted to remind you of our policy.
• At Trinity, we have a policy that only allows shoes that are formal, leather, black and polishable. For guidance, the type of shoe that would be worn with business attire or to a formal celebration. Nike Air Force or any other branded shoe will not be acceptable, largely down to the cost of the shoe, which contravenes the government affordability mandate.
• Boots and ankle boots are also not permitted, nor are shoes with visible brand logos.
Below are examples of some styles of shoes the school deems unacceptable. This is not an exhaustive list.
• No facial piercings of any description will be allowed during school hours. Please ensure that your son/daughter plans to remove any facial piercings during school hours every day. In our experience, the best solution is a small sealable bag to store any facial rings or studs. We have sought the advice of experts over the past few years and any existing piercing will not close up or heal during school hours.
• Please can we politely remind you that false nails and coloured nail polish are not permitted. Please can you ensure that these are removed in plenty of time for the new term to begin.
• Students in Years 12 and 13 will be expected to adhere to the Sixth Form business dress policy. Please consult the sixth learners’ contract on the website for further details.
If you would like any help in deciding any aspects of the uniform that you wish to purchase, then please don’t hesitate to contact us. Also, if you are experiencing significant financial difficulty and would like to discuss ways that we can support you to achieve purchasing uniform, then please also get in touch.
Times of the School Day – September 2024
The times of the school day remain unchanged next academic year and all current students are used to the timings. The only new aspect of the timetable is that there will be no movement between the registration and reading school and except for 90 more able readers, all students will remain in their tutor groups for reading school.
Mobile Phone Policy – September 2024
Trinity High School has now been a phone free school for one academic year and it is fair to say that the move to a phone free environment has been a huge success. to ensure that our community can focus on learning and that there is a small amount of time in our students’ days when they are not dependent on their devices. On Wednesday 4th September, every student will, once again secure their phone in a personally assigned Yondr pouch when they arrive at school. Students will ‘pouch their phones’ when entering the school in the mornings, maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the school gates at 3.10pm. Year 9 students will be assigned a pouch for their time at the school whilst Years 10 and 11 will be expected to return with their existing pouches. We will check that phones are pouched every morning in our behaviour curriculum input at 8.40am.
Our mobile phone policy will ensure that that our policy is executed effectively. This policy is available to view on our website. However, I have published some frequently asked questions that students and staff asked during the last academic year.
What if I want to reach my child during the school day?
We want our students to be engaged in their learning. If you need to contact your child during the school day, contact the main office at 01527 585859 or email office@trinityhigh.net and we will get back to you promptly.
What if students do not pouch their phone and use it in the school day?
If students refuse to pouch their phone and/or use it, their phone will be confiscated and kept in a safe, locked facility. They will be issued with a 40-minute detention on the same day after school which you will be notified about. The student will have their phone returned to them at the end of the 40-minute detention.
What if there is a school emergency?
In case of a school emergency, we direct our students to safety first, following our school emergency and Health and Safety policies. It is our job to always safeguard students and contact with parents/carers during a school emergency is unhelpful and can create unnecessary hysteria. We will communicate promptly with parents/carers during any emergency procedures.
Will my student’s phone be safe?
Students are in possession of their phone – in their Yondr pouch – for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch in their backpacks where it is completely safe and out of sight.
What if the Yondr pouch gets damaged?
The Yondr pouch is property of Trinity High School. If a student damages their pouch or is caught on their phone, school staff will collect the phone/pouch and call home. Students will be responsible for the cost of a damaged pouch which will be approximately £25.
Note: Damage consists of any signs that the physical integrity of the pouch has been compromised, whether intentional or unintentional, as determined by the school or Yondr staff.
Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive feedback that we have had from parents/carers related to this new policy. Broadly speaking, parents/carers clearly see the benefits of reducing student dependency on their phones and I thank you in advance for your support next academic year in enforcing the policy.
Return to School – Wednesday 4th September 2024
When students return to school in September, we will be staggering the start times on the first day to ensure all students receive a warm welcome back and effective induction. Please see the plan for Wednesday 4th September below. Year 11 will have a different plan as their first week is work experience week. This has already been communicated to them.
Keeping in Touch
Next academic year, I will continue to ensure that effective communication with parents/carers remains a priority. To do this, the communication strategy that we developed last year will continue to operate. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Home School Agreement and our new mobile phone policy as there are new procedures that will exist, especially if you need to get in contact with your child during the school day. Our communications platforms for 2024-2025 will be:
• The Parent Bulletin – every Friday afternoon
• The School Website – https://www.trinity.worcs.sch.uk/
• The School Newsletter – once per half term
• The school social media platforms – Facebook and Twitter
Attendance
This academic year we will insist that our students secure excellent attendance to school irrespective of their year group. Excellent attendance is vital to secure excellent GCSE and A level results and access to further education, employment, or training. If students’ attendance is less than 95% then research tells us that they will achieve at least one grade lower than their target and if their attendance is below 90% then they will achieve at least two grades lower. It is for this reason that I have significantly increased the capacity in our attendance team to support families in ensuring that every student achieves strong attendance, and if there are any barriers to attendance then we resolve them quickly through our new HEART Centre – Trinity’s Well-Being and Inclusion Centre.
Please can I ask that parents/carers;
• Report your child’s absence by using MCAS. This includes sixth form students.
• Ensures that their son/daughter attends school every day except for a significant illness or family bereavement.
• Arrange medical appointments out of school hours wherever possible.
• Share the most up to date contact information with the school. We will contact you if your son/daughter does not attend school or is late.
• Ensure that you do not book holidays in term time.
• Contact the school if your son/daughter is too unwell to attend school – you should contact the school for every day of absence.
There will be another letter to provide guidance on attendance procedures and reporting processes sent to parents/carers in September.
I hope this information is useful. I will write to you again in the first week of term to share some more important information regarding some of our new procedures, systems, and school development priorities.
Thank you so much in advance for your support.
Yours sincerely
Mr N J Ford
Headteacher
