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Frequently Asked Questions

Who should I contact if I have a concern or query?

Please contact the Senior Tutor for Year 7 (Mr Lovelady) or Assistant Senior Tutor (Mrs Clutton) if you have a concern or query regarding your child.  You can do this by telephoning the school on 0161 912 5912 or sending a letter, via your child’s Form Tutor.  You can also email Mr Lovelady using the school’s email address admin@aggs.bright-futures.co.uk.  Your child’s Senior Tutor will remain your first point of contact throughout her time at the school and will field all enquiries, both pastoral and subject-specific.

What do I do if my child is unable to attend school due to illness?

Parents are asked to telephone the school on 0161 912 5912 on the first morning of a pupil’s absence (you will need to telephone the absence line each day your child is absent from school).  On the day of your child’s return to school you are required to send a letter to her Form Tutor explaining in full the reason for her absence.  Pupils are expected to catch up with work missed due to absence when they return to school.  In the event of prolonged absence due to illness, please contact the Senior Tutor.

What happens if my child feels unwell during the school day?

If your child feels unwell during the school day, we ask that she tells a member of staff in the first instance, rather than telephoning home herself.  If she feels unable to continue in lessons we have a medical room in school in which she can have a lie down.  If it becomes clear that she needs to go home, you will receive a telephone call from the Pastoral Assistant.

What is the procedure for other forms of absence?

If you wish to take your child out of school for any other reason, you will need to fill in a special form available at reception.  This can be handed in via your child’s Form Tutor.  We ask that you make such requests six weeks in advance, where possible.  Authorisation is at the discretion of the Principal.

What should my child do if she arrives late to school or has to leave early?

If your child arrives late for school or has to leave early she must sign in or out at Reception.  Please try to ensure that she arrives on time for school each morning.  She will not be permitted to leave the premises before the end of the school day without written notification from you.

When are parents’ evenings?

You are invited to a parents’ evening for Year 7 parents early in the Autumn term. This event provides the opportunity to meet other parents, your child’s Form Tutor and Senior Tutor and a member of the Senior Management Team.   There will be a talk followed by the opportunity to ask questions.There is one parents’ evening a year for each year group, usually held in the Spring Term, for parents to discuss their child’s progress in each subject with her teachers.  These subject-specific parents’ evenings are from 4.30-6.30 pm.  Your child will be issued with an appointment sheet by her Form Tutor approximately 2 weeks before the event and instructed to make appointments for you with her teachers between these times.  We ask that, on this one occasion per year, you attend as early as you can so that you might have time to see as many teachers as possible.Pupils in Year 7 are invited to parents’ evenings. Dates are available on the School Calendar from September of each academic year.

I wish to take my child to school by car. Where can I park?

Unfortunately parking is extremely limited in and around the school site.  We ask that you do not pick up or drop off your child in the immediate vicinity of the school as Cavendish Road and the surrounding area can become extremely busy and is a safety concern for pupils, especially at the beginning and end of the school day.  Instead, please arrange to meet your child at the Bowdon Rooms Car Park on The Firs, next to the Cinnamon Club.  If at all possible, we recommend that your child walks to school or uses public transport.

What is the format of the school day?

Main school opens at 8.30 am from which time pupil are admitted on the premises and have access to their lockers. (If children arrive before this time they should go to the Dining Hall as this is the only place in school where the children will be supervised)

Registration takes place at 8.40 am.  This is followed by 25 minutes with the Form Tutor, except for twice a week when there is an assembly of the whole year group. 

Lesson times are as followes.

Lesson One 9.05 – 10.05 am
Lesson Two 10.05-11.05 am
Lesson Three 11.25-12.25 pm
Afternoon registration (with Lesson Four subject teacher) 1.25 pm
Lesson Four 1.30 – 2.30 pm.
Lesson Five 2.30 – 3.30 pm
.There is a 20 minute break for recreation in the morning and a 60 minute lunch break.
Main school closes at 3.40 pm.

What provision is there for pupils to arrive early and stay after 3.30pm?

Pupils have access to Breakfast Club in the Dining Room from 8am.  They may attend Homework Club in the School Library until 5pm.  There are also several extra-curricular activities which run after school (a full list is in the front of the Homework Diary).

How does my child get involved in extra-curricular activities?

A flavour of the wide and varied range of extra-curricular activities on offer at AGGS is published each year in the Homework Diary.  (This is issued by form tutors on the first day of the school year.)  Notices will be given out at registration or in assemblies with more details as clubs and activities commence after the start of term. We operate an electronic noticeboard that students can access online. There are also notice boards, e.g. for sport and music, which display up-to-date details of practices and rehearsals, as well as announcements in the school’s weekly bulletin.   If there is a particular club or activity your child is interested in joining or starting she should talk to her Form Tutor, or a relevant subject teacher.

What are the arrangements for school dinners?

Your child may bring a packed lunch to school or purchase a hot or cold meal in the Dining Room.  We operate a cashless dining system to pay for school meals. Year 7 pupils will register for the system on Induction Day in July, or on their first day at school in September.  Pupil accounts can be topped up with cash by the pupils themselves on the day they are required, or by payment over the ParentPay online system.

What is the 10-day cycle?

The school’s timetable runs over 10 days. The first week of the school year is Days 1 to 5; the second week is Days 6 to 10 and the cycle repeats itself until the end of the academic year.  If you are or your child are ever in any doubt as to what “day” it is, please refer to the Homework Diary.  It is worth noting that the first day back after a break is not always Day 1, but students will be given advice about this when they arrive in school.

How can I help my child get organised?

Routine and regular use of the Homework Diary are essential.  As a parent, you are asked to help you child to get used to referring to the diary every night to complete homework and pack her bag for the next day.  Parents should regularly check their child’s diary to ensure it is being used correctly.  If the homework diary is lost it will have to be replaced and is available to purchase from the Main Office.

Is there somewhere in school my child can store books, PE kit etc?

Lockers are issued by form tutors at the start of each academic year.  Pupils are usually provided with a small locker for books and a larger locker for PE kit shared with another pupil in the form.  They are located as near to the form rooms as possible.  We strongly recommend that pupils use sturdy, non-combination padlocks, i.e. padlocks that are lockable with a key.  If your child loses the key to her locker, she may ask for a caretaker to cut the lock off so that she may access her books inside. Access to the lockers is in the morning before registration, at Rec and at lunch time. Students should not access their lockers between lessons.

What does my child do if she loses her PE kit?

The lost property room is located next to the Main Office, just off the hall. Lost items, if they are named and handed to lost property will be held there for half a term. If the item is named, we will do our best to return it to your child as soon as possible. Please ensure that everything your child brings to school is named and that she refrains from bringing unnecessary expensive or personal items.

Can my child bring a mobile phone to school?

You may wish to send your child to school with a mobile phone, especially if she travels here independently or attends after school clubs.  Mobile phones are permitted in school, but we do have very strict guidelines to ensure that their use does not disrupt learning.  Your child must make sure that her mobile phone is switched off (not just on silent) during all formal sessions, i.e. morning & afternoon registration, form time, assembly, all lessons and between lessons 1 & 2 and 4 & 5.  In other words she may have it on before school, during recreation and lunch and after school, as long as she remembers to switch it off before going into the classroom.  If she is found to have it on at any other time, it will be confiscated for seven days including weekends.

How do I keep up-to-date with school news and events?

There is a school newsletter which published on the school website at the end of every term. AGGS also has a twitter account which is updated regularly (@AGGSchool). Letters regarding events, trips and other information are sent electronically. Parents are asked to provide school with their email addresses so that they may receive the newsletter and other documents electronically, via parent mail.  On the rare occasion of extreme weather conditions, school closures are broadcast on local radio and frequent updates are published on the school website and twitter.

Proud to part of the Bright Futures Education Trust
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
Cavendish Road, Bowdon,
Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2NL
Bright Futures SCITTCEOP