Beaconsfield High SchoolWelcome to our new Year 7 parents!
Welcome to the page dedicated to our new Year 7 parents! Below you'll find all the information you'll need to support your child's start at Becky High. The page will be updated as and when new information is made available. For a snapshot of daily life, why not follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vimeo!
First Day
First day
The term starts for New Year 7 students on Tuesday 5th September. Students should arrive at school at 8:30am and go through to the main hall via reception to register. This will be the only time students are permitted to enter the school via main reception. The usual access points to school are via the blue gates at either end of the building.
The school gates will be open, but for safety reasons driving onto the premises will be not permitted.
School will finish at 3:30pm.
Please take the time to review the Parent Handbook pages 10 – 14, with your child so that you are familiar with school procedures prior to the start of the new school year.
School Planners
Every student needs a planner and these can be paid for via ScoPay. Thank you to all those who have already paid, but if you have not yet done so, please ensure you have paid for it by Monday 4th September. Your child will not receive a planner unless it has been paid for.
Lunch
On the first day of school your child will have their finger print taken which will enable them to use the cashless payment system which is linked to your ScoPay account. No lunch can therefore be purchased from the cafeteria until Wednesday 6th September and your child should bring with them a packed lunch, snacks and water to drink. Please remember we are a nut free zone school.
Parent Meet the Tutor Evening – Monday 11th September 18:30 – 19:30
Further details to follow in our communication next week. This will also include an update regarding devices; both for those who signed up to the device scheme and those who have opted to bring their own.
Student Transition PPT
Standards and Expectations Transition Tutor Time Presentation
New Parent Guide
This is a comprehensive guide with, we hope, all the information you need for the year ahead. It contains information about our uniform and equipment, our school payment system, the cafeteria, reports and assessments, how to report an absence and what to do if your child is ill at school, plus a welcome from Mrs Hill, our Headteacher, and Mr Gleeson, our Head of Year 7. If, after reading this guide, you have a query, please do not hesitate to email us.
Becky High Thrift Store
If you are having a clothing and accessories clear-out over the summer holidays, please save gently used, clean clothing in ages 11 – 18 years. The Charities and Fundraising Prefects (Liv and Khushi) are organising and hosting a Becky High Thrift Store to raise funds for the school’s forever charity, Kachieng Secondary School in Kenya.
Donations can be brought into Main Reception from Monday 4th September until Wednesday 27th September. Donations of hangers would also be greatly appreciated. The Thrift Store will be open to students every lunchtime during the week of October 2nd. Payment is via cash and card and all funds raised will go to Kachieng Secondary School in Kenya. Any unsold clothes will be donated to a local charity shop.
Immunisations
Key dates flyer
Lockers
Lunch and after school clubs
From Coding and Greek Club, to Athletics and Dance, there are a whole host of clubs, teams and ensembles available to challenge your child's mind, test their body and inspire their soul. Why not take a look at our current list of clubs here, you can also see a list of school trips and residentials we are offering this year on that page too.
Music Lessons
Parent Welcome Evening Presentation
Parent Letters
If your email account is with Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail you may find emails end up in spam or get bounced. It may be that your service provider has flagged us as spam mail in which case you will need to add us as a safe user please see this link for instructions on how to do this:
Please note although the email shows as coming from Beaconsfield High School, but the email address is SC8255402a@schoolcomms.com.
May update and reminders - 26.05.23
Student Devices Update Letter - 14.06.23
Student Devices Update Letter - 21.06.23
Setting up ScoPay
You will receive a password protected Pupil Link code, after registering to receive this by email. Use the Pupil Link Code to create your online account following the instructions below:
Create Your Online Payment Account:
- Go to www.scopay.com/beaconsfield
- Click on Register as a new user.
- Enter your Email address and a Password.
- Confirm the Password.
- Enter the Pupil Link Code provided above.
- Enter the rest of the billing details to match your credit or debit card and click on Confirm.
- Log on to your email account and click on the link to activate the account (if the email doesn’t appear in your Inbox, you should check your Junk Email folder).
Linking New Pupils/Siblings to an existing account:
If, on first login, any sibling accounts cannot be displayed, you will need to link the sibling accounts, as follows:
- At the top of the screen, click on menu.
- Click on Your Info and then Link accounts.
- Enter the Pupil link code for the sibling provided by school.
- Click on Link accounts.
- You will now be able to make payments for any linked pupil accounts
If you are having trouble with setting up your account, please email trips@beaconsfieldhigh.bucks.sch.uk
Second-Hand Uniform
Once term begins in September, students and parents can buy uniform (not the legacy uniform) from the second-hand shop every Friday lunchtime. If you are able to commit to an hour, one or two Fridays every term and would like to join the parents who run the Second-Hand Uniform Shop, please email Roop Kumar.
Summer Camp
Student Device Scheme
Access to Information Technology has become an essential learning tool in schools. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted to us all its vital role in learning.
At Beaconsfield High School we have high expectations of our students, and access to technology supports and empowers students to manage their learning, for example by being independent and able to conduct their own research. We believe more access to IT is in the best interests of every child and a uniform device across the year group will enable tailoring of IT to best facilitate learning and allow classroom management of devices during lessons.
To support your child joining us in Year 7 this September 2023, we have partnered with FreedomTech to provide a fully supported and integrated laptop solution. This will ensure your child is equipped with the correct device to participate in classes and also when completing homework. For this reason we strongly recommend that you purchase your child’s device through this scheme.
Our ordering portal is your one-stop shop for your child’s laptop, making it easy for you to order and offering you payment options to suit. The portal is currently open and will close on 10th July.
If you feel you have financial circumstances, which may cause difficulty in paying for the event, you should talk in confidence to Mr Tom Griffiths, Senior Assistant Headteacher via email: Griffi-T@beaconsfieldhigh.bucks.sch.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to purchase one of these devices?
Every student at BHS is expected bring a device to school and will often be required to use it at home for completing homework or research. Purchasing a device through BHS ensures your child has a laptop that is correctly configured with school software. The price includes a complete peace of mind service and support contract, which is aimed at ensuring your child does not find themselves without a laptop should for any reason it become faulty.
If you choose to bring your own device you will need to ensure it meets the same specification of the one being sold by BHS. In addition, it will need to be configured by school, and additional software will need to be purchased in order to meet our safety requirements. This additional work will need to be scheduled and you may be charged for the software and installing it.
Please remember the school is not responsible for any damage or theft occurring onsite or whilst travelling to and from school.
Chromebooks and tablets are unfortunately incompatible with our school platform, as are obsolete Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices.
Can my child use something other than their school OneDrive to store their work?
Students must store all files on their school OneDrive. This allows other teaching tools to be available for use at Teachers' discretion, which use OneDrive. iCloud, DropBox, Google Drive, non-school OneDrives and other similar services cannot be accessed in school. Using a school OneDrive protects against losing all of a student’s work, if a device is lost or stolen.
How does my child connect to the Wi-Fi in school?
Full instructions will be made available for September.
Why am I being encouraged to purchase a device?
IT is playing more and more of a central role in schools. One of the problems with its use is that not all students have equal access to it, and as a result, some of its real benefits cannot be utilised. Secondly, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has made us all aware of its vital role in learning. At BHS we want to capitalise on some of the positive IT gains we have made with online learning and continue to use these as part of our day-to-day practice. Students have enjoyed the way in which they have been able to progress at different speeds, as an individual device makes them more independent, and should we ever enter a lockdown period again it will reduce pressure on devices at home.
Will there be other IT access in school?
Yes, but only in curriculum areas that rely on it as an integral part of the course, including: Graphics, computing and music.
Will my child use their device every lesson and at break/lunch time?
No. Devices will be used in lessons where they support the learning; otherwise they may become a distraction and we do not want students on their device for the whole day. We aim to protect social times (break and lunch times) and keep them device-free. There are allocated rooms for IT use at lunch times in the unlikely event that students need to use their device at this time. Devices can also be used by Sixth Fom students in their study areas at break and lunch, but otherwise they should be out of sight at these times to afford students a break from their screens.
What happens if my child leaves school?
You are able to pay any outstanding sum due, for you to retain the device.
Can my child use the device at home?
Yes, they can use the device to support their learning at home. You are responsible for all usage of the device, and all Wi-Fi/Internet access at home by your child.
Does the school make any money from this scheme?
No. The school operates this scheme to enable access to technology for all students, for a low monthly fee. The school makes no money from running this scheme.
Is there a limit to the number of claims I can make under the Repair Service or theft cover?
No, there is no limit. However, we ask you to remind your child to take good care of the equipment you are paying for.
Is there any excess on the Repair Service cover?
No.
How many devices can I order?
One device per student.
What happens at the end of the agreement?
At the end of the agreement, when the final payment has been made, the device becomes yours.
Will payments be taken straight away?
Cash payments (credit / debit card payments) are taken on the day the order is placed. Should you opt to pay for the device on a monthly instalment plan, the first payment will be taken on 25th July and then each month thereafter until it has been paid for in full.
When will my child receive their device?
Devices will be delivered to school and brought home by your child. We anticipate this to be towards the end of the first week of September and we will have an update once school starts.
How do I set the device up?
Instructions will be provided on how to set up the device.
Can I install any software on the device?
We suggest you do not install paid-for software on these devices. Should the device develop a software or hardware issue, the device will either be replaced or wiped to factory settings. This would mean the loss of any paid-for software.
Microsoft 365 software will be automatically installed on scheme devices (and remains licensed whilst your student is at the school). These are general-purpose devices for generic non-specialist use. They are designed for use by KS3 and KS4 and not designed for advanced use such as CAD, digital audio workstation, composition software or gaming.
What about Privacy?
We recognise that these are students’ personal learning devices and have worked hard to achieve the correct balance for setting up the devices for safe use in school. We're also encouraging the use of internet at home, and we have a duty of care to make this experience as safe as possible. To that end, the devices will be monitored and internet access will be filtered in line with DFE advice when in school. In addition, a web content filter will be applied for home use (to block harmful or inappropriate content. More information on the software being used can be found here.
If necessary, school staff may access students’ OneDrives and can ask students to show them their device screens when in school.
Settings and software may be updated from time to time (depending on your make of device and the role of the user in school) but are always within the framework of keeping internet access in school as efficient and as safe as possible, deploying software for students to use, and protecting the schools’ infrastructure, software and management agent.
We take the privacy of both our parents and students seriously. Please note that for safeguarding reasons, the use of unfiltered MiFi/Personal hotspot internet access is forbidden onsite. All users must only use school wi-fi to access the internet.
How do I make an insurance or warranty claim?
The first point of contact is the school. If the device has a hardware issue it will be swapped. If there is a software issue, it will usually be wiped back to factory settings, ready for setting up again. During this process, any extra software installed will be lost. Any files not saved on the students’ OneDrive will also be lost. It is therefore essential that your child saves all of their files on their school OneDrive.
How long does the battery last?
The quoted battery life is enough for a full day at school. We recommend that your child charges the laptop at home overnight so that they do not miss out on any learning in lessons. It is not practical for students to charge their own equipment on the school site.
Is my child’s data backed up on the laptop automatically?
Students must store all files on their school OneDrive. This is then backed up automatically to the cloud. The instructions with the device include setting up the school OneDrive. Please note, memory sticks are often damaged and are not as reliable as cloud storage. If the device has to be fixed, wiped or replaced, any files not stored on OneDrive will be lost.
Do I need to pay for or buy antivirus software?
No. Windows 11 comes with Windows Defender Antivirus and a Firewall, together with Secure Boot, which is a feature that ensures only trusted software is allowed to run during the boot process, protecting against rootkits and other malware that might attempt to load at start up. We therefore recommend you do not purchase any other antivirus or security software as this may be incompatible with the schools’ set up. This may make it difficult to bring your own existing device.
Summer Camp, 31st Aug - 1st Sep
We are holding a summer camp for incoming Year 7 students on the 31st August - 1st September between 09:00 and 15:00. The camp will be both fun and educational but most importantly will help to reassure your child as they embark on their secondary school adventure. There will be a cost per child, per day (payable on ScoPay) but this is dependant on the number of students that sign up. The camp is not compulsory however it's a great opportunity for your child to get to know the school lay out and start making friends which will help them feel more settled about joining us in September.
Students are to wear comfortable clothes (trainers, joggers, t shirt and a hoodie). Please ensure your child also has a waterproof and or sun cream / hat as some of the time they will be outside. Your child will need a packed lunch for the day and plenty of water (no fizzy/energy drinks please). Please ensure you do not bring any nuts into school as we are a nut free zone. They should also bring a pencil case.
To reserve a place for your child please click on this link before June 10th.
Summer Reading List
Supporting Becky High
Transport to school
Home to school transport is handled by Buckinghamshire Council Passenger Transport and not the staff at Beaconsfield High School. For information regarding bus stops and approximate timings from September 2023 please click here. If you have any queries regarding the Buckinghamshire Council School Transport Policy, please contact them on 0845 3708 090.
Uniform Fitting Dates
Uniform
Sportcrest is our uniform supplier for new uniform. The uniform policy and information about our Second-Hand Uniform Shop can be found here. A uniform list can also be found in the New Parent Guide above.
Naming school uniform
In a school of over 1000 students, it would be beneficial if all items of school uniform were labelled. Woven and/or printed name tapes can be ordered online, via the Sportcrest website or you can purchase a laundry marker from Amazon and most stationery shops.
Additional uniform items
Students will be required to purchase a House T-shirt from Sportcrest. They will be worn at various House events throughout the year.