Dear Parents/ Carers, 

I hope that you have had a good summer. 

As we prepare for the new school year, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to The English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form Sixth Form College. 

Enclosed is some important information for September. Term starts Tuesday 3rd September 8.40am with the school day ending at 3.15pm. Year 7 will line up to enter the hall for assembly at 8.40am, just as they did during Transition Week.  

Your child has had a Summer Transition Project to complete, this will be handed in to teachers on Friday 6th September. Students need to bring essential equipment on their first day: a school bag, pens and pencils and a reading book. Students will be given a school planner and a timetable that they need to use and have with them every day. Parents and carers are asked to check and sign the planner every week. 

Our new school year will begin with assemblies for every year group where we will share our high expectations in relation to attendance, behaviour, and learning. We are all ambitious for our children and we want them to achieve their full potential. Assemblies will encourage students to ‘Get involved and try their best.’ 

We have a full programme of enrichment activities that students can embrace including a range of sports, arts, music, science, reading and language clubs as well as leadership and wider opportunities. Please encourage your child to get involved when the new term starts. Enrichment will begin on the Monday 9th September. The timetable will be shared via the app. 

Attached are some important dates for your diary and some key reminders. 

We are very proud of our students and thank you for your support in encouraging your child to work hard and to attend school every day. 

If you need more support, please contact the school office who will be able to direct your query to the appropriate member of staff. 

Yours sincerely, 


Mrs Hogarth 
Head of School 

 

Key Reminders 

Attendance 
We know that students who attend more achieve more, and we have an Attendance Team who support students and families to ensure excellent attendance to school. This team will diligently follow up absences and work with you to ensure your child attends school. Unless a student is ill, they must attend school every day. Routine appointments should be arranged outside of school time and letters / appointment cards should be provided if absence if unavoidable due to an appointment during school hours.  

Reporting Absence 
If your child is going to be absent from school due to illness, please let us know as soon as possible. Either ring school and choose Option 1 or, alternatively, send us a message in the MCAS app and let us know using the Messages tab. 

Uniform 
Students must wear full school uniform. This includes a tie and formal shoes. Students should not wear jewellery; only a small pair of stud earrings and a watch are allowed. Please refer to this link as a reminder around our standards in relation to uniform:  Uniform. Trainers, false nails and false eyelashes are not permitted. 

Prohibited items 
Vapes, chewing gum and fizzy/ energy drinks are not allowed on the school site. Mobile phones should be switched off and not used at any point of the school day or on site beyond the ‘Green Gates’ at the front of school. If you need to contact your child or they need to contact you, this will be done through the school office or by the Pastoral Leader. 

MCAS App 
It is very important that we can share with you information about your child and our platform for sharing key information and updates is via the school app.  

We've been busy generating MCAS accounts for parents/carers of new Year 7 students and most you will now have an email to reset your password which will finalise your account. Follow the steps to reset your password, then download the MCAS app and log in using the email and password you have set. (If the link expires, you can request a new one using the 'forgot password' link). 

You won't be able to top up lunch money or see timetables yet. These can't go live until your child officially starts school (2nd September). We highly recommend setting the app up now, so you are ready to go for September. See our handy MCAS support page on the website for help. https://ems.bhcet.org.uk/parents/parent-app-mcas  If you haven't received an email, please get in touch with shope@ems.bhcet.org.uk and he will support as soon as he can.  

Support 
We have specialist staff ready to support your child with achieving their potential.  

Mr Hutchinson is the Pastoral Leader for Year 7 and Miss Hodgson is the Academic Pastoral Leader. These members of staff play an important role in the journey of the students in terms of supporting them inside and outside of the classroom. 

Please contact the school office if you feel you or your child needs support. The school office is best placed to direct your query to the most appropriate member of staff, so you receive the right advice and support in a timely manner. 

Free School Meals  
We appreciate that families are facing increased costs and if you feel you are eligible you can apply for Free School Meals by following this link:  https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/info/20127/benefits_and_grants/287/how_to_claim  

Key Dates 
Tuesday 3rd September – Students return to school after the Summer 
Tuesday 10th September – Year 7 individual school photographs 
Thursday 19th September – Year 7 Information Evening 
Wednesday 16th October-Friday 18th October – Year 7 Retreat (Optional) 
Friday 22nd November – Key Task 3 (Module 1) completed by this date 
Thursday 23rd January – Year 7 Meet the Teacher Evening 
Friday 14th March – Key Task 3 (Module 2) completed by this date 
Friday 20th June – Key Task 3 (Module 3) completed by this date 

Term dates for 2024/25, which show holidays and PD Days can be found on our website here: https://ems.bhcet.org.uk/parents/termdates