Seaham High School and its Governing body will;

1. Ensure the school’s curriculum is rooted in the solid consensus of the skills and knowledge students need in order to take advantage of the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. It will remain broad and balanced for as long as possible for all students, building towards a planned end point. Provide a curriculum that will equip students with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.
2. Ensure teachers’ have expert knowledge of the subjects that they teach. Teachers will enable students to understand key concepts, present information correctly, encourage appropriate discussion and develop students’ ability to embed information in their long-term memories. Allow teachers to use assessment information effectively to help embed knowledge, provide clear next steps and support the teaching of the curriculum.
3. Provide a culture that is based on our 3 core values of Kindness, Integrity and Pride.
4. Develop positive student attributes by following our 6 R’s – Respectful of those around us, Responsible for our own attitudes, Reflective when presented with problems, Responsive when given opportunities, Resilient in the face of adversity and never afraid to be a Risk Taker.
5. Be an environment where commonalities are celebrated, difference is valued and nurtured, and bullying, harassment, abuse and violence are never tolerated towards students and/or staff members.
6. Promote the extensive personal development opportunities on offer to students through a well-planned and resourced PSHE and Careers programme, a range of extra-curriculum activities and the Student Ambassador initiative. Promote high attendance (above 96%) and punctuality for all students. It will make sure that absences are chased and challenged to make sure that students are supported and have the opportunity to achieve their best. Communicate effectively with parents and carers, regularly reporting on academic, behaviour and attendance. The school will always contact parents to discuss items that they feel require parental/carer support and involvement to resolve them quickly and practically.

Parents/Carers will;

1. Be fully aware and supportive of the schools’ policies and make sure that these are discussed regularly and explained effectively to their children so they understand and follow them. E.g. attendance, uniform, behaviour, Anti-bullying, etc.
2. Ensure that their child attends school regularly (a minimum of 96%) and where absences occur inform the school on each day of the absence before 8:30am. Where appointments are needed to try and make these outside of school times. The school strictly follows Government and Local Authority guidelines on not authorising holidays during term time and parents must be aware of this.
3. Ensure that they take an active role within their child’s education, making sure they attend meetings when required, parents’ evenings, supporting with homework, becoming involved in extracurricular activities and clubs and communicating with all staff effectively
4. Provide accurate and up-to-date contact information, including email, so that communication with the school is productive. If parents require a face to face meeting, then this will be arranged in advance through the main school office. Staff will not meet parents without a pre-arranged appointment.
5. Ensure that all communication with the school will be polite and courteous. The school will not tolerate parents’ becoming verbally or physically aggressive. All incidents of this nature will cause the meeting/telephone call to be terminated and referred to the Head Teacher who will consider further action if required.
6. Will not make audio or visual records of meetings or telephone conversations without the school’s consent, which must be requested in writing and in advance of the meeting.
7. Be aware of the school ethos – Kindness, Integrity and Pride and the 6 R’s – Respectful of those around us, Responsible for our own attitudes, Reflective when presented with problems, Responsive when given opportunities, Resilient in the face of adversity and never afraid to be a Risk Taker and encourage their child to strive to these values and attributes.
8. Ensure that their child maintains the highest standards in attendance, uniform (including PE) and equipment for learning – pens, pencils, calculator, ruler, coloured pencils, rubber, school bag, etc
9. Understand that their child is a role model for the school in the local community and will ensure that their conduct to and from school is of the highest standard.
10. Will follow the school complaints policy and refrain from using social media to defame the school and/or members of staff.

By accepting a place for your child in this school you agree to follow this Home School agreement.