School Life

The School Day

Timings of the school day for our current Year 7 cohort - these are subject to change

8.25am	Students to arrive in school
8.30 - 9.00	Tutor Time
9.00 - 10.00	Period 1
10.00 - 10.20	Break Time for Year 7 and 8
10.20 - 11.20	Period 2
11.20 - 12.20	Period 3
12.20 - 13.00	Lunch time for Year 7 and 8
13.00 - 14.00	Period 4
14.00 - 15.00	Period 5
15.00	Students dismissed

The school will open to students at 8am. During this time students may get breakfast in the canteen or use the playground.

Please encourage your child not to not arrive before 8am as the doors will not be open.

Students will leave school at 3pm every day unless they are involved in an extracurricular club or attending homework club.

Timetable

The school day consists of five lessons per day which includes a morning and lunch time break. 

On your child's first day, their tutor will spend time helping them to understand their timetable. They will also make time for your child to explore the school to find out where their different lessons are.

We would strongly suggest you make a spare copy of your child’s timetable. It is also helpful to go through the timetable with your child every evening before school to ensure they have packed their bags with all of the correct equipment for the following day. 

Break Times

Students can use the playgrounds and canteen areas during this time. Food and drinks can be purchased at break time and lunchtime from the canteen. 

Catering and Lunchtimes

The school uses an outside caterer, Harrisons who provide a range of hot and cold lunchtime meals at reasonable prices.Harrisons make sure that they meet the Government National Standards for school meals to provide a variety of healthy options. Students are able to choose their own meals and pay for what they select. 

The school runs a cashless catering system for purchases. Parents/carers can make payments through ParentPay to credit their child’s account. Each time the child makes a purchase the price is debited from the child’s account.  Children can check their balance in school at the devices provided. Separate log-in information will be sent to parents and carers when students start in September.

If students prefer, a packed lunch can be brought in and eaten in the canteen or designated areas outside.

Drinks can be brought into school but fizzy drinks and energy drinks are prohibited. Drinking water is available in the canteen and from the drinking fountains outside. Students should ensure they have their refillable bottle with them on a daily basis. 

Free School Meals

Schools receive funding for use with the general curriculum based on the number of free school meals they provide. We would, therefore, encourage all parents/carers, who qualify, to claim their free school meals.  The Free School Meals page explains how to check if you are entitled to claim these for your child, and how to apply.

Canteen Opening Times

The main canteen is open each school day:

• Breakfast: 8am - 8.25am selling a variety of hot and cold food and drinks.
• Morning break: 10.00 to 10.20 am selling sandwiches and wraps, hot and cold snacks and drinks.
• Lunchtime selling meals of the day, pasta, salads, pizza, sandwiches, wraps, jacket potatoes and vegetables as well as snacks, biscuits, cakes, fruit and drinks.

 

The Library

Oaks Park High has a lovely and vibrant school library of several thousand books facing the central atrium which welcomes students in the mornings, at break and lunchtimes, and it is also open after school for clubs, including homework sessions, and creative clubs such as knitting. 

During the day, it’s often used for lessons with the library staff. Classes come in to choose books or ask the librarian for recommendations, or to learn more about how the library supports their literacy and reading. The library runs competitions and a reward system for Year 7s to encourage them to read widely and enthusiastically.

Reading for pleasure is so beneficial for your mental health as well as for extending your understanding, and of course helping you with your school work. That’s why at Oaks Park High we encourage you to read as widely and as much as possible and the librarian is on hand to offer book recommendations and help you choose a book which will really ignite your passion for reading. 

We hold regular events in the library to keep students engaged with books and reading, such as author visits, competitions and fun, interactive displays based around famous books and authors, and the librarian visits classes around the school to further encourage and celebrate reading for pleasure. We are also very lucky to have a committed and enthusiastic team of student librarians who work hard to keep the library tidy and who get involved with the quizzes, craft and drawing activities we run to keep our library looking attractive and student-centred. We are always on the lookout for keen students to join the team!  

Students are always welcome to borrow books from the library and the librarian works hard to ensure the stock is up to date, attractive and has as many of the latest children’s and young adult books available. As well as novels from classic authors and more contemporary ones, there is a good and growing selection of graphic novels and comics and a well-stocked and carefully curated non-fiction offering to support the curriculum. 

We look forward to welcoming you to the school library - everyone in school is automatically a library member. You don’t need a library card and it’s free to borrow books!