Year 7 Transition at The Queen's School in Chester, UK

What does it mean to be a Queen’s School pupil? What is our school ethos?

We have worked really hard to develop some values that we teach in all of our lessons with every teacher in every subject. These values are:

Think independently – We want you to be curious in your learning, ask questions and be creative.
Collaborate confidently – We want you to be able to work in a team and develop your leadership skills.
Aspire globally – We want you to be aware of the world around you and want you to want to make a difference.

Timings of the school day:

8.45 – 9.15 registration (with your Form Tutor)

9.15-10.15 Lesson 1

10.15-10.30 Break time

10.30-11.30 Lesson 2

11.30-12.30 Lesson 3

12.30-1.40 Lunch time (and extra-curricular clubs)

1.40-2.40 Lesson 4

2.45-3.45 Lesson 5

4.00-5.00 Optional extra-curricular activities

Who are the heads of each of the departments?

Heads of department are the teachers that organise all the exciting things that happen in that subject. You may get to meet some of them. They also work with a team of other subject specialists that make up the department

Mr Tucker Head of Art	Mrs Mahay Head of Biology
Mrs Dawson Head of Careers	Mrs Cox Head of Chemistry
Mrs Ellis Head of Classics	Mrs McKeirnan Head of Computing
Mr Hay Head of Design Technology	Mrs Larder Head of Drama
Mrs Woodcock Head of Business Studies/Economics	Mrs Garton Head of English
Ms Mayes Head of the Library	Miss Ruiz Head of Spanish
Ms Whittam Head of Mandarin	Mr Magill Head of Mathematics
Mrs Davies Head of Music	Mrs Simpson Head of Personal and Social Health Education
Mme Lagarde Head of French	Miss Aldridge Head of Geography
Mrs Tunnicliffe Head of History	Mrs Glynn Head of Physical Education
Mrs Robinson Head of Physics	Mrs Hughes Head of Psychology
Dr Scherer Head of Religious Education	Mr Ross Head of Learning Support

Your first day – What will happen?

You will be welcomed by myself, some Sixth Form girls and some staff who will take you to your form room.

You will spend all morning in your form room where your Form Tutor will give you lots of information about school that you need to know. You will also receive your timetables where you will be able to see what lessons you have on which day along with which teachers that will be teaching you during the year.

In the afternoon you will start your lessons and meet some of your new teachers.

3.45pm is the end of the day and you will have completed your first full day. There are no clubs after school during the first week. This allows you to get used to your new school and have time to think about which clubs you might like to attend.

Top tip – Ask lots of questions on this day! There is no such thing as a silly question! If you are thinking it, there will definitely be someone else thinking the same question!

Subjects you will study

You will study a wide range of subjects some of which you may never have studied before these include:

Maths	English
Science	Geography
History	PE
Spanish	Mandarin
Religious Studies	Design Technology
Music	Computing
PSHE	Art

Top tip - Don’t worry if you have never studied any of the subjects before, the teachers will help you!

Books and equipment

You will need a pencil case that contains pens, pencils and a calculator. Teachers will hand out the books in lessons. It is your responsibility to make sure you have your pencil case with your for each of your lessons.

It is also your responsibility to make sure that you have your iPad for each of your lessons as on many occasions you will be using your iPad as part of the activities within the lesson.

Top tip – Make sure you charge your iPad when you get home from school so that it is fully charged for the next day!

Form time

This is between 8.45 and 9.15 every day. This time is usually themed throughout the week and your Form Tutor will be discussing interesting issues with you, showing you videos and sometimes giving you tasks to do. On other days you will be in assemblies led by different teachers in the school or you might be in House meetings with our House Captains planning how your House is going to win the next competition or practicing for the next competition.

You may choose to volunteer in your form for one of the many leadership roles such as Form Captain, Sports Captain, School Council or Catering Committee. There are lots of roles that you can volunteer for which are very important in making sure that our school is a happy place and you can play a part in creating that if you want to!

Top tip – Don’t be afraid to volunteer for one of the many roles in your form. Don’t be afraid to be a leader!

PE kit

Compulsory

A blue and white PE t-shirt
A navy skort
Maroon hockey socks
Blue shorts
Hoody
Football boots (for hockey)

Optional

Queen's tracksuit bottoms
Queen's base layers or navy blue plain base layers
Some students choose to bring their own hockey stick but this is not essential, the PE department will loan you the equipment you need to play the game.

Can I bring a mobile phone?

You can bring a mobile phone to school but it must be in your locker and turned off throughout the day.

If you need to contact home throughout the day go to the office and ask but think……. Is it an essential conversation or could it wait until you get home?

Top tip – If you travel to school on public transport or you walk, never use your phone on your journey. Keep yourself safe.

Awards and Rewards

There is a merit system where you can collect merits for positive behaviour, excellent pieces of work, working hard etc. You will collect these merits and they will be added up at the end of each half term by Miss Jones (Head of Pastoral).

You may be working hard enough to earn a commendation from your Head of Year or you may be acknowledged as being a super member of the Queen’s community and be awarded the ‘Spirit of Queen’s’ award.

Top tip – Always try your best in every lesson and you should see the merits flooding in!

Additional support

Mrs Davies-Rose is our SENCO and she is here to help you with any additional educational needs that you might have. She is really friendly and will get to know you really well and make sure you have all the support you need.

Co-curricular activities and Educational Visits

At the Senior School, the choice of activities includes team and individual competitive sports like hockey, rowing, tennis, athletics and lacrosse, as well as active pursuits such as sailing, road biking or Pilates. There are music clubs for both beginners and keen musicians, choral singing in our Chamber Choir and opportunities to perform in a variety of ensembles, groups and bands. We have LAMDA exams, theatre groups, cabaret, summer concerts and, of course, our much-loved school productions. There are also a wide variety of academic and special interest clubs on offer including Mad Science Club, Code Club, Greek, Debating, Pet Care Club and French Conversation Club to name but a few.

A full list of all the clubs that operate before school, at lunchtimes and after school are below but don't worry, if there is something you really want to see that is not currently available just let me know and maybe you could set it up?

Music Clubs

Brass Enemble
Chamber Choir
Clarinet Ensemble
Flute Ensemble
Junior and Senior Choirs
Junior and Senior Jazz Bands
Junior and Senior Orchestras
Production Band
Saxophone Ensemble
Senior Ensemble
String Ensemble

Dance and Drama Clubs

Just Dance
Drama Fun Club
Epic Theatre |Group
Ensemble Theatre Group
Production Club
Script Writing Club

Sport Clubs

Athletics
Badminton
Cricket
Football
Gymnastics
Hockey
Karate
Lacrosse
Netball
Lacrosse
Rowing
Running
Swimming
Tag Rugby
Tennis
Yoga

Science Clubs

Astronomy
Big Bang Club
Biology Clinic
BMAT
Chemistry Clinic
Cognitive Chemistry
Design Technology Clinic
Life Sciences Society
Mad Science Club
Psychology Society
Physics Clinic
UKCAT

Special Interest Clubs

Art Club
Book Club
Code Club
Combined Cadet Force
Charity Committee
Debating - Junior and Senior
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Economics Society
English Clinic
Fandom
French Clinic
French Conversation Club
Geo Club
Geography Clinic
Greek - beginners and intermediate
History Clinic
History Club
History Film Club

Special Interest Clubs cont

Holdich Society
International Club (Languages)
Latin Clinic
Learning Support Drop-in
Literary Lunch Club
Mandarin Clinic
Maths Clinic
Meditation Club
Model United Nations
Oxbridge Applications Support
Pet Care Club
Sign Language Club
Spanish Clinic
Tycoo
Women's History Society
Worldwise Club
Young Enterprise

Frequently Asked Questions

Settling in

How will school help me settle in?

You will be invited to an induction day where you will sample some lessons, meet your Form Tutor, make some new friends and have a tour of the school.

If you do not attend Lower School you will receive some letters from Lower School students to allow you to make friends in advance. Many of our upcoming Year 7’s have made arrangements to meet in the summer holidays before starting the Senior School in the past.

You will also get a visit from me to your primary school so that we can get to know each other! And you will have an information evening in your first half term where you and your parents will be invited into school.

How can I ask for help if I need it?

You can ask your Form Tutor anything, they are there to support you throughout Year 7 and particularly in September when you are experiencing lots of new things and will have lots of questions.

You can also speak to your me (Mrs Glynn) or any of your subject teachers. All of our teachers are friendly and want to help.

There is also a feature on our school system called Firefly called ‘can we chat’ where you can write down any worries you may have and a teacher will come and help.

Top tip – You may find that one day you are having a bad day and need to talk to someone but remember my favourite saying ‘every day may not be good but there is something good in every day’. So when you are having a bad day, remember this quote and see if you can think of something positive that has happened that day.

Clubs

What clubs can I participate in if I enjoy sport?

Our school has a strong sporting reputation and enters competitions in many sports including hockey, netball, football, cross country, athletics, tennis, rounders, swimming and there is a full fixture list that you and your parents can access via our website.

What if I don’t like team games?

There are lots of alternative clubs such as Yoga, Pilates, Just Dance and Karate Club that you can participate in alongside our individual clubs such as Running Club, athletics and tennis in the summer. If you own a horse, there is an opportunity to represent The Queen’s School in the Equestrian team also.

Pilates CLasses at The Queen School Karate Clubs at The Queen School

What other clubs can I participate in?

There is a whole range of clubs available for you to participate in during both lunch times and after school. The complete list of clubs can be found above.

Art Clubs at The Queen School

Top tip – if you enjoy any of the sports on offer, come and give it a go! Also if there is a sport that you have never tried, come along and try it! Everyone is welcome at our clubs!|

The House system

I am sure many of you are Harry Potter fans and have read the books and watched the films! Well, we have our very own House system at Queen's, the main difference is that our Houses have different names and we don’t play Quiddich!

The four Houses in the Senior School are Hastings, Thomson, Westminster and Sandford. You will be placed in one of these Houses when you start at the Senior School. If you are already at the Lower School, your House in Lower School is paired with a Senior School house so you will automatically know which House you will be placed in.

Hastings is paired with Dragons
Thomson is paired with Griffins
Westminster is paired with Phoenix
Sandford is paired with Unicorns

Is the House system important?

Our house system is very important. We host lots of house competitions including sports days and events, curriculum competitions in different subjects, charity events and house assemblies. You will make even more friends in different year groups through our house meetings which are led by our House Captains in the Sixth form.

Questions about food

What if I usually have a snack?

If you normally have a snack you can bring it with you from home or alternatively you can buy items from the dining room at break time such as toast.

What will I eat for lunch?

You will be provided with a school lunch every day and will have a choice from a menu that changes every week.

Questions about the first day

What if I get lost?

Our Senior School site is quite a small site so it won’t take long for you to find your way around. You will have had a tour of the school and your teachers will always happy to point you in the right direction.

Do I need my iPad on the first day?

Yes you will need your iPad on the first day of term and everyday in school after that.

What if I don’t have any friends?

Don’t worry about not knowing anyone. It is normal to feel a little anxious about starting a new school and you are not alone. There are plenty of pupils in Year 7 who will not know anyone on the first day. By the end of your first day you will have chatted with lots of new people and hopefully have lots of new friends.

If you do not attend our Lower School, our Year 6 pupils may contact you before you start so that you know someone on your first day. You will all meet one another on our induction day during the summer term also and hopefully plan to meet up over the summer before school starts.

I will also have visited you in your Primary School/Lower School before you join our Senior School so you should have got to know me quite well by then and I should be a familiar face!

Questions about teachers

How many teachers will I get to know?

You will have teachers in all different subjects who are specialists in their areas. You will get to know approximately 20 different teachers.

What type of school bag do I need?

You will be carrying lots of equipment and books for all your subjects in your bag so it is recommended that you have a sturdy bag with two straps that can be carried on both shoulders.

Attendance related questions

What if I am absent or ill, what do I do?

If you are absent from school due to ill health, your parent needs to call the school office before 9.30am on each day. The phone number is 01244 312078.

What if I know I am going to be absent?

If you have a planned absence e.g. an appointment, you will need permission from the Headmistress for this.

Questions related to lessons and subjects

What if I am late for a lesson?

If you are late for a lesson, you need to apologise to the teacher and when there is an opportunity (probably at the end of the lesson) explain the reason why you were late.

What if I am late for school?

If you are late for school and it is later than 9.15am when registration has closed, you need to make sure you sign in at reception. If you arrive during registration time (8.45-9.15am) then you need to go straight to your form room where your Form Tutor will register you.

Do we have a school library?

Yes. Mrs Mayes looks forward to welcoming you where you will have an induction on how to use the library and the fantastic software we have in it.

How much homework will I get?

You will get a homework timetable and know what homework you have on what night. All homework is set on an app on your iPad called Firefly.

How will I know what sport I am doing in PE?

You will be sent a Firefly task each half term that informs you of what activity you will be doing in each lesson. If you are ever unsure, ask one of the PE teachers. Your Form Teacher will also have this list and it should be displayed on your form room notice board.

Travel

What time can I arrive at school?

You should not be dropped off before 7.45am and you should go directly to your form room where you can read/chat with friends.

What can I do before school?

Breakfast is served in the dining room from 8.15am where you can purchase various breakfast items if you wish.

What if I am being picked up late but am not going to a club?

You must sign in at the office and go to F4, 5 or 7 where you can complete homework or read quietly.

Do you know the answers?!

I hope you have found this information useful, now let's see how much you can remember! How many questions can you find the answers to?

What is the name of the Headmistress?
Can you name all four of the Senior School houses?
What is the name of the Head of Art
What can you do if you arrive at school at 8.15am and you are hungry?
Where do the private school buses collect at the end of the day?
Name five extracurricular clubs that you can participate in.
What is the name of your Head of Year?
What are our school values?
When is lesson two?
What is the last lesson of the day?

I hope you have found this page useful and that you feel you now know everything you need. If you still have a question however, please get in touch with me and ask as I will be more than happy to answer it for you! I look forward to welcoming you in September.

Got a question? Ask Mrs Glynn

Year 7 Transition

Welcome to The Queen’s School. We hope that you will be very happy here and are going to enjoy the wide range of subjects you will be taught along with meeting lots of new friends.