August 2015

Dear Parent/Carer

I’m delighted to tell you about the progress of our students in the summer exams. At ‘A’ Level there was 99% pass rate with an increase in the students’ point scores. At GCSE 56% of students got 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths – a figure which shows outstanding progress for this year group and places us firmly once again in the top 25% of schools nationally for progress for the 6th year in succession. These totals demonstrate the great performance by our students with the support of parents and teachers, especially in the light of the significant changes made to the exam system in recent years.

Congratulations to Polaris House for getting their name on the House Cup for 2014-15. For the other Houses - Castor, Omega and Sirius - there is no need to be downhearted: September will see a clean slate and the chance to get their hands on a number of trophies. Every Learning Point students gain, every day attended, every competition signed up for, count!

We look forward to welcoming our students back to school in September. The dates for the beginning of term are:

·  Tuesday 1st September - TD Day

·  Wednesday 2nd September - TD Day

·  Thursday 3rd September - Yr 7 and Yr 12 start. School day begins at 8.40am

·  Friday 4th September - Whole School start at 8.40am

Our other training days are:

·  21st October 2014

·  22nd February 2015

·  8th July 2015

The details about after school activities and clubs can be found on our website

All of our communication is by text, email or can be viewed on Parent Portal or on our website.

I would like to remind you about our uniform. This is clearly explained on our website, in student journals (for Key Stage 3 students) and other guidance provided by the school. Our uniform providers are Sportsbug, formerly DJ’s, in Melksham.

·  Navy blue school sweatshirt (must have Melksham Oak Community School name and logo embroidered) Non-school jumpers are not permitted
·  Black knee length school skirt (no lycra) or
plain black ankle length trousers (not cords, denims, ski pants, track suits, ¾ length crop trousers or leggings) We do not permit jeans or leggings.
·  Navy blue school polo shirt (must have Melksham Oak Community School name and logo embroidered)
·  All Black shoes. / ·  Extreme hairstyles or unnatural hair colours are not acceptable.
·  For safety reasons, only one pair of studs or small sleepers is allowed in ears. Other jewellery should be discreet
and safe.
·  We will not tolerate facial piercings. This is a policy enforced by all the schools in West Wiltshire for Health and Safety reasons.

We do not permit Hoodies. Hoods are only allowed as part of a waterproof coat. Thank you very much for your support with this.

From September 2015 will be using Show My Homework as an electronic homework diary for all students. Staff will record the homework task and any resources on the diary and both students and parents can access the diary using the link at the base of the home page of the web site. Any teething problems with student and parent PINS and logging on need to be referred to the tutor.

Parent Portal has been designed to improve home / school communication and to allow parents to take a more informed view of their children's progress at school. Parent Portal can be accessed via the School’s website www.melkshamoak.wilts.sch.uk.

After you have logged in you will be able to access your child's attendance, assessment, timetable, reports, behaviour, achievement, letters to parents and newsletters from within the Parent Portal. We now have a new canteen view where you can see what your child is purchasing from the canteen and from September 2015 we aim to add the menus.
The Parent Portal system pulls information directly from the school's SIMS.net management information system. Attendance is updated in near real time throughout the day so you can ensure that your children have arrived at school within seconds of them registering. The system is being continually developed and more information will be added in the future. To log into the system you will need to have been issued with a password by the school. This will have been sent to you in an email but if you are unsure of your logon details please contact: and we will send you a reminder. Year 7 parents will be issued with a password in September following receipt of their completed data collection form.

I hope that this letter sets the scene and provides a summary of the information needed for the start of the year. During the year we will be sending further information about parents’ evenings; if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact school on or 01225 792700.

We look forward to continuing to work together to support our students to exceed their potential and to be a great school. Thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen Clark

Headteacher