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Inside this issue of the Pupil Voice Report, you will find suggestions and ideas that have been raised by pupils in Tutor Base Forums and the answers given by the relevant person or department.

Thank you!

Thank you to all the Form Captains and Tutors who helped out with this process. I would like to give a particularly big thanks to the Sixth Form Pupil Voice Committee who sought out the answers and put together this report.

Mr Hollingsworth, Assistant Head teacher

Issue 3, January 2017

Special points of interest:

Catering

Education

House / Additional Items

School Site & Facilities

Sports & Extra Curriculum

Boarding

Goddard 2-5

Grant 6-9

Monk 10-13

Watts 14-17

Boarding 18

Contents

Pupil Voice Feedback 2016-17

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GODDARD - School site and facilities

Could there be a sheltered area for students to wait for buses? There is already some sheltering at the Goddard centre and it would be very expensive to put up another shelter.

Could there be full length mirrors in the toilets and changing rooms? For now, there will be some installed in the sixth form toilets. However, until the other toilets are treated better, there wont be any more. This may be reviewed again in the future.

Could the school gate on Stuart Road be opened in the

Winter?

Unfortunately not. The path along the field is very muddy in

winter and opening the gate up would therefore increase the

amount of mud being brought into school.

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GODDARD - Catering

Can there be more vegetarian options? There is already quite a lot of vegetarian options, so we can’t necessarily have more because it will create wastage. However, we will implement non-exclusive hot vegetarian pasta in Janice’s so that there is another option that will not get thrown out.

Can water bottles be

re-introduced; a new one every

year?

Due to costing reasons,

re-issuing a new bottle for

every year group is not possible.

This saves the School £11,000 p.a.

Can we have new, cleaner cutlery for the dining hall? Cutlery is lost so often that we cannot afford to purchase any more. However, the cleanliness will be worked on and monitored.

GODDARD - Sports, Clubs & Extra Curriculum

Can the lacrosse goalie kit be replaced?

The kit is already being replaced and this has to be done in phases

due to cost.

Can the Cricket nets be repaired? After inspection there are no issues with the nets currently but we will continue to check them regularly.

Could suggested work-outs be put up in the gym?

There are already suggested weight bearing exercises up on the walls. A specific weight

programme cannot be suggested as it is down to the fitness of the individual.

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GODDARD - Uniform and other

Could girls wear trainer socks? No, as it is part of the uniform policy which is in place to ensure students look smart. The policy specifies that ankle socks are required and this remains unchanged.

Can we get rid of all online textbooks and replace them with physical books? The school is working on this, but there are a few issues slowing

progress. Because all the GCSE and A level syllabus’s have

changed, we are still waiting to get many new textbooks. Hard

copies are also very expensive.

Can we have more computer spaces in the library or open up another computer room at lunch? Whilst the library cannot unfortunately hold any more

computer spaces, opening up a different computer suite

is definitely feasible - but it does depend on staffing.

It is being looked into.

GODDARD - Education

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Can House Trampolining be introduced in the place of House

Sailing?

We cannot take out sailing as there is a sailing club run by parents

who are very keen for pupils to be involved. Also with regards to I

ntroducing House Trampolining, there is very little extra time for

house events as timescales are very tight already. There would be

issues in finding available staff and getting enough interest from

pupils. It may be too specialist.

GODDARD - Houses

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GRANT - School Site & Facilities

Could there be more electricity

plugs in the Sixth form area for

plugging in laptops?

This is being looked into.

Could the ceilings in some of the older

classrooms (particularly history class-

rooms) be fixed?

Yes, this will be done soon.

Could there be a sheltered

outside area for sixth formers?

This is currently being investigated.

Could all the clocks be fixed or have the batteries replaced?

There has been an audit to find out where clocks are missing or not working

and they will be replaced or fixed as necessary.

Could there be more accessibility to showers after

sports? Maybe having a separate area for showers from

the changing rooms?

The showers are accessible and it would be too expensive

to redesign the changing rooms.

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GRANT - Sports, Clubs & Extra Curriculum

Can girls wear plain black leggings in lower school? At this point in time, no. Girls must wear shorts or skorts in PE lessons. However leggings for year 11 is under review.

Can a dance team be put

in place?

There is already an annual

dance competition that St

George’s enters but in

recent years student

interest has unfortunately

been too low to compete.

Can there be a boys lacrosse team?

If the demand and interest is registered to the PE department then this can be explored further.

GRANT - Catering

Can the 6th form have a microwave? This has been ordered and will be installed soon.

Can those with a packed lunch skip the queue? They could be allowed

to go to the front of the

year group, but beyond

that, no. Moving to the

front of the queue would

not be popular with

pupils having School

lunch.

Can 6th form have more hot puddings, like the dining hall? Yes, this has already been implemented.

Can there be better accessibility to the water jugs in 6th form? They need to remain where they are as it is easy to clean up any spillages and it is the easiest place for refilling the jugs.

Can we have new, cleaner cutlery for the Dining Hall? Cutlery is lost so often that we cannot afford to purchase any more, but the cleanliness will be worked on.

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GRANT - Education

Can year 7 and 8 have longer PSE and drama rotations? At the moment this runs on a 7 week rotation that is shorter for year 8. Whilst ideally this should be longer, there is only so much time in the curriculum, therefore this won’t change.

Can we have some sort of GCSE and A level trial week or trial class?

This is going to happen and already this year, year

12 students are going to be talking to year 11’s

about what different subjects are like. We will also

look into some kind of lunchtime mock A level and

GCSE class that could give students a taste of the

subject before they choose. This could also possibly

be implemented into Activities Week later down the

line.

Can the year 12’s and year 7’s have a longer mentoring booklet? This is being looked into and can

definitely happen.

GRANT - Uniform and other

Can we take our coats off once we are inside

the classroom instead of inside the building?

Coats off is just a standard regulation and will

remain so.

Can printer credits be stored

and bought by student finger

scan in the library?

This can certainly be looked into.

Can colour printing be an option in 6th form? No, unfortunately this cannot happen as colour printing is very expensive.

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GRANT - Houses

Can House Cooking be re-introduced as it was previously a very popular

event?

Unfortunately it takes up too much lesson time so it cannot be brought back in its

usual form.

The Sixth form are not allowed to compete in

events such as badminton, tennis and rounders.

Could they be allowed to compete?

If they are not on study leave, or absent at the time of

the event, and there is enough interest from pupils to

be involved then this can certainly be looked into.

Many events though do already have a category for

seniors to take part in.

Can improvised events

be reintroduced as

they were previously

very popular?

Unfortunately they take

up too much lesson time

so they cannot be

brought back.

In Friday 5 there are often talks, but many pupils would find

it more beneficial to be able to work during this time. Is it

possible for the number of Tutorbase talks to be

reduced?

The Exam Preparation Program for Year 11 is needed to

prepare them for their exams so that certainly cannot be

removed. As well as this, the sixth form talks are necessary as

there is no other formal teaching of, for example, PSE. The talks

are often therefore necessary for development.

We will continue to monitor Friday 5 to ensure that it is

balanced.

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MONK - School Site & Facilities

Could there be more seating in the sixth

form area?

There is no more room in the common room,

but a shelter for outdoors is currently being

investigated.

Could there be more water fountains around school? Especially one in

Grant Quad?

Yes, there is a possibility for a water fountain in Grant Quad which we will

look into. Water fountains are very expensive though so the actual number of

water fountains may not increase.

Can there be fish in the pond by the science

block?

Unfortunately not as when there were fish in the

pond they ate all the tadpoles!

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MONK - Catering

Can we have new, cleaner cutlery for the Dining Hall? Cutlery is lost so often that we cannot justify the cost to purchase any more. We will, however, look at the cleanliness issue and work on it.

Can we have paper cups for the

Dining Hall?

No cups at all are allowed in the

Dining Hall as it is just too

expensive. We suggest that

students bring in their own water

bottles.

Can themed lunches occur more often?

Yes, we can look into it and would like some pupil suggestions!

Can Paninis be added to the

menu?

On Thursday, a form of hot sand-

wiches could be made available,

but there already is a wide variety

of foods.

Can there be less oil in the pasta? There should not be an excess, it is used so that the pasta doesn't stick together, but this will be looked at.

Can the packaging for foods be reduced, so that there isn't as much litter? Minimal packaging is already used and the packaging is done by the supplier, not the school.

Can the number of tills be increased? This is a huge cost, but we are looking into adding one more till.

Can the fruit be split up due to those with

allergies?

There is a space issue with this, but it will be looked into.

Those who are allergic can always ask a member of

catering staff to get them a piece of fruit from the kitchen.

Can the menu for Janice’s be fixed on the screen?

This is being worked on and the menu is also on the

website.

Can the Dining Hall have an increased number of snacks for break time?

This is not allowed as it is against school policy. When this happened before, pupils were not

eating lunch.

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MONK - Sports, Clubs & Extra Curriculum

Can the basketball nets outside the Old Gym be replaced? There is no damage to the nets or any need to replace them.

Can girls have a basketball team and club?

There is a basketball club after school on a Friday that girls are

more than welcome to participate in. If there are enough girls to

form a team then that will be looked into.

MONK - Education

People are getting grade three on their pro-gress reports and yet no teacher comments, can this be changed? Yes, we do agree that you should get a comment

with a grade three so this is being implemented.

Can overnight prep be stopped? We try hard to avoid this but it will happen with Maths due to there being no alternative timetable-wise. Certainly in years 9 and below, Maths should be the only subject with overnight prep, but you can speak to your tutor about this issue.

Can we have more creativity in les-sons?

Of course this varies with the subject and

the teacher you have, so it is not possible

to include an element of creativity in all

lessons. The aim of the timetable is to offer

a creative experience over a whole week,

instead of each subject and we do feel that

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MONK - Houses

There are some events that girls are not able to compete in. Can girls be allowed to compete in the same events as boys? Currently, although not all events can be competed in by boys and girls, there are many equivalent events. For example the boys play basketball and the girls play netball. However, if there are any events where one can compete without the other and there is no equivalent event this can certainly be looked into.

Some Houses do Tutorbase led Assemblies which are very popular and others have done it in the past but not now. Can they be introduced in all houses? Some houses do this more than others. It is up to the Head of House as to whether these are run or not and require discussion in the individual Houses.

Can House Trampolining be introduced?

There is very little extra time for House events as it is such

tight timescales already. There would be issues of available

staff and interest from pupils as it may be too specialist an

event. However, if a plan can be organised it can be

investigated.

MONK - Uniform and other

Can we have more non-uniform days?

The Headmaster has a set number of days for non-uniform. He only wants three

in the school calendar because non-uniform days create disruption to learning

and too much excitement.

Can boys/girls uniform look more similar?

Boys and girls have a distinctive uniform for a reason which is to make the school stand out. The girls uniform has been improved to match the boys in smartness and are now believed to be on par.

Can girls wear minimal makeup? The rule is no make-up and will remain so. If it can’t be seen though it isn’t a problem.

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WATTS - School Site & Facilities

Could the benches in the Goddard layby be fixed or

replaced?

This is already underway as new benches have been

purchased and will be installed soon.

Could locks be put on the Tech block toilet doors?

Yes, they will be installed soon.

Could all the clocks be fixed or

have their batteries replaced?

There has already been an audit to

find out where clocks are missing or

broken and they will be replaced or

fixed as necessary.

Could the lights be fixed in the Drama Studio? Yes the flickering light in the Drama Studio will be replaced soon.

Could there be more shelves available for lockers?

Yes, we will need to carry out an audit as to how many are missing and then

some more can be ordered in.

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WATTS - Catering

Can there be better accessibility to the water jugs in the sixth form? We are attempting to install a water machine but the plumbing in the sixth form is difficult; the site manager is looking into it.

Can there be a salad bar at Janice’s? There isn’t any room for a salad bar unfortunately. The quality of the salads has improved with the new supplier and there are ample options available for the space we have. As the weather improves, the amount of salads will increase.

Can we have a deluxe hot chocolate in Janice’s with cream and marshmallows? Yes, this will be introduced!

Can we have water jugs in the dining hall, or have the ability to buy bottled water?

Due to the possible mess we cannot have water jugs, but yes, you will soon be able to buy bottled water.

WATTS - Sports, Clubs & Extra Curriculum

Can there be a girls rugby club/team?

After school on a Monday, a coach from Harpenden

Rugby Club comes in and runs training sessions for

years 7,8,9,10.

Can there be more refreshments after weekend Rugby fixtures? Refreshments are already provided when teams come from further away but their availability will increase in the spring term.

Can there be team building activities in PE? In years 10-11 the PE department already offer this in the form of the adventure activities option in PE lessons.

Can sandwiches be saved for late-comers in the dining hall? We will review the levels of sandwiches to see if this is possible.

Can the PE bibs be washed? New bibs have just been bought for the girls at a large expense. The bibs are also washed on a regular basis but better treatment of the bibs would keep them in better condition!

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WATTS - Education

Can we have clarification of the phone rule and could it be made more universal? In our prep books there is a page stating the up-to-date phone rule. It is up to the teacher, however, whether or not you can use your phone in class but it needs to be for an educational reason. Please look carefully at your Prep book.

Can teachers not change prep days? Prep days should not be changed unless in extreme situations. There is a published Prep rota. You can speak to your tutor should it happen to you.

WATTS - Uniform and other

Can jackets/blazers become optional in the

summer?

Students are encouraged to bring jackets to

school and this will remain compulsory as the

weather is so changeable. However, when

days are exceptionally hot, for example if

there is a heat wave, the school will issue a

notice giving permission for students to come

to school without jackets or ties.

Can boys wear round-neck jumpers? Boys are only allowed to wear V-neck jumpers. This is so that the tie is visible—which is part of uniform policy.

Is it only female staff that can inform girls about

their skirt length?

Every staff member has the duty of enforcing uniform regardless of gender. Every student is made aware of these uniform regulations. If you adhere to them, no-one will need to speak to you about your uniform.

Bring back the bells!? The bells were changed as an experiment. Since then, suggestions have been listened to and the morning, break and lunch bells have been re-introduced. Senior staff are happy to hear more suggestions but most people are happy with the new arrangements.

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WATTS - Houses

Can House Cooking be reintroduced as it was previously

a very popular event?

It takes up too much lesson time so unfortunately it cannot be

brought back in its usual form.

Can house debating be introduced?

It could, although we would have to consider

the issue of available staff and interest

generally from pupils. It has, however, been

run before. If there is a plan put in place and

there are willing staff and participants it

could be looked into. There is already a

debating club currently being run which

interested pupils can attend.

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Boarding

Would it be possible to introduce a mentoring system for younger boarders to help academically and socially in the boarding houses? Yes. Sixth formers can be allocated a younger boarder

to mentor. They can help with school work and general

issues if necessary.

The showers in Crosthwaite get dirty after

rugby practice/matches and it stays that

way until the next day (or Monday if it was

during the weekend). Can they be better

maintained?

Mr Timmins will consult the staff on duty and

ask them to monitor the state of the

showers regularly, particularly after those

practice sessions/matches.

The activities available to boarders on the weekends are limited and quite repetitive; can there be a wider range of activities and trips introduced? Yes. There will be a survey monkey for

boarders to suggest the activities they

would like to be introduced. Boarders can

also suggest these activities in their year

group meetings or talk to any of the staff.

There are limited opportunities for boarders to meet the Governors that manage the boarding houses and make decisions that affect them. What can be done about this?

There can be informal meetings organised, such as

Governors meeting boarders in their boarding houses

after school or during dinner. Photos of these

Governors can be put up in the boarding houses.

The boys are not allowed to wear earphones to listen to music during prep time but the girls are. What can be done about this?

Mr Timmins will clarify the

rules for the girls and may

introduce it as a privilege for

year 8s and above towards

the end of the school year.

The themed nights are popular and appreciated, is it possible to make them more frequent? Mr Timmins will consult with Mrs Minall

(the kitchen manager) and find out the

maximum frequency possible.

Most boarders love take-away but it is rarely an option for dinner. Can take-away nights be introduced? A system will be introduced

where one year group (boys

and girls) will have a take-away

night each half term!