School Day

Here at Herne Bay High School, our day is usually split into six fifty-five minute periods with a 10-minute mentoring session at the beginning and end of every day; on a Wednesday our day has five forty-five minute periods.

Throughout the school day a student will be electronically registered 8 times

Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday:

08:00	Restaurant open for breakfast service
08:35	Assembly / Mentor Time
08:45	Period 1
09:40	Period 2
10:35	Morning Break
10:55	Period 3
11:50	Period 4
12:45	Lunch Break
13:25	Period 5
14:20	Period 6
15:10	Mentor Time
15:20	End of the School Day Students are dismissed between 15:20 and 15:25
	Extra curricular activities will be available until 16:30

Wednesday

08:00	Restaurant open for breakfast service
08:35	Assembly / Mentor Time
08:45	Period 1
09:30	Period 2
10:15	Period 3
11:00	Morning Break
11:20	Period 4
12:05	Period 5
12:50	Students are dismissed at 12:50, 13:30 or 15:00 depending what parents have notified the school

From the start of the 2019 academic year in September, the school moved to a two-week timetable for students, along with the above changes to timings of the school day.

We invite you to watch this short video, during which Mr Boyes outlines the changes and what they mean for students and parents.

The new structure of the school day

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

• Morning mentor time/Assembly will start promptly at 08:35 - students arriving after 08:40 will be marked as LATE
• There will be two lessons at 55 minutes each, followed by morning break
• There will then be two lessons at 55 minutes each, followed by lunch
• In the afternoon, there will be one lesson at 55 minutes and one lesson at 50 minutes; followed by afternoon mentor time, which will run from 15:10 - 15:20 (The formal end of the school day is 15:25; students are dismissed between 15:20 and 15:25)
• Period 7 will run as normal from 15:20-16:00

Wednesday

• In line with the rest of the week, morning mentor time/Assembly will start at 08:35; with students arriving at 08:40 being marked as LATE
• There will be three lessons at 45 minutes each, followed by morning break (hot food will be available)
• There will then be two lessons at 45 minutes each, after which students have a choice of options:
  • After period 5 finishes at 12:50, students can go home
  • Students can remain in school to eat lunch, then go home at 13:30
  • Students can remain in school, in a supervised learning environment until 15:00

Parents will need to notify the school of normal student preferences for Wednesday afternoon; this preference can be changed, but parents will need to notify the school of the change.

What do these changes mean for students and parents?

There will be slightly less mentor time for students each week; however, students will receive 25 minutes more teacher-led lesson time each week.

Students are expected to be at school on time and students arriving after 08:40 will be marked as late and receive appropriate behaviour sanctions.

There will be no reduction in the provision of after-school clubs and activities.

Certain year groups will be able to receive extra support on a Wednesday afternoon to prepare for GCSE and A-Level exams; plus there will be the opportunity for the school to offer extra support and interventions to certain students on occasions during the year.

Why did we make these changes

These changes enable us to provide a better quality of education to every student that attends Herne Bay High.

• Teachers have increased planning time, which results in students receiving higher quality lessons
• The school is able to ensure staff receive more training time to improve their classroom and professional practice.
• Parent consultations, open evenings and other school events that happen on Wednesdays do not cause disruption to the school day.
• We are able to expand our work in partnership with other local schools
• In addition to the increased taught lesson time; certain students are able to receive extra support and interventions to aid their learning and preparation for public exams.

The Two Week Timetable

Students follow a two weel timetable here at Herne Bay High. Following a 'Week A' and 'Week B' structure; there are definite changes to each week and lessons may not happen at the same time on consecutive weeks.

This ensures we are able to continue to offer the same broad and balanced curriculum that is already available to every student at Herne Bay High. There is less chance of split classes and the school is able to include curriculum areas that are important to whole child development, eg PSHE in all year groups.
In addition, we are able to increase curriculum time for PE; balance the needs of Dance/Drama and Sport; whilst ensuring that core subjects see students every day with most subject areas receiving more curriculum time than at present.

What does this mean for students and parents?

Students need to be well organised to ensure they are prepared for the school day. This includes knowing which week of the timetable is currently running and ensuring that homework is completed on time and the correct equipment (including PE kit) is brought to school on the correct day.