The School Day

Most students arrive on site some time after 8:45 am, with registration at 9:00 am and lessons beginning at 9:15. There are 5 lessons in the school day-

Period 1: 9:15 - 10:15
Period 2: 10:15 - 11:15
Period 3: 11:35 - 12:35
Period 4: 1:35 - 2:35
Period 5: 2:45 - 3:45

There is a break between periods 2 and 3, during which students can buy snacks, sandwiches and drinks. Lunchtime is between periods 3 and 4. There is a hot canteen selling a variety of meals as well as a sandwich bar where students can purchase sandwiches and other cold food. Students may bring food from home if they wish. There is a short registration after lunch. There are a number of vending machines on site that are accessible all day. Students should not be using these during lessons, or between Periods 1 and 2.

Tutors

Every student in the school is part of a tutor group. Their tutor keeps track of the student's progress and attendance, and is the first port of call when there is a problem. For the majority of Lower school lessons, students will learn with the other members of their tutor group and are encouraged to look out for each other. Every day, students register twice with their tutor, who keeps them informed of what is going on in the school. As well as this, every Wednesday period 3 is a PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education Lesson) which in lower school helps broaden the students' awareness of the world around them and in upper school is used to help prepare them for the future, covering topics like work experience and higher education.

Houses

Each tutor group, excepting the sixth form, is part of one of six houses- Oak, Rowan, Cedar, Maple, Alder and Willow. This helps to build an even stronger school community, with house sporting events and competitions. The head of house is also involved in supporting and guiding the students.

Assemblies

These take place in the main hall during morning registration and are grouped by year. The days assemblies will be run are announced in the school bulletin and all students are expected to attend their year's assemblies. Assemblies cover a wide range of subjects, often touching on moral issues. They are also a valuable chance to keep the students informed with current events, both inside the school and in the world around us.

Lessons

The details of the courses in different years of the school can be found in the courses section of this site, but some things apply to all of them. Students are expected to bring the equipment they will require to the lesson, a great deal of which can be purchased in the school shop for very reasonable prices. Lockers are also provided. Most subjects will set at least one homework a week, increasing and growing in importance as the student progresses through the school. In upper school and the sixth form, homework is set to compliment the examined syllabuses. The library is available at lunchtimes and a number of nights after school for students who wish to use the resources. A number of the IT suites are also kept open in this way. If a student has difficulty with their homework, they are encouraged to talk to their teacher before the handing in date for help, advice or an extension if needed.

Information & Communication Technology

Most subjects will encourage the use of ICT in some way, and the ICT lessons give our students skills which will can be usefully applied to their other subjects, ranging from word processing and spread sheets to researching topics using the Internet. There are 8 ICT labs on the main site, all of which give students access to the world wide web. The ICT labs are also equipped with a Smart Board, allowing the teachers and students to run presentations and demonstrations on a large interactive display board. The Internet access is protected to prevent students from viewing inappropriate material and all attempts to access such sites are logged so that action can be taken to prevent deliberate misuse. The school also operates an internal Intranet, providing a wide range of resources as well as discussion groups and student e-mail accounts. Each student has their own user area on the network where they can store their work and other documents. These are password protected for privacy. The art department also has a number of computers running powerful graphics programs, giving our students access to software like Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop that they may not have access to at home. In addition to this, we have an number of on site technicians on hand to help students with any computer problems they come across.

Outside Lessons

As well as the main dining areas, almost the entire school is accessible to students during break times. Each tutor group has a Tutor Base room where they can socialize and there is also a whole school common room. A number of enrichment activities are run during lunchtime as well as there being full access to IT1. The Sixth Form have their own areas to socialize in breaks, more details of which can be found in the Sixth Form section. At the end of the school day, a number of buses are run for students living too far away from the school to walk.

Uniform and Policies

Belper School does not enforce a school uniform, although there is a dress code to prevent student attending in offensive or inappropriate clothing.