WELCOME
Your Headteachers - Mr R Prime & Mr D Lowbridge-Ellis
WE LOOK FORWARD
TO MEETING YOU
A warm welcome to Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School! You are now officially part of the ‘DEC family’. We hope our virtual induction package will provide you with all the information you need.
You will see from the transition package we are providing that you could not be in a better place when it comes to the best teachers and an excellent curriculum. Our school is a good school, where traditional values are important: discipline, uniform, courtesy, good
manners and mutual respect underpin day to day life for pupils, parents and staff. We expect a lot of everyone, and make no apology for our high expectations.
We aim to achieve the very best results from every single pupil to allow them to proceed into adulthood as confident, well-qualified young people, with a strong sense of self-discipline, and able to establish and maintain positive relationships with others from all walks of life.
We are a strict school and have a no-nonsense approach to behaviour so that everyone can learn in an environment that is free from disruption. Equally as important though, we are a warm, caring school where you will always be properly looked after.
It will not be long now until you walk through the gates for the first time. We are hoping to have some time in September where only our new Year 7s are on site so you can become familiar with everything about your new school, before the older pupils return. As ever, the first day may be a little nerve wracking (but that is completely normal and to be expected). After a couple of hours, we know you
will feel at home and you will be into your secondary school stride in no time!
As you start to think about leaving Primary school and the move to Secondary school, you should remember why you chose DEC. In brief, these are our values and our expectations:
Respect
You will be expected to show respect and to be treated with respect at all times.
Aspire
We expect you to want to be the best you can be. You should be proud of having high expectations of yourself, for wanting big things for your future and for wanting to grow up into a successful adult.
Believe
You can only achieve your true potential if you believe in yourself. Ignore and distance yourself from any negativity. Be around people who inspire and encourage you. Believe that if you work hard enough, anything is possible.
Commit
Hard work beats talent. We will show you this throughout all of your time at DEC and we expect everyone to invest in their future. This means we expect you to do your best and put in 100% to all that you do. We do not mind if you get things wrong, we do mind if do not try your best.
Admissions Information Forms
You will be able to fill in our essential information forms in this section of the website. Below you will find three links that will take you to fill in a digital form. Ensure you complete each form.
Uniform Expectations
Dress for Success
What Will I Learn?
You will study a varied and exciting curriculum. Click the button below to see what you will be learning about in each subject. In addition to your subjects, some pupils will have extra literacy, numeracy and spelling support. You will be set weekly homework for all core subjects. Other subjects will set termly projects.
House System
When you start school you will be placed into a ‘House’. This will be like your family at school and your Head of House will monitor all of your successes and any areas you might struggle with.
They will contact home to discuss ways in which we can work together to ensure that you achieve your best.
If you have any worries on a day to day basis, you will be able to talk to your Form Tutor who will work with your Head of House to help you resolve the problem.
Lunchtime
All of Year 7 have lunch at the same time so you will be able to see your friends.
If you want to buy a cooked meal which could include a meal deal, pasta or a hot panini you can buy this from the Canteen. Meal Deals typically cost £2.00 and include a drink. You will need money on your Wisepay account to buy any at break.
If you bring a packed lunch or want to buy a sandwich, you will dine in the Hall.
Members of Leadership are on duty every lunch time to help if you have any questions.
Breaktime
At school you will have a 20 minute break in the morning from 11.10 am to 11.30 am. You can socialise with friends in the playground. If you want to buy food, you can purchase and eat refreshments in the canteen.
Are You Free School Meals Eligible
Find out if you are Free School Meals eligible and apply here.
Using Your Planner
On your first day you will be issued with a planner.
You will use this to:
- Record a copy of your personal timetable.
- Make a note of any homework that has been set and when it is due.
- Show your parents/carers what work is being set and pass messages to your Form Tutor.
- Record any detentions that might be set.
- Record any Catch Ups or Redo sessions with your teachers.
Your parents/carers will sign your planner every week to show that they have seen all of your homework and to confirm that you have passed on any messages. All planners and equipment are expected to be placed on the table during lesson time.
You will also be able to collect commendations in your planner to earn rewards. Teachers will issue you with a red sticker when you have worked really hard or when you have produced an excellent piece of work.
Members of Leadership will give out silver commendations and the Headteacher, will give out gold commendations. As soon as you have filled a page you can take your planner to your Head of House who will give you the reward certificate. At each level you’ll also be able to claim a reward pin to wear on your blazer.
Become an Ambassador
At Dame Elizabeth Cadbury school, we think it is absolutely crucial that our students have the right and freedom to be who they are without fear. Every single member of our staff is committed to making sure our school community is supportive and safe for our students. As such we make it very clear that we are a telling school. If someone does or says something that upsets or hurts anyone in our school community it is your responsibility to tell someone, either a teacher, prefect or ambassador.
We have a number of ambassador groups to support our school community that students right from Year 7 can become involved in. Below are just a few examples of how we support our students and how you can get involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should arrive at school by 8.35am each day. You can only enter the site via the main gate on Woodbrooke Road. The school gates will close at 8.40am if you are late, one of the Assistant Heads of House, or a member of Leadership will be on the late gate and will speak to you. If you are late, you will receive a late detention which is held at breaktime on the same day. If you don’t attend this, you will be given another detention after school.
Once you are on the school site, you can go to the playground or to the canteen. You could arrange to meet a friend but if you do not know anyone else, do not worry. There will be lots staff about who are keen to meet you. They will welcome you to reassure you and guide you, especially in the first few days as you get to know new faces.
You need to be at your form room by 8.40am.
It is best practice to catch the bus that will get you into school with plenty of time to spare. Do not risk being late by catching a bus that just gets you in before 8.35 am. If you do miss your bus, do not worry - get the next bus. Let your parents/carers know too so that they can contact school and let us know. If you arrive at school after the gates have closed, go straight to the main gate, press the buzzer and then a member of staff from reception will let you in. You should go straight to your House office to sign in.
Making a checklist of things you will need each day when you start will help you to be organised. It is useful to check your bag each day before you leave too but sometimes we forget things. If you leave your packed lunch at home, you should go to your House Office where someone will be able to help you.
If you do not bring your kit, you will be given kit from the PE department to wear. This is not optional. Your PE kit should be one of the things on your checklist for the evening before PE lessons. You will receive a negative and detention for not bringing your kit.
When you first start with us, we know that you will be getting used to the timetable so staff may make allowances if you forget your kit in the first week or so.
It's normal to feel worried about making big changes like starting a new school or meeting new friends but don't worry. Everyone in Year 7 is in the same situation. If you do feel nervous, you should talk to your Form Tutor who you will see every day during registration. They will be able to give you some strategies to cope with the nerves that we get when we start something new.
You can also talk to your Head of House, Assistant Head of House and your House PA. You will also have Prefects attached to your form group who will want to listen and help.
You should make sure that you pay attention when your teacher is setting your homework so that you get all of the details you need recording in your planner.
Sometimes, even though we try, we do not always understand our homework when we get home. If this happens, you should go and see your teacher as soon as you can but definitely before the work is due to be handed in. If you do not complete your homework properly, your teacher might ask you to attend “Progress Club” where you will be able to get some support with the homework.
We also offer “homework club”. At the homework club, you will find help and encouragement too. We will let you know which room homework club will be in when you start in September.
Avoid leaving homework until the last minute. That is often when problems occur.
The best way to avoid this is to pack your bag each evening before school so that you are ready for the next day and you do not have any distractions before you leave the house.
If you do forget to bring your homework, you need to go and speak to your teacher before the lesson. Do not wait until it is due to be handed it in.
We understand that you will be adjusting to life at secondary school for the first week or two, but repeat failure to hand in homework will result in detentions being issued and you may also go onto a report.
You will have a timetable that you will write into your planner that will include 5 lessons each day. Every day you will need your stationery and you will need the books and homework for the lessons of the day. It’s a good idea to pack and check your bag against your planner the night before school.
Do not bring every book you have every day because that is a lot of books to carry. It is a good idea to keep a box at home where you store your books so that they do not get lost when you take them out of your bag.
You will have PE each week. You must remember to wash your kit ready for the next week so that it is clean and fresh. When you are deciding on which school bag to buy ready for September make sure you consider being able to fit your PE kit, your books and even your lunch in at the same time.
You can wear a coat to school but you are not allowed to wear coats in the school building. You will be directed to remove it as soon as you enter a building. Make sure that all of your possessions are labelled with your name. If you lose something, check the classrooms that you have been in, your House office and/or Reception to see if it has been handed in.
Any lost property is handed in to one of the House Offices or Reception. It is always worth retracing your steps so that you visit the rooms that you have been in before you realised that your item was not with you. Make sure that you label everything with your name and then it can be easily returned to you if it is found.
You can buy snacks and drinks from the canteen at break time. You can eat the items that you buy in there. Food should only be consumed in the canteen or the hall, you cannot eat outside.
At lunch you stay in the canteen or hall to eat your lunch sitting quietly with your friends. If you need the toilet, ask a member of Leadership to leave the room. Staff will dismiss you at the end of lunch to allow you to get to lessons on time.
Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School is both a “telling school” and a “listening school”, and we encourage you to tell us if something or someone is bothering you. You can tell your Form Tutor who you will see every morning or you can report issues to your Head of House too.
Do not keep things bottled up; share them and we can help to sort problems out.
Yes. We encourage pupils to bring their bikes to school to help them to stay healthy. We encourage pupils to bring their bikes to school to help them to keep healthy. We have bike shelters where you can lock up your bike. You must provide your own lock. We expect you to wear a helmet, use lights, and ride safely. You should use cycle paths when riding to and from school if they are available. You are not allowed to ride your bike on-site; you must only push your bike when you are on school site.
You are able to drink water in lessons in all classrooms except for the Science labs and computer rooms. Make sure to bring a refillable bottle with you each day, as we have water filters around school where you can fill up your bottles. You cannot leave lessons to fill up your bottles so you need to make sure that you refill your bottle at break and lunchtime.
Energy drinks, fizzy drinks and glass bottles are not allowed on school site. They will be confiscated if they are seen. No eating is permitted in lessons.
Your timetable will have a staff code and your Form Tutor will tell the names of your teachers. You will then write these into your planner. A good idea is to write these in pencil, then if you make a mistake or there is a change to your timetable, you can amend this easily. All of your teachers will introduce themselves to you but if you forget, all you need to do is ask them to remind you of their name. Remember, they will be learning everyone’s names too.
Popular Pages
Contact Info
Woodbrooke Road, Birmingham,
West Midlands B30 1UL
Contact Number: 0121 464 4040
enquiry@decschool.co.uk
Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
