Local Buses
Students and parents should note that the bus services which operate to and from the school are public routes and are not under contract to the school. We therefore have no control over their timings, punctuality or routes.
At present the 16 and 16a services operated by Hedingham Buses stop outside the school in the morning and afternoon. Timetables for these routes can be found on the Hedingham website, here.
Students may also walk into the town where a full range of bus services and routes are available. Discounts are available for students regularly using the Arriva services from town. Please see https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/ss-hertsessex for more information on this discount scheme.
Essex County Council may provide eligible students with a bus pass. An application form can be obtained by emailing educationawards@essex.gov.uk or alternatively you can ring 0845 603 2200 and ask to speak to the Education Transport and Awards Team for further information.
Cycling
Students who choose to cycle to school should enter and exit via the pedestrian exit and leave their bike in the covered area. They should also bring a lock for their bike, wear an appropriate safety helmet and have lights for the dark evenings.
Car
Sheepen Road gets very congested before and after school and parents are strongly advised not to pick-up or drop-off students directly outside the school. The school car park must also not be used a drop-off or pick-up point, other than for disabled users. Parking restrictions are in force on Sheepen Road and parents should take care to park away from the restricted areas and ensure that they are not impeding traffic.
The school supports the Clean Air for Colchester project and strongly encourages any parents who are waiting on Sheepen Road in their cars to ensure their engines are switched off.
The school gates are locked from 2.55pm until 3.15pm to protect pedestrians from crossing traffic.
On Foot
Students who walk to school should enter the school via the West entrance. They may exit using the West entrance or the Play Football path.
We expect all students to arrive at school properly equipped to learn. The following are our minimum expectations of what each student should bring:
Expected Items
- A school bag, large enough to hold A4 folders and books without folding
- Black pen (more than one is advised)
- Green pen for responding to marking
- HB pencil (a range of other grades may be useful)
- Pencil Sharpener
- Soft Rubber
- 30 cm Ruler
- Basic Geometry Set
- Scientific calculator
- English dictionary (provided by the school on induction day)
- Reading book (from home or the school library)
We also recommend that students bring a set of coloured pencils and, for those studying French, an Oxford/Collins French dictionary.
Mobile Phones
We appreciate that mobile phones are useful for safety on the way to and from school, but they must be switched off and stored safely whilst students are on school premises.
Phones and other devices should not be used in school at any time.
If it is necessary to confiscate a mobile phone or device, parents may be telephoned and asked to collect it from the main school office.
The school accepts no responsibility for the safety and security of any mobile telephones, tablets, laptops or any other such devices that a student brings on to the school premises.
All our students can take advantage of freshly cooked, nutritional food which is prepared daily in school and served by a committed, enthusiastic and caring catering team. We have adopted the Government’s food based and nutrient based standards for the school meals. To ensure compliance we follow recipes prepared by Essex County Council and put on the dishes the students like best in a balanced menu.
The menu changes on a regular basis to give a good variety of meals suiting all tastes, but always including a traditional main meal with vegetables, a vegetarian choice, pasta with sauces and jacket potatoes. There are always sandwiches, rolls and wraps available and a selection of hot Grab and Go items, e.g. pizza slices, bacon rolls and hot wraps.
Menus & Prices
Cashless Catering
We have introduced a biometric catering system to enable the students to be served more efficiently and quickly. There will be no exchange of money and queues will be kept to a minimum. The biometric system ensures complete confidentiality for students entitled to free school meals.
Its verification is unique to the system at St Helena School, so the biometric data could not be taken and used in other systems.
The system ensures greater security as students no longer need to carry cash around school on a daily basis. It also ensures money provided by parents to pay for school meals is used only for that purpose. Payment is made via ParentPay (internet payment). Terminals are available in the school reception for parents who do not have access at home. Parents can track what their child has had to eat with a full report produced by the Catering Manager on request, and can also view students’ payments and purchases and daily balance via their ParentPay account. A daily spend limit can be added to students’ accounts enabling parents to control their child’s spending.
As part of a healthy school it is important to consider the food that our students eat at during the day.
Below are some images and links that can be used to help create a healthy approach.
Packed Lunches
Students have access to seated areas in our canteen and gym, where they can eat food they have brought to school. There are also a range of outside areas and covered seating where students can eat.
Click on the links below for more information about healthy foods for lunchboxes:
All parent evening events have been completed for the Year 2023/24
- Year 7 – Thursday, 12 June 2025
- Year 8 – Thursday, 8 May 2025
- Year 9 – Thursday, 6 February 2025
- Year 10 – Thursday, 13 March 2025
- Year 11 – Thursday, 16 January 2025
St Helena School recognises that positive behaviour and good attendance are essential in order to raise standards of pupil attainment and to give every child/young person the best educational experience possible. Good attendance has a direct correlation with higher attainment, increased positive mental health and increased life chances to make a positive contribution to society post 16 education. The whole student is of key importance, so yes academic performance is important, but we also place student wellbeing at the heart of our school culture by educating our students on healthy life choices, offering inclusive opportunities so students thrive within extra curricular activities are of equal importance to nurture the whole student.
- We are committed to meeting our obligations with regards to school attendance by:
- Promoting good attendance and reducing absence, including persistent absence
- Ensuring every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled
- Acting early to address patterns of absence
We will also support parents to perform their legal duty to ensure their children of compulsory school age attend regularly, and will promote and support punctuality in attending lessons. The school will work in partnership with parents/carers and our young students to solve any attendance difficulties – please get in touch with the relevant Year team.
Attendance and holiday’s guidance
The news has highlighted the government’s stance to drive attendance back above pre-Covid levels. At St Helena our attendance is in the top 25% of schools nationally and I thank parents/carers for our partnership to ensure students attend every day, supporting students’ progress, well-being and belonging. Where attendance difficulties arise, please contact the relevant year teams as soon as possible. Please click on this link which highlights Essex County Council’s updated term time holiday guidance, with potential higher fines and court proceedings, which as a school we are directed to follow.
Punctuality
Details of the official school uniform are set out below:
The Governors and Staff expect that all students wear full school uniform. It helps students identify with the school and reduces tension at home about what is appropriate school wear.
Essential items which need to be purchased from our uniform suppliers
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| Other essential items which can be purchased from our uniform suppliers or other retailers.
These items do not need to have the school logo.
PE kit can be purchased from our uniform suppliers or other retailers
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Optional items
Hoodies, leather jackets and denim jackets are NOT permitted anywhere on the school site.
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Key advice:
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Additional guidance
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Second-hand uniform
The Essex Free School Uniform Project has been set up to provide new and used uniforms and other school items throughout the entire school year with the aim of alleviating the pressure on parents by helping with the cost of school uniform. Click here to visit their website for more information or email uniform@dnanetworks.org
If you need further help or advice please do not hesitate to contact our medical team here at St Helena School who will be happy to advise.
Should your child require medication to be administered during school hours please complete this Medical Consent Form. Please note that a separate form will be required for each medication.
If you have any questions regarding medical conditions your child may be suffering please click on the link below for the current NHS guidance on common childhood illnesses.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Here at St Helena School, we believe a three-way partnership between school staff, students and parents is key to a successful education. At the start of each academic year, we ask each party to sign our home-school agreement.
Our Home-School Agreement is a statement explaining St. Helena’s aims, values, policies and procedures, its responsibilities towards our students, the responsibilities of our students’ parents, and what’s expected of students.
Please find our home-school partnership agreement below.
