Parent Information

During the summer holidays we offer new students a voluntary opportunity to join us for a week of Summer School. The Summer School will take place onsite at Longdean from 19 to 23 August 2024 and will provide students with an opportunity to meet other students from their form groups and take part in fun activities such as interactive science workshops, sports, fun geography sessions, transition preparation and more. 

Students who attended Summer School last year said that it was great fun and that they made lots of new friends before starting school in September. This is especially important for those students who may be feeling particularly anxious about starting secondary school. 

Whilst the week is subsidised by Longdean, we may ask parents for a small contribution. Parents of successful applicants to Longdean will be sent a detailed letter with further information.  

Prior to the summer holidays, Longdean staff will visit students in their primary schools. At this visit, students will be given information about some tasks for them to complete over the summer holidays.  

The tasks may include a reading assessment using our Reading Plus tool and some fun, practical tasks for you to work on over the summer. The purpose of these tasks is to provide Longdean with information about your child before they join us in September.

At Longdean, school uniform plays a key role in promoting pride, self-confidence and a feeling of belonging to the school community. These factors contribute to students’ wellbeing and remove the pressures of deciding what to wear and added stress of meeting the fashion expectations of their peers. 

Uniform can be purchased from the Marks and Spencers or Stevensons websites. PE kit can be purchased from Peter Spiveys.

Click here to see a detailed list of the Longdean uniform and PE kit required. 

Students are asked to come in to school in their PE kit on days that they have a PE lesson, so take that into consideration when deciding how much uniform you may require. 

All items should be clearly marked with the student’s name and form.  If your child loses anything in school, then this should be reported to their Form Tutor as soon as possible. Students can check at Student Services, which is in Reception, to see whether it has been handed in.  Items that are clearly named will be returned to your child.

Each student needs to bring the following items which are essential: 

• A school bag to carry books (a rucksack is a popular choice)
• A pencil case containing blue or black pens, a green pen, HB pencils, coloured pencils, eraser, pencil sharpener, 300mm ruler, a pair of compasses and a protractor. 

The following are available to purchase from the school shop: 

• Stationery packs containing all basic equipment of pen, pencils, ruler, rubber, coloured pencils, compass, protractor, set square and glue stick
• Scientific calculator (sufficient to GCSE standard)
• Art equipment in the form of sketch pads and materials 

Please note that the School will not be liable for any loss, damage or theft, however caused, to personal property whilst on, or off the Longdean School site. Please ensure that any personal property is covered by your household or other insurance policy. Valuables (for example mobile phones, music players etc.) are brought into school at the owner’s risk.  Musical instruments are also the responsibility of the owner and again should be covered by your household, or other insurance policy.

Students are expected to pay for any damage that they may cause to school property, furniture or equipment.

Year 7 have an annual 'transition day' to kick start their Longdean journey which is a day in school with no other year groups on site. On this day students are expected to arrive at school from 8.15am where they are met outside the main school building by the Year 7 team and taken to the hall for an assembly at 8:30am. Students are expected to be in full uniform and to come equipped for the day, including a reading book. Parents will have already been informed about which House their child is in and can therefore purchase the correct tie in preparation for their first day.

During the Transition Day students will spend time with their form tutor and tutor group and take part in some tasks to get to know the school and find out about life at Longdean. Students may also complete their biometrics registration. 

Students receive a free breaktime snack and lunchtime meal on this day, however they can bring a packed lunch if they prefer. Students are also required to bring a drink with them for the day. The day finishes at 3:10pm.

Students will have a school photo taken within the first two weeks of starting and parents will be able to purchase the school photo during the first half term.

The school timetable runs on a two weekly rotation and students follow a Week A and Week B timetable. The school day starts with morning registration at 8.30am and ends after period 5 at 3.10pm.

A typical Year 7 school day runs as follows:

Years 7 and 8 follow the same timetable and Years 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 run on a slightly different timetable. This helps to reduce the number of students in communal areas during break, lunch and in between lessons.

Below is a sample timetable and each period on the table details the subject (yellow), the teacher (green, using three initials and a key at the bottom), the class code (blue) and the location (pink). Please note, the below timetable is an introduction to the format and students will be taught how to read their individual timetable when they join us in September.

Longdean School offers the opportunity to participate in a laptop lease scheme (1:1 Device Scheme) which enables families to provide a laptop specifically for their child without the upfront costs, which can be used in school and at home.  Use of the devices in school is as directed by teachers for use in lessons to enhance learning. 

For full details please see the School Laptop Scheme page

You can refer to the checklist below to help you prepare for your child starting with us in September.

To complete the registration forms, you will require access to our Operoo site. You will receive an invite to register for this soon after allocation day on 1 March. 

• Complete the following registration forms online:
  • Pre-admission form
  • Student Information form
  • Biometric consent form
  • Home School Agreement and Responsible ICT Use form
  • Consent for Local Trips and Visits
  • Digital Likeness Consent form
  • School Dog Consent form
  • Register an interest for a school locker (optional)
  • Register an interest for Summer School
• Download school Apps (including Go4Schools, Show My Homework, Operoo) 
• Order school uniform (including the correct house tie - you'll find out your child's house around June time)
• Read about our STEM/Performing Arts Pathways and discuss applying with your child (optional). The application forms for this will be shared in July.
• Ensure your son/daughter completes the summer holidays task
• Make sure your child has an appropriate school bag and the required stationery
• Ensure your child brings a book to school every day for DEAR
• Make sure your child has some money on their account for purchasing items from the canteen

The school produces a fortnightly newsletter, which is sent to parents via email. It can also be viewed on the school website in the News and Events section.

Please find links below to printable forms and letters related to your child's transition to Longdean.

Follow Us Poster 

Welcome Letter

Coffee Events Letter