Dear Parents/Carers,
It has been an absolute delight to welcome all of our new Year 7 students into the academy today, I can confirm that they are all settling in well and enjoying the day so far. Now that the year has officially started, there are a few items which require your attention, as well as a few pieces of key information to support you and your child as they settle into life at LAB.
ParentPay
Leigh Academy Blackheath is a cashless school. Our e-payment system, ParentPay, is used to make payments such as dinners, trips, clubs, etc. ParentPay is a secure website and cash payments can be made at local stores where you see the PayPoint logo. It is not possible to set up the system until the first day of term, when your child is formally enrolled at the academy, so any food purchased today will be recharged to your account once it is activated. A separate email will be sent to you later today with your login details. Please set this up promptly so that your child can purchase food in the restaurant from next week.
MyChildAtSchool App
‘MyChildAtSchool’ – MCAS is a portal that enables parents to view their child’s academic performance in real-time via a web browser. By using MCAS, parents/carers are able to look at a wealth of information including their child’s attendance, school timetable, assessments and exam times. The portal also provides general useful information about school such as the academic calendar and announcements.
MCAS is linked directly into our School Management System which means that all the information is continuously updated in real time and available to parents/carers 24 hours a day. Once again, now your child has been formally enrolled at the academy, your account can be activated. Login details will be emailed to priority 1 contacts today.
Meet the Tutor
Our ‘Meet the Tutor’ event will be held on Wednesday 13th September, 17:00 pm – 18:00 pm. The evening will be an opportunity to meet the College Leadership team and your child’s tutor. More information about this will follow next week, but we would like to pre warn you that this is a parent only meeting.
Travelling to and from the Academy
The school gate is open from 8.00am. Due to limited parking, and to maintain the safety of our students on site, there is no vehicle access for dropping off or collecting students at the academy. Students are advised to travel by public transport, walk or cycle; there are bicycle racks on site for bike storage during the day, but students must use their own lock to secure their bicycle on site. The academy advises that students who wish to cycle to school should use appropriate safety wear including a helmet.
Our students’ safety is a priority for us and we ask that if they are dropped off or collected from school by car that parents and carers make appropriate arrangements to do so via side roads near to the site. Please do not use the academy or neighbouring gateways as the roads can be very busy at both times of the day.
Communication
In the event you need to contact us, please ensure that you do so via the following communication routes to ensure your enquiry is picked up promptly.
Email: airy@leighacademyblackheath.org.uk
Telephone: Option 2
Email: fawcett@leighacademyblackheath.org.uk
Telephone: Option 3
Email: sancho@leighacademyblackheath.org.uk
Telephone: Option 4
We send out an email every Friday called LAB Weekly to keep you informed of academy news along with separate correspondence when needed.
We know that parent WhatsApp, or similar groups are very popular, however, through experience we know that they generally cause huge anxiety and confusion amongst parents and carers. We request that any concerns or questions are directed individually to the relevant person or team at the academy using the system outlined above.
We also know that students like to create WhatsApp, or similar groups which include friends from their primary school, or new friends from their tutor group. We do not promote these in any way and ask that you deter your child from joining or creating them. Historically large groups have been innocently formed which include students from across different secondary schools, and have provided a vehicle for a minority of students to display unkindness which leads to unnecessary upset and anxiety.
We are very much looking forward to seeing parents and carers on the 13th September and welcome you to the Leigh Academy Blackheath community.
Best Wishes,
E Smith
Principal