Parent Information

Parent Information

This page acts as a reference point for information that parents may need to know about Clacton County High School and day-to-day school life for our students. In addition we have included links to external organisations that can help support parents and can provide parenting information.

Links to various information:

CCHS Arbor Portal (Timetables/Homework/Rewards) - How to Guide...
ArborPay - Cashless Catering - How to Guide...
CCHS Free School Meals - Online Application
Instrumental Lessons at CCHS from Essex Music Services
CCHS Expectations for Students
Ready to Learn Information
Student Equipment Checklist
How to Support your Child with their Sparx Homework - Years 7 to 9
First Aid - Parental Agreement for the Administering of Medication
First Aid - Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) Form
Practical PE Activities 23/24 - Years 7, 8 & 9
CCHS Policy Information
CCHS Young Carers Statement
Support for Families

CCHS Student Reports
Student Reports - An explanation of our Attitude to Learning Descriptors
Academic Year Reporting Schedule - See our Key Dates Calendar

Arbor Pay and Free School Meals

  • Every student requires an active ArbortPay account, even those entitled to Free School Meals (FSM), as it is used for all payments in school - food technology ingredients, trips, revision guides (in later year groups) etc.
  • £3.03 (the FSM amount) is credited to entitled student's meal accounts daily - it does not accrue if not used or the student is absent
    (Parents will not see this as a credit on their Arbor Pay account - it is held in the catering system).
  • Parents can top-up their child's accounts to allow them to purchase additional/more expensive items, above their daily FSM allowance.
  • When adding money to the account you must remember to then allocate a proportion of your available credit to the child's 'Dinner Money' pot.
  • Daily spends on Arbor dinner money is capped at a £6 spend per day. Some students who make purchases at break time may not have sufficient daily funds remaining for what they wish to buy at lunchtime. If you wish to increase your child’s daily capped amount please email admin@cchs.school stating your child’s name, form and the amount you wish to be available each day.

Student Drop-Off / Collection

Students should always be dropped-off or collected outside of the school site - please do not drive into the school car park to allow students to embark or disembark.
There is no access for drop-off or collection on the school site between 8 - 9am and 3 - 4pm.
At other times, we ask that vehicles are only driven into school for planned meetings or to collect your child when requested by the school - eg. from First Aid.

Only visitor parking spaces should be used; if none are available, please park off-site.
The speed limit on the school site is 5mph.
The school does not accept any liability for damage to vehicles on the school site.


Lost Property

Please ensure that all items of uniform and PE kit, including ties, blazers, trainers and football boots etc, are named so that it easy to reunite them with their owner.
Lost property is located next to the attendance office (opposite Room D03)
Students should only visit during break, lunch or afterschool to check the lost property.

We always endeavour to reunite students with their lost property but it is the student's responsibility to endeavour to locate lost items themseleves. The school has over 1700 students and it is not always possible to look for the number of lost items that we are informed about everyday.


Frequently Asked Questions

Late to school ?

If your son/daughter is late to school please contact us by phone prior to 8.45am (01255 424266 - Option 1) and send them in with a letter/explainatory note. When they arrive they need go to report to the attendance hub to collect a pass to justify their lateness - this avoids them receiving a sanction for lateness.
Otherwise your son/daughter should go straight to form or their lessons; they will receive a C2 if they arrive after the bell or a C3 in they arrive after 8.50am.

What to do if your child is ill..

Please contact the School on the first day of your child's illness and each day after, as long as the absence continues. (Telephone the Student Absence Line before 9.00am - 01255 424266 - Option 1).
Following any period of absence, written confirmation must be supplied to the Attendance Office detailing the reasons for the absence, signed by the student's parent/carer.
This is in addition to your notification by phone each day during the absence.

Visit the Attendance webpage for more information.

How soon should I expect a response from the school?

The school will endeavour to respond to queries within 24hours. This can sometimes take up to 48hours. This could be via phone or email.

What to do if your child is unable to participate in PE...

Please write a note for your child to give to their PE teacher, explaining the reason why your child is unable to participate in that particular lesson.
A note is required for each PE lesson they are unable to participate in.
Students who are unable to participate in PE must still bring and change into their PE kit. They will still be required to assist and engage with the lesson even without active participation.

Which PE kit should my child bring to school for each lesson?

We encorage all students to bring their full PE kit* to all of their PE lessons.
This means that there is never any confusion to which PE kit students need to remember to bring into school. It also allows a lesson activity to be altered on the day due to weather conditions or other circumstances etc. The only execption to this is when they are timetabled for swimming. In this case they are required to bring their swimming costume and towel IN ADDITION to their normal PE kit. This is so that, in the event that the swimming pool is out of action, they can participate in an alternative activity.

*Full PE Kit is defined as:
Navy Polo Shirt (White Polo Shirt also acceptable for Year 8 only), Blue Rugby Top/PE Sweat Shirt, Shorts/Skort, Royal Blue PE socks and trainers.
If a student knows that they have football or rugby for a particular lesson they may also wish to bring football boots in addition to their trainers - this is not compulsory and they can wear trainers for these activities.