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
Instrumental Lessons at CCHS from Essex Music Services
CCHS Expectations for Students
CCHS Home School Agreement
Here at Clacton County High School, we believe a three-way partnership between school staff, students and parents is key to a successful education. Our Home-School Agreement is a statement explaining Clacton County High School's aims, values, policies and procedures, its responsibilities towards our students, the responsibilities of our students’ parents, and what’s expected of students. By attending Clacton County High School and being part of our community, we are all committed to meeting these expectations.
CCHS Acceptable Internet Use Statement
Student Equipment Checklist
How to Support your Child with their Sparx Homework - Years 7 to 9
First Aid @ CCHS
Practical PE Activities - Years 7, 8 & 9
Food Technology @ CCHS
Student Drop-off / Collection Arrangements
Cycling to School
CCHS Policy Information
CCHS Young Carers Statement
Support for Families
Lost Property
Frequently Asked Questions
CCHS Student Reports
Student Reports - An explanation of our Attitude to Learning Descriptors
Academic Year Reporting Schedule - See our Key Dates Calendar
CCHS Free School Meals - Online Application
Free school meals are available to pupils based on the following benefits:
• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you're not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.
If you believe your child may be eligible and this is something that you have not already applied for, you can make an application via this link.
New Year 7 students - If your child received Free School Meals at primary school, you will need to re-apply.
All pupils in receipt of free school meals (FSM) are also eligible for Pupil Premium Funding (PPG) which is extra funding received by the school. This funding provides more funding for the school as a whole but can also help individual students who are eligible as they may receive assistance with paying for items such as resources and trips.
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.
- If your child is eligible for free school meals, a daily allowance of £3 will be automatically added to their dinner account to use on a main meal each day - Parents will not see this as a credit on their Arbor Pay account - it is held in the catering system.
Your child will have access to these funds in the same way as they would if you had topped up their dinner account from your bank account.
This process ensures that students receiving FSMs do not stand out in any way removing any concerns you may have about being treated differently in this regard FSM allowances will show only to the staff member on the till in our canteen (Clouds). You will not see the £3 credit on your child’s Arbor account but once eligibility is approved the daily allowance will be automatic (it will not accumulate if unused or the student is absent) - 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.
Food Technology @ CCHS
Students will not be required to purchase and supply ingredients for food practical lessons. Instead, we request a one-off payment of £8.00 from each student at the start of each year to cover all their cooking for the academic year. We hope parents agree this is excellent value for money, as students will be cooking during year 7 in timetabled Food Technology lessons. This also means that parents will not be required to support students in buying, organising, and ensuring ingredients are ready for lessons. This should hopefully stop any last-minute rush to the shops or increase food shopping loads.
Food Technology costs will display as a minus £8 charge (-£8) in Arbor in the school events section and will zero out once paid (£0). This charge will appear on the Accounts section of Arbor in early September 2025
Students will be able to take the dishes they have created to consume during breaks or after school; this applies to the following lessons:
Lesson 1 - before break
Lesson 3 - before lunch
Lesson 4 - after school
Health and safety is paramount when handling, cooking, and storing food. To ensure that the risk of food poisoning is minimised, it will be the student’s responsibility to consume foods immediately or store them in the food technology fridges - collecting them at the end of the school 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.
First Aid @ CCHS
Whilst the school operates a general first aid provision and will endeavour to provide the best possible care within ‘first aid’ parameters, it should be noted that our first aiders are not trained medical practitioners.
Although we have a first aid room, our trained first aiders are only able to deal with minor injuries and support children who are taken ill in school; they are not medical practitioners. Students who are unwell during the school day must report to the first aid room during break or lunchtimes only. If there is a medical emergency during lesson time, the class teacher will alert the ‘on call’ first aiders. The first aider will contact home if there are concerns about the child’s ability to continue with their school day and/or in the case of serious illness or injury. Students should not contact parents directly to collect them if they feel unwell; they must report to the first aid room and a staff member will make the appropriate arrangements.
Medicines required by students during school hours may be administered/supervised by school staff acting in loco parentis. Medication should be brought into the school office first thing in the morning by the parent, clearly labelled, provided in the original container as dispensed by the pharmacist and include instructions for administration dosage and storage. This should also detail any medication the student has already taken that day. A consent form (available on request) must be completed and given to the school office to consent to medicines being administered on site.
Supplies of long term medication can be held in the medical room with a signed parental healthcare plan. Not all children with a medical condition require a healthcare plan in school. They are essential in cases where conditions fluctuate, regular medication is taken in school or, where there is a high risk that emergency intervention may be needed. They are also helpful for long-term and complex conditions.
Students who are competent to manage their own long term health needs and medicines will be encouraged to take responsibility for self-managing their medicines and procedures. This will be stated within their healthcare plan and a self- administering form completed. Where possible, students should be encouraged to carry their own medicines and relevant devices.
In regards to headaches/migraines, we can only offer cold water and somewhere quiet to rest for a short period of time. If a parent has provided consent on Arbor for their child to be given one paracetamol, we only issue this after 12pm (midday). The school will not administer paracetamol until 4 hours have elapsed since the last dose (assumed as 8am) to prevent a child being given more than one dose within the 4 hour period. You will receive notification at the end of the day if paracetamol has been administered by a first aider. Parents provide consent for paracetamol to be administered on Arbor.
It is parents responsibility to update us on any new diagnosis or changes to existing medical conditions. Please provide a copy of the medical information as provided by the GP/hospital.
If your child carries an asthma inhaler or an adrenaline auto-injector pen, as a result of an allergy, there is a permissions feature on Arbor for you to consent to the school using a spare in the event of an emergency. Any student who self-manages their medication must not dispose of the medication on the school site. Sharps boxes must be used for the disposal of needles and other sharps in the first aid room.
It is the responsibility of parents to collect any medications stored in the first aid room when these are no longer needed.
Please be aware that we have several staff and students with severe nut allergies in school. Therefore, we would kindly encourage you to consider avoiding sending your child to school with nut based products.
First Aid - Parental Agreement for the Administering of Medication
First Aid - Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) Form
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.
Cycling to School
The school provides bike sheds for our students to use; this facility is a privilege and not a right. It is the responsibility of parents and students to ensure that bikes are in a roadworthy condition, and ridden with due care and attention, in accordance with the Highway Code. Therefore, the school reserves the right to check that all bicycles are in a safe and well-maintained condition. If either the bike or cyclist fail to meet expectations, then the privilege of bringing a bike on to the school site may need to be considered. If your child is bringing their bike to school, please ensure they have a sturdy lock and that they remember to use it before leaving their property unattended within the bike sheds.
The Bicycle policy is available to download here.
Please note:
- Skateboards and scooters, if ridden to school, must also be stored securely in the bike shed
- E-Scooters are strictly forbidden on the school site
- The school does not accept any responsibility for personal items brought into school
Frequently Asked Questions
Late arrival to school
Any student who arrives after 8:45 will need to enter from the front student gate, as the rear gate will be shut.
Arrivals between 8:45-9:15am will be registered at the front gate (students should not go into reception) and instructed to go straight to their tutor group, or to Period 1, depending on time. They will be marked late for school and will need to meet the pastoral team after school to explain this.
Arrivals after 9:15am must come to the main school reception where they will be escorted down to the attendance office and signed in late for school. These students will receive a senior detention at lunchtime that day.
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.
First day calling
If we do not receive notification of your child's absence from school, CCHS will endeavour to make contact, via a telephone call, with the parent/carer of all children who are absent from school on any given day, but were in school the day before. These calls will take place Mon-Thurs as a welfare check to see if the school can expect the child in the next day.
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 encourage 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, 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.
