Frequently Asked Questions

All students will need to bring a pen (blue or black ink), pencils (including HB and 2B for Art), an eraser, a ruler, a pencil sharpener, Coloured pens or pencils, a scientific calculator (with your name on), a 360 degree protractor and a set square. We recommend all students have a sturdy bag in which to carry all your school equipment. It is advisable to include an English dictionary and thesaurus. Students will require a gum shield when taking part in Rugby and also a Butchers apron for Food Technology.

We will notify you of your child’s house in plenty of time to order uniform. All students find out which house they are in during the induction days in June but we will follow this up with an email to parents just in case the students forget.

We do not set any homework for Year 7 students during the first 2 weeks of the first term. This is in order to ensure the students have plenty of time to settle in and find their feet. It also enables us to ensure the new students are used to using their computer logins and able to access homework via the app.

Yes. We want to ensure all students are safe when travelling to and from school so we are happy for them to bring their mobile phones with them to school but once they are in the school grounds the phone must be switched off and put in their bag. We have a very strict no mobile phone policy around the school and if a student is seen with their mobile phone out during the school day it will be confiscated and kept in the main office until the end of the day. If this happens again it will be kept at the school until a parent/carer can collect it

No. The first day is about getting the students settled and familiarising them with the school surroundings. We also do school photos on the first day. Usually the first PE lesson is more of a theory based lesson, where students are told the dos and don’ts surrounding physical education and sports in general. All students will be told when they need to start bringing their PE kit with them.

At BCHS we offer an enormous array of different clubs and activities. Many of these take place at lunchtime and after school, but a few happen before school, particularly sports clubs and training sessions.  Additional late buses are provided on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to allow all students to participate in the extra-curricular activities. The clubs we currently have on offer are:

• Football (Boys and Girls)
• Cricket
• Athletics
• Dance
• Fitness Suite
• Basketball
• Swimming
• Netball
• Science
• Glee
• Music (Band/Choir)
• Book club
• Board games
• Chess club
• Drama
• Computing and many more

All students are given a paper copy of their timetable on their first day of school. Parents are able to access our school app to see their child’s timetable

All students need to be in school and in their form room by 8.30 am.  If a student arrives after 8.30 am you will be classed as 'late on the gate' and must sign in at the Attendance Office so that we know you are in school and can register you. If this happens continually without a valid reason or prior warning a detention will be issued

If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason you need to call the attendance office on 01277 238919 on your first day of absence and explain the reason they will be off from school and the date you expect them to return. If we do not get a phone call from you to explain the absence a phone call home will be made and truancy message sent

If a student feels unwell during a lesson they must inform their teacher.  He or she will probably give them a pass or note to allow them to go to our Student Wellbeing Officer in the medical room. They are not allowed to leave a lesson without a pass or note.  If our Wellbeing Officer feels that the student needs to go home, they will telephone the first priority contact.

Where possible all medical appointments should be made for before or after school. However, if this is not possible you need to notify us of the appointment. The student will need to sign out at the attendance office and show them the medical appointment card and a parent/carer will need to collect them from reception.

Everything is paid for using bio-metrics. We will send an information pack during the summer holidays which will contain a letter about Parent Pay. This will tell you how to set up an account and how to add money for school lunches. We no longer take any cash in school.

We highly value the support of parents at home and have therefore set up an app so you can monitor your sons/daughters progress at school and also see what homework/Recap work has been set. This is an opportunity for parents to get involved in what their child’s learning, to encourage them to do their best and to help build on what the teacher is doing. We expect our parents to be involved in their child’s Recap work by using the SIMS Parent App to check what Recap work has been set and ensure that they are doing all the tasks.

We hope this will never be a problem but if you do have any concerns around schooling, your first point of call should be with the Head of Year. They will try to resolve any issues quickly and efficiently and if they feel your concern needs to be raised further they will do so. They will keep you informed throughout the process and let you know what has been put in place to resolve the issue.

Students should notify their teacher as soon as possible if they have forgotten their homework or if there is a reason they have been unable to complete it on time. Usually this will result in an extension being given. If there is an ongoing issue with completing homework on time detentions will be set

Our uniform suppliers are called Uniform Direct. All school uniform is available to order via their website for all year groups. Please click on the following link for their website: https://www.schooluniformdirect.org.uk/

If you have any questions regarding uniform please contact our receptionist, Mrs M Vogiatzi at  m.vogiatzi.bch@osborne.coop or Ms Leftly at k.leftly.bch@osborne.coop.

All students must have the following items as compulsory uniform:

• Fitted navy blue blazer with sewn school badge on the breast pocket. (This item must be purchased from the online school shop) 
• School tie (This item must be purchased from the online school shop)
• Navy blue skirt – skirts must be worn to at least knee length. (This item must be purchased from the online school shop)
• Charcoal grey trousers
• Plain white blouse - long or short sleeved. No decorated collars, cuffs, fronts, pockets
• Socks – Plain black or navy without coloured bands. (White socks are not allowed and socks are not to come above knee height)
• Tights – Plain black, navy or natural
• Shoes - sensible, sturdy black shoes, below ankle height. Heels should be no higher than 6 cm, and boots or trainers are not allowed.  Sanctions including detentions or isolation from lessons may be used if incorrect footwear is worn
• Outdoor coats - plain dark coloured coats without coloured flashes or slogans.
• Hats & Scarves - plain dark colours without coloured flashes or slogans

For PE they will need the following:

• Polo shirt with school logo (This item must be purchased from the online school shop)
• Shorts/Leggings (This item must be purchased from the online school shop)
• Sports socks. (This item must be purchased from the online school shop)
• Short plain white ankle socks.
• Navy blue swimming costume or navy blue swimming shorts.
• Navy Blue Swim hat
• Rugby shirt with school logo  (This item must be purchased from the online school shop)
• Mainly white trainers with a non-marking sole (below ankle height)

Students are not allowed to wear trainers as school shoes. All students should wear sensible, sturdy black shoes, below ankle height. Heels should be no higher than 6 cm, and boots or trainers are not allowed.  Sanctions including detentions or isolation from lessons may be used if incorrect footwear is worn

All free school meal applications need to go through the local council. Please use the link below:

https://essex-self.achieveservice.com/service/Free_School_Meals_application

Your application will be processed within 15 working days, but it can take longer if you apply in August or September. They will notify us and contact you if your child is entitled.

We will never let a child go hungry at the school. If for any reason there is no money on their Parent Pay account the student should let a member of staff know who will ensure they are given a lunch and a parent/carer is notified and asked to top up the account.

If you have an urgent message for your child during the school day, please contact reception and they will ensure the message is passed on either by note with our duty student or by a member of staff.

We have 2 members of staff who are on hand in our Personalised Learning Zone to help pupils who are finding things a bit difficult or when there is something stopping them from being in lessons. The Personalised Learning Zone is located in the old caretakers’ house just inside the school gates. This is where we can provide 1 to 1 mentoring, counseling, small group work as well as break and lunchtime support. 

At Brentwood County High we take our students safety inside and outside of school incredibly seriously. If you have anything that is worrying you about a student please notify their Head of Year or Mrs Neale, our Safeguarding Officer and will ensure your concerns are dealt with discreetly and efficiently.

Parents of students aged 12 to 16 who would like to transfer to Brentwood County High School are requested to complete a Mid-Year admissions form which can be found in the key information section of our website. On receiving your application our admissions officer will aim to contact you within 7 days to arrange an admission’s meeting where you and your son or daughter are invited into the school to be introduced to their Head of Year and further discuss the application.

Brentwood County High School can be accessed easily from Thurrock, Basildon, Havering and Ongar. Our school buses are run by NIBs and details can be found on their website regarding routes and prices. All the school buses run directly into the school grounds each morning and afternoon. Our school is within walking distance of Brentwood high street so students from the Havering area can get the 498 or 608 bus. We are also walking distance from Brentwood train station.

We run a More Able Programme at BCHS for students who are achieving above and beyond our expectations. If you would like to find out more about the programme please contact Mr Chapham at d.chapman.bch@osborne.coop

Yes, you can wear your hair down. You will however be asked to put your hair up for PE, Cookery and Science – this is because of health and safety. Please make sure, if you have long hair, you bring a hairband with you so you can put your hair up. This goes for girls and boys.

Initially school will seem extremely big, but as you become more familiar with its layout it won't feel quite so daunting. There will be many of you heading from one class to the next together, so try to move around with each other as one person may know where they are going. There will be plenty of students and staff around to help you for the first week or two. If you are unsure, ask a teacher, head to the library, Mrs Bush or Miss Nicholson’s office and someone will be able to set you on the right path or take you to your class. The main thing is not to worry, to begin with you will not be in trouble for getting to class a couple of minutes late and we can assure you we haven’t lost any students yet :)

We have an action-packed calendar at Brentwood County High, there will be lots of events you can get involved in such as school trips, sports clubs, drama productions etc. We will update you when these opportunities arise so you do not miss out.

Homework varies from subject to subject. For example, Math's homework is done online and you will probably be set a small piece of homework after each lesson and this will need to be done before your next Math's lesson. This helps the teacher know if you have understood the work covered in class. In History however you are more likely to be set a project or some research and you will be given this to complete over a couple of weeks or maybe longer. All homework should be challenging but not too hard. If you find your homework is difficult please don’t worry, speak with your teacher or Head of Year and they will help you with this. 

We are not expecting to see any Year 7’s in detentions, but you will be required to sit a detention for not following the values of the school or meeting expectations. For example, if you are late to school you will be required to sit a same day detention at lunchtime.

If you are given a detention the teacher who sets the detention will advise you on where and when you should attend, if you are unsure speak to your Form Tutor or Head of Year.

You will each be given a two-week timetable which you will follow. Your timetable will show week 1 and week 2. When you get to the end of week 2 you will go back to week 1 and so on throughout the year. If we have to make any changes to your timetable, a new timetable will be given to you in your form time. It’s a good idea, when you are given your timetable, to take a photo of it on your phone in case you lose your paper copy.

Your form tutor will give out all timetables on your first day of school. During the summer break, we will send home information outlining what you will need to do on your first day.

There will be an after school programme that you can get involved in, information on these clubs and which day they will be on will be outlined in September. At the moment, due to Covid-19, we are unsure when the clubs will start running properly but we should have more details on this for when you start with us.

You will do lots of different sports in PE such as Swimming, Athletics, Basketball, Netball, Football, Rounders and so much more. All of this will be on offer in your lessons but also there will be plenty of extra-curricular opportunities.

We have been working with a team from the DfE and B&K on a project to rebuild and refurbish our school.  Work started on the school back in 2021 and, towards the end of last year, we opened our new Creative, Sports, and Science blocks to our students.  The original main school building is temporarily out of bounds to staff and and students while a major refurbishment takes place.  The complete building works are scheduled to be completed by the start of 2024.  To keep updated on the progress of the build please click on the link below:
https://drichardsonbch.wixsite.com/my-site

You will meet your buddies on the two induction days in June and they will be here to meet you on your first full day with us.  All our buddies are very excited to get to know you all and we will do all we can to make sure this happens as soon as possible.