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Key Information for Parents
Find below key information for parents and carers, along with some useful links and resources.
Accessing Arbor: A Guide for Parents & Carers
Supported Platforms:
Arbor is accessible on PCs, laptops, Macs, tablets, and as an app available for download from both the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.
Recommended Browser:
For the best experience when accessing Arbor on a computer, use Google Chrome.
Managing Multiple Children:
With one login, you can view and manage information for all your children.
Features of Arbor
Arbor provides parents with a comprehensive suite of tools to stay informed and engaged:
- Real-Time Updates: View your child’s attendance, behaviour records, and achievement data as they are updated.
- Daily Timetable Access: Keep track of your child’s schedule.
- Information Management: Update your personal contact details quickly and easily.
- Parental Consent: Provide permissions for photos, medical information, and other necessary consents.
Getting Started with Arbor
Initial Setup:
Look for an email from The Whitby High School containing a Parent Portal signup link. If you can’t find the email, check your junk or spam folder. Still having trouble? Contact us for assistance.Follow the Link:
Click the signup link in the email to access the Arbor website.Create Your Account:
- Select “First time logging in” at the bottom of the login page.
- Enter your email address and click “Set Password”.
- When prompted, provide your child’s date of birth to verify your account.
- Agree to the terms and conditions to proceed to your dashboard.
Bookmark for Convenience:
Save the Arbor login page in your browser for quick and easy future access.
Logging In to the Portal or App
Once your account is set up:
- Access Options: Use a web browser to visit Arbor, or download the Arbor Parent Portal App from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Enter Credentials: Log in with your email and the password you created during setup.
- Forgot Your Password? Select “Forgot your password” on the login page and follow the instructions sent to your email to reset it.
Managing Consent of Notifications
- Update Details: Regularly check and update your child’s personal information and consent preferences as needed.
- Stay Alert: Enable notifications within the Arbor Parent App to receive important updates and alerts from school.
Switching Between Multiple Children
If you have more than one child at The Whitby High School, Arbor makes it easy to switch views:
- Use the dropdown menu (pictured below in the app or portal) to toggle between children.
- Note: Only one child’s information will be displayed at a time.
With Arbor, staying informed about your child’s education has never been easier. Follow these steps to get started today!
Home-learning – support for parents/carers
Helping your child to learn at home: Learning aids
By supporting your child’s learning and development at home, you can have a real impact on how well they succeed at school and beyond. On this page you’ll find two of support kits for parents and carers, to help you get involved with your child’s education at home.
‘Getting into home-learning’ – folder pack for parents of children aged 8 to 13
This folder offers a range of top tips and advice on how to help children with their home learning. To help you keep up to date with what your child is learning, there is also information on the National Curriculum and key stages.
The folder pack is designed to be a complete guide to helping your child’s learning at home.
It can sometimes seem more difficult to get involved with a teenager’s learning. This booklet is designed to make it easier. It provides:
- coaching tips and advice to help them get the most out of school or college
- suggestions for ‘conversation starters’
- advice on how to gain the confidence to get involved, and information on where you can find out more
Taking an active interest in your teenager’s work is just as important as doing so when they are younger. Parents and carers who work as a team with their teenager can help them stay positive and on track to make the most of their future.
The Importance of Home-learning
The benefits of home learning are significant:
- Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) suggests that completion of home learning leads to students making five months of additional progress.
- Home learning develops the independent study skills that students require to be successful at Key Stages 4 & 5.
All home-learning set at The Whitby High School will meet at least one of the following four criteria:
Embed- Consolidate learning that has taken place in the classroom. e.g. revision for assessment or learning key knowledge.
Practice– refine knowledge and procedures learnt in the classroom based on feedback from the teacher, e.g. DIRT activities
Extend- move learning beyond what has been achieved in the classroom e.g. adding breadth to their existing knowledge
Apply- Use learning from the classroom to complete a specific task e.g. answering a past exam question based on content covered in lesson.
What is safeguarding
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
- protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
- preventing harm to children’s health or development
- ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
- taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation applies to all children up to the age of 18.
Should you have a safeguarding concern regarding a student or the school during school hours please contact your child’s pastoral leader in the first instance or telephone the school and ask to speak to a member of the safeguarding team. Please note that school does not provide safeguarding provision for students out of school hours or during school holidays.
Safeguarding team
Mrs Helen Hill – Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Mrs S Stapledon – Deputy DSL
Mrs K Hill – Deputy DSL
Mrs S Blackwell – Deputy DSL
Pastoral Team
Year 7 – Mrs C Knight
Year 8 – Mr D Holmes
Year 9 – Mrs E Powell
Year 10 – Miss E Measures
Year 11 – Mrs C Palmer
Reporting a Concern to CWAC Services
Concerns about a child’s welfare can be reported to CWAC Integrated Access and Referral Team (iART) on 0300 123 7047 between 8.30 am and 5 pm, 4.30 pm on a Friday or via this link. If you have an urgent concern outside of these hours please call the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) on 01244 977277. Alternatively you can call the police.
Access our Child Protection Policy HERE
Help with Uniform
If a parent struggles with the cost of uniform due to financial hardship, please contact us and the school may be able to assist in some way, with purchase of uniform on a case-by-case basis.
We encourage the reuse of preowned uniform items. Please visit this Facebook community to learn more on how to benefit from discounted (and FREE) uniform, and also how to donate unwanted items.
We are also linking with The People’s Pantry to provide second hand uniform.
Peoples Pantry, 5 St Andrews Road, Ellesmere Port. CH65 5DG. 07910364818
Equipment
Below is a suggested basic list, which is perfectly adequate for all students’ general needs:
- Suitably sized bag
- Learning folder
- A good quality Fountain Pen or ‘Fineliner’ pen (preferably black ink)
- A ball point pen
- A highlighter pen
- 3 Pencils (2B for Art, HB for general use, 2H for Mathematics)
- A set of coloured pencils (not felt tips)
- An Eraser
- A pencil sharpener
- A ruler, a protractor, a pair of compasses (metal)
- A calculator
- A glue stick
- Suitable pencil case or box
- A small dictionary
- Yondr Phone Pouch (provided by school)
Correction fluid or fountain pen corrector should not be brought to school