You may be feeling nervous and a little apprehensive but your first day in a new school will be very exciting with many new experiences. Many of the rules at Southmoor School are the same as at Primary School. Here are a few helpful tips which may help you get used to your new school:-

Remember your uniform. Also remember to bring a pen, pencil, ruler and eraser. A bag to carry your books and other equipment is vital. It is your responsibility to look after your own possessions: you should not bring expensive items or large sums of money into school - only bring that which is necessary.

IMPORTANT TIMES TO REMEMBER:-

On your first day you will meet your form tutor and spend some time meeting the other pupils in your tutor group. You will be given a planner and timetable showing the time of each lesson and which room that the lesson is in. Unlike Primary School you have to walk to a different class and will get different teachers for each subject. You will be given a map of the school to help you find your way around, but don’t worry if you are unsure of where to go. All of the teaching staff will be available at change of lessons to point you in the right direction! Remember that everyone in your Tutor Group is not in the same Teaching Group as you, so don’t assume that you are with the same people each lesson. Check your timetable!

Your timetable should be copied into your planner and must be used in every lesson. Not only does it have important information in, it is used for recording homework and receiving reward stamps if you meet the school’s expectations each lesson. If you earn enough rewards stamps, you will get a bronze, silver or gold certificate. At the end of the year, a platinum certificate will be awarded to the pupil in your form group with the most reward stamps. Visit the Southmoor Six page to learn more about Southmoor’s reward scheme.

If you stay for lunch or bring a packed lunch into school, you must remain on the premises for the whole lunch hour. The lunch supervisors will look after you and there are plenty of lunchtime clubs and activities for you to join. The office staff distributes meal tickets on Monday break to pupils entitled to free school meals. Please sign and keep your dinner tickets in a safe place.
If you go home for lunch then you must make sure that you are back in school in time to be in the school yard for 1.05pm.

On my first day, I walked up what seemed to be the longest drive ever. I was a mixture of being apprehensive, scared, intrigued, excited and I wondered if I had put every thing in my bag that I needed for the day.

The first step was to go to the small quad where I looked for a friendly, familiar face. I found my friends and all of a sudden I felt just at home because I was not the only one worrying about what to do. The whistle went and we lined up.

I looked up and to my delight saw another familiar face; it was that of my form tutor, Mrs Conqueror. We were led down a corridor past classroom after classroom, pupil after pupil and teacher after teacher. We got to our form room. I smiled at the boy sitting opposite me and he smiled back. Everything got better after that.

We introduced ourselves and realised we were all the same; worried, nervous but yet, excited. We were in our first lesson all together, as a form, as a group, as a team. We were all bubbly and happy. When we got tour first lesson (history) our teacher was really kind and smiley.

At once I relaxed and realised that the stories of heads getting down the toilet were complete nonsense. The school was so friendly and welcoming, the feeling of being confident and happy in one day and I never felt nervous since. In fact things have only, and will only, get better!