St Martins Y7 Students - Frequently Asked Questions
What academic levels do St Martins support?
Students at St Martins are working at least two years below age related expectations (Y4 or below). The KS3 Curriculum is broad and balanced and differs depending on the class group. All students access; Maths, English, PSHE, Citizenship and Humanities with their pastoral class teachers. The students then move around to specialists across other areas of the school e.g. DT, Music & Drama, PE. In KS4, students access accreditations that are appropriate for their needs. These range from Personal Progress to Level 1. Students also choose their Options in KS4 and again, these are accredited to suit the needs of the students.
What are the school day timings?
Students start school at 8:45am and finish at 2:30pm. Students arrive/get collected from school via families or taxis provided by the Local Authority. St Martins has a designated drop off and pick up area and pastoral staff are outside at the beginning and end of the day to support all students. Our Family Support Team can support with requesting/applying for taxis – this is dependent on location and needs of the student.
What does a typical school day look like?
8:45 – Students complete registration and have breakfast with their peers. School are supported by the National School Breakfast Programme, and provide students with a selection of breakfast items daily; including bagels, cereal and fruit. There is no charge for students to have breakfast thanks to this programme.
9:00 – 9:30 – All students complete daily reading sessions; this will differ depending on the needs of the class. Wednesdays are for KS3 and KS4 assemblies.
9:30 – 10:55 – Students access two lessons, this will differ daily and depending on the class. Some lessons may be Maths or English, others DT, PE…
10:55 – 11:10 – Students have their break times outside, they socialise and mix with peers in their classes and other students across school.
11:10 – 12:30 – Students access two lessons, like the first part of the day, this differs across the class groups.
12:30 – 1:30 – Students have their dinner in the school dining hall and this is staggered to support students ensuring the dining hall is not too busy. After eating their dinner, students have some time outside before returning to their classroom for quiet time (1:10-1:30) before the afternoon lessons.
1:30 – 2:15 – Students have an afternoon lesson, this changes daily.
2:15 – 2:30 – Students return to their pastoral classes for review time before departing school.
What are the class sizes and what are the profiles of students within each class?
Class sizes differ depending on the needs and abilities of the students. Some classes have 9 students, others have 14 students. Likewise, the adult support in each class will differ and some classes have one teaching assistant, whereas others have two. Class groups will be different and will be based as much as possible on the dynamics of the students.
Do you offer before-school or after-school provision?
We do not offer a before-school provision due to a large number of students accessing school taxis – it is something that is not logistically possible. We currently run a KS3 and KS4 after school club 2:30 – 3:30 on Mondays and Thursdays that students sign up for on a first come, first served basis.
What is the school uniform and PE policy?
Wearing the school uniform is important for all students and encourages a stronger sense of school identity and belonging to our learning community. Students must wear:
- A white or black shirt/blouse with a black sweatshirt with a St Martins logo
- Black trousers/skirt
- Shoes or black trainers
All uniform items with logos can be purchased from our stockist, Uniform Direct.
PE Kits:
- Plain white or black t-shirt or polo shirt
- Plain white or black shorts or jogging bottoms
- Plain white or black jumper (St Martins hoodies are available)
- Comfortable footwear
Any items of clothing with logos other than the St Martins badge are not accepted as PE kit.
What is the home-school communication?
Each student has a school planner, these can be used for home-school communication. We also host regular Parents’ and Carers’ evenings. You can call the school and some class teachers share their email addresses with families.
What are your students’ next steps?
At St Martins, we envisage to prepare all of our students for adulthood and to access the wider community. We recognise that this will differ for every student and there are various different pathways and routes to support the students. We follow our SHAPE curriculum and weave life skills throughout the curriculum. We also have a Post-16 Provision; Horizons that is based in the city centre. Our Post-16 Provision provides the students with valuable life skills, further accreditations and opportunities to access placement providers.
Prospective New Parents Information
Open Evenings 2023-2024
St Martins do not host any tours or visits due to demand. Students who have a confirmed space will be offered an opportunity to visit the school in 2024, in the lead up to their admission.
Please view our video tour here: St Martins School Tour
A video tour which was made for our new starters in September 2020 is available to view here: https://youtu.be/lfU6w_JA5tY
If you have any questions regarding St Martins, please send an email to admin@stmartins.derby.sch.uk.