All students are expected to arrive to school ‘ready’ to learn, with all the equipment necessary to engage in purposeful learning. Students must take care each evening to pack the correct items for the following day’s timetable. The essential equipment that students must bring every day is listed below:
- An appropriate school bag, large enough to fit A4 exercise books
- Pencil case
- Blue or black pen, plus a spare
- Green pen
- Pencil, plus a spare
- Pencil sharpener and a rubber
- Ruler
- Scientific Calculator – the preferred models are Casio fx-83gt or Casio fx-85gt. These two models are functionally identical scientific calculators, with the only difference being that the fx-85GT includes a solar panel in addition to battery power.
Additional optional equipment:
- Glue stick
- Highlighter
- Geometry set
- Pencil Crayons
- Our school is on a large site and movement between rooms and specialist areas will become an essential part of the school day. A sturdy bag and in bad weather, a suitable coat are essential. An additional bag for PE kit will also be very useful.
Mobile Phones and Smart Watches
We have a ‘see it, hear it, take it’ mobile phone policy, which will result in mobile phones being confiscated if they are seen or heard on the school site. This includes smart watch notifications which are seen as an extension of a mobile phone. If students bring mobile phones to school, they must be switched off and kept in students’ bags and not used at all during the school day.
The first time a student’s mobile phone and/or smart watch is confiscated it will be returned to the students at the end of the school day. If a repeated infringement occurs, parents/carers will be asked to come and collect the confiscated mobile phone/smart watch.
If a student needs to make contact with home, they are allowed to use the phone in reception.
The school accepts no responsibility for the safety or security of the above equipment.
Why do we not allow mobile phones to be used in school?
At Rugeley John Taylor School, we believe in creating a focused and safe learning environment where students can demonstrate our school values of respect and resilience, and always be ready to learn. For this reason, we do not allow the use of mobile phones during the school day.
Why?
Research shows that mobile phones can be a major distraction, reduce academic performance, and affect students’ social and emotional well-being. Studies have found that limiting phone use in schools improves concentration, boosts exam results, reduces anxiety, and helps prevent issues such as cyberbullying.
By keeping our school phone-free, we encourage students to ‘turn up’ and stay present in their learning, ‘work hard’ by avoid unnecessary distractions, and ‘be nice’, by building stronger relationships, and developing healthy habits when using technology.