Parent and carer hub

2025
Professional days for staff training	Monday 1 September 2025
Autumn term opens	Tuesday 2 September 2025 – Year 7 only Wednesday 3 September 2025 – Year 7, year 12 and any new students in years 8-11.  Thursday 4 September 2025 – all other year groups
Professional day for staff training*	Friday 24 October 2025
Half term	Monday 27 October – Friday 31 October 2025
Professional day for staff training	Monday 3 November 2025
Professional day for staff training	Friday 5 December 2025
Autumn term closes	Thursday 18 December 2025
Professional day for staff training*	Friday 19 December 2025
2026
Professional day for staff training	Monday 5 January 2026
Spring term opens	Tuesday 6 January 2026
Half term	Monday 16 February – Friday 20 February 2026
Professional day for staff training*	Monday 23 February 2026
Professional day for staff training	Friday 20 March 2026
Spring term closes	Friday 27 March 2026
Summer term opens	Monday 13 April 2026
May Bank Holiday	Monday 4 May 2026
Half term	Monday 25 May – Friday 29 May 2026
Professional day for staff training	Friday 3 July 2026
Summer term closes	Friday 17 July 2026
Professional day for staff training*	Monday 20 July 2026

* These training days are disaggregated for staff

Download the simple term dates calendar PDF here.

The structure of the school day 2025-26 is as follows:

8.30 – 8.35	Morning welcome (tutor time for Sixth Form)
8.35 – 8.55	Tutor time / assembly
8.55 – 9.50	Period 1
9.50 – 10.45	Period 2
10.45 – 11.05	Break
11.05 – 12.00	Period 3
12.00 – 12.25	Reading tutorial*
12.25 – 13.10	Lunch**
13.10 – 14.05	Period 4
14.05 – 15.00	Period 5
15.00 – 15.55	Period 6***

* Year 11 complete subject intervention during this time, and Sixth Form have mentoring.

** Tutorial and lunch are sometimes swapped throughout the year e.g. for mock exam students to have an early lunch when they begin, and to allow Year 11 to have an early lunch during mock and exam periods.

*** This is only for those students undertaking GCSE Further Maths, subject interventions or clubs.

Our school canteen provides a friendly, welcoming space serving nutritious, tasty snacks and meals. From September 2024, catering is provide by Innovate (Impact Food Group).

Please use the links below to access details of the Innovate offer:

• Parent welcome letter
• Daily menu summer term 2025
• Main meals daily menu – from January 2025
• Meal deals – from January 2025
• Price list
• Free school meals

Students eligible for free school meals received an allowance of £2.50 which is reset each day.  We operate a cashless system which has a daily default spend limit of £5.00.

Please click here to view information about changes to penalty notices from 19 August 2024.

Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most important ways you can prepare your child for success in school. Case studies have shown that lower attendance is likely to lead lower levels of attainment.

The target attendance figure for all students is a minimum of 96% attendance. 96-100% is the ‘Excellent Attendance’ group.

We wish to work in partnership with parents/ carers and so are seeking your full support in ensuring that your child attends school every day and on time. We are always pleased to work together with parents and carers in resolving any difficulties as we are committed to improving attendance levels at school.

You and your child can see their attendance percentage by checking on Bromcom.

Please ensure your child comes to school every day, on time, equipped and ready to learn. Students should be at morning welcome by 8.30am. Students arriving after this time must sign in at reception.

Key Points for Information

• Students should attend school for 187 days per year.
• If your child is ill, contact the school on each day of absence.
• If no contact is received regarding the absence, it is recorded as unauthorised. Ultimately the school is responsible for deciding if the absence is acceptable or not. Only genuine absence will be authorised. You must to provide medical certificates or evidence of appointments if you wish us to consider them, or if your child has a poor attendance record.
• Ensure that medical appointments are made outside of school time if at all possible.
• Holidays should not be taken in school time.
• We will on occasion need to send you letters to let you know about potential effects of your child’s attendance, should it drop below 96%. In each of these letters there is specific legal wording which has to be used. Please respond to letters or telephone calls regarding attendance and punctuality as required by the content of the letter or if you wish to discuss the impact of attendance further.
• All requests for leave of absence in term time must be made in writing at least two weeks in advance of the required date.
• As a parent or carer you are committing an offence if you fail to ensure that your child attends school regularly and punctually, even if they are missing school without your knowledge.

Thank you for working in partnership with us to achieve the highest possible levels of attendance and punctuality at St Ivo Academy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What action should I take if my child is too unwell to attend school?

All absences must be reported by 8.30am on a daily basis.

How do I register an absence?

Send an email to attendance@astreastivo.org before 8.30am including your child’s name, tutor group, reason for absence, your name and a contact telephone number.

The school should be advised of any medical condition. A doctor’s certificate may be requested if it affects your child’s attendance.

If my child is late for school, what should they do?

Registration takes place in tutor rooms from 8.30am – 8.55am. If your child arrives after 8.30am they must sign in at reception.

Persistent lateness will not be tolerated and further action will be taken. If there is a valid reason for lateness, or a change in your home circumstances that is affecting your child’s attendance at school, please advise us immediately.

My child has a medical appointment?

Appointments should be made outside of school hours. If this is not possible, please notify the school in advance by email or telephone.

Lateness

Parents/carers are asked to support the school by ensuring that their child arrives at school on time. The school has electronic registration with a register being taken at each lesson. If a student arrives late to school they must sign in at reception and then go straight to their lesson. Any student who is late without a valid reason may be given a detention after school.

Signing in and out

A student who has to leave school for a medical or dental appointment or other valid reason needs an absence note. They report to reception to ‘sign out’ of school, and ‘signs in’ on returning to school. Parents/carers can either telephone or email the Attendance Manager with advanced notice of any appointments. Any student without an appropriate absence note cannot be allowed to leave school.

Further information

Attendance policy

Leave of absence form

Buses

Bus transport for students is arranged by Cambridgeshire Local Authority for students in Years 7 – 11 who live further away or are from low income families. More details can be found at:

Pre-16 transport (mainstream) | Cambridgeshire County Council

Late bus

The school provides a ‘late bus’ on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This departs at 16.15 from the school roundabout (students should be at the roundabout at 16.10 to meet the bus and give the driver their destination village). On request, the bus will drop off at one central point in each village also served by Local Authority provided transport, except Hemingford Abbots.

Cycles

When students bring cycles into school, they should observe road safety rules and maintain their brakes and lights frequently during the winter months. Helmets are strongly recommended. Bicycles can be left in the racks provided for cycles in the school grounds. They are left at the owner’s risk and students should lock them and remove possessions from them. The police inspect the bikes from time to time. Riding of cycles in the school grounds is not allowed. Students should not leave their bikes at the Leisure Centre.

Car

If you bring your child to school by car, please do not bring the car on to the premises. The best place to drop your child off is in the Leisure Centre car park, to avoid congestion in the streets around the school. Please do not drop off your child at the roundabout at the top of High Leys.

Since September 2024, the school has been transitioning its uniform over to a new supplier, with a new style, over a five-year period. Therefore, the style of uniform is different for Year 7 and 8 (September 2024 and 2025 intakes) than the rest of the school.

Students wear their PE uniform instead of their ‘normal’ uniform on PE days, therefore, the new PE kit is designed to as closely match a traditional smart uniform as possible.

Details of the specific uniform items required can be found on the following pages (these relate to the year groups students will be in next academic year – September 2025):

Ordering and opportunities to try on
Uniform can be ordered online or in-shop from Chroma:

• Online: https://www.chromasport.co.uk/shop/st-ivo-academy
• In person: Unit 10, Wulfric Square, Bretton, Peterborough, PE3 8RF. Open Monday – Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm, Saturday 9.00am to 1.00pm
• Phone: 01733 262526

The school holds three try-before-you-buy events during the summer term; these are the dates and locations of last years events for reference. We will publish new dates once organised.

• Thursday 19 June 2025, St Ivo Academy Main Hall, 4.00pm – 6.00pm
• Wednesday 25 June 2025, Westfield Junior School, 3.30pm – 5.00pm
• Thursday 26 June 2025, Thorndown Primary School, 3.15pm – 5.00pm

A try-before-you-buy checklist can be found here: Chromasport-Item-Size-Reminder

For students in Years 9 to 11 in September 2025, remaining stock of Price & Buckland badged items is now available for purchase through My Child At School.

Financial assistance
For those parents/ carers in receipt of Working Tax Credit or Income Support, further financial assistance is available. To obtain this support, please email uniform@astreastivo.org with the email subject “Uniform Financial Assistance”.

Blazers and jumpers
All students must wear their blazer at all times, unless informed otherwise by a member of staff. Sleeves must not be rolled up. Students can choose to wear the optional V-neck jumper under their blazer. The V-neck jumper is not a substitute for the school blazer; if a student is too warm, the jumper must be removed, not the blazer. No other jumpers or hoodies are permitted underneath blazers.

Outerwear and keeping warm
The type of coat that is accepted is a standard long-sleeve outdoor coat, which typically provides warmth and water resistance. This helps ensure the student is kept warm, and both the student and their uniform is kept fully dry, unlike short-sleeve garments. Please ensure that any logos are discrete, and appropriate for a school site. Please note that non-school jumpers and non-school hoodies are not allowed to be worn on the school site, and will not be accepted as a coat. Coats can only be worn over the top of the school uniform (shirt, V-neck jumper and blazer) where permitted in the school, and must not be used as a replacement for the blazer.

Students who are cold should wear the V-neck jumper under their blazer. If this is not sufficient for warmth or comfort, students may also choose to wear a plain white T-shirt, vest or garment under the shirt/ blouse; the aim being that garments worn under the shirt/ blouse for warmth or comfort should not be visible.

Jewellery
Students can only wear a total of three studs in their ears/nose. All other jewellery will be confiscated.

All jewellery must be removed for PE lessons. If jewellery cannot be removed for PE lessons, students complete written work in the Reset Classroom instead.

Students are allowed to wear watches. If this is a smart watch, it will be asked to be removed for exams.

Make-up and nails
Make-up should be discreet and natural in style. False eyelashes and false nails are not permitted (including acrylic, gel or any other false nail). Nail varnish is not permitted apart from clear (not coloured) “French manicure”/”French polish” on the natural nail. Students unsure about how much make-up counts as discreet should seek advice from their Head of Year or Student Support Assistant.

Hair and Eyebrows
Extreme styles, lines and patterns shaved into the hair or eyebrows, are not permitted. If hair is dyed, it must not be dyed a colour that could not be achieved naturally.

Lost uniform
We encourage all parents to label all uniform items with their child’s name to avoid them being lost and causing parents unnecessary expense. If an item is misplaced, the school has a lost property system; students can check for their item by going to reception.

Valuable items
Valuable items such as mobile phones and expensive jewellery are brought on site at the owner’s risk. The school insurance does not cover damage or loss of these items. Parents/carers may wish to enquire as to whether their own insurance policies cover valuable items brought to school. The school is not responsible for the safety and security of these items.

What happens if a student is incorrectly dressed?
If a student cannot wear the correct uniform for any reason, the parent/carer must provide a note, explaining the problem and the date by which their child will be back in correct uniform. During that time, the school has a limited supply of uniform items which the student will borrow to ensure that correct uniform is worn at all times. Alternatively, in line with Department for Education guidance, the student may be sent home for a short period to change.

If a student is wearing incorrect uniform and does not have a note from their parent/carer or a good reason for not having a note, the student will borrow uniform from the school and the student may be given a detention after school. The school may be able to provide financial support if a parent/ carer is unable to rectify the uniform problem due to financial hardship.

A student who comes to school wearing incorrect uniform repeatedly without good reason, may spend time in the Reset Classroom until the issue can be resolved; parents/carers will be informed if this happens. Likewise, students with extreme hairstyles and/or unnatural colours, may be required to spend an extended period of time in the Reset Classroom until the problem is resolved.

Refusal to wear the correct uniform, including refusal to wear clean clothing lent by the school, will be treated as defiance and this is likely to result in being placed in the Reset Classroom.

• Pens: two black and one green pen
• Highlighter (any colour)
• Pencil
• Ruler (30cm)
• Eraser
• Protractor
• Glue stick
• Scientific calculator (the Casio Fx-85GT CW)
• Water bottle

A reading ruler and mini whiteboard and pen are provided to students by the school on entry. However, it is the responsibility of parents/ carers to replace these if they become lost or broken.