St Benedict's Catholic College

General

School uniform expectations

Dear Parent/Carer

We would like to remind all members of our community of our expectations around college uniform in readiness for the start of the summer term after Easter. Please take the time to revisit the key elements of our uniform policy outlined below with your child to help us maintain a robust and meaningful home and college partnership particularly at a time when many families are under considerable financial pressures.

Jumpers

Our policy clearly states, “All students must wear a black blazer with a college badge; to be worn at all times unless permission is given to remove it.”

In line with our usual practice, jumpers will not be necessary in the summer term when the weather is warmer, and therefore cannot be worn after Easter.

Students who contravene this rule will have their jumper confiscated by our staff and returned to them at the of the day along with an appropriate consequence. In the second instance, this consequence will be escalated; the jumper will be confiscated and must be collected by a parent/carer from college reception at your nearest convenience.

Coats/Jacket/Fleeces/Hoodies

One of the fundamental purposes of our uniform policy is that it encourages “a sense of equality and cohesion where clothing is not used to highlight levels of family income, create social hierarchies or label students as members of identity groups (other than religious) since this is at odds with the culture of the college.” More recently, we have noticed a number of students wearing expensive coats and hoodies (particularly brands like Mercier and Nike Tech fleeces which are of higher monetary value) that contravene our policy and rules. These garments must not be worn in college.

In the first instance, any coat or garment worn by a student that’s not in line with our policy will be confiscated by our staff and returned to students at the of the day along with an appropriate consequence. In the second instance, this consequence will be escalated whereby the garment will be confiscated and must be collected by a parent/carer from college reception at your earliest convenience.

Whilst there may be medical reasons that make wearing parts of the uniform impossible, where this is the case, any agreed changes will be as close to the formal uniform as possible and made only after a meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team, SENDCo or Director of Achievement and Behaviour.

Our uniform policy/dressing for excellence information can be found on our website: https://www.stbenedicts.essex.sch.uk/parents-and-carers/uniform/ and if you have any further questions or require any support regarding uniform, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s form tutor and/or pastoral lead.

Yours sincerely

Mrs J E Santinelli

Principal

Online Safety

As children all over the country return to school, it is important to ensure that they are safe online as they will be using apps and information from the internet on a regular basis.

We hope that you will find the information detailed below useful, and should you have any concerns about interactions that your child is engaging in online, please contact a member of our safeguarding team, and we will be happy to advise you.

Our Safeguarding Team:

Mrs M Davis – Assistant Principal
Mrs S Pavey – Pastoral Lead
Miss R Wilson – Pastoral Lead

Monitoring Your Child Online and Advice for Parents/Carers:

Step-by-step instructions for setting up a child’s email on a Google account can be found at: Google Support

Advice for parents/carers regarding online risks can be found in a variety of places online, but we think the following websites are particularly useful:

Setting Up Devices:

There are many different settings and devices to be aware of as a parent/carer, and sometimes finding help in terms of monitoring these can be tricky. The ‘Internet Matters’ website has a range of useful guides to help and support parents/carers in this – please find some of them below:

Social Media:

Social media is often a minefield in terms of privacy settings and interactions online. Generally, all privacy settings have to be actively set up, rather than being automatically enabled when an account is created, and this changes frequently as platforms such as TikTok update their features. This clearly requires parents/carers to be vigilant about the social media that their children are engaging with. Please discuss this with your child so they can understand the dangers and the safety measures that you are protecting them with.

Help and support with this can be found here: Internet Matters - Social Media

Gaming:

Parental knowledge of games and their online world is often much less than their children. There is a lot of peer pressure on children to be part of certain games online, and the website ‘Taming Gaming’ can provide some insight and support for parents/carers at home.

Taming Gaming

We do hope that you find this information to be of use and please do not hesitate to contact any member of the safeguarding or pastoral teams should you wish to discuss anything further.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs M Davis
Assistant Principal – Safeguarding

RSE

As part of your child’s curriculum experience this year, certain aspects of RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) will be taught in RE, Science and PSHE lessons in all year groups.

RSE Policy

Our Relationships and Sex Education policy outlines the principles underpinning our lessons on these topics. Please find a link to the policy here: RSE Policy

Curriculum Guidelines

The programmes of study for RE and PSHE have been designed in accordance with the Curriculum Directory issued by the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales and the PSHE Association and are appropriate for students’ age and maturity. We have followed closely the guidance given by the Brentwood Diocese in constructing our schemes of work. The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church informs our Sex Education programme in line with the college policy regarding such matters.

Parental Rights

Parents have the right to withdraw their child from some Sex Education lessons after a discussion with the Principal. If you wish to exercise this right, please complete the electronic form here: Electronic Form.

Response

There is no need to respond to the form if you wish your child to receive Relationships and Sex Education.

Essential Equipment

Dear Parents/Carers

We would like to remind you of our ongoing expectation that all students come to College fully equipped for effective learning.

Having the right tools for the job is essential for maximising learning time and improving academic performance. When students bring their own equipment lessons can start promptly without delays allowing for a more focused and efficient learning environment. Research shows that students who are fully prepared with their own equipment are more likely to stay engaged, participate actively and achieve higher grades.

To support your child in being fully prepared we ask that they bring the following items to College every day which is shown on the PDF attachment.

Equipment List

Starting today we encourage you to revisit expectations with your child and ensure they have all the necessary equipment for College. During the Easter break, please take the opportunity to restock on any needed items. In the first week back, we will conduct daily equipment checks to reinforce the importance of being prepared. Throughout the summer term we will implement a stepped approach to address any lack of equipment ensuring that all students are consistently prepared for effective learning.

We believe that being ready and well-organised not only boosts confidence but also reduces anxiety making students more likely to participate and contribute in class. Your support in ensuring your child has the correct equipment will greatly enhance their learning experience and help them develop valuable organisational skills.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to your child's education. Together we can empower our students to achieve their best!

Yours faithfully

Mr P Cretu

Assistant Principal

Year 7

Year 8

The Globe Theatre and Tate Modern Gallery

Year 9 trip to The Globe Theatre and Tate Modern Gallery – Friday 26th September 2025.

We are very pleased to inform you that we are planning a trip to The Globe Theatre and The Tate Modern Gallery in London on Friday 26th September 2025.

The total cost of the trip will be £35.90. This covers the cost of entrance to The Globe Theatre where students will get the opportunity to tour the theatre and then participate in a workshop. In the afternoon we plan to take students to visit the Tate Modern Gallery. The students will depart from St Benedict’s at 8.00am and return at 5.00pm. Your child will need to be in College by 7.30 am on the day of the trip. You need to ensure arrangements are made to collect your child from the college at 5.00pm. Should the College cancel the trip, a full refund will be made, however all monies are non-refundable should you cancel the place yourself.

If you would like your child to take part, please go to the ParentPay website to provide consent and pay £35.90. We kindly ask you to pay by the 13th June 2025. It is probable the trip will not take place unless all parents, who are able, confirm by the given deadlines.

The College would not want the cost to prevent any student from attending. If you feel that you are in such a position, please contact your child’s pastoral lead, in confidence, to discuss whether some suitable arrangements can be made to assist with costs.

Students will need to bring a packed lunch. Students entitled to free school meals will be provided with a packed lunch. Time will be allowed during the afternoon to visit the gallery shop. Students wishing to purchase postcards or other small visual items to include in their studies, may wish to bring with them a small amount of money to spend; no more than £10 please. Students should wear College uniform but may wear trainers or other comfortable footwear in place of College shoes.

We are confident the trip will be an exciting and rewarding experience for the students that will give them the opportunity to gain valuable first-hand experience of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and also to enhance their understanding of art and culture through their visit to Tate Modern.

Yours faithfully

Mrs P Bishop, Head of Communications Faculty and Mrs L Stewart-Thomas, Subject

Co-ordinator of Art.

five-day trip to the Opal Coast, France

Year 9 five-day trip to the Opal Coast, France – Monday 16th March to Friday 20th March 2026

We are very pleased to inform you that we are planning a trip to the Opal Coast in France for our year 9 students of French. We are working with Voyager School Travel to organise our itinerary and will be staying in the Hotel du Moulin aux Draps Activity Centre for the duration of the visit. We will have dedicated Animateurs who will work with us during our stay and organise various activities at the centre. Our students will be encouraged to speak French throughout the stay and we are sure they will enjoy using the language in lots of different situations. We will travel by ferry and coach and then go on excursions and local trips during our stay, including visits to Boulogne-sur-Mer, the Nausicaa Sea World Centre and a local market.

The total cost of the visit will be £675.00 per student. This covers the cost of all coach travel, four nights’ full board accommodation at the Hotel Moulin aux Draps, excursions and admission fees. Should the college cancel the visit, a full refund will be made, however all monies are non-refundable should you cancel the place yourself.

The maximum number of places available is 60 and should the trip be oversubscribed, places on the trip will be allocated by ballot. If you will find it difficult to pay at this time, please contact your child’s pastoral lead within one week of receiving this letter and we will endeavour to assist so that all students can avail themselves of this enrichment opportunity.

In order to confirm our booking with Voyager School Travel and secure our reservation we will need a response from parents by the 31st May 2025 at the latest. If you would like your child to be considered for this visit, please pay the non-returnable deposit of £100.00 by the 31st May 2025. If your child is not offered a place on the trip the deposit will be refunded. We kindly ask you to use the ParentPay website, where you can pay online using your credit or debit card.

The remaining payments for this trip will be due in instalments as follows:

31st May 2025 £100.00

30th June 2025 £125.00

31st July 2025 £100.00

30th September 2025 £125.00

31st October 2025 £100.00

30th November 2025 £125.00

Please ensure that payments are made on time. Please contact Pastoral Lead if making the payments on time causes you difficulties.

Our proposed itinerary is as follows (this may be subject to change and we will of course send you a final itinerary nearer the time):

Monday 16th March 2026:

Depart College and travel by coach for the crossing to Calais. Students will need a packed lunch for the journey. From Calais, we will continue to the hotel and settle in, followed by our first evening meal and language activity.

Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th March 2026:

Activities organised by staff at the activity centre, with visits to:

The Nausicaa National Sea Centre in Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer - visit to the old town ramparts
Opalaventure - trekking through the treetops, guided by instructors
Local market mission with a challenge to buy food for lunch using only French
Étaples military cemetery
Bakery
Le Touquet seaside town
Chocolate Factory
Friday 20th March 2026

Return home and scheduled arrival back at College before the end of the College day (subject to traffic and any changes in timings by the ferry operator)

If you require any further information at this stage please contact me at the College. There will also be an information evening for parents in the Spring term, as we approach the date of departure. Please note that students will require their own passport, valid for at least three months from departure from the UK, and that it might be necessary for your child to obtain a visa for this visit. Information is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/get-a-child-passport

https://www.france-visas.gouv.fr/en/

The College reserves the right to refuse any student a place if their conduct leading up to the trip is unacceptable.

I am sure that the trip will be an exciting experience for your child and that it will give them the opportunity to practise their French, to get to know more about French culture and way of life and also to see the beautiful landscape and towns of the Opal Coast.

Yours faithfully

Ms Lesto

Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Year 9

Year 9 and 10 GCSE Art & Textiles trip to Kew Gardens

Dear Parent/Carer

Year 9 and 10 GCSE Art & Textiles trip to Kew Gardens - Monday 24th November 2025

We are very pleased to inform you that we are planning a trip to Kew Gardens on Monday 24th November 2025.

The total cost of the trip will be £32 This is to cover the cost of transport to and from College and the admission fee. Students will be escorted by staff around the venue, including exhibitions and galleries.

The trip will give learners the opportunity to gather references for observational drawing and primary photos that will help support a grade boost as the exam board love when students go ‘out and about’. For Textile students there will be a special focus on engaging with art and close-up observation opportunities. Art students will be gaining firsthand photography experience, for them to feed into their 'close up' themed experiment workshops.

We will depart St Benedict’s at 8.00 am by coach and return to college by 4.30 pm. Should the College cancel the trip, a full refund will be made, however all monies are non-refundable should you cancel the place yourself.

If you would like your child to take part, please pay using ParentPay by Friday 18th July 2025. If we do not receive sufficient interest and payment for the trip by the deadline, it is probable that the trip will not be able to go ahead. Consent will be completed as part of the ParentPay process. In the event that the trip is oversubscribed, priority will be given to year 10 students, following this, places will be allocated by ballot.

If you will find it difficult to pay at this time, please contact your child’s Pastoral Lead within one week of receiving this letter and we will endeavour to assist so that all students can avail themselves of this enrichment opportunity.

Students will need to bring a packed lunch. Students entitled to free school meals will be provided with a packed lunch. Time will be allowed during the afternoon to visit the attraction shop. Students wishing to make purchases on the day of any materials or embellishments to use in their studies may bring with them a small amount of money to spend, no more than £10 please.

Students will be in full college uniform. We also ask that students have access to a phone throughout the day for the use of camera, but I would like to ask this use is for educational purposes only and for learners to refrain from photographing other learners.

Yours faithfully

Mrs Holloway

Subject Co-Ordinator of Textiles

Year 10