Please see our FAQs on our mobile phone policy.
Please see our guidance document on how to book appointments on Talaxy.
If you change address, phone number, email address or GP you can amend both yours and your child's details via Talaxy (our online information system).
You can also securely email our safeguarding lead to notify them of any additional support needs your child may have or contact the school to speak to a member of your child's school base team if there are personal circumstances you wish to make the school aware of.
The options booklet is published in spring each year and can be found on the Options page.
Please refer to our procedure for snow closures on the attendance page.
If you believe your child may be entitled to Free School Meals please see our Free School Meals page for information on how to apply. If your child is entitled to free school meals, it is very important that you claim them – even if your child prefers not to eat in the canteen. The reason is that a free school meal entitlement opens up Pupil Premium funding for your child.
We use a cashless biometric (fingerprint) system in our canteen and food pods. The system is linked to a parent's ParentPay account which is managed online by the parent/carer. Families use ParentPay to pay for all meals as well as trips and equipment such as revision books. Students entitled to Free School Meals will have their FSM daily allowance pre-loaded so when they scan their fingerprint it will show on our tills.
Our canteen, York Place Diner 1884, has a helpdesk for students & staff to deal with any issues with ParentPay, allowances, dietary and allergens or any food issues.
This is in operation at morning break 10:45 & lunch time 12:35/13:20 or please email food@varndean.co.uk with any food or canteen related queries.
School uniform can be purchased from Inter Sport.
For more information please see our uniform page.
Black/blue ball point pen (and a spare)
Pencil
Ruler
Rubber
Protractor
Set square
Scientific calculator
Revision books are available through school in the majority of subjects, you can find out more from the relevant teacher.
Please see the extra-curricular page for up to date information about the extra-curricular activities on offer. Please note these may change throughout the academic year so keep checking back, particularly at the start of a new term or half term.
Please see our homework/preparation page for full details.
Detentions are referred to as Resolutions at Varndean School as we believe that they should lead to a resolution to a concern about behaviour, which will bring about a change in attitude and a return to a focus on learning.
Behaviours and/or incidents are recorded in the following way:
C2 - 10 minute resolution with the teacher that day
C3 - 30 minute department resolution held after school
C4 - 1 hour whole school resolution held after school
Restorative conversations are used by teachers with students if poor behaviour has been displayed in their lessons.
For any resolution longer than 10 minutes, parents/carers are notified by email or text with 24 hours’ notice.
Parents/carers can keep track of their child's/children's achievements and behaviour on Talaxy.
We have a Medical Centre on site run by a first aid trained Medical Officer. You can contact the medical centre directly on 01273 545246.
Please see the prospectus page for details on and a copy of our current prospectus.
Setting is where students are grouped by ability or aptitude for a particular subject and streaming is where pupils follow different pathways through the curriculum based on ability or aptitude. Setting means that a school can mix the populations of teaching groups. Streaming means the populations will stay fixed. Varndean uses setting to aid achievement. We don’t use streaming.
For further details please see our setting information document.
All letters are emailed home where possible to enable us to communicate in a more timely manner, while reducing our usage of paper. Should you require a copy of a previous letter please see our letters home page or contact reception.
Our Ofsted report can be downloaded directly from Ofsted’s website as well as on our Ofsted page on the website.
Please visit our Results page for the latest exam results information.
All Varndean students are expected to be in school uniform at all times during the school day. Please see our uniform page for full details.
Please see Varndean School’s curriculum policy on our Policies page. Alternatively, you can view the Varndean Curriculum page or use the department pages to find out more about each department.
Please see our times of the school day page.
At Varndean, students are encouraged to participate in and to manage many aspects of community life. One example of this is the role of the student receptionist.
Typically, once a year, students will be asked to support the reception area of the school by showing visitors around the building, relaying messages from parents and helping to operate the mail room.
We have found that this activity develops self-reliance, confidence, a sense of community – and most of all, introduces students to many aspects of the school’s daily routine to which they may otherwise have been unaware.
During the day – in addition to helping the reception team – students will have a set of work from different department bases that they must complete – but may also be found engrossed in their favourite reading book.
Please see our venue hire information page.
