New Starters September 2024
A very warm welcome to all of our new Year 7s and families! Please see the menu items on the right alongside this page for lots of useful information about starting life at Hitchin Girls' School.
If you have a question that isn't answered here or if there is anything else you would like to discuss, please don't hesitate to contact a member of our Transition Team at newintake@hgs.herts.sch.uk.
You can also follow us on X: https://twitter.com/HGSTransition
We'll start with a welcome message from this year's Head Girl Team, Bibi, Kelcie and Leyla!
Transition Team
Mrs Caroline Hone
Assistant Headteacher &
Transition Lead
Ms Charlotte Gunns
Head of Year 7
Mrs Laura Cole
Assistant Headteacher,
SENCO & Mental Health Lead
Mrs Hannah Mellors
Pastoral - KS3
New Intake Day
We are looking forward to your child joining us for the day on New Intake Day, Thursday 11 July.
● Your child needs to arrive at the school gate by the bridge over Highbury Road or the side gate on Windmill Hill at 8.30am. Parents are not permitted onsite and no drop-off is permitted in the school car parks or on the zig-zags on Highbury Road.
● Our Head Girl, Deputy Head Girls, House Captains and Prefects will be at the gates to welcome your child and walk them to the Lower School Hall. Key staff will also be available to support them if needed, including our Learning Support and Pastoral teams.
● If your child has a mobile phone they must turn it off for the duration of the day.
● Your child will be dismissed from the side gate on Windmill Hill at 3pm. Please arrange in advance for your child to either be collected or make their own way home. Children waiting for HGS siblings to finish at 3.30pm should wait on the benches by the main building.
● We will be sharing what’s happening on the day via our @HGSTransition X feed so please do follow us!
What your child needs to wear / bring on the day
● Their usual primary school uniform
● Filled, named water bottle
● Pencil case
● Suncreen/hat if the weather is hot
● Their completed This is Me sheet
● Small snack for breaktime (no nuts / nut products please)
● Packed lunch (no nuts) if they are not having school lunch
● Any medication that they may require on the day. This must be in a named sandwich bag / small tupperware with clear instructions. All medication must be handed to their form tutor (we will remind students to do this)
Details and timings for New Intake Day Information Evening, Thursday 11 July, 5 - 7pm
This event is intended for all our new starters and their parents/carers, and will take place in the main school building. With 210 families to accommodate space will be a little tight, but if you do need to bring younger siblings, this is absolutely fine - they may just need to sit on your lap. Please do not bring buggies unless they are essential. If you require wheelchair access please inform us in advance via newintake@hgs.herts.sch.uk.
● If your child is in tutor group 7A, 7B, 7C or 7F, your talk will run from 5pm to 5.45pm in the Main Hall. Meanwhile those students in 7J, 7P, 7R and 7T and their parents will meet their form tutors, Heads of House and House Prefects.
● If your child is in tutor group 7J, 7P, 7R or 7T your talk will run from 6pm to 6.45pm in the Main Hall. Meanwhile those students in 7A, 7B, 7C and 7F and their parents will meet their form tutors, Heads of House and House Prefects.
● There will also be information stalls to visit, for BEAT School Uniforms, Smarty School Uniforms, Pre-loved Uniforms, Phase Hitchin and our Pastoral Team.
● The evening will finish at 7pm and there will be light refreshments available.
There will be some limited parking available onsite for the evening but if you are able to walk / lift-share please do so. Please give yourselves plenty of time to find a parking space on the surrounding roads if needed.
Extra transition day for children who are the only one coming from their primary school
If your child is the only student coming to HGS from their primary school, they are invited to an additional transition day on Wednesday 3 July, 11am - 3pm. Please bring them to the main school reception at 11am. You will also need to collect them from here at 3pm.
What your child needs to wear / bring on the day
● Their usual primary school uniform
● Filled, named water bottle
● Pencil case
● Packed lunch (no nuts / nut products please)
● Any medication your child may require on the day. This must be in a named sandwich bag / small tupperware with clear instructions
The day will be spent completing fun challenges and playing team-building games, and will also include seats at the HGS Gym and Dance Display in the afternoon. We hope to take them to the HGS GCSE and A Level Art Show as well.
Useful Info
A Week / B Week
Our school weeks alternate between A Week and B Week, and the timetable is different for each one. The first week of each term is A Week.
Lockers
You are encouraged to have a locker to reduce the amount of books and equipment you have to carry back and forth every day. Our lockers are leased and serviced by an external company and currently the annual fee is £25. You will be able to book your locker once you have found out which form you are in (on New Intake Day), so you can choose one that's near your form room.
Reception
There is a Reception at the entrance of the Main School and also the Woodside Block. If you feel unwell, have lost something or need any other help but are unsure where to go, the friendly office staff are there to assist.
Subjects in Key Stage 3
You will have classes in:
Ancient Civilisations
Art and Design
Computing
Design & Technology
Drama
English
French
Geography
History
Latin
Learning for Life
Maths
Music
Philosophy and Ethics
Physical Education
Science
Spanish
The School Day
Registration: 8.40am - you should be in your tutor room by 8.35am latest.
Tutor time: 8.40 - 9.10am - catching up / activities with your form tutor.
Period 1: 9.10 - 10.10am
Period 2: 10.10 - 11.10am
Break: 11.10 - 11.40am - snacks are served in the Dining Room.
Period 3: 11.40am - 12.40pm
Lunch: 12.40 - 1.30pm - there is a rota for the order in which year groups queue for lunch in the Dining Room.
Period 4: 1.30 - 2.30pm
Period 5: 2.30 - 3.30pm
Letters Sent to Parents
ParentPay
Lunch choices for New Intake Day are as follows, and need to be selected and paid for in advance through ParentPay, the online payment system we use at HGS.
1. Sausages, roast potatoes, vegetables plus cookie
2. Macaroni cheese, roast potatoes, vegetables plus cookie (vegetarian)
3. Vegetable hot pot plus flapjack (gluten-free/vegan)
You will receive an email with your unique ParentPay login details and instructions on how to set up your account. This is designed to be a quick and easy process. Once you have set up your account please select and pay for your child’s New Intake Day lunch (£2.70). Please do this by Friday 28 June.
If your child is in receipt of Free School Meals please set up a ParentPay account for use from September, but order your child’s New Intake Day lunch on this Google form by Friday 28 June (no payment required).
If you have an older sibling at HGS and already have a ParentPay account, you will still receive unique login details for your new starter child. You will need these when you click Add Child in your existing ParentPay account.
Even if your child will be having packed lunches you will need to set up a ParentPay account for other purchases that you may need to make during their time at HGS.
During New Intake Day, we will scan your child’s thumbprint if you have given permission for us to do so. This data will then be linked to your ParentPay account, so that your child can simply place their thumb on the readers by the tills when purchasing food and drink from September.