FAQs

How do we talk to the form tutor or Head of Year?	Ring 0207 479 3900 and ask for the teacher or email on teacher.surname@paddington-academy.org.
What if the query is about a specific subject?	Contact the main school or email (see above answer) and ask to speak to Head of Faculty.
Are there Teaching Assistants?	Yes, but not in every lesson.
School start and end times	School starts at 8.30 and ends at 3.25pm. Students are expected to arrive by 8.20am
How often do they get Homework?	Students receive homework every day and will receive a termly project from one subject
Who do I first go to if my child has a problem?	Tutor first unless more urgent, then the Student support mentor or the Head of Year
How is the school day structured?	Please see the timetable on the school website in the student zone area
What are the food choices?	All food is Halal. There is a good choice of hot food every day with a vegetarian offer and a salad bar and a choice of a pudding or fruit. We also offer a selection of sandwiches and baguettes in our cafeteria area. The children may of course bring in a packed lunch if they wish to
How do I apply for Free school meals?	You need to obtain a form from our front office
Can they leave the premises at lunch?	No
What happens about detentions? When are they?	We are allowed to detain your child for 20 minutes after school without having to contact home. For all other detentions, the parent will be informed at least 24 hours in advance
What is the mobile phone policy?	No mobile phones in school
Examples of different sports played competitively	There are teams for netball, football, cricket basketball and athletics, badminton
Is there supervision at break times?	Yes there are staff members and heads of year on duty at break and lunch times
Uniform and PE kit. What is needed and how much is it?	Please see the uniform policy on our website
Is there setting for subjects?
Will my child become separated from their friends?	Every effort is made to ensure balance in the tutor groups and we do our very best to make sure that students are with at least one of their nominated friends wherever possible.
How do any children who have come from a different feeder school get integrated?	On the Induction days they meet their new tutor group members and their new tutor. They spend plenty of time getting to know one another.
Who do we talk to if there is friendship conflict?	The tutor would be the first port of call as they know their tutees.
Who is in my child's class?	Your child will meet their new tutor group on the June Induction Day.
What is the bullying policy?
How many students are there in the new intake?	Our intake is 180 students in year 7
How many tutor groups are there in Year 7?	There are 8 tutor groups with an average of 23 in each
Will there be any additional tests or assessments after they start in September?	Yes there are CATS (skills) tests and Reading age tests in September
Do they have a girl's football team?	Yes
Where do the buses stop?	The best busses are the 18, 36, 31, 328 and 6 which all stop nearby. The nearest tube station is Warwick Avenue
Examples of after school clubs?	click here to see out after school clubs
Instrument tuition - how do we find out about it?	The Music Faculty coordinate all peripatetic music lessons.
Lockers - are there enough and is the security good enough?	Your child will have the option to rent a locker either for their entire school career or on an annual basis.
CCTV cameras - where are they and who monitors them?	There are a number of cameras at strategic points around the school grounds.
What security is in place inside and outside the school?	Safeguarding is taken seriously at Paddington Academy. All the relevant procedures are in place to minimise any risks.
Can we know early what books and equipment they need so we can plan and budget?	Other than the uniform and a well equipped pencil case, your child does not need to buy books.