Check their balance on ParentMail and top up if necessary. If you are having technical problems with ParentMail, email the Office on office@fortismere.org.uk or call on 020 8365 4400

More information can be found here.

Students who feel unwell during lessons should inform their teacher. The teacher will send them, with a note, to the nearest medical room (North or South Wing). The Welfare Officer will see them and assess their ability to stay in school. If they need to be sent home, the Welfare Officer will contact the parent/carer. Students who are ill and need to go home cannot leave school alone - they must be collected. Students must not contact their parents/carers directly if they feel unwell during the day (mobile phones are not permitted in school hours).

Please visit the Requesting a Leave of Absence page where you can also access the online Leave of Absence form. With pre-arranged permission, students may leave school during the day for their appointment. They must go to either North or South Wing office to be signed out.

Students coming in late because of a pre-arranged appointment, or returning to school after an appointment, must enter school via South Wing gate (on Tetherdown). They must have evidence of their appointment and should then go straight to class.

Please visit the Requesting a Leave of Absence page for more information.

We take the register twice each day - once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If a child is absent for one full day, it will show as two absences (authorised or unauthorised). Our systems take this into account and we know that this means a one day absence only.

We recommend that items which might easily be mislaid are labelled. However, if an item is handed in, Lost Property can be found in North and South Wing Offices. Any items of PE kit might also be found in the PE Department. Items are kept for a half-term and then disposed of.

In a school of over 1700 students, it is not possible for the Headteacher to be fully briefed on every student. There is a comprehensive structure in place to support your child, including their Tutor and Head of Year. For most queries, please contact them in the first instance. The Headteacher will be available at key school events throughout the year.

If you would like to contact the School Governors, please do this via the Clerk to the Governors, Ms Sam Murray, at smurray@fortismere.org.uk or at governors@fortismere.org.uk

Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to organise separate individual tours of the school during the year. Our open evening for prospective parents and children moving from primary school  to Year 7 will be announced on the school website and is usually held in October.  

You should look at our Complaints Policy in the first instance. There are 4 stages to the Complaints Procedure:

Stage One - Informal: Talk to the class teacher or relevant member of staff

Most concerns can be resolved quickly and effectively by the teacher or the relevant member of staff. Contact the school to make an appointment or to find out when the member of staff is available to talk to you. 

Stage Two – Informal: Contact a Head of Department/Head of Year or Assistant Head

If you were not able to resolve your concern at Stage One you should then contact the relevant Head of Department, Head of Year or Assistant Headteacher to discuss the matter further. The aim at this stage is to establish the nature of the ongoing concern, what has been discussed with the school so far and what actions, if any, have already been taken.  It is hoped that most problems will be resolved through the informal stages of this procedure.

Stage Three – Formal: Contact the Headteacher

If your concern is still unresolved you may wish to pursue it further by raising it formally with the Headteacher. Send your complaint in writing to the Headteacher.  You should explain clearly the concern that has previously been discussed at stage one and stage two and why you feel that the issue is still not resolved. Explain what you think might resolve the matter. The Headteacher will investigate or nominate another senior member of staff to deal with the matter on their behalf. 

Stage Four – Formal: Complaint to the Governors Complaints Committee

If you are not satisfied with the response from the Headteacher, or if the complaint directly concerns the Headteacher, you can make a formal complaint to the Governors. Email the Clerk to Governors at governors@fortismere.org.uk. The Clerk will forward your complaint to Governors. A panel of Governors will arrange a meeting to hear your complaint.   The Governors’ decision is final and represents the end of the school’s complaints procedure. Governors can:

• Offer an apology, an explanation or an admission that the situation could have been handled differently
• Undertake to review policies and procedures
• Uphold or dismiss the complaint in whole or in part
• Decide on the appropriate action to be taken to resolve the complaint

Yes, if you require a paper copy of the information on our website, this can be provided free of charge. Please contact the office by emailing office@fortismere.org.uk.