PortalA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
ABRSM
ABRSM Examinations (including Diplomas) Under the current DfE Aided Pupil Scheme, entrance fees for ABRSM exams are paid for by the School and then reclaimed from the DfE. However, once a student has been entered for an exam, they must sit this exam as originally intended. If any student withdraws from the examination process, post submission to the ABRSM, the School will recharge any examination fees to the parents, which cannot be refunded by the ABRSM. The School can only reclaim part or full cancelled examination fees in cases supported by a genuine medical illness/injury (which will need to be supported by documentary evidence) or in cases of exceptional circumstances, as defined by the Board.
ABSENCE
If your son/daughter needs to be away from School for any reason: please write directly to Ms Rhind, Deputy Head (Pastoral) with at least two weeks’ notice. If permission is given, then the students collect a ‘white form’ from House Parents to ensure all the teachers concerned are aware and can set any work to be caught up on, etc.
Occasionally two weeks’ notice is of course not possible – eg for dates for college auditions and university interviews. On those occasions please contact Ms Rhind as soon as possible so that she has the necessary time to liaise with colleagues.
Please remember that Chetham’s musical commitments and concerts, etc will always take priority over any private arrangements; in fact it is always necessary to check with the Instrumental Head of Department a long time in advance about the advisability of any privately arranged concert or any non-School commitment, before writing to Ms Rhind about the possibility of leave of absence, as refusal can cause offence. Please remember in particular that Chetham’s thrice yearly Music Courses (in October, February and July) are absolutely sacrosanct! Please do not request leave of absence at these times.
We are aiming to improve the flow of information regarding students who have been ill at home, whether day or boarding students. Please would all parents send their child, on his/her return to School, with a note to confirm the nature of the medical problem the child has experienced, or to email the Medical Centre. The Medical Centre and House staff can then be informed more efficiently.
ACCESS
Parental access to dorms. Parents are asked to remember that the Boarding Houses are the boarders’ homes during term time and it is important to respect all students’ privacy at all times. Please make yourselves known to a member of the House staff whenever visiting the Houses. Parents are particularly asked to note that (as stated in the School’s Visitor Policy) there is no parental admission to the Houses beyond the times of 8.00 pm in Victoria House and 8.30 pm in Boys’ and Girls’ Houses, chiefly as students are readying themselves for bed from these times, so please say your farewells outside the House in order to avoid any awkwardness or embarrassment. If a student requires any help in the House, for example with unpacking, bed linen, or laundry, the House staff will be very happy to assist. Beyond these times, and in any other particular situations, please make your request known directly to the House Staff. House Staff may be contacted via Security.
B
BUY A BRICK
Creating the Chetham’s new School Building was the biggest development project that the School had ever undertaken. Buy a Brick was the scheme that enabled parents and others from the community to support the project by making a donation of £10 to ‘Buy a Brick’ – each brick could be accompanied by a personal message which was posted on the Chetham’s website and also displayed within the new Building. Now that the Building is complete, the scheme has finished. However, we are still seeking funds for the Building project, so if you would like to contribute, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
C
For parents based in or around the capital, Chets in London is a circle of support which aims to bring Chetham’s to London through a series of special events. You can find out more by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
E
ELECTRICAL GOODS
Any electrical goods belonging to the boys and girls should have been checked by the end of the first two weeks of the new term, when they (the items, not the children!) will receive a sticker. Please remind your children not to use their electrical goods until they have been checked. Please note the restrictions on electrical goods in the Handbook. All students must make sure their electrical equipment carries their name, on return in September.
END OF TERM
A reminder that all students will be asked to strip their rooms completely at the end of term, including wardrobes, as the School usually plans to let the facilities during the holidays. If it is not possible for a student to take all of his/her possessions home, then they should be packed in a trunk/secure boxes, which will then be stored in a designated room in the Houses during the holidays, at the students’ own risk. There is always “packing time” for the students at the end of term. There will be a charge made if any students’ rooms are not cleared and domestic staff are required to do it.
ENQUIRIES
Would parents only call the Head’s PA, Mrs Haslam, on business that directly relates to the Head. All general enquiries should go to the main switchboard on 0161 834 9644 if you do not know the specific number you need.
E-SAFETY
e-safety – for students
At Chetham’s we take e-safety seriously. As part of the programme, (including work in PRS and IT lessons) we use Safer Internet Day to deliver e-safety Assemblies to students in three separate groups: Juniors and Form 1, Form 2 to Form 5 and Sixth Form. Specific reference has been made to staying safe on social networking sites. New limits have been introduced within our own web filtering system to safeguard students. However, all students have been advised to ‘lock down’ their privacy settings. All too often the default level has been left wide open. In addition, we have created a ‘Be Safe’ area on the student intranet which provides links to e-safety resources and allows students to pass on concerns to Mrs. Owen.
The School’s e-safety policy is available to view through the Parents’ Gateway in the ‘Information for Parents’ section. Parents can also access the Student AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) for intranet and internet access via the School’s network, and information from CEOP through this part of the Parents’ Gateway.
EXAMS
ABRSM Examinations (including Diplomas) Under the current DfE Aided Pupil Scheme, entrance fees for ABRSM exams are paid for by the School and then reclaimed from the DfE. However, once a student has been entered for an exam, they must sit this exam as originally intended. If any student withdraws from the examination process, post submission to the ABRSM, the School will recharge any examination fees to the parents, which cannot be refunded by the ABRSM. The School can only reclaim part or full cancelled examination fees in cases supported by a genuine medical illness/injury (which will need to be supported by documentary evidence) or in cases of exceptional circumstances, as defined by the Board.
F
FREE WEEKENDS
For Free Weekends lessons end at 3.30 pm on a Friday afternoon. We hope that all students will have reached home by 9.00 pm on that evening. If, however, you live a very considerable distance from the School and your son or daughter would not be able to get home by this time, please drop Ms Rhind a line to let her know. She is happy to consider any requests for a slightly earlier departure if that is necessary in order to catch a particular train. Please also let either her or the House Parents know of the time of that train.
Students must leave School by 4.30 pm on the Friday of Free Weekends (House staff deserve a good break, too!) and return to School only between 5.30 pm and 9.00 pm on the Sunday, not earlier and certainly no later. If you are coming to School by car to collect your son/daughter on Fridays, please do not arrive before 3.30 pm, unless, in exceptional circumstances, you have made prior arrangements with the House staff.
You may be aware of Friends of Chetham’s, which is our circle of supporters consisting of music-lovers, parents and anyone else who is interested in supporting Chetham’s with a charitable donation. Through an annual gift of at least £24 a year, the Friends support the School directly, helping to fund projects and provide vital support where it is needed. If you are interested in finding out more or becoming a Friend, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Chetham’s School of Music is a registered charity (526702) and actively fundraises in a variety of ways, enhancing the student experience and musical offering in many significant ways. We fundraise for projects as wide-ranging as international student bursaries, outreach work with the community, musical performances across the country and beyond, student participation in competitions, and capital projects. Please see entries on the Humphrey Chetham Club, Friends of Chetham’s and Chets in London, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.
H
HOLIDAY
Time off for students during term time is increasingly frowned upon by the DfE, unless of course there is a perfectly valid reason. Students at Chetham’s have leave of absence very frequently, principally for musical reasons, but also of course for medical/dental ones. Please, however, ensure that no holidays are booked which impinge on school time – leave of absence would not be granted.
HOMEWORK DIARY
A reminder for parents of day students that you should check and sign your son’s or daughter’s homework diary regularly.
L
LAUNDRY
The Laundry has a facility whereby all clothing can be named. Any new items can be brought along for a name tag to be added. Parents of non-resident students should also make sure clothing is named, particularly items like gym kit and coats which the Laundry does seem to get quite a collection of over the year! Unnamed and unclaimed items of laundry and any lost property are passed on to charitable causes on a half-termly basis. The School regrets that it cannot accept responsibility for these items once they have gone.
M
MEDICAL MATTERS
We are aiming to improve the flow of information regarding students who have been ill at home, whether day or boarding students. Please would all parents send their child, on his/her return to School, with a note to confirm the nature of the medical problem the child has experienced, or to email the Medical Centre. The Medical Centre and House staff can then be informed more efficiently.
MEDICINE POLICY
The School’s Medicine Policy is that no medicines (other than inhalers and Epipens) are allowed in the Houses. House Parents are reminding students and re-enforcing this as appropriate, but we do worry here that boys and girls may share medicines between each other, especially at a time when so many of them have been suffering from colds. There is a big danger if medicines are left lying around also where other students could find/use them. The Nursing Staff can carry out an Assessment of Competency for older students who wish to self-administer, but students must take it upon themselves to make contact with Kate Scott in the Medical Department to arrange for this.
N
NOTICE
With regard to giving notice to the School, please note Section 6c of the Standard Terms and Conditions regarding the situation which would arise should a parent wish to withdraw their child from the School before the end of the Upper Sixth. In brief, parents should always be mindful of the need to give a full term’s notice of their wish to withdraw their child, otherwise a full (“un-means tested” – currently £10,329 for a boarding student) term’s fees are payable in lieu.
P
PARKING
As you know, parking is extremely limited at Chetham’s. We try to accommodate parents’ cars if you have a Disabled Person’s Parking Permit, but this cannot be guaranteed. At the beginning and end of each term and at Free Weekends, parents may come on to the yard to drop off/collect; please do not leave your car on the yard whilst you go off for a spot of lunch or shopping!
Parking is not available for lunchtime concerts, nor for other day-time events, eg Founder’s Day.
If you have a parking request, please make it through the House staff or the member of staff you are visiting, with at least a week’s notice.
PUBLICITY
Do write to the Head if you have objections to photographs, recordings, or descriptions of your son/daughter being used in the School’s publicity material. This includes media coverage, programmes, newsletters, web-site, prospectuses and film, sound and voice recordings. We see this kind of PR as part and parcel of the development of young musicians’ careers, and we reserve the right to use this publicity material if appropriate in perpetuity. If you do record your child in a Chetham’s concert, this should be for your own use and not uploaded onto You Tube or similar sites. If you do not wish to give consent to this policy, please let me know in writing by the end of August. If you would like to record personally your son’s/daughter’s individual performance at Chetham’s, prior permission is required – please contact the Head or the Director of Music at least one week prior to the event. Recording of a whole concert is not allowed.
R
RAISE THE ROOF
Our Raise the Roof campaign was the public-facing appeal for funds for the Chetham’s new School Building, to which hundreds of people contributed, making a real impact on this project and the School. Now that the Building is complete, the campaign has finished. However, we are still seeking funds for the building project, so if you would like to contribute, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
RETURN
On return from Free Weekends, Half Terms and holidays, students should ensure they arrive between 5.30 pm and 9.30 pm. (This is unless there is a Parent-Teacher Meeting for specific year groups, of course, when parents and their sons and daughters in those year groups have access to School from 2.30 pm.) Please respect this rule: no-one is available in Houses to be responsible for students until 5.30 pm onwards. Boarding staff deserve a break too!
S
SWIPE CARDS
Some day students frequently forget to bring their swipe card to School (others less frequently!). Please remind your child that (s)he must sign in and out at the Security Lodge on entering and leaving the site if they forget their swipe card. On leaving they must also have a not from a member of the Boarding House staff. Replacement swipe cards are charged for.
T
The Humphrey Chetham Club is a network of leaders in the public and private sector and individual supporters of Chetham’s from the North West and beyond, who pledge support of £1,000 a year for five years. Regular intimate events for members make the Club a very special way to be involved with Chetham’s – for more information, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
TRAVEL
If you live abroad or if your child routinely flies home at the end of the term/flies back to school at the start of term, everything must be done to ensure that the timings of these flights do not take away normal school time. Convenient or cheaper flights/train tickets for any day prior to the end of term are therefore not considered a good reason for asking to leave school early. In such cases, students from abroad should stay with their guardian until the next convenient flight after the end of term.
Please help the School carry out its legal duties to ensure that all students attend for the full length of term.
V
VISITING
Parental access to dorms. Parents are asked to remember that the Boarding Houses are the boarders’ homes during term time and it is important to respect all students’ privacy at all times. Please make yourselves known to a member of the House staff whenever visiting the Houses. Parents are particularly asked to note that (as stated in the School’s Visitor Policy) there is no parental admission to the Houses beyond the times of 8.00 pm in Victoria House and 8.30 pm in Boys’ and Girls’ Houses, chiefly as students are readying themselves for bed from these times, so please say your farewells outside the House in order to avoid any awkwardness or embarrassment. If a student requires any help in the House, for example with unpacking, bed linen, or laundry, the House staff will be very happy to assist. Beyond these times, and in any other particular situations, please make your request known directly to the House Staff. House Staff may be contacted via Security.
VOLUNTEERING
There are always opportunities for parents to become more involved in School activities - in conducting Heritage Tours. Please write to Simon Chaplin, Events and Operations Manager, if you would be interested ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
