You and your parents will have had full details of the uniform and hopefully you are looking forward to wearing your stripy blazers!

A few key details though are: grey or black socks for boys, no make-up or jewellery for girls and always having shirts or blouses tucked in.

Ingrams pupils should not have their phone in school. You have plenty of other things to think about and look after so your phone is one less thing to worry about.

At times during the day you are allowed to use you iPad so you can still contact parents or, if needed, ask to call them from the school reception.

There are lots of ways you might get to school depending on what suits you. If you are walking remember to use the side entrance by the Bursary, not the Gatehouse as cars will be driving out at the same time. If coming by car you will need to come in through the Iron Gates as there is a one-way system before and after school.

If you come on the bus you will be dropped off outside the Donaldson building and should then go straight to your tutor room. This is also where the buses leave from after school at 4.30pm, with some late buses at 6pm.

Pupils should arrive in time for registration with their tutor at 8.40am. Don't forget that, so long as you book beforehand, you can have breakfast with the boarders (small charge applies) from as early as 8am. After-school, once clubs and activities have finished, you may wait in the library or school shop until 6pm. There is also the option to stay from 6-6.20pm to have tea with the boarders (charge applies). Ask your parent to contact Bursary reception for more details.

Why not stay overnight, if you've got a long and busy day? So long as there is space, our boys' and girls' boarding houses allow day pupils to stay on a regular or occasional basis - give it a go, it's great fun and our boarders are very welcoming! Ask your parent to contact Bursary reception for more details.

There are a huge number of clubs and activities offered at lunch, before and after school as well as the possibility of some weekend and holiday trips. There is certainly no reason to be bored at Kimbolton with such a range, from gardening to choir and languages to bushcraft.

The full list of clubs and activities is published in the calendar each term, and online. Pupils are expected to commit to a club/activity for at least half a term. With a few exceptions (such as LAMDA drama lessons) there is no need to book activities, just turn up).

All pupils have Games and PE lessons every week and each term there are multiple sports teams put out from each year group in fixtures against other schools at the weekend. Hopefully you will be selected, and the expectation is that if you are picked you should play. More details will be explained to you in your first Games lessons in September. Football, hockey, netball, cricket and tennis are the major sports at Kimbolton, although many others are offered to pupils in various age groups during Games sessions or within the extra-curricular programme, including athletics, canoeing, sailing, swimming, and horse-riding. 

Up-to-date information on sports fixtures and teams can be found here: https://sport.kimboltonschool.com

You will receive weekly music lessons as part of the curriculum. Music plays an important part in the life of the school and many pupils also take advantage of the expert individual tuition on offer from our visiting music specialists.

In addition to all orchestral and band instruments, tuition is also available in piano, organ, electric guitar and singing. Mr Gibbs, the Director of Music will give you more details about this.

At the start of every term hard copies of the school calendar are given out to all staff, pupils and parents. 

It is the guide for what is taking place in school that term and it is a good idea to carry it in your blazer. The calendar tells you about events and what clubs and activities are on offer each day. 

The main chance to eat is the lunch break. All pupils have a hot meal in the Dining Hall where there is a huge range of food available. Each year group rotates to eat at varying times during the lunch break.

You might also bring a snack or use the tuck shop at break and you can book in for breakfast or an evening meal if you need to.

It is important that you and your parents get regular feedback on how you are doing in each subject. Therefore, as well as your work being marked regularly, there are several, formal and regular ways in which your progress is monitored and fed back to you.

Assessments
Roughly every four weeks you will be given an assessment grade from each subject, apart from Games. You are graded for ‘Effort & Conduct’ from 1-4, ‘Attainment’ from A-E and for ‘Effort in Homework’ as either a ‘/‘ or a ‘X’. Obviously you should aim to do well in all areas, but teachers particularly want to see you putting in lots of effort which you can do whether it is a subject that you feel is one of your best or not.

Reports & Parents’ Evenings
Every term you will have either a full set of written reports with detailed feedback from each subject or a parents’ evening. These provide a chance for more detailed feedback than the assessments. In Ingrams just your parents attend parents’ evenings, but from the Third form you will come too.

Summer Exams
Every year before the summer half-term break you sit exams in all of your subjects. These are nothing to worry about, you will be given plenty of time to prepare and are just a good chance to show all the skills and knowledge you have developed across the year. 

It is expected that everyone at Kimbolton behaves sensibly, in a way which is considerate towards others. The pupil 'code of conduct' can be found in the school calendar. Occasionally, if pupils fall below the expected standard of behaviour, detentions are necessary. These can be from subject teachers for issues in their lessons. General poor behaviour around school may result in an Ingrams detention, or in more serious cases, Friday detentions.

Far more common though is the awarding of merits for good work, effort or behaviour. These may be from subject teachers or any member of staff who wishes to reward you for something you have done. Merits add up to you receiving certificates and prizes. Teachers may also send a postcard home to inform your parents of particularly impressive feats.

Don’t worry, it happens to us all! To help out though make sure all your property is named. Sergeant Major runs lost property and opens from 8.30-9.15am every morning in the Castle. You can go to see him to get things back but be prepared, he will ask for a 50p donation to charity in return.

Of course, it is important to take care of your things and try not to lose them.

If you are ill and can’t come in your parents must phone or email the school secretary on 01480 862205 or schoolsec@kimbolton.cambs.sch.uk by 9am. If you are well enough to email your tutor and teachers letting them know that you won’t be in please do so and ask to be informed what work you will need to catch up with. If you aren’t well enough to do this you must still catch up on work when you are better.

If it is for a medical appointment your parents should inform the School Secretary and let your tutor know. If you need to be off for a family reason your parents should seek permission from the Headmaster. If you know in advance you will need to miss some or all of a day you should excuse yourself and check for work with your teacher beforehand.

There might be times when you are worried about something and need some help. The best person to go to is always your tutor as they are best placed to help you, but you can ask any staff for help. Mr Holden, Head of First Form and Mr Mills, Ingrams Housemaster are particularly well-placed to help you with any concerns. If you see anything that worries you around school you can tell any member of staff about it. Talking to other pupils is a great idea too, especially if it’s something like being unsure what lesson you have or where the next class is.

Each Ingrams tutor group also has two Ingrams Prefects who are there to help and can be really useful sources of knowledge. They were all starting out at Kimbolton like you only a few years ago so can easily relate to your experiences. We also have a team of Gown Prefects who you will notice wearing gowns over their uniforms. These are pupils who have been selected for their leadership skills and as superb role models. They will always be happy to help you.