The School Day
We operate a soft start at the beginning of the day, starting from 8:30am, with gates closing at 8:45am.
Breakdown of the school day:
Arrive 8:30-8:45am
Depart 3:15pm
Arrive and depart:
- Back gate via St Lucia Drive (EYFS, KS1 and Lower KS2)
- Gift Lane gate for Upper KS2
Kindly note, if your child has a place booked in the Breakfast Club at 7:30am, please do not use the main entrance, but bring your child to our back gate on St. Lucia Drive.
We also run a Bagel Grab’n’go club that starts from 8:15am.
At the end of the school day, parents/carers use the playground to wait for the children to be dismissed. Please note, we will not release the children to anyone who is not on the approved collection list, so please contact the school office to let us know if you need any changes to be made to the list or if you will be late to collect your child.
Travelling to school
In line with government advice, we strongly encourage parents to walk their children to school and avoid travelling on public transport. Parking and congestion on the roads near the school can become heavy at critical times such as school opening and school closing, so we ask parents and carers to walk to school. If driving is unavoidable, we ask you to park a little further away from the school and walk a few metres with your child/ren in order to help to ease the congestion.
A secure bike shed is available for children to leave their bikes during the day. Please telephone and speak to the School Business Manager or Admin staff if you would like to make use of this facility.
School Lunches
The school provides a hot lunch for each child cooked on site by our catering company, Juniper Ventures. Children have their lunch served in the hall.
https://www.juniperventures.co.uk/education-catering/primary-school-catering/
Cool Fuel for School
All the menus prepared each day will always exceed the Government’s tough Food based guidelines and we are very proud of our menus being independently assessed by the Soil Association as meeting their Food for Life standards. This means that you can be assured that over 80% of the food we serve is cooked from fresh ingredients each day. Our menus are made up of seasonable, fully traceable, healthier, sustainable and fresh ingredients that are free from trans-fats and nasty additives.
We want to make lunchtime fun and will often hold interesting and exciting Discovery Day lunches in partnership with the school focussing on national events or curriculum-based themes.
As part of our programme of encouraging healthier eating there is always an unlimited supply of vegetables and salad available for every child each day.
Please inform the school if your child has any special dietary requirements or dietary allergies. Children with food allergies and special dietary requirements wear particular items to ensure that they are easily identified.
Menu
Eat for Free
Every primary school aged child attending school in Newham still has the opportunity to have a free school lunch even if their parents/carers are not in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits for free school meals. For more information on Newham’s Eat for Free click here.
Eligibility for free school meals
Your child may receive free school meals if you get any of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guarantee element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
- Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
- Newham Free School Meals Application Form
Packed Lunches
We strongly encourage children to have a hot school meal to try new flavours and textures and broaden their eating experience. If you decide to give your child a packed lunch, we do enforce strict guidelines in regards to contents of the packed lunch. We do not allow crisps, sweets, chocolate or flavoured drinks.
Please note: Nuts are not allowed in school as we have several children and staff who are allergic to nuts.
Fruit, Milk and Water
Milk is provided free of charge to nursery children. A piece of fruit is also provided daily through the Government’s fruit scheme for children in Reception and KS1 (Years 1 and 2). Children in KS2 (Year 3 – Year 6) are able to bring in fruit from home for their own mid-morning break if you wish them to.
The school encourages children to drink water throughout the day and all children are provided with a free water bottle when they first join the school. Please ensure that bottles are clearly marked with your child’s name. Bottles are sent home to be cleaned and refilled each evening and should be returned to school the next day.
Illness in school time
If your child becomes ill during the school day, s/he will be looked after by the school’s Welfare Assistant or first aiders and if it is necessary you will be contacted. It is therefore important that the school has up-to-date contact details and numbers for parents/carers.
Charging Policy
Educational visits are a major part of your child’s education and school life. Charges will only be made for a school activity if it is the only way to guarantee that the event takes place. This will usually include: individual music tuition, most visits and excursions, residential visits or some school clubs. Parents will always be informed of this at the outset and we will try to assist those parents who have genuine difficulty in paying. Read the full Charging Policy on our Policies page.
Valuable items
Children are not permitted to bring any items of value to school such as expensive clothes, toys, watches, mobile phones or large sums of money. The school does not accept responsibility for the loss or damage of any such items if they are brought into school.
No jewellery or nail varnish should be worn to school. Bangles or bracelets which are worn for religious reasons should be covered by a sweatband during PE, games and swimming.
Children with pierced ears may wear one pair of plain studs. These will need to be removed for PE, games or swimming or be covered with a plaster provided by parents for PE and/or swimming.
Volunteers
Kindly note, due to control measures in place to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission, we are not currently accepting any volunteers in school.
Parent Consultations
Parent consultations are held three times per year to give teachers the opportunity to feedback to parents on their children’s progress and for parents to pass on information relating to their child or to address any concerns with the teachers. There are also a number of phase meetings which are specially arranged for parents as appropriate throughout the year.
Coffee Mornings
We try to hold regular coffee mornings with the Headteacher, the Business Manager, the school nurse or other special visitors who speak on educational issues or advise parents on diet, exercise or child health.
Our Nursery, Little Owls, also hold regular coffee mornings on Fridays.
