Parking

Again we are receiving complaints from people about inconsiderate parking around school.  Please be aware of the needs of residents and be considerate to other road users when dropping off/collecting children from school.  The turning bay at the end of Royle Avenue, near the school gates, is essential to the smooth passage of traffic on Royle Avenue and should not be blocked by parked cars at any time.

Uniform

The price of school sweatshirts will increase from 1 April 2012 to £9.

Furniture

We have a number of children’s plastic school chairs and a teacher’s chalkboard (full size) which are surplus to requirements, following the move from Church Street.  If these could be of any use to anyone, please speak to Mrs Ford or Mrs Muir in the school office.

Relief Mid-day Supervisors

We are still very short of relief staff to help supervise the children at lunchtime if one of our mid-day supervisors is absent.  This usually means working at short notice, as we often have to ring around ‘on the day’ to find cover for absences.  However, if you are not seeking a regular work commitment and would just like to help out occasionally (and be paid for it), this may well be just the job for you.  Some of the duties include:  escorting pupils to and from the dining area and ensuring that they are in the dining hall at the correct time; helping younger pupils at the servery counter and helping them cut up their food when necessary; taking charge of groups of children in the playground, or in the classroom, depending on the weather.

A full job description is available from the school office, along with application forms if you would like to apply to go on our relief list.  If you would like any further information, or if you have any questions, please contact Mrs Ford or Mrs Muir in the school office.

Lates

There are an increasing number of children who are arriving at school late.  Please ensure that your child arrives in good time for the start of the school day. School starts promptly at 8.55am (New building) and 9.00am and the teaching staff are required in the classrooms at these times. If you wish to speak with your child’s class teacher please try to see them well before this time or after school.

Outdoor Clothing

Please ensure that your child comes to school with appropriate outdoor clothing (ie warm, waterproof coat and suitable footwear).  Whilst boots are brilliant for walking to school in the cold, wet weather, they are not suitable for wearing all day in school, where the children get very warm in the classrooms.  We would therefore ask that they have a pair of pumps/shoes in school to get changed into.

Kitchen refurbishment

The Local Authority is currently upgrading our kitchen, which will be totally refurbished and all new equipment will be installed.  This will mean that there could possibly be some disruption but we will seek assurances that this will be as minimal as possible.

Snow Closure Procedures

Please click on this link.

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School start and finish times

Ms Wall/Mrs Marsland                 Doors open at 08.45

Miss Harvey                                  School begins at 08.55

Mrs Hadfield                                 School finishes at 15.10

Miss Sims

Miss Redican                                Doors open at 08.50

Mr Ellison                                      School begins at 09.00

Mrs Rothwell                                 School finishes at 15.15

Miss Reynolds

Mrs Clarke

Mrs Brassey

Miss Wilson

Safeguarding Issues - Visitors

All visitors to the school are required to sign in at the main office. They will then be given a ‘Visitors’ badge to be worn at all times in school.  Anyone who is seen in the school building without a badge will be approached and appropriate action taken. If a parent needs to come into school after school has started then please come to the main doors – do not encourage children to open any other doors for you at other access points to the school.

The role of the school in protecting your child from abuse

The school has a number of measures in place to help protect children, including:

1.  Staff who have been trained to be alert to signs of abuse

2.  Two senior members of staff with responsibility for child protection. This is Ms Wall and Mr Card..

3.  Procedures for checking on staff before they are allowed to work with children

4.  A child protection policy which includes procedures to be followed if a teacher or other member of staff is accused of harming a child

The school has a duty of care to the children and will approach parents if we are unsure of things. We understand that this may cause distress for some parents but it is a necessary part of child protection. Thankfully, there are very few incidents at our school but we are committed to remaining vigilant.

If you have a child protection issue outside of the school environment the school is always willing to offer guidance or support but a referral may need to be made by the person raising the concern.

Safeguarding - School Gates

The side gates at the Royle Avenue site are locked just after 9am and opened again around 3pm.  Please be aware of this when arriving for assemblies, or events during school time. It would be helpful if you could also remind grandparents to use the Royle Avenue entrance if they are coming into school, during the day, for any reason.

Information for the Newsletter

If you have items that you would like to put into the school newsletter then please let the office know. If there is space - or time (you would not believe how busy it can be when it's newsletter day) we will certainly include it.