Primary Admissions
Admissions are co-ordinated by the Local Educational Authority (LEA). Admissions criteria are available from this site:
"http://www.bristol-cyps.org.uk/schools/admissions/primary.html".
The school admits children to the Reception year in the September after their fourth birthday, although parents/carers may delay starting school until the beginning of the term following the fifth birthday. The first half term in Reception is mainly part-time, building up to full-time after a few weeks. We can take a maximum of 60 children into any one year group. If we are over-subscribed, Bristol Education Department has set the following criteria for admission, in order of priority:
1. Where there are medical, psychological or special educational reasons and particular placement is recommended by the department’s professional advisers and is accepted as essential by the department;
2. Where brothers/sisters are already at the school and will be when the child starts school;
3. Geographical considerations:
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Priority is given to those children living in the area of prime responsibility for the school;
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Where there are more children living in the area of prime responsibility, priority is given to those children who live closest to the school and/or furthest from an alternative school with places available as measured in a direct line from the home address to the school;
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After places have been allocated from within the area of prime responsibility, any remaining places will be allocated to those children from outside the area who live closest to the school.
Nursery Admissions Policy
Policy currently under review. Please contact the school for details.
Visiting arrangements
Parents/carers considering sending their children to the school are very welcome to make an appointment to visit the school.
Communicating with you
Your child will bring a newsletter home on Thursday of most weeks during term-time. We hold parent/teacher meetings each term when you can discuss your child’s progress with the class teacher. We send home a report on your child’s progress in the Summer term.
The following information is available to be seen on request:
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The school’s curriculum policy and policies related to sex education, religious education and collective worship;
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Department for Education and Skills circulars, statutory instruments and administration memoranda relating to the curriculum;
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Schemes of work and syllabuses used in the school;
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National Curriculum and Foundation Curriculum documents;
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The school’s complaints procedure relating to the curriculum and other matters;
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The school’s prospectus;
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Appeals procedures.
* The school prospectus, Ofsted summary and Governors’ annual report are free to parents and carers on request. A charge may be made to photocopy other documents. Let us know if translation into another language is needed.
Friends of the School
The Friends of the School give great support through fund-raising, social activities for children and adults and practical help in the school. A number of activities are organised each year. Any parent or carer is very welcome to become involved in the work of the Friends, as a committee member or helping with activities. The Annual General Meeting is held in the Spring term and the committee meets each month. For further information please see the Friends’ notice board in the entrance or contact the Chair, Shampa Misra, on (0117) 907 4290.
School Uniform
The school uniform is a maroon sweatshirt and yellow T-shirt, both of which have the school logo. Trousers, tracksuit bottoms or skirt (preferably in a dark colour) complete the outfit. School uniform can be ordered from Mrs Flook in the school office. The wearing of it is optional but many parents prefer to send their children to school in uniform as it is practical and saves arguments about what to wear for school. If you do not choose school uniform, please send your child in practical clothing and footware.
Personal Property
Lost property is stored in the lost property cupboard which is kept near the library. We are delighted that so many parents are supporting the uniform policy in school and therefore it would be helpful if all children’s’ clothing is named. Every term we dispose of a large amount of unnamed property. We would request that children do not bring large sums of money or valuable possessions to school as we cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage.
School Meals
Meals are available for all children at a cost of £1.45 per day or £7.25 per week. This needs to be paid on Monday. Absences can be credited to you and carried forward. Free school meals are available if you are in receipt of Income Support or Job Seekers’ Allowance (income based). Information can be obtained from Mrs Morrison on how to apply. It is vital that all parents/carers apply, even if they do not want to take up the option - the school benefits financially if we have a realistic picture of the numbers eligible for free school meals. Should your child, for some reason, be arriving late in school and require a school lunch, please contact Mrs Morrison before 10.00 am. If your child has any special dietary requirements please let us know; because meals are not cooked on the premises we do need formal notice of this. Alternatively, you may provide a packed lunch for your child. Please use a named and sealed container.
Snacks in School
Ideally, children are encouraged to eat a healthy snack at playtime, e.g. fruit. No sweets or chewing gum please.
Drinks in School
All children have access to a drink in school. Please bring a named plastic beaker or bottle with a spill-proof spout so that your child can have a drink of water at appropriate times during the day. Each class teacher will have a suitable routine dependent on the age of the child. Milk is available in the Reception classes to children under the age of five. Water is available at lunch time in the dining hall for all children. We regret that drinks may only be brought to school with a packed lunch and it is unacceptable for health and safety reasons for children to bring glass bottles, cans or fizzy drinks. There are water fountains in the playground which operate in warmer weather.
Complaints Procedure
We want your child and you to be happy with the school whilst he/she is a pupil here. If you have any concerns, please discuss them with the class teacher initially. If you are still unhappy, please make an appointment with the headteacher. Most issues can be dealt with in an informal manner.
The Chair of Governors, or any other governor, will be happy to discuss any concerns you may have before you need to make a formal complaint. If it is not possible to resolve the concerns by this means, the Bristol complaints procedure is obtainable from the Headteacher, which outlines very clearly the stages to follow.
Charges for School Activities
There are times when we need to ask for voluntary contributions towards activities that take place in school, such as visits by theatre groups or musicians. No child will be treated differently if a contribution is not made towards the cost of an activity. However, it might be necessary to cancel an activity if there are not adequate contributions towards it.
The Governing Body reserves the right to ask for a contribution in the following circumstances for activities organised by the school:
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School journeys and visits within school hours;
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The board and lodging costs of a residential visit;
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Individual or small group tuition of a musical instrument;
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The cost of ingredients or materials in, for example, a cookery or craft activity if the parents/carers have indicated beforehand that they wish to own the product;
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Other activities that may be planned from time to time.
The Governing Body wishes to make clear that under the terms of the 1988 Education Act all contributions are genuinely voluntary. Parents/ carers in receipt of Income Support or Job Seekers’ Allowance may apply for a remission of the board and lodging fees of a residential activity. However, the school would be unable to continue with the arrangements for any visit if the voluntary contributions are insufficient to cover a large proportion of the cost.
Very occasionally books, equipment and school premises can be damaged by anti-social behaviour or vandalism. The governors hold the view that, in helping children become more responsible for their own actions, the co-operation and support of parents is an appropriate way forward. We therefore reserve the right to seek suitable remuneration.
Breakfast Club
We are fortunate to be able to offer all children the opportunity to begin the school day in a calm and supportive environment. The School Meals Service runs a Breakfast Club from 8.20 where your child is able to buy cereal, toast, juice and milk for a minimal cost. This club is run on a voluntary basis and welcomes assistance from parents/carers.
After School Club
To continue the parent/carer partnership with school an independent After School Club operates between 3.30pm and 5.30pm at St Michael's & All Souls' Church. Please contact Brent Morris on 07791 557493, who co-ordinates the club, through the school office. http://stmichael.instabook.com/mpa.htm
Accidents on School Premises
It is inevitable that accidents will sometimes happen at school, despite supervision in the playground and classrooms. If a serious accident occurs an ambulance will be called and the parent/carer will be contacted. For less serious incidents basic first aid will be administered and either a note will be given to the child, or their parent/carer will be contacted by telephone. We have a number of trained first aiders in school amongst teaching and support staff and first aid equipment is regularly checked and made available for all staff.
Medicines in School
From time to time children will need to receive treatment for a variety of illnesses/conditions. If your child needs to receive regular medicines please contact the headteacher. Many children regularly need access to an inhaler. Please ensure that your child's inhaler is clearly labelled with their name, correct dosage and expiry date.
School Nurse
We are fortunate to receive regular visits from our school nurse, Annie Jenkins. If you wish to see her she can be contacted through the school office.
Child Safety
Any child under seven years old must be collected by someone nominated by the parent/carer. Please always let the class teacher or Mrs Morrison know if someone other than the parent/carer is collecting the children. No child will be allowed to leave the school premises during the day unaccompanied. Please emphasise strongly to your child/children that once they are handed over to the school's care they must not leave their classroom or premises without the prior permission of a class teacher.
The Governors' Buildings Committee is continually assessing the security arrangements we have in school. Very recently there have been improvements to the front door entry system. However, because of the restricted access to the front of the school, there are periods in the day when there is serious congestion at all exits and entrances. We aim to develop independent behaviour in children while still providing the security they need.
Nursery and Reception children must be brought and collected by the parent/carer.
Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and 2) We request that children at this stage are brought into school and collected each day by the parent/carer.
Key Stage 2 (Year 3 to Year 6) The parents/carers of all other children need to inform the class teacher of the arrangements they have put in place for the collection of their children. You must inform the school if you change these arrangements.
General Welfare
From time to time children have "accidents" in school. Wet clothes and paint spills mean that your child's clothing will need to be changed. We do have spare clothes in school and are happy to accommodate such accidents, but would appreciate if you could wash and return the change of clothes to school as soon as possible.
Head lice in every school continues to be a problem. We are fortunate that most parents will inform us if their child has head lice. In such an event the class group will receive a note reminding parents/carers to regularly check their child's hair. Combs can be purchased from the school office.
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