Letters

7th January 2010

ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

During the winter months there are occasions when we can experience adverse weather conditions. It is always very difficult when we have snow and ice to determine how this will affect travel etc and I would ask that you follow the policy below if we experience any bad weather over the next few weeks.

If at all possible the school will remain open and staff will be here as normal. However, due to road conditions some staff may be late arriving and the start of the school day could be affected.

We hope to be open as normal; however, we feel you should be aware of the situation to avoid confusion should severe weather conditions cause disruption.

The policy at Berkswich Primary School for adverse weather is that:

At the start of the day

The Chair of Governors and Headteacher will make a decision based on local conditions as to whether it is safe to open the school
Parents will be contacted by mobile text and/or informed by local radio snow line of the status of the schools opening

During the school day

Once a decision is made to open the school it will not close during the day
If the weather becomes severe during the day then parents may contact the school if they feel they would like to collect their child early for safety reasons (i.e., travelling/walking long distances or collecting other children)
Parents will then be advised that children can be collected from 12.00 noon onwards
The school will remain open until 3.30 pm; however, if parents are delayed due to adverse weather conditions they should contact the school to give an anticipated arrival time or to inform the school of alternative arrangements
Children will be supervised until a parent/carer is able to collect them
Parents must consider their own safety, traffic congestion and safety of others in these circumstances and nderstand that children at Berkswich will be cared for until it is possible for them to be collected
The Headteacher will assume responsibility for the school staff and may send them home early in conditions are adverse. This may result in disruption to the normal school teaching pattern with combined classes or whole school hall teaching.

We do hope that this clarifies the policy for inclement weather at Berkswich and we would ask that you keep this letter for reference throughout the winter months.

SCHOOL DINNER MONEY

The school currently has dinner money arrears of nearly £300! All children who are in arrears are given a letter to bring home on a Friday - can I please ask that you check school bags and send in any arrears promptly on the following Monday - thank you

TUESDAY YOGABUGS AFTER SCHOOL CLUB

We would like to offer YogaBugs as an after-school club for Tear 1 and Year 2 children again next half term. Places will be limited and allocated on a 'first-come' basis

Time 3.45 - 4.30 pm

To book your place please return this booing form along with payment (cheques to 'Pat Miller Ltd') to school office by Tuesday 2nd June

Childs Name: Class:

Contact Tel. No.

For further information on these classes contact:

Pat Miller on 0845 863 0686 or 07973 478 444

email: pat@yogabugs.com

Signed ........................................................................... Parent/Guardian

SCHOOL ROUTINES

Dear Parents / Guardians

Here at Berkswich, we pride ourselves on our open door policy and the relationship we have between school and parents.

As we have had a number of new parents join us this academic year, can I take this opportunity to remind everyone about school routines.

All children should be in the classroom by 8.55am when teaching commences.

Parents/Guardians of younger children are welcome to bring their child into the classroom in the morning if they feel it is necessary (although space in the corridors is at a premium). However, can I please remind you that you should leave the classroom by 8.55am in order that the teachers can begin the morning routines. This is especially important as children are easily disrupted if people are coming and going in the classroom.

All Parents/ Guardians should be off the school premises by 9.00am in order that doors and gates can be locked for security reasons.

Whilst we appreciate the need to sometimes accompany your child into class to inform the class teacher of something, can I please respectfully remind you that this is a busy time in the classroom for our teaching and support staff. If you have any worries or concerns which you wish to discuss, this time in the morning is not appropriate. Can I please ask that you instead make an appointment to see the class teacher at a mutually convenient time – either before the start of the school day or at the end.

The adventure playground can be used, under adult supervision, by siblings whilst waiting for the school day to end. However, can I please remind you that once the bell has gone at the end of the day, no children should be playing on this equipment. During the winter months it is especially important that play on this equipment is supervised, as it does become very slippy in damp weather.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Yours sincerely

M.H.Holmes Headteacher

Dear Parents / Guardians

We have been informed by the Welfare department, who make regular checks of our Attendance registers, that it is advisable that the school tries to contact all parents before 10.30 a.m. each day if their child is not in school and we have not been notified of this fact. This advice is to ensure that no child goes missing and that the school and parents remain unaware of the fact until home time. However, the onus still remains on parents to notify the school of any absences before 9.30 am and the school will then try to contact anyone that we have not heard from. With this in mind, I am writing to remind you about our current practice of recording absences and our morning routine.

ABSENCES

If your child is going to be absent from school, it would be appreciated if the school could be notified by phone before 9.30 a.m. However, regardless of whether or not you have notified the school at the onset of your child’s absence, it is necessary to send in a letter, with your child, on their return to school confirming the reason for the absence. I do appreciate that most parents already do this. At the end of each month if no reason for the absence has been provided then an unauthorised absence mark will go on the child’s records.

If your child has a dentist, doctor or hospital appointment of which you have prior knowledge, please can you also notify the class teacher, in writing before the day of the appointment. I do realise that this creates even more work in lives that are already hectic, but it is important that the school continues to hold an accurate attendance record, as figures are transmitted to the Education Department each half term.

LATE ARRIVALS

May I also take this opportunity to remind you that school commences at 8.55 a.m. when the register is taken.

Over the last 12 months there has been a noticeable number of children arriving consistently late at school. Constant lateness is unacceptable and not only disrupts the class but also means that your child is missing out on a structured start to the school morning. It is also a legal requirement that all children should be in school and starting the school day by 8.55 am.

Any child who arrives late but before 9.10 is recorded as ‘late before registration closes’ and any child arriving after 9.10 is recorded as ‘’late after registration closes’ in the admissions register and all registers are regularly checked by Pupil Welfare. Whilst I understand that arriving late is sometimes out of our control, it would be appreciated if pupils could arrive on time, whenever possible, as any lateness can cause both disruption to the class and your child.

In order to give a calm start to the school day, all pupils may come onto the school premises from 8.45 a.m. and make their way into the classroom. Each teacher will have a slightly different routine, of which the children are aware, but in each case it will involve entering the classroom, sitting down and quietly getting on with class work, not hanging around the doorway or in the corridor.

HOLIDAY

At present, Staffordshire still allows, at the Head teacher’s discretion, up to 10 additional days to be recorded as Annual Leave. These 10 days are not intended to be used as casual days off but only in special circumstances where parents/guardians are unable to take time off during school holidays. It is necessary that a ‘leave of absence form’ is completed in advance of any planned absence and approval must then be authorised by the Headteacher. If the leave is not approved by the Headteacher you will be notified and if leave is still taken it will be recorded as unauthorised on your child’s school record.

However, no leave will be authorised for the week of SATS and Optional SATS. If you are planning a holiday, which has to be taken in term time, can you please ensure that a holiday form is completed (these are available from the school office). Any days over 10 will be recorded as unauthorised absence and will be entered on your child’s record as such.

Yours sincerely

M.H.Holmes

Headteacher