General

Contact with the school

If we need to contact you due to illness or accident, we will do so immediately using the telephone numbers you have given us. Your contact numbers, particularly for emergencies, are crucial and if your circumstances do change, please let us know straight away.

We do appreciate it if you can keep us well informed on any issue that may affect your child i.e.:

If your child tells you about someone or something at school that concerns him/her, then please share this with us. What initially may be very simple to sort out, if left could become a major problem for everyone concerned, particularly for your child.
When he/she is ill at home and unable to come to school. Please phone the school on the first day of absence and follow this up with a letter on their return.
If your transport arrangements change and you experience difficulties in getting your child to school before 8.55 am or picking him/her up at the end of the day.
If you are not able to bring your child to school or collect him/her as a result of changed circumstances and a friend or designated carer does this on your behalf.
If you experience domestic difficulties and this may have the potential to unsettle your child emotionally and socially.
If your child has a specific medical problem.
If your child is behaving at home in a way that is causing the family anxiety and you are uncertain as to what the trigger is and how best to respond.
If you are uncertain about something that has been asked of you by the school.

Likewise, if we are concerned about something or need some clarification about an issue connected to your child, we will make contact with you as quickly as we can. Apart from such occasions, the school organises two formal meetings a year to enable you to gain an understanding of how well your child has settled into school and the progress he or she has made. In the Summer term, you will receive a report illustrating your child’s achievements and the progress he/she has made as well as being given a formal opportunity to meet with your child’s class teacher to discuss the report if this is requested.

There are other informal opportunities throughout the year for parents to meet with teachers and advance notification for these events is given via the school newsletter, ParentMail, the School website or by letter from the teachers of individual classes.

Medicines

Wherever possible medicines should be administered to children at home. However, if there are circumstances when medicine needs to be administered at school, e.g. asthma medication, we ask that it is clearly labeled, with the child’s name, clear instructions relating to the dosage and frequency and is supported by a letter from the home authorising the school for its administration and an appropriate form completed (please ask at the school office). Our desire and aim is to support the needs of pupils in the best possible way, but at the same time, taking into account all aspects of health and safety in relation to the storage and administration of medicines, the availability of trained staff, and the practical logistics of supporting an extremely large pupil community.

Outings and journeys

During the school year children will have the opportunity to take part in educational visits which will link in with our creative curriculum. Year 5 pupils also experience a residential school journey. Parents are informed well in advance about each visit and the school undertakes a risk assessment for all visits to ensure the highest possible standards of safety for the pupils, staff and helpers. Information about educational visits is included in the termly curriculum notes to parents.

School times

The school day begins at 8.50 am and children are allowed to come onto the school site from 8.40 am. The school day ends at 3.10 pm. Our two playgrounds, are supervised from 8.40 am by members of staff and also at the end of the day for 10 minutes after school has finished. Pupils who have not been met by parents/carers at 3.20 pm will be accompanied by staff back into the main school building and will wait in the Reception area until they are collected. A member of staff will contact the parents/carers of those pupils who still remain at school. Please aim to collect your child promptly as a late pick up does cause distress to the children.

In the interests of the pupils and staff at Henwick and to secure their safety and welfare, video surveillance is operational around the school site and the school gates are locked shortly after both the start of the school day and at the end of the afternoon session.

Access by parents and visitors in to the school building always requires authorisation and an official Henwick security badge will be issued by the clerical staff to all adults who have been granted that authorisation. In the best interests of everyone, visitors on the school site not wearing an approved badge will be challenged. To support our Fire Safety procedures all visitors are required to complete an entry in the Visitors Book both on arrival and also at the end of their visit to the school. Visitors will also be provided with information about where to go in the event of a fire/emergency on site during their visits.

Smoking: Henwick has a non-smoking policy in operation both outside on the school site and inside the school building.

Secondary transfer

Pupils transfer to a variety of secondary schools - selective, all ability, academies and private.