Starting at the School
A typical school day
The school day begins at 8.50 am.
Year 3 and 4 meet on the Willow playground (main playground)
Year 5 and 6 meet on the Blackberry playground (back playground)
Please do not cut across the car park. Please use the main paths and always go through the Willow playground. Please avoid cutting across the grass, mud patches and through trees.
At 8:50 staff will be outside to supervise your children. The staff will be Teaching Assistants and SLT. If you have any messages for Class Teachers, please find an adult and they will pass it on. This is a good time to say goodbye to your children and begin to leave the playgrounds. Children do not need to wait on their numbers anymore.
At 8:55 the whistle will be blown twice and the children will walk inside without parents/carers. We will not be lining up as classes and walking in long straight lines as this takes a very long time to get everyone in. We are, however, expecting children to walk in calmly, quietly but purposefully.
Class teachers will be waiting for the children at the classroom doors inside to be able to immediately set the expected routines. Children will be expected to put their coats and bags away and sit down quietly and immediately get on with their ‘Do now’ task.
If it is raining heavily, staff will direct pupils to come straight into school no earlier than 8:50. Please go to the playgrounds and wait for further instruction. Also, please don’t use the dining room as shelter to help keep it accessible for pupils and as clean as possible.
Registers are taken and lessons start at 9:00. If your child arrives after 9:00 am they are to enter at the Reception entrance to sign in.
Children are to drop off their packed lunches at the dining room before the whistle goes. We expect only children to be in the dining room. No adults please. This is the same at the end of the school day
Each year group has four parallel, mixed ability classes and children are taught within their class for all subjects.
Morning break enables the children to let off some steam and socialise with their friends. The children are expected to play outside in all but the very worst weather.
Around 2 hours a week is allocated to PE for each class during the summer and early autumn terms, though it is less during the very cold winter months. Year 5 children swim at the local swimming pool and a wide range of outdoor and indoor sports and activities are enjoyed throughout the year.
Lunchtime is from 12.20-1.30pm. Children play outside before and after they eat, and there are also clubs and activities available to them during this time.
Assemblies are held throughout the week - these may be for lower and upper school, individual classes, for families to attend, or whole school assemblies including the weekly singing assembly where the children enjoy music and singing together.
The school day ends at 3.20pm.
At 3:20 all children will begin to arrive on the Willow playground. We have set out year group zones for you to collect your children. Please look out for these zones.
Adults, please do not come on to the Blackberry playground and take children from their lines. Please wait in the zones. This is a very important part of the day and we need to make sure children are handed over correctly. Having additional adults causes breaks in lines and confusion.
Please stand back from the classes as crowding around children and adults doesn’t allow us to spot the correct adults. Please don’t stand in the yellow crossed zone. We will get faster as we recognise parents/carers over the next few weeks.
Year 3 and 4 children must be collected by an adult but Year 5 and 6, if you choose, can walk home once we have the permission slip from parents/carers.
If you need to speak to a class teacher, please wait to one side until all of the children have been collected or call the office to request a call back.
Again, only children should be entering the dining room to collect lunchboxes.
If you are running late to collect your child, please inform the office. Staff will wait on the playground until 3:30 and will take any children still waiting to the office.
Clubs collection point
Children attending clubs or after school care will meet their adults in the following places. Please make sure their adults know if they are not attending clubs as this can cause great anxiety for both staff and parents/carers.
- Overdale Pre-school after school care – hall
- Metcalf Sports clubs – hall
- Stars afterschool care – under the willow tree on Willow playground
- St Mary’s after school care - under the willow tree on Willow playground
If your child is attending an after school club at the Juniors, they are to be collected at the entrance/exit at the back of the building. Please wait along the path or inside the entrance if raining. There won’t be further access to the inside the building until the staff arrive with the children.
Behaviour in school
We encourage children at the school to work hard and display good standards of behaviour in both the classroom and playground. Should any issues with discipline arise they are dealt with firstly by the class teacher, duty teacher or SLT. If the problem persists the Deputy or Headteacher may become involved.
