Helpful to know…

• • We encourage all children to bring in a healthy snack for morning break time e.g. fruit, vegetables or cheese. We discourage unhealthy snacks such as crisps, chocolate and cakes. Free fruit is provided for your child every afternoon and free milk until children are aged 5. There is an option to continue having milk with payment (see enclosed leaflet). We do have children with nut allergies in school and would ask you to provide nut free foods.

   

  • Children have the option of a free healthy hot school lunch which you can choose from the menus provided. If you prefer to provide a packed lunch, please provide everything ready to eat.

   

  • If your child is unwell, please contact the school office before 9am to notify us of their absence. We suggest that if your child has sickness (vomiting/diarrhoea) that they are kept at home for at least 48 hours. Please inform us of any notifiable illness.

   

  • It is important that your child has good attendance. If you need to take your child out of school for any other reason than medical or sickness, then please inform the school in writing.

   

  • The safety and well-being of your child is always at the centre of our policies and procedures. Children will be handed directly to their parent/carer or put on the school bus at the end of the school day. If there is a different adult or arrangement for your child, please inform the school of this change in writing.

   

  • We provide a richly resourced learning environment and would discourage children bringing in their own toys from home. We welcome children  bringing in special items to show and share.

   

  Absence

   Should your child be unwell, we ask parents/carers to contact the school office before 9:00am on the each day of absence. To ensure the child’s well-being,  the school operates a first day contact policy whereby the school will contact home before 9.30am if a child’s reason for absence is unknown.

  Apart from illness, dental or medical appointments, or compassionate/exceptional circumstances, absences are not authorised as we know this has a negative impact on children’s learning and progress. Any request for absence for exceptional circumstances needs to be made in writing to the Headteacher.

  Attendance is monitored regularly with outside agencies and by Governors.

  Emergency school closure

  The school may have to close at unexpected times for example due to adverse weather conditions or if essential services are cut off.  The school aims to give parents as much notice as possible through our School Website and local radio stations. If parents are in doubt over a school closure day and cannot contact the school, they should call Hampshire County Council Tel 01962 841841 or check the HCC or our own school website.

  Home contact details

  Each September the school will re-issue your contact details for checking and return.  In the interest of safety it is very important that we hold current telephone numbers and addresses of at least two contacts for each child.

  After school and lunchtime clubs            

  As a school we value the importance of  being able to offer a wide range of after school activities to enrich the children’s experience. A variety of  sporting, music and creative after school clubs are offered  throughout the year.  Each term you will be sent information about the clubs on offer  and how to sign up for them. See here for our current school clubs offer.

  Transport

  Free transport is provided by the Local Authority for children once they reach the age of five, living within the school’s Designated Area.  If you think you are eligible for school transport please contact Hampshire County Council Transport.

  Parking

  Parking is very restricted at both sites.  We rely on parents to take a responsible attitude to  ensure the safety of all children.  We actively encourage  parents and children to make the most of our beautiful countryside and to use local footpaths located around both our school sites. Parking is available at the Village Hall in Damerham.

  Where cars have to be used at the Damerham site, we encourage the use of a one way system, coming into school  via Steel’s Lane and exiting along Church Lane. The school is located in a residential area and we ask for considerate parking so that road access, particularly for  emergency vehicles, is not impeded.

  School Meals

  The school has its own kitchen which provides healthy and appetising hot school meals for both sites. Infant meals are provided free of charge. Some parents may also be eligible for  free school meals beyond year 2.and receive additional benefits such as free clubs and reduced costs for uniform and trips. You can find out more information about this and check if you are entitled on Hampshire County Council’s website here.

  Break Time Snacks

  As a healthy school we encourage children to bring in healthy snacks for their break times.  At the infant site we provide free fruit for the afternoon and at the junior site we offer healthy home made snacks and drinks which can be purchased from our school kitchen.  We do not allow sweets or crisps for the morning snack. We also provide free milk to under 5s.

  Please note that nuts in any form are not allowed on site because of the risk to children who have a severe allergy.

   Uniform

   Please see details of our uniform and where to buy it here.