Prospectus : Daily Essentials

 

Coming in to school

Bishop Road is a vibrant and exciting place to be.  The school site is large and houses multiple classes.  The organisation of the school site is complex and requires detailed planning to ensure the safety and well-being of all children and our visitors.  We enjoy spending the day with so many young people and ask for your support when delivering and collecting your child.  We have routines, which change from time to time to support the welfare of every child during the school day and there is method in our actions!  Please ask any of the staff on duty or the school office if you have any specific queries. 

Nursery Children - From September 2010 Pm session runs from 8.45 to 11.45; Pm session runs from 12.45 to 3.45pm

Parents and carers of nursery children should enter the site via the Nursery Entrance on Bishop Road.  Children are dropped off and collected from the main entrance to the nursery by our staff members who are available to discuss any issues you have on a daily basis.  The main gate to the nursery will open just before 8.40am for the morning session, and at 12.40 for the afternoon session.

 

Site opening and closing times

Morning routine:

The main gate on Bishop Road opens at 8.40am to allow all children and parents access to the school site providing adequate access time before registration at 8.55am.  Please do not allow your child to arrive before this time as we do not have staff available to look after them.  Children should enter the school by themselves.

The Silverthorne playground entrance on Monk Road will open a few minutes later when the caretaker has made their way swiftly across the playground! 

Children come straight into the school buildings on their own where they are greeted by school staff and their class teacher. 

Parents / carers who have any messages to pass to the teacher may do so via the liaison person in the playground or via letter given in by their child.  All messages given are circulated at registration. 

The gates to the school are closed at 9.05 allowing for safe and free movement of all pupils and for lessons to begin. 

Afternoon routine:

Gates open at 3.25pm.

Teachers bring all children out to the playground at the end of the day and are available to speak with parents / carers once all children have been dismissed.  We encourage parents / carers to speak with teachers if you have any questions. If the teacher feels the discussion will take longer, they may ask you to make an appointment via the school office.

Gates close at 3.50pm to enable children who are still on site free and safe access to all after school activities.

Security

The safety and welfare of all who use our school is paramount.  Our site is full of interest and character, yet challenging to keep secure.  Many groups of children access the school at different times, from early in the morning until late at night, and we must know to whom we have granted access.  To manage this, and to ensure the safety of your child, access to the school site is managed by the school office outside the open times outlined above.  Please be reassured by our systems, which will check your identity and purpose of visit and will require you to wear a visitor badge whenever you are on the school site. 

Parent helpers:

We appreciate the support provided by parents / carers of the school and encourage appropriate support whenever possible.  Many parents / carers are fully involved in the school day in a range of capacities from distributing free fruit to reading with children.  If you are keen to help, the office will be happy to give you guidance on how you can do this.  All frequent visitors to the school are required to have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check and to complete a form from the school office, which allows effective and fair distribution of support.

Lateness:

At the start of the school day

If your child is late to school, please come to the main office.

Sickness:

If your child is unwell and is therefore unable to come to school, please call the office between 8.15am and 10.00am and leave a message giving a reason for their absence.  This will allow us to mark the register appropriately. 

School operates a 'first day calling' system.  Every child who is not identified as present or with a known absence will be called by the school office by 10.30am.  If your child is ill for several days, please keep the office informed.

At the end of the school day

We request that children are collected promptly as school is not responsible for your child after 3.30 unless agreed.  However, if for exceptional circumstances you are unable to pick up your child on time and you have not been able to arrange an alternative adult to collect, you must telephone the school office.  Children who are not collected will wait until you arrive.  Please note that parents / carers are requested to inform the school of any change to collection via letter in all but the most exceptional of circumstances.

Children will wait in the school office if their parents / carers are late.

Lunches

Hot school dinners are available on request and are cooked on-site by our experienced kitchen staff.  These should be paid for on Monday and money should be sent with your child to school in an envelope, clearly labelled with your child's name, class and the days they wish to have a lunch and handed in to the liaison LSA in the playground.  A menu can be obtained from the information pockets situated outside of the school office, as well as the website.  Download our School Menu

If you believe you are eligible to free school meals please contact the Free School Meals Office at Bristol City Council on 0117 9037990.  If you are in receipt of Income Supplement, you are entitled to receive free school meals.  Children receiving free school meals cannot be identified by either dinner staff or other pupils and is dealt with confidentially. 

 

Packed Lunches

Children can bring a packed lunch from home as an alternative to a school dinner.  Lunch boxes should be placed on the trolley provided.  As part of our Healthy Schools Initiative we ask you to support us by providing your child with a healthy meal. 

 

 

 

 

 

Playtime Snacks

Playtime snacks may be brought to eat at morning break.  Ideally, these should be fruit (ready prepared) in order to support our Healthy Schools Initiative.  Children in Foundation and Early Years are provided with a piece of fruit on a daily basis. 

 

 

Allergic reactions

Please note that we operate a no nut policy.  Several children have nut allergies and who may have a life threatening reaction to expose to even minute traces of nuts.  Therefore, we ask your vigilance in supporting us by avoiding foods that contain nuts.   Our objectives are to establish and maintain, as far as possible:

• Classrooms attended by the pupils, which are free of the substance which could place the child at risk of anaphylactic reaction.
• School practices that reduce the possibility of exposure to substances which could cause anaphylactic reaction.

 

Should you require further information, or wish to discuss specific concerns please contact your child's class teacher.

 Health Care Plans and allergy management

If your child requires an identified approach, which would require an individualised plan, please request a Health Care Plan from the school office and contact your child's class teacher immediately.   School will provide a specifically designed format, which will support us in partnership to deal with medical concerns.

 Milk

Free milk is provided for children under 5.  However, all children in the school have the opportunity to have milk, if purchased directly from the school milk service.  Please enquire at the school office for further details.  Water is always available from the water fountain and from classrooms. 

 Curriculum Newsletters

Curriculum Newsletters, which detail the outline of the learning and general messages for each year group are posted on the website at least three times a year.  Paper copies are available from the office or via your child's class teacher.  The letters also give you ideas on to engage with your child's learning outside of school.  Our professional knowledge and experience demonstrate that your engagement and interest is the most important ingredient in raising a child's motivation and aspiration.  Just a couple minutes spent each day talking with your child about their learning and helping them to make sense of new ideas pays dividends.

 Term Dates

 These can be obtained from the school office, or on the Bristol City Council website.  Dates concerning INSET Days and other school closures can also be found on the school website here.

 

 Parent consultation meetings

There are two parent consultation meetings during the year.  The first occurs in October to inform parents/carers of how their children have settled into their new class.  The second takes place in March, where targets are set for individuals.  An annual Report to Parents is written by individual teachers in the term 6, explaining the progress made, as well as setting future targets for the coming year.

 

School Website

We are extremely proud of our website, which can be viewed on the internet at:  http://www.bishoproad.bristol.sch.uk/.  Full details of the school can be viewed here, including newsletters.  The site is updated regularly, so please check for new information!

 Another Language

If you require letter and other information to be translated into another language, please ask a member of the office staff so this can be arranged.