We hope the information below will help answer some of the questions you may have about your child(ren) starting here at Winterslow. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Arriving at school
Morning arrival is between 8:40am and 8:50am. A member of staff will be on duty in the school playground from 8.40am and the gates will be locked promptly at 8:50am. 

If your child arrives late you should report to the office where you will be asked to sign a book indicating reason for lateness and your child will be accompanied to their class by a member of staff.

Many of our intervention programs start early in the morning therefore the arrival of late children may disrupt this vital learning time.

Illness
If your child is absent due to illness, the school must be notified by phone/email before 9.30am that day. Notification is also required in advance for medical appointments.

Medicines in school
If your child requires medicine during the school day, we would appreciate arrangements being made for an adult to come into the school to administer the medication. If this is not possible, a letter should be given to the school with the medicine and clearly stated instructions of dosage and times. The items will be kept in a locked medicine cabinet in the school office and will only be administered in accordance with your (or a doctor’s) written instructions. We will not administer any medicine without written permission.

Break times
During morning break times we encourage all of the children to enjoy a healthy snack. This must be either a piece of fruit or a vegetable, breadsticks or a healthy cereal bar. Healthy snacks are provided for Key Stage 1 children during morning break. Children are entitled to a free carton of milk until they are 5 years old. If you would like your child to continue receiving a carton of milk during morning break please see the school office for registration and payment details. 

Please note we are a nut free school 

Drinks in school
Children must bring in a water bottle (filled with water only) to access during the school day and we encourage children to drink water throughout the day and refill their bottles in class. 

School Dinners 
Children in Key Stage 1 (Years R to 2) have the option of a free hot school meal. Alternatively, they can bring in a packed lunch from home. A lunch register is taken each morning and the children will select red (meat option), green (vegetarian option) or sandwiches (from home).

Pupils in KS2 can bring in a home packed lunch or select from the hot school meals at a charge of £2.50 per day. 

Our hot meals are ordered through CleverChefs for more information contact the school office or visit school meals under the parent information tab.

Healthy Choices
As a Healthy School we promote healthy eating. We suggest that the lunch boxes include healthy food and not just a ‘sweet feast’! e.g. sandwich, fruit, biscuit, yoghurts etc and a drink (not fizzy).

We have children in school with severe allergies, we request that there are no types of nuts or nut products (e.g. peanut butter) in the lunchboxes.

We have a happy group of Mid Day Supervisors who serve meals and supervise the children’s activities during the lunch break.

Free school meals
If due to financial circumstances, you feel you may be entitled to free school meals for your child, please contact the school office. This information will be kept confidential.

End of the day
Some of our children go home by bus. The children will be asked in the morning if they are going home on the bus and a register is taken. If anybody other than yourself is collecting the children please inform the class staff. If children are attending WASPs please ensure your booking is confirmed with Fiona at WASPs. If you are going to be late, please make every effort to leave a message with the school office so we can inform your child(ren) and the class teacher.

Clothing
We encourage all of our children to wear our smart practical uniform. The basic colours are royal blue and grey. We believe our uniform helps to achieve a sense of belonging, identity and pride. Full details of our uniform can be found under the parent information tab.

Labelling
This point cannot be emphasised enough. Please, please, please ensure that ALL of your children’s clothes and other items such as bags and lunchboxes are clearly labelled with your child’s name. Somehow we always end up with a mountain of unclaimed clothing at the end of term!

After school clubs
After school clubs are offered to Key Stage 2 children. Once again it is important that we are notified how your child will be getting home when they are dismissed from the club at 4pm. Registers are taken at these clubs therefore it is important that the staff member be made aware of any non-attendance. If your child signs up for a club we expect this to be a commitment for the whole term. For after school sporting fixtures letters, together with details and online consent forms, will be issued for each event.

Contact details
It is vitally important that we have all up to date contact details in the office – if you change your mobile number please do not forget to inform us. If we need to get hold of you in an emergency there is nothing more frustrating than trying several numbers that are no longer current.

Curriculum statements
These are issued by each class teacher termly. Each statement will explain about Enquiries and other work to be included during the forthcoming terms. The teachers give a broad overview of each area and always welcome any additional input from parents.

In-school enrichment activities (e.g. theatre visits)
Where appropriate we have visitors in school to entertain, amuse and educate! These activities may be visits from a theatre company, or perhaps specialists in certain fields e.g. ‘Mad Scientists’ for Science Week. We often ask for a voluntary contribution to help cover costs.

Church visits
We visit All Saints Church Winterslow for special services throughout the year. If these visits take place during the afternoon, your child may be collected from the church NOT FROM SCHOOL. A consent form will be issued for you to sign when you child starts school and details will be advised at the time.

Cover/Supply Staff
In the event of any of our teachers not being in school for reasons of illness or attending courses, we have a bank of regular supply teachers that work in our school. Whenever possible we will arrange cover from within our own staff or bank of supply staff.

School trips
We like to try to organise school trips when appropriate to help bring subjects alive for the children. These trips will undergo all of the necessary risk assessments before they are deemed acceptable. We often have to ask for a voluntary contribution towards the cost of the trip to help towards expenses incurred e.g. coach/entry fees etc. As with any such requests, if you have any problem at all with this please contact us. Due to our recent acquisition of a mini bus we are able to keep the cost requested down.

Lost property
Every effort is made to unite children with their lost possessions; however this is not always possible. At the end of each term, any unclaimed items are put out on a table in the large playground to allow parents to have a look through. We cannot hold onto items indefinitely therefore anything we are left with will go to the FOWS uniform shop or charity.

FOWS Uniform shop
We have parents that run a second hand uniform shop which is run at Tea and Cake Sales. If you have any items to donate please contact the office.

House system Fox Luard Marsh Brodie
When your child begins school, they will be placed into one of the school ’Houses’ (Brodie, Fox, Luard, Marsh) – we try to ensure that siblings are assigned to the same house! Throughout the year the children will be awarded house points. Each week at our celebration worship on Friday the house points from all classes are added together and the winning house announced. The children take part in their house groups on sports day and at the end of the year the house cup is decorated with the ribbons of the winning house colour (Red – Luard, Yellow – Brodie, Green – Fox, Blue – Marsh). The houses are named after characters with historic significance to the school.

Travel to school
Children who live in East or Middle Winterslow or Firsdown can travel to school on public service buses. For details about routes and fares, please contact the school office. For details of free bus travel, please contact the School Travel Team at Wiltshire County Council on 01225 713000. The bus picks the children up from outside the school at 3pm where they have been assembled by one of the teachers. A register is taken in the class each morning to determine which children will be on the bus. As the bus pulls into the lay by at the front of the school, we request that if you are collecting your child by car that you do not park in this area as it adds considerably to the traffic congestion at the end of the day. For children wishing to come to school on their bikes (accompanied by an adult) we have cycle stands within the grounds where the children should use a suitable lock to secure their bikes. We encourage children to only use their bikes if they have passed their cycling proficiency test or are accompanied by an adult.

School holidays
Our website displays the Wiltshire term calendar and we include a list of dates pertaining to our own school. This list confirms Teacher Development (TD) days as well as events happening within the school. It is recommended that children should not take time out of school during term times, however when this is unavoidable a request must be made to the school by filling in one of our holiday request forms available from the office. The school may at its discretion authorise up to 10 days absence after which any absences will be classed as unauthorised and will form part of the child’s attendance record.

Parents evenings
Parents evenings are held twice each academic year when you will be invited to come along and discuss your child’s school work with their class teacher. These evenings are run on an appointment system and wherever possible we will try to arrange appointments for siblings close together.

Reports
Annual reports for your children are sent out towards the end of the Summer Term.

Musical instruments
In Keys Stage 2, the children are offered the chance to play of a range instruments. We have peripatetic music teachers that visit the school. A fee is charged for these lessons. Currently we have a woodwind teacher, a guitar/drums teacher, a piano teacher.  If your child is interested please contact the school office.

Swimming club
We are very fortunate to have a swimming pool at our school and the children are timetabled for swimming lessons during the Summer term. The school also has a swimming club to allow families to use the pool out of school time. This is very kindly organised by volunteer parents. A water safety course is to be taken at the beginning of the season and then families will be issued with a key after successfully completing this. A small charge is made for this facility which goes directly to cover the running costs and upkeep of the pool.

Cookery
There are occasions when your child may take part in cookery which will help to enhance their topic work. We may sometimes have to ask for a voluntary contribution towards this activity.

Governors
An up to date list of the Governing Body is on display near the school office at the front of the school and also on our website. We have a very enthusiastic and dedicated team of governors.

Parents in school
As we believe that your child’s education is a partnership between home and school, we aim to build strong co-operative relationships between parents and teachers and actively encourage parents to become involved in the life of the school. Parents can help in a number of ways during the school day, either on a regular or occasional basis. We have a policy guideline for helpers in school who will also have to undergo a DBS check and attend an informal interview. If you are interested in helping in school please speak to the class teacher or the office.

On an informal basis, parents are always welcome to come and discuss any queries or worries with the staff, initially with the class teacher or otherwise the Headteacher. However it would be appreciated if this could be done at the end of the school day, when staff have dismissed all the children in their care, or by appointment. Please remember that in the morning staff are busy preparing for their lessons.

After-school care
We are extremely fortunate to have a fantastic OfSTED registered Breakfast and After-School Club, known as WASPs (Winterslow After School Provision). There are opportunities for children to use a wide range of equipment outdoors as well as sports sessions with dedicated staff, whilst inside children can play with a variety of equipment and take part in craft activities.
Information about WASPs can be obtained from the school website under the Community tab - WASPS before and After School Provision.

Reception class
There is a separate pack of information supplied by our Foundation staff for our new starters. Please ask if you have not received this.

Parking
Parking is often problematic at the beginning and end of the school day and we respectfully request that you take due care and consideration at these times. We have a group of volunteer parents trying to oversee the parking issues by placing cones in appropriate areas. We have visits by the local police.

Bus Lay-By
The bus pulls into the lay-by opposite school at the end of each school day in order to be able to collect the children safely. Please refrain from parking here at the end of the day as this can result in traffic problems and makes it un-safe for children getting on the bus.