Water Leys Primary School

Information for Parents

Working together, learning forever

Water Leys Primary School

Guilford Drive

Wigston

Leicester

LE18 1HG

Headteacher: Mr Mark Westmoreland

Tel: 0116 288 4135

Email: office@waterleys.leics.sch.uk

Website: www.waterleysprimaryschool.co.uk

Contents Page

Times of the school day 1

What to do if your child is late for school 2

What to do if your child is absent from school

Reporting medical absences

Medical appointments

Holidays during term time

2

School uniform

PE kit

Forest School kit

Swimming kit

Lost property

3

Payments to the school 4

How school and parents keep in contact

Home School diaries

Telephone

Text

Email

School Gateway smartphone app

Parents’ evenings

Visits

Newsletters

Website

School Nurse

Headlice

4-6

Safeguarding and Child Protection 6

Arrangements for school meals

Cost of school meals

Free school meals

6

School milk and fruit scheme 7

Child care out of school hours

Breakfast club

After school care

After school clubs (Years 1 to 5)

School holiday activities

7-8

What to do if your child needs medication at school

Asthma

8

Forest School at Water Leys 9

Cooking at Water Leys 10

Some important Health and Safety information

Bicycles and scooters

Parking

Nut allergies

Sun safety

Dogs on school premises

11

School holidays calendar (School Year 2016/2017) 12

1

Times of the school day

BREAKFAST CLUB

7.30am – 8.30am

START OF SCHOOL DAY

Key Stages 1 and 2:

8.30am Gates open

8.40am Registers

Foundation Stage:

8.40am Doors open

8.50am Registers

LUNCH TIMES

Foundation Stage: 11.45am – 12.55pm

Key Stage 1: 12.00pm – 1.00pm

Key Stage 2:

Year 3-4: 12.00pm – 1.00pm

Year 5-6: 12.15pm – 1.15pm

END OF SCHOOL DAY

Foundation Stage: 2.55pm

Key Stages 1 & 2: 3.00pm

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What to do if your child is late for school If you are late arriving at school and the outside doors or gates are locked please

bring your child in through the main reception doors, then report to the school

office who will record that your child is in school. You will be asked to give a

reason why your child is late. We need to know by 9.00am if your child

requires a school meal.

Similarly, if you come to collect your child before the end of the school day

please inform the school office who will record that your child has left the

premises.

Please inform your child’s class teacher in the morning or telephone the school

office if your child is going to be collected by someone who does not normally

collect them.

What to do if your child is absent from school Pupils should not be sent to school if they are unwell. If your child has been sick

or has diarrhoea they should be kept off school for 24 hours following the last

episode.

Reporting medical absences

If your child is unwell please inform the school by telephone as soon as possible.

There is a voicemail service if you wish to leave a message before school opens.

Medical appointments

If your child has a medical appointment please inform the school by telephone.

Holidays during term time

Following the guidelines for pupil absence issued by The Department of Education,

Headteachers can not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there

are exceptional circumstances.

3

School uniform Our school uniform colours are red, white and grey.

Grey trousers or skirt

White shirt or polo shirt

Red sweatshirt or cardigan

Black shoes not trainers or boots

In the summer girls can wear a red and white check dress

In FS2 and KS1 each child should have a red book bag which you can

purchase from school.

PE kits need to be in school daily. It should be stored in a small drawstring bag

which you can purchase from the school office. Children will take their PE kits

home regularly to allow for washing.

Forest School kits need to be brought into school when your child has Forest.

Your child will need a Forest School kit bag which can be purchased from school if

you wish.

Swimming kit: Key Stage 2 children go swimming during one term out of the

school year. The kit should be in a waterproof drawstring bag.

Swimsuit/trunks

Towel

If you would like your child to wear goggles please compete the relevant form which

is available from the office.

Lost property is kept in the reception area.

It is important that all uniform, including bags, is named.

Key Stage 2

Black shorts

White polo shirt or t-shirt

Black plimsolls

Jogging bottoms

Jumper

Trainers

Foundation Stage and

Key Stage 1

Black shorts

White polo shirt or t-shirt

Black plimsolls

Cold weather

Waterproof coat

Hat, scarf and gloves

Suitable outdoor

footwear, e.g. wellingtons

Outdoor trousers

Warm weather

Long trousers

Long sleeved top

Sun hat

Trainers

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Payments to the school The school has access to an online payment service called ‘Parent Pay’ for which

you will be issued with a login and password by the school. School meals, trips and

after school clubs should all be paid using this service.

How school and parents keep in contact We believe that the school and home partnership is very important and we are

always trying to find new ways of improving communication with parents. Here

are some examples of how we are communicating:

Home School diaries

This is a book which travels daily to and from school with the pupil. Your child's

class teacher will record guided reading in the diary and we ask that you record

any reading your child does at home.

Telephone

You are welcome to phone the school at any time during the school day. A

member of the Office team will take a message if the person you wish to speak to

is not available.

Text

The school has a text messaging service which is used for occasional messages to

parents, e.g. school closure due to adverse weather conditions. You will also

receive a text to inform you if your child has had a minor bump to the head during

the day.

Email

The school uses email wherever possible to send out newsletters, letters and

other information.

It is important that we have your up-to-date telephone

numbers (mobile and/or landline) as we may need to contact

you if your child is unwell during the school day.

Please remember to let us know if your number

changes.

5

School Gateway smart phone app

The School Gateway smart phone app is completely free, it cuts the costs of text

messaging and the money saved can be better used elsewhere in the school.

If you have a smart phone, you simply need to install the app from Google Play

Store or Apple App Store.

Step 1: Search the app store for ‘School Gateway’, install the app and open it

Step 2: Select I’m a new user, enter your email and mobile number – your PIN

number will then be sent to your phone

Step 3: Enter your pin and login

You will now receive messages from us through the app instead of by text. Your

phone will buzz/ring just like when a text message arrives. So you will:

receive instant notification of messages

receive messages using Wi-Fi, even when there is no mobile signal

not be charged for sending replies back to the school

be able to store and receive messages all in one place

If your mobile phone doesn’t have an app facility we will continue to send

messages via text instead.

Parents’ evenings

These are held during the Autumn and Spring terms. We use an online booking

system for all appointments. You will receive a letter informing you of the dates

and times of Parents’ Evening and how to log-in to book your appointments.

Visits

There are occasions over the year when parents are invited into school, for

example, school concerts, sports day, assemblies and parent activity sessions with

the children.

Newsletters

We send regular newsletters which will include important information and news of

what is happening in the school. These can also be found on the website.

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Website

The school website address is www.waterleysprimaryschool.co.uk.

Please visit our website regularly to see our latest news, information and pictures

of our activities.

School Nurse

Our School Nurse, Lindsey Franks, can offer advice and support on medical issues

within the school and is available to all parents should they have any concerns.

Her contact number is 0116 264 2680.

Headlice

We ask to be informed by parents if they find that their child has headlice so

that we can send a letter to the parents of children in that year group. If you

receive a letter and find that your child has headlice, please try to ‘bug bust’ as

outlined in the letter.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Parents/carers should know that the law requires all school staff to pass on

information which gives rise to a concern about a child’s welfare.

Arrangements for school meals Lunch is a learning opportunity to gain and practise social and independence skills.

Your child could bring a packed lunch (which should be in a clearly labelled

lunchbox) or have a hot school dinner.

Please be aware that we have a number of pupils and staff who have severe nut

allergies and we therefore ask that your child does not bring any products

containing nuts to school.

Cost of school meals

School meals are free for all children in Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 2. For

children above these year groups the cost is £2.20 per day (price as at October

2017).

Free school meals

Please contact the school office if you think your child may be eligible for Free

School Meals. If your child is eligible but is in FS, Year 1 or Year 2 please still

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apply as the school will receive a Pupil Premium which will benefit parents by

assisting with the cost of school trips and residentials, swimming and after school

clubs.

School milk and fruit scheme Free school milk is available for children under 5 years of age and for any

children in receipt of free school meals. If you wish to pay for your child to have

school milk, or if your child is eligible for free school meals and you would like

them to have milk, please ask a member of our office team.

We are part of the government scheme that offers a free piece of

fruit to all FS and Key Stage One children. If you do not wish your

child to take part in this scheme please inform the office.

Child care out of school hours

Breakfast Club

Monday to Friday from 7.30am – 8.30am

Prices including breakfast (as at October 2017)

7.30am – 8.30am: £2.00

8.00am – 8.30am: £1.00

Free from 8.00am (no breakfast)

Children can play games, do homework, read their books or just chat to their

friends before going onto the playground at 8.30am.

Please note:

Children should enter by the Community Corner (Burleigh) doors. These doors

will be closed at 8.25am, after which children should enter school in the usual

way.

Please do not bring cars into the car park at any time.

Parents should be aware that this is an extra service provided by the school

for your convenience. Attendance at this club is subject to good behaviour at

all times.

After school care

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Poplars Club are on-site and offer after school care until 5.30pm. To make an

enquiry or book a place please telephone 257 3729.

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After school clubs (Year 1 to Year 6)

The school offers many after school activities, some of which change from term

to term. These activities are available for children from Year 1 to Year 6. Some

examples are choir, fit club, football, multi-skills, netball, cricket and athletics.

The school writes to parents to inform them of available clubs and sends a

booking form.

School holiday activities

The school and Poplars Club run joint school holiday activities during all

holidays except Christmas. You will receive details before each school

holiday.

What to do if your child needs medication at school If your child needs to take medication during the school day please complete a

medication form which is available from the school office. All medication

must be in its original container with the pharmacist’s instructions.

Asthma

If you child has asthma and needs an inhaler in school you must provide two

inhalers. One will be kept in a central location and the other will be in your child’s

classroom and will be taken with your child during Forest School sessions, PE,

school outings etc.

You will be issued with an Asthma Card which should be completed by you and

your GP/Asthma Nurse.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the inhalers are replaced as necessary and

are in date.

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Forest School at Water Leys Forest School runs throughout the whole school year so

that children can experience all weathers and the changing

seasons

It encourages children to become independent, use their imagination, take

appropriate risks within boundaries and initiate learning for themselves. It

covers many aspects of learning, including the emotional and spiritual aspects

of learning where self-esteem and self-confidence can grow and positive

relationships with their peers can be formed

It encourages children to become aware of our environment and learn how to

care for it, including helping to maintain our woodland to ensure the survival of

all native flora and fauna and finding out about ecosystems

It is fun!

Forest School forms part of the curriculum and supports the main curriculum

subjects, for example:

Maths

Counting different objects in the environment

Making a treasure hunt to follow a grid map

Mathematical shapes and structures

English

Speaking and listening

Stories about the environment

Making posters or leaflets about different things spotted in the area

Science

Identifying and naming the trees and wildlife and studying their needs

from the environment

Mini-beast hunting using magnifying glasses

Pollination and nectar

Pond dipping to look for different species of plants and animals,

identifying the ones suited to that environment

Creating awareness of the needs of wildlife and how to treat it with

respect

Design Technology and Art

Making pegs etc. using different types of wood

Making friendship bracelets

Make a Forest School café using natural resources

Modelling or making pictures using what can be found

Looking at camouflage – what makes the best thing to use?

Music

Make musical instruments from different wood etc.

11

Cooking at Water Leys

Cooking encourages the children to become more

independent and adventurous by trying different foods

It gives children the confidence to learn new skills

Children learn the importance of hygiene, health and safety in the

kitchen

Children are taught the correct procedures when using different

utensils and appliances in the kitchen

Each year group has curriculum linked topics

Children learn about healthy eating and a balanced diet

Children learn to plant their own produce in the school grounds

It is fun!

Cooking forms part of the curriculum and supports the main curriculum subjects,

for example:

Maths Measuring

Weighing

Prices and value for money

English

Speaking and listening

Making hygiene and health and safety posters

Making recipe booklets

Using books for research

Science Identifying the changes when mixing different ingredients

Learning of the difference between steam and smoke

Identifying solids, liquids and gases

Turning a solid into a liquid by melting

Using senses such as smell, taste and texture

Design Technology and Art

Learning about presentation, e.g. decorating cakes and biscuits for

school fundraising events

Making gift bags

Creating and designing recipe cards and booklets

Religious Education

Learning about and making foods from different events and festivals

such as Diwali, Vasaki, Easter, Christmas and Chinese New Year

12

Some important Health and Safety information

Bicycles and scooters

We advise that children cycling to school wear a helmet. We ask that

children dismount when they reach the school gates and walk with their

bikes and scooters whilst on the school grounds to be aware of

others. Bikes and scooters can be parked in the ‘Pitts Stop’ – our covered

cycle shelter.

Parking Please do not park on the yellow zig-zag lines near the school, block

any of our neighbours’ driveways or use the school gateways to turn in.

The area outside the school at the beginning and end of the school day

is very busy with pedestrians and vehicles, so it is important to consider the safety

of the children during these times. The school car park is for staff only.

Nut allergies

We have children and staff with severe nut allergies in school.

Please do not send products into school that contain nuts, including

all food and suncream e.g. coconut.

Sun safety

On sunny days please send your child/children in with a hat to wear in

the playground and make sure that their t-shirts cover their shoulders.

If your child brings suncream to school it must be labelled with their

name. It should not contain any nut products (including coconut) and

children should apply it themselves. Please make sure they bring their

water bottles every day.

Dogs

Dogs are not allowed on the school premises.

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