General School Information
Attendance
The school gates open every day at 8:35am.
Registration is held at 8:45am ready for lessons to start promptly.
The school gates are shut at 8:45am. Children should be brought round to the school office if they are after that time so that parents can sign them in and to ensure the appropriate mark is given on the school attendance register.
The school day ends at 3:15pm. Children are only released by their teacher when the appropriate adult is on the playground. There may be occasions when, due to circumstances beyond your control, you may be late for the end of school. Please ensure you inform the school office if this is the case and if you have changed your collection arrangements.
An after school arrangement sheet is sent out to each child at the start of the academic year. On this sheet, parents and carers can notify school of their usual after school arrangements.
If your child will be absent from school, you must inform us of their absence before 9:30am on each day that they are absent. If pupils are absent and school has had no message from parents/carers, a member of staff will make a telephone call home to establish the reason for the absence and to ensure the pupil’s safety. We reserve the right to make a home visit to carry out a welfare check if we are unable to make contact with home.
Holidays are not authorised in term time by the Headteacher unless under exceptional circumstances. A blue holiday request form can be obtained from the office and can be found on the school website under Office>Forms.
Uniform
All of our uniform (excluding shirts/blouses/trousers/dresses) is available to purchase from Baker & Son in Wellington. You are able to purchase uniform of the correct colour from a different shop or supermarket if you prefer.
Children should wear:
• Grey or black trousers, grey or black shorts, grey or black skirt or grey pinafore dress (blue/white small check dress in summer)
• White shirt, white or blue blouse
Please note that Reception children and Year 1’s can wear a white polo shirt if they prefer
• Navy blue cardigan (with the school logo)
• Navy blue sweatshirt (with school logo)
• Black shoes
PE Kit
• White, pale blue or navy t-shirt (with the school logo)
• Blue shorts
• Navy blue plain joggers
• School PE jumpers are available
• Suitable pumps or trainers for outdoor use
Cloakroom space is restricted throughout school. On PE days, children attend school in their PE kit. On outdoor learning days when the children need waterproofs and wellies, please send these in a named bag.
Hair longer than shoulder length must be tied back for PE and any other activities where having it loose could be dangerous or pose a risk, for example DT, outdoor learning, cookery. Children with their hair down should bring a bobble to tie it back in case it is falling on their work on in their dinner.
The only items of jewellery allowed in school are basic watches (no smart watches) and small studs for pierced ears. For safety all items must be removed for PE. If ear studs cannot be removed, they must be covered with plasters.
Verrucas must be covered entirely with a suitable plaster dressing for barefoot PE and a swim sock must be worn for swimming sessions.
Please ensure that all items of clothing and bags are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
Breaks and Lunchtime
Morning break is from 10:25am to 10:40am.
Fruit is provided for all KS1 children as part of the Government Fruit scheme to promote healthy eating. All children are able to bring a healthy snack in for break if they wish.
It is important that children have plenty to drink during the day so we ask that you provide your child with a named water bottle for them to use throughout the day. This is in addition to the drink you may provide in their lunchboxes. Fizzy and sugary drinks are not allowed.
Lunch is from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.
Currently, all KS1 pupils (Reception to Year 2) are entitled to a free school dinner as part of the Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) scheme. Parents & Carers may be eligible to claim free school meals for any aged child if they meet certain criteria.
Further details can be found on: https://www.telford.gov.uk/info/20028/school_meals/9/free_school_meals
Parents and carers can send their child in with their own packed lunch or choose to have hot dinner provided by school. KS2 school meals are currently charged at £2.60.
When a child joins St Lawrence, parents and carers will be asked to fill in a number of forms including a dietary requirement section. This ensures the onsite kitchen staff know which children have certain dietary needs such intolerances or allergies. If there is any change to your child’s dietary requirements, please inform the school office as soon as possible so we can pass this information on.
Payments
Most payments can be made online. The school office does also accept cash/ cheque payment if this is most suitable for you. Cheques should be addressed to ‘St Lawrence CE Primary School’ unless stated otherwise. You can ask the office for the online payment process.
School Dinner Money (KS2 only) can be paid in 3 ways: cash (in a named envelope and handed into the office), cheque (addressed to ‘Telford and Wrekin Council’ and handed into the office) or online via Telford and Wrekin (for this, you will need your child’s unique pupil number which can be requested at the school office).
Medical Appointments and Medication
Appointments
Non-urgent medical and dental appointments should be made out of school hours or during the holidays. If you do have an appointment during the school day and need to collect your child, please inform school prior to the day of the appointment. Parents and carers should provide evidence of medical and dental appointments.
Children should be collected from and brought to the school office before and after appointments so that the parent/carer can sign the child in/out of school. This ensures the child’s attendance mark is accurately recorded.
Medication
We are only allowed to administer medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor and which have to be taken 4 times a day. Parents are encouraged to schedule their child’s medication so that they don’t need a dose during the school day. For example, a child who is on antibiotics to be taken 3 times a day can usually take all 3 doses outside school hours.
If, however, your child does need medication during school hours the following guidelines must be followed:
• Any prescribed medicine must be supplied to the school in the original container labelled by the pharmacist with the name of the medicine, full instructions for use and the name of the pupil
• Any non-prescribed medicine bought by the family should be in the original container bearing the manufacturer’s instruction/guidelines. The school may refuse to administer any medicines supplied in inappropriate containers.
• An appropriate adult must bring any medicine into the school office where a ‘Parental Agreement to Administer Medicine’ form must be completed and signed. Children should not keep medication in their school bag. At the end of the school day, any medicine that needs to be returned home must be collected by an adult from the school office.
If your child suffers from asthma, you will need to supply the school with a spare inhaler which will be kept in the child’s classroom. You will also need to complete an asthma care plan form. School does have a spare inhaler in case of an emergency.
If your child requires the use of an Epi-pen, please make sure you inform office staff as soon as possible. You will also need to provide the school with 2 spare Epi-pens – one will be kept in your child’s classroom and one will be kept in the first aid draw in the staff room where all staff can access it. All staff receive annual training on the use of Epi-pens.
Communication
A weekly newsletter is sent out every Friday and this will contain information on upcoming events, diary dates and other important news.
We communicate almost all of our information with parents and carers via Parentmail. All new starters will receive the sign-up sheet in their ‘new starter’ pack. Any other information will be posted on the school website or handed out to the children on a letter or form.
Classes all have a Seesaw account. This is a fabulous tool for sharing the children’s learning with parents, as well as the way we send homework. Teachers will also use Seesaw to communicate with parents and send class-specific messages.
We hope that the information provided has been useful and reassuring and we look forward to welcoming you and your child into our school community. If you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the school office via email a3091@telford.gov.uk or by calling us on 01952 387780.
School Nurse Presentation
A school readiness talk from Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust can be found by following the link: https://youtu.be/ArlteeIJY00