Parent Information Pack

Practicalities- The School and the School Day

Classes

We are a two form entry junior school which means we have two classes per year group; 8 classes in total. Year 3 (Oak and Elm) and 4 (Maple and Chestnut) classrooms are located downstairs and our Year 5 (Rowan and Hazel) and 6 (Sycamore and Beech) classrooms are upstairs.

Entrance Foyer/School office

The entrance foyer /school office is at the front of main building. The door to the foyer is locked for security reasons but you will be greeted by a member of our admin team if you are entering the main building. The office is open from 8.30am until 4.30pm. Mrs Hadlington and Mrs Roberts are on hand to support you with queries as they arise. If you cannot get through on the phone, please leave a voice message and they will get back to you. Letters may be left securely in the post box in the main school lobby. Please do not leave these in your child’s school bag as they may be missed or forgotten.

Dropping Off

The main school gate is open in the morning and families are encouraged to wait between the two green gates until Mrs Knight or member of the Leadership Team welcomes the children in at 8.35am.

Registration for all classes starts from 8.35am. If your child arrives late, you will need to come to the office; your child will be sent to their classroom whilst you will be asked to sign your child in.

Collecting Children

School finishes at 3.05pm. At the end of the day, you are welcome to wait along the driveway, or you may agree a meeting place with your child further away from the school gates. Class teachers will bring the children up to the drive and help them find the person collecting them.

Parking

It is predictably busy outside the school when children are dropped off and collected.  Please NEVER park or wait in your car on the yellow zig-zag lines outside the school; parking there puts children in great danger.

Crawley Ridge and Elsenwood Drive become very congested at the beginning and end of school.   Please be patient as you drive along Crawley Ridge and be considerate when parking, remembering that there are parents who walk with their children to school and who sometimes have young children in pushchairs.  We would also ask that car engines are switched off if you are waiting outside the school. Idling engines are very damaging to air quality which has a detrimental effect on all children and adults using Crawley Ridge. For Health and Safety reasons, neither parents nor children are allowed to use the staff car park entrance at any time even if dropping off or picking up from the Graitney Club – the main pedestrian entrance must be used instead.

Playtime

Playtime is between 10.25 and 10.40 for Years 3 & 4 and 10.45 and 11am for Years 5 & 6. Teachers and support staff supervise playtime. The children play outside in all weathers so please ensure they have a suitable jacket in school as part of their uniform.

No sweets, no nuts or products containing nuts are allowed in school at any time.

Children are allowed to bring in one piece of fruit or vegetable for break time if they wish to. No other snack is permitted. Children should bring a named water bottle to school every day which they can drink in class. These bottles are to contain water only, NO fruit juice or squash please.

Lunch Time

Lunchtime lasts from 12.10 until 1.00pm. We run 2 sittings; allowing enough time for children to eat their meals and play outside.

School dinner menus are sent home to you each term. The children are allowed to choose between red, yellow or green option each day, so it is helpful if you can talk to your child about the meals they will be choosing.

There is a section for you to complete on the Admission Form about any allergies or dietary requirements your child may have.

School Lunches and Payments

If your child is due to be having hot dinners, you may pay either half-termly or weekly for these (cheques to be made payable Surrey County Council) or online at www.pmx.parentmail.co.uk.

All school dinner payments must be paid in advance; weekly payments being paid on the Monday morning, and half termly payments in the first week of term. Please ensure that you pay for your school dinners promptly. We are unable to give credit for school meal payments. Non-payment will result in your child not being allowed to continue with school meals.

For those children who bring packed lunches, we would insist that lunch products do not contain nuts to accommodate those children who are sensitive to nut products.  We would also suggest placing cool packs in lunch boxes during warm weather as we are unable to store them in a refrigerator.

All of the water at school is drinking water, so please ensure that your child has a water bottle each day which they can refill.

Communication

Newsletters are the main form of regular communication from the school. They are sent via ParentMail, but please ask for a hard copy if you do not have access to a computer. All other letters and consent forms are sent through ParentMail, so please make sure that we always have your up to date details. Please remember that if you change either your telephone numbers or address, that you contact the office immediately in writing so that we always have the correct information to hand. We rely on this information being up to date when we are trying to contact parents in an emergency. Ideally, we would like three contact numbers for all pupils.

You will receive written or verbal feedback about your children’s progress three times a year through parent/ teacher meetings and an End of Year report.  

Teachers and the Head Teacher are always happy to talk to you.  A good time to catch teachers for an informal chat is after school. Morning is the best time for an informal discussion with the Head Teacher as she is usually on the gate from 8.35am until 8.45am. For appointments to speak to Teachers or the Head Teacher contact the school office.

Medicines

Only prescribed medicines in their original packaging can be given to children by staff members.   Parents of children who need to use asthma inhalers or who are taking prescribed medicine will need to fill in a Healthcare Plan and Pupil Medication Request Form (a copy of which should be in your pack if you advised us of a medical condition on your admission form). Spare forms are available from the school office.  If any medicines or inhalers are to come into school, please make sure these are marked clearly with the child’s name (not only on the cardboard outer box, but also on the medicine itself).  We are unable to administer any non-prescribed drugs, e.g. throat lozenges or over-the-counter medicines, e.g. antihistamines.

On hot days sun cream should be applied to legs, arms, face neck and tops of ears before school.

Sickness

If your child is ill, please call the School Office in the morning, before 9 am. Wait for the message, choose the absent child option and leave a message. You can also use the ParentMail App to report absences before 9am. If we have not heard from you by 9am and your child is absent, we will follow this up with a telephone call.

Children can attend school if they are on medication (e.g. antibiotics or cough medicine) but only if they are well enough to enjoy the day at school.  Do not send your child to school if they have a contagious illness such as chicken pox. In line with NHS guidelines, we ask parents to keep children at home for a period of 48 hours following their last episode of sickness and/or diarrhoea to stop the spread of any bugs.

If your child feels unwell during the school day, we will need to contact you. It is vital that we have the contact details of at least two trusted adults who could be reached in case of emergency.

Attendance

Any requests for leave of absence must be put in writing to the Head Teacher prior to the absence. This includes medical appointments. If you know in advance that your child is going to be absent from school e.g. for a hospital appointment, then please request a “Leave of absence” form from the school office.

Unplanned absences need to be followed up with a letter explaining the reason for absence. You will be provided with the dates of all the school holidays at the beginning of the school year.

We strongly discourage family holidays during term time. The children are expected to be in school for 100% of the time unless for exceptional circumstances such as your child being unwell. Government regulations state that holidays will only be approved for exceptional circumstances. Unauthorised absences will result in a fine. The school does not receive this money.

Staff Development Days (or Inset Days)

The school is required by Government to have five Inset days (staff development days). The dates of these are set by individual schools. We do try to tie them in with neighbouring schools but they often differ between schools. You will be informed of the dates well in advance and they can be found on the school calendar section of the website.

Helping in the Classroom (Subject to a DBS Check)

You are invited to visit the school on regular occasions – to join class assemblies, performances or take part in lessons and family workshops. In addition to this, you are also encouraged to help in the classroom. There are lots of activities you can help with either on a regular or occasional basis – reading, art lessons, group activities, cooking etc. If you would like to volunteer to help in school, we require you to hold a DBS disclosure at Enhanced Level applied for through us. If you would like to apply for a DBS disclosure, and are able to help out in the school at least once per term, instructions for online applications are available from the school office. You will also receive a Parent Helper pack and a confidentiality agreement which must be signed and given to the office.

Mobile phones

For children in Years 5 and 6 who have been given permission to walk home by themselves we appreciate they may require to have a mobile phone with them. Those children must make themselves known to the office and a Mobile phone agreement will be required to be signed by the child and the parents. Phones are to be handed into the school office daily where they are stored securely. Children are not to use their mobile phones on the school site. If a parent is volunteering or visiting in the main building or on the playground their mobile phone should be stored securely and not used.

Clubs & Music Lessons

We have clubs before and after school every day on the school site. These could include  Football, Basketball, Forest School, Young Engineers and Chess. Piano and Flutes lessons are also offered by external teachers who visit the school weekly.Club providers and coaches are vetted by the school and details of how to sign up are sent out each term via ParentMail. See enclosed information.

School Uniform - see list on the website

Nearly New Uniform Sale

Our PTA also runs a nearly new uniform shop. They often open the shop during family events at the school but should you wish to purchase uniform at any other time, please contact the office.

Jewellery and Watches

Only the wearing of one pair of stud earrings and a watch is allowed at school and children must be able to remove these for all physical activities as they constitute a hazard.  It is not possible for staff to be responsible for these articles, especially if children forget to collect them after their lesson. We advise that children leave earrings at home on the days when they have physical education.  We also suggest that if your child must have their ears pierced that it is done at the end of the July term when there is more time for them to heal.

Stationery

Please provide your child with a clear/plain pencil case (any ‘themed’ cases will be sent home). They will need the following items in school every day: an HB pencil, a dry wipeable white board marker pen, a set of coloured pencils, a rubber, a sharpener, a 30 cms ruler and a glue stick. These items remain the responsibility of your child. Please ensure you check regularly that your child has everything they need to support their learning.

Curriculum

We are very proud of our curriculum offer at Crawley Ridge Junior. Each year, we hold a ‘Curriculum Evening’ where you are given the chance to meet the school staff and hear information relevant to your child’s year group. All curriculum information is available on our school website. In addition to this, we hold regular information evenings designed to support you when supporting learning at home. 

Homework

During the Curriculum Evening, year groups will share the homework expectations for child. This varies between year groups but often includes reading, English and maths activities. We use TEAMS to share homework and to give you flexibility about how it is completed.

 

The School Community

A school is only a building without the people that make it all happen. At Crawley Ridge Junior School we have a dedicated team who work together to ensure the very best for your child.

Leadership Team

Head Teacher- Mrs Sue Knight

Assistant Headteacher (SENCO/Inclusion) - Mrs Lisa Culligan

Assistant Headteacher- Ms Laura Smart

Senior Leader - Ms Charlotte Webb

Teaching Staff

Year 3 Oak- Ms Rebecca Scrivener

Year 3 Elm-Ms Abigail Gomm

Year 4 Chestnut- Miss Sarah Chick

Year 4 Maple – Ms Laura Smart and Mrs Rachel Taylor

Year 5 Rowan- Miss Charlotte Wescott

Year 5 Hazel- Mrs Kristina Bell

Year 6 Sycamore- Mrs Sarah Cherry

Year 6 Beech- Miss Charlotte Webb

Forest School Team – Mr Nick Grogut & Mrs Sarah Fitzjohn

Support Staff- Teaching Assistants and Lunchtime Team

Mrs Geraldine Ashley

Mrs Mandy Athwal

Mrs Deborah Bland

Mrs Aman Dhaliwal (ELSA)

Ms Ruwanthika Fernando

Mr Lewis Herzog

Mrs Aimee Irons

Mrs Danielle Keeler

Mrs Sarah Matthews

Mrs Lesley Parrot (ELSA/ Forest School Assistant)

Mrs Lisa Sandalls

Mrs Suzanne Scott

Mrs Amanda Smith (HLTA)

Mrs Sandrine Timms

Mrs Cristina Zaffari

Admin and Caretaking Team

Office Manager- Mrs Sam Hadlington

Admin Assistant- Mrs Caroline Roberts

Caretaker- Mr Bob Phillips

The Alliance Multi-Academy Trust

Crawley Ridge Junior School is part of The Alliance Multi-Academy Trust (TAMAT). This is a trust of five like-minded schools in the Surrey Heath area who have come together to work in partnership with a focus on enriching the education of every child in the trust. Further information about TAMAT can be found at www.tamat.org.uk

Local Academy Board

At Crawley Ridge we have a committed team of Governors who bring a broad range of skills to the Local Academy Board. Governors have a general responsibility for the effective management of the school. The full governing body meets each term and roles are shared so that Governors can focus on the curriculum, finance, resources, premises, community links, staffing and special needs provision in the school.

PTA

As parents, you are part of the school community and your help at school is welcomed. Every parent is automatically a member of the CRJS Parent Teacher Association. The PTA organises a variety of social events to raise funds for the school including Summer and Christmas events, which are held at the school, as well as working parties of parents and staff to help with practical projects around the school and the running of fundraising events.