Preparation before your child starts school

There are a number of things that you can do to develop your child’s independence and support their learning before they start school. These include helping them so that they can:

• Put on their coat and do up the buttons/zip
• Use the toilet properly, flush after use and wash their hands
• Take care of personal possessions and respect those of others
• Be responsible for tidying up
• Be able to eat lunch independently
• Take turns and share

To support your child’s learning, the following activities may be helpful:

• Drawing and painting using pencils, crayons, felt pens and chalk
• Model making with plasticine and playdough
• Sharing books, reading together and telling stories
• Chatting together at home to promote language development e.g. cooking, counting
• Pointing out print in the world 

Keeping in contact

It is very important that you inform the school office if you change your address or contact telephone numbers. We need the most up to date numbers in case your child becomes ill and we need to contact you. It can be distressing for a child and worrying for us if we cannot get in touch with you.

Meeting with your child's teacher

Teachers are available for a quick word at the start or the end of the day. However if you need to talk with the class teacher in more detail, please make an appointment through the school office as talking at great length on the playground can sometimes be difficult for the teacher and the children. 

The Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher are in the playground during drop off and pick up time.  Many parental queries and concerns can be dealt with at this time.  It is always possible to make appointments, often at short notice through the school office.

Attendance and Punctuality

As mentioned we expect children to be on the playground before the bell rings at 8.55am. If your child arrives to school after the children have entered the classroom they will be marked as late. If your child arrives to school after 9.15am they will be marked as unauthorised for the entire morning session. 

If your child is unwell and unable to make it to school, we ask that you leave a message on our absence line. This will ensure that your child's absence will be recorded correctly.

If your child is regularly late for school or regularly misses school you will be contacted by our Educational Welfare Officer. 

Medical Advice

It is very important that you advise the school if your child suffers from any allergies, including food allergies, or from any other medical condition. Parents are required to notify the school office immediately if their child has any infectious disease such as rubella, conjunctivitis, head lice, impetigo, measles, mumps or ringworm.

If your child is taking a prescribed medicine we can continue to provide this to your child whilst they are at school. Please arrange this at the school office, you will need to fill out the necessary form. Please label any medicine clearly with your child's name and class. 

The School Nurse visits the School regularly and is always available to meet parents by arrangement.  Children are given height, weight and dental checks at various intervals in their primary school career.

Home School Agreement 

If you do accept a place at St George the Martyr you will be required to sign the Home-School Agreement. This is designed to clarify what the school expects of parents and what parents may expect of the school. It includes expectations about attendance, homework, uniform and behaviour, among other things.  It is intended to encourage good relationships between parents and school by making the ethos of St George the Martyr School clear from the outset. 

Educational Visits

We actively encourage teachers to plan trips to bring class work to life.  Examples of places we visit are the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Science Museum and the Dickens Museum.  We travel by tube and bus. Teachers are expected to do a pre-visit risk assessment of both the journey and the destination.

In signing the Home-School Agreement you will be giving your permission to allow your children to attend local visits not involving public transport. For trips involving public or private transport you will be sent details and a permission slip to sign. Your child will be unable to go along to the visit if we do not receive a permission slip before the date of the trip.

Unfortunately, the school cannot afford to cover the full cost of transport or entrance fees for such visits, therefore we ask for parental support.  If support is not given then such activities may not be able to happen.  Parents are asked to contribute up to £2 per trip.  However no child is excluded from any activity through inability to contribute financially and any difficulties are dealt with in the strictest confidence.

Security and Safety

All visitors and visiting parents must report to the school office.  Unauthorised access to the school premises is not permitted. 

We request that parents do not allow people into the school whilst they are entering or leaving the premises or leave the school door open.  Only the school office is permitted to vet visitors and grant permission to enter the school premises.  All visitors should be politely asked to ring on the school bell and wait until they are allowed access.