The start of the school day is a crucial time for learning and our class teachers are not available for meetings at that time.
If you need to let us know about a change in routine for a day or about appointments you could:

• Write a note in the reading record or homework diary
• Send a message via Class Dojo
• Contact the class teacher via their email found on the Year Pages under the Learning tab
• Contact Us

If you forget what’s on any particular day, our office staff are always pleased to help answer your queries and help you, but please do check the website first for information about letters, dates and clubs etc.

If you have a concern, or feel you need to let us know about something that has happened at home, please contact us sooner rather than later. The Class teacher or Year leader should be your first point of contact but if you would like to speak with the Deputy Head or the Head Teacher please contact Contact Us to arrange a meeting or a call back.

Requests for children to attend medical, dental or any education appointments should be made in writing to the school office at info@stmarysprimary.org and include details of:

• the time they will be absent and
• whether they will require a school lunch

Children must be signed in and out of school by a responsible adult

We are always interested in the children’s welfare and it is important that in the case of absences the school should be notified by telephone by 9.30am on the first day of absence and every day thereafter.

• Children who are sick at home or at school should not return to school until 48hours after the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea.
• Children who are sick at school will be sent home and should not return to school until 48 hours after the last bout of sickness or diarrhoea.

It is essential that we have an up-to-date telephone number where you can be contacted during the day should your child be taken ill in school.

Families who receive certain benefits may be eligible for free school meals. It is important to apply even if your child is in Reception or KS1 and therefore receives Universal Infant School Meals as this enables the school to claim ‘Pupil premium’. This is explained below.
Your child is eligible for free school meals if you are in receipt of one of the following benefits:

– Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400
– Income Support

• Universal Credit with an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400.
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for the four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Child Tax Credit (with no Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of no more than £16,190

Moving forwards, there is no obligation for your child to have a school lunch if you are eligible for FSM. However, primary schools are given additional money known as ‘Pupil Premium’ for children in Reception to Year 6 who are, or have ever been, entitled to free school meals. This additional funding can be used to subsidise school uniform, clubs and trips as well as funding valuable support such as 1:1 tuition, booster groups, learning mentors and additional teaching staff. Pupil Premium is currently set at £1320 per pupil, per school year, a significant amount which can be used to benefit pupils.

You can apply for FSM/Pupil Premium by completing a Pupil Premium Application Form which you can download here.

The local authority will then check to establish eligibility.

All applications are confidential.

Please contact us if you have any queries about Free School Meals and Pupil Premium. We will be happy to help and support you.

Paracetamol/Calpol is the only medicine that the school keeps for general use for emergencies. With your permission, an authorised member of staff could administer it. Parents/carers are always informed by phone and the dose and time are recorded on a form, which is sent home with the child.

From 1^st October 2014 The Human Medicines (amendment)  (no.2) Regulations 2014 will allow schools to keep a salbutamol in haler for use in emergencies.

This inhaler will only be used by children, for whom Parent App parental consent for use has been given, who have either been diagnosed with asthma and prescribed an inhaler, or who have been prescribed an inhaler as reliever medication.

This inhaler will only be used if the pupil’s prescribed inhaler is not available (for example, because it is empty, missing or broken).

The office staff will supervise the use of this inhaler and the information will be recorded on the medical record for that pupil and a slip will be sent home with the child.  The parents will also be informed that the child needs to have another inhaler of their own in school.

• Parent/Carer confirms that their child has been diagnosed with asthma/has been prescribed an inhaler
• Parent/Carer confirm that their child has a working, in-date inhaler, clearly labelled with their name, which is kept at school.
• In the event of child displaying symptoms of asthma, and their inhaler is not available or is unusable, that Parent/Carer consents to their child to receive salbutamol from an emergency inhaler held by the school for such emergencies.

In the event of an accident or sudden illness whilst your child is taking part in a school activity we would do our utmost to contact you immediately. However, if we were unable to do so we may be asked by medical authorities to grant permission for emergency medical treatment to be given. We need your authority to act on your behalf.

When using the school’s ICT systems and accessing the internet in school, I will not:

• Use them for a non-educational purpose unless specific permission has been granted
• Use them without a teacher being present, or without a teacher’s permission
• Access any inappropriate websites
• Access social networking sites (unless my teacher has expressly allowed this as part of a learning activity)
• Use chat rooms other than learning platforms such as Google Classroom
• Open any attachments in emails, or follow any links in emails, without first checking with a teacher
• Use any inappropriate language when communicating online, including in emails and on forums
• Share my password with others or log in to the school’s network using someone else’s details
• Give my personal information (including my name, address or telephone number) to anyone without the permission of my teacher or parent/carer
• Arrange to meet anyone offline without first consulting my parent/carer, or without adult supervision
• If I bring a personal mobile phone or other personal electronic device into school:
  • I will hand it in to the office on arrival at school and retrieve it when I leave.
  • I will not use my mobile device in school without the permission of a teacher.
  • I will use it responsibly, and will not access any inappropriate websites or other inappropriate material or use inappropriate language when communicating online
• I agree that the school will monitor the websites I visit.
• I will immediately let a teacher or other member of staff know if I find any material which might upset, distress or harm me or others.
• I will always use the school’s ICT systems and internet responsibly.

In the event of an accident or sudden illness, whilst your child is taking part in a school activity we would do our utmost to contact you immediately. However, if we were unable to do so we may be asked by medical authorities to grant permission for emergency medical treatment to be given. We need your authority to act on your behalf.

ClassDojo is a school communication platform that teachers and families can use to share what’s being learned in the classroom or home. This can be through photos, videos, and messages. Class Dojo is a closed group – only accessed via parental login and images cannot be downloaded.

We do understand that a small minority of parents retain concerns about pictures of their children being used on websites. Our policy is to broadly follow the Department for Education (DFE) advice:

“If the pupil is named, avoid using the photograph. If the photograph is used, avoid naming the pupil.” So we will not use children’s full names alongside their photographs in the school’s own printed publications, in video films or on our website. However, pupils’ first names may be used, and their full names may be given in group situations where they cannot be linked to individuals in the photograph. We believe that this, along with the training we give them in the safe use of the internet and social media, protects children from being identified and contacted via our website.

You would be contacted to give specific permission if we would like to use photographs in the media, for example local newspapers or on social media/Twitter.

We understand there may be exceptional circumstances where pupils cannot be photographed. If this is the case please ring the school office and speak to a member of staff.

Please follow these links for more information:

Learn more: https://www.classdojo.com/en-gb/learnmore/
Privacy Policy: https://www.classdojo.com/privacy/

A guide for parents who wish to use photography and/or video a school event

Generally photographs and videos for school and family use are a source of innocent pleasure and pride which can enhance self-esteem for children and young people and their families. By following some simple guidelines we can proceed safely and with regard to the law.

• Remember that parents and carers attend school events at the invitation of the head and governors.
• The head and governors have the responsibility to decide if photography and videoing of school performances is permitted.
• The head and governors have the responsibility to decide the conditions that will apply in order that children are kept safe and that the performance is not disrupted and children and staff not distracted.
• Parents and carers can use photographs and videos taken at a school event for their own personal use only. Such photos and videos cannot be sold and must not be put on the web/internet due to existing Data Protection legislation, which in such circumstance is likely to be contravened.
• Recording or/photographing other than for private use would require the consent of all the other parents whose children may be included in the images.
• Parents and carers must follow guidance from staff as to when photography and videoing is permitted and where to stand in order to minimise disruption to the activity.
• Parents and carers must not photograph or video children changing for performances or events.
• If you are accompanied or represented by someone that school staff do not recognise they may asked to confirm their identy and link to the school community if they are using a camera or video recorder.

If your child forgets their lunch box and you are unable to bring it in we can supply them with an emergency school lunch. You will not be able to book this online. Please ring the school office before 10am and they will facilitate this for you. Please pay for this as soon as possible.

Please make sure that you notify the school (see procedure) of any allergies or dietary requirements  via email by completing this form  and sending it to info@stmarysprimary.org.  This applies even if your child has a packed lunch brought in from home.

We will cancel your child’s school lunch if they are off sick or on a school trip.  However, any child sent home through illness after 10.00am will not be eligible for a refund as the caterers will have been given the numbers for that day. If there is any credit on your child’s account, refunds will be issued at the end of the summer term for pupils in Year 6.

Please ensure that you tell the office if your child will be leaving school before lunch e.g. for an appointment to ensure we cancel the school lunch for your child.

Infants – are provided with fruit every day in school.
Year 3 to Year 6 – can bring in a piece of fruit for break time.

Families who receive certain benefits may be eligible for free school meals.  Click here. We would encourage you to apply even if your child is in the infants and receives free school meals through the Universal Infant School Meal initiative. If your application is successful the school receives additional funding which can be used to subsidise the cost of uniform, clubs and trips.
All applications are treated confidentially.

If your child is in Reception – Year 2

• Parents do not need to pay for the meal
• School meals will be booked daily for all children whose parents have previously requested school meals and who are marked present in the registers
• The school pays for every meal ordered, and is reimbursed by the government
• The school is liable to pay for any meal which is ordered but not eaten – so please do let us know if your child is not going to be in school as we will not be reimbursed for these meals.

If you child is in Year 3-6

• For detailed information regarding lunch payment process please see our Reference Guide for Ordering School Meals Online .
• The cost of a School Lunch is £2.60 per day. Surrey County Council’s policy for children in year 3 and above is that School Lunches must be paid in advance.
• Don’t forget proving that your child is eligible for free school meals could bring in an additional £8,000 which the school can spend to support their learning.

Payments can be made in the following ways:

• Online – Via secure online payment system (See ‘Payments’)
• By cheque – made out to Surrey County Council.
• By cash – please pay for at least one week at a time, if at all possible. Please send your payments to the school office, in a named, sealed envelope.

PLEASE ensure that your child’s school meals are pre-booked more than 24 hours in advance; as the school office can only book emergency meals, and you will be responsible for meal payment.

A good packed lunch should contain a mixture of food from the following categories:

• Starchy food (bread, rolls, pitta bread, potatoes, rice, pasta)
• Protein (meat, fish, beans, eggs)
• Calcium (milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais)
• One portion of fruit (fresh fruit, dried fruit, tinned fruit in juice or 100% juice)
• One portion of vegetables or salad (piece of fresh veg like carrot or pepper slices, vegetable soup)
• A drink (water is best and is free, or fruit juice, milk)

Snacks such as crisps, cakes, pastries or sweets should only be given occasionally and in fact the government advises that crisps and sweets  should not be included at all and cakes and biscuits should only be included as part of a balanced meal

• Please make sure there are NO NUTS included – please remember that pesto sauce does include nuts and some cereal bars include nuts too
• There is lots of information online about producing healthy packed lunches.  Please have a look at the Healthy Lunch website for further ideas

All children are to come into school in their PE kits on the days they are doing PE. 

Items of uniform may be worn in any sensible and neat combination according to the weather. ALL PROPERTY MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE OWNER’S NAME

Basic items such as skirts, trousers and plain white shirts can be bought from many local shops and supermarkets. Some second-hand uniform is also available through the Friends of St Marys.  Please contact the school office for further details info@stmarysprimary.org.

School Uniform Policy

Items of uniform with a logo are available from the school suppliers, Ellis Scott (of Reigate) and PMG Schoolwear.

Please be aware that our uniform suppliers are not immune to the current supply problems facing the UK, and that your orders may take longer than usual to be fulfilled. They are doing their very best to mitigate these challenges and will complete orders as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
They also carry stock of all the other items listed below.

Please choose from the list below:

• White polo shirt (may be plain, but preferably with blue stripe and logo) or
• White shirt and tie (year 3-6 only)
• Navy jumper or cardigan (may be plain, but preferably with logo)
• Mid-grey or charcoal grey long or short trousers
• Navy skirt/pinafore dress (knee length only)
• Navy tailored trousers or tailored shorts (knee length)
• Blue and white checked dress
• White, mid-grey or black socks (not trainer/sports socks)
• Navy tights
• Navy or black shoes or closed toe sandals (no trainers or heels higher than 2cm)
• Infants: Book Bag (does not need to have school logo)

Pupils from Reception to Year 2 are encouraged to keep a spare set of clothes including underwear and socks in their PE bag.

Outdoor Wear
There are navy fleeces and reversible coats available with our school logo on from Ellis Scott or PMG Schoolwear.

Hair
All children, girls and boys, should tie hair up where it is long enough to do so. Hair accessories should be functional rather than decorative and in St. Mary’s colours, which are navy, white, or blue and white checked.

Jewellery
On Health and Safety grounds, we do not allow children to wear jewellery in our school. The exceptions to this rule are earrings studs in pierced ears, small objects of religious significance and a watch.

Pupils must be able to remove these before PE and games to prevent injury. Pupils must also be able to remove earrings themselves. If they cannot we suggest they do not wear them on the days they have PE or Games.

All children are to come into school in their PE kits on the days they are doing PE. 

Please make sure that pupils have PE/Games kit for both inside and outside activities. Class teachers will inform you of which activities will be done on which days.

• St Mary’s blue polo shirt with logo
• St Mary’s sweatshirt with logo
• Navy tailored shorts (not football shorts, leggings or lycra. Shorts with a logo are available)
• Navy skort (optional)
• Navy Jogging trousers
• From Reception to Yr2- Velcro or elastic plimsolls
• From Year 3- Trainers for outdoor use
• PE Bags (optional for Junior swimming)

All pupils swim in Keystage 2. Girls should have a one-piece swimming costume and boys swimming trunks. All pupils must wear a swimming cap. These are available from the school office.

We encourage the use of small bags or ‘Home reader’ bags, as storage is limited.  These are available from  Ellis Scott or PMG schooolwear. See above for contact details.

Keystage 2 (Junior pupils) swim in the summer term and may want to wear their a swimming cap in their House colours. Houses are allocated in Year 3.

House Colours
Hanover – blue
Stuart – yellow
Tudor – red
Windsor – green

Items of uniform with a logo are available from the school suppliers, Ellis Scott and PMG Schoolwear.
They also carry stock of all the other items listed below.

Friends of St Mary’s, St Mary’s Parent Teacher Association, have second hand uniforms available and hold sales throughout the school year for small donations.

You may contact them at PTA@stmarysprimary.org.

Or you can go to their site calendar to check for upcoming sales dates.

Buses4You provides several routes to school which you must book in advance and pay for. Please note that this service is not affiliated with our school, please contact Buses4U for more details.
Project Co-ordinator: Helen Dodé
Email: hdode@esrtp.org.uk
Tel.: 01883 701277