Why don’t we send all communications as paper?
What happens if my child loses some uniform?
When do the school gates open?
What happens if it rains before 08:55am?
When can I speak to my child’s teacher?
How much do I owe for dinner money?
Do I have to deliver my child to morning clubs?
What is the process for letting you know when my child is sick?
How long do I need to keep my child away from school if they have had sickness and diarrhoea?
Does it matter if my child misses an after school club one week?
Who do I speak to if I have a query or concern?
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Why don’t we send all communications as paper?
To save paper, time and money, we use the Arbor email system to communicate via email. This means that you receive the information quicker and it is better for the environment.
Children are required to complete Literacy and Maths and you will be notified via letters from the Year Leader. Reading with your child regularly is of course very important
What happens if my child loses some uniform?
Lost property is found throughout the school and it is placed in a container. These are regularly sorted through to identify named clothing and return it to its owners. Unclaimed clothing is donated to the Friends of Abbotswood for re-sale after being in the recycling bin for 5 weeks. Parents should encourage their children to come to the office to look for something that is missing. Please note that it sometimes takes a week for forgotten items to make their way from wherever they’ve been left to the lost property bin
When do the school gates open?
Children are welcomed onto the playgrounds from 08:40am and go straight into class. Before this time we do not supervise them and they should not be on site. Children who are attending clubs before the start of school can access them through the front gate. Children must be in class by 8.55am
What happens if it rains before 08:40am?
A double bell will ring at 08:40, to let everyone know that it is raining, doors will be staffed and children will be let in by the nearest door to get them out of the rain as quickly as possible.
We have an ice and snow plan is put into action should adverse weather mean it is required. This includes gritting paths to keep children and adults safe and a decision making process if any closure is likely. If the school does close due to snow you will be able to find this out by checking our website or Facebook page. We will also endeavour to send out communications via our Arbor Email and text service. Additionally http://www.hants.gov.uk/education/schoolclosures will have an up-to-date list of any school closures. Please use the paths that have been gritted.
When can I speak to my child’s teacher?
Your child’s teacher will normally be available after school in the playground to answer any quick questions or have a brief chat with you. If you’d prefer to set up an appointment with them to talk at more length or in private please call the office to arrange this on 023 8086 3159 or email [email protected].
How much do I owe for dinner money?
You can check this yourself in ARBOR. Please contact the school office for help logging in.
Do I have to deliver my child to morning clubs?
Yes please, we do not supervise children before 08:40 therefore you should walk your child to their club. If your child walks to school on their own please make sure the expectation is clearly set by you that they need to go straight to their club.
What is the process for letting you know when my child is sick?
Please contact the school by 8.40am on the first day and every following day of your child's absence through illness. We have an answering machine so you can leave a message at any time or you can message us in the Arbor App
How long do I need to keep my child away from school if they have had sickness and diarrhoea?
Please allow 48hrs from the last bout of sickness and diarrhoea to allow your child to recover fully and to avoid passing these illnesses onto other children and staff.
Does it matter if my child misses an after school club one week?
Each after school club, whether school run or independent, does a register each session, if a child is missing they let our office know and they find out where that child is. Although we know that children occasionally forget we always put the safety of children first so we would never assume that they’d just forgotten. This is why if you know that your child will be missing a club it’s really important that you let us know in advance as we waste a lot of time tracking down children who have simply gone home. We also have waiting lists for some of our clubs and if your child isn’t attending regularly we may ask them if they still want to continue going.
Communication Flowchart
Recommended Procedure for Parents
We know that when parents have a concern that relates to their child at school, whether it’s pastoral, curriculum or staffing in nature, they often feel the best way forward is to ask to see the head or deputy heads. In our experience many of these concerns can often be most quickly resolved by talking first to the class teacher as they know your children best.
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Learning Concerns |
Pastoral concern
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Concern relating to particular learning or physical needs |
Issues relating to staff
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Concerns & Queries relating to school administration |
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Please raise your concern with your child’s class teacher in the first instance.
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(Pastoral care covers our support of your child’s individual needs, their emotional wellbeing and helping them with any personal problems they may be experiencing at school.)
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Where a concern is related to a special need and you feel an adjustment may be required to support successful learning e.g. issues related to ASI (autistic spectrum indicators), dyslexia or dyspraxia or physical disabilities
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Please contact either Mr Moore . He is normally on the playground before and after school or an appointment can be made.
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Please speak to Mrs Burnham School Business Manager
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Please raise your concern with your child’s class teacher or ELSA (if they are known to the ELSAs) in the first instance.
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Please raise your concern with your child’s class teacher in the first instance.
Please arrange an appointment with our Assistant Headteacher and SENCO Mrs Vigar. |
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If you feel the class teacher is unable to help please contact the Year Leader/Phase Leader. Our Year Leaders are responsible for the behaviour and pastoral care of each of their year groups
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If you are not satisfied with the outcome please ask to speak with our Assistant Headteachers, Mrs Howard, Miss Gonzalez or Mr McCoy.
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Please make an appointment to see our Headteacher: Mr Moore if you remain concerned after following the steps above.
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Teachers are available after school for informal conversations and appointments can be made with all of the above by contacting the school office on 02380 863159 or emailing [email protected] If you are writing to the school it is really helpful if you give us as much information about the background of your concern or complaint as possible, including who it involves, and what you would like the outcome to be.
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Our chair of Governors, Mr Bob Carson is also here to support when a parent has a concern or complaint. He can be contacted through the school office.
Our full school complaints policy can be found on our website or a hard copy can be obtained from the school office.
