We appreciate that prospective parents and parents/carers who are new to the school may have many questions and concerns. Staff at school are often asked questions in relation to your child’s education, school timings, procedures and a myriad of other topics. We won’t have answered all of them here, but we have provided answers to the most commonly asked questions in the hope that parents are able to find the information they require quickly. If your particular question is not answered here, then please contact the school office or your child’s class teacher.
Attendance and Timekeeping
The bell is rung at 8.55am for the start of the school day so that children are in school and ready for registration at 9.00am. Please be aware that arrival after 9.00am is recorded as late and after 9.15am is classed as an unauthorised absence.
The school day ends at 3.30pm for EYFS and KS1 pupils and at 3.35pm for KS2 pupils.
Take child to the main office and sign them in. You will also need to inform our admin team of the reason for the lateness and your child’s arrangement for school meals. The child can then go to class.
There are times when parents are late collecting their child from school, if this is going to happen, we ask that school is informed and the expected delay is given.
Telephone school on the day of the absence from 8.30 and a message can be left on the answer machine. Please state your child’s name, class and the reason for their absence.
Full details for the current and next year’s term dates can be found on our Term Dates information page within the Parents’ section.
The short answer is No. Attending school is a compulsory obligation that parents must adhere to and therefore you should avoid taking your child out of school. If you wish to have a special case considered then you are required to complete a request for leave of absence form which can be requested from the school office.
On the very rare occasion that the school needs to close, where possible we will inform parents via text. Information will also be shared on the school website, Twitter, via local radio announcements and the East Riding School Closure list.
School Meals
School dinners cost £2.55 per meal and can be paid weekly, monthly or by term. A hot meal or jacket potato option is available and menu details can be found on the website under the School Meals tab within the Parents’ section. All children in EYFS and KS1 currently receive a school meal free of charge through government funding to schools
Children have access to drinking water in school at lunchtimes. We have a water fountains throughout school that children can use for a drink during the day. Please provide your child with a refillable drinking bottle to use at the fountains. We would ask that this contains water only and not juice.
We encourage children to bring a healthy lunch to school which could include items such as fruit, vegetables, pasta or rice salads, yoghurts. We ask that children do not bring nuts or nut related products to school as some children in school have allergies. Fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolate bars are not permitted.
You can find how to apply for Free School Meals on the East Riding website.
School Uniform
You can buy school uniform from Rawcliffes online or in Hull or online at trutex.com
We ask that pupils do not wear jewellery in school. Small stud earrings can be worn but these should be removed by pupils on PE days. Schools are busy places and we find that jewellery can cause unnecessary accidents.
Health Issues
If your child needs to have medication at school, you, should speak with staff at the school office. We ask that medication at school is kept to a minimum and if antibiotics are prescribed for less than four times a day, this should be administered out of school time.
Please try to arrange medical appointments out-side of school time. If this is unavoidable, we ask that you bring the appointment letter to the school office so it can be recorded on the register.
We ask that children remain at home until they are well enough to return to school.
Sickness and vomitting – we ask that children remain at home for 24 hours after their last bout of illness to ensure that infections do not spread.
Diarrhoea – we ask that children remain at home for 48hrs after their last bout of illness to ensure that infections do not spread.
All teachers and teaching assistants are first aid trained and can offer reassurance and first aid to pupils who are injured at school. If the injury is significant, we would inform parents and appropriate first aid would be given and of course any serious injury we would involve the medical services as soon as possible. Parents will be notified via text of any minor head or facial injuries, so that they can be monitored at home.
If your child has headlice we ask that you treat them quickly to ensure that they do not spread. If we notice that your child has headlice during the school day we may contact you to inform you. If you would like to collect them, treat the headlice and return them to school you are welcome.
Transport and Parking
Unfortunately, we do not have any visitor parking at school. Parents are also asked to avoid stopping on the zig zags around school.
Yes – we currently have a bike store and scooter shed, but must stress that items are left at the owner’s risk.
Home – School Communication
Hometime at Westfield is a private provider which operates from 7.30am in the morning to 6.00pm after school. More information about this service can be found on our website in the Parents’ section.
If you wish to speak with a member of staff, please make an appointment by telephoning the school office.
We ask that parent support pupils by reading at home (three times per week) and practicing times tables and number facts. We also ask that you familiarise yourself with your son or daughter’s Curriculum Information document which can be downloaded from the website, which gives detailed information about what they are learning. Please ensure that you sign up to Seesaw as this is an excellent way of finding out what is happening in school and provides an additional communication link between home and school. We welcome parent helpers in school (please speak to Miss Rhodes if you are interested in becoming a parent volunteer)
Throughout school we use Seesaw to keep our parents informed. Our newsletters, website, Twitter feed all give parents information about the school and what we are doing. We aim to share and celebrate many of the varied, exciting activities that take place in school.
We hold parent consultation meetings for parents and carers in the Autumn and Spring term and each child receives a written, annual report in the Summer term.
We have an active school council, known as our Junior Leadership Team, who meet with Mrs Hickey, Mr Price and Miss Pendleton. The school council are elected members of each class.
Education
If you have any concerns about your child’s progress we ask that you arrange an appointment to talk to your child’s class teacher.
From Y1 – Y6 we currently use the White Rose Maths scheme. Phonics is taught using Bug Club Phonics. Our school – home reading scheme is Bug Club. We do not follow a prescribed scheme in for writing and units are developed by staff to meet the needs and interests of individual cohorts, while considering the requirements of the National Curriculum.
We have very close links with Cottingham High School, where the vast majority of our children attend. The year 6 teachers meet with the Head of Year 7 to discuss pupils’ needs and the Y5 and Y6 pupils have many opportunities to visit the school.
All children are educated in eSafety in school. We have produced an Internet Safety information page for parents/carers so that up to date facts can be found by visiting the links to extremely useful eSafety websites that will keep you informed and help you keep your child safe online.
We ask that parents are aware of online sites that their child is visiting and that they do not have access to social media accounts such as Facebook and Snapchat.
Other Questions
You should request access to view our lost property items via our reception staff. Lost property is located outside the KS2 hall. Attempts will be made to identify and return property if the item in question is labelled with the pupil name. Lost property is kept for a reasonable period of time after which it will be disposed of appropriately.
Westfield offers a lot of enrichment activities for children to get involved in from additional learning opportunities to sports and creative clubs.
- School trips
- Visits and visitors
- School Uniform
- School meals