Online Safety

At Hallfield, we are committed to  ensuring that children, staff and our school community stay safe in the digital world. If you are a parent or carer, you will find more Online Safety information on our Parent Zone page.

 

Resources for Online Safety

Hallfield Online Safety Policy is available in the policies pages.

 

For further advice and tips on Online Safety, click on the following links:

 

Think u Know: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Child Exploitation and Online Protection: https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

Kidsmart: http://www.kidsmart.org.uk/

Childnet International: http://www.childnet.com/

NSPCC- keeping your child safe online: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

Think u Know parent guides to facebook, snapchat, etc: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/

Net Aware: information on popular sites, apps and games: https://www.net-aware.org.uk/

Guide to Online Gaming: https://www.internetmatters.org/advice/online-gaming/

Parents guide to video games: Tips for Parents | Pegi Public Site

The School Day

The school hours are from 8.55am to 3.25pm, that is 6.5 hours per day or 32.5 hours per week.

 

Drop off

At 8:40am the school gate opens.

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 children are taken by their parents to their classrooms.

Children in Years 2-6 go straight to their classroom.

 

At 8:55am class starts.

 

9:00am the gate closes and all parents/carers must be out so that we can secure the site.

 

Pick up

At 3:20pm the gate opens to parents.

 

Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and 2 children are collected from their classroom at 3:25pm. Y3-Y6 children are escorted to the collection area in the playground where parents will be waiting.

 

You must collect your children or arrange for a responsible adult (over 16 years-old) to do so. If you are asking someone else to collect your children, the school needs to know. This is in the interest of your children's safety.

 

Only Year 6 children are allowed to go home by themselves, once written authorisation has been received. 

 

The school gate closes at 3:40pm and any children not collected will be taken to the Helpdesk area.

 

Access to the school 

During the day (when the pupil gates are closed) any access to the site will be through the Helpdesk (Office Entrance, W2 6HF). The helpdesk is open from 8:00am to 11.30am and from 1.15pm to 4:30pm.  Access to the school from 11.30am to 1.15pm is by appointment only.

 

Assembly 

Class assemblies are on Wednesdays at 9:05am and parents are notified by the teacher. On Thursdays and Fridays at 9:05am we have the Achievement assembly in which a child from each class is given the Star of the Week award and their parents are invited.  The weekly awards are advertised every Wednesday in the playground’s notice board.

 

Break and Lunch Times

Attendance

The gate opens at 8:40am and at 8:55am children must be already in class ready for registration. It is important for children to be on time for school so they don't miss the first part of the day. Poor attendance and punctuality affect a child's attainment and progress. Each Thursday and Friday in assembly, the class with the best attendance and punctuality is awarded with a certificate.

 

Absence

If your child is absent we need to know the reason. A personal note, telephone call to the school office or email (attendance@hallfieldschool.org.uk) on the first day of absence is important. If this is not possible, please send a written note of explanation with your child or hand it to their class teacher. 

 

If a child is absent for 3 days or more, we will require evidence that they have seen a GP.

 

Unauthorised absences are those where we have not been informed or where the reason for absences is not considered satisfactory. These absences will be followed up by the class teacher or the school office.

 

All requests for term time leave must be made to the Headteacher in writing.  The school will not authorise family holidays unless there are exceptional circumstances.  Unauthorised absences may result in a penalty notice or legal action.

 

Age & Year Groups

Behaviour

We think of the School as a community. Any rules we have are ‘common sense’ ones to ensure the smooth running of the community and the safety of the people in it.

 

We have high expectations with regard to behaviour. Care and respect for other people are the most important things for all of us to observe.

 

These are our school rules. Everyone needs to work together to ensure they are followed.

• Treat people the way you would like to be treated
• Listen carefully and follow instructions
• Keep yourself and others safe
• Always try your best and make good choices

 

There are rare occasions when it is necessary to use sanctions to make sure that rules are kept. You as parents will always be informed if your child is giving cause for concern. It may for example be appropriate to give you a weekly report on your child’s behaviour. In more serious circumstances exclusion from school may be thought necessary.

We would stress that the majority of children never give cause for concern.

 

The school has a behaviour policy which is based on the rights and responsibilities of parents, staff and children within the school community. When you complete the admission paperwork, you will be asked to sign a home school agreement indicating that you agree to comply with this policy.

 

Complaints & Concerns

We hope you do not have reason to complain, but if you have any worries or concerns, please come and talk to us about them. It is probably best to talk to your child's class teacher first and arrange a time that suits you both. For more information on the procedure, please read the Parental Complaints Procedure.

 

Clubs

At Hallfield children have opportunities to attend a range of clubs and courses before, during and after school.  We offer Breakfast club (from 8am),  and free of charge clubs from 3.30pm to 4.30pm most days. 

 

Let's Leap runs the after school sports club from 3.30pm to 6pm. To see more information on times and charges, go to the Clubs page.

 

Homework

Homework is given out each week by the class teacher.  All children in years 1 and 2 will be given a reading record for parents to fill in when they hear their child read.  Children in years 3 to 6 also bring reading books home. Please continue to hear them read as much as possible.  Our Extended Learning Policy is available from our Policies Page.

 

How Can Parents Help in the School?

There are so many things that parents can do to support the school and we really do need your help.

 

We need you to help your own children as much as possible by talking to them about what they do at school and taking an interest in what they are learning. Being enthusiastic and praising children when they do good work goes a long way towards making children feel positive about school and helps them to have the confidence to do well. Extending the children’s learning by asking them lots of questions is another way in which you can help.

 

If you can find time to read and share stories with your children, the school will be very grateful because when a teacher has 30 children in a class it is hard to hear them all read as much as we would like to. Getting your child to school on time and making sure that they have everything they need for the day is another very important contribution you can make.

 

We really would like you to come to the various school events e.g. Parents' Evenings, Concerts, Exhibitions, Festivals, Special Events and School Fairs. The children and staff are pleased when you come along as it makes them feel that all their hard work is worthwhile. Parents are always welcome in the classroom helping with reading, crafts, music, cookery etc. So many parents have skills that would be invaluable to the school. Please let us know if you are willing to help.

 

Sickness

If your child should fall sick during school time, they will be looked after by one of our staff and, if necessary, you will be called for.  The same would be the case if your child had an accident at the school.

 

In an emergency, we may call an ambulance or take the child to hospital ourselves but children cannot be treated without a parent or carer present so you would have to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

 

It is for these reasons that we must know how and where to contact you during the day.  If you change your contact details, my must inform us as soon as possible using the Contact details form below.

Contagious Diseases

If your child catches Covid-19, measles, German measles, mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough or has diarrhoea, please let the school know at once. Your child will not be allowed back to school until your doctor has confirmed that he or she is well enough.  In the case of Covid-19, please follow NHS guidance.

 

Medicines

The Local Authority has strict guidelines about the giving of medicines in school. Teachers cannot generally take the responsibility for administering medicines to children.  If your doctor advises that your child needs medication, but is well enough to be in school, you will be asked to complete a consent form which gives us full details of the dosage and drug to be administered. The school reserves the right to refuse to administer medication.

 

A consent form is also required for asthma inhalers, which should be clearly labelled with the name of the child and should show the dosage prescribed by the doctor on an official label.

 

Payments to school  

 

We are a cashless school and have School Gateway for online payments (debit/credit card and bank transfer). This means that you will be able to make online payments via the School Gateway smartphone app or website. 

 

Aside from saving the school time and money on administration, School Gateway will also make it easier for parents to pay any time 24-7 and reduce the amount of cash being carried by children on school premises.

 

What you need to do:

Activate your School Gateway account. It’s quick and easy to do. All you need are your email address and mobile number that school holds on record for you.

• Download the app: If you have a smartphone, please download School Gateway from your app store (Android and iPhone). The app shows the same information as the website PLUS it saves the school money when we send you a text message.

  OR

• Visit the website: www.schoolgateway.com and click on ‘New User’. You’ll receive a text message with a PIN number. Use this PIN to log into School Gateway.

If you’re having trouble logging in, it may be because the school doesn’t have your current email and mobile phone number on record. Please call the school and we’ll update the details on our system.

We hope that you will find School Gateway to be a fast and easy way to pay for school dinners (and other items like uniforms, breakfast club or trips). 

 

School Trips

Children will regularly make educational visits to a wide variety of places of interest as part of their school work. You will be asked to sign a consent form giving us permission to include your child on any outings planned for the class. All trips are risk assessed. These also include the following fixed outings:

 

A residential school trip in Summer term for Year 6.

 

A  library visit at least once a term where children can borrow books using their school library card.  They also can borrow books from the school. 

 

Weekly swimming for Children in Year 5 at The Porchester Centre.

 

Sports

Children are encouraged to take a full part in sports activities as part of the PE curriculum which includes gymnastics, athletics, swimming and team games.

 

Children are expected to change into a PE kit for lessons. The correct kit is a white t-shirt, navy shorts or tracksuit bottoms and trainers.

 

Uniform

The school uniform is at follows:

* items with the school logo are available online from Price & Buckland, our uniform supplier. The other items are widely available in clothing stores.

 

The school uniform is purchased online from our uniform supplier (Price and Buckland). You can request school delivery to avoid postage charges (www.pbuniform-online.co.uk/hallfield). They have other customised items like PE kits, school bags etc.  

 

Clothing, Jewellery & Valuables

Clothes are always going to go astray from time to time. It is very important that you label your child's clothes so that they can be identified and returned. This is particularly important for coats which sometimes go home with the wrong person by accident. Lost property is placed outside the Nursery building.

 

Children should not bring valuables to school. This includes toys which can only too easily be lost. If money is brought to school for any reason, it must be given to the teacher at the beginning of the day for safe keeping. Unfortunately from time to time things do get lost. Whilst we do our best to keep things safe we are not able to be responsible for lost items.

 

Mobile phones are not allowed in classrooms and must be left at the gate with the caretaker.  

 

For the reasons given above and for the children’s own safety, jewellery should not be worn in school. Because of the obvious dangers of earrings worn during PE, we insist that only studs are worn in pierced ears.  Any religious requirements should be brought to our attention on admission of your child. The same goes for children with long hair, it is advisable to tie this back to prevent it getting in the way, especially in PE when it is essential for safety reasons.

 

 

Finding a Cleaner Air Route to School

We live in a busy city where the air quality can be quite poor; maybe you’ve experienced high levels of pollution on your walk to school. Luckily the Mayor of London has produced an interactive map of London that allows you to put in any route and be shown a low pollution walking option. This means that you could find a route to walk to and from school up to 30-60 per cent cleaner.

You can use the clean air route finder to choose the cleanest route to your destination by clicking on the following link:

 

https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/pollution-and-air-quality/clean-air-route-finder