Welcome to Binstead Primary School

School Day

Arrival and departure

School Gates open at 8:45am and register closes at 8:55.

Children need to arrive in school and enter the classroom door between 8:45 and 8:55am unless the children are attending the Early Birds Club which starts at 7.45am.

End of the school day is 3:10pm.

Up to Year 5 all children must be collected by an adult. If there is to be a change of the adult collecting a child then school must be informed. Children can not be collected by anyone under the age of 14 years.

In years 5 and 6 the children may leave the school site unaccompanied if we have permission in writing from parents.

Mobile phones: Only children arriving at or leaving school unaccompanied are permitted to bring a mobile phone into school. On arrival in class phones should be taken to the Office for safekeeping until the end of the school day. Phones are NOT allowed to be used during the school day under any circumstances. Parents should remind children not to give their mobile number to others.

Break Times

Morning break time: Years 2 upwards have a 15 minute morning break.

Pupils may bring a portion of dried or fresh fruit or vegetable to eat at morning break.

Year R, 1 and 2 children receive free fruit as part of a government initiative.

To encourage healthy eating habits we ask that no other type of food is provided for this time in the day. Milk can be ordered at break-time, order forms are available from the school office. Children under 5 years of age receive free milk.

Lunch Times

Children may have a school dinner, bring a packed lunch or go home for lunch. All Children in year R, 1 and 2 are entitled to a free school meal. School dinners are currently priced at £2.90 per day. We ask that all dinner money be paid online via our Arbor link on the homepage. Pupils may be entitled to free school meals. Further details are available from the school office, or from iwight.com.

Those bringing packed lunches are asked to have their boxes clearly named. We would ask that parents send their child with a healthy lunch, not including glass bottle, fizzy drinks, sweets or any product containing nuts (in order to protect those of our children who suffer from extreme allergic reactions to nuts).

Our TAs support the children whilst eating inside and playing outside. A senior member of staff is always on duty at lunchtime.

Early Birds £3.50 per day

After school clubs

There are various after-school clubs which run until 4:00pm covering various interest/sports. Fun Club runs Tuesday - Thursday each week at a cost of £2.50 per day.

Support

Family Liaison Officer

My name is Madeleine Parkinson, I am the Family Liaison Officer (FLO) at Binstead Primary School. As Family Liaison Officer, I work closely to support school staff and external agencies in partnership with families. I liaise with all school staff, always in the best interests of the children and their families.

I work impartially and confidentially and can provide a 'listening ear' if you ever need advice or support.

Parenting isn't an easy job and at times things can get extremely tough and I am here to help with any queries or worries you may have. I can't promise to have all the answers but my aim is to work with parents, carers and families to find them help and support them through this process.

Knowing About Your Child's Progress

The most important way in which this takes place is through discussion with your child's teacher. This happens in a number of ways, informally, at the end of the day, and more formally, at Parent consultations.

We invite parents and carers to discuss progress individually every term at Parent Consultation evenings. We hope that parents and carers will come to see the teacher where they will be able to see their child/children's work and records. Where there is a special concern, parents/carers may ask to make additional appointments to come and see the teacher, or a teacher may request a parent/carer to meet with them. We consider Parent Consultation meetings vitally important for discussing children's successes and difficulties and planning together the best way forward.

Keeping us informed: Please remember to let us know if circumstances at home change e.g. Place of work, contact telephone number etc.

We send an annual report home to parents/carers towards the end of the summer term.

How Can I Be Involved In My Child's Education? Parents and Carers Rights and Responsibility

We believe that parents and carers have the right to open and full information about their children. This will usually be provided by the class teacher, or on occasion the Headteacher. Parents/carers also have the right to have any complaint heard and these will usually be resolved by the Headteacher. If, in rare cases, the parent/carer is still unhappy, they can contact the Chair of Governors, or another governor, or the Local Authority.

Parents/carers and school share the responsibility for the health and safety of children. It is important that the children attend every day and arrive punctually. After school children must be collected promptly and it is important for the school to know collection arrangements each day, especially when these vary. Parents/carers should also inform the school of any changes in the child's home circumstances, especially if there are court orders or injunctions affecting the child's welfare.

Helping: At Home

Parental attitudes to learning and to school life are vitally important and we value parental input. It is important that children know that their parents/carers are working with them and with us to help them make progress. Parents/carers can reinforce enthusiasm for learning and pride in achievements, however small and laboriously attained.

We expect parents/carers to work within the commitments made in our home school agreement, which were devised and agreed wholeheartedly by our present body of parents. The agreement is reviewed annually.

All children take home a reading bag containing a home/school reading book and reading record book until they are a free reader who can choose any book to read. There may be reading, spelling or number games or activities. Early in each term or half term, parents/carers are invited to a meeting with their child's class teacher. This is to inform parents/carers of curriculum plans for that period and we hope that it will enable parents/carers to be tuned in to what their children will be learning so that they can enrich school work at home. An information sheet is available for parents/carers who cannot attend the meeting.

Periodically there will be curriculum meetings for parents/carers to learn more about a specific area or development. These meetings are well attended and indicate the high level of parental commitment. We hold Family Fun Learning Events annually for families to work together.

Helping: In School

We are delighted when parents/carers offer to join in school activities. If you would like to help or you have a particular skill to share, please let us know.

Children and teachers greatly appreciate help with a range of activities, some of which are difficult without the help of parents/carers e.g. cookery, sewing and other crafts. Regular help with reading is also greatly valued, as is general help in the classroom.

There are many ways in which parents/carers and other members of the community are involved in the life of the school, e.g. Helping with clubs, accompanying children on school trips, or making equipment such as book sacks and games for our younger children. Please do come forward and let us know if you are able to give of your time or expertise.

All volunteer helpers must have DBS checks, which the school arranges.

In order to help parents/carers know how best to support their children's learning we have:

Induction meetings, 'Inspire sessions', during the Summer Term for parents/carers of new September entrants
Drop in sessions for parents/carers who want support in current methods of teaching
Parent Partnership Meetings for parents/carers of children with Special educational Needs
Other adult learning may take place where there is a specific demand
Family Fun Learning Events

We also have special learning or curriculum events for families through the year.