General information

Below you can find various information that you might find useful.  All the information is updated sent home at the beginning of the autumn term.  Please click on the links below:

School hours and attendance

Absence

Home Time Arrangements

Security

Sickness

Holidays

Parking

Code of Conduct

Photography

Bullying

Reward System

Homework

Diaries

Uniform

Reports

Fees

Before and After School care

Clubs and activities

Food and Drink

Stationery Shop

School hours and attendance

Hours for all classes are from 8.50am – 3.30pm and pupils can arrive at school between 8.40am and 8.50am. There is a school minibus that runs from The Gregg School to St Winifred’s each morning. It leaves the Gregg School at 8.25am, arriving at St Winifred’s at approximately 8.45am. There is a charge of £30 per term for this service.

The school day begins at 8:50am when the bell is rung in the playground. The children line up and go to their classrooms. Registration takes place till 8:55am when the first lesson of the day begins. Anyone arriving after this is marked late in the register.

Please note that spelling tests, mental arithmetic exercises, hand writing practise and library studies are carried out by ALL classes at 8:55am till assembly. These are important elements of the curriculum.

Absence

The government has tightened up on its legislation and all absence has to be recorded as approved or unapproved. This is also to ensure the safety of the children. The school requires a letter explaining the absence in order to record the absence as approved. Would you therefore please contact the school by phone if your child is away and on their return send a letter to be added to the child's file.

If your child is not taking part in a school activity, a letter is also required. If your child is unable to participate in games they must be collected by 1:45pm on the games afternoon. There is no provision for children to watch off site games lessons.

If a child has to leave the school for a medical appointment please inform the form teacher or the office in writing.

Home Time Arrangements

Please notify the school office if anyone other than yourself or an authorised collector is collecting your child at the end of the school day.

Please also notify the school office if the authorised collectors, listed on the Essential Information Form, need to be changed.

Nursery - Collected from their classroom.  Please collect Nursery children at 3:25pm if other children in the main school need collecting.

Rest of School - Parents please collect pupils from the playground, under the cedar tree. The caretaker or a duty member of staff will open the gate at 3:25pm so parents can come into the playground and wait for their children under the cedar tree. The children will come through the cloakroom into the playground with staff.

A minibus runs to The Gregg School at the end of the school day as well as bringing pupils to school in the mornings. If you are interested in this service please contact Mr Davies at the Gregg School.

Security

Please will any parent who wishes to speak to a teacher at the beginning or end of the day report to the office. In case of fire we need to know who is in the building and their whereabouts.

Parents wishing to speak to any members of staff can make appointments through the school office.

Staff are on duty in the playground at the beginning or end of the day so can be asked anything then. If the person concerned has a club then a convenient time can be arranged with the office.

Sickness

If your child is sick and unable to attend school, please phone the school office to inform us of the situation on the morning of the absence. A note to the form teacher on their return to school, that can be added to the child’s record, is also required.

If on the child’s return to school medicine is required, a letter explaining how much and when to administer the medicine is needed by the secretary to enable her to give the medicine. There are forms inside the main front door, in the pigeonholes by the office that may be filled in with this information. Please note that without written consent, signed by the parent or guardian, staff or the secretary CANNOT give medicine.

Medicines must be stored in the medical room. If your child requires an inhaler for asthma, this is an exception. Any medicines found on a child will be taken to the office for collection by the parent.

Holidays

Parents are requested not to arrange family holidays during term time.  Where this is unavoidable, a request for a leave of absence form should be made in writing well in advance of the date.

Parking

Please be aware of our neighbours when parking to drop off and pick up their children, as occassionally drives and the yellow lines are not observed.

The yellow zigzag lines are there for the pupils' protection when coming and going from school. Parking on them, even to drop off pupils, is dangerous and not what they are designed for. Car stickers highlighting the need to 'respect the yellow zigzags', are available from the school office. St Winifred's School is supporting Southampton City Council's drive to ensure the yellow zigzags outside city schools are observed.

Parents collecting pupils from After School Care are requested NOT to park on the school drive before 5:15pm as there are clubs finishing up until this time and therefore pupils leaving the building by other doors. Also pupils leaving on bikes need to be able to negotiate leaving the grounds in safety.

Code of conduct

All pupils are expected to be polite and courteous towards others and to give due attention to their lessons. One of the basic elements of education is self-discipline. A high standard of self-discipline and behaviour is required from all pupils. They must begin to take responsibility for their own actions and show courtesy and respect to teachers, visitors and one another. When entering the classroom they are expected to behave sensibly. The school reserves the right to require the withdrawal of any pupil whose behaviour, in the opinion of the Head teacher, warrants it.

Photography

To respect parents' wishes we ask that the use of videos and digital camera photographs is restricted.

There is to be NO photography at the swimming gala: this is The Quays policy. Any one wishing to video events such as Sports Day or Speech Day will be asked to add their name to a list on the day of the event. This list of names will be available for anyone who wishes to look at it. Thank you for your co-operation on this matter.

Bullying

Bullying may be verbal, physical or emotional and will not be tolerated by the school in any form whatsoever.

Any incidents of this type of behaviour must be reported to a teacher as soon as they occur. The way we behave to each other is constantly talked about in circle time and PSHE lessons. Whole school assemblies include reference to moral problems, to make the pupils think constantly about these issues and discuss them openly.

Reward system

House points

All pupils are members of a house. These are represented by colours: Stuart is blue, Tudor is red, Plantagenet is yellow. Pupils are awarded house points for good effort, good work, helpfulness and citizenship throughout the school week. These are entered onto a chart. At the end of each week, prefects collect up the points. The totals for each house are announced in assembly where House Captains enter this onto a chart displayed in the hall. Coloured ribbons are tied on a cup and displayed in the hall for the week.

Good work book

When a pupil has produced an exceptionally good piece of work or has shown sustained effort in some aspect of the curriculum they find difficult, they take the work, on Friday, to show the Head teacher. Their name and the subject studied are recorded in a book. The pupil signs the book and a sticker is issued and placed on a chart which is kept in the pupil's desk. At the end of the year, certificates of commendation are awarded to each pupil stating the number of Good Work Book signatures they have achieved.

Spoken praise

Every opportunity is taken by all staff to give spoken praise to all of the pupils. This is in all aspects of their school life, not just lesson time. Any other important news items, birthdays, football matches etc. can be shared with the whole school at the end of our assemblies on Monday to Thursday. Friday mornings are times to collect house points and sort out class activities. The Lower School has an assembly on Friday morning to celebrate birthdays and other important happenings.

Achievement Assemblies

These are held once a month to praise pupils' good behaviour and effort. Pupils are encouraged to bring from home any certificates or badges that they achieve in out-of-school activities.

Academic and ancillary staff award certificates to pupils for Endeavour and Courtesy. Each month two Star Award Trophies for the Lower school and the Upper school are awarded for Endeavour and Courtesy. These trophies are kept by the pupil till the next achievement assembly.

Awards, trophies and prizes

These are awarded at Speech Day to recognise achievements in a wide variety of aspects of the curriculum. There are awards for competitions, sporting events and academic achievement.

Every pupil in a year group is encouraged to take part in competitions. Most of these happen in the Spring Term. Art and handwriting are open to the whole school. There is a poetry competition for Forms 3, 4, 5 & 6. The music competition is for everyone. Details are in the Spring Calendar. Sports Day and the Swimming Gala champions for each age group also receive trophies.

The academic awards are discussed by subject staff and awarded on merit for achievement and effort.

Citizenship and prefect awards are decided on the efforts and commitment of the pupil to the school and their peers.

Discredits

Inevitably, in the Upper School there must be a punishment for misbehaviour. A discredit is issued for rude or unacceptable behaviour. Pupils will have received warnings that their behaviour is not acceptable. If these are not heeded then a discredit is issued. The pupil collects a discredit slip from outside the Head teacher's office, returns it to the teacher concerned who fills it in. The pupil takes the slip to the Head teacher, who discusses the problem with the child concerned.

A discredit can also be given if a child has disobeyed one of the school rules.

A discredit must also be reported to the form teacher as it removes one house point from the appropriate house's weekly total.

If a discredit has been issued, details of the behaviour may be discussed with the pupil's parent.

Three discredits in a half term will result in parents being informed, as a detention will be issued. The pupil will be expected to stay late on a school day until 4:30pm. Parents/carers will be notified of this.

Homework

Gradually, throughout the school homework is introduced.  Below is the homework timetable for the Upper school.

Lower school children receive homework when it is appropriate.  Reading books are brought home nightly so the children can practice their reading skills. Also spelling and tables practice is encouraged as these skills develop in the appropriate classes.

Any difficulties with the timetable should be discussed with the appropriate teacher.

A rough outline of the amount of time to spend on each subject is given.  Relaxation after a hard day at school is also important.

Any difficulties with with timetable should be discussed with the appropriate teacher.

Diaries

Every child in the school, including Nursery, has a diary.  This is so important messages can be transferred to and from home.

Although any parent should be able to speak to staff at the beginning and end of every day, this is not always practical and a simple note in the diary may suffice.

Children should write any homework requirements into this diary as well.  This is then checked by teachers and parents to keep tabs on what is being done.

Uniforms

Pupils are expected to come to school wearing the correct uniform and with the correct equipment. An updated list of this is included in this pack.

For children's safety they are requested not to wear jewellery. Hair that is shoulder length must be tied back at all times. In the school environment this can get caught up and is dangerous.This is especially true in physical activities.

A letter will be sent home by the form teacher or subject teacher about any discrepancies.

The Nearly New Shop is open on the 1st Monday of each month during the school term from 3pm to 4pm. Please see the newsletter or calendar for dates.

There will be NO games or gym kit for pupils to borrow from the office.

Reports

A written report is issued at the end of each term for all children.

Fees

School fees are payable on or before the first day of term.

Fees include books and stationery.

A non-refundable deposit is required on acceptance of a place offer. This deposit will be deducted from the first term's fees. A full term's notice in writing, or payment in lieu of notice, is required before the withdrawal of a pupil.

Interest may be added to accounts which are paid late.

Please click on this link to see the current fees.

April House (nursery) fees

Accounts for full-time pupils, and every morning or afternoon session pupils will be issued after the commencement of the term.

Accounts for part-time pupils will be issued when the sessions have been established.

A full-term's notice in writing or payment in lieu of notice is required before the withdrawal of a full-time nursery pupil.

Before- and after-school care

Before and after school care is available for all children over the age of 3 years old.  Activities are planned carefully to ensure children's enjoyment.

Sessions previously booked will be charged for, even if a child does not attend.

Pupils should be collected on time.

Homework is encouraged but no responsibility can be taken for completion at school.

Clubs

Many clubs are organised by staff during lunchtimes and after school. The clubs currently include:

Prompt collection from after school is requested and parents are asked to telephone the school if they are delayed on occasion.

Stationery Shop

Stationery will be on sale at break time on Wednesdays in the school hall. Anyone wanting to purchase pens, pencils or maths equipment can come into the hall to do so.

Tuck and Drink

The pupils are allowed to bring in a snack and drink for morning break. The snack should be fruit or a healthy option. Nursery has their tuck provided in their classroom. No sweets, biscuits, cakes, sandwiches or bars of chocolate are allowed.

Mrs Morris prepares a healthy, well balanced lunch every day according to the government's guidelines. No glass bottles of drink are allowed. Bottles or cartons of drink are best, because these are easier for the pupils to deal with themselves. Bottles of water are encouraged for classroom use and for games/gym lessons.

Pupils in Nursery and Transition 1 only are entitled to free school milk. Please inform Mrs Middleton or Miss French if you wish your child to have this.

The School Council runs a Healthy Option snack shop every Friday.

Lunches

The lunch menu has a four-week rotation. Meals for special diets are provided and the term's menu is sent home at the start of every term or can be viewed on the website.

If, after consultation with your child, there is anything that they do not eat, please write a letter for Mrs Morris so these requests can be added to our lunch list.

Fruit and bread are available at every meal.