Admission to School

We welcome applications from parents wishing to send their children to our school. Prospective parents, and those considering applying to the school are encouraged to visit, where they will be shown around, given general information about the school and made welcome.

Where there are more applicants than places available, children will be admitted on the basis of the following order of priorities:

• Children who are in public care;
• Children with statements of SEN with Valewood as their named school;
• Children with school action plus needs that can be met at Valewood as the nearest suitable school;
• Children who already have brothers or sisters, living in the same house, who will still be in attendance at Valewood Primary School in the academic year that the sibling begins school;
• Children who live nearest to Valewood Primary School;

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School Clothing

The school dress code is:

Royal Blue sweatshirt with embroidered logo;
White polo shirt with or without embroidered logo;
Grey skirts, trousers, pinafores or shorts.
Black shoes.

PE kit:

Red T shirt with printed logo;
Royal Blue shorts;
Black pumps.

Games Kit:

Royal Blue Sweatshirt with logo;
Black Joggers;
Trainers.

Summer Clothes :

Blue and white gingham dresses;
Royal Blue polo shirts;
Grey skirts, shorts, pinafores or trousers;
Blue, black or white sandals or shoes.

Polo shirts, sweatshirts and P.E. kits are available from the school office.

Jewellery is not safe to be worn by children in school. If ear rings are worn they must be studs and removed for P.E. lessons.

Valewood has a lost property box in which parents are welcome to search. Every year a lost property afternoon is held where all lost items are put on display and may be claimed. Any remaining lost property is given to charity shops.

Medical Matters

Medical inspections are carried out at various times of the year for children in different age groups. You will be informed in advance and may attend where applicable.

If your child becomes ill at school you will informed by telephone, so please make sure that emergency phone numbers are kept up to date.

If your child needs medicine during the day you are welcome to come into school to administer it yourself. If this is impossible please see the Headteacher for advice.

Communication with School

Valewood Primary School welcomes parents into school. Quick messages for class teachers can be passed on in the morning by word or letter. Appointments may be made with the school secretary for any teacher at a mutually convenient time. Please feel free to come into school to discuss anything that may be worrying you. We are here to help.

Mrs Castellain, the school secretary, usually answers the telephone. She can answer routine enquiries and take absence messages. She is the expert on dinner money! Mrs Rigby, the Headteacher, is available daily for parents: come in and have a chat or make an appointment.

Newsletters are sent out every Wednesday with the latest news and information about the school. A full colour version is also sent automatically by email to parents with internet access. Other information, including the school prospectus, can be found on the school's Internet web page.

You will have three opportunities a year to come into school and discuss your child's progress with their class teacher and a full written report will be sent to parents at the end of the Summer term.

How Parents can Help

Parents can help school in many ways by offering classroom support, providing materials for use in school, helping with extra curricular activities, offering administrative support, fundraising, gardening and accompanying children on school trips. If you wish to help in any way, please speak to any teacher or the school secretary. Parents working with children have police checks to ensure maximum safety. All parents are invited to attend a variety of special courses in school. In the past these have included basic Numeracy and Conversational Spanish. Parents are welcome with babies and toddlers at our pre-school group.

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School Session Times

For Reception, Year 1 and Year 2:

8.55am - 12 noon.
1.25pm - 3.30pm
Morning Break 10.50am - 11.10am. afternoon break 2.30pm - 2.45pm.
Fruit juice and milk are available daily at a cost of 20p. (Milk is free to children under 5)
Fruit and cereal bars are encouraged as a breaktime snack.

For Year 3, 4, 5 and 6:

8.55am - 12.15pm
1.25pm - 3.30pm.
Morning Break 10.30 - 10.50am.
Fruit juice and milk are available daily at a cost of 20p.
Fruit and cereal bars are encouraged as a breaktime snack.

The total amount of teaching time excluding playtimes, registration and the daily act of worship is 21.5 hours per week for the children in Key Stage 1 and 23 hours per week for the children in Key Stage 2. Children attend school for 190 days a year. Teaching staff attend school for 195 days including 5 days for training. As the children have 13 weeks holiday, it is preferable for family holidays to be taken then. However, as this is not always possible, please try to avoid the times immediately before and during examinations.

Arrival at school

Sherwood Avenue should be kept free of traffic at all times. Please use Manor Road to park cars. When children enter school they should use the pedestrian gate and follow the path to the right around the building i.e. away from the car park. Doors open at 8.50am where children will be met by their teachers.

School Meals

Our school meals are cooked on the premises.  Lunches cost £1.40 per day and are payable on Mondays for the week ahead.  Children who wish to bring a packed lunch should use a named lunch box.  Breakfast is available every day from 8am at a cost of £3 per session, including supervision.

Departure from school

At the end of the day children leave from their own cloakrooms and walk around the building to use the pedestrian gate. Children are not allowed to cross the car park. Young children are met outside their cloakrooms, older children may walk to meet their parents on the footpath or on Manor Road.