Parent handbook

Vehicles should be parked in the parking bays in the Upton Court Park car park and not in front of the school gate or on the verge next to the school fence. Children must not be dropped off from the roadside. Care should be taken when driving or walking in the car park. It is advisable not to leave valuables in your car.

Arrival

Pupils should arrive at school between 08.30 and 08.40 via the Upton Court Park car park gate. Children who attend the Early Morning Club may arrive at 08.00 to be supervised in the Classroom Hall/Geography room. The school office is open from 08.30 and parents should please vacate the school buildings and grounds after the start of the school day, 08.45.

Late arrivals

Children should be brought to school on time. Latecomers must report to the school office to be included on the register and fire drill list. Adults are required to sign in at the school office and wear a visitor' s badge if they are in the school grounds after the start of the school day, 08.45.

Collection

Children must be collected from inside the school grounds and safely escorted off site. They can be collected from the area outside the Classroom Hall/Geography room, or from their classrooms, according to their age, the time of day or the activity they are involved in. The teachers concerned in this regard will supply this information.

Teachers, unless they are on supervisory duties, are available to speak to parents every morning before the start of school (08.30 - 08.45) and your child's Form Teacher should be your first port of call.

The Form Teacher is responsible for the pastoral care of your child and is your first contact for issues relating to your child's progress, care and happiness. Letters or notes in your child's homework diary or contact book are also useful.

In addition, the Head Teacher, the Deputy Head and the Director of Studies are available most mornings before school. A more formal meeting can be arranged, if required, through the school office or in direct consultation with the member of staff concerned.

A system of reports, circulars, parents-mornings and the notice board outside the Geography room are also designed to keep parents informed.

Generally children requiring medication for the treatment of short-term illnesses are not well enough to attend school. However, Form Teachers are prepared in certain circumstances, to administer medicines in order to complete a course prescribed by a doctor.

All medicine must be handed to your child' s Form Teacher and our procedures for the safe storing and administering medication will be followed.

Children are expected to participate in all areas of the curriculum. If your child is unable to take part in physical activities due to illness or injury, you are asked to write a note to his or her Form Teacher, requesting that your child be placed off games. He or she will then be placed in a non games activity within the school.

Permission to be absent from school can be granted by the Headmaster for special occasions or circumstances. Remember that absences from school cause disruption to your child' s education and to the school' s educational provision and should be kept to a minimum.

It is expected that family holidays be arranged to be taken during the school' s published holidays and not taken during term time.

If your child is ill, a telephone call on the day followed by a note to his or her Form Teacher, would be appreciated.

In addition to the school' s policy on absence, the school has a legal obligation to report authorised and unauthorised absence to the Department for Education and Skills.

We ask that a confidential information sheet is completed for each child at the start of every term. Parents are asked to inform the school office of any subsequent changes.

Children are required to wear school uniform as set out in the uniform list. We do not allow fashion items or accessories to be worn to school. Adornment and the wearing of jewellery (including bangles, bracelets, rings and necklaces) are not allowed. We are aware that some jewellery items have a religious or personal significance and we are grateful to parents for ensuring that these items are not worn to school.

Hairstyles (length, colour, shape and design) should not draw attention to themselves. We do not allow colouring, designs and/or applications such as gel or wax. Long Close children should look neat and tidy and their hair should complement this objective.

Further details on authorised hair accessories for girls is set out on the uniform lists. We expect our girls' hair to be tied back neatly away from their faces.

Each pupil is given a homework diary (sometimes called a contact book in the lower forms) with a timetable for the weekly preps. Homework is written down under the day in which it is expected to be done and is usually initialled by the teacher to ensure that it has been copied down correctly.

Homework is important to get the children into the habit of working independently, which will prepare them for the demands made at senior schools. It is also an opportunity to practice or complete work done in class and prepare for the next lesson. Finally it trains children to work to deadlines.

• How parents can help

A parent should initial the homework diary each night. Comments written by parents in the diary can be helpful to the teacher, especially concerning the time spent on the preps. Two preps of 20-30 minutes is the norm from year 5, possibly increasing in key stage 3 according to requirements.

With learning work you should check to see how effectively your child has learned the work by testing recall and understanding.

With written work the level of assistance should decrease as your child moves up through the school, in order to encourage them to become more independent. A little guidance or a careful hint, can often be helpful to a child who is stuck. It would be helpful to the teacher if the parent wrote an "H" in pencil next to the work in which help was given. The value of the work is lost however if the work is being proof read and corrected by parents. If your child is frequently spending longer than the suggested time, you should contact your child' s subject teacher or Form Teacher.

A suitable working environment, free from disturbances and distractions is the best place in which to do homework. Some children prefer to complete their prep as soon as they return home, while others need something to eat or drink, or time to unwind first. A regular routine should be established.

• Deadlines

We expect homework to be handed in on time. This gives pupils valuable experience of working to deadlines and helps staff with their marking schedules. If homework is not given in, appropriate action will be taken. Homework missed due to absence on the day it was set does not normally have to be completed.

It is essential that anything brought into school be clearly marked with your child' s name. We cannot take responsibility for unmarked items. The use of a biro pen for marking items is insufficient.