Parents Guide - September 2022
Welcome to our School
We are delighted to welcome you to Stanway Primary School and this vital stage of your child’s learning journey. At Stanway Primary School we aim to give every child the best possible education and start in life in our caring and aspirational school. Our curriculum reflects the needs of all our pupils: it not only focuses on the core skills, but gives opportunities for all children to develop their understanding and appreciation of the wider world and the part they have to play in it. We want to encourage and inspire creativity, and also help our pupils to develop as caring and thoughtful people, equipped to live in the modern world and develop rich and meaningful relationships with others.
We provide a nurturing, positive and purposeful environment in which to learn, that both children and staff can look forward to attending each day, and in which all children can be happy and successful. We recognise that establishing a strong relationship with our families is pivotal in ensuring our children progress and thrive in their journey through primary school.
Our staff provide opportunities and experiences aimed to engage, excite and stretch pupils and create confident and independent learners. Our ethos is embodied in our core values of Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative, Community and Determination to which we aspire and celebrate every day. We believe each individual can grow and learn through encouragement to identify and pursue their hopes and dreams, and the development of strong self-esteem, tolerance and respect.
We hope you will be active members of our school community, and look forward to working with you in partnership to support your child at this exciting time. The purpose of this brochure is to provide a helpful and informative guide to our school.
Rebecca Loader
Headteacher
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Behaviour for Learning Expectations
Pupils will:
- Have a positive attitude and be engaged in their learning;
- Respect themselves and others, and respect everyone’s learning environment;
- Be kind to others at all times;
- Be responsible for their own actions, learning and belongings;
- Be resilient, learning from their mistakes and take pride in their achievements;
- Have good listening behaviour- being attentive and facing the speaker, and following instructions promptly;
- Follow agreed class and whole school expectations.
Parents/carers will:
- Promote a positive attitude towards learning and the school community;
- Ensure children arrive at school on time and that they attend school every day that the school is open and available;
- Remember that we are all working together towards the same goals;
- Notify the school straight away regarding any issue concerning behaviour;
- Attend parents’ evenings and support their children with any home learning
- Support the school’s decisions regarding behaviour, whilst retaining their right to appeal against any decision with which they disagree;
- Treat all members of staff with respect and kindness.
- Refrain from discussing any issue on social media, instead speaking face-to-face with your child’s class teacher in the first instance, in line with our open door policy.
Staff will:
- Implement the Behaviour for Learning policy with consistency and impartiality;
- Be kind to others at all times;
- Establish a positive learning environment in their classrooms appropriate to individual needs;
- Encourage children to make sensible choices within the school;
- Give children the opportunity to change inappropriate behaviour;
- Label the behaviour but not the child;
- Use an intervention appropriate to the misdemeanour and the individual, taking into consideration the needs of children with SEND;
- Build children’s self-esteem and try and find out the reasons behind unacceptable behaviour;
- Notify parents of any patterns of unacceptable or unusual behaviour.
The School Day (from September 2022)
8.35-8.40am KS1 and KS2 children may wait on the playground at the start of school. There will be members of staff on duty in the playground. 8:40-8.45am All children go through to their classes/Reception entrance is open
KS1 and KS2 classes have a 20 minute morning break
11:35 - 12:20pm Reception Lunch Break
11.45 -12.35pm KS1 Lunch Break
12.35 -1.25pm KS2 Lunch Break
KS1 have a 15 minute afternoon break
3:05pm Reception Children are collected from school
3.10pm Years 1,2,3 end to day (collection from front playground)
3.15pm Years 4,5,6 end to day (collection from front playground)
With written parental permission, children in Year 4 and above are allowed to walk to and from school unaccompanied by an adult.
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Attendance and Punctuality
Here at Stanway Primary School, we recognise that positive behaviour and good attendance are essential in order to raise standards of pupil attainment and to give every child the best education experience possible.
For our children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and be at school, on time, every day the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable
If your child is unwell or otherwise absent you should contact the school before 9am. The school has a dedicated absence voicemail facility available for you to leave a message if nobody is available to take your call. Parents are asked to contact the school on every further day of absence, again before 9am, and to ensure that your child returns to school as soon as possible.
Although children are not officially late until after 8.45am when the gates are locked, please could you ensure that children are entering the school, with the rest of their classes, before 8.45am, so that they can be fully part of the morning routine. It is disturbing for both the child and the class if they get into a pattern of always entering slightly later than everyone else. Children arriving after 8:45am should come in to school via the school office, where you will be asked to sign them into our ‘Late Book’ and provide a reason for their late arrival.
Parents are asked to contact school before 9.00am to notify us of a child’s absence. Authorised absence, e.g. illness or medical appointments, must be supported by a phone call, email or letter from parents explaining the reason for the absence. If your child has an appointment during the school day or goes home ill you will be asked to sign them out at the school office. Where parents fail to make contact providing a reason for absence, the School Attendance Officer will endeavour to contact them. If contact is not made by 12pm we will follow our safeguarding procedures.
Leave of Absence
As a rule, requests for family holidays will not be authorised during term-time. If you are taking your children out of school for this purpose, the time off will be marked as unauthorised, and you could receive a Penalty Notice.
Unauthorised absence includes:
- parents keeping children off school unnecessarily e.g. because they had a late night or for non-infectious illness or injury that would not affect their ability to learn.
- absences which have never been properly explained
- children who arrive at school after the close of registration are marked using a ‘U’. This indicates that they are in school for safeguarding purposes however is recorded as an absence for the session.
- shopping trips
- looking after other children or children accompanying siblings or parents to medical appointments
- their own or family birthdays
- holidays taken during term time without leave not deemed ‘for exceptional purposes’ by the headteacher- may result in school applying to the local authority to issue a penalty notice or if you have previously been issued a Penalty Notice, the school may request a direct prosecution by the local authority.
- day trips
- other leave of absence in term time which has not been agreed
Stanway Primary School Attendance Policy
There is no entitlement for parents to take their child out of school during term time; however, you may apply to the school for leave of absence if you believe there are exceptional circumstances. The regulations make it clear that a family holiday is not seen as exceptional circumstances.
If you want to take your child out of school and believe that there are exceptional circumstances, you should apply to the school for leave of absence.

Safeguarding Children – Policy Statement
The Governing Body, shares with everyone in Education and Children’s Services, an objective to help keep children and young people safe by contributing to:
- Providing a safe environment for children and young people to learn
- Identifying children and young people who are suffering or likely to suffer harm and taking appropriate action with the aim of making them safe.
We have a comprehensive Child Protection Policy which is available on our website.

Separated or Divorced Parents
Please ensure that the office is up to date with the list of contacts for your child/ren in case of emergency. Ideally, we should have three contacts which are listed in order of priority.
If you and your child’s other parent are not living together, or living arrangements change, then please ensure that we have contact details for both parents if you wish to both receive school information and literature and attend meetings concerning your child, as it is not the school’s responsibility to obtain this information.
If possible, we would always encourage parents to attend meetings together, even if you are not living together. However, if this is not possible, we will arrange for separate contact to take place.
For more information on parents’ educational rights and responsibilities following a separation or divorce, please refer to this government guidance:
General principles for schools and local authorities
Everyone who is a parent, as recognised under education law can participate in their child’s education.
This is supported by the duty on the Secretary of State for Education, when exercising or performing all their respective powers and duties under the Education Acts, to have regard to the general principle that pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents. Governing bodies of maintained schools must also have regard to any views expressed by parents of registered pupils.
All parents can also receive information about the child, even though, for day-to-day purposes, the school’s main contact is likely to be a parent with whom the child lives on school days.
Individuals who have parental responsibility for, or care of, a child have the same rights as biological parents. For example to:
- receive information – such as pupil reports
- participate in statutory activities – such as voting in elections for parent governors
- be asked to give consent - such as to the child taking part in school trips
- be informed about meetings involving the child - such as a governors’ meeting on the child’s exclusion
School and local authority staff must treat all parents equally, unless a court order limits a parent’s ability to make educational decisions, participate in school life or receive information about their children. In most circumstances, the question schools must ask themselves when making decisions is not just whether the parent holds parental responsibility but whether they are a parent under education law.
All parents also have legal obligations. For example, to ensure that a child of compulsory school age receives a suitable full-time education.
Where a parent’s action, or proposed action, conflicts with the school’s ability to act in the child’s best interests, the school should try to resolve the problem with that parent but avoid becoming involved in conflict. However, there may be occasions when a school needs to decline requests for action from one or more parents.
In cases where schools cannot resolve the conflict between separated parents, they should advise the aggrieved parent to pursue the matter through the Family Court.
The full document can be found here:

School Uniform
All pupils are expected to wear Stanway Primary School uniform. As a member of the school, students will develop a sense of pride in themselves and their uniform. Parental cooperation is essential to achieve this aim.
UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS
TERM | All Year Groups |
Autumn/Spring |
Grey or black trousers, skirt or pinafore (worn to knee) School jumper or cardigan with logo Grey, black or white socks or tights Black sensible flat or low-heeled shoes (not trainers or boots) White polo shirt (short or long-sleeved- any supplier) |
Summer |
Grey or black shorts or blue gingham dress may be worn Dark grey, black or white socks Sensible closed-toe sandals may be worn with socks |
Jewellery |
One small stud to be worn in each ear (these must be removed for PE) No nail varnish No make up A watch is allowed (not a smart watch) |
Hair |
Hair that is past the shoulders should be tied up Matching, discrete accessories can be worn Hair should not be dyed or bleached No extreme hairstyles or shaved designs |
PE Kit |
White T-shirt Black shorts for indoor/Summer PE Tracksuit top and bottoms for outdoor Winter PE KS1- Plimsols/Trainers (Outdoor PE) KS2- Trainers (Outdoor PE) |
Outer Wear |
Children should come to school with a waterproof coat during the Autumn/Spring terms Hoodies/tracksuit tops are unacceptable as an outer garment Children may wear wellington boots or other boots and change out of these |
Our school uniform is available to purchase from the Anglia School Wear online store at www.yourschoolwear.co.uk
Anglia School Wear accepts all major credit/debit cards.
The company offer next day despatch on orders placed by noon (Monday – Friday) with free delivery on all orders over £50 + VAT. Delivery charges on smaller orders start at £3.00 + VAT with a range of delivery options available.
There is a dedicated customer service department and the website provides comprehensive size charts for you. We do also hold samples of the uniform at school so you are able to check the measurements and fit of the clothing.
Jewellery
Children should not wear jewellery at school. Rings, chains and bracelets are not appropriate for primary school wear as they can cause accidents. We will not be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred if your child does bring jewellery to school.
If your child has pierced ears a small plain stud is acceptable, but these will need to be removed by the child for all forms of PE. If a child is unable to remove their own studs they will not be able to take part in PE lessons. If you are planning to have your child’s ears pierced this should be done at the beginning of the summer holidays.
Naming of clothing
We encourage parents to name all items of clothing with sewn in name tags or permanent pen.
Inclusivity
Stanway Primary School fully endorses the principle that the school’s uniform should be affordable for everyone, ensuring that no pupil or family is socially excluded through inability to buy. Accordingly, the majority of the uniform can be brought ‘off the peg’ from any high street outlet or supermarket; the only items which need to be purchased from our supplier are sweatshirts and cardigans. Stanway Primary School is committed to an annual appraisal of the uniform cost in order to ensure that it continues to be affordable for everyone.
Enforcement of Uniform Policy
We have clear expectations for uniform, jewellery and PE kit and will strongly enforce these expectations. The Headteacher, on behalf of the Governing Body, will make the final decision regarding what is permissible in school. Children attending school wearing items which flout this policy, and are considered to be a Health and Safety risk, may be sent home to change or remove items.
Our Breakfast Club is open from 7:45am, Monday to Friday during term time and is run by school staff.
At the end of the day, the After School Club is open until 5:30pm.
Both clubs provide a welcoming, safe, secure environment where pupils from Reception through to Year 6 can eat a balanced breakfast in the morning, or snack after school and join in activities before the start, or at the end, of the school day.
The children are also encouraged to be independent and to make decisions for themselves through the choice of food and drink and to participate in informal activities with each other developing social and interactive skills.
All bookings for the Breakfast and After School Clubs must be made on the school booking form; children also need to be registered before a place can be confirmed.
The booking and registration forms are available from the school office or can be downloaded from the school’s website.
From September 2022, the charge will be £3.50 per session for the Breakfast Club and £8.00 per session for the After-School Club.
School Meals
We offer hot school meals every day. These are cooked in our own kitchen and all our meals meet the Government’s standards for school lunches.
Under the Universal Infant Free School Meals scheme we offer free school meals to all children in our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes.
Our school meals service is based on menu choices. A menu is produced every half term and sent out via our Parent Hub app. Parents can then book their child’s school meals through SCOPAY, our online payment site. More information about this will be sent out at the beginning of September.
In addition to the main option, there is always a vegetarian alternative. School prepared packed lunches are also available every day.
Here’s a taste of the meals we offer:
TUESDAY |
WEDNESDAY |
THURSDAY |
Cheese & Tomato Pizza ½ Jacket Potato Chunky Coleslaw |
Popcorn Chicken New Potatoes Broccoli |
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Pasta Garlic Bread |
As above |
Quorn Fillet |
Vegetarian Meatballs |
Lemon Drizzle Cake |
Gooey Chocolate Brownie |
Fruit Smoothie |
Packed Lunch – Ham, Cheese Tuna Mayo, Egg Mayo |
Packed Lunch – Ham, Cheese Tuna Mayo, Egg Mayo |
Packed Lunch – Ham, Cheese Tuna Mayo, Egg Mayo |
Bread roll with a choice of filling from the above with Pom Bears, cherry tomatoes, cheese portion, piece of fruit, desert of the day and a drink |
Food Allergies and Intolerance
If your child has any food allergies or intolerances we will work with you to do our best to meet your child’s dietary needs.
The school policy, Managing Food Allergies, sets out the procedures for managing food allergies and the systems in place for supporting individual pupils with allergies.
The aim of the policy is to minimise the risk of any child suffering allergy-induced anaphylaxis whilst at school. The Governing Body’s position is not to guarantee a completely allergen free environment, rather to minimise the risk of exposure, encourage self-responsibility, and plan for an effective response to possible emergencies.
The school has robust procedures in place. Allergen information for all food served at the Breakfast Club, the After-School Club and for each lunchtime menu is available from the office and posted on our website. Parents are responsible for checking the menu for allergens, and where appropriate, annotating their child’s menu where particular foods are to be avoided.
We ask all parents to support the procedures by not sending in nuts, in any form, to school.
The policy also makes it clear that we are not able to accept cakes, biscuits, or other similar foods into school for distribution to children. Should parents wish to send ‘treats’ in for sharing (e.g. for a child’s birthday), these should be in small, sealed packets (e.g. mini sweet bags). The children are not permitted to open or eat these in school, they will be sent home for consumption.
Snacks
At Stanway Primary School we operate a Healthy Snack Policy with a free choice snack on a Friday.
Within the Early Years Unit we will be offering a healthy morning snack Mondays to Thursdays e.g. fresh or dried fruit; breadsticks; yoghurts and a ‘treat’ snack on Fridays e.g. crisps, biscuits or fruit. For this snack we ask for a half termly contribution of £3.00 per child.
In the afternoons all children will be offered a fruit snack free of charge.
We encourage every child to bring in a bottle of fresh tap water every day and we also offer milk to those who like it.

Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions and Administering Medication
At Stanway Primary School, our aim is to ensure that all children with medical conditions, in terms of both physical and mental health, are properly supported in school so that they can play a full and active role in school life, remain healthy and make good academic progress.
Our procedures for the administration of medication reflect government guidance and we work closely with parents to support children with both short term and long-term medical needs.
As soon as we are made aware of a long-term medical condition parents are invited to discuss the completion of an Individual Health Care Plan for their child. Where appropriate the Individual Health Care Plan will be drawn up in partnership between the school, parents, and a relevant healthcare professional who can best advise on the particular needs of the child.
If a child requires medication during the day we encourage parents to come into school to give the medicine. School staff are only able to administer medication in very exceptional circumstances. Prescribed medicines should only be brought into school when essential and, where clinically possible, medication should be prescribed in dose frequencies which enable them to be taken outside school hours.
Medicines should always be provided in the original container as dispensed by a pharmacist and include the prescriber’s instructions for administration. The container should be clearly marked with the name of the child, the name and dose of the medication and the frequency of administration.
We are only able to administer non-prescription medicine (this includes Calpol and throat lozenges that have restricted dosage) to a child in very exceptional circumstances.
No child will be given medicines without their parent’s written consent.
All medication should be handed into the school office. Children are not permitted to carry or hold their own medication at any time.
Children who suffer from asthma should have an inhaler in school at all times.
Further information about our procedures is available from the school office.
Communications
Keeping you involved with what’s going on in school is very important to us. We use Parent Hub, an app-based messaging and communication system, to keep in touch with our parents. We celebrate the children’s learning with you by sharing lots of news from the classrooms, and we also use the service to send out regular correspondence and event reminders, making it easy for you to receive important information instantly. The Parent Hub app is free to download and use. In addition to Parent Hub, there are weekly Bulletins updating you on calendar events and messages and also half-termly whole-school Newsletters.
During the Reception year we use the online learning journal Tapestry to keep you informed about your child’s progress and what he or she has been doing in school. We also use this to communicate about upcoming events and activities. Tapestry is available to download on your desktop, or via an app; we do strongly encourage you to engage with Tapestry as it makes a huge difference to your child’s first year in school.
Parents are regularly invited into the school to share the children’s work and will also have the opportunity to attend workshops about the different areas of the Early Years curriculum that we follow. These will be full of information and ideas that can help you support your child at home. We also highly value your input regarding the progress your child is making and experiences that they have outside of school. More information about this will be given in September
Our website is used to publish a wide variety of information and documents and we would urge you to refer to the calendar on the home page to keep abreast of events and activities going on in school.

The School Site
Cars and Parking
The school car park is for the use of staff and visitors to the school only. Please do not use the car park when dropping off or collecting your children from school at any time.
We are fortunate to have an arrangement whereby the Parish Council allow our parents to use the Tollgate Hall car park for the school drop off and collection times and we would ask that you use this facility as much as possible. When parking at the Tollgate Hall, parents are asked to use the footpath between the car park and Villa Road. Parking is not permitted in the Village Hall Car Park at any time.
If you do park on the local roads please consider our neighbours and avoid blocking any driveways. The parking restrictions on Villa Road and Chapel Road should be observed at all times.
Dogs
Dogs are not permitted (except guide or hearing dogs) on to our school site at any time. Some children are easily frightened by dogs and they can present a health hazard.
Smoking
It is against the law to smoke on our school site. Our school is a non smoking area. We ask all parents and visitors to adhere to this and not smoke in our playgrounds, on our field or in our buildings.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
We have a very active and hardworking PTA which arranges fund-raising activities for the benefit of our school. The PTA provides funds to support specific projects and activities and contributes to the life of the school in many important ways. All parents are automatically members. We value the support of our parents and friends, and there is an Annual General Meeting early in the Autumn Term to which all parents are invited. The main events of the year are the Christmas Fayre and the Summer Fayre.
If you are interested in joining the PTA Committee please email pta@stanway-pri.essex.sch.uk for further information
