The School Day
The school gates open at 8.40am and close at 8.55am. The school day for Reception to Year 6 starts with registration at 8.55am.
When children come into school they go straight into their classrooms in preparation to start the day. Children in Nursery and Reception enter the school by the EYFS gate situated near the main school entrance. Children in Years 1 to 3 walk into school via the pupil entrance on their own. Years 4 to 6 walk into school via the field gate entrance. Afternoon Nursery children and parents walk down the path of the pupil entrance to Nursery.
Timings
The school day finishes at 3.10pm for Reception, Years 1 and 2 and 3.15 pm for Years 3 to 6.
The total time this amounts to in a typical week for Reception, Years 1 and 2 is 31 hrs and 15 mins.
The total time this amounts to in a typical week for Years 3 to 6 is 31 hrs and 40 mins.
School ends at 2.00pm on the last day of each term (but not half term holidays).
Our Nursery is open term time, and our opening hours support the school day as lots of parents have siblings in both Nursery and the main school.
Term Time Nursery Opening hours 8:40am-3:10pm everyday
(Please note a full day is from 8.40am to 2.40pm with an additional 30 mins available until 3.10pm if purchased)
Options
- Full week Monday-Friday
- First half of the week: Monday and Tuesday (all day) and Wednesday mornings (until 11:40am)
- Second half of the week: Wednesday afternoon from 12.10pm and Thursday and Friday (all day)
The total time this amounts to in a typical week for those attending Nursery on two full days and one half day is 15 hours.
For those children attending nursery Monday to Friday the total time this amounts to in a typical week is 30 hours.
Assemblies
Children in Years 1 to 3 have a joint assembly Tuesday to Friday at 10.45am. Children in Years 4 to 6 have a joint assembly Tuesday to Friday at 9.00am.
A whole school assembly takes place on Monday mornings at 10.45am (The Reception children join after they have settled in the Autumn term). Reception and Nursery children have a joint assembly together each week.
Morning playtimes
10.30am – 10.45am - Years 1 to 6 have a break.
Children in Nursery, Reception, Years 1 and 2 receive a piece of fruit or vegetable every day. Older children are encouraged to bring a piece of fruit/vegetables with them to school to have at break time. Milk is also available free for children under 5. Additionally parents may purchase milk for older children. Children who are entitled to a Free School Meal also receive free milk. For further information please click here.
Reception and Nursery have free flow throughout the day.
Towards the end of the school year, Reception will join children in Key Stage 1 to have breaks at set times.
Lunch
Children in Nursery and Reception have their lunch at 11.30am and their lunch break ends at 12.30pm. Children in Years 1 to 3 have lunch at 12.00pm and their lunch break ends at 1.00pm. Years 4 to 6 children begin their lunch break at 12.30pm and this ends at 1.30pm. Whether your child has a school dinner or brings in a packed lunch the children sit together with their year group.
Getting to school
To get to and from school, walking is definitely the best option! There are lots of benefits: it’s healthier than travelling by car, it improves the safety of pedestrians and road-users, and it respects nearby residents and parking regulations. If you do need to travel by car, please park safely (for the safety of your own children and others). For children in Years 4 to 6, if they walk to school independently, please let the school know by email.
If your child walks to school in a morning, the school gates do not open until 8.40am and there is no supervision of children who arrive early and are waiting alone at the pupil entrance.
The following steps will be taken if a child is absent from school:
- School gates close at 8.55am
- A register is taken by the class teacher at 9.00am
- Any children who have arrived late via the office will be added to this register
- The office staff will physically check to see if a child who has been marked on the register as absent is not in school
- If the child is confirmed absent and we have no information about this absence, a text will be sent via parentmail to the home contacts to ascertain the reason for this.
In situations where a child who is known to travel to/from school independently is absent, this text is vital to confirm that the child is at home safely, and has not failed to arrive at school when they had been expected to do so.
If you have given consent for your child to travel to school unaccompanied and they are unwell or unable to attend school for any reason, it is essential that you inform the school office via email, absences@cuddingtoncroft.org or the night service/absence line by 9.00am so that we do not put the above procedures into place unnecessarily. We need to act on any children who are expected to travel to school unaccompanied and are unaccounted for. Please include your child's full name, their class and explanation for their absence.
Pick-up Arrangements
Nursery to Year 3
Parents of Nursery and Reception children enter the playground through the pupil pathway gate and enter the EYFS playground.
Parents of children in Years 1 and 2 walk down the pupil pathway to the playground to meet their children.
Children in Year 3 will meet their parents either outside the classroom (Kinney) or at the entrance of Cowell classroom.
If you wish to amend/update the list of people who are authorised to collect your child, please email the school office, office@cuddingtoncroft.org changes received before 11.45am will be effective from that day. For one-off arrangements and you would like your child to be collected by somebody other than yourself or someone who is not on the authorised list, please ensure that you notify us in advance in writing. Please note, children will only be released to a parent/guardian or adult about whom the school have been notified (and who must be over the age of 18).
Years 4 to 6
We keep an electronic register of information relating to children who can either leave the classroom independently or to be collected from the teacher by an authorised adult. If you wish to amend/update your permissions please email the school office, office@cuddingtoncroft.org in order that our electronic register can be updated for teachers to see before the afternoon teaching commences, please ensure we receive any changes by 11.45 am. For one-off arrangements and you would like your child to be collected by somebody other than yourself or someone who is not on the authorised list, please ensure that you notify us in advance in writing. Please note, children will only be released only to a parent/guardian or adult about whom the school have been notified (and who must be over the age of 18).
For children in years 4 to 6, if you have chosen for your child to be collected from the field gate and they attend a staff organised club they will be allowed to make their own way to the club. However, for clubs run by external agencies they will need to be collected by the person running the club.
All Years
If for any reason you will be late collecting your child at the end of the day, please telephone ahead to the school office (before 2.45pm) so that a message can be passed to the relevant teacher.
Parents should leave the school premises as soon as they have collected their children. Please do not allow children to use the playground facilities at the end of the day.
We will request up to date drop-off and pick-up information annually via Parentmail - Forms.
