St Alban's Catholic Primary School

Dear Parents/Carers,

As we approach the end  of another very busy and successful school year  I thought it would useful to  remind you of our expectations with respect to attendance, uniform and general appearance.  It is important that there is consistency throughout the school and that we maintain our current high standards in all aspects of appearance and your support is vital in this.

Attendance
Thank you for continuing to support us as we work together to improve our attendance figures.  Attendance this year will be very strange but please ensure that when children do return to school you do your best to bring them every day as there will be a lot of catching up to do.

Please remember that  holidays during term time can only be authorised if the circumstances are exceptional and cannot be authorised for pupils in Years 2 and 6.

Please also note that when out of school visits are arranged ALL pupils are expected to attend as these are normal school days and are arranged to enhance the curriculum; absences on these days without a medical certificate will be recorded as ‘Unauthorised Absence’.  If you have any concerns related to your child being involved in a school trip please speak to us.

Uniform
We are proud of our school uniform and encourage pupils to take a pride in their appearance. PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL UNIFORM IS LABELLED WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME as we cannot return items of clothing if we do not know who owns it! 

The uniform is as follows:

• Navy blue skirt/ pinafore dress or trousers
• Long grey trousers
• Blue cotton shirt and school tie or blue school polo shirt
• Blue cotton shirt and tie or blue school polo shirt
• Navy blue jumper or cardigan
• Navy blue jumper

In Summer

• Blue and white dresses
• Grey school shorts
• White or grey socks

PE UNIFORM

Indoor Kit                                                                      

• Plain black or navy shorts.                                              
• Plain white T-shirt or school polo shirt.                             
• Pumps (not trainers)                                                          
• Shorts or dark coloured tracksuit bottoms (no logos).

Outdoor Kit

• Training shoes
• T-shirt as indoor kit
• Long sleeved dark plain sweatshirt/tracksuit (no logos)

Hairstyles: 

• All hair long enough to be tied back must be tied back at all times  – both boys and girls
• Hair bobbles should be simple with any decorations being small and unobtrusive, Jo-Jo bows and similar should not be worn unless it is a non-uniform day
• Hairbands should be plain, dark in colour, without any bows or similar decorations attached to them
• Shaved hair should be no shorter than a ‘Number 2’ cut
• Tramlines or patterns should not be shaved in
• Mohican type styles are not acceptable
• Hair gel should be used only to gently control loose hair never to spike it or make it stand up
• Hair colour should be natural colour
• Make-up should not be worn, this includes nail varnish or false nails

 Jewellery

• No jewellery should be worn at any time even on non-uniform days
• If ears have been recently pierced small studs can be worn only whilst the wound is healing and these must be taped over for PE lessons
• Please note that children in Years 3 and 4 will be swimming for a 10 week period and pool rules prohibit any earrings – please do not have your child’s ears pierced.

 Socks, Tights and Footwear

• Socks and tights should be un-patterned black, grey or navy blue  (girls may also wear white socks or tights )
• School shoes should be flat, sensible and fit for purpose
• Trainers should not be worn except for outdoor PE
• Boots can be worn to school in bad weather but children should change on arrival in school

PE
This is an important part of our curriculum and each school has been given some additional Government funding to support us in ensuring that children have access to high quality PE.  Children in Years 1 to 6 will be being taught at least one of their weekly lessons by a specialist provider and it is essential that they have their PE kit in school at all times.

Mobile Phones
If your child brings a mobile phone to school then the appropriate form must be completed and the phone should be brought to the school office each morning and collected again at home time.

Healthy School
As a Healthy School we require the children to bring a healthy snack such as a cereal bar or fruit for breaktime or to buy snack and fruit juice from school.  An increasing number of children have started to bring chocolate, cakes, biscuits, sweets and crisps in for break time and we would  appreciate your support in not sending these in as snacks.   We encourage the children to bring a bottle of water into school each day and cool water is available to refill this as necessary but water bottles must not be filled with fruit juice.  Children should bring the bottles home each night.

Behaviour
We are very proud of the way the children behave both when they are in school and when they are involved in trips.  However, on occasions, we do have to keep children in at break times to give them time to complete work or reflect on why they have missed their playtime.  At such times children will be offered fruit as a snack.

Reading Records
We encourage children to read at home every evening; reading can be from a school book but also reading a library book, a magazine, comic or newspaper and  electronic books are all equally important – so long as they are reading and developing their skills with appropriate text then we will be happy.  Please find the time to talk to your children about what they have read and to sign their reading record when they have read with you or discussed their reading with you.

Parking
Please remember that the car park in front of the school is for staff and visitor use only.  Parents should only come into this car park if they hold a valid Disabled Badge or if they are collecting a sick child during the school day.

School Dinners
Universal Infant Free School Meals are available for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Children will be provided with a FREE hot meal from the school kitchen which can provide meals to meet all dietary requirements. Children in Years 3 – 6 may also be entitled to a free school meal if families are in receipt of particular benefits – please see the office for further information.  Please remember that claiming your entitlement to a free school meal also benefits your child in school as additional government funding is given to school.   If you have any concerns about particular dietary needs please talk to us so that we can ensure that a hot healthy meal is available for your child.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Curless

Headteacher