As a successful school which teaches and practices the Catholic faith, we attract children from a wide area. We recognise that our large catchment means that some parents are unable to walk or cycle with their children to school. However, we believe there are steps we can all take to make sure that our children are safe and that our neighbours are inconvenienced as little as possible during the busy morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times.
COLLECTION POLICY
Responsibility for childcare arrangements, both before and after school, rests with the parents and not the school.
During School Hours: In order to minimise impact on the children’s learning, parents/carers should ensure that routine appointments, e.g. to see the dentist or doctor, are made during the school holidays or after school.
At the end of the school day: · The school expects children to be collected at the end of the school day, which is 3.10pm for Key Stage One (KS1) and 3.20pm for Key Stage Two (KS2).
· Children in KS1 are handed over to their parent/carer from the school gates from 3.10pm
· Siblings from KS1 can remain in school until collection of the older sibling and should be collected from their class gate.
· Children in KS2 are handed over to their parent/carer from the school gates from 3.20pm
· Children travelling home independently Children in Years 5 and 6 are allowed to leave school independently provided parental consent has been given in writing. The school keeps a register of children who have permission to travel to and from school independently which is shared with the child’s class teacher. This permission only applies to children leaving school at the end of the school day (3.20pm). Further consent will be required if you would like your child to walk home independently after an After School Club.
Please note:
· If you arrange for another adult to collect your child, you must let the school know the details of that person. We will not send a child home with someone else even if they are known to the staff member/school unless this has been communicated to the school office or class teacher first from a person with parental responsibility.
· If children are to be collected by someone under the age of 18 years and the school has not had any confirmation, the school reserves the right to contact parents before releasing the child/ren. If a child under 18 is regularly collecting your child, the school requires written permission
· When informing the class teacher or school office, parents should indicate if this is an on-going arrangement or a one off situation. If the arrangement is likely to be frequent, all staff can be made aware of the arrangement.
· If a message is given to a member of the admin team during the school day, it may not be possible for the message to be given to the class teacher before it is time to go home. In these circumstances, class teachers will bring the child and the person collecting them to the school office (once all the other children have been dismissed) for clarification of this before sending the child home. In order to avoid any difficult situations, please make sure the adult collecting your child is made aware of this important safeguarding procedure.
· If there are changes to collection arrangements, please try to contact the office by 2.45pm via telephone.
Non collection: If a parent/carer does not arrive to collect their child at the end of the school day and the school has not been made aware of alternative arrangements, the school will take the following steps:
1. The teacher will bring the child/children to school reception and ask child/ren to wait in school reception table where they are supervised.
2. A member of staff will check with the office whether the parent/carer has telephoned and left instructions or an estimated time of arrival.
3. If no contact has been made by the parent/carer, the office staff will attempt to contact the parent/carer and the emergency contact by telephone.
4. Where appropriate, a member of staff will sensitively ask the child whether there is a reason that could account for their parent/carer being late.
5. School will continue to try and contact the parent/carer and the emergency contact/s.
The steps outlined below applies to after school, after school activities (ASA) and Early After School Club
- Up to 10 minutes, the child/ren will wait in school reception ready to be collected from the school office.
- More than 10 minutes late, the child/ren will have to attend the After School Club and you will be charged for the entire session (Early Bird = £7 and Late ASC = £12).
- If a parent/contact is not contactable by 4pm, the school will contact the Bracknell Forest Health & Social Care’s office.
- In an emergency, school will contact the police.
IMPORTANT
A gentle reminder that parents are NOT permitted to park in the school car park between 8.20-4.45. Please park at the top of Gipsy Lane (where it seems there are significantly less vans) or Bracknell Football Club. The only reason we ask this is in order to keep our pupils safe in the school car park.
People using Morning Club, and anyone collecting from After School Club after 4:45, should be reminded to drive cautiously at all times.
Gipsy Lane
Many schools suffer from severe vehicle congestion problems in the area close to their premises and St. Joseph’s is no different. Gipsy’ Lane is a public access and we have no jurisdiction over this drive, so parents/carers/guardians need to take responsibility for their children on this lane.
Wherever possible, entrances used by pedestrians should be segregated from vehicles. However, this is not possible at St. Joseph’s Primary due to the restricted access to the school. We ask that all parents, cyclists, pedestrians are very alert both in in Gipsy Lane and in the school car park.
The parking bay on Gipsy Lane is a passing zone and should be kept clear at all times. A maximum speed limit of 5mph is recommended both in the school car park and in Gipsy Lane.
We request that all St. Joseph’s Community abide by the following guidelines:
Gipsy Lane Curfew
Gipsy Lane is the main entrance to the school and for safety reasons, the school has imposed a curfew:
Every morning: 8.20 – 9.05am
Every afternoon: 3 – 3.30pm
We ask all parents and visitors to abide by this curfew.
We also remind all parents /carers/visitors to show consideration towards the specific arrangements for blue badge holders that allow them to drive down Gipsy Lane at times when others have been requested not to do.
Parking at Bracknell Forest Football Club
Parking at our school is an on-going problem and we have many complaints from local residents about irresponsible parking that affects access to their home. As a priority, one area we would like to improve is the parking beyond the cemetery as it is difficult for the residents to have so many vehicles on such a narrow road.
The chairman of Bracknell Town Football Club has been very generous in agreeing to parents parking in the football club car park for the morning and afternoon drop offs. This parking area is available for our parents to use only if we stop using Larges Lane and the road beyond the cemetery. It is essential we respect the residents and work together with our local community to improve our parking issue.
Morning and After School Club Parking
During the school day, the only vehicles in the car park should be that of staff and approved visitors’ cars.
Parents whose children are attending the Morning Club & After School Club may park in school car park to drop
off and collect their children. However, there are a few conditions when using the school car park
- Morning Club: Parents must adhere to the morning curfew (no driving down the lane 8.20 – 9.05am)
- After School Club: Parents can only use the car park from 4.45 pm onwards.
- Parents attending the these clubs MUST park at the school field/cemetery end of the car park.
- All cars must be parked between the lines in the bay
- A maximum speed limit of 5mph in the school car park and in Gipsy Lane.
Official School Visitors
Visitors will be asked to park over the far side of the car park – near the churchyard. All cars must be in a lined bay. Wherever possible, delivery vehicles will be encouraged to arrive and depart from the premises during lesson times
More than half from half
If you are fortunate enough to live within half a mile of the school, and a great majority of our children do, we would like you to make every effort to walk /scoot to school. Unfortunately, more than half of children living close to school currently come by car. We understand that a lot of parents travel on to work after dropping children off, but we would still like to aim for at least half of all children living within half a mile, regularly walking to school. To help parents, the council have published a map showing the area within half a mile of the school and highlighting underpasses, crossings and shortcuts. You can find a large version of the map in reception.
A Journey Shared...
A journey shared is pounds saved! Analysis from the school census suggests the average school run to St Joseph’s by car costs in the region of £150+ per year in petrol alone. If you live near someone who is driving to school, why not suggest to car share. This will free-up your time on days when you are not driving, as well as saving you money. We realise this will not suit everyone; if you have more than one child, fitting all the child seats in can be problematic. But it can work. At another school in the borough, just over a third of children car share on a regular basis.
Cyclists and Scooters
Both parents and children must dismount their bicycles/ scooters and walk in the school car park. Suitable storage facilities for
bikes are provided and parents are reminded to ensure their bikes are locked as thefts have occurred in the past.
Don’t be a parking YOB!
If you have no alternative but to park in one of the residential roads near the school (and we would much rather you didn’t), please take a moment to consider three things before you park;
- are you on Yellow lines?
- are you Obstructing the footway?
- are you Blocking someone’s driveway?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions, please find an alternative place to park. There is often no need to park ‘two wheels up’ on the footway. If you park close to the kerb, other cars should still be able to pass. Parking on the footway just makes it harder for parents with buggies, or elderly people using mobility aids, to use the footway safely.
Get a space, not a ticket!
In response to concerns raised by residents, the police and civil enforcement officers will be jointly patrolling the local roads to ensure cars are legally parked. The concerns raised are not solely directed at parents of the school. Staff and students from the nearby college are also being asked to act responsibly.
Park, stride and talk...
The school have negotiated an agreement with Bracknell Forest Football Club for parents to use their car park. This means you can park easily, in marked bays, without the need to hunt for a space, parallel park, or risk a fine. It is less than a 5 minute stride to school – enough time to talk with your child about the day ahead and thus prepare him/her ready for learning.