School Day Times

School starts at 8:50am and ends at 3:20pm.

Children are encouraged to arrive promptly when their doors open & use time to organise their belongings, activities are available in every classroom & class teachers available for brief chat.

This provides a school day of 6.5 hours per day and 32.5 hours per week which is inline with the national expectation for the length of a school day.

Through our partnership with Funclub we offer full wrap around childcare from 7:30am until 6:00pm.

Collection & Delivery of Children

With the help of our wonderful Lollipop man, Bob, we offer a safe arrival into school via the Bilton Lane entrance. We also have an entrance on Hall Lane.

For the children’s safety and well being we ask that parents let us know of alterations to normal collection arrangements, preferably in writing.

We appreciate that emergencies can arise and we hope to be supportive in such cases. For the children’s safety we ask parents not to use the Car Park entrance.

We ask that you avoid parking on the yellow zig-zag lines outside the school entrances.

We realise that finding space to park is sometimes difficult, but urge you to remember that the zig-zag lines are there to protect the children. If you park in these areas you are actually making it very difficult and potentially dangerous for children walking to and from school.

• The school building and grounds are No Smoking areas.
• We ask that no dogs (with the exception of guide dogs) are brought onto school property.
• Children can scoot or cycle to school, but must refrain from doing so within the playground for the safety of others.

The Start of the Day

Main school gates open at 7:20am for Funclub access, with playground access from 8:30am, classroom doors open at 8:50am. If you arrive after this time, children should be taken to the main school entrance and signed in before joining their class.

We would encourage all families to ensure prompt arrival at school for the start of learning at 8.50am.

The Hall Lane gate is closed at 9:05am approximately and reopened at 3:05pm.

If for any reason you need to collect your children before the end of the school day, please inform your child’s teacher and collect your child from the school’s main entrance where your child will be required to be signed out.

Morning Playtime

Children may bring a healthy snack of fruit, vegetables or cheese to school to eat during morning playtime.

They should also bring named bottles of water to school (no juice). This supports our Health Education Policy.

The End of the Day

The school day ends at 3:20pm. If a parent or guardian does not arrive to collect their child, the school will make every effort to contact them. Children will be asked to wait in the entrance hall to be collected.

Please contact the school if you know you are going to be late.

Behaviour in School

Good behaviour is necessary to support the following aims of our school.

• that all those who work in or visit our school will exhibit behaviour in keeping with these aims and our ethos
• that those who work in or visit our school will:
  • value and appreciate one another and themselves irrespective of gender, age, race or creed and acknowledge that everyone has a part to play within our school community
  • listen with respect to one another and be conscious never to damage another’s self esteem
  • develop self-discipline, and the ability to learn independently and work co-operatively
  • be helped to feel good about themselves
• to foster a caring attitude for the school environment, including the building, inside and outside areas, equipment and personal effects

We try to achieve these aims through praise, encouragement and incentives and so provide for every child’s need for security and personal development. Our full policy on behaviour management is available in school and on the Policies page of our website.

What do I do if my child is ill?

Please contact the school office by email admin@richardtaylor.ycst.co.uk or by phone 01423 563078 as soon as you are aware your child is unwell.  A message can be left via our phone system. Please keep us updated throughout any period of illness.

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they’re unwell. There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t. For other illness there is some helpful NHS advice which can be accessed here.

How do I know when I can send my child back when they have been ill?

Typically when children are feeling better and well enough to manage being in school is the right time to send them back after being unwell. In relation to some illness and infection there are identified periods of time that children should remain at home for. These are outlined in the guidance below.

Cycling to School

The school has a cycle rack and children are welcome to cycle to school.

Younger children must be accompanied by a parent. Children in Year 6 can cycle unaccompanied and have the opportunity to complete a cycling proficiency test with Bikeability, which school will organise during the Autumn Term.

In all cases, if you wish your child to cycle to school you should first collect a form from the school office.

As outlined above, cycling (and scooting) is not permitted within the playground, children should dismount when entering the premises to ensure safety for all.