The office
For academic year 2024–25
2024 – 25
Term 1
Start: Wednesday 4th September 2024
Finish: Thursday 24th October 2024
Staff training days: Monday 2nd September and Tuesday 3rd September, Friday 25th October 2024
Term 2
Start: Monday 4th November 2024
Finish: Friday 20th December 2024
Term 3
Start: Monday 6th January 2025
Finish: Thursday 13th February 2025
Staff training day: Friday 14th February 2025
Term 4
Start: Monday 24th February 2025
Finish: Friday 4th April 2025
Term 5
Start: Tuesday 22nd April 2025
Finish: Thursday 22nd May 2025
Staff training day: Friday 23rd May 2025
Term 6
Start: Monday 2nd June 2025
Finish: Friday 18th July 2025
Staff training days: Friday 4th July, Monday 21st July and Tuesday 22nd July 2025
All the dates you need to know
Please find the school's online calendar for parents here.
These dates are also highlighted in the 'Events' blocks on the school website, and we run reminders of significant dates in our weekly school newsletter.
Menu, free school meals, ordering and payment
Our school kitchen has consistently achieved the top rating of 5 from the Food Standards Agency. This means the hygiene standards are very good and that they comply fully with the law.
Ordering school dinners
Please have a look at the current Saltford School menu here with your child when making your choices for the week ahead. Those choices should be ordered using the MCAS (My Child at School) system where you will see the options for each day. By pre-ordering, we aim to reduce waste and ensure that specific dietary needs are met.
School dinners can be booked ahead for the full term or at any time up until 12 noon the day before the dinner is due. If you change your mind after ordering and decide to send your child with a packed lunch instead, please change your order on the system before 12 noon the day before the dinner is due. After this point you will still be charged for that day’s dinner.
If your child is absent, the meal order will automatically be cancelled for that day.
Zest Catering
Our school meals are provided by Zest Catering, Futura's in-house catering service. The management team at Zest prides itself on a "fresh, healthy and tasty" ethos. You can see a summary of all the facts you might want to know about your child's school dinner provider on this Zest fact sheet. The Zest staff are happy to support children with food allergies or intolerancies. Please call in to the school office to discuss this. See below how you can check every meal on the menu for allergens. For full information on Zest's operations, please see our letter to parents here. To read about the use of processed meats in school meals, please click here.
We have special themed meals on celebration days such as Chinese New Year, World Book Day and Pancake Day. Please see the themed events calendar here for advance dates, and keep an eye on school newsletters for more detail nearer the time.
Allergen information
There are allergen checker grids that clearly show allergen information for every school meal of every day. You can use these alongside the current menu. Please call in to the school office if you need to discuss your child's particular food allergies or intolerances.
Dinner money payment
Dinner money is £2.75 per dinner. It is Zest Catering policy for dinners to be paid in advance.
Dinner money payments should be made via our communications platform MCAS (My Child at School), through the website or the app. This allows full management of your child's dinner money account.
When children move into Year 3 they are no longer entitled to Universal Free School Meals unless the family is in receipt of certain benefits (see links below). We contact parents at this time to make sure they have all the information they need.
Free school meals
School meals are free for all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in state schools in England. These are known as 'universal free school meals'. Some children in older year groups may also be able to get a free lunch if their families are living on a low income and qualify for certain benefits. These meals are known as 'benefit-related free school meals'.
If your child qualifies for benefit-related free school meals, please don't wait until after Year 2 but apply for this when they start school, as doing so will attract significant additional funding for our school in the form of 'pupil premium'.
If you think you might be entitled to Free School Meals you can check the full information on the B&NES website: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals. This includes details of how to apply.
Applying for free school meals: You can apply online here via the B&NES website. If you prefer to apply by post you can download the Free School Meals registration form from the B&NES website or you can ask for a form from the school office. You can also apply by phone on 01225 394317. See extra guidance on the B&NES website here in the 'How to apply' section.
Packed lunch guidelines
MCAS: your portal to access your child's information
Our communication system is called My Child at School (MCAS). This system gives you full picture of your child including personal details and attendance and includes our payments portal. You can also switch between your children's accounts if they are at different Futura schools that also use MCAS. You can go straight to MCAS here: www.mychildatschool.com/. You can also download the app from the Apple app store here or from Google Play here.
How to set up your account
Your login is via the personal email address and password that you have registered with school as your contact details. If you forget your password, you can request a password reset link.
Uniform guidance and ordering links
The school uniform colours are red and grey.
Uniform
Please see the uniform guidelines and a useful presentation on our uniform guidelines for all requirements, including those for sports wear. It is essential that all items of uniform are clearly marked with your child’s name, even socks and shoes. However, lost items are placed in the lost property trunk which is in the infant corridor.
School uniform branded with our logo is available for ordering direct online at harvemschoolwear.co.uk or by visiting the uniform shop Harvem, Bath Hill, Keynsham.
Non-branded uniform that complies with our uniform requirements is available at many other outlets.
Sports wear
Please see the uniform guidelines for all requirements for sports wear. The red embroidered T shirts and hooded tops with our school logo can be either ordered online direct at harvemschoolwear.co.uk or by visiting the Harvem shop on Bath Hill in Keynsham.
Second-hand uniform
Our PTA runs a monthly sale of second-hand uniform at school where a good range of items are available at very reasonable prices. Used uniform is donated to school.
How to apply to Saltford School
Please use the Futura Learning Partnership Admissions Policy for in-year admissions during 2023/24 here. and 2024/25 here .
Please refer to Bath & North East Somerset schools admissions information for all other admissions information.
See our Early Years section for an insight into your child's first experiences at Saltford School.
and leave of absence requests
As a school we place great value on attendance because it has a strong direct link with your child’s achievement and well-being.
We work alongside the Attendance and Welfare Support Service (AWSS) from Bath and North East Somerset Council who support our interventions and any legal action through penalty notices.
Attendance
We work hard alongside parents/carers to support and promote regular attendance and every session counts. Please see our attendance policy here. It is essential that we know where children are to ensure their safety. If we do not know why a child is absent, or we have concerns about your child's attendance, we will follow these safeguarding procedures which may involve a home visit.
Taking leave or holidays in term time
Term time absences may only be authorised by the Headteacher in exceptional circumstances. If you need to make a request, please do so in advance (with 4 weeks’ notice where possible and no less than 2 weeks). All requests must be made in writing, using this request form. Please return the form to the office in person or by email to enquiries@saltfordschool.org.uk. If appropriate, we will contact you to arrange a meeting with Mrs Sage to discuss the request. A copy of the Attendance Guide Leaflet is available here.
Penalty notice information
Please be aware that unauthorised term time leave can result in a penalty being issued.
Penalty notices will be considered for:
- Accumulated unexplained or unauthorised absences
- Excessively delayed returns from holidays without prior agreement with the school
- Cases of persistent and regular late arrival, after the register has closed.
Penalty notices are issued separately to each parent, and for each child. The fine for each notice is £160 with 28 days to pay, reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days. Please see Holidays in term time on the B&NES website here for a full explanation of how the penalties work. Please also see the new National Framework for issuing Penalty notices .
Absence through illness
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please ensure you telephone and leave a message on the absence line before 8.45am on the first and each subsequent day your child will not be in school. This will ensure that the correct absence code is marked against the attendance register. Please do not report absences by email.
Use these links to skip to Documents and Forms
Letters autumn term 2024 terms 1 & 2
Year 6 Camp Balance Letter 11 December 2024
Year 5 Camp Balance Letter 5 December 2024
Year 4 Camp Balance Letter 5 December 2024
Year 2 and Year 6 Dance Umbrella
KS2 Singing at the Christmas Fair
EYFS (Reception) Nativity Angel Express
How do we let you know how your child is doing at Saltford School?
Parent Consultation Evenings November 2024
Y5 & Y6 Lighting of the Christmas Tree
Y4 Saltford Local Walk - Tuesday 22nd October
Appeal for Swimming funding support
Bristol Beacon Christmas Choir Performance
Year 1 Local Walk Tuesday 22nd October
Year 5 Geography Trip October 2024
Swimming Term 1 September 2024
Mobile phone letter to parents
Letters summer term 2024 terms 5 & 6
Whole School Forest School Project
Summer Reading Challenge and Writing Competition
EYFS End of Year Tapestry Account
Year 1 September 2024 Seesaw Letter
Music tuition letter year 3-6 September 2024
KS2 Welcome Meeting Monday 1st July
Parent Voice Questionnaire 2024
Year 5 Wellsway School Open Morning
Year 6 Bath Abbey Visit 13 June 2024
Summer Fair News - The Low Down
EYFS Visit to St Mary's Church
Y3 Visit to Bristol Museum Thursday 20th June 2024
KS2 Singing/Instrumental Concert
EYFS Visit to The Matthew June 2024
EYFS and Y1 Author Visit - Thursday 23rd May
Year 5 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Workshop Friday 7th June
Year 6 Celebration Breakfast Friday 17th May
Kelston Round Hill - Ascension Day Visit Friday 17th May
Letters spring term 2024 terms 3 & 4
Update from Futura Learning Partnership
Futura Learning Partnership Newsletter
Year 3 Multi Activity Festival - Wellsway School
EYFS Visit from the Wonder Dome 24th April
Relaunch Saltford Swimming 15 March 2024
Y6 Health Education and Camp Meetings - 16th May 2024
How do we let you know how your child is doing at Saltford School?
Parent Consultation Evening (all classes except Elm) March 2024
Year 6 Mobile Phones and Internet Use
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection letter March 2024
Book Fair Saltford School letter to Parents
Year 2 Visit to Chepstow Castle 19th April 2024
Year 1 Visit to Chepstow Castle 18th March 2024
Dance Umbrella 19th March 2024
Year 4 Health Education and Camp Meetings Monday 26th February
Visit to St Mary's Church March 2024
World Book Day Poetry competition
Elm Class change to Parent Consultation Evening
Y5 Health Education and Camp Information Meeting 1 February 2024
Y1 Supporting learning in Year 1
Y2 Supporting your child's progress in Y2 and transition to KS2
Y6 Lifeskills Visit 13th March 2024
Y6 Assessment and Transition to secondary school 18th January 2024
Y5 Return to the Forbidden Planet 30th January 2024
Letters autumn term 2023 terms 1 & 2
Dance Umbrella March 2024 for Years 2 and 6
Futura and Olympus joint statement Dec 23
Year 4 Wellsway concert letter
Year 6 Supporting your child Assessments and Transition to Secondary School
Year 1 Saltford High Street Walk 24th November 2023
How do we let you know how your chld is doing at Saltford School November 2023
Lighting of the Christmas Tree Year 5 and 6
Bikeability training letter Year 3 and Year 4
Parent Consultation Evening 16th and 20th November 2023
Flu Vaccinations email to parents 17 October 2023
Y6 Measuring Height and Weight NCMP
Year 6 Important Information Transfer to Secondary School
Positive Behaviour Policy Review letter
Key Stage 1 Visit to Warleigh Lodge Farm
Year 4 Mr Egypt - Thursday 21st September
Letters summer term 2023
Documents
Forms
Student photos and video recordings
General principles
- Student photos & video recordings may be used for identification purposes and evidencing educational development. Such data will not be shared unless the law requires us to do so, or specific consent has been provided by the parent/carer.
- Videos may be taken of lessons to support staff development; these may be seen by other teachers in school for staff training.
- Where video or sound recording is required as part of an exam course for moderation purposes, such as drama, dance, music & PE, consent is not required other than opting to choose to study the course.
- Parents / carers are welcome to take videos and photos of their children at school events for their own personal use. However, to respect everyone’s privacy rights and in some cases protection, these images must not be published or made publicly available on social networking sites, nor should parents / carers comment on any activities involving other students in the images / footage. Websites and social media can be viewed throughout the world, not just in the United Kingdom, where UK law applies. When images are posted on the internet, it is not possible to prevent others from reposting them.
- Futura Schools use third party school photographers. These third parties come into school to take pictures of students (and their siblings) and pass the images back to the school. Proofs are distributed to parents/carers by the school. Parents/carers wishing to purchase images, do so by direct payment to the photographer. Schools are able to provide information on the specific photographer used in each school & direct parents/carers to their photographer’s own data protection policy.
- Additional and specific consent for use by external agencies/companies may be sought.
- For further information about how students’ personal information is collected and managed, please refer to the Privacy notice for pupils on the Futura website here.
Parental consent
Parents provide consent for publication of their child’s image through the Parental Consents section of the My Child At School parent portal, or by contacting the school. Parental consent falls into two broad categories: School News/Events and Promotional Material.
Parental consent – school news & events
By consenting to ‘school news and events’, parents/carers give consent to the following:
- Images may be used in the school newsletters & information bulletins. These publications may be printed or published on-line via the school’s website. School websites do not have restricted access.
- Images or video footage may be used on school social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram. Note: social media accounts may not be closed groups.
- Students’ full names will not be shown alongside any published image.
- If parents do not want their child’s image to be shown on any of the aforementioned social media sites, they should withdraw consent for this category. It is not possible for the school to differentiate between permission granted for certain social media platforms (e.g. Facebook) but not others (e.g. Twitter).
Parental consent – promotional material
By consenting to ‘promotional material’, parents/carers give consent to the following:
- Images may be used in the school on activity boards, screens or reception area for promotional purpose. Note: this is separate to our statutory obligation to display work around the school, which may contain personal information; schools do not require consent to do this.
- Images or video footage may be used on the school website for publicity purposes.
- Images may be used in printed materials such as the school prospectus.
- Images or video footage may be used in the media (local / national press). Student’s names will only be published in exceptional circumstances, and with parent/carer permission.
- Unless parents/carers give express consent, students’ full names will not be shown alongside any published image.
- If parents do not want their child’s image to be used for specific purposes (e.g. prospectus, but not media), consent should be withdrawn. It is not possible for the school to differentiate between permission granted for certain promotional material but not others.
Parental consent – curriculum
By consenting to ‘curriculum’, parents/carers give consent to the following:
- Images or videos may be used on seesaw and tapestry as part of their own learning journal
- Images or videos of your child may be used in a group photo on seesaw and tapestry
Parents/carers can withdraw consent at any time either through the Bromcom MCAS account or by contacting the school. Please find our latest Local Walk and Image Consent Form letter here
Consultations for parents and booking system
The 10-minute consultation appointment provides parents/carers with an opportunity to speak with the class teacher/teachers and there is an opportunity to view your child’s work outside of the classroom prior to the appointment.
We run face-to-face appointments for our consultation evenings following a recent survey of our parents/carers where the majority preferred this option.
Parents/carers are notified directly when bookings are open for consultation evenings and will be guided to saltford.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/.
Online booking
We operate an online booking system for parent consultation evenings that allows parents/carers to choose their own appointment time(s) and provides an email confirmation of appointments made. The following guide may be of assistance: Parent guide - consultation evening booking.
SEND
Parents of children in receipt of SEN support are able to make an appointment to see the Inclusion Leader if required. These appointments should be scheduled to be after the consultation with the class teacher, as the class teacher will discuss your child’s progress and SEN provision or plans.
Crèche service
We offer a crèche service to look after school-age children as parent/teacher meetings work best if the child is occupied while they take place. This is usually a bookable service.
Further information
- Parents/carers who do not have access to the internet are requested to contact the school office to add appointments on their behalf.
- In addition to the consultation evenings, we invite parents/carers to come onto site at a different time to look through their child’s work with them via access sessions.
A record of your child through the years
We invite a professional photographer into school twice a year to take school photos that parents can buy. These sessions take place during school hours and parents are reminded in advance of the date and arrangements for each session via MCAS (My Child at School).
In Term 1 we take individual photos. There is also an opportunity for siblings from different classes to be photographed together.
In Term 6 we take group photos of the Year 6 leavers, sports teams and whole classes.
Dates are posted on the parents' online calendar and reminders are published in school newsletters.
Our top priority is for our children to travel to and from school safely. We also encourage everyone, pupils and staff, to travel actively by walking, cycling or scooting to school. We ask parents to support this aim by encouraging children to walk, scoot or cycle whenever possible.
We ask all parents who bring their children to school by car to park with consideration for our neighbours. Please consider parking a little further away so that your children can benefit from at least a short walk to school. Less parking on Claverton Road also means a safer approach for everyone who is walking, scooting and cycling.
Please click here for a helpful Bath & North East Somerset Parking Responsibilities guide which explains how parking infringements are dealt with.
Arrivals and departures guidelines
In order to achieve safe travel for our children, we are committed to following rules and procedures as set out in our 'Arrivals and departures guidelines', listed on our policies page here.
Please see some key points from these guidelines:
- EYFS and KS1 children are only released to go home with someone over the age of 18. Parents should ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for children in these year groups
- KS2 children are discouraged from travelling independently but if parents wish their child to be allowed to leave school alone it must be put in writing using the permission form that is in our 'Arrivals and departures guidelines', listed on our policies page here.
- If a child is to be collected by someone other than the parent/carer, parents must inform the class teacher in the morning. If arrangements change later during the school day, parents should notify the school office before 2.45 pm
- The main gates to the front and back of the school are locked at 8.50am. The main pedestrian gate at the front of the school must be used during the day to restrict access and safeguard staff and children. The main gates are unlocked at 3pm.
School travel plan
We were proud to be the first school in Bath and North East Somerset to receive a silver award from the national Modeshift STARS scheme. The school uses the scheme as a framework for encouraging active travel and operating an effective school travel plan. See the travel plan for the school's commitment to promoting safe and active travel, useful suggestions for parents and pupils, and a comprehensive schedule of measures and actions for the entire school year.
We believe our strategy keeps us safe, fit and healthy. Active travel helps keep our local air clean and our streets less busy. Children also develop vital road safety skills that will keep them safe as they begin to travel more independently.
Further safe travel information
Guidelines in the event of emergency closure
Closure of school, e.g. for severe weather
A decision will be reached if the school is to close as soon after 7am as possible. All reasonable efforts will be made to ensure the school opens. The decision to close the school will be taken on the basis of the health and safety of the children and staff. Many of our staff team travel in from outside the area.
Letting you know
A message from MCAS will be sent to all parents and details of the closure will be posted on the News page of the school website. The message will either be an email or a notification through the MCAS app, depending on your settings
PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TELEPHONE THE SCHOOL.
School entrances will be staffed in case any families have not picked up the message.
Expectations for the day
Staff would post some suggested activities on Tapestry and Seesaw. We would also email this as a backup. We also suggest that children could access Doodle software and their reading book.
We know that parents & carers have differing opinions regarding children completing work while it is snowing. Some prefer to take some time to enjoy some fun in the snow and share photos of this to Tapestry or Seesaw. We ask parents to use your discretion with this decision; work set would not be compulsory. We understand that all family circumstances are different.
School closure during the school day
Should the school need to close during the school day all parents will be contacted by text message. We would also message through MCAS. Please ensure that your current mobile number is correct on the school system, My Child at School or contact the school if you have any difficulty with this. Please ensure you collect your child, or make arrangements for another adult to collect your child, as soon as possible after receiving the message. We would only close the schol in an absolute emergency. Children can only be sent home if they are accompanied by an adult.
Useful tips for parents about school life
Absence through illness
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please ensure you telephone and leave a message on the absence line before 8.45am on the first and each subsequent day your child will not be in school. This will ensure that the correct absence code is marked against the attendance register. Please do not report absences by email.
Deciding whether your child is well enough to come to school
Please see NHS advice here on common childhood illnesses which is based on government guidelines. You can also access expert support and guidance through the NHS HANDi app. For more information and to download the app, follow this link. For an at-a-glance guide, please refer to the UKHSA's handy checklist here.
Armed forces families
If you are a parent and a serving member of the Armed Forces, please ensure the school office is aware of this for our records.
Birthday celebrations
We do not wish to spoil any child’s birthday happiness but at the same time we do not want to add to the issues that we all know sugar causes for children. School council’s presentation about the issues around sweets been sent in for birthdays can be found here and their presentations linked to our sugar smart campaign can be found here. We are introducing other ways of celebrating your child’s special day in school without cakes and sweets. We think these are choices for you to make for yourselves at home. So please do not send sweets, cakes or other treats into school when it is your child’s birthday. You may wish to consider an Amazon voucher so the class can buy a book or a game for wet play as an alternative.
Collecting children from school in the afternoon
The front and back gate to the school will be opened at 3 pm. In order to keep the children safe, we cannot open the gates prior to this time. Thank you for your understanding.
If someone different is collecting your child, please ensure you advise the class teacher in the morning. If possible, please avoid calling the school office in the afternoon with a change to who will be collecting your child. The office is a very busy place all day and all changes to the usual routine have to be advised to the teachers via the intercom, which disrupts the learning of the whole class.
If your child is un Upper Key Stage 2 and walks home from school unaccompanied on a regular basis, the school will require your written permission - please see our arrivals and departures guidelines which contain a reply slip for written permission.
Contact details for parents
Please remember how important it is to keep your emergency contact details up to date in the parents' portal, My Child at School. It is vital that the records are kept up to date in case of an emergency. If you have any difficulty with this, please contact the school office.
Dogs on the school site
We have noticed that some parents are bringing dogs onto the school site. Dogs are not allowed on the school site. If you walk your child to school and bring the dog, please do not tie up your dog close to either the front or back gates. We have a number of children in the school who are afraid of dogs.
Health; school nurse and illness
School nurses provide health-related support, advice and treatment to school age children and their families. For full information on the range of support available through school, please visit Bath and North East Somerset Community Health and Care Services » School Nursing.
The school nursing service can be contacted via the Inclusion Leader, Mrs Godwin - please call the office to make an appointment, or they can also be contacted directly on 0300 247 0055 during office hours.
As well as the school nursing service, there is a free mobile app for B&NES parents, called HANDi, that provides expert advice to parents, carers and health care professionals on common childhood illnesses. See the B&NES CCG website for more information and to download the app.
During the winter, we are particularly susceptible to outbreaks of norovirus (also known as the winter vomiting bug) and seasonal influenza. At school we follow Public Health England's advice on responding to these outbreaks. Please see their website for information about infection control and dealing with symptoms.
Labels, stickers & stamps – labelling clothes and kit made easy
The PTA has signed up on cashback schemes with some labelling companies. Please support school fundraising by choosing one of the suppliers below.
Stikins personalised name labels can be used for clothes, shoes, lunch boxes, etc. When ordering, please quote our fundraising number 17408. This will give the school a generous commission to support PTA fundraising.
With www.easy2name.com, when you get to the online basket, you can select Saltford School PTA in the drop down box in 'select fundraising group'.
If you wish to purchase any items from www.MyNametags.com please use the School ID 59657. The PTA will receive 20% on each order so please do use the School ID when ordering.
The other cash back company is www.stamptastic.co.uk. This company will provide you with a personalised stamp and ink pad that can be used on clothing and some plastics (see disclaimer). It can easily be stamped onto jumpers and polo tops as well as pencil cases and many more items. Use the code BS313DW online to earn up to 25% commission for the school. See their Facebook page for reviews of the product.
Letter box
The school letter box (located to the right of the front door) is now in use. Please post forms, letters and reply slips in the box, which now has a cage fitted to collect the post. This will save you time queueing in the Reception area, which is always a busy place in the morning after drop off and in the afternoon before and after pick up. Please do make use of this facility.
Lost property
Our Lost Property Box is a large wooden trunk located at the end of the Infant Corridor, just outside the Hall. Please encourage your children to take care of their possessions and ensure that they go home with exactly the same items that they came to school in. Please also ensure that items worn or brought into school are named.
Any unclaimed or unnamed items left in the box at the end of each term will be recycled.
Medical appointments
Routine medical appointments should be arranged outside of school hours wherever possible. Where your child has an appointment other than a routine appointment, please ensure that you provide the office with a copy of the appointment letter in order that the correct absence code can be applied to your child’s attendance record.
Medication while at school
The WMAT guidance is that medicines can only be administered at school with medical approval. In the case of prescription medicine parents are required to sign the authority form found in the 'Supporting pupils with medical conditions' policy. The school is able to administer non-prescription medication with the authority of the parents and so school will contact parents before any medication is administered to avoid overdose. All medication must be brought to the school office. For asthma, the issue of inhalers is very important. All medication, including inhalers, is kept in the school office.
Milk
All pupils under the age of five are eligible for free school milk. This is arranged automatically by school.
After their fifth birthday and up to age eleven, we can offer fresh milk daily through a scheme set up jointly by the Local Education Authority and School Milk Services Limited. The cost is £1.30 per week for one child to receive a carton of semi-skimmed milk at the morning break. Please click here for a link to the school milk services website for a full description and payment details and this letter regarding the development of paper straws for portion size cartons.
Nut and seed life-threatening allergy awareness
We have several children with severe life-threatening nut and sesame seed allergies and a reaction can be triggered by airborne contact. For safety reasons, we must insist that parents/guardians do not send children to school with peanut butter sandwiches, Nutella, cereal bars containing nuts etc. or indeed anything containing nuts, lentils or sesame seeds (e.g. on buns or in snack bars or hummus). Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.
Parent helpers, application and DBS requirements
We always appreciate the help parents can give in the school day. Mrs Sage sends a letter to ask for help in the classroom each year. Please complete the form on the letter if you are able to hear children read, help with computers etc. Any offer of help is welcome. Please make it clear on the form which Key Stage you would prefer to work in. We will then try to arrange this if possible. We really need swimming helpers; the lists are outside each classroom. All swimming helpers and regular support for the school will need to apply for a DBS check through the school office. "Regular" support is defined as being more than once a month.
Parking outside school premises
Whilst the majority of parents and carers are aware of the importance of considerate parking, incidences of inconsiderate parking, putting the safety of our children at risk are frequently brought to the school's attention. Incidences include parking and waiting on the zig-zags, blocking the school entrance and reversing to turn in the school drive. Please do not park on the pavements and be aware of your speed on the roads surrounding the school. PARKING ON THE PAVEMENTS IS ILLEGAL.
The school appreciates that the roads around the school are busy at the beginning and end of school, but the safety of the children, indeed the safety of all, is paramount.
The school encourages walking to school. If you need to drive, please consider parking a little further away to help ease congestion.
The school will take details of cars which park illegally and these details will be passed to Keynsham police.
A notice that can be placed on the windscreen of cars parked inconsiderately in the area can be found here and a letter from Avon and Somerset Police can be found here.
Pushchairs and buggies
Parents and carers are requested not to bring pushchairs or buggies into the school as the corridors are very narrow and busy at morning drop-off and afternoon collection times. Pushchairs and buggies may be left under the canopy outside Reception or under the canopy outside Class RH.
Snacks
The school policy on snacks is to ensure that they should be a healthy option. If you would like your child to have a mid-morning snack, we encourage them to bring in fresh fruit or vegetables – you will find some great ideas for healthly snacks on the change4life website. The best snacks for break time, are foods that the children can eat outside and eat with their fingers. Chopped up fruit or raw veggies such as carrots or peppers are ideal. Breadsticks and wholemeal crackers are also great finger foods that can be spread with low-fat soft cheese. Please note that the most recent guidance is that dried fruit is no longer recommended as a between-meal snack because it is high in sugar and can be bad for teeth. Parents have asked about various shop purchased snacks, such as fruit winders and various breakfast bars etc. Most of these snacks are usually high in sugar.
Sun safety
Staff will not apply sun screen to any child.
Sun screen use will be encouraged on educational visits and for outdoor PE.
If required at school children can bring their own sun screen and apply it themselves.
Children my only use their own sun screen.
Parents are asked to teach their children how to sensibly use and apply these screens and will clearly label them and put them in their child's bag for their own use.
Please see our Sun Protection Policy.
Taking responsibility
Children are encouraged to take responsiblity for the important items they need to bring to school in the morning from EYFS to Year 6. The office does not have the capacity to make telehpone calls home. Sometimes parents/carers return to school to drop off the forgotten items - these items will remain in the office until break or lunch time when the child can collect - we no longer buzz the classroom to advise that the missing item has been delivered as this disrupts the whole class learning.
Tattoos
Tattoos or any other skin markings on the arm or other parts of the body are not allowed.
Useful tips for new parents and frequently asked questions
In this section you will find lots of useful tips produced in conjunction with the PTA for parents new to the scdool.
Saltford swimming
At Saltford we are lucky to have a swimming pool on site, enabling all our children to swim once a week from April to October. Our pool was built in response to the tragic drowning of a Saltford child at The Shallows more than fifty years ago. Since then countless children from our community have learned to swim here and there is no doubt that this has saved many lives over the years.
Volunteer helpers
Volunteers are essential to support this activity and we would be very grateful for your help. All volunteers will be required to hold a school DBS certificate which will have to be organised prior to volunteering. A number of forms will need to be completed and identity verified to support this process. Once approved, the DBS certificate will be sent to your home and will need to be shown to the school office to complete our records. Please contact the school office if you wish to apply for a volunteer DBS.
If you are signed up to help, or are wondering what is involved with regard to safety, please read the current guidelines for swimming helpers here.
An electronic sign-up sheet for each class, showing the number of helpers required and how many spaces are available can be accessed via a volunteer sign up website https://volunteersignup.org which our PTA has used previously for school events. When you offer to help you will be asked for your first and last name, email address and phone number. You cannot proceed without this. The website’s privacy notice is available here volunteersignup.org/legal/privacy
Timetable of classes
To check your child's swimming day, please see the current timetable here or the relevant class page here.
Financing the pool
We try hard to keep this tremendous asset open for the current and for future generations.
The maintenance and running costs of the pool are high and sometimes unpredictable, and with the current educational funding crisis we have had to look seriously at how the costs can be met.
In evaluating all available options, the school researched the possibility of taking our children to a local leisure centre for swimming. This was not judged to be a viable option because it would mean:
- a significant increase in time spent away from the classroom, losing curriculum time. To take one year group to the local pool where each class (30 pupils) would swim for 30 minutes would take two hours minimum.
- we would only be able to offer swimming to one year group (60 pupils) per term, rather than to all 430 pupils.
- we would need significantly more helpers to accompany the children to meet the required ratio for coach trips. For a KS2 year group of 60 children, we would require at least 8 adult helpers, whereas if one KS2 class swims at school we only need 1 adult helper per class.
To cover the overall running costs and future maintenance, the potential for an outside contractor to take over the running of the pool was also considered.
If we are to keep all children at Saltford School swimming we have decided respectfully to ask parents for a £3.00 per lesson per child towards the repairs, running costs and provision of lessons. The timetable and cost schedule for the term can be found here.
However, we would be very grateful for any donation, more or less than the suggested payment, from anyone who feels that they could support this facility.
Good for us, good for you
Volunteer helpers are essential to the smooth running of some activities, especially those extra activities such as swimming and school trips that the children enjoy so much. The children benefit greatly from contact with a wide cross-section of our community and there are some activities that simply cannot go ahead if there are not enough volunteers to ensure safe numbers.
In the words of one helper, 'who knows? You may even enjoy yourself!'
We appreciate that not everyone can help every week, so we welcome any offers of help, no matter how frequent. Whatever your preference, there's a volunteering opportunity to suit you.
In addition to help in the classroom, we always appreciate help in the library, garden and pond area, to name a few areas. If you would like to come in and share a skill or interest, such as sewing, cooking or gardening, we would love to talk to you. This could be as a one-off session or to run a regular club.
Children also always enjoy hearing from people who come in to give a talk about their occupation. If you are a business that is looking for a link with a school then come and talk to us.
If you need a bit more encouragement to volunteer, please read this lovely account from one parent volunteer who, unprompted, wrote to us about her experience.
If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please pop in and have a chat to the staff in the school office, or contact us to find out more.