School Meals
All school meals are cooked by our own chef and catering team and are of a very high standard. We have been awarded the Local Authority’s Healthy Schools Award and also the national award. Parents are very welcome to sample the food and discuss any food requirements with our chef. We have a family meals day every Monday and also host birthday lunches.
School meals cost £2.00 per day and should be paid for on the Friday before the meals are required or at the latest on the following Monday. Cheques should be made payable to Bar Hill School. Please write your child’s name and class on the back of the cheque. Dinner money should be sent to the child’s class in a sealed envelope. Please ensure that dinner money payment is separate from any other money being paid to school. For details about free school meals contact the school office.
There is a locked red mail box in the school lobby for all communication with the school.
Personal Property
It is not advisable for children to bring valuables or money to school. If it is unavoidable, they must be handed to the class teacher for safe-keeping. Children are not allowed to bring mobile phones, skateboards or bicycles (unless they have passed their cycling proficiency test) to school. The school is not insured for damage or loss to personal items and we strongly recommend that all items which are brought to school are covered by your household insurance policy.
School Dress
We encourage all children to take pride in their appearance and to wear appropriate clothing for school. The governors and majority of parents strongly support our policy on school uniform.
Our uniform is:
- Navy blue sweatshirt – plain or with school logo
- Grey/navy or black trousers
- Navy tunic or skirt
- Pale blue polo shirt – plain or with school logo
- Blue and white check or stripe summer dresses
The school office has samples of uniform. If you would like to see some, please contact the school office.
PE and games wear
PE wear is as follows:
- White vest or t-shirt
- Blue shorts
- Indoor PE is done in bare feet
For outdoor games children will need:
- A warm top
- Shorts
- Socks
- Trainers (not plimsolls)
- Football boots (optional)
- In very cold weather jogging bottoms and a warm top are allowed to be worn over games kit.
- Baggy t-shirts are not allowed for safety reasons.
All children need a draw string bag for storing all PE and games kit. Anything larger is not suitable for the cloakrooms. Please ensure that your child has suitable clothing available at the beginning of each week. All clothing needs to be clearly marked with the child’s name.
Lost Property
There is a lost property box at the back of the school hall. Any found items will be stored in the box until the end of term. Any unclaimed items will then be disposed of. Any lost items which are valuable will be kept in the school office. Any named items will be returned to the child’s class.
Educational visits
During your child’s stay at Bar Hill he/she will participate in educational visits such as:
- Local walks around the village
- Day trips to museums, environmental centres, art galleries etc.
- Sporting fixtures
- Extended residential visits
All visits are linked to the school curriculum. You will be required to complete a form giving permission for educational visits. All visits requiring transport will be in coaches or minibuses with seat belts. The teachers responsible for the visits act ‘in loco parentis’ at all times and will give the care which any reasonable parent would give.
Under the Education Reform Act, 1988, parents are asked to make a contribution to help fund these visits. We are required to state that these contributions are voluntary but if insufficient funds are received the school reserves the right to cancel the visit or event. The governing body has adopted the Local Authority’s policy on charging for non-school activities. If parents are in receipt of income support or family credit the governing body will make a financial contribution towards any residential activity that is organised within the school day. If any other parent finds difficulty in funding an educational visit please contact the Headteacher to discuss.
EXTENDED SCHOOL DAY
Breakfast Club
Our breakfast club is open from 7:45 until the start of school and is open to all ages. The food provided is in line with out healthy eating policy and provides excellent value for money. The cost is £2.50 per day per child.
Clubs
A range of extra-curricular activities are available. Details of clubs are sent out early in the autumn term or as they are established. For further details contact the school office.
After-School Club (The Playstation)
This is a privately run club located in the SPARC building adjacent to the school and caters for children aged 4 to 11 from 3:30 – 6:00pm. Please contact Patsie Ostler for further information (tel: 01954 201079).
SOUTH CAMBS SCHOOL SPORTS PARTNERSHIP
‘Giving every young person a sporting chance’
Our school is part of the South Cambs School Sport Partnership. The Partnership aims to give every young person their sporting chance by developing high quality Physical Education and school sport for all young people; an ambition which lies at the heart of the legacy aims of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Through the work of South Cambs School Sport Partnership our school benefits from a comprehensive programme of training opportunities for staff, more sports coaches to support the delivery of extra-curricular clubs and activities, regular opportunities for our children to take part in inter-school competitions and festivals, additional funding to deliver a wider range of extra curricular clubs, a top up programme to help our pupils meet the Key Stage 2 standards for swimming, links with local community clubs, play leader training for children in year 6, and support with delivering high quality PE.
Visit the Partnership website at www.scssp.co.uk for more information, latest news updates, forthcoming events and courses, competition dates and a community sports clubs directory. If you would like to receive termly news updates of what’s coming up across the Partnership please email sspadmin@comberton.cams.sch.uk with the subject title ‘Parent News’ and your child’s school.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Parent/Teacher Association (PTA)
The school has an active PTA and all parents are automatically members. A committee is elected at the Annual General Meeting, the date of which is communicated via the PTA newsletter.
School Governors
The governing body works closely with the Headteacher in the leadership and management of the school. It meets regularly during the term with additional committee meetings to discuss individual areas e.g. health and safety, premises, school development, finance, inclusion and personnel. The minutes of governing body meetings are available to parents.
The governors are all local people, caring for the welfare of the school’s pupils and bringing their interests and experience to support the school. They play an active role in school improvement and raising standards. They are always happy to talk to you about any matters related to school and your children. All parents are eligible to stand for the position of parent governor as and when such positions arise. Notification of vacancies is via election documentation provided by the clerk.
Parent Partnership
The Local Authority operates a Parent Partnership scheme which provides independent advice to parents about their children with SEN. It is advisable to contact the Headteacher, in the first instance, to register any concerns. The school also has access to a Parent Support Advisor (PSA) who provides a link between home and school. Further details are available from the school office.
Children’s Centre
The school is a designated Phase 3 Children’s Centre. The centre will support all families with children under the age of 5. The centre is located at the front of the school, accessed by a separate entrance.
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