Our School Day - timings, absence, lunches and snacks!

The school gates (Hillcroft View entrances) , Reception old school gates and front entrance open between 8.40 and 8.50am each morning.

 Our school day starts at 8.50am, children can enter their classes from 8.40am ready for an 8.50am start.

Children arriving after the gate closes should report to the school office through the school’s main entrance where they will be signed in.

The school day closes at 3.05pm for EYFS and KS1. For KS2 the end of the day is 3.15pm.

For EYFS/KS 1 this equates to 6.15 hours schooling per day/ 31.15 hours per week.

For KS2 this equates to  6.25 hours schooling per day/32.05 hours per week.

The  KS2 school entrances will open after 3.05pm. Parents and carers can then enter the school grounds collect their children from the playground

Our Daily Timetable

Absence

First Day Absence

• Parents/carers must contact the school on the first day of any absence by 9:00am either by telephone, by email or in person, explaining the reason for absence and the likely day of return.
• If there has been no contact by the parent/carer by 9.30am, the school will telephone the named contacts on the child’s registration form, starting with the first contact and working through the list. Failed attempts to speak to a parent/carer will be recorded. If no contacts can be reached, a home visit will be undertaken. The police may be contacted if no contact is made through the home visit.

Day 1 - Phone call

• A staff member trained to do so, telephones the child’s home to seek reasons for the absence and reassurance from a parent or carer that the child is safe at home. ​

Day 2 - Follow up phone call

• A subsequent telephone call will be made either from the school landline or preferably a mobile phone.

Day 3 – Write/email parents

We will write or email to the parent in plain English, asking for contact to be made with the school immediately. Parents/carers will be given 3 working days to make contact. Where English may not be the parent’s first language, a copy the letter into a language that may be more accessible will be provided. 

If a child is absent for a third consecutive day, parents/carers must telephone the school and provide information on the child’s anticipated return.

Day 5/6  - Home visit

A visit to the home address will be arranged. ​

Continuing Absence

Any pupil who is absent without an explanation after 10 consecutive school days and the school are unable to contact the family, school must report the child as missing from education.

Break-time Snack

We promote a healthy diet at Blakesley, so children in Key Stage 1 are provided with a fruit or vegetable snack each day. Children in Key Stage 2 can bring a fruit snack to school to eat during their break; we encourage children to avoid the sugary fruit snacks that are often wrongly promoted as a healthy option. Please note that we are a nut free school and ask all parents to avoid sending any nut products in lunch boxes or for snack to care for the children with nut allergies who form part of our school community.

Drinks

We encourage our children to rehydrate throughout the day. Bringing a spill-proof water bottle to school filled with fresh water is ideal. This can be refilled as necessary throughout the day at our designated water station.

We discourage drinking squash, flavoured water or juice not only because of the health implications for our children’s teeth and diet, but also because spilt squash is sticky and can ruin the children’s work and resources. Please support us by ensuring that your child only brings water to school.

School Lunches

Children can choose to have a hot lunch or to bring in their own packed lunch. Packed lunches should be healthy and balanced, including a piece of fruit or vegetables.

Our hot lunch provider is Dolce. A varied menu of hot meals are cooked on site and served in two sittings.

Download a sample menu

Bookings can be made through the Live Kitchen/School Grid website; orders must be placed before 9.00am on the day that the meal is required.

Free School Meals

All of our Early Years and Key Stage 1 children are entitled to a free hot school meal, funded by the Government through their Universal Free School Meals programme.

All children may be entitled to free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit 
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit 

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll remain eligible until they finish the phase of schooling (primary or secondary). Those children eligible for free school meal’s will also be entitled to Pupil Premium Funding through the school which will be directed to supporting and enhancing their educational opportunities.

Please speak to our  Office Administrator, Cassandra Bowman, for more information about how to apply for  Free School Meals or Pupil Premium Funding.