Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I order the uniform from?

The majority of Christchurch Church of England Primary School uniform can be purchased from supermarkets such as Tesco or Asda.

Uniform with a logo can be purchased via: www.kidsandcodirect.co.uk

On this website you will find our sweatshirt, cardigan, fleece, bookbag and PE t-shirt available to order. All uniform can be purchased online and delivered at a cost of £4.50.

If you have any queries regarding uniform, please contact the school office.

Am I eligible for free school meals?

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal every day through Universal Free School Meals Funding.

For children in Years 3 to 6, the cost of the meal with effect from 26th February 2024 is £2.50 per day.

To apply for Free School Meals (FSM) please follow this link: Free School Meals (FSM) Eligibility Check – September 26

To be eligible for a means tested free school meals you must be receiving one of the following:

Income Support or Income-based Job Seekers Allowance;
Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of less than £16,190);
Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit;
The guaranteed element of Pension Credit;
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance;
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
Universal Credit, with a household income of £7,400 or less (after tax and not including any benefits you get).

If your child/ren is in Reception, Year 1 or 2 and you are in receipt of any of the above, you can also use this application to secure additional school funding for your child/ren.

To apply for a free school Meals for your child/ren please ask for an application form in the School Office.

Changes on Free School Meal Entitlement following roll out of the Universal Credit

The Department for Education has clarified the changes on Free School Meal entitlement following the roll out of the Universal Credit.

As from 31^st March 2025 it will protect all pupils that would have lost their entitlement to free school meals as a result of the change in the qualifying period.

Any pupil eligible for free school meals before 1st April 2018 will keep their free school meal eligibility until the revised end date of 31st March 2025.
Any pupil who becomes eligible during the roll out of the Universal Credit (from 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2025) will keep their eligibility until 31st March 2025.
Once the revised roll out of Universal Credit has completed (31st March 2025), any losing pupil will continue to be transitionally protected until the end of their current phase of education eg Primary in Year 6 of Secondary in Year 11.
This applies whether parents received Universal Credit or legacy benefits.
Pupils will keep their eligibility even if their circumstances change between 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2025.

What happens during severe weather?

Adverse Weather Closures

If we do decide that we need to close the school as a result of bad snow or bad road conditions this is not a decision that we take lightly. Adverse weather really does mean ‘severe’ as opposed to a slight flurry. If circumstances are such that you think there is a possibility that we may be forced to close either first thing in the morning or during the day, we would please ask you to check the following:

Come to this school’s website to see if a message has been posted on the home page.

Radio Broadcasts

You can tune into the local radio stations listed below where closure information will be broadcast on a regular basis (note that BBC Essex’s website is updated before any broadcasts). However, it can take us up to 20-30 minutes to get connected, and then the message will only be broadcast in the next ’round’ of announcements.

BBC Essex: 103.5 FM / 729 AM

Dream 100: 100.2 FM

Early Closure

If weather conditions should deteriorate badly once the children are already in school please first check the school’s website to check for any new message that has been posted on the home page. Please try to avoid calling the school office for information. It is very difficult to function with such a high volume of incoming calls.

If we decide we must close early, we will inform the radio stations (again, BBC Essex will update their website before any broadcasts take place) and also text & email parents.

What are the school opening times?

The School Day

The School hours are 8.40 am to 3.10 pm

Morning session: 8.40 am – 12.30 pm
Morning break: 10.25 am – 10.40 am
Lunch break: 12.30 pm – 1.20 pm
Collective Worship: 1.20pm – 1.45pm
Afternoon session: 1.20 pm – 3.10 pm
Afternoon break: (infants only) 2.30 pm – 2.40 pm

Playground gates are opened at 8.30 am when a member of Staff will be on duty and children can go straight into their classrooms.

The School Office in open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 12.30 pm & 1.20 pm to 4.00 pm.

School Term Dates – 2025-2026 – Christchurch Church of England Primary

School Term Dates – 2025-2026 – Essex County Council

What is your Lateness Procedure?

Punctuality

School doors open at 8.30 am. Morning registration is at 8.40 am. This is the time your child must be in the classroom, so you need to ensure your child is coming through the school gate by 8.40 am.
It is important to be on time as the first few minutes of the school day are often used to give out instructions or organise schoolwork for the rest of the day.
After the close of registration (9.10 am) your child will be marked as unauthorised absence in line with the Department for Education guidance.
We will let you know if we have concerns about your child’s punctuality.
Children who remain uncollected at the end of school time will be referred to a place of safety if not collected or the school contacted by school closing time.

What is your Absence Procedure?

As a school we aim to:

Maintain an attendance rate of a minimum of 96%
Maintain parents’ and pupils’ awareness of the importance of regular attendance.

Good attendance is important because:

There is a direct link between under-achievement and poor attendance
Children with high attendance make better progress, both socially and academically
Children with high attendance find school routines and school work easier to cope with
Children with high attendance find learning more satisfying
Children with high attendance have an easier transfer to secondary school

As a parent you can help us by:

You should call in the morning for every absence with the reason and tell us when the child will return. The telephone number is 01621 740328
Dental and doctor’s appointments should be booked out of school hours or during school breaks
Provide a note explaining the reason for absence on your child’s return to school after an illness
Keep us updated by telephone or letter if your child has an extended period of absence due to illness

We shall:

Follow up unexplained absences by phone calls and letters as soon as possible
Inform parents of the importance of regular attendance and punctuality in newsletters, the school prospectus and the Home-School agreement
Reward good attendance
Publish your child’s attendance rate on her/his annual school report
We will let you know if we have concerns regarding your child’s attendance
If we continue to have concerns we will make a referral to the Education Welfare Officer

Each year we publish our school attendance figures on our website.

Authorised Absence

Some absences are allowed by law and are known as “authorised absences”. For example: if a child is ill, family bereavement, religious observance.

We realise that there are rare occasions when there might be a particular problem that causes your child to be absent. Please let us know and we shall try to deal with it sympathetically.

Unauthorised Absence

There are times when children are absent for reasons, which are not permitted by law. These are known as “unauthorised absences”. Examples of unauthorised absence are:

“I’m waiting on a delivery.”
“I’m shopping or for a hair cut.”
“We are going for a family day out.”
“It is my child’s birthday.”
“We are sleeping in after a late night.”
Holidays during term
If there is no explanation for the absence or where the reason for the absence is considered unsatisfactory

Unauthorised Absences have to be reported to the Local Authority. The EWO (Education Welfare Officer) may contact you and consider taking legal action against you if your child has unauthorised absences.

Term Time Leave of Absence

As from 1st September, 2013 the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 have been amended. All references to family holidays and extended leave have been removed, together with the right for parents to apply for up to 10 days.

Therefore, the school will no longer be permitted to grant leave of absence during term time, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to your child’s educational progress. A pupil who takes 10 days absence will only attain 94.7% attendance in the year. 10 days absence also means the pupil will miss 50 hours of education.

Please remember that the more time your child misses from school, the more difficult it is for them to catch up with their work. Valuable learning time is lost.

If the absence is not authorised and the leave is taken, schools may refer to the Local Authority for legal action.

Penalty Notice Fines for School Attendance

All schools by law must follow the Department for Education’s statutory guidance relating to school attendance. They must use the appropriate national attendance or absence code, and follow the criteria set out within the guidance. The statutory guidance states:

A leave of absence must not be granted unless there are exceptional circumstances and must be requested in advance
A leave of absence must be requested in advance by a parent who the pupil normally lives with
Schools must judge each application individually, considering the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind each request
Where a leave of absence is granted, the school will determine the number of days a pupil can be absent from school
A need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute an exceptional circumstance
A school cannot grant a leave of absence retrospectively. If the parent did not apply in advance, the leave of absence should not be granted
Where this guidance refers to a parent, the school and/or local authority will need to decide which adult(s) is most appropriate. Generally, parents include:
All natural parents, whether they are married or not;
All those who have parental responsibility
Those who have day to day responsibility for the child

Please note all schools are expected to regularly inform parents about their child’s attendance and absence.

Taking your child out of school during term time could be detrimental to their educational progress. If the absence is not authorised and the leave is taken, schools may refer to the Local Authority for legal action. Please find below information from Essex County Council regarding Penalty Notice Fines for School Attendance.

For full details regarding Penalty Notices please follow this link: School attendance and absence: Penalty notices | Essex County Council.

Helping Parents understand Penalty Notice Fines for School Attendance

From 19 August 2024, there is a National Framework for Penalty Notice Fines being issued for unauthorised absences recorded by schools

National Threshold

A single consistent national threshold for when a Penalty Notice must be considered by ALL schools in England, this is:

· 10 sessions (usually equivalent to 5 school days) of unauthorised absence within a rolling 10 school week period

· These sessions do not have to be consecutive and can be made up of a combination of any type of unauthorised absence

· For example, a 5-day unauthorised leave of absence would meet the national threshold

· The 10-school week period can span different terms or school years

Who may be fined?

· Penalty Notice Fines are issued to each parent who allows their child to be absent without authorisation from school

· For example, 3 siblings absent for unauthorised leave during term-time would result in each parent receiving 3 separate fines

First Offence

The first time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence, the fine amount will be:

· £80 per parent, per child if paid within 21 days

· If not paid within 21 days, the fine will increase to £160 per parent, per child, payable between the 22^nd and 28^th day

Second Offence (within 3 years)

The second time a Penalty Notice is issued for unauthorised absence, a reduced rate is not available. The amount therefore will be:

· £160 per parent, per child – payable within 28 days

Third Offence and Any Further Offences (within 3 years)

The third time an offence is committed, a Penalty Notice WILL NOT be issued, and the case will be presented straight to the Magistrate’s Court

· Prosecution can result in criminal records and fines of up to £2,500

· Cases found guilty in a Magistrates Court can show on the parent’s future DBS certificate (Disclosure and Barring Service) due to a ‘failure to safeguard a child’s education’

Leave of Absence Request Form – Christchurch Church of England Primary

My child is sick. Should they still come to school?

NHS Poster – What to do – Advice on childhood illnesses

NHS – Is my child too ill for school?

Provide Children and Family Services

Medication Permission Form – Christchurch Church of England Primary

Local NHS experts have joined forces with Essex County Council to produce an at-a-glance guide to 17 childhood illnesses including Chicken Pox, Glandular Fever, Ringworm and Tonsillitis.

The poster above highlights key symptoms of common illnesses which are traffic light colour coded to indicate whether children should go to school or stay at home.

Illnesses in the green category – for example colds and conjunctivitis – are those where children should continue to go to school.

The amber category is when an illness could be catching and there are some restrictions on school attendance.

Children should not go to school and should see a GP if the illness falls into the red category. Red category illnesses are German measles, Impetigo, Measles and Whooping Cough.

The poster also advises parents on where they should first seek treatment, either from their local pharmacist or their GP.

There is guidance on when to consult a GP if symptoms persist and advice on when it should be safe for a child to return to school if they have a particular illness.

Can I visit the school?

Parents are Welcome

Arrangements can by made to visit the school by appointment with the Head of School, who will be pleased to talk to parents and show them around the school.

Parents of children due to begin in the Reception class will be invited to a meeting with the Class Teacher prior to them beginning school. Children are also invited to attend sessions in the classroom in the Summer Term.

Meeting are held by Class Teachers at the beginning of the year to discuss the curriculum.

Informal afternoons are arranged for parents to look at work around the school and to have refreshments. There are further opportunities throughout the year for parents to visit the school to watch performances and class presentations.

Parents’ consultation evenings are held in the Autumn and Summer Terms. An annual written report is sent to parents at the end of Spring Term.

If you have any concerns or queries then please speak to the Class Teachers in the first instance. If you are unable to catch them at the school gate then please contact the School Office to arrange an appointment.

Christchurch C of E Primary School sees teaching and learning as a process of co-operative teamwork and welcomes and encourages the involvement of parents and other members within the school community. All adults who work regularly with the children have had appropriate checks carried out in line with DfES policy.

As required by the 1988 Education Reform Act, parents are entitled to view school documents. Parents should contact the school in advance if they wish to make an appointment.