What time does school start and finish?

School

School starts at 8.50 a.m. and finishes at 3.10 p.m.     (Currently slightly staggered as a result of Coronavirus accommodations) 

The Astroturf is open from 8.40 a.m., but parents must remain with children until they come through the playground/main school gates. 

Nursery

Nursery has two sessions running per day and parents are offered either a morning session (8.30 – 11.30 a.m.) or an afternoon session (12.30 – 3.30 p.m.)  Children should arrive promptly for the beginning and end of their session. 

Breakfast Club and After School Clubs

This is open only to children in the main school and not Nursery. Places are limited, a waiting list is held; and places allocated in line with the policy.  Application forms and policy are available on our website https://www.stjohns.reading.sch.uk/early-birds-and-after-school-club/

Early Birds (Breakfast Club) Opens from 8.00 a.m. until the time the children are escorted into their classroom - £3 per session inclusive of a light breakfast.

After School Club – Runs from straight after school until 5.30 p.m. Children can be collected before the end of the session, but there is no reduction in cost.  £8 per session inclusive of a light meal.  Late pick-up fees do apply.

Uniform and Resources

For school, our uniform is listed https://www.stjohns.reading.sch.uk/uniform-at-st-johns/

We have a new uniform provider - which enables parents to order and pay online and for these items to be delivered to you.  

https://myclothing.com/st-johns-ce-primary-school/26889.school

Polo shirts, cardigans and sweatshirts  are available, along with a selection of non-logo items.

Uniform is also available from most supermarkets.

Book bags and PE bags with out logo on are only available from the school, but need to be ordered via Eduspot.  If your child is already attending or you have an older child already attending school, you may already have a code to gain access to this site.  

School book bag    £3.50

School PE kit bag  £3.50

School tie (to be worn with a traditional school shirt or blouse)  £4.00

There is no uniform for Nursery, but suitable clothes and shoes for playing in are recommended.

How is information shared with Parents

Weekly Newsletters go home via email on a Friday.  Additional letters are usually sent by email via our email system ‘Eduspot’.    All letters home are also on our website.  https://www.stjohns.reading.sch.uk/stream/newsletters/full/1/-/

In addition to this, the school also uses a text messaging service to advise or remind of important events.

School Meals

There is lots of information about school lunches on our website https://www.stjohns.reading.sch.uk/lunch-and-food-in-school/ 

However, children can pre-order a lunch provided by our onsite caterers – Caterlink. For this your child will be allocated a special code for parents to gain access to the system for the first time.  For this reason, we ask that children bring a packed lunch to school for the first few days.

Children with food allergies can be provided for, but will need a letter from their GP supporting this request.

Please note that we are a Nut Free School as we do have some children in school for whom it would be very dangerous to come into contact with them.

My child is sick, what do I do?

If your child is unwell before school, please telephone or email the school at your earliest convenience to inform the school, the school will ask for the reason.

If your child is unwell during school, or has a minor accident that requires a parent, the school office will telephone you on the numbers provided.  It is for this reason that it is essential that your contact details are kept up to date.

Lateness

School starts at 8.50 a.m. and children should arrive by then.  Persistent lateness into school will be queried, as the school also has to report to the Local Authority about lateness, although we appreciate that occasionally events do occur that result in a child being late.  Please phone through to the school office, if for instance, your car breaks down, and you realise that lateness is likely to occur.

Medicines

We do not normally give medicine in school.  If a child needs regular prescribed medication this should be brought to the school office by an adult, where a special form may be filled in giving specific dosage instructions.  Children should never carry medicine with them.

It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that medicines that are needed long term (e.g. Asthma Inhalers) are in date.

Contact Details

Before your child starts school, we will request information via a Pupil Profile form.  This gives us valuable information about your child and how we can best support them during their time with us.

This form also requests contact details and it is essential that we have up to date contact details for your child, so that in the event of an emergency or should your child become ill during the school day, we are able to contact you. 

Permissions

There will be  permission forms to complete. These are included in the initial Pupil Profile form that is sent home prior to your child starting school. This information will also help us to get to know your son or daughter better.

Social media is a growing communication route between us all and to further improve our communication between school and home we will use our Facebook and Twitter  pages to keep you updated on news, information and to share memories of key events with you, such as school trips or visitors in.