Information about Oakwood School

Accommodation

The building which houses Oakwood School was originally constructed as a secondary school in 1928 and only became the village infant school in 1977. This traditional red-brick building is adjacent to the historic Oak Common in Hartley Wintney. It has extensive grounds which provide both a play area and a learning resource for the children.

The school has six classrooms that are built around a central courtyard where the children are able to study environmental science at first hand. The classrooms are spacious, light and airy and provide a pleasant working environment for pupils and staff alike. Each year group has its own computer area and the school has a well-stocked library.

Our school hall provides ample space for P.E. lessons and is large enough for parents to join us and watch assemblies and musical productions which are highlights of the school year. Music plays a large part in the life of the school and children have the opportunity to play a wide range of percussion instruments as well as joining in local schools’ music festivals.

The back of the school has recently been rebuilt and this has provided new cloakrooms and additional teaching areas as well as landscaping improvements in the playground.

Organisation

The classes at Oakwood are organised in the following way:

• Two Year R classes with pupils aged 4 and 5

• Two Year 1 classes with pupils aged 5 and 6

• Two Year 2 classes with pupils aged 6 and 7

The work in each year group is co-coordinated to ensure that children have equality of opportunity whichever class they are in and that different abilities are catered for. Our classes are normally limited to 30 children and details on the numbers of children currently at the school can be found on the Hamphire County Council Web Site.

Each class is organised into small groups allowing the teacher to plan appropriate work for children at different stages and give attention according to individual needs. Teaching assistants support the work of the teachers in all of our classes, working with individuals and small groups.

Year R	Year 1	Year 2

The School Day

The school day begins at 9.00a.m. To enable school to start promptly, children are welcomed into the building from 8.50a.m. onwards from the main playground at the rear of the school. Once the children have settled into school, we expect them to come into the building on their own as we want to encourage them to be independent and take responsibility for their own belongings.

At mid-morning break the children are given a free piece of fruit and are able to have a 1/3 pint of milk. The milk scheme is organised entirely by parents. The milk is provided free for children under 5 and at cost for the older children. Drinking water is always freely available and all children are given a water bottle when they start school and encouraged to drink regularly.

Our lunch break is from 12.00 noon to 1.00p.m. Meals are cooked on the premises and menus are available for parents to see. At lunch time children may:

• go home for lunch
• bring a packed lunch
• pay for a school meal
• have a free meal if they are entitled to one. Please call in at the school office if you think your child may be entitled to free meals and we will be able to help you.

Please choose school meals or packed lunches on a weekly basis. It helps us a great deal if payment for school meals is sent in on the first day of the week in a sealed envelope clearly marked with your child's name. If your child brings a packed lunch please consider healthy options; we do not allow sweets, fizzy drinks or any hazardous items in packed lunch boxes. Children may purchase juice and fruit from the school kitchen. Money for theses purchases should be sent in a named purse.

Each class has its own lunchtime supervisory assistant who helps the children with all aspects of the lunchtime procedure. If you have any concerns about lunchtime you can talk to your child’s class teacher who will liaise with the lunchtime supervisory assistant for you.

The school meals are provided by Hampshire County Council Catering Services (HC3S) and information about this service, including sample menus, is available on their Web site. If you have any comments about the school meals themselves then you can send them to Hampshire County Council Catering Services directly using their "Contact Us" Web page.

The school day ends at 3.15p.m. and children leave the building by the rear doors so please wait in the playground to collect your child. A member of staff is on duty at 3.15p.m. to make sure all children have been safely collected. Any children who have not been collected wait in the school office.

After school, children from Oakwood can go to our link junior school play scheme.

The school office is open from 8.50a.m. to 5.00p.m.

Term dates 2008/09

Term dates 2009/10

The school is closed for 5 days per annum for staff professional training. Parents are notified of these dates well in advance.

School Uniform

To foster a feeling of community within Oakwood School we ask all children to wear clothing from the following list in the school colours of red and grey:

• trousers — grey
• skirt or pinafore dress — grey
• shirt or blouse — grey, white, red or red and white check
• jumper, sweatshirt or cardigan — grey or red
• dress — red and white check or stripe
• shoes or sandals — flat heeled

Children will need to bring a coat to school for outdoor play. Children go out to play in all but the most extreme weather.

Sweatshirts, cardigans, polo shirts and T-shirts with the school name may be bought from the school office. We also sell P.E. shorts, P.E. bags and sun hats.

We have a lost property basket in school but it can be difficult to identify your child’s clothes unless they are clearly labeled. Please label all clothes with your child's name.

Children should not wear jewellery to school. If you consider it necessary for your child to wear earrings to school please make sure they are studs to reduce the risk of injury. However, the school cannot take responsibility for any loss or any injuries caused by wearing jewellery.

P.E. Kit

For hygiene reasons children must change into different clothes for P.E. and games. They will need kit for indoor and outdoor P.E.:

• shorts — plain red, white or black
• T-shirt — plain red or white
• plimsolls
• warm, longsleeve top
• tracksuit bottoms
• drawstring bag for the P.E. kit.

It is important that all children have their P.E. kit in school throughout the week.

Health

There are a number of ways that home and school can work together to safeguard your child's health.

• We need to know how to reach you, or a person named by you who will care for your child if he or she is taken ill during the school day or on the rare occasion when an accident happens. Please make sure the school office has up-to-date information.

• During the course of the school day minor injuries sometimes occur and are dealt with by our trained first aid staff. We send home a note to tell you what has happened.

• Please do not send children to school if they appear unwell and they should not return to school until twenty-four hours have elapsed following an attack of sickness or diarrhoea.

• If it is necessary for your child to take prescription medicine at school please call in at the office and fill in a medication authorisation from.

• When your child is absent from school due to illness it is important that you let us know as soon as possible. You can write a note, telephone, or speak to the class teacher.

• We do not allow smoking in the building or school grounds.

• The school health service can be contacted if you have any concerns about your child's health.

Safety

Oakwood School accepts its responsibility to provide, as far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy environment for children, staff, parents and other users of the premises. The school takes reasonable steps to meet this responsibility and expects appropriate support from children, staff, parents and visitors.

Emergency evacuation procedures are practiced at least every term. Our alarm system and extinguishers are checked regularly.

To ensure the security of children and staff at school we have visitor access control and all visitors have to enter the building through the main entrance and be cleared by reception,

To comply with the school’s policy on child protection issues all, parent helpers and volunteers, as well as staff, are required to have clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau

Levels of supervision and routines are set to ensure that children are safe and well cared for on arrival at school, throughout the day and at home time.

The large play equipment situated on the safety surfaces may only be used during school hours when a member of staff is on duty. Suitable footwear must be worn. The school cannot be held responsible for any unauthorised use.

The school has no designated parking areas for parents and we encourage you to walk to school with your child whenever possible. If you do need to drive to school please park with consideration for everyone’s safety. It is very important that the entrances to school and the vicarage do not become blocked in case access is needed by emergency vehicles.

Please use the small gate if you are entering school from the oak common. Do not walk through the staff car park as we are required to keep pedestrians and vehicles separate on school property.

Children should use the rear doors when arriving and going home from school. This is important because the front entrance is busy at these times with mini-buses and taxis driving in and out.

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