the school day
September 2023
At the start of the autumn term school will open to all pupils in all year groups (except our new Sunflowers class) on Wednesday 6th September 2023.
We are looking forward to seeing the pupils once again, and wish to reassure you that the safety and well-being of our school community is our priority. We will continue to review our arrangements as the term progresses and will notify you of any changes at our earliest opportunity.
What should pupils wear to school?
Pupils should wear school uniform at school. Please see our school website for more details: GLENMEAD UNIFORM . Jewellery; necklaces, bracelets and large earrings are not permitted in school. Nail varnish and makeup should not be worn by pupils to school. We prefer proper school shoes to trainers and black shoes are always our preference.
Pupils may come dressed in their PE Kits on their PE day. The t shirt should be in their house colour accompanied by black shorts, leggings or joggers. Branded PE items should not be worn. A water bottle is essential school equipment.
Pupils can bring book bags and backpacks to carry their belongings to and from school. Toys and games should not be brought in to school.
Y5 and 6 – mobile phones
Year 5 and 6 pupils begin to walk to and from school on their own. If this is the case, they are permitted to bring a mobile phone for security while walking unaccompanied. Please request the mobile phone consent form if this is the case for your child.
Pupils’ phones must be switched off once they come on to the school campus and are stored in a secure location all day. Pupils collect their phones at the end of the day and must not switch phones back on until they are off the school campus.
Pupils in breach of this agreement will no longer be allowed to bring their phone to school.
What should we do at dropping off and picking up times?
Many of you have told us through the parents’ surveys that you prefer to avoid adults congregating around the school gates and on the school campus. We have therefore retained our start and finish times and the use of all of our many gates.
A member of staff will always be on duty at your child’s gate.
Times and locations will be as follows:
Pupils who are late will find their gate locked. They should come to the Main Gate on Glenmead Road and gain entrance through the main gate.
What about wrap-around care and after school clubs?
Inspired Children’s Club will be open for our working families from 07:30 each morning.. They are based in the main hall and parents using this childcare facility can access it through the main gate each morning.
To contact: visit their website https://inspiredchildrensclub.com/glemead/
There will be a range of school-led extra-curricular clubs on offer in the autumn term, mainly run by our own school staff. These clubs change every half term to maintain novelty and to interest a wider range of pupils. These are advertised on Class Dojo and can be booked through Parent Pay. There is no charge for the large majority of these.
What happens at break times and lunchtimes?
Year groups will be allowed out to play on a staggered rota so that playgrounds do not become over-crowded. This allows more play space and makes playtimes more enjoyable. Play equipment encourages the children to engage in sustained physical activity as well as co-operative play and teamwork.
Dropping off and picking up
Parents have stated that they much prefer avoiding coming onto the school campus when they drop children off in the morning and collect them at the end of the school day. Meetings with school staff can be arranged on request and a quiet meeting room can easily be arranged. Remote meetings using Zoom or TEAMS can also be arranged with relative ease.
Drop Off
Between 8.35am – 8.40: Year groups arrive at their own gate within their time slots
11.45am – 1.45pm: Staggered lunchtime.
Year groups will be accommodated in the main hall on rota. Seating is comfortably spaced to avoid over-crowding. Year groups will have their own zones on the playground when out at play. When the weather is fine and dry the children can play on our extensive field.
Pick up
Between 3.20pm – 3.30pm: Year groups are dismissed at the end of the day within staggered timeslots. Adult should arrive to collect their child/ children at the designated pick-up gate. Staff in school will hand your child over at the gate.
I have more than one child – how does that work?
Children in the same family can be dropped off in the morning together. This should be at an older sibling’s earlier timeslot and gate. Staff will support younger siblings to find their correct route in to join their year group.
School finishes early on Fridays.
Both our parents’ survey in summer 2022, and our recent OFSTED inspection, recognised that early finishes on Friday afternoons are a way of balancing the needs of families, the workload of staff and the financial burdens that schools face. Children will be dismissed at staggered time slots from 1:15 pm onwards from their usual pick-up points. Lunch will be provided in school before pupils are dismissed and a celebration assembly conducted to finish the week on a positive note.
Working families can continue to expect FREE childcare on Friday afternoons and their children can remain in school until 3.20 when Inspired Children’s Club take over.
What about travelling to and from school?
Birmingham City Council are encouraging as many families as possible to avoid using cars when travelling to school, as parking causes more congestion outside school. Families are encouraged to walk, cycle and use scooters to travel to school where ever possible.
If driving is unavoidable, please try to park at a distance and walk the last part of the journey, to avoid parking very close to the school. School operates a one-way system drop off zone on Glenmead Road. Vehicles will come on to Glenmead Road via Meadthorpe and go off via Dyas Road.
Support for pupils and families
I hope that these arrangements provide you with the information you need to support your child’s return to school. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for supporting the school. The very positive feedback you have given to us about the support we have offered our school community makes all our hard work worthwhile.
If you require support you can find some help through Birmingham City Council's website:
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/livingsupport
