Arrivals and Departures Policy

This policy is part of the school’s policies for safeguarding children.

Our school will give a warm and friendly welcome to each child on arrival and ensure that they depart safely at the end of each session.

Arrivals

It is the responsibility of staff to ensure that an accurate record is kept of all children in school, and that any arrival or departure to and from the premises is recorded in the Office. Similarly, when a child arrives late, parents must report to the Office.

Records of daily registers are kept by the school for the recommended years by Local Authority.

Members of staff will be on duty at the main entrance gate during the opening times for arriving in the school, from 8.45am – 9.00am each day. Staff will open the class room door from 8.45am. In this way information can be shared between home and school at the beginning or end of each session to ensure children’s welfare is given high priority.

Parents/carers are asked to make an appointment at the office to discuss any concerns etc with the member of staff.

Teaching staff will be available in classrooms to greet the children and ensure a good start to the day. On arrival, a member of staff will record the child’s attendance in the daily register, which closes at 9.05am, children arriving after the gates have closed MUST come into school via the front reception door and register with staff at the ‘late station’.

Any children not accounted for by 9.30 am, office staff will endeavor to contact parents/carers to ensure the child is ill and unable to attend and has not ‘dawdled’ on way to school, ensuring parents and school know where children are at all times.

Looked After children [LAC] and children with Child Protection [CP] plans who are absent will be notified to the Head Teacher (or Deputy Head Teacher in her absence) as a matter of priority. The parent/carer of children attending other schools for alternative provision will be asked to notify us if the child is going to be absent as well as informing the alternative provider.

The school will inform the attendance officer of any child who has unsatisfactory attendance[below 90%] and a pattern of non attendance on certain days of the week.

Gates

The main gates to the playground will be locked at 9.05am. The main pedestrian gate at the front of the school will be used during the day to restrict access and protect the staff and children.

At 3.25pm the main gates will be unlocked and will be re-locked at 3.45pm when the majority of the children have left the premises. The main car park gates will remain closed but unlocked for staff to exit the site. Parents/carers and children are not allowed to use the main car park gates at any time.

Departures

Teachers will escort their own class out of school every night and be on duty in the playground/outside reception till 3.40pm. All children not collected within 10 minutes are to be brought into school where it is safe and warm by the teacher or member of staff and taken to the reception desk.

All children are returned to the reception desk if the person collecting them is not at school.

If the children are to be collected by someone other than the parent/carer, this must be indicated to a member of staff before 2.45pm. The adult nominated to collect a child must be one of those named by the parent. Only adults – aged 16 years and over – and with suitable identification, will be authorised to collect children.

Permission and arrangements for children leaving the school at the end of the day will be confirmed in writing by the parent/carer. The school reserves the right to refuse permission for a child to walk home alone depending on the distance and concerns the school may have at that time.

All children must be collected from after school clubs by an adult unless written permission is given for the child to walk home.

No adult other than those named will be allowed to leave the school with a child. In the event that someone else should arrive without prior knowledge, the school will telephone the parent/carer immediately and await their advice.