Edge Grove Parent Handbook 2016/17

Pa r e n t H a nd b o ok 2016/17

Welcome to Edge Grove “We are delighted that you have joined our thriving community and hope that you will enjoy your time at Edge Grove. This handbook is designed to give you some details about the school and how it operates, and to make you aware of the many facets of life within Edge Grove. It should answer a number of questions about the traditions and running of the school and hopefully will prove to be a useful addition at home. It should be read in conjunction with your Year Guide which takes you through your child’s academic year in detail.”

Ben Evans, Headmaster

Contents 1. Aims and Ethos..................................3

7. PE and Games................................ 16

2. Contact Details.................................4

8. Trips, Visits and Events.................... 17

3. Communication................................6

9. Uniform............................................. 18

4. Routines...............................................8

10. Boarding.......................................... 18

5. Pastoral Care.................................. 11

11. Health and Wellbeing................... 19

6. Academic....................................... 13

our ETHOS Our long history means that tradition plays its part in shaping our character. Edge Grove pupils are independent, have an adventurous spirit, good manners, respect for others and are resilient. It is these values that provide a strong foundation on which to build our future. Innovation and creativity flourish and help to define Edge Grove as a truly forward thinking school.

Success, both collectively and on an individual level, is our motivation. Our academically rigorous and dynamic curriculum challenges and supports all pupils.

We are proud of our Christian heritage whilst embracing the religious and cultural differences of all children and families. Our community of day and boarding pupils and their families is extended into the local area and those we help support through national and international charities.

our aims To provide a secure and happy environment in which children feel safe, nurtured and valued.

To promote high standards of academic achievement through innovative, reflective teaching, focussed assessment and a rigorous curriculum to ensure all pupils reach their full potential.

To promote a spiritual and moral awareness in our pupils based on the values of respect, empathy and kindness; developing a sense of service to the school community and beyond.

To foster self-confidence and a lifelong love of learning so that pupils leave as mature, engaging and thoughtful children.

To provide a wide range of opportunities in a co-educational environment to enable pupils to discover and develop interests and expand their experience.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES CREATIVITY

CURIOSITY

SELF-MOTIVATION

CONFIDENCE

ASPIRATION

INDEPENDENT THINKING

GLOBAL AND LOCAL RESPONSIBILITY

DISCERNMENT

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contact details Edge Grove, Aldenham Village, Hertfordshire WD25 8NT www.edgegrove.com | office@edgegrove.com

School Office

01923 855724

Edge Grove fax:

01923 859920

Boarders’ Phone 01923 289928 (Between 6.30pm and 8.30pm) Duty Mobile 07793 546233 (5.30pm-8.30pm) or in an emergency Boarding Mobiles: Boys Girls

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07936 836 307 07552 804 505

(Between 7.30pm and 8.30pm) (Between 7.30pm and 8.30pm)

Important email addresses Headmaster*.......................................................... headmaster@edgegrove.com Headmaster’s PA.................................................... adawson@edgegrove.com Deputy Head Academic*..................................... bhays@edgegrove.com Deputy Head Pastoral*.......................................... acaldwell@edgegrove.com Deputy Head Admin*............................................ psmith@edgegrove.com Head of Pre Prep*.................................................. gemmerson@edgegrove.com Head of Lower School*.......................................... srobinson@edgegrove.com Head of Middle School (Years 5 and 6)*............. kmcmanus@edgegrove.com Head of Upper School (Years 7 and 8)*............... awarren@edgegrove.com Head of Teaching and Learning*......................... lohare@edgegrove.com Bursar*..................................................................... bursar@edgegrove.com Admissions.............................................................. admissions@edgegrove.com General Enquiries................................................... office@edgegrove.com Marketing............................................................... jmorrison@edgegrove.com Catering.................................................................. catering@edgegrove.com Director of Creative Arts........................................ ctomsett@edgegrove.com School Nurse.......................................................... nurse@edgegrove.com Boarding................................................................. boarding@edgegrove.com Director of Sport..................................................... bmcmanus@edgegrove.com Head of Activities................................................... drodwell-davies@edgegrove.com * Denotes membership of the Senior Leadership Team All other staff and pupils have an e-mail address as follows: Staff E-mails (e.g.)................................................... jcraxton@edgegrove.com Pupils E-mails (e.g.) ................................................ xsmith@edgegrove.com

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM Headmaster............................................................ Ben Evans Deputy Head Academic........................................ Brian Hays Deputy Head Pastoral............................................ Mrs Andrea Caldwell Deputy Head Admin............................................... Phil Smith Head of Upper School (Years 7 and *)................. Mrs Anna Warren Head of Middle School (Years 5 and 6)............... Mrs Kate McManus Head of Lower School (Years 3 and 4)................. Mrs Samantha Robinson Head of Pre Prep (Nursery-Year 2)........................ Mrs Gillian Emmerson Head of Teaching and Learning........................... Miss Laura O’Hare Bursar....................................................................... Martin Sims

Governors Jean Scott Carole Edmond Paul Haworth Jill Maddison Trefor Llewellyn Andrew Robson Jeremy Stevens

Howard Clayden Amanda Godfrey Paul Kendall Charles Lilley James Power Simon Smith

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Communication The school makes every effort to keep in touch with parents concerning the general running of the school and their children’s education. Every Monday, the Weekly Information Letter is emailed to parents and is available to read on Firefly, the school intranet. It includes essential information and should be read carefully. On Fridays, the Weekly Newsletter is also emailed to parents and is available to read on the school website in the ‘news and events’ section. It provides an interesting summary of the past week’s events.

SCHOOL OFFICE The School Office is open from 8.00am to 6.00pm (Monday to Friday). When the office is unattended an answerphone will be switched on. Please do not telephone the office outside these hours unless in an absolute emergency, in which case please call the duty mobile on 07793 546233. If you wish to get in touch with the Headmaster or another member of staff please either contact the School Office or email the person concerned.

WEBSITE Please visit the Edge Grove website www.edgegrove.com regularly as it provides parents with a wealth of information such as details of the curriculum, the school calendar, news about recent events and much more. The ‘Parent Zone’ section of the website is password protected only for our parents to access. To find out the username and password, please contact the School Office.

FIREFLY FireFly is a virtual learning environment (VLE) and intranet; it is accessible both at school and at home.

The site can be accessed from the school website at the ‘quick links’ on the home page. To login, pupils need to type in a username and password that they will be given at school. The main functions of the VLE is to provide content to reinforce learning in the classroom and can include videos, documents, presentations

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and spreadsheets, revision notes, homework and online quizzes. It works on any device with a web browser.

FireFly allows us to create and update a wide range of different types of content and set and track homework with notifications straight to pupils’ FireFly homepages.

SOCIAL MEDIA Edge Grove uses social media to communicate with new and existing parents and raise awareness of the school. We have a Facebook page (set up as a ‘Place’ and called ‘Edge Grove’) and encourage parents who are on Facebook to ‘like’ us to receive our posts. We are also on Twitter as @EdgeGrove and for the Pre Prep specifically @ PPEdgeGrove. Parents are encouraged to ‘follow us to receive our regular tweets.

PARENT CONTACT DETAILS We ask all parents to check the contact details we have for them on our database prior to their child starting at Edge Grove and mark up any changes on their personal ‘check sheet’. Please ensure that the School Office have the latest information for you, including emergency contact numbers, and if any of your details have changed please notify the office as soon as possible.

EMAIL

CONCERNS/COMPLAINTS

All teachers have an email address which is firstinitialsurname@edgegrove.com. All pupils in Years 6, 7 and 8 are given an email address.

Our policies are available on request from the School Office and can be accessed on the school website in the ‘About us’ section.

If, for whatever reason, you have cause for concern, please contact your child’s form teacher. If you do not get a satisfactory explanation the next person to contact is the Head of Year. Things can go wrong at school in spite of every effort to prevent them from doing so. If you are ever uncomfortable about any situation, please feel free to contact the Headmaster or make an appointment via his PA to meet with him.

A formal complaints policy is available on request from the School Office and can be downloaded from the school website.

CALENDAR

FRIENDS OF EDGE GROVE

POLICIES

A school calendar is produced each term detailing the dates for all the key school events. The calendar also includes the term dates for two terms ahead. Please be aware that some dates may be provisional, so do please check before booking any holidays. The calendar is also on the homepage of the school website in a downloadable format.

PUPIL PLANNERS

These personal diaries allow children to develop as independent learners and organisers and help promote good communication between school and home. Pupils write their prep in their book each day and parents are encouraged to write brief notes to the form tutor. Parents are asked to sign their child’s planner at least once a week.

The ‘Friends of Edge Grove’ are a committee of parents representing each year group within the school, dedicated to arranging social events throughout the school year and to raising funds for particular school projects. Their mission is to promote partnership between the parents and the school. A new committee is established for the start of each academic year and meets regularly during term time to arrange events such as the Christmas Fair, Pre Prep Tea Party, Summer Fête and coffee mornings.

The Chair of the Friends of Edge Grove, Mrs Sarah Meier, can be contacted at sarahlbmeier@googlemail.com

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PROCEDURES AND ROUTINES FORMS There are four years in the Pre Prep and six years in the Prep School.

Prep School

Pre Prep FORM Nursery Reception Year 1 Year 2

AGE 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7

FORM Year 3

AGE 7-8

Year 4

8-9

Year 5

9-10

Year 6

10-11

Year 7

11-12

Year 8

12-13

Lower School Head of Lower School is Mrs Samantha Robinson srobinson@edgegrove.com Head of Year 5 is Miss Lucy Neale Middle School lneale@edgegrove.com Head of Middle School is Mrs Kate McManus kmcmanus@edgegrove.com Upper School Head of Upper School is Mrs Anna Warren awarren@edgegrove.com

FORM TEACHERS/TUTORS Form Teachers are your first point of contact in dealing with any problems and day to day queries. Form Teachers complete registration at the start of each day and ensure that the children are organised for the day.

The Form Teacher gets to know all pupils very well over the year and will write a report on each child twice a year which accompanies subject reports.

REWARDS AND SANCTIONS Edge Grove has a structured system of rewards and sanctions. Teachers award merits to pupils for positive actions such as good work and positive behaviour.

Demerits are the reverse of merits and are used as a sanction for inappropriate behaviour. Detentions are given for more severe or persistent poor behaviour.

Individual certificates are presented to those who earn set numbers of merits and a house merit scores feeds in to the yearly inter-house competition. The school tries hard to promote positive reenforcement and merits always greatly outnumber demerits. Class tutors monitor the merits and demerits of the pupils in their form and take appropriate actions where there are concerns.

Academic Commendations are read out weekly in Assembly and a notification is sent home to parents of children who have made particular progress, effort or achievements during the week. Golden Moments are given to children who have displayed especially good manners or an outstanding act of kindness to another child or adult.

ABSENCE

If your child is going to be absent from school, please ring the School Office before 9.00am, or alternatively you can email office@edgegrove.com. It is important that you keep the school informed if your child is going to be absent from school for more than one day. If the absence is expected to be prolonged, please provide the school with as much information as possible to avoid the need for the school to contact you each Page 8

day. If the school has not heard from you by 10.00am this will be classified as unauthorised absence. If for any reason you are planning to take your child out of school during term time, you will need to obtain permission from the Headmaster. Please complete an ‘Absence Request Form’ which is available from the School Office or on Firefly, the school intranet.

EARLY DROP-OFF FOR LOWER, MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL For Lower and Upper School there is an 8.00am to 8.15am early drop-off facility. Children can be dropped at the main house and must remain in the Library which is supervised. From 8.15am Years 3 and 4 children may wait by the Astro courts where there will be further supervision until registration at 8.25am. Children in Years 5 – 8 will be made aware of the specific areas where they can wait once they have left the Library at 8.15am until registration at 8.25am. All teachers are available before 8.15am by appointment only.

REGISTRATION

If your child misses registration at 8.25am, he/she should report to the School Office to sign in on arrival at school.

If he/she needs to be out of the school for whatever reason they should be signed out in the Front Hall and signed back in on return.

COLLECTION Pupils in Years 3 and 4 should be collected from their classrooms. Pick-up for Years 5-8 is from the Headmasters’ Courtyard.

Any pupils not collected at the end of Activities are taken to the Dining Room and must be signed out by a member of staff when collected. When collecting your child, please park in the Pre Prep car park or along the drive leading up to the main house. Please do not park past the start of the grass at the front of the house as it is essential that enough space is left for emergency vehicles to access the house should they be needed.

DRIVING ON SITE

ACTIVITIES PROGRAMME

The speed limit on site is a maximum of 15 mph.

Please ensure that you observe this limit for the safety of everyone who visits the site. The school operates a one way system at peak times which are 8am – 9am and 3.30pm – 6.30pm. Please enter the school via the entrance at High Cross and exit via the front drive onto Radlett Road. When exiting the front drive, please observe the road signage and leave the entrance to the front drive clear at all times; we strongly encourage all parents, at peak hours, to turn left out of the front drive as this reduces congestion on the drive.

Pupils in Years 3-8 have the opportunity to participate in an exciting programme of after school activities running each afternoon, Monday to Friday. Timings are as follows:

Children are not allowed to be unsupervised in any car park at any time and we urge all parents to maintain strict control over their children in all car parks and traffic areas. Please observe all traffic signs included road markings, drive slowly and with care, particularly when manoeuvring as there may be very young children walking in a car park at any time. We do ask that parents always park with consideration for others and never in yellow hatched boxes or where signs ask you not to park.

Monday - Friday Session One Session Two

4.30pm - 5.10pm 5.15pm - 5.55pm

In addition to the weekday activities, pupils can also attend prep sessions with a member of staff. These run over both sessions on Monday - Friday. All activities that are run by Edge Grove staff are free of charge; however there are some activities that require the expertise of an outside coach and will be chargeable.

For more information about the activities available, please contact the School Office, visit the school website or email the Head of Activities (Mr Damien Davies) drodwell-davies@edgegrove.com

The Pre Prep car park has clearly labelled entry and exit roads and may only be used by vehicles displaying a Pre Prep Sticker for the current year.

Morning Drop Off: For children in the Pre Prep only, please drop off in the Pre Prep car park. For older children in Years 3 to 8 either drop off in the coned area at the Sports Hall Car Park or at the fort of the School. Please note that parking is not permitted during the morning drop-off on the left hand side of the drive as you approach the main house. In order for this system to run smoothly, please drop off your child and leave promptly.

HOUSES When children start at Edge Grove they are put into one of five Houses: Gills Light Blue Churchills Dark Blue Sarnesfield Green Hedgerows Yellow Stratton Red

The Houses form the basis for the House Shield which is awarded at the end of the school year. There are also regular inter-house competitions during the year in sport and music.

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PHOTOGRAPHS

Communication between parents and the school:

Individual photos are taken every year and a whole school photograph is taken every other (the next one will be taken in Summer 2017). Team photographs are taken each term and copies are available for parents to purchase.

• The School’s lockdown procedures are published on Firefly and routine practices communicated with parents via ClarionCall or by the weekly information sheet with information regarding the effectiveness of the procedure.

SCHOOL MINIBUS Edge Grove runs three minibus routes, covering the St Albans, Barnet/Whetstone and Harrow areas.

The service is offered to pupils in Years 3-8 and to their siblings in Pre Prep, provided that they always travel with their older sibling. We are able to take some passengers on specific, single days; however, preference will be given to those passengers travelling for the full week. There is an extra charge for this service. For more information about routes and prices please contact Pauline Daffon (pdaffon@edgegrove.com).

MEALS AND CATERING Your child will spend the greater part of the day at school and so it is important that the meals we provide are nourishing and well-presented. All children are given a school lunch and the cost for this is included in the termly bill. Menus are published termly and can be viewed on the school website. All meals are cooked in the school kitchen with fresh ingredients. There is a choice of either a cooked main course or salad each day for lunch. A vegetarian option is always available and we will endeavour to accommodate children with food intolerances/allergies. If you have any catering requests or enquiries please email catering@edgegrove.com

EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN PROCEDURE Lockdown procedures are a sensible and proportionate response to any external or internal incident which has the potential to pose a threat to the safety of staff and pupils in the school. Our procedures aim to minimise disruption to the learning environment whilst ensuring the safety of all pupils and staff. In the event of a lockdown at Edge Grove:

• In the event of an actual full lockdown or partial lockdown, any incident or development will be communicated to parents as soon as is practicable along the lines of: Edge Grove is in a full/partial lockdown situation.

During this period the phones, office and entrances will be un-manned, external doors locked.

Please do not attempt to visit or phone the School.

Please wait for further instructions and information.

• Parents will be given enough information about what will happen/is happening or has happened so that they are reassured that the school understands their concern for their child’s welfare, and that it is doing everything possible to ensure their safety.

• Parents will be reassured that any measures needed to ensure the incident does not re-occur are put into place; • Parents are asked not to contact the school during a lockdown or immediately afterwards. Calling the school could put pupil’s safety at risk as lines of communication are needed for contacting emergency providers, outside agencies, or parents as required; • Parents are asked not come to the school. This could interfere with emergency provider’s access to the school and may even put themselves and others in danger; • Parents need to wait for the school to contact them about what happens next and when it is safe for them to collect their children, and where this will be from (if this is deemed necessary). Parents need to be aware that their child’s day may be extended beyond any normal collection times.

• Parents will be informed when the all-clear has been given.

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Pastoral care DEPUTY HEAD, PASTORAL HEADMASTER MRS (BEN EVANS) CAlDWEll

& HEADMASTER’S WIFE (ALEX EVANS)

CALL HOME GAP ASSISTANTS

TUTOR OR ANY OTHER TEACHER

SCHOOL NURSE

ISI (020 7600 0100)

HOUSEMISTRESS MISS DollY

CIRCLE OF CARE

INDEPENDENT LISTENER: RoBERt FlEtChER (0800 014 2342) INDEPENDENT LISTENER: SUE BARNARD (0800 111 6130)

CHILDLINE FREEPHONE (0800 11 11)

OFFICE OF CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONER (0800 528 0731)

HOUSEMASTER MR McMANUS

SCHOOL DOCTOR DR CARY

The principal structure for pastoral care at Edge Grove is the Circle of Care and all members of staff have pastoral responsibilities. Every pupil should feel confident to approach anybody within the Circle of Care at any time if they feel they need pastoral support. As the Circle of Care diagram illustrates, children should see themselves as being surrounded by care from all adults in the school community. Pupils and parents are encouraged to talk with their tutor about problems and indeed this is the first point of contact for day pupils and their parents.

Their concerns include academic, disciplinary, personal, and social issues. Our Independent Listeners visit the school regularly to be available to any pupils who wish to speak with them, although this opportunity is generally made more use of by the boarding community. Their free phone numbers are displayed on the ‘Help’ notices around the school which offer suggestions for action to pupils in case of personal problems.’

A FRIEND

HEADS OF LOWER, MIDDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL

Edge Grove operates a ‘firm, fair and caring’ approach towards discipline. We hope to engender a positive working atmosphere of mutual co-operation between the children and the staff. This is generated by our interest in the children as individuals and by our example in the way that we treat them and each other. Children address a member of staff as ‘Mr, Mrs or Miss ...’ or ‘Sir’ and are encouraged to greet staff with a ‘Good morning’ or ‘Good afternoon’.

Bullying of any kind is unacceptable within the school community and pupils are constantly guided to support this ethos. Staff, parents and pupils all share in the responsibility to ensure that any bullying is dealt with swiftly and effectively.

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Code of Conduct

FOR YOURSELF

RESPECT FOR THE SCHOOL

RESPECT

FOR OTHER PEOPLE

At Edge Grove we are: Responsible individuals Encouraging Success; taking Pride in our appearance and our Environment; learning to be Courteous, courageous and Tolerant

SELFRESPECT

• Take responsibility for own actions • Always believe in yourself and do your best • Look after yourself and your belongings • Be honest

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RESPECT FOR THE SCHOOL • Look after the school • Be proud of your school • Represent your school

RESPECT FOR OTHERS • Consider others and be polite to everyone • Be kind and friendly, look after each other • Understand and accept differences in people • Respect success

Academic Please see your Year Guide for more detailed academic information for your child.

PREP Prep (homework) takes place at the end of the school day. Children may either go home to do Prep or remain at school and do Prep as part of the Activities Programme. Prep at school is supervised by members of staff and is not intended to be an arduous and painful exercise. It is mainly used to conclude some work done in the lesson, prepare for the next lesson or as a learning Prep. Prep requirements increase as children progress through the school.

are concerned about, whether or not they receive additional support, has a Learning Programme which all subject teachers access. This gives information about teaching and learning strategies which might be best suited to an individual.

If you would like to discuss our Learning Success any further, please contact Mr Brian Hays, Deputy Head, Academic

GRADES AND ASSESSMENT LEARNING SUCCESS We are able to offer additional support to pupils in a number of ways. We have a forward-thinking, caring Learning Success department which combines the knowledge and experience of our own Learning Success Assistants with outside expertise from Speech and Language Therapists, English as an Additional Language tutors and Occupational Therapists. Our own Learning Success Assistants are able to conduct preliminary assessments of pupils, deliver 1:1 support lessons and make recommendations for further action such as the involvement of an outside expert. They work extremely closely with subject teachers to ensure continuity and progression from the main classroom.

We also have a dynamic group of Learning Assistants who can primarily be found in the Pre Prep and Lower School classrooms providing small group support in Literacy and Numeracy. In Years 5 to 8 it is possible, at the recommendation of subject teachers and in consultation with parents, for pupils to receive additional small group lessons in English, Maths and Science instead of taking Latin. These lessons are taught by subject specialists. Any pupil we

Assessments form an important part of the children’s learning journey. Classwork is marked regularly and there are two-termly grades to show effort and attainment. A grade A*-D is given for classwork and a score of 5-1 for effort (5 being the highest and 1 the lowest). Please see your Year Guide for further explanation.

PARENTS’ EVENINGS

Parents’ Evenings are organised by Year Groups and occur at least once a year. These are excellent opportunities to discuss your child’s progress and performance. All details are emailed to parents in the Weekly Information Letter during the year.

SENIOR SCHOOLS

As your child progresses through the school, you will start to form an idea of where you would like your son/ daughter to move on to after Edge Grove. We advise you to start your research as early as Year 5. To help with your decisions, Edge Grove runs a ‘Senior Schools Information Evening’ every other year, inviting over 40

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top senior schools to exhibit their schools to Edge Grove parents. Please contact Mr Brian Hays, Deputy Head (Academic) for information on future schools (bhays@edgegrove.com). The list of schools that our pupils move on to and Scholarships and Awards achieved can be found on the school website.

Library The Library is run by a dedicated Librarian. Children are encouraged to borrow books as frequently as they would like to from the Library.

They visit the Library during weekly Library lessons and they can also visit at break times and lunch time. Books should be returned after three weeks and the Librarian will keep a record of book borrowing. All books must be returned at the end of the term and will be checked off by the Librarian. The books are arranged by genre and by age group, where appropriate. Newspapers are available each day and the school keeps the main journals on display in the Library (when out of date they are distributed to any relevant departments in the school). There are kindles available to use at break and lunch times. Pupils can request for books or e-books to be purchased and they are usually provided quickly.

The Library is a quiet room in which children should read quietly. Boarders may use the Library to relax in during the evenings.

Reference materials are also kept in the Library but may only be signed out and back in by staff; however, pupils may browse during their free time. In the Reference section books are catalogued into a variety of sections e.g. modern history, physical geography, sports etc.

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MUSIC

There are a number of music opportunities available to suit different abilities and age groups. We run an Orchestra, Rock Band, String Group, Jazz Ensemble, Lower School Choir, theory groups and three choirs. There are numerous performance opportunities during the year for all musicians to participate in including Rush Hour Concerts, Ensemble Concerts, and assemblies as well as during lessons and at the Christmas and Summer fetes. The Chamber Choir and Lower School Choir also sing for each of their respective chapel services, as well as whole school services such as Harvest Festival, Remembrance services and Speech Day. We record one CD a year to enable pupils to have a record of their achievements and share this with their family and friends. The music department also works closely with the drama department to stage musical productions for those in Years 2 – 8 throughout the year.

Workshops with professional musicians are held at least once a term in school including a concert. Trips to various orchestral and choir days happen regularly throughout the year for those pupils who learn instruments.

Pupils are encouraged to learn a musical instrument and a team of dedicated music staff teach the following instruments as extra lessons during the school day: Flute, Clarinet, Recorder, Oboe, Saxophone, Bassoon, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Violin, ‘Cello, Double Bass, Piano, Guitar and Drums.

Lessons are rotated to avoid pupils missing the same academic lesson and a weekly timetable is available in the Parent Zone of the school website, as well as in the music department. Pupils may learn an instrument from Reception upwards and more information about learning an instrument at Edge Grove can be obtained from the Director of Music, Mrs Tomsett – ctomsett@edgegrove.com

BE PREPARED

BE A GOOD LISTENER

Behaviours for Learning

BE CREATIVE

BE INVOLVED

BE A RISK TAKER

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PE and Games SAFETY

MATCHES

Mouthguards MUST be worn for rugby, hockey & lacrosse. We provide a fitting service during the Autumn term. Please contact the School Office for further details. Shin pads MUST also be worn for hockey and football, and in some instances for rugby and cricket. Cricket helmets MUST be worn whilst batting and wicket keeping.

Teams for school matches are listed in the Weekly Information Letter emailed on a Monday. A notice of the arrangements is often sent home to the parents of children in Years 3 and 4. Where the fixture is an away match (or even at home when the finishing time is later than the end of afternoon school) a pick-up time from school is given on the information letter. Please note for Years 3 and 4 in particular, in the cricket season matches regularly extend well beyond the end of school hours, and a pick-up time may be as late as 6.00pm. The School Office will have details of any matches and they are also printed in the school calendar. In the event of a match being cancelled due to bad weather, parents will be sent a text and/or an email.

OFF GAMES If your child has been ill, or has an injury and you wish him/her to be excused from Games, please send a note in addressed to the School Nurse. It would be useful to indicate when you would expect him/her to be able to return to Games. Children who do not do Games will either go outside to watch/support their team, or remain in school for the afternoon and engage in some quiet, supervised activity.

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MATCH TEAS Teas are provided for competitors, parents and visitors on match days. Children are free to go home after they have finished their obligations as hosts to the visiting team and when released by the teacher in charge. Please do not take your child home before this.

Trips, Visits and Events PERMISSION FORM

SPEECH DAY

We ask all parents to sign a permission form prior to their child starting at Edge Grove. This form gives parental consent for your child to participate in all offsite trips for the duration of their time with the school, specifically including permission for your child to travel by suitable transport arrangements and to leave the school premises on foot. This will allow him/her to travel on all occasions such as educational centres, field trips, visits to theatres, museums, sports fixtures, off-site concerts & rehearsals, boarders’ outings and residential school trips. Parents are notified about the cost of any chargeable school trips as the permission form provides consent for the cost of a trip, up to a maximum of £25, to be applied to the termly bill. We will always provide sufficient notice for you to withdraw your consent for any specific trip – chargeable or not.

Speech Day is on the last Saturday of the summer term. In 2017 it will be on Saturday 8th July. This is a compulsory occasion for all children. All parents and siblings are very welcome to attend.

HOUSE EVENTS

EXPEDITION WEEK

Throughout the year there are a number of House events for pupils in Years 3-8, such as the Spelling Bee, Athletics Festival, Music competitions, Quizzes and Swimming Galas.

SCHOOL PLAYS A whole school play for Years 6-8 takes place every year. All pupils in these year groups are invited totake part. There are also a Year 3 and 4, and Year 5 production each year in which all pupils participate.

Children in Nursery to Year 2 also put on smaller productions during the year.

CAROL SERVICES The main school carol service is held during the last week of the Autumn Term in December. The Pre Prep holds its own carol service at Aldenham Parish Church.

FIREWORKS EVENING All children are expected to attend this event which is always a highlight of the year. There is a small charge per family which is added to the end of term account.

This takes place during the second half of the Summer term when each year group (Years 4-8) experiences a residential week away. Some of these trips are curriculum related and some are more activity based.

Year 3 children are based at school for the week with different activities and excursions taking place each day. There is a charge for Expedition Week and you will be notified of the cost beforehand.

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Uniform The Second-Hand Uniform Shop is a very useful school-run facility and is located in the Stable Block. It is open on Friday mornings from 8.30am - 9.30am but can also be opened by appointment at other times. If you require items, please contact Miss Dolly (dgrounds@edgegrove.com) Children should be smartly and appropriately dressed at all times, for their own sake and as an example to others. All clothing and footwear must be clearly named with sewn in tags. Iron-on labels or handwritten names are not acceptable. Any Boarders’ school uniform un-named will be labelled by the school at a charge of £2.00 per item. It is very difficult to return lost items of clothing if they are not named.

HAIR Please make sure that your son’s hair is of a respectable length and style and does not fall below the collar. Girls should wear long hair tied back with plain burgundy or black hair-ties/scrunchies. Close cut, spiked or gelled hair is not acceptable.

JEWELLERY Girls are allowed to wear plain, flat, gold or silver studs (one pair) although they must be removed during Games. If specifically requested by parents, an item of religious jewellery is allowed to be worn. Make-up is not permitted under any circumstances.

LOST PROPERTY Any items of lost property that cannot immediately be traced to their owners are stored in the Stable Block Annexe near the Art department. Pupils are advised to check the room regularly and to be responsible for their own belongings. The lost property will be brought out to the Headmaster’s Courtyard every Friday. Any un-named items still remaining after two weeks will be laundered and placed in the Second-Hand Uniform Shop.

ALL PERSONAL ITEMS MUST BE CLEARLY NAMED WITH SEWN-IN CASH’S NAME TAGS.

Boarding Boarding at Edge Grove is available to children in Years 3-8 and many do board on a flexi or weekly basis at some point during their time at the school.

Flexi boarding can be from one night up to four nights, whereas weekly boarding is for the full school week (including Friday evening and Sunday evening but NOT available between Saturday morning and Sunday

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evening) and often suits the needs of the modern working family or those living further afield. Boarders usually start the week on a Sunday night (from 6pm) or Monday morning (8am) to suit family life. If you are interested in your child boarding or would like any further details please contact Mr Brian McManus, Head of Boarding (bmcmanus@edgegrove.com)

Health and wellbeing Medical Health Form It is important that a Medical Health Form is completed for your child and all relevant medical information given to school prior to your child starting at Edge Grove. If any medical details change for your child please notify the nurse as soon as possible. Boarders are required to produce their NHS Medical Card upon entry to the school in order that they may be registered with the school doctor.

Medication

Pupils who have a long term medical condition and need to carry Insulin, EpiPens and Inhalers etc. are, with agreement of the School Nurse permitted to carry their own medication and are responsible for keeping it secure. All other medication must be handed in to the Medical Centre or Reception Staff at the start of the school day. All medication must be in the original container and accompanied by a Medication Consent Form available on FireFly. Copies may also be obtained from the school office.

FIRST AID The school has a Medical Centre staffed by experienced, friendly and approachable Registered General Nurses who provide medical cover from 08.30 – 18.00 Monday to Friday. They work within safeguarding guidelines while respecting the confidentiality which operates over medical matters. Individual Action plans are produced for pupils with significant health needs in consultation with parents/guardians and staff are advised on their management. The majority of staff receive First Aid training.

The nurse liaises closely with the School Nursing Service to ensure students are offered relevant immunisations.

Diarrhoea and Vomiting

To prevent the spread of infection students must remain away from school until they have been symptom free for 48 hours.

Hay fever

If your child suffers from Hay fever could you please ensure they take their medication before they start school each day.

Illness/Injury

If your child becomes unwell or is injured during the school day he/ she will assessed by the School Nurse. If it is considered your child is not fit to remain in school the nurse will contact you as soon as possible and arrangements made for you to collect them.

Boarding parents/guardians will be contacted as soon as possible if their child is unwell and given the option to collect them. In the event of contagious illness we may request parents or guardians of boarders collect them.

Off Games

If you child is unable to participate in Games/PE lessons please inform the School Nurse in writing or via email (nurse@edgegrove.com) by 0930 at the latest. Children who do not participate in sport will go outside to watch/support their team. They will only be permitted to remain in school if there is a medical reason to do so.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Regular checks are made on Health and Safety arrangements within the school. Fire instructions are posted around the school and Fire Practices for all children and staff are conducted regularly.

Asthma

If your child has been diagnosed with Asthma and uses an inhaler regularly, please provide the school with a named spare inhaler to be held in the Medical Centre and for use on school trips.

If at any point your child has a medical review and no longer requires an inhaler please contact the School Nurse (nurse@edgegrove.com).

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Edge Grove, Aldenham Village, Hertfordshire WD25 8NL Telephone: +44 (0)1923 855724 E-mail: office@edgegrove.com www.edgegrove.com