Somerhill Parent Handbook

PARENT HANDBOOK

INTRODUCTION

This handbook contains important information about Somerhill Pre-Prep, Derwent Lodge and Yardley Court.

The notes in this handbook are not designed to cover all eventualities, but we hope that they prove to be of help. When in doubt about any aspect of your child’s education, please ask. We want to make your child’s time with us a positive and happy experience.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The school office

The school office team are happy to answer any general queries you have. The office is open 8.00am - 5.45pm. They can be contacted by phone or by email (see contact details below).

Form teachers

Your child’s teacher is the first point of contact regarding pastoral or academic matters. You will be notified as to your child’s next teacher and their contact details usually by the end of the previous academic year.

How we share information with you

We use the following methods to share information with you:

Email – when you registered your child with us, you gave us your contact details including mobile numbers and email addresses. The majority of our communication to you regarding events relating to your child’s form or year group, section of the school or school wide information will be via email. This would include late returns from matches, trips or school closures.

Housekeeping Bulletin – Our weekly Housekeeping Bulletin is issued via email on a Friday with news and announcements for the following week.

The Parent Portal – this is a password protected parent only area where we post your child’s reports and assessments, school fee invoices, provide curriculum summaries and other documents. When you first join our school, an “activation code” will be sent to the emails you provided on registration. A mobile app version, the iSAMS Parent app is also available which includes teacher contact information and your child’s timetable.

Somerhill School Cloud – this is a booking system for parent consultations evenings, trips, holiday courses and play bookings.

Sports Website (SOCs) – Details of sporting fixtures, including team sheets can be found on sport.somerhill.org. This can be added as a link to your home page on your mobile phone.

If you need help accessing, ‘How to Guides’ can be found on the Parent Portal. For any access

issues or help please email portaladmin@somerhill.org

Social Media – you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SomerhillKent

Updating your contact information

It is essential that you advise us of any change to your contact information or those of your emergency contacts. Please do this via the Parent Portal where you can update your telephone and emails directly or via the Update Contact Information Request for all other contact information.

Authorised pick ups

If you are not collecting your child from school, please specify the name of the person collecting your child in a written note or email to your child’s class/Form teacher. We will only allow a child to go home with another person if we have received your permission. If emailing a change of collection arrangements during the school day, please email your child’s class/form teacher copying in reception@somerhill.org

If you collect your child before the end of the school day, please report to The School Office Reception and ensure your child is signed out correctly.

Some other useful numbers and email addresses are listed below. We recommend that you enter them into your mobile phone before the start of the school year:

Useful contacts

School Switchboard: 01732 352124

Absence line: 01732 375953

School Office Reception: reception@somerhill.org

Parents’ Portal support: portaladmin@somerhill.org

Fees: accounts@somerhill.org

Nurse: schoolnurse@somerhill.org

Main website: www.somerhill.org

Sports website: sport.somerhill.org

Designated Safeguarding Lead: dsl@somerhill.org

Beginning and end of term

Before the start of each term, the Deputy Headteachers will write to parents outlining the logistics for the first few days. This will include reminders regarding uniform, equipment required and any changes to timings in the first few days. At the end of term, school ends before lunch often with a staggered end of day for the different school sections. Details of any changes to the collection arrangements will be communicated by the Deputy Headteachers well in advance.

THE SCHOOL DAY

Drop off 08:00

Who Where Entrance Times

Any car with SPP children Upper car park – drop and drive or park in visitor car park

Parkland

The Parkland Gate reverts to exit only from 08:30 daily

From 8:00 (gate opens at 07:30)

All other children –prep school Lower car park – drop and drive Tudeley Road From 08:00

The co-ordination in the car parks is undertaken by the Estates team and we respectfully ask all parents to abide by their instruction for your and others safety. Teaching staff will be at the side of the Upper car park to supervise the SPP children as they exit their cars and into the Courtyard.

End of day collection Location and Times

End of School Day

• SPP – collect from the SPP Courtyard at lunch time or 15:15-15:30 depending on year group every day.

• DL/YC Years 3 & 4 – Collect from the Rose Garden 16:00 every day.

• DL Years 5 & 6 – collect from the Rose Garden 16:30 every day except Wednesday 16:00

• YC Years 5 – 8 – collect from the top of steps next to Lower Carpark 16:30 every day except Wednesday 16:00

Collection after clubs or Late Stay

• The collection location for SPP clubs (16:30) or Late Stay (17:45) is the SPP Courtyard.

• The collection location for DL/YC clubs (17:45 or 17:15 Wednesday) is the Rose Garden.

• The collection location of DL/YC Prep Late Stay (17:45) is the Rose Garden.

WRAP AROUND CARE

We understand that some parents may need their children to come to school earlier or stay later than the normal school day, and we offer care before and after school from 07:30 to 17:45 Monday to Friday from the start of term.

BEFORE SCHOOL

07:30-08:00 Breakfast Club (£5)

07:45-08:00 SPP/DL/YC Early Drop (no charge)

Book termly in advance via School Cloud Booking System

No booking required SPP pupils to be dropped off in the SPP Courtyard. DL/YC pupils to go to the Tennis courts – please do not drop before 07:45 as there is no staff supervision before this time

AFTER SCHOOL

15:30-16:30 SPP Sibling Holding After School Care (no charge)

15:30-16:20 SPP Reception to Yr2 selected internal/external clubs

16:00-16:30

(no holding on Wednesday)

DL/YC Years 3 & 4 Sibling Holding (no charge)

15:15-17:45 Little Somers Club for Pre-schoolers

15:15-16:30 (£5)

16:30-17:45 (£10 including tea)

15:30-17:45 Somers Club (charged) for Reception to Year 2

15:30-16:30 (£5)

16:30-17:45 (£10 including tea)

Book termly in advance via School Cloud Booking System

Book termly in advance via School Cloud Booking System

No booking required * we assume Year 3 & 4 DL/YC pupils are staying until the end of their eldest siblings’ school day unless advised otherwise

Book termly in advance via School Cloud Booking System

Book termly in advance via School Cloud Booking System

16:30-17:45

(16:00-17:45

Wednesday)

DL/YC Late Stay (No charge)

Book termly in advance via School Cloud Booking System charged

Breakfast club 07:30am-08:00am

Drop off between 07:30-07:35am only. This is chargeable at £5.00 for the session per day (30 mins) and must be booked in advance for the term where possible. Charges will be added to your subsequent term’s invoice.

Breakfast club will be held in the dining hall. All parents dropping off for Breakfast Club must use the Tudeley Road entrance and drop off at the lower carpark. DL/YC pupils will walk to the dining hall independently. SPP children will be met by a member of staff who will escort them to the dining hall, please do not release your child without a member of the breakfast club staff available to accept him/her. Drop off between 07:30-07:35am only.

Breakfast will be: Toast with jam, cereals with milk, milk, juice and fresh fruit.

Booking is via the Somerhill School Cloud Booking System. In term bookings are made via reception@somerhill.org

Early morning drop-off 07:45am-08:00am

SPP pupils (plus those with DL/YC siblings) to enter through Parkland Gate and park in the visitor's carpark in front of the Mansion Hall. Parents should walk their SPP children to the SPP Courtyard. Their DL/YC siblings will enter through the gate by the long library and proceed to the tennis courts (see detail below). Please do not release children until all staff are in place to accept them.

DL/YC only pupils enter via the Tudeley Road entrance and drop off at the lower carpark as usual. Pupils will then proceed to the tennis courts (the Bickmore Hall, if it is raining), where staff will supervise them until 8:00am. Please ensure your child always has their coat with them.

CLUBS

Somerhill offers over 70 clubs for pupils from Reception to Year 8. Most of the clubs are run by Somerhill teaching staff and are free of charge. The clubs cover sporting activities, arts, and creativity as well as some extension academic subjects. Clubs run by external providers are booked and paid for directly with the providers.

Clubs run from Monday to Friday after the end of the school day. The exceptions are swim squad and cross-country running club which take place in the morning and some music ensembles, swimming squads and sport training sessions which may happen during breaktimes.

Please note that clubs run from the second week of each term and end on the penultimate week of each term. Sign up for clubs is termly in advance. Our clubs are always very popular, and some are oversubscribed. Reception manages waiting lists and places are allocated when they become available.

Club timings

SPP Clubs run from 15:30-16:20

SPP teachers would like to recommend to parents that children in Reception should only sign up for 2 clubs, and children in Years 1 and 2, should sign up for a maximum of 3 clubs.

External paid for clubs can be signed up for in addition.

DL/YC Clubs run from 16:30-17:45 (16:00-17:15 on Wednesdays)

Clubs are organised per year group, and we offer both sports/outdoor activities as well creative options. Clubs are offered on a first come first served basis and will open for booking on the first week of school. Some clubs may finish at half term due to loss of light outside in the Michaelmas term. A light snack is provided at 4:30pm for all clubs members when they are registered.

We provide the contact details of the external club providers, and all booking and payments are direct with the provider.

Termly Pre-booking is required for Clubs via Somerhill School Cloud. Once term has started changes to clubs can only be made via reception@somerhill.org

DL/YC SPORT AND KIT

Kit needs to be taken to the changing rooms in the Bickmore Hall after drop-off every Monday morning. Swimming bags will be kept on pegs / Form rooms and will be sent home if they are used in either PE or games sessions.

Kit will go home on the following days to be washed and ready for the following week:

DL: Y3 - Thursday and Y4-6 - Friday

YC: Friday

We cannot stress enough the importance of sewn-on labels for all clothing, as there are approximately 400 children using the changing rooms each week. If items are labelled, we do endeavour to return ‘lost’ kit as quickly as possible, but we do encourage the children to take personal responsibility for packing and remembering their items.

All children are required to have their outdoor trainers in school every day for outside play. They should also have indoor trainers for sport in the Bickmore Hall.

All children must wear their school tracksuit when they are representing the school at fixtures (Wednesday Years 5-8/Thursday Years 3 & 4). For children playing hockey or rugby, it is essential they wear a gumshield.

Off Games:

Should your DL/YC child be unable to do games or PE, but is in school, an email must be sent to their Form Teacher by 8:00am confirming the reason why they are unable to participate and for how long.

VISITING DURING THE SCHOOL DAY

All parents must sign-in at Reception if they are visiting school during the school day.

Please do not enter any school buildings unless you are invited to do so by a member of staff. Somerhill is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff, parents, volunteers and visitors to share this commitment. Whilst on school premises the following must be observed:

Classroom & Cloakrooms

Please do not enter classrooms, cloakrooms or any other area used by pupils unless you are accompanied by a member of staff.

Safeguarding Children

If you have any concern that a child has been harmed, is at risk of harm, or you receive a disclosure, please contact Reception as quickly as possible and ask to speak to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or email dsl@somerhill.org.

Health & Safety

Your safety and wellbeing during your visit are important to us. As a visitor, you have a legal duty to care for the health and safety of yourself and others. Any illness, injury or accident must be reported to Reception.

Fire & Emergency

If the Fire Alarm sounds, leave the building by the nearest exit and proceed to the designated Assembly Point. Do not re-enter the building.

Property & Vehicles

The school cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to vehicles and/or personal possessions while visiting our schools.

The safety guidelines on the back cover of this handbook apply at all times; before, during and after the school day.

ABSENCES AND LATE ARRIVAL

Attendance registers are taken at the start of morning and afternoon sessions. If an absence is unexpected, please let us know as soon as you can via 01732 375953 or by selecting option 1 from the main school phone number, 01732 352124.

Alternatively, please email your child’s form teacher and copy in reception@somerhill.org

Please try to arrange dental and other non-urgent appointments outside of school hours or during the school holidays. We urge all parents to take their children on holiday during our designated holidays. Any request for term time absence should be made in writing to the Principal in plenty of time.

UNIFORM & SECOND-HAND SHOP

Change to uniform – September 2022

Somerhill now embarks on an exciting new phase of its development. Our new uniform is scheduled to roll out in September 2022. Please see our website for updates regarding purchasing of the new uniform.

Nursery & Kindergarten

All SPP children require:

• SPP coat and rucksack

• SPP tracksuit with white polo shirt

• SPP bobble hat, scarf and plain black gloves

• Wellington boots (any colour)

• Navy/black school shoes with Velcro fastenings

• White ankle socks

• SPP legionnaires cap

• Green shorts

• Waterproof Trousers & Jacket

We would encourage you to buy a bigger size waterproof jacket to allow it to fit on top of the school coat for very cold and wet days.

Pre-School and Reception children require spare pants, socks and tracksuit trousers in the green Somerhill shoe/spare clothes bag.

Saplings

Please see the links below for Saplings Uniform. You are welcome to choose any colour.

Coat https://www.polarnopyret.co.uk/collections/all-jackets-coats/products/kids-blackwaterproof-jacket-60490834-198

Fleece https://www.polarnopyret.co.uk/collections/all-jackets-coats/products/kids-blackshowerproof-fleece-jacket-60490866-198

Trousers https://www.polarnopyret.co.uk/collections/all-overalls-outerweartrouser/products/shell-waterproof-kids-trousers-black-60501832-198

Dungarees https://www.polarnopyret.co.uk/collections/all-overalls-outerweartrouser/products/waterproof-baby-kids-shell-dungarees-black-60501840-198

PLEASE SEW WOVEN NAME LABELS ON ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

We ask that younger children wear shoes with velcro fastenings to encourage independence. Please ensure your child can tie laces confidently before sending them to school in lace-up shoes. Hair should always be tied back. No jewellery or watches should be worn in school.

Reception – Year 2

All SPP children require:

• SPP coat and rucksack

• SPP tracksuit with white polo shirt

• SPP bobble hat, scarf and plain black gloves

• Wellington boots (any colour)

• Navy/black school shoes with Velcro fastenings

• White ankle socks

• SPP legionnaires cap

• Green shorts

• Waterproof Trousers & Jacket

We would encourage you to buy a bigger size waterproof jacket to allow it to fit on top of the school coat for very cold and wet days.

Pre-School & Reception require spare pants, socks and tracksuit trousers in the green Somerhill shoe/spare clothes bag.

All Reception, Year One and Year Two children also require:

• White, non-marking trainers

• Somerhill swim bag with Somerhill swimsuit/jammers, swim cap, goggles and a towel.

• Green fleece (optional)

• Somerhill small rucksack

Reception, Year One and Year Two girls also require:

• Summer dress (worn with white socks)

• Pinafore (worn with grey tights or white socks)

• White school blouse

• Green cardigan

Reception, Year One and Year Two boys also require:

• Grey shorts (worn with grey knee socks)

• Green jumper

Reception children wear their tracksuits for three days each week and Year One and Two children wear their tracksuits for two days each week. You will be notified of which days the children have PE.

PLEASE SEW WOVEN NAME LABELS ON ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

We ask that younger children wear shoes with velcro fastenings to encourage independence. Please ensure your child can tie laces confidently before sending them to school in lace-up shoes. Hair should always be tied back. No jewellery should be worn in school. Children can wear analogue watches from Year 2.

SPP girls wear summer dresses in September. They start wearing the tartan tunic after the Michaelmas half-term holiday, then summer dresses in the Trinity term.

Contact details for Stevensons are available in the ‘Parents’ area on somerhill.org.

Derwent Lodge

Derwent Lodge pupils require:

• Somerhill blazer (worn every day in and out of school - Year 3 may leave their blazers at school)

• White long sleeve revere collar blouse (winter)

• Culottes worn with grey socks or grey tights (winter)

• DL jumper or cardigan

• Summer dress worn with white socks (summer)

• DL games top

• DL skort

• DL PE shorts

• Netball dress

• Somerhill athletics vest

• Somerhill house polo (for PE)

• Somerhill waterproof top and tracksuit bottoms

• Somerhill mid-layer

• Black skins top/bottom (optional)

• White sports socks

• Somerhill Games socks

• Somerhill black swimsuit, Somerhill swim cap, goggles and a towel

• Somerhill coat (winter)

• Somerhill hat and scarf, plain black gloves (winter)

• Somerhill cricket top, cricket trousers, cricket jumper (optional) (summer)

• School shoes; black and supportive with a strap or laces

• Outdoor and indoor trainers for hockey, netball and cricket

• Trail shoes or football boots or spikes for cross country running

• Mouthguard and shin pads for hockey

• DL blue cap (summer)Somerhill rucksack, swim bag, kit bag

PLEASE SEW WOVEN NAME LABELS ON ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

A personalised kit bag needs to be ordered by parents directly from Stevensons via their website

If your daughter would like to have her ears pierced, please do so only in the summer holiday, as our sports coaching cannot permit new studs being taped. They must be removed completely during sport. Only a single pair of plain, round gold or silver studs may be worn in the lobe of the ear. No other jewellery is permitted.

Derwent Lodge pupils wear summer dresses in September. They start wearing culottes and blouses after the Michaelmas half term holiday, then summer dresses in the Trinity term. Please ensure that hemlines are at or below the knee.

Yardley Court

Yardley Court pupils require:

• Somerhill blazer (worn every day in and out of school - Year 3 may leave their blazers at school)

• White shirt (winter) and YC tie (winter)

• Green YC jumper

• Grey cord shorts (Y3-6)

• Grey trousers (Y7-8)

• Grey knee socks

• YC green polo shirt (Michaelmas until half-term/Trinity)

• Somerhill coat (winter)

• Somerhill hat and scarf plain black gloves (winter)(optional)

• Black school shoes

• YC games jersey (reversible)

• YC games shorts

• YC black PE shorts

• Somerhill games socks

• Somerhill athletics vest

• Somerhill house polo (for PE)

• Somerhill waterproof top and tracksuit bottoms

• Somerhill mid-layer

• Mouthguard, studded boots, shin pads (winter)

• White socks

• Somerhill black swim jammers, Somerhill swim cap, goggles and a towel

• Outdoor trainers and Indoor trainers (with non-marking soles)

• Somerhill cricket top, cricket trousers (Yrs 5 to 8 only), cricket jumper (optional) (Trinity)

• YC pink cap (summer)

• Somerhill rucksack, swim bag, kit bag

PLEASE SEW WOVEN NAME LABELS ON ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!

A personalised kit bag needs to be ordered by parents directly from Stevensons via their website

Boys wear polo shirts in September. They start wearing white shirts and ties after the Michaelmas half term holiday and through the Lent term, then polo shirts in the Trinity term. Blazers, with a shirt and tie, are worn for the Carols Services, school trips, form and whole school photographs and some competitions and events

LIFE AT SOMERHILL

Educational visits and visitors

Outings and visitors to the school are organised to enhance the curriculum. Trips and special events are published in the school calendar. Educational day trips are included in school fees.

Residential, overseas and recreational trips do incur a cost. Your consent to add this cost to your school account will be requested when details of the trip are sent out.

Medical care

We have a School Nurse. If your child becomes unwell during the day, we will call you to make arrangements for your child to be collected as soon as possible.

A Medical Questionnaire will need to be completed before your child starts at the school.

Please let us know of any changes or new developments. If you wish to discuss any medical concerns, please email schoolnurse@somerhill.org or call 01732 352124.

The school carries a stock of paracetamol, ibuprofen, and antihistamines. If your child is found to have a temperature, we will contact you and ask for them to be collected as soon as possible. If your child requires short term medication, for example a course of antibiotics, you should complete an Administration of Medicines Form (available on the Portal). If the medicine is prescribed by a doctor, it should be in a named box with a pharmacy label on it. The medicine and the signed form should be handed into the school nurse via the school office.

Parents are asked to adhere to the school First Aid Policy with regards to sickness and diarrhea and keep their child away from school for a minimum of 48 hours from the last episode.

If an injury or illness occurs that, in the school nurse’s opinion, requires hospital treatment, every effort will be made to contact a parent or emergency contact.

Reports and consultations

It is the school’s intention that parents should be kept informed as is practicable of their child’s progress in all subjects. We provide regular feedback both informally and through formal parent consultations and written reports. The Curriculum Summaries, found on the Parent Portal, give more detail on our reporting structure.

Parent consultation evenings are shown on the school calendar, with emails sent to parents a few weeks before, to enable appointments to be booked with teachers. Parents of pupils in Pre-School and Reception have access to a learning journal called Tapestry, each term for a set period before Parent Consultation Evenings.

Curriculum

At the start of each academic year, Pre-Prep and Year 3 and Year 7 parents are invited to Curriculum/Transition Information Evenings, to hear more about the curriculum, teaching methods, routines and ways to support your child’s learning at home. Detailed Curriculum Summaries can be viewed on the Portal for all year groups.

Senior school information sessions

Parents of pupils in Year 5 are invited to attend a Senior Schools Information Session to learn more about the senior school options for our pupils. This happens in the first few weeks of the new academic year.

Homework and Home Learning

We do not believe that homework should be overly onerous or long. Children have a demanding school day, and they need free time to relax in the evenings. In Pre-Prep, when

your child has developed the necessary early reading skills, they will be sent home with a reading book and “tricky” words. From Year One children will be sent home with weekly spelling activities or lists. In Reception, Year One and Year Two children can log into Abacus at home and access activities that link to their learning in class. Year One and Year Two children can use Purple Mash at home.

In Year 3 and 4 children will have a weekly spellings list and regular times tables practice.

In Years 5 and 6 pupils may be asked to complete independent research, alongside regular reading, spellings, times tables and French vocabulary

In Years 7 and 8, pupils will receive homework to complete each evening. Each prep should last no longer than 30 minutes.

There are a number of home learning tools made available to pupils to support their learning including MyMaths, Memrise, Kerboodle, Abacus, Times Tables Rock Stars and many others. Subject specific online tools are referenced in the curriculum summaries. We ask all our pupils to read at home daily, for enjoyment and educational benefit.

Books and Materials

Textbooks and exercise books are provided. In Pre-Prep, all equipment required in lessons is provided.

In Years 3 and 4, children require 2 HB pencils, 1 eraser, 1 pencil sharpener with container to collect the shavings, 1 small pair of scissors with rounded points, a 30cm ruler, a glue stick, one set of colouring pencils. Children should bring these items to school in one, modest pencil case. Biros are not permitted

Older children will require a handwriting/fountain pen, geometry instruments and a calculator. They will be advised when they are required by their form tutor, with suggestions on make and model. Electronic devices must not come into school. Children must not swap possessions.

Whilst in school pupils have access to chrome books and other handheld tablets where appropriate in their lessons. As pupils move through the school, they become familiar with the Microsoft suite of products such as TEAMs and One Note

Food

Children are provided with a morning snack and a hot lunch with fruit or a pudding. Early Years children also receive an afternoon snack. Water is available throughout the school day It is essential that Prep aged children have a named re-usable water bottle.

The lunch menu is published weekly in the Housekeeping Bulletin. We cater for a range of dietary needs. Dietary restrictions, including those for religious observance, should be recorded in full on the medical consent form during your child’s admission and updated via

the school nurse (schoolnurse@somerhill.org) if anything changes.

If your child is asked to bring food into school for any event it must not contain nuts, and cakes brought in as birthday treats must be shop bought, pre-packed with all ingredients clearly detailed.

Music

Music is an essential part of life at Somerhill, and we warmly encourage pupils to participate in a wide range of musical activities. We are delighted so many pupils enjoy extra-curricular instrumental and vocal lessons.

If you would like your child to learn a musical instrument, available from Year 2 onwards, please fill in the online Music Tuition Form in the Parent Portal.

OTHER INFORMATION Libraries

Somerhill has two well-stocked libraries; one for Pre-Prep and one for Years 3 to 8.

Children use the libraries regularly and are encouraged to take responsibility for signing out and returning their books, with lots of support available to help them extend their reading and learn about referencing. The library catalogue for Years 3 and above can be accessed from home.

Somerhill Parents’ Association (SPA)

The main aim of the SPA is to help parents develop friendships across the school community. Social events held at school are always popular and we warmly encourage parents to become involved in this important aspect of school life.

All parents at Somerhill are members of the Parents’ Association but for those who wish to play a particularly active role there is the opportunity to join the SPA committee and/or an event committee.

SPA class reps will be introduced to you during your child’s admission. They help to keep classes updated on social events and provide useful reminders for all aspects of school life.

Fees

The Somerhill Scale of Fees is available in the Admissions area of somerhill.org. It is sent to all parents during their child’s admission and at the start of each Trinity term.

Invoices are available on the Parents’ Portal and the accounts team can be contacted via accounts@somerhill.org if you have any queries about methods of payment.

The Bursar can be contacted via jhunt@somerhill.org

Policies

Like all schools, Somerhill has many policies concerning how we operate, which we regularly review. You can find copies of many on our website somerhill.org You may request hard copies by emailing reception@somerhill.org

The Safety of our Children on Somerhill’s premises

The safety and security of all children whilst at Somerhill is of paramount importance. To help ensure that your child’s safety is not compromised, the school has in place a number of measures. Please adhere to the guidelines as detailed below:

Please drive with diligence and care at all times, keeping to the set speed limits.

Members of the premises staff are deployed in the car parks at the busiest times. You are requested to follow their instructions and directions.

The use of mobile phones whilst driving is illegal. You are respectfully reminded to adhere to traffic law at all times.

Please do not park on yellow lines unless directed to do so by a member of staff. Parking on yellow lines compromises the ability to see children crossing during busy times and restricts the flow of traffic.

Pre-Prep children must be escorted into the courtyard by an adult.

Drop-off lanes for YC and DL should be used wherever possible. These areas have been provided for the safety of your children as they have direct access to a path when getting out of the car.

Please refrain from sitting in your car with the engine idling as this adds to pollution.

There are two areas that are for staff parking only. The areas are clearly signposted as ‘Staff Car Park’ and ‘Permit Holders Only’. They are adjacent to the science labs and to the music building and swimming pool. Do not drive into these areas or park in these areas at any time.

Dogs are only permitted on site if they are secured in your vehicle or on a lead in the Parkland. Dogs are not permitted outside of vehicles, except in the Parkland. They must not be in proximity of children / other dogs. If you wish to walk your dog in the Parkland, please park in the Overflow car park on the right at the top of the main drive. Your dog must always be on a lead. All dog waste must be collected and disposed of in the bins provided.

Play areas are for the use of Somerhill pupils only whilst under adult supervision. Please ensure that you supervise your child so that they do not come to any harm. Please only allow your child to use the designated play equipment under your supervision. It has been designed for children to play on, which walls etc have not. Children should only use the play areas after

the end of the school day. After School Care may take priority in the adventure play area between 3.45pm and 4.30pm.

For reasons of child safety and protection please do not use mobile phones and mobile devices (or any equipment capable of recording images) in areas where children may be present.

Please do not enter any school buildings (other than reception), classrooms or cloakrooms, unless you are invited to do so by a member of staff.

Please do not turn right at the main exit on to Tudeley Road.

Thank you for your co-operation.