Your magical journey at Fairley House starts here....... www.fairleyhouse.org.uk
Welcome from our Head
We are delighted to officially welcome you to Fairley House and I hope this pack offers you all the information you need as you get ready for your first day. If there is anything you are still unsure about we would be delighted to help answer any questions you have ahead of arriving at Fairley House.
It is perfectly understandable if there are some nerves mixed with excitement about the prospect of starting at a new school. I hope it is reassuring to know that everyone feels the same - I can still remember my nerves before my first day teaching here!
However, we are very experienced at helping all our students settle in and are used to bringing children into the Fairley House environment no matter their starting point, what stage in the academic year it is, and what their experiences were like at their previous school.
We pride ourselves on being a warm, understanding and inclusive community and we hope you will feel very much at home here.
I look forward to saying hello to you in person at Fairley House very soon.
Here are some of the key people you will see around Fairley House:
Mr Taylor | Head Mrs Benkreira | Deputy Head / Junior Dept SENCo
Ms Smith | Senior Dept SENCo
Ms Hamilton | Director of Studies (Senior Dept.)
Mrs Bailie | Lead OT Miss Morris | Admissions Mrs Murdoch Receptionist
Dept Ms Freeman Receptionist Junior Dept Ms Palmer | Lead SLT
Mr Roberts | Director of Studies (Junior Dept.)
Getting here What to bring
Our Junior Department is here:
• 218-220 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7JY
• The nearest Tube stations are Vauxhall and Lambeth North
• Our closest bus stops serve nos. 3, 59, 159, 344 and 360
Our Senior Department is here:
• 30 Causton Street, London, SW1P 4AU
• The nearest tube station is Pimlico
• Our closest bus stops serve nos. 2, 36, 88, 185 and C10
Coach transport:
If you are interested in coach transport to, and from, Fairley House, please contact our private coach partners Carey Coaches on 07931 775 552 / careyscoaches86@gmail.com.
They can pick up and drop off from a number of different London postcodes subject to demand and availability
Please note there is no parking on either school site.
• Refillable water bottle (there are lots of water fountains around school to fill up your bottle)
• School uniform - see pages 7 - 10
Please ensure all items of clothing and personal equipment you bring to school are clearly marked with your full name
Please do not bring the following to school:
• Any valuable toys, watches, jewellery etc. They could become damaged or lost
Fairley House can take no responsibility for damage or loss of possessions travelling to/from, or on, school property
We are aware that families like to be able to stay connected and students are allowed to bring their phones into school.
However, devices must be handed in when students come into school and can be collected at the end of the school day.
PHONE POLICY
School day timings
• 8:20am - school doors open
• 8.30am - registration (all students must be in school by this time)
• 8:40am - lessons begin
• 3pm - school finishes (on Fridays)
• 3.30pm - school finishes for Junior Dept. (Mondays - Thursdays)
• 3.40pm - school finishes for Senior Dept. (Mondays - Thursdays)
• 4.30pm - tutorials for Years 10-11 finish (Mondays - Thursdays)
• 4.30pm - clubs on Tuesdays and Thursdays finish
Pick up time
Senior Department:
• Adults coming to collect children at the end of the day should congregate at the Pupil Entrance on Causton Street. Please arrive promptly for the end of the school day.
Junior Department:
• Bus drivers, taxi drivers or local authority escorts should pick up at the pupil entrance of the school hall where they will be met by the staff member on-duty.
• Parents, au pairs, nannies or guardians coming to collect children at the end of the day should pick up at the library entrance door. Please arrive promptly for the end of the school day.
If you are delayed in collecting your child please let the office know as soon as possible.
Please ensure your parent or guardian inform the school office (senior@fairleyhouse.org.uk / junior@ fairleyhouse.org.uk) and your child’s form tutor of any changes to the usual travel arrangements e.g. if your child is being picked up by another child’s parent.
Absences
• If your child is absent from school due to illness please email the Junior or Senior Department Office by 8am on the first and every day of their illness to keep us updated
In circumstances where a child is absent frequently, or over a longer period, due to illness, a letter of explanation to the Head should be sent accompanied by a certificate from a medical professional
• Attendance at school during term-time is very important and parents are asked not to arrange holidays over term-time. Leave of absence for other reasons such as medical or dental appointments, school visits, religious holidays or major family occasions such as weddings and funerals are acceptable with advance permission from the school.
• Every child has their own individual education programme (IEP) which is carefully structured by Fairley House staff for optimal learning outcomes. It is important we keep any disruption to their learning to a minimum wherever possible.
Our Fairley House school uniform is modern, stylish and helps engender a sense of belonging within our school community.
Hair and accessories
• Girls should wear their hair tied back
• Make up and nail varnish should not be worn
• Jewellery, including friendship bracelets, are not to be worn. Simple ear studs, wrist watches and religious jewellery are permitted
Tops and shirts
• Year 10 and 11 girls can wear a white shirt
• Dark grey V-neck jumpers can be worn
Skirts
• A blue summer dress is an option that can be worn by girls in Years 2 - 6
• Grey tights can be worn in cooler weather
Shoes
• Black or brown shoes should be worn. The only exception is when they are in PE kit for a PE/Games lesson, sports club or sporting fixture.
Boys
Hair and accessories
• Hair should be kept neat and tidy
Shirts and jumpers
• Boys in Years 2-6 can wear a polo shirt in the Summer Term
• Boys in Years 10 and 11 wear a white shirt rather than a blue shirt
• Dark grey V-neck jumpers can be worn
• Ties are optional for boys in Years 2-11
Trousers
• Trousers should be grey and not baggy
Shoes
• Children should wear brown or black shoes - not trainers. The only exception is when they are in PE kit for a PE/ Games lesson, sports club or sporting fixture.
Uniform items which must be purchased by our uniform providers are available for purchase at Stitch Design www.stitchdesign.co.uk
If the items are not listed they can be purchased from any store There are regular second-hand uniform sales organised by our PTA
Our Fairley House School PE & Games kit is comfortable, easy to wash and practical to wear in all weathers
Hair and make up
• Girls should wear their hair tied back
• Make up and nail varnish should not be worn
Top half
• There is a Fairley House branded polo shirt,, tracksuit, and hoodie
• Swimming in Years 2-6 requires a navy swimsuit and swimming cap
Bottom half
• There is a branded skort (halfway between skirt and shorts) which is highly practical and suitable for multi-sports activities
Shoes
• Running shoes, trainers for astroturf or studded football boots should be worn as approriate for the sport and surface.
Accessories
• Jewellery should not be worn during sporting activity
• In hot weather ensure your child has a hat and suncream packed in their bag along with their refillable water bottle
Boys
Top half
• There is a Fairley House branded polo shirt,, tracksuit, and hoodie
Bottom Half
• Swimming in Years 2-6 requires navy swimming trunks which can be bought from any store
• Long sports socks are available for purchase from our uniform providers, and shorter summer sports socks can be purchased anywhere
Shoes
• Running shoes, trainers for astroturf or studded football boots should be worn as approriate for the sport and surface.
Accessories
• Jewellery should not be worn during sporting activity
• In hot weather ensure your child has a hat and suncream packed in their bag along with their refillable water bottle
Uniform items which must be purchased by our uniform providers are available for purchase at Stitch Design www.stitchdesign.co.uk
If the items are not listed they can be purchased from any store
There are regular second-hand uniform sales organised by our PTA
Credits and PHPs
We are keen to praise and reward students who deliver excellent work, are supportive of their peers and embody our Fairley House values through fantastic effort and behaviour
Senior Department:
• Credits are offered for good work and conduct in and out of the classroom
• Top credit scorers are recognised for their achievements in weekly assemblies
Junior Department:
• Students collect ‘Personal House Points’ or PHPs which contribute to their house point totals
• They receive 1, 2 or 3 PHPs from class teachers which is recorded in their school diaries and our electronic house point system
• The highest PHP scorers are announced in weekly assemblies along with Stars of the Week
Debits and Dots
We find that a measured and consistent strategy of sanctions generally maintains excellent behavioural standards across our school community. We work closely with families if we have any specific areas of concern.
Senior Department:
• Debits are assigned to students who do not follow school rules
• Detentions, internal suspensions and temporary or permanent expulsions may be imposed in cases of severely unnaceptable behaviour. Parents will be notified of any detentions imposed.
Junior Department:
• We have a system of reminders, warnings and yellow dots which is written into homework diaries
• If unacceptable behaviour continues a Yellow Card is issued, and 5 Yellow Cards in one term will result in a face-to-face parent or guardian meeting
Values
Our Fairley House community came together to decide on what our school values should be and chose the following:
Respect valuing others, the school and the world around us
Kindness supporting your peers and working collaboratively
Resilience embracing challenges with a positive growth mindset
House and class captains
• All students are assigned to one of the four houses at Fairley House; Bussell, Gates, Winkler and Yankey
• Any students in Year 6 and above may stand for election as a House Captain. Their role is to lead and inspire the pupils in their house, particularly during house competitions
• Class captains are chosen by their form teacher, typically for their positive attitude and behaviour, and their roles and responsibilities can include taking and reporting messages and handing out resources.
• In the Junior Department all selected House and Class Captains automatically become part of the School Council to represent their fellow pupils’ views and pitch ideas to senior teachers
• In the Senior Department pupils can pitch to become members of the Student Leadership Council who meet on a weekly basis to discuss and suggest improvements to student life at Fairley House. They also lead fundraising efforts, push student-led initiatives and have an allocated budget to bring their ideas to life.
• House competitions are held throughout the year and are designed to promote collaboration, friendly competition and boost the childrens’ skills and self-confidence.
Events
There are many opportunities to come into Fairley House and enjoy events that will inform, entertain and celebrate the talents and achievements of your child and others in our community.
We strongly encourage our Fairley Families to attend as many of these events as possible and you will get plenty of notice of them on the school calendar and Fairley Flyer. Events during the academic year include:
• Termly prizegivings - these take place for both the Junior and Senior Departments in the final week of every term. They celebrate the achievements of the students and often feature musical performances as part of proceedings
• Drama productions - these allow the students to express their creativity and work as a team to deliver a compelling dramatic performance across different theatrical genres
• Sports Day - this Summer Term highlight is a whole school event, typically taking place at the Battersea Park Millennium Arena, featuring a plethora of track and field events, including the ever popular parents race!
• PTA events - there are events put on by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) including the Christmas Fair which offers a fun-filled, festive afternoon for both parents and children and typically raises fantastic amounts for school community initiatives
• Coffee Mornings - we host coffee mornings where parents can enjoy pastries, hot beverages, connect with other parents and staff and hear about topics related to their children’s education such as revision tips or the latest in SEN practice
• Parents and Professionals Talks - we host an influential external speaker annually to talk to our parents and SEN professionals about their area of expertise and field questions
• Meet the Teacher and Parents Evenings - this is where you will meet your child’s form teacher and subject teachers in order to better understand your child’s progress and their areas of strength and further development
PTA
Our parents association are an important aspect of Fairley House life and play a central role in organising our legendary Christmas Fair as well as various fundraising activites through the year.
We are always happy to have our Fairley Families spread the word about Fairley House both online and offline so more families become aware of the fantastic work we do and help put their children on the path to successful and fulfilling learning.
If you would like to get involved in the PTA you can contact the current members using the following email address: FH-PTA@hotmail.com
Alumni
We are currently building our alumni network and are always thrilled to stay in touch with children and their families as they continue to grow and flourish after we bid them a fond farewell from Fairley House.
Students leaving Fairley House always depart with our best wishes and a luggage tag to remember us with and to remind them they are forever a part of our Fairley House community, irrespective of if they have attended for one term or several years.
We are delighted to have had many alumni return to deliver inspiring talks to our current students and share their own experience of broadening their horizons and fulfilling their ambitions.
We do hope that when your time at Fairley House finishes you would be happy for us to keep in contact with you.
Parent Portal
At Fairley House we have a bespoke Parent Portal. On the Portal you can find useful resources and tips, recordings of school events, your child’s timetable, the Fairley Flyer newsletter, and more. We have plans to refresh the Portal over the coming months to make it even better. You will get an email to prompt you to access the Parent Portal in your child’s first week which contains instructions on how you login for the first time. We recommend you download the ‘Firefly’ app onto your phone and allow notifications to ensure you remain up-to-date. Students in the Senior Department access homework tasks and can submit assignments and receive marks and comments from their teachers via our bespoke Student Portal. Students are shown how to use the Portal when they start at Fairley House. And don’t forget to follow our social media channels by searching @fairleyhouse on Instagram and X
Links Useful Contacts
Your child’s Form Teacher will be the main day-to-day contact for you to discuss your child’s learning and progress.
For general school enquiries please use the following contact details:
Junior Department Reception: junior@fairleyhouse.org.uk / 020 7630 3789
Senior Department Reception: senior@fairleyhouse.org.uk / 020 7976 5456
