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Break Times
All pupils have a morning break of 25 minutes, a lunchtime break of approximately 1 hour, and an afternoon break of 10 minutes.
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Lunches
School lunches, which are provided for all pupils are freshly prepared and cooked each day on site by our caterers, Chartwells. A vegetarian option is available daily. Menus change weekly and rotate every three weeks. Menus can be found on the Parent Portal and in the weekly Bulletin. The cost for lunches is included in the fees, and please note that no refund is made if a child does not take school lunches. Please complete a medical and/or dietary form if your child has an allergy or specific dietary need.
Choristers
Reigate St Mary’s is one of an elite group of fewer than 40 schools with full membership of the Choir School Association (CSA). Led by Reigate Grammar School’s Head of Choral Music, Mrs Tali Glynne-Jones, the choir sings regularly in school and church services and performs in concerts nationally.
Entrance is open to boys and girls from the age of eight, and is normally gained following a voice trial. Choral scholarships are offered by the RGS Godfrey Searle Choir Trust and details may be obtained from the RGS bursar’s office.
Peripatetic Music Lessons
In addition to weekly music lessons as part of the curriculum, individual vocal tuition or instrumental lessons can be arranged in piano, classical guitar, flute, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, drum kit, violin, cello, trumpet and recorder. If you would like your child to take music lessons, please contact the school office by email.
When
Sport
PE and dance: Throughout the school, at least twice a week. Games: Ball skills and team sports are introduced in the Lower School, progressing to two afternoons each week for the Upper School dedicated to a variety of team sports including rugby, hockey, football, netball, cricket and athletics. Swimming: Reception pupils swim weekly all year round on a Friday. Year 1 and Year 2 swim on rotation during the three terms. Years 3 to 6 have swimming lessons on a rota with other PE activities. All lessons take place in the Reigate Grammar School pool. After-school clubs enable children to develop their skills in specific sports or disciplines including dance and martial arts.
Day Trips
Each year, pupils take part in educational day trips linked to their curriculum topic. The cost of these trips is extra to the termly school fee and payable in advance of the trip via SchoolsBuddy. Examples include Hever Castle, Brighton Sealife Centre, Merrist Wood or Wisley Gardens.
Residential Trips
Starting in Year 4, children have the opportunity to take part in residential trips. The cost of these trips is extra to the term’s fees. All pupils are strongly encouraged to attend the annual residential trip for their year group if they are able to. Our annual Year 6 trip to Snowdonia for four nights is a wonderful finale to prep school.
When
WRAPAROUND CARE
Wraparound care should be pre-booked through SchoolsBuddy and is charged in 30-minute slots.
BREAKFAST CLUB
7.30am – 8.00am
This is a paid for service available for all pupils.
SUPERVISED EARLY CARE
8.00am – 8.25am
Free of charge. Green Shoots, Kindergarten, Reception and Year 1 are inside in a designated classroom, and Year 2 upwards stay on the playground from 8.00am under teacher supervision until the bell rings at 8.25am.
SIBLING LATE CARE
(Lower/Upper School core day)
3.30pm – 3.50/4.00pm
Provided free of charge for children in Green Shoots to Year 2 (Early Years & Lower School) who have siblings in Years 3–6 (Upper School) and whose core school day therefore finishes later. NB: This does not apply in the case of siblings of Lower School children attending clubs. Children can go from here to Extended Day. Booked through SchoolsBuddy.
SIBLING LATE CARE
(sporting fixtures)
Provided free of charge for children whose sibling is participating in an ‘away’ sporting fixture (includes RGS Hartswood) when the parent or carer is attending the fixture to support the team and is therefore not able to collect sibling(s). Booked via an email to the office.
EXTENDED DAY
3.30pm – 6.00pm
This is a paid for service for Green Shoots to Year 6. A hot tea is served between 5.00pm and 5.30pm in the dining room.
Holiday Clubs
Reigate St Mary’s recognises that parents have busy lives and our holiday clubs ensure that all children from Green Shoots upwards can be looked after at school for 48 weeks of the year (excluding February and May half terms, bank holidays and inset days).
Holiday clubs are either run by RSM staff and provided by us, or by our partner; Camp Beaumont. RSM Holiday Club includes activities such as gymnastics, treasure hunts, swimming, bowling, roller discos, art and craft and visits off-site to Box Hill or Bocketts Farm. Camp Beaumont are experts in their field, providing high-quality Ofsted-accredited day camps offering children the chance to try over 40 sports, games and creative activities on a daily timetable, all based on the RSM site. https://www.campbeaumont.co.uk
Green Shoots and Kindergarten have their own Early Years Holiday Club which runs alongside the main school’s but is designed for the youngest pupils. Based in the dedicated Green Shoots and Kindergarten areas, and run by familiar staff, it provides continuity for our youngest children, with activities designed especially for that age group.
Holiday clubs are booked through SchoolsBuddy.
Clubs
A rich variety of pre-school, lunchtime and after-school activities known as clubs are offered, with options changing termly. Some are run by teachers and teaching assistants, and some by third-party specialists. A list including timings, group sizes and prices is sent out before each new term and charges for clubs are added to the next fee bill.
Homework
Homework is set to support children in their learning. This is designed to be positive and should not be an onerous experience for either the child or parent. We aim to provide work that can, in most cases, be completed independently. All homework is thoroughly discussed in class by the teacher and each pupil should be able to complete homework without help, unless specified. (Children who receive SEND support in school may still need additional help at home, even with the differentiated work that is provided.) However, continuing to read each night to/with your child, and to discuss reading matter with them, is important for all ages and all areas of the curriculum. For children in Years 3 and 4, spelling and times tables are also a priority. As the pace of work accelerates from Year 3 to Year 6, self-organisation and responsibility are emphasised. Your child will benefit from a desk away from distractions if possible.
Homework reflects our core aims to support each individual child in developing good study habits and provide support where necessary. We ask that you encourage your child to always do their best, maintain a high standard of presentation and to take advantage of optional activities where they occur. The teacher may have suggested particular skills to improve or develop a given area.
Homework should be completed in a concentrated session. Therefore, we advise that you stop your child when they have completed the set amount of minutes of work, or if they are struggling. A short note to the relevant teacher explaining this would be helpful and save unnecessary worry on the part of your child. Homework is set and recorded either in a homework diary, on Firefly or on iPads according to your child’s year group.
Children at Reigate St Mary’s have a busy and stimulating day. After careful consideration the following guidelines have been set for homework:
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Daily reading at home (10 – 15 minutes). Phonics practice.
15 minutes daily of reading aloud and the discussion of content in reading books.
Weekly phonics challenge and supportive handwriting.
15 minutes daily of reading aloud and the discussion of content in reading books.
Weekly phonics homework and supportive handwriting.
Weekly maths homework (from October half term).
Daily reading and discussion of reading material with an adult. Revision of spelling and times tables. English or maths task once per week, on alternate weeks.
Daily reading and discussion of reading materials. English and maths set once each per week. Spelling/times tables set once per week. Occasional science homework.
Daily reading and discussion of reading materials. English and maths set once each per week. Occasional science or combined humanities homework is set to support or extend class work.
Year 6
Daily reading and discussion of reading materials. English and maths set once each per week during the Autumn and Spring terms. Extra work may be set at the discretion of English and maths teachers, as appropriate. Occasional science or combined humanities homework is set to support or extend class work. Project work set after assessments in the Summer term instead of English and maths homework.
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Social Media
Do follow us for latest news, photos and stories from the classroom, trips and sports pitches:
Instagram @rsmprepschool
Facebook @reigatestmarys
Twitter @rsmprepschool
Tapestry
Early Years teachers use our secure online learning journal Tapestry (up to and including Reception) to build a record of each child’s learning journey, using photos, videos and diary entries. You will be provided with your log-in before the start of term and can not only view your child’s progress and snapshots of their time at school, but can also leave comments and upload your own files to the journal.
Firefly
The remote learning platform, Firefly, is used to support the curriculum from Year 1, to deliver engaging lessons both remotely and in school, from setting tasks to sharing resources as well as enabling efficient communication. Children receive an account when they join the school.
Schoolsbuddy
SchoolsBuddy is an online system that can be used on desktop or via the mobile app for:
• Sign up for clubs.
• Sign up for wraparound care including breakfast club, after-school care and RSM Holiday Clubs. Fees are added to the school fees account.
• The ability to pay by card for trips.
• View diary of confirmed events.
• Receive communications from us.
• Towards the start of term you will receive an activation email from SchoolsBuddy to set up your account.
Sports App
The sports calendar, news and fixtures are found on our dedicated sports website: www.rsmsports.org/ which can be accessed and used as an app on your phone. The password to access fixture and team information will be emailed to you separately.
Parent Portal
All letters and other information relating to trips, curriculum jigsaw maps, Lower School weekly overviews and other non-urgent documents are uploaded on our Parent Portal for which you will be given a username and password once you have joined the school.
Termly Calendar
Each term the school issues a printed termly calendar, which contains the major planned events for the term. This is also posted onto the school website and sent via the school email system.
School Policies
School policies ranging from admissions to safeguarding and privacy can be found on the school website or are detailed in the school’s terms and conditions, available on request from the school office.
Fire Drill
Fire drills are held regularly and all pupils are instructed on what to do in the event of a fire.
Medical
If you have any concerns regarding your child’s medical needs, please contact the school office and we will arrange for you to meet our medical officer and have an individual action plan drawn up, if appropriate to do so.
Pupil Absence
The Department for Education requires that all absences must be explained in writing by the parent.
Absence Due to Illness – If your child is unwell or unable to come to school, please report their absence by email to the school office as soon as possible (and on each morning that they will not be attending school if their absence is for longer than one day). A child who has vomited or has had diarrhoea must not return to school within 48 hours of the last episode occurring.
Other Absences – The school discourages any absences for reasons other than sickness during term time as it is disruptive to the children’s learning. This includes Green Shoots and Kindergarten.
