THE SCHOOL DAY

The teaching day is from 8.40am until 4.00pm. All children are expected to arrive at school by 8.30am. Pupils are free to leave from 4pm except on Friday when the day finishes at 4.15pm. Optional after school activities are available Monday through to Thursday.

Once a year, on School Open Day, pupils are expected to attend school on a Saturday morning. In 2021, Open Day will take place on Saturday 12 June.

5. SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Sibford Junior School offers a broad range of lunch-time and before and after school clubs including:

Drama Arts and Crafts Swimming Football Orienteering Cooking Coding

Year 5 and 6 pupils also have the opportunity to take part in the Discovery Award – a year-long initiative designed to challenge the children and increase their responsibility, self confidence, resilience and social awareness. We also have our own Junior Band and Choir.

We want our pupils to be well coordinated, co-operative and physically fit. Rounders, netball, hockey, football, rugby, and cricket are taught in games lessons with other sports, such as athletics, gymnastics, tennis, triathlon, climbing and dance covered in PE lessons.

For pupils in EYFS and Key Stage 1, PE lessons provide the opportunity to develop basic skills of balance, movement, co-ordination and dexterity through fun activities. All Junior Year groups swim once a week. Year 6 are taught to sail at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxford. There is also an organised match programme against other schools as well as sports clubs and team practices.

All pupils are given the opportunity to visit museums, theatres, and places of interest. The cost of these educational visits is added to the termly fee account. By completing the ‘Generic permission to leave campus’ section on the General Admissions Form you give permission for your child to leave campus on supervised outings throughout their time at Sibford Junior School.

After School Activities available Monday – Thursday 4.00pm 4.15pm5.20pm

5.30pm

Foundation Stage and Years 1-2

Break Fruit/snack After school care

Tea Break Fruit/snack Monday-Thursday: Monitored prep or activities 6.00pm

Tea

Children remain under the supervision of the member of staff taking prep or the activity they are involved in until collected. All children should be collected from the Junior School by 5.30pm after which they will be taken to tea, or by 6.00pm from the dining room after tea.

Tea should be booked at least 24 hours in advance by contacting the Junior School office on 01295 781265. A small charge is made for pupils who stay for tea.

Please note there is never an organised prep or afterschool care facility on a Friday evening.

6. ABSENCE

If a child is absent through illness, parents should phone in by 9.00am on the same day and confirm the circumstances in writing on the pupil’s return to school. If we do not hear from you by 9.00am you will be contacted by the school. Parents requesting pupil absence, other than for illness, must seek permission from the Head of Junior School by completing the appropriate permission request form. Forms are available from the Junior School office or can be found under ‘Useful Documents’ on the Parents area of the website here and should be returned to the school at least one week prior to the absence.

All parents are asked to keep to the school’s holiday dates so that pupils are not hindered by unnecessary absence.

Click here to see the 2020/21 term dates

• Complete work begun in class. • Consolidate work covered in class. • Extend work covered in class, especially using research skills. • Prepare for the next lesson. • Establish the idea and self-discipline of prep.

While homework can be a valuable enhancement to learning it can also be a source of considerable stress to parents and pupil alike. At Sibford Junior School we set enough homework for all children every night with the emphasis being on core skills; however, this is tempered by an understanding that different children respond to homework in different ways. A long journey home, after school commitments and the varying ability and stamina of our children are all taken into consideration when setting and collecting prep.

8. MEETING FOR WORSHIP

As a Quaker School our aim is to encourage pupils to exercise self-discipline, showing respect to all regardless of their status. Our pupils are encouraged to be sensitive to others and where possible to be peacemakers. An important part of the Quaker contribution to the spiritual life of our pupils is Meeting for Worship, our daily act of collective worship.

We begin our Meeting with a few minutes of silence to focus our minds. Through the silence we hope to establish a thoughtful, calm atmosphere in our school.

Meeting lasts for approximately 20 minutes, and we end with another period of silence to reflect on the message of the Meeting. We then shake hands with the people sitting around us.

Meeting for Worship takes place at 8.45am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 3.40pm on Fridays. Each class also has its own weekly Meeting for Worship (days and times vary across year groups).

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Awards Meeting Head of Junior School/visiting speaker Key Stage Meeting Tea Alternatives between Celebration Meeting where Junior School pupils share and celebrate recent work and Music Meeting where Junior pupils join with the rest of the school. Parents are invited to join us for Friday Meetings. At the end of each term we hold a special Awards Meeting to which parents are warmly welcomed.

9. MEALS

At Sibford we encourage all pupils to eat a nutritionally balanced diet. Our caterers, Thomas Franks, offer a creative and varied range of menus that provide for a wide range of tastes. All food is prepared at the school with ingredients that come from local, family owned suppliers.

Menus are changed daily and always contain a choice of dishes including a vegetarian option. Junior School staff share the mid-day meal with the children encouraging good table manners and the selection of a balanced and nutritious meal. Special diets are catered for in liaison with the catering staff.

Meal Times Monday-Friday

Lunch Tea

EVFS & KS1

From 11:50pm 5.30pm

KS2

From 12.15pm 5.30pm

Please note: Sibford School is a nut free zone

With a number of children suffering food allergies, and in particular nut allergies, Sibford School has taken the decision to reduce the risk of allergic reactions by ensuring that there should be no nuts, or products containing nuts, present in the school environment. This means that our Catering Department, Food Technology Department and, indeed, all other departments, do not use nuts or nut products.

We also ask that any cakes or food brought into school for whatever reason (fund raising, Celebrations, gifts etc.) do not contain nuts.

10. PERIPATETIC LESSONS

The Music Department provides peripatetic teachers who offer tuition in most orchestral instruments, piano, singing, drums and guitar.

Lessons take place during the school day and are organised to cause the minimum disruption to curriculum lessons.

Piano, violin, recorder, guitar/ukulele and drums are the most appropriate for Junior pupils. Woodwind may be considered as the children grow and develop the necessary span, stretch or breath control. The school can provide a double bass, half and threequarter size violins, cellos, clarinets, flutes, cornets, French horns and saxophones. Pupils studying other disciplines will need to provide their own instruments. Music staff are always happy to advise on the suitability of an instrument and recommend taster lessons to help with the choice of instrument.

The cost of individual music tuition is in line with the recommendation of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. Please contact the Music Department for further details.

LAMDA Classes

Sibford also offers LAMDA classes, which give young people the opportunity to receive tuition in Solo Acting, Verse & Prose and Public Speaking. These lessons are either individual or paired. Please contact the Music Department for fees and further information.

11. HEALTH CARE

Sibford School has its own health centre and employs a full-time registered nurse. Any pupil who is feeling unwell or has a minor injury must inform their teacher. Injuries will initially be treated by a qualified first aider who will decide if your child needs to go to the health centre. If your child is ill then we will endeavour to contact you so that your child can go home.

Pupils requiring regular medication are NOT permitted to look after their own medicines, other than inhalers and epipens. All medicines and pills (including aspirin, etc) should be handed in to the Junior School office.

Pupils who are asthmatic must ensure that they carry their inhalers with them at all times. These should be named.

Any prescribed medication that needs to be taken at school should be handed in to the Junior School office, in order that it can then be administered at the appropriate time. The medication should be in the original bottle with the prescription attached (this can be just the daily dosage). Note: It is ESSENTIAL that we know of any regular medication your child is taking. Failure to provide such information could lead to adverse reactions should other medication be required during the course of the school day.

With effect from 1 January 2017, any pupil taking prescribed medication on a regular basis, MUST have a prescription from a British doctor. In the case of pupils who have moved from overseas, medicines prescribed from a doctor in the pupil’s home country will not suffice as there are, on occasion, incompatibilities between medicines available in the UK and those prescribed overseas. Medical and drug terminology can also vary from country to country and, in the case of emergency, school staff and/or UK medics will need to be able to quickly and easily identify ingredients. Herbal medicines must also have labels in English for the same reason. If you are unsure how to obtain medication in the UK, please contact the School Nurse, Miriam Bibb on 01295 781290 or mbibb@sibfordschool.co.uk.

Click here to read the First Aid Policy.

12. MOBILE PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRICAL DEVICES

Junior School pupils should NOT bring mobile phones to school. The only exception to this rule is where children travel on the school bus, in which case the phone MUST be handed into the Junior School office on arrival and collected at the end of the day. Once collected children should not have their phones out in school; they should remain in their bags until they are on the bus. Parents must inform the school if their child will be bringing a phone. All phones are the sole responsibility of the owner.

Sibford Junior School encourages the appropriate use of personal devices. They are recognised as being highly suitable technology, to be used and mastered by all pupils where and when their use is desirable. It is also recognised that for some pupils a personal device is an essential item to support and bolster the learning process. If a pupil brings a laptop computer, tablet, e-reader or similar device into school, he/she must adhere to the Junior School Personal Device Code of Conduct as detailed below:

Only use the device upon agreement with the Class Teacher – this will follow a recommendation from the Class Teacher, SfL Teacher or Head of Junior School. Only use the device once the pupil and parent/ guardian has signed the Code of Conduct. Ensure that the device is clearly named. Details of the make, model and serial number must be recorded by returning the school laptop registration document to the Junior School Receptionist.

The device must be covered by the owner’s insurance policy. The device should be carried in a well-padded bag and stowed in a safe place. Computer games on devices are not encouraged, particularly those portraying violence. The school reserves the right to ask a parent/ guardian to remove unsuitable material from a pupil’s device. Inappropriate use of a machine or any software present on a laptop will be treated as a matter of indiscipline and may result in the removal of the privilege of using the device.

In lessons pupils should:

• Never connect a personal device to the Internet, whether via the School’s system or by other means of connectivity. The ICT Suite and Year 6 iPads are available for Internet related work. • Never leave a personal device unattended. • Always ask the class teacher before using a personal device – it may not be appropriate for that lesson. • Close or lower the lid of the laptop when the teacher is talking to the class. • Turn sound off, unless using voice recognition technology, to avoid disturbing others. • Back work up onto a memory stick at regular intervals and keep the stick in a secure place. • Never lend a personal device to others. • Never use a personal device during prep – the computers in the ICT suite are available for this.

13. FIREFLY

Firefly is our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This is a password protected area of our website where we keep you informed of Junior School and individual class activities. When we are on residential trips we create post blogs, with photographs, to keep you updated. You will also find useful letters and forms, a calendar, and access to Junior Librarian (our online library system). As children progress through the Junior School, homework tasks and projects may also be set here. Each child has an individual login which they will use throughout their time at Sibford School. Firefly can be accessed here: https://junior.sibfordschool.co.uk

14. UNIFORM

School Uniform is to be worn Mondays to Fridays. Pupils travelling on school transport must wear uniform on the journey to and from school.

Parents are required to ensure that their children’s clothing and shoes are in good repair and that every article, whether uniform or casual clothing, is marked with a name tape. It is important to name both socks, both shoes etc.

No jewellery is allowed other than simple ear studs and inexpensive watches. Coloured hair braids are not allowed. Pupils’ hair should be their own natural colour. Long hair should be tied up – green or navy blue ribbons are acceptable. Nail varnish may not be worn.

Should you wish your child to have their ears pierced it would be preferable for this to be done in the summer holidays. Children have to remove ear studs for swimming, so any child who has their ears pierced during term time will have to miss swimming.

At certain times of the year the school holds a ‘casuals day’ (usually to raise money for charity). Please ensure that on such days children remain sensibly dressed. In addition, please note that no military clothing, such as camouflage trousers, may be worn.

UNIFORM SUPPLIER

Sibford School uniform is supplied by Schoolblazer, a leading supplier of high quality uniform to independent schools. Items can be ordered through the Schoolblazer website: www.schoolblazer.com

Uniform requirements can be found on our website for:

• Foundation stage • Juniors (Years 1 - 6)

Please note, Items in bold should be purchased from

Schoolblazer (www.schoolblazer.com). Items not in bold type can be purchased from Schoolblazer or from another supplier if parents wish.

15. ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT

Pupils should ensure that they have the following equipment with them, all clearly marked, in school:

Several HB pencils* Pencil Sharpener* 30 cm Ruler* Eraser* Cartridge Pen with ink (Years 4–6) or alternative ink pen approved by the school Calculator Colours – pencil and felt-tip Pencil Case* Large Glue Stick * Maths Set (Years 5 and 6) Watch (inexpensive) Scissors Memory Stick (Year 5 and 6) Suitable Dictionary - optional School Book Bag (Foundation Stage – Yr 2 compulsory, Year 3 – 6 optional) PE kit (bring to school on Monday and take home on Friday)* Water Bottle (bottles should go home at the end of the week for cleaning. Water only is allowed in the bottles NO SQUASH OR FRUIT JUICE).

All items required by Yrs 2–6 unless otherwise indicated. Year 1 children only require items marked *. Foundation Stage children simply require a PE kit.

16. PUPIL CONDUCT AND CARE

JUNIOR SCHOOL CODE OF CONDUCT

As a Quaker School our aim is to encourage pupils to be self-disciplined. A number of procedures, regulations and rules exist to help pupils to achieve this and also to ensure that the daily life of the school runs smoothly. Pupils contravening any of these regulations will face a school sanction.

We expect children to respect:

the feelings of others others people’s property the environment (school and the wider community) the health and welfare of themselves and others For the smooth running of the community it is necessary for everyone to be punctual and keep deadlines and for children to listen to what others are saying to them.

Each class will negotiate a set of positive classroom guidelines with their class teacher. These are displayed on the classroom wall and a copy is included in the class booklet. The class booklet also contains details about behaviour and sanctions.

SOCIAL RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY

In the Junior School we expect everybody to respect and care for: • their community • the people • the buildings • the grounds • the ethos

What is unacceptable? Repeated behaviour which makes other pupils feel uncomfortable or threatened whether this is intended or not … this can be described as ‘bullying’.

Such behaviour would include … • Verbal – name calling, teasing, insults, writing unkind notes, sending abusive text messages, lying. • Emotional – being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting, spreading rumours, body language, threatening. • Physical – hitting, kicking, taking or hiding belongings including money.

Pupils: if you are being ‘bullied’ or know that someone else is, please tell staff straight away and it will be dealt with. Not telling someone means the victim will continue to suffer and the ‘bully’ will carry on hurting others. We all have a responsibility to make sure that socially unacceptable behaviour is not allowed to continue in our school.

‘Bully’: if you can admit to yourself that sometimes your behaviour towards others is not acceptable, then you have taken a huge step forward. Talking about it with another person will help.

It is important that socially unacceptable behaviour is not hidden and that we encourage pupils to tell a responsible adult straight away. At Sibford we aim to create an atmosphere where pupils feel that they will be listened to and believed and that action taken will be swift, firm but sensitive.

Class Teacher (or any member of staff the child feels comfortable talking to) x Head of Junior School x Head

Additional contacts are: • The Health Centre • Childline (0800 1111)

If your child is feeling unwell If your child is feeling lonely, homesick, frightened

If your child has lost something If your child can’t understand his/her class work If your child feels that nobody in school is listening to/or understands their Child Protection Concerns • The Health Centre staff should be asked first • A friend • Their teacher • Any member of staff

problem • Their class teacher • Any member of staff • A friend • Class teacher • Subject teacher • Head of Junior School/ Head of Sibford School • or Childline (0800 1111)

• Tracy Knowles, Assistant Head 01295 781200

17. LANYARDS

Sibford School operates a lanyard system. • All staff wear ID badges attached to a GREEN lanyard. • Visitors to Sibford School must sign in and will be given a Visitor’s Badge attached to RED lanyard. • Visitors who have been DBS checked and work regularly on behalf of Sibford School will be given a

Visitor’s Badge attached to an ORANGE Lanyard. • Visitors wearing a red lanyard should not be alone with a pupil.

OWN TRANSPORT

Parents who bring their child to school by their own transport should use the school’s Hook Norton Road entrance. Please do not use the school’s entrance in the village (Holly House Drive).

Parents of Junior School pupils should park in the Junior School Car Park.

In order to protect your child, it is important that we know who is going to collect him/her from school on a regular basis, be it parent, grandparent, child minder etc. Please therefore include this information on the General Admissions Form. Should you need to make alternative arrangements for your child’s collection please inform the class teacher and the Junior School office in advance.

BUSES

We use a mixture of coach hire and our own minibuses. Pupils in Years 4 and below may only travel on coaches if accompanied by an older sibling. Pupils in Year 3 and above may travel unaccompanied on the minibus routes. Younger pupils may be able to travel on minibuses if accompanied by an older sibling in certain circumstances.

The routes we currently operate can be found on the here

For further information (including details of charges) please contact Caroline Cartwright on 01295 781206 or email ccartwright@sibfordschool.co.uk

19. FEES

Details of current fees can be found on the school website here.

School fees are set for the academic year but invoiced termly and are payable three working days prior to the beginning of term. Payment can be made by bank transfer, debit card or cheque. A late payment charge of 5% will be added to any amounts outstanding after the due date.

Parents may also choose to pay in termly or monthly instalments by direct debit. For this there is a 1% administration charge.

The school’s bank account details are as follows: Allied Irish Bank

Account Number: 26774108 Sort Code: 23-85-85 For international parents the IBAN reference is: GB53AIBK23858526774108.

Cheques should be made payable to ‘Sibford School’ and sent to the school together with the remittance advice printed at the foot of your invoice. Please write the name of your child/children on the reverse of the cheque.

To pay by debit card please telephone Nikki Tunnicliffe in the Accounts Department on 01295 781212.

In addition, Sibford School also offers a number of other payment options which parents may find helpful: -

The school is able to offer the facility for parents to pay termly fee bills by Credit Card. If you choose this facility, please contact Nikki Tunnicliffe in the Accounts Department on 01295 781212. Childcare vouchers can be used to offset some of the fees payable for pupils aged 16 and under. For further details please email (ntunnicliffe@ sibfordschool.co.uk) for further details. For parents who wish to pay fees in advance, the School can fix the termly fee for an agreed future period, based on the appropriate published fee prevailing at the time such an arrangement is made (please note that where a fee increase has already been notified, then the advance payment would be based on the new fee). The amount payable will be in multiples of the agreed termly fee and will remain constant for the number of terms covered by the advance payment received.

Additional Payments Parents, Staff and Friends Association

A £5 per term payment to Sibford PSFA (Parents, Staff and Friends Association) will automatically be added

Pupil Absence insurance

A pupil absence insurance scheme is available to help with the cost of school fees if your child is forced to miss school for an extended period of time because they are ill or injured. Conditions apply and further details are available on the school website. The cost of joining the scheme is calculated as a percentage of your termly fee bill, excluding extras (currently 0.87%). This is an OPT IN scheme. If you would like to be included, please return the application form which can be found under ‘Useful Documents’ on the Parents area of the website here.

Scholarships, Bursaries & Sibling Discounts

Sibford School awards a limited number of scholarships and bursaries. The school also operates a ‘Sibling Discount Scheme’.

In the Senior School and Sixth Form, general academic scholarships are awarded together with subject specific scholarships for Art, Music and Sport. Scholarships consist of a maximum 10% discount on fees. Scholarships are offered for the following Year Groups:

Senior School - for entry to Year 7 (offered until the end of Year 11) Senior School - for entry to Year 9 (offered until the end of Year 11) Sixth Form - for entry to Year 12 (offered until the end of Year 13)

Sibford School also offers a limited number of means tested bursaries to pupils throughout the school. These can be awarded to both Quaker and non-Quaker families.

For more information on scholarships and bursaries click here.

Notice of early withdrawal

You are required to give the school one clear term’s notice, in writing, if you intend to withdraw your child from the School. Failure to give notice could result in a full term’s fees being charged.

Full terms and conditions of admissions can be found on the school website here.

Sibford School is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England under number 3487651, Registered Charity No. 1068256.

20. PSFA

The PSFA (Parent, Staff and Friends Association) is run by volunteers drawn from the ranks of parents, teachers, school management and members of the local community.

ROLE OF PSFA

THE PSFA exists to: • Give parents a voice • Organise fund raising events and to provide skills and resources to enable the school, its teachers and pupils to realise goals and to undertake special projects that would not be possible through school resources alone. • Help the school to communicate effectively with current and prospective parents • Organise activities and events that build a sense of community amongst parents, guardians, staff, pupils and friends of the School.

Events that members of the PSFA regularly get involved with include: • Open Day • Open Mornings • Christmas Fayre • Social events • Charity Ball

VOLUNTEERS

All parents are automatically members of the PSFA and are entitled to attend meetings. There is also a chance to get more involved by actively helping out at events etc.

CLASSLIST

Regular parent to parent communication is important in helping us build a supportive and welcoming school community. Recent data protection changes mean parents now rely on a variety of informal channels to contact each other, ranging from ad-hoc email lists to social media groups on Facebook and WhatsApp. These can work well but raise important concerns over inclusiveness, security and safeguarding - particularly when used to distribute personal data, and exchange information and images about children.

PSFA, working closely with the school, has looked carefully at what might serve parent needs best in this area and as such we are committed to the ‘built for purpose’ app called Classlist. This enables parents to find and contact each other securely, whilst giving each parent complete control over what data is shared. Classlist, which is UK based, holds appropriate security and GDPR certifications and recently won top prize at BETT, the world’s largest education technology event. Our parent community is of course much more than an online address book. Using Classlist you can set up events; form special interest groups; discuss arrangements for parties or lift shares; find a home for old bicycles or school blazers, and volunteer.

It takes only a couple of minutes to get started - first download the Classlist app on iOS or Android select ‘Sibford School’ and choose what data to share with your fellow parents. There is also a link to Classlist on the Parent portal on the school website here.

Up to date information on PSFA can be found here.