Oaklands Primary Academy

What is a typical school day?

We have a soft start and close at Oaklands. The only entrance available to pupils is via the gate in Norheads Lane (opposite Kings Road). This means that the children can be dropped off/collected at any point between the times set out below:

Morning drop-off at classroom doors: 8:30am to 9:00am

Afternoon pick-up at classroom doors: 3:00pm – 3:30pm

The school gate on Norheads Lane is unlocked at 8:30am and is manned and closely monitored by a staff member. The same staff member will lock the gate again just before all school registers close at 9am. Children are to be brought to their classroom doors where they will be met by their class teacher.

At the end of the school day, the Norheads Lane gate is unlocked at 3pm. This allows you to collect your child/children from their classroom doors at any point from 3pm to 3:30pm. Your child will not be allowed to be collected by anyone apart from parents/carers unless the class teacher has been given advance notice of this.

How do I report my child’s absence from school?

Parents are expected to call or email the academy on each day of their child’s absence.  The register will be marked accordingly with the appropriate absence code.  Office staff will check each class register and a message will be sent to those parents who have not contacted the academy regarding their child’s absence.

How will I know what my child is learning about?

We see home learning as a way of further developing the partnership between home and school. We encourage children to take responsibility for their learning both in and out of school. You can find information about what your child is learning on the Curriculum section of this website. Each year group has a separate webpage and you'll find a summary of learning at the top of the page plus the whole year's curriculum overview is shared lower down the page. This is accompanied by our year end expectations and a leaflet for parents/carers which summarises learning too. 

We also have parent consultation evenings which allows you to have a meeting with the class teacher so information including progress and targets are shared.

How do you encourage good relationships between children and promote values?

We place great emphasis on positive role models and positive praise. We encourage children to understand why certain kinds of behaviour are much more acceptable than others, and continually promote our school values, the 5Rs: Respect, Risk Taking, Resilience, Resourcefulness and Responsibility. All children know and understand the importance of the 5 Rs.

Good behaviour is promoted at all times and we encourage parents and carers to work with us so that home and school are consistent in what they expect of each child.

How do you deal with bullying?

Bullying, including cyberbullying is not tolerated at Oaklands Academy. We have a strong behaviour policy which has been developed within the school which can be found on the Policies section of this website.

We always respond to reports of bullying/cyber bullying and we work in partnership with parents to make sure we are a bully-free zone.

We also have an e-safety policy which is available to read on the website. We provide support for children through e-safety workshops and remind parents that the recommended age for Instagram and Facebook accounts is 13.

Please review our policy on the school website.

What happens at lunchtime?

Children stay for a school meal or bring a packed lunch.

Our school dinners are cooked on the premises. A menu is displayed in school and a copy is sent home. We provide a choice of meals and a vegetarian option is always available. Payment for dinners should be made in advance through ParentPay.

Schools are able to claim a Pupil Premium (over £1000) per child on free school meals to make sure each school’s budget matches its community’s needs. If you think you may be entitled to free school meals, please make enquiries at the school office.

You may prefer for your child to bring a packed lunch. We teach and encourage children to eat healthily and this is followed up in the dinner hall. We ask that parents and carers support the school by providing healthy packed lunches. We ask that you don’t send in sweets, chocolate, chewing gum, juice, fizzy drinks, glass bottles or cans. Children are encouraged to only drink water in school.

Children in all classes have access to a range of different play areas during lunchtime and throughout the day. We have invested in Teachsport who support fun activities during the lunch hour for example, tennis, badminton, skipping and team games. They will also have access to Lunch Club if needed. If the weather is poor, then the children stay indoors and are encouraged to read, draw or play quiet board games.

As many children are allergic to nuts or nut products, we request that you do not send into school nuts or nut products for your child, or any other child to eat. This includes nut-based chocolate spread in sandwiches.

What about before and after-school child care facilities?

There is a before and after school club which is run by the school from 7.25am every school day. A simple breakfast is provided by staff who supervise the children until the start of the school day at 8.35am. The after-school club, runs from the end of the school day until 6.00pm Monday to Friday. It provides supervised play opportunities in a safe, supportive and friendly environment on the school site. Both breakfast club and after-school club cater for all children.  Please check the school website under ‘Parents’ for more information.

How do you keep the school secure?

When the school gates are unlocked for drop-off and pick-up, they are manned by a staff member. Once school has started each morning, the gates are locked and entry to the school can only be obtained through a controlled entry system. The main entrance to the school building is again entry controlled. Visitors to the school must sign in at the school office and they will be issued with a visitor’s badge. We do not allow free access to the classrooms or other areas of the school building or grounds without prior arrangement and permission.

Children are not allowed to leave the school grounds during the day, unless they are collected by an adult. Parents and carers deliver children to their external classroom at the beginning of the school day and collect children from their external classroom door at the end of the school day. Although some children in Year 6 walk to and from school by themselves (with written permission from their parent/carer), younger children may only be collected by a known adult with prior permission.  Children cannot be collected by an adult other than their known and named parent or carer without the school staff being informed in advance.

All staff employed at the school, plus voluntary helpers, including parents, are subject to rigorous vetting procedures including Disclosure and Barring Service checks. We have close links with the police and our local community and any concerns relating to safety and security are always reported and promptly acted upon. If you would like further information, please review our Safeguarding policy on the school website.

How do I apply for a place at Oaklands?

There are a number of criteria for admission and this information is published in our admissions criteria available from the school website.

And finally. . .

We hope that this has given you the information that you need about our school.

If there are areas or aspects of the school about which you would like to know more, please do ask. We welcome your interest, questions and comments. We look forward to working with you and welcome you to our partnership.