Information for Parents From the office

The School Gateway - communication Most communication is sent to parents by email using The School Gateway. If it is urgent we may send a text. Correspondence can be sent to either parent or both but please let us know as we would normally send to the first contact only. Please download the School Gateway APP to your phone. There is a link to this on our school website (www.heathlands.essex.sch.uk) or you can download it at www.schoolgateway.com/apple or www.schoolgateway.com/android.

The School Gateway – making payments We are hoping to make our school ‘cashless’ – all payments for school trips etc. to be made electronically via the School Gateway. This is easy using the APP and you can keep a track of what you have paid.

School Meals Currently all EYFS and KS1 children are entitled to a free school meal. Set up your child to have a regular order which will roll on until you decide to change it or - If you decide not to set up a regular order, pre-order the meals each week. Orders must be received by 3pm of the preceding Tuesday either online via the school website or using the order slip which is available at the reception window. We cater for children with dietary and medical problems. Including a vegetarian option each day. Speak to the office if you have any issues you would like to discuss.

School Uniform Uniform and book bags can be ordered from Smarty Pants at: www.smartypantsschoolwear.com We supply House colour t-shirts at £2 each – available from the school office. Please ensure that all uniform is clearly named. We do have a lost property cupboard which gets very full! Any unnamed items will be kept for a short while and then disposed of.

Medical, including allergies Please let the office know if your child has any medical conditions. Inhalers for EYFS children are kept in the school office. We are happy to administer medication prescribed by a doctor but you will need to complete a Parental Agreement form. On occasion we will administer Calpol/Nurofen with your permission but not on a regular basis and this would need to be supplied by the parent.

Sickness absences If your child is absent from school through illness please phone the school before 9am. There is an absence line available for you to leave a message. Absences should be reported every day unless you have discussed a longer term absence with the school. If your child has suffered from sickness or diarrhoea they should not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode.

And finally……. Please ensure your child comes fully equipped for the day. Should you need to change arrangements for who collects your child from school please send a note to the class teacher at the beginning of the day. However, if these arrangements change during the day please contact the office, ideally before midday. If you bring your child to school by car please observe all the parking restrictions. It is very busy outside the school so please allow yourself time to park. We are always available to answer any questions. The office email is: admin@heathlands.essex.sch.uk.