Support
At Tidemill we feel a strong link between home and school is critical to a child’s education and expect all of our parents to come in to regular parent meetings and coffee mornings. We run a workshops to show parents how they can support their child’s learning and the teachers are always happy to meet with parents before/after school to discuss any concerns. We also have a Family Liaison Officer who is there to offer support and guidance.
If you would like to discuss any problems, please do contact Lisa
Turner to arrange a time to come in to school for a chat or call her on 0208 305 8981.

Volunteering
At Tidemill we are always happy to have parents come into school to spend time working with the children in class and we have a number of parents who work regularly in the school as volunteers – either in class or running after school clubs. If you are interested in getting involved in the life of the school, please come in to see Rachel Bowern, our Assistant Head and Inclusion Manager.

At the Heart of the Community
We are keen to ensure that the school is at the heart of the community – with the school becoming a resource that can be used 365 days a year for community events, sports activities and family learning classes. We are also keen for our pupils to undertake community projects and always like to get involved in local regeneration activities that will help the children to develop their environmental awareness whilst also using their leadership, creative, artistic and writing skills. Please do let us know if you have any projects in mind.

Parent Evenings/Afternoons
We have parent afternoons twice each year (Autumn term and Summer Term) where you will have the opportunity to meet with the class teacher to discuss your child’s targets for the year and their progress. The school usually closes at 1pm on these days to allow time for the teachers to meet all of the families. Afternoon clubs are provided on these days for working parents.

Additional Meetings & Workshops
We hold a number of parent workshops each year which parents are also expected to attend. The way children are taught maths and numeracy now is very different to the way most of us were taught at school so we feel it is important for parents/carers to have a knowledge of these techniques so you can support your child at home. We know it is difficult for working parents to take time off work but the feedback we get from parents who attend these workshops is exceptional and the difference it makes to the children’s progress cannot be underestimated. We do therefore ask all parents to attend and we will phone your boss if you need us to plead on your behalf!

Educational Visits
At Tidemill we like to scaffold the children’s learning with first hand experiences. As a result, we usually have at least 2 trips every term. You will receive notification of these trips 2 weeks in advance and will be asked to return a permission slip and make a contribution towards the cost of the trip.

Short Local Trips
Additionally, the children are also taken out of school on short local trips to the library, nearby parks or to the market. Please ensure you have completed and returned the short-trip permission to the school office so your child can join in.

Admission Arrangements
We have two intakes into the Reception classes each year - September and January - according to your child’s date of birth. Children start school in the term in which they are five years old. The Reception admissions are handled centrally by Lewisham Council and you will need to complete and return your admission form (usually by the end of January) detailing your school preferences. Admissions to Nursery and admissions into other year groups are handled directly by the school, in line with the Lewisham Admissions Policy. Admission forms for nursery, reception and other year groups are available at the school, please feel free to pop in and pick one up and book an appointment for a tour of the school.

If you are offered a place at the school, our Family Liaison Officer will work with you and your child to ensure the smooth transition to Tidemill and make sure your child settles into their class as quickly as possible. If you have any concerns about how they will cope, or feel they are not settling in as quickly as you would have expected, please do talk to Lisa Turner so she can discuss this with the teachers and work out a programme of additional support for your child.

The Home - School Agreement
All parents and pupils are expected to sign a Home - School Agreement when they become a pupil at Tidemill. The purpose of this agreement is:

We have high expectations of ourselves, our children and our parents and carers, so please make sure you read through the agreement carefully and discuss it as a family.

Download a copy of our Home School Agreement (5.2mb) here.

Punctuality
At Tidemill we place a huge importance on punctuality and it is vital that all children arrive at school in time for morning registration. If children arrive late this not only interrupts the lesson and makes it difficult for the class teacher to settle the children, but your child will also miss the lesson introduction which will make it difficult for them to understand what they are learning that day, and as the first lessons of the day are the vital literacy and numeracy lessons, this can have a big impact. We also schedule a lot of our small group interventions in the mornings so it is vital that your child is here to benefit from this additional provision.

If your child is late in the morning, please make sure you have notified the office that they are in if they have missed the register in class. If they are not marked in the register and we have a fire or other emergency, we will not know to look for your child so please make sure they have been registered.

Collecting Your Child
Children must be collected at 3.30pm from the back of the classroom by an adult known to the school (KS2 children come down to the car park). When you completed your school admission forms you would have filled in details of the adults who are authorised to collect your child. If you need to update these details please liaise with the school office.

If you have made exceptional arrangements for the collection of your child, you must notify the class teacher in the morning and, ideally, have also introduced them to the person who will be collecting their child. Staff will not hand children over to someone who they do not know – even if the person is known to the child.

If you need to collect your child early, please liaise with the school office and make sure they have been signed out so we know they are no longer on the school premises.

Attendance
Regular, punctual attendance is essential to the progress and success of every pupil. At Tidemill we expect all children to have 96% attendance unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Many parents believe that they have a legal right to take up to 10 days holiday during the school year but this is no longer the case. The Government and London Borough of Lewisham guidance is now that no holidays should be taken during term-time. As such, the school will not authorise any holidays during term time.

If there are other exceptional circumstances that require your child to be absent from school for a short period of time, please put your request in writing to the Head Teacher.

Absence
If you know your child is going to be absent from school for a clinic visit or dental/medical appointment please inform the school office and bring a copy of the appointment card. Wherever possible, appointments should be made outside school hours unless it is an emergency.

Sickness
If your child is going to be off sick, please call the school office (0208 692 3470- option 1) before 9.30am on the first day of absence. You will be asked for the reason for the absence and when you expect the child to return.

Uniform
We encourage all parents to support the uniform policy – we believe that a uniform looks smart and adds to the children’s sense of identity and belonging to the school.

*available from the school

Please make sure all items of clothing are clearly labelled with your child’s name – including coats, hats, gloves and scarves. We recommend purchasing iron-in labels rather than using pen which washes out after only a couple of washes. Children are not allowed to wear open-toed sandals or high heels. Long hair should be worn tied back or plaited.

Parents in receipt of certain benefits may be entitled to a grant to help towards the cost of uniform and can get advice from the Access point in Wavelengths Library.

Jewellery
Jewellery is not permitted. It can easily be lost and can be dangerous if it catches on something. This includes necklaces, bracelets, rings, hoop earrings and watches. Your child may, however, wear small plain studs if they have pierced ears.

PE Kit
Children should wear blue shorts and a white t-shirt for PE. These can also be purchased from the school office. PE Bags are also available from the school office. Whilst the children are in reception, you may prefer to bring in their PE kit on a Monday and leave it on their peg for the week rather than you having to remember which day of the week it is needed.

Behaviour
At Tidemill we have a behaviour management policy which encourages pupils to recognise and respect the rights of others, assist them with developing self discipline and also enhances their self esteem. We aim to create an environment at all times that encourages good behaviour.

At the beginning of the new school year all class teachers establish the class rules with their class. These rules are displayed prominently in the classroom and referred to on a regular basis. Additionally we have a “passport” system which ensures the children who continuously adhere to school rules do not go unnoticed.

Every child’s passport starts in the GO box at the beginning of each day. When a child receives a verbal reminder their passport gets moved into the STOP box. However, they are given the opportunity to redeem their passport back. If their behaviour improves their passport can be put back in to the GO box and they can achieve their stamp at the end of the day.

At Tidemill our emphasis is on rewards to reinforce good behaviour. This is achieved by:

		Frequent praise of both work and behaviour
		Stickers and stamps in books for good work
		Showing good work to Senior Management Team
		Awards in achievement weekly assemblies

Although we work very hard to ensure high standards of behaviour, there will be times when class rules are broken and it is essential that certain sanctions are used to show disapproval of unacceptable behaviour.
A stepped approach is used:

A positive partnership with parents is crucial to building trust and developing a common approach to behaviour expectations and strategies for dealing with problems. We will always inform you at an early stage if there are concerns about your child’s behaviour. Additionally, the teacher will collate behaviour records at the end of each half term and send a letter home to inform you of the number of verbal reminders, rule reminders and time out of class your child has received.

Bullying
Bullying is the repetition of unwanted behaviour towards a child over a period of time. We take bullying very seriously at Tidemill and work hard to make sure the children feel safe and secure at school. However, we are not complacent and know that bullying can happen in all schools and at all ages.

We want children to tell someone – a friend, a teacher, a parent or other adult, so that intervention and positive action can take place. Please help us by encouraging your child to tell someone if he or she is being bullied and please contact us straightaway so that we can deal with the issue as soon as possible. Similarly, if you suspect your child is developing bullying tendencies, please let us know so that we can talk and take positive action to remedy the situation.

School Policies
Below you will find an up to date list of current School Policies. Just click on the link to download and view the related policy:

Anti-bullying Policy
Attendance Policy
Child Protection Policy
E-safety Policy
Fire Prevention & Procedure
Health & Safety Policy
Security Policy & Procedure