How is the school organised?
Our school is organised into 7 classes, with one class in each year group (Years 1 – 6) and one mixed-age Early Years Class (Meadows). Each class has an assigned class teacher and we have a team of teaching assistants who work across the school in an effort to ensure all children can let their light shine.
What does a typical day look like?
Our official hours are Monday – Friday, 8.45am – 3.10pm, giving a total time of 32 hours 5 minutes.
Children can be dropped off at school between 8.40am – 8.50am. Once the classroom doors are open, children walk straight into class and begin their learning.
Once all children are in by 8.50am, the register is taken and the day starts with an assembly.
In our Early Years, children learn through play in the continuous provision, with whole-class and small-group sessions scattered throughout the day.
In Year 1 and above, the morning focus is on Reading, Writing and Maths. In the afternoon, children in Year 1 and above focus on foundation subjects, such as RE, History and Science. Once a fortnight, children take part in an art morning, to spend the morning developing their art and design skills.
Playtime and lunchtime staff support children’s play and socialisation. There are a wide range of activities for children to enjoy, such as skipping, reading, drawing, sports and trim trails.
At the end of the day, the children are collected from the classroom door between 3.00pm – 3.10pm. The children’s class teacher will dismiss the children one by one from the classroom doors. Please be patient with us as we want to ensure we are sending the children home safely. If you have arranged for someone other than the child’s parents/carers to collect, please inform the class teacher or office that this will be the case.
What are the Nursery hours?
| Full-time | Morning | Afternoon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop-off | 08:40 – 08:50 | 08:40 – 08:50 | 12:10 |
| Collection | 15:00 – 15:00 | 11:40 | 15:00-15:10 |
What happens if we arrive late to school?
If you arrive after the school gates are locked (8.55am), please enter school via the main office entrance. You will need to sign your child into school as they will have missed the morning register. You will also need to provide a reason for why your child is late. We are keen for all children to arrive at school on time so they can have a successful start to the day. Late arrivals will be monitored and parents/carers will be contacted to discuss this if this is a regular occurrence.
What will happen if I am late collecting my child(ren)?
Children not collected from their classroom between 3:00-3.10pm will be taken to the school office. A parent/carer should go to the School Office to collect their child as soon as possible after 3.10pm. If you know you are going to be late, for example due to transportation issues, please contact the school office on 0161 865 1284 and provide an ETA. If school have had no contact from parents or carers, the school office will begin to call parents/carers and then the remaining emergency contacts. If the child is already registered with Kickstart Childcare, we will discuss whether this is a suitable option and may seek to place the children in wraparound care should the ETA be after 3.30pm (chargeable to parents/carers). If no contact is achieved by 4.00pm, safeguarding procedures will be employed and school may seek to inform other services, such as Trafford First Response or the Police, in case a welfare check is required.
How do I give permission for my child to walk home or exit the classroom alone?
Due to our proximity to a very busy main road, St Matthew’s has taken the decision to only allow children in Year 6 to leave the classroom without an adult present. If a Year 6 parent/carer makes the decision to let their child walk home alone (or exit the classroom on their own at the end of the school day) they should make this known in writing, by completing the form available from the school office. This permission only covers the regular time of 3.00 – 3.10pm, and should children finish school at any other time (e.g. leaving early for an appointment, leaving late due to an after school club) additional permission must be given.
Only those children who have permission to walk home alone will be allowed to bring a mobile phone into school (for emergency contact on the way to/home from school). A separate permission form must be signed for phones, and these will be locked in a safe throughout the day.
After-school Clubs and Wraparound Care
We have a number of after-school clubs on offer which are organised on a first come, first served basis – often run by Kickstart. We also have wraparound care for those parents/carers who require additional childcare – the details of which can be viewed here.