Years 5 & 6 Information
Years 5 and 6
Dear Parents and Carers,
Morning routine:
8:30am – The school gates will open and teachers will open classroom doors.
Please enter the school via the playground – children are to be independent and make their way to their class on their own. If you wish to speak to your child’s teacher, please leave a message at the school office, or catch us on the playground at the end of the school day. We are aware that many pupils in years 5 and 6 walk to school – when they arrive, it is important that they come straight into class.
Upon arrival into the classroom, children are asked to wash their hands before sitting down. They will have a morning task to complete until the register is taken at 8:50am. Morning work will be focused on wellbeing, reading and maths tasks, with the teacher using this time to support learning.
8:50am – The playground gates will be locked, the register will be taken and lessons will begin. If you arrive after this time, please access the school via the main office.
End of school routine:
3:25pm – Year 5/6 school day ends. Class teachers will lead their classes to the playground and dismiss.
If someone other than a parent is to collect your child, please let the class teacher/school office know. If you allow your child to walk home, please provide consent either via Arbor or a written, signed consent note, with a start date for this, for your child to hand to their class teacher.
Mobile Phones
We are aware that many children walk to and from school independently and that they may have arrangements with parents for them to bring their mobile phone whilst walking. As such, we have mobile phone boxes in each class, for children to sign their phone into, each morning. We ask that parents provide a written, signed note, consenting to their child having their phone in school, if it is needed for this purpose. Please be aware that children bringing mobile phones onto school site, do so at their own risk.
Communicating with class teachers:
If you need to advise us of an upcoming appointment or change of person collecting your child, please contact the school office (in person or via telephone/email) or provide your child with a note to hand to their teacher at morning registration.
Teachers are available briefly at the end of the school day, when dismissing classes on the playground. If you would like to speak in detail, please email orchardvale@ventrus.org.uk and your child’s teacher will contact you as soon as they are able. Alternatively, you can leave a message with the school office. Please be aware that your child’s class teacher may not be able to respond within the school day.
Weekly communications with parents:
As part of our efforts to continue to be environmentally aware, information regarding our week, diary dates and updates will be emailed to parents/carers, via the whole school weekly newsletter, using the email address we hold on the school management system. We will also be using Teams as a direct communication platform, including sharing photos and anecdotes of our time in school. If you require a reminder of your child’s log in details, please contact the school office.
Contact details:
If you have changed your address, email address or contact details, please advise the school office as soon as possible. Ideally, we require details of at least two emergency contacts.
If your child requires an inhaler or other medication, please arrange this via the school office. Similarly, if you are replacing an expired inhaler or form of medication, please do this via the school office.
Benefits for your child – did you know that if your child is registered under the Government Pupil Premium Scheme, the Government will allocate funding for Orchard Vale to use to help subsidise your child’s learning support in school, free school meals, school trips and school residentials. Please contact the school office for more information.
What to bring to school:
We ask that children limit what they bring to school each day. They will need:
Drinks bottle
Packed lunch (if required)
Please ensure that all items are labelled clearly with your child’s name.
We take the children outside at different points in the day, so a coat is essential.
If your child would like a healthy snack for break time, please provide them with either fruit or cheese. Please note we are a nut-free school, due to both child and staff allergies.
No toys, please. If your child would like to show an item to their class, as part of ‘show and tell’, this needs to be pre-agreed with their class teacher.
Uniform:
Children are strongly encouraged to wear school uniform and to take a pride in looking smart. Our uniform policy has been created to ensure children have the correct attire for learning and are prepared for the expectations beyond their time at Orchard Vale.
Main Uniform
Smart, navy trousers (everyday cotton leggings may be worn underneath skirts, but not alone)
Navy skirt, pinafore, culottes – style is your choice – smart and practical
Yellow polo shirt
School sweatshirt or Navy jumper/cardigan
Dark, practical shoes
Jewellery
In the interests of Health and Safety, no jewellery should be worn to school, except for earring studs, which may be worn conventionally, one in each ear. No responsibility will be accepted for any losses, for example, wristwatches. If your child comes to school wearing jewellery additional to earring studs and a wristwatch, they will be asked to remove it.
PE
In Year 5/6, the children take part in a variety of sporting activities and events throughout the year; it is therefore important for their safety to ensure that they have the correct PE kit. We appreciate that it may take a couple of weeks to make sure your child has all of the correct kit – if you have any issues in acquiring any item of PE kit for your child, please contact the school office or your child’s class teacher.
On your child's PE days, they will require:
White t-shirt or polo shirt
Navy/black shorts (these should be around knee length) or sports leggings (not everyday cotton)
Warm jogging bottoms for the cooler months
Sports trainers
Hair band for those with long hair
Children will be asked to remove/cover earring studs with tape, in the interests of safety
Years 5 and 6 will be having PE lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays, this year.
As in previous years, we will be having a shin-pad and stud amnesty in school to prepare for our football and rugby sessions so if you have any old shin-pads or studs that you would like to bring in to lend another child that would be wonderful.
We find that it is also useful to prepare the children for secondary school by ensuring they take responsibility for having their correct kit, on the correct days, therefore this will be an expectation.
Preloved school uniform
We are aware that the pandemic has had an impact on the income of some of our families. We have a large amount of pre-loved uniform, coats, trainers and shoes just waiting to be rehomed. If you are interested and would like to know what items we have that may be suitable for you, please email Mrs Manley, via the school office. Mrs Manley will be able to contact you and discuss what we have available.
Homework:
Children have been given a log in for Microsoft Teams (this will remain the same throughout their time at Orchard Vale), where they will find information about their homework, each week. They, and you, can use Teams to correspond with teachers regarding homework and queries.
Spellings and times tables tests will be carried out each week in classes/learning groups.
Please encourage your child to read, at home, for a minimum of 30 minutes each day. This can then be recorded on their Tri-reading Tournament log, in their homework book.
School dinners (new price £2.50)
A copy of the Autumn term lunch menu can be found on the school website.
The cost of school dinners has increased to £2.50.
If your child is registered under the Income Related Free School Meals, they will be entitled to a free school dinner/school packed lunch.
Before and after school provision:
We offer the daily provision of breakfast club and after school club. If you would like to use this facility, there is a daily booking system at the school office. If you would like more information, please do ask our office staff.
Clothing:
Please could we ask you to label all of your child’s clothing clearly, to help them locate it. Misplaced items which are not labelled, will be placed in the lost property area, located by the main office. Please contact the school office if your child has misplaced an item and a member of the Year 5/6 team will help your child to check this area.
Microsoft Teams online portal
To further improve links between home and school, we will be continuing to use Microsoft Teams and OneNote across Year 5/6. To access this home learning resource, please see the guidance letter, on the school website. We will be holding a parent drop in session, to provide support in accessing this, following the start of the new school year. If you require a reminder of your child’s log in details, please contact the school office.
If you have any questions, please contact the school office and your child’s class teacher will be in touch. Many thanks in advance for your support over the coming year.
Mrs Scott, Mr Greenslade and Miss Williams