Life in Reception

Children should be delivered to the junior playground, arriving no earlier than 8.25 am when there will be a member of staff on duty, and no later than 8.35 am. Children must not be left on their own until the teacher is on duty. The girls and boys then enter the building with their class teacher who collects them. Registration is at 8.40 am each day.

We offer a breakfast club from 7.30 am as well as a before school service from 8.00 am to 8.25 am for all pupils from Reception to Year 3. Further details are available from our Extra Curricular Co-ordinator (clubs@themallschool.org.uk)

Reception children will be handed over to their parents at 3.00 pm in the junior playground. Reception parents should wait by the right hand entrance to the Ellis building.

Should your child be collected by someone other than yourselves on any particular day, please inform us via the office. You may only take another child if a parent has specifically asked you to collect them and informed the class teacher of the arrangement. This will prevent any uncertainties and ensures the safety of the children.

If a child is ill parents must notify the school welfare officer immediately (welfare@themallschool.org.uk), stating the nature of the illness. Parents are asked to confirm by email any absence of more than three consecutive days.

All requests for leave of absence for pupils should be addressed to the Headmaster, at least one week in advance – leave of absence for periods of time adjacent to school holidays will not normally be granted.

At various stages during their school career some pupils may find parts of the curriculum more demanding and they will have the opportunity to receive some additional teaching support. The child’s parents will be informed of this and feedback on his or her progress will be forthcoming via parents’ evenings, termly meetings with the appropriate staff and the school reports.

A child who has English as an additional language and is experiencing difficulties in class as a result may need to receive extra support. There will be a charge for this service. Parents will be contacted and, once the support is in place, there will be feedback from the appropriate staff as described above.

After school club is available daily running from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. After school club operates on a drop in basis. Any child not collected will join the after school club and a charge will be made for this additional supervision.

Please provide a painting apron or overall since art and craft work can be messy. Those with full-length elasticated sleeves are best suited to their needs.

Staff operate a positive rewards system which recognises and encourages pupils’ behaviour, hard work and progress. In the summer term of Year 1, the pupils are introduced to the school’s credit system and begin to receive credits for their houses in line with the school’s reward system. Pupils are awarded certificates in weekly assemblies in recognition of their good behaviour, hard work and achievements. However, children are not always perfectly behaved and if they make the wrong choices they may receive a verbal reprimand, be kept back at break or be spoken to by the Deputy Head. If such behaviour is persistent, the class teacher will, of course, inform parents.

At break time pupils may bring a piece of fruit or raw vegetable. Water is provided.

Lunch is on a cafeteria system with children going into lunch by year group. There is a choice of food available with one meat and one vegetarian option provided. Food is freshly prepared on the school premises and the school has a healthy eating policy. Further catering information is to be found on our website as are the daily menus. The school is able to operate nut-free catering but parents of children with food allergies must inform the school in writing with full details, so that any risk can be assessed. To support children with nut allergies, parents are asked never to send nuts or products containing nuts to school as snacks.

Each pupil takes home their folder on the reading days selected by the class teacher.   In Reception these are a Tuesday to be returned on a Wednesday and a Friday to be returned on a Monday.

Communication to parents is via email, a weekly newsletter and the school website. The school subscribes to ClarionCall, a text-based service, which enables us to contact parents quickly in an emergency or when there has been an unexpected change to the school routine (for example cancellation of games, late return from a school trip, etc.).

Should you wish to speak to your child’s class teacher, please email them to make an appointment. Please allow 24 hours for a response but we will normally respond as soon as we can.

The school does not wish to prevent parents from taking photos or filming events which involve your child.

However, there are some circumstances when photography or filming are not permitted. Firstly, for some school plays we are required to purchase a performing licence where we would be in breach of copyright restrictions if photography or filming were to take place. In this situation a member of staff will inform parents at the beginning of the play of this restriction. Secondly, as is common practice elsewhere, we also ask that parents do not film or take photographs in the swimming pool or changing rooms.

For other events we ask that if parents are taking photographs or filming they show consideration to other parents by not being so enthusiastic that they spoil the occasion for others by getting in the way. We also ask that if the photographs or film you take contains images of children other than your own you do not upload these to social media sites.

A Health and Safety Document, available from the Bursar explains how pupils are treated if ill or injured and how parents are contacted if necessary. A copy is issued to parents when a child joins the school. All medicines and inhalers must be handed to the office, rather than the class teacher, for safe keeping and administering. Please let the school welfare officer know of any health problems or allergies that your child may have; also any special dietary needs but please do not include food likes and dislikes (welfare@themallschool.org.uk)

Pupils in Reception will have a reading book twice a week and a weekly phonics/handwriting sheet. All pupils are expected to read for about 10 – 15 minutes each night and what they have read should be recorded in their reading booklet.

From the summer term of Year 1 pupils are placed in one of four houses: Corpus, Magdalen, Pembroke and Trinity. As well as competing in their houses for sporting events and competitions such as general knowledge quizzes, art and music, children can earn credits for their houses through good work or behaviour.

The MSA supports the school via fundraising and social activities and parents who would like to volunteer to take an active part can contact the current Chair (msachair@themallschool.org.uk)

Pupils will be provided with logins for online learning sites. These will be written in their reading record at the beginning of the school term.

There is a meeting in school early in the autumn term for parents to meet the class teacher. This meeting covers the types of activities provided for the children, the daily routines of the school and other general information.

Parents’ evenings where you can meet your child’s teacher individually to discuss his or her progress are held each term. Parents’ evenings are virtual and conducted on Microsoft Teams. Additional parent meetings face-face are available on request.

The Mall School parent portal is a communication tool which will give parents quick access to information about your child such as attendance records and assessment reports. Extra-curricular activities and parents’ evenings are also booked through the parent portal.

Parents are reminded that in the interests of safety they may not stop on the zigzags outside the school site. We ask parents to show consideration for our neighbours and local residents by taking care not obstruct the entrances of offices, houses or flats close by, nor park in their car parks or driveways.  Children are also told that they must not cross the road except at the pedestrian crossing, even if accompanied by an adult, and parents are asked to reinforce this elementary road safety policy with their children.

Reception children begin swimming classes in the first complete week of term after the initial days and settling in. Pupils will need swimming briefs (tight fitting please) and girls will need a swimming costume as supplied by Stevensons, a Mall School swimming hat, goggles, a towel and a Mall School swimming bag (all items to be named). If a child has a verruca then the verucca should be ‘sealed’ with Bazuka, to prevent cross infection.

Children in Reception have PE once a week on site.

The following are available on request and are also available in hard copy:

• Admissions (also available on school website)
• Behaviour, Rewards and Sanctions (also available on school website)
• Disciplinary
• Expulsion and Removal
• Anti-Bullying (also available on school website)
• Special Educational Needs (also available on school website)
• English as an Additional Language (also available on school website)
• Safeguarding (also available on school website)
• Curriculum
• Health, First Aid and Security
• Health and Safety; Tours, Visits and Events
• Equal Opportunities Policy
• Previous Years’ Academic Results
• Complaints (also available on school website)

From time to time the school will wish to create material to be used for publicity purposes.  Should you not wish your child to be included in any such materials you are asked to notify the marketing manager in writing immediately (marketing@themallschool.org.uk).  Otherwise the school reserves the right to include your child in any publicity material, eg. news releases, prospectus, school email newsletter and magazine, school website, social media etc. Your child’s full name will not be included with his photo, unless parental permission has been given to do so. For more information on how the school uses photos or videos of your child, please refer to the school’s privacy notices which can be found on our website: www.themallschool.org.uk

Children in Reception receive a ‘settling in’ report before the autumn half term.

A full written report for pupils in Reception is published on the parent portal at the end of the summer term. The summer term report for Reception provides a written summary about a child’s progress against the early learning goals. Our reports aim to be positive but are honest and will highlight pupils’ strengths while suggesting areas for improvement. We welcome comments on reports via an online survey link, which are always read by the class teacher and action is taken when appropriate. All reports are published on the Parent Portal, in a PDF format which can saved to your own files.

Parents can ask to discuss this report with the class teacher or receive a copy of the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile. For any other personal files on their child, they are asked to put a request in writing to the Headmaster. Information pertaining to a third party will not be disclosed.

School buses currently run each morning from:

Chiswick, via Osterley

Isleworth via Richmond

Sunbury via Hampton

Richmond via St Margaret’s

Two afternoon services currently run to Kingston via St Margaret’s and Chiswick via Isleworth and Osterley. These leave from the main site at 4.30 pm.

Children may begin using school mini buses from Reception, providing they are able to securely fasten their own seatbelt. Further details are available from our Extra Curricular Co-ordinator (clubs@themallschool.org.uk)

The pedestrian gate is locked from 9.00 am until 2.50 pm each day and admission during this time is via intercom to the school reception. At lunch and break times all pupils are supervised by members of staff. No child is allowed off the school premises unless supervised by an appropriate adult.

In the highly unlikely event that a child went missing, their parents would be informed immediately, all available members of staff would search the school premises for the child and the police would be contacted

A complete list of governors and staff (with qualifications) is to be found on the website and is available in hard copy on request from the office.

Pupils are expected to be neat and tidy at the start and end of the school day. All children must wear a blazer or, during the winter term, a Mall School coat to school. Please name all clothes, including underwear, socks and shoes as these can become mixed up during changing for swimming.

Items in bold are school regulation pattern and can only be obtained from Stevensons, 1-5 Heath Road, Twickenham. (Tel: 020 8892 2201) twickenhambranch@stevensons.co.uk www.stevensons.co.uk.

All year round

• Mall School blazer (or Mall School coat in winter term)
• Mall School grey v-neck jumper or cardigan

• Short charcoal grey socks or grey tights
• Plain black shoes (Velcro). Not trainer type.
• Mall School rucksack

Summer (September to October half term and post Easter Break)

• Mall School white polo shirt and
• Grey shorts (flat front, single pleat, not cargo style) or
• Summer dress

• Mall School burgundy sunhat

Winter (post October half term to Easter break)

• Mall School white polo shirt
• Long grey trousers or
• Mall School Pinafore
• Mall School black coat (instead of blazer winter term only)
• A scarf is optional but if worn must be a Mall School scarf
• A hat is optional but if worn must be a Mall School hat
• Gloves are optional but if worn must be plain black gloves

PE kit

• Mall School white and burgundy polo shirt
• Mall School white and burgundy shorts
• White socks
• White Velcro fastening trainers with non-marking soles
• Mall School drawstring PE bag

Swimming kit

• Plain black speedo swimming briefs (must be tight fitting and not shorts)
• Mall School swimming cap
• Mall School swim bag
• Goggles
• Towel

Jewellery such as earrings can present a hazard to both the wearer and other children taking part in sports activities including PE, swimming and games. Therefore children are not permitted to wear jewellery, including pierced earrings, during sports activities.

Teachers are not allowed to take out or replace children’s earrings if they are unable to do so themselves. Taping of earrings is not allowed. It would therefore be helpful if earrings could be taken out at home on days where sporting activities are taking place. Children are responsible for their own earrings if they are taken out at school.

If a child has recently had their ears pierced and are unable to remove their earrings, they will not be permitted to take part in the practical aspect of sports activities for six weeks, after which time they will be expected to remove their earrings in order to participate in lessons. We therefore ask that if a child is having their ears pierced this takes place at the beginning of the summer holiday.

The school website at www.themallschool.org.uk includes information about the syllabus for each year group.

Email addresses

Main reception- reception@themallschool.org.uk

Headmaster’s PA- headpa@themallschool.org.uk

Deputy Head- deputyhead@themallschool.org.uk

Welfare Officer- welfare@themallschool.org.uk

Extra Curricular Co-ordinator – clubs@themallschool.org.uk

Bursar- bursar@themallschool.org.uk

Finance Manager- finance@themallschool.org.uk

Director of Music- music@themallschool.org.uk

Head of Games-pe@themallschool.org.uk

SENCo- senco@themallschool.org.uk

Parents can also raise concerns related to the quality of education or the welfare health or safety of pupils, to Ofsted (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted) tel: 0300 123 1231 and/or to the Independent Schools Inspectorate (https://www.isi.net/) tel: 020 7600 0100.

The Mall School is a registered charity. The Chairman of Governors is Mr R J H Walker, The Mall School Trust, 185 Hampton Road, Twickenham. Telephone: 020 8977 2523.