PARENT PORTAL
WELCOME
Welcome to the website of Wickham Church of England Primary School; a window on life and learning at our school.
Wickham Primary School is a very special place, with its own unique sense of community and I am very proud to be the headteacher. Each child is valued as an individual and their talents and strengths are recognised, celebrated and developed further. Learning opportunities here are rich and exciting with children given every opportunity to be the best that they can be.
Wickham is a warm, happy and caring school community built on our core Christian values of Love, Courage and Respect and our children are rightfully very proud of their school.
A short presentation, which gives you a taste of our school, is available in the Parent Portal section of our website (below). We can also offer you a tour during the school day so please do get in touch - the staff and children would be delighted tell you more about life and learning at Wickham Primary School.
Graham Cutter
Headteacher
YEAR R 2025 FAMILY TOURS
We are delighted to be offering family tours for parents and carers of children who are due to start school in September 2025.
These will take place in October 2024 and can be booked here: Booking Form. Alternatively, please contact the school the school directly and we will book you in.
OUR SCHOOL DAY
Morning session: 8:45am – 12:00pm (with a break at 10.45am)
Afternoon session: 12.45pm – 3:10pm
Total Weekly Hours 32 hours and 5 minutes
In the morning our teachers open their classroom doors to welcome the children into the classroom for registration. Wherever possible, they are available for a short time for any parents or carers who would like to talk to staff or help their child change their reading book. We believe this provides a positive and welcoming start for everyone and ensures that children and staff can engage in their learning more promptly.
It is important that all of our children attend school regularly and that they arrive promptly in order to be settled and ready to learn at the start of each school day. Parents should inform us at their earliest convenience if their child is unable to attend school for any reason.
Should you be unavoidably detained at the end of the school day, please let the school office know and arrangements will be made to care for your child until you arrive.
School Uniform
Wearing a school uniform enables our children to feel that they belong to our community and that they are proud members of our school. Our uniform consists of:
purple sweatshirt or cardigan with the school logo
purple polo shirt, preferably with the school logo
charcoal grey trousers, tailored shorts, skirts or pinafore dresses
black shoes with covered toes and black or grey socks
In the summer, a purple and white gingham tennis-style dress may be worn.
PE Kit
Every child needs a small drawstring bag to hang on their peg. This should contain:
white T-shirt
navy blue or black shorts
trainers/plimsolls
Children may wear a tracksuit in the winter for outdoor PE.
It is essential that all items of uniform are clearly named.
Jewellery (apart from watches and one pair of plain studs in pierced ears) should not be worn to school. Watches and studs need to be removed by the child for PE for safety reasons.
Items of school uniform with our logo are available to purchase from the school office or from Skoolkit in West Street, Fareham.
If you have any difficulty providing your child with essential items of clothing or footwear, we may be able to help. Please contact our school office if you would like further information.
Wraparound Care & Clubs
We offer our own wrapraround care, operated by staff who work within the school during the school day. Our wraparound care is available from 7.30am in the morning and until 6pm after school. It is easily bookable online and childcare vouchers are accepted.
Pupils can also take part in many extra curricular activities after school. These include multisports, tennis, football, dance, Karate and art. Communication about clubs is sent half-terly via the school office.
Support for Families
Food Vouchers
Households in receipt of council tax benefit can claim one food voucher worth £30 from their district or borough council. Information about how to access this voucher can be found here.
Community Pantries
Pantries are open to everyone in the community and provide access to food at a lower cost. They offer a range of fresh, frozen and general foods, which change each week. Access to the Community Pantry is by membership and, for a small weekly contribution, members can select food to a significantly higher value.
Many of these pantries have cafes and meeting spaces and offer other forms of support. They can put you in touch with organisations that can help with utility bills, health, employment, and education. Details of local pantries can be found here. The community pantry closest to our school is the Wickham Pantry:
Wickham Community Centre
Mill Lane
Wickham
PO17 5AL
Food Bank
Meon Valley Food Bank is church led and community focused, offering help to families who are at crisis point and need support through the provision of food. It is based in Wickham and serves towns and villages in the Meon Valley. You must be referred to the Meon Valley Food Bank to be able to use it. You can find a list of Referral Agents here. We are a Referral Agent; if you would like to enquire about a possible referral, please email our home-school link worker, Amber Palmer: a.palmer@wickham-primary.hants.sch.uk.
Support with Mental Health and Well-Being
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Policy
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Strategies and Interventions
Children's Mental Health Week Workshop Powerpoint
Primary Parent Anxiety Workshop PowerPoint
CAMHS Eating Disorder Event (November 2024)
NHS Moving Up - For parents of children who are moving up to a new school
TERM DATES
We always publish our term dates, which include our five In-Service Training (INSET) days, at the end of the previous school year so that parents and carers can arrange holidays and childcare as appropriate.
Our 2024/5 INSET days are:
Monday 2nd September 2024
Monday 30th September 2024
Monday 6th January 2025
Friday 4th April 2025
Monday 23rd June 2025
Information about our current term dates and for future years in all Hampshire Schools can be found on their website, please find a link to their website below;
SCHOOL TRAVEL
The majority of our pupils live within easy walking distance of the school. Children and their parents are encouraged to walk or cycle to school and we have a large cycle and scooter shelter on our playground for their use.
Those parents who drive to school are encouraged to park at the Wickham Centre in Mill Lane. Large car parks are available both infront of and behind the community centre and a safe footpath leads directly from the car park to our school gate.
All families who live in Knowle Village are eligible for travel assistance. This is provided by the Local Authority and can take a variety of forms including:
- Free bus pass for use on a public service
(This option is currently provided and is used by a number of families as paying parents can also use the service) - Dedicated school bus
(This option is currently provided and takes the form of a minibus, used solely by our school children, providing a private service between our school and Knowle) - Parental petrol allowance
(This option is currently provided where special circumstances apply)
Parents are responsible for their child's attendance at school whether or not transport is provided.
All enquiries concerning eligibility for travel assistance should be made to the County Passenger Transport Group Tel: - 01962 845631.
Parents bringing children to school are requested not to drive into the school grounds as the footpath, used both by school children and families using the Pre-School and Children's Centre, crosses the driveway.
Please note that there is a parking restriction in Buddens Road at the school entrance. For reasons of safety this area should be kept clear at all times and may not be used for dropping off, waiting or parking. Vehicles in this area can cause obstruction and present a hazard for children crossing the road so we ask all drivers to adhere to the Highway Code regulations for the safety and security of all our children.
ATTENDANCE
The Department for Education published new statutory guidance Working Together to Improve School Attendance in August 2024. This guidance summarises the expectations of parents as follows:
· Ensure their child attends every day the school is open except when a statutory reason applies.
· Notify the school as soon as possible when their child has to be unexpectedly absent (e.g. sickness).
· Only request leave of absence in exceptional circumstances and do so in advance.
· Book any medical appointments around the school day where possible.
It also recognises the importance of schools working together with families to build strong and trusting relationships, ensuring that the right support is in place where attendance is a concern.
Attendance is monitored on a daily basis by our school’s senior leadership team and by Mrs Palmer, our home-school link worker. This enables us to put support in place, often on the same day, when a child could be in school but is not.
The register is taken at 8.55am and so we ask that our pupils are in school before this time. If a child is unwell, then parents/carer should contact the school office by 9.25am on every day that they are absent (unless it is a pre-approved absence). It is possible to leave a message on our absence line at any time.
We categorise attendance as follows:
96% + Good
90% - 95% Satisfactory - requires monitoring
Below 90% Unacceptable (persistent absence) - requires intervention
Parents will be sent an attendance certificate for their child/children at the end of each term. Attendance may also be shared and discussed during parents’ evenings, especially where this is a concern.
The school’s attendance team meet once a month to review attendance across the school. Any concerns regarding absence and/or lateness are flagged up at these meetings and follow-up actions are identified and implemented. Mrs Palmer or a member of the school’s leadership team may contact parents/carers to talk about our concerns and offer any support as necessary. We appreciate that sometimes periods of absence are unavoidable and this will always be considered before we make any decision regarding further action. However, if following notification of our concern and any support put into place, attendance to school does not improve, then a referral will be made to the Hampshire Attendance Legal Team.
Our attendance policy and other helpful documents can be found by clicking on the links below.
Attendance Policy
Request to authorise absence from school due to exceptional circumstances
Information on Penalty Notices
ONLINE PAYMENT SYSTEM
Parents can now pay with a credit/debit card for school dinners, educational visits, residentials and music tuition online via our school website. You can still pay by cash or cheque but the online system gives you a more convenient flexible way to pay. By making online payments you know that your money has reached the school safely, you can view your account statement and history and check when payments need to be made.
To register to use Tucasi for the first time you will need your child’s unique registration code which has been sent home to every parent. If you would like another copy of your code or any other help using the system, please contact our Admin staff who will be pleased to help.
COMMUNICATIONS
Where possible, we will send correspondence via Email and SMS, as this is an environmentally friendly, timely, convenient and cost effective way to receive information from our school. These communications will be sent using the information given when your child starts school. It will be held and sent via our Management Information System (Arbor).
We like to keep you informed and have a monthly newsletter filled with what is happening at school and helpful reminders, which will be emailed to you and it is also attached to the website under our news section.
We will use this system to send emergency text messages to parents who have registered their mobile number with us, so please make sure your contact information is kept up to date with our Admin staff.
Wickham Church of England Primary School, Buddens Road, Wickham, Hampshire, PO17 5HU
01329 833065
Lindsay Grimwood - Senior Admin Officer
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