Parent Handbook 2023 | Heathside School Hampstead

Dear Parents,

We are delighted that you are joining Heathside School and look forward to welcoming your children as they start their learning journey with us. This handbook contains the information you will need and includes:

• Contact details for form teachers, Safeguarding Leads and Senior Leaders

• Term dates and travel information

• Lunches and clubs

• Uniform and equipment list

• PTA contact details

This information will also be available on the school’s new parent portal very soon and you will shortly receive log in details for that.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Team who will be happy to help.

With very best wishes,

Nadia Ward Headteacher

Term Dates 2023

Autumn Term 2023

Autumn Term starts Monday 4th September

Half term Thursday 19th - Friday 27th Oct inclusive

Autumn Term ends Tuesday 12th December 2pm

Spring Term 2024

Spring Term starts Thursday 4th January

Half term Monday 12th - Tuesday 20th February

Spring Term ends Wednesday 27th March 2pm

Summer Term 2024

Summer Term starts Tuesday 16th April

Half term Monday 27th - Friday 31st May inclusive

Sumer Term ends Friday 5th July 2pm

School Day Timings and Locations

Absences

Children from Reception class upwards are required to attend school every day. This is a legal requirement. If your child cannot attend school for any reason, please report the absence by 8.45am. The preferred method is by using the absence form on the Parent Portal. If that is not possible, absence can be reported by email on schooladmin@heathsideschoolhampstead.com or by phone on 020 3058 4011.

Children in Nursery are not legally required to attend school every day, however, for safeguarding reasons, we still need to be informed if a child will not be in school for any reason.

Please do not email the teacher directly about absence as teachers are not always able to access email during the day, particularly at busy times such as morning registration, and please do not phone teacher’s mobile phones.

Absence due to illness must be reported every day for the duration of the illness. To request absence for religious observance, holidays or family emergency, please use the future absence request form on the Parent Portal. These absences need to be authorised by the Headteacher.

Travel

Heathside’s historic school buildings are clustered around two main locations in Hampstead, London NW3.

Nursery through to Year 5 are located at Heath Street NW3 1DN. Years 6, 7 and 8 are located at 16 New End NW3 1JA, both just a short walk from Heath Street.

The school is very well served by public transport with Hampstead Underground station very close by, and many local buses. Hampstead Heath Overground station is also about 10 minutes’ walk away. For the good of the environment, we encourage all parents not to drive to school where possible. There can be heavy traffic in and around Hampstead at peak times. Walking, cycling or public transport are always the best options.

New End is designated a Healthy School Street by Camden Council. The junction between Heath Street and New End will be closed between 7.30am and 9.30am and the short section of New End that has 16 New End on the corner will be closed between 8am to 9am and from 3pm to 4pm. The restrictions will be enforced by ANPR cameras.

To support the Healthy School Street initiative, we proudly offer a walking bus service from the car park behind Jack Straw’s Castle for all children from reception age upwards. Please use the sign up form on the Parent Portal.

Unaccompanied travel

Children in Years 5 and 6 can travel to and from school unaccompanied, however, parents must fill in a form to permit this. Please either contact schooladmin@heathsideschoolhampstead.com or download the form from the Parent Portal. This is not required for children in Years 7 and 8.

Lift sharing

There are a number of families looking for lift shares to or from school, particularly from areas further away from Hampstead such as Muswell Hill, Alexandra Palace and East Finchley. If you would like to take part in a lift share, please contact schooladmin@heathsideschoolhampstead.com and we will put you in touch with other interested families.

School Uniform

Nursery to Year 4

The school uniform consists of a school polo shirt, sweatshirt and jogging bottoms. As an alternative to the school jogging bottoms, plain, unbranded, navy leggings or shorts can be worn. There is also an optional summer dress, and book bag. Shoes must be sturdy and comfortable, ready for the Heath. The smart uniform is NOT required for children in Nursery to Year 4. The school coat is a compulsory part of the uniform.

Years 5 to 8

From Year 5 upwards, there is also a smart uniform (grey trousers/skirt with white shirt, school tie and jumper, black shoes and optional school coat) and families can choose to wear EITHER the casual OR the smart uniform each day. However, the smart uniform will be required by all children in Year 5 upwards for formal occasions such as school concerts, trips, shows or school interviews.

Sport Kit

A separate sport kit is required from Year 3 upwards, and children can wear the sport kit to school on their sport/swimming lesson day and on days they take part in any sport clubs before or after school. The sport kit is a navy and sky blue polo shirt, skort or shorts and optional base layer top and leggings. Below Year 3, children wear the casual uniform for PE. Footballers need Astro boots and plastic studs for muddy conditions. Shin pads are essential.

• Please note that the casual, smart and sport uniform should not be mixed.

• Please make sure that all uniform is clearly named.

Swimming kit

Children require a swimsuit or trunks, goggles, hat and towel in a named bag. Children can wear normal uniform, or sport kit, on swimming days

How to buy

The uniform is available to buy from our uniform supplier Uniform4kids. A uniform list is on page 9. The link here takes you to the Heathside page of their website. www.uniform4kids.com/collections/heathside-school

Generic items such as grey trousers and skirts, school shirts, shoes and socks can be purchased from any school uniform retailer.

Jewellery and long hair

Stud earrings and watches are permitted. They should not be worn for swimming even if waterproof. Long hair must be tied back for sport and science.

Mobile phones and smart watches

Mobile phones are not permitted in school and must be left at Reception during school hours. They can be collected at the end of the school day. Smart watches are permitted in Years 6 to 8 only, however for safeguarding reasons they cannot be internet enabled, have a camera, or recording capabilities.

Equipment

Children should come to school with the following equipment and supplies. Please make sure all items are named.

Nursery - Year 4

• Named reusable water bottle

• Waterproof coat with loop to hang it

• Waterproof trousers

• Wellington boots

• Spare change of clothes

• Heathside book bag

• Snack/packed lunch box

• Cygnets only: nappies, wipes and bags

Year 5 - Year 8

• Named reusable water bottle

• Waterproof coat

• Wellington boots or sturdy shoes

• Backpack or book bag

• Large pencil case

• 30 cm ruler

• Writing pens – blue or black

• Red pen

• Highlighter

• Pencils and sharpener

• Eraser

• 360 degree angle measurer

• Scientific calculator

• Compass

Chromebooks - Year 7 and 8 only

Students in Years 7 and 8 use Google Classroom to support every subject so that students have a focal point for accessing links to resources provided by the teacher and a place to submit any online work or projects they have created.

The most effective way to use this powerful educational tool is for every student to have a Chromebook so that they can access Google Classrooms both quickly and seamlessly. These lightweight and robust devices are designed for education with a 10 hour battery life and small size. They also reduce the need for students to carry heavy textbooks.

To ensure relevant filtering and applications are installed on the devices, pupils’ Chromebooks must be enrolled onto the school network.

If you need advice on which model to buy, please contact admin@heathsideschoolhampstead.com

Lunch and Snacks

Allergies

To avoid possible allergic reactions, we are a NUT, PINE NUT and SESAME FREE school. Nuts in any form are not permitted in school, however sesame free hummus, and pine nut/nut free pesto are permitted. We also ask children not to share their food.

Healthy eating and environmental awareness

We promote healthy eating, and we ask parents not to send the following into school: chocolate; sweets; fizzy drinks and traditional fried crisps. We also ask children to use a refillable water bottle and avoid single use plastic bottles.

Birthday treats

We are happy to help children celebrate their birthdays by sharing birthday cake or treats with their classmates. Please ensure that these are in individually wrapped portions and do not contain nuts.

Snacks

We encourage all children to bring a healthy snack to eat during morning break and before afternoon clubs. In line with our healthy eating guidance, please ensure the snacks provided at home are on the permitted food list below:

• A piece or portion of fresh fruit

• Vegetables / crudities

• Rice / corn cakes

• Cheese and crackers

School lunches

Families can choose to provide a packed lunch for children or buy lunch from the school’s new provider, Todmorden. If bringing a packed lunch, please refer to the healthy eating guidelines above. Children from Years 1 to 8 each lunch communally in the Church hall in two sittings supervised by school staff.

Heathside has a catered school lunch service provided by Todmorden Foods. Every day, there is a hot main course with a vegetarian option, salad and side dishes with yoghurt and fruit for dessert. Lunch is charged at a flat rate and the menu is fixed on three-week rotation. School lunches are ordered via the school payment system sQuid and you will be sent your log in details soon.

Clubs and additional music lessons

Music lessons

We encourage all children to take up a musical instrument and can arrange lessons in school with our experienced visiting music teachers. Lessons in strings, woodwind, brass, piano, drums, guitar and ukulele are all available. The music teachers encourage children to play together in music groups and put on performances for parents through the year. To arrange lessons, please contact our Head of Music at music@heathsideschoolhampstead.com

Provisional Clubs Timetable

Please see provisional clubs timetable for the Autumn term on the adjacent page. There may be some small adjustments before issuing the final clubs timetable in August. Clubs will be available to book on sQuid at the end of August. Clubs will run from Monday 11th September - with the exception of Breakfast Club and the new After School Club run by the Junior Adventures Group - both launching on the first day back (Monday 4th September).

Junior Adventures Group

An exciting new addition to our clubs timetable from September is an After School Club that will run from 4-6pm every day. The Junior Adventures Group will lead this and the daily schedule is below for your reference. You are now able to book for this directly via the Junior Adventures Group link below:

https://www.junioradventuresgroup.co.uk/find-us/heathside-school-hampstead

The addition of this After School Club to our timetable follows requests from families to extend the wraparound care provision and will require a minimum number of sign-ups to be viable. From a recent parent survey, we feel there is enough interest but we strongly urge you to sign up if this is something you want your child to be part of so we can assess viability early on.

The Junior Adventure Group will run a range of activities covering such activities as art, brain boosters, yoga and performance, and the offering includes a healthy snack too, so we are sure this will become a staple of our club provision.

School Communications

We aim to have open and timely communications between school and our families and there are several different ways that we keep in touch.

Weekly newsletter

The weekly newsletter is sent to families every Friday afternoon during term time. It contains a summary and photos of the activities from the week and a message from the Headteacher. It also contains key dates, information and reminders and we encourage all families to read it.

Termly updates

At the end of each term, the Head writes to families with an update on the key strategic issues and developments for the school.

Headteacher surgeries

During the year, parents from different year groups are invited to make individual appointments with the Head to discuss any issues they would like to raise. These short, one-to-one meetings are an effective way to ensure that concerns are addressed at an early stage.

Parent portal

The Parent Portal, accessed via the school website and contains the information sent to you in this pack and the school calendar.

sQuid

This is the payment portal used to book clubs and trips. It can also be used to purchase extra items from the school shop. You will be sent log in details before your child’s start date.

Text messages

The school’s text message system is only used in case of a serious or urgent situation. Please ensure that your contact details are kept up to date in case of emergency.

Teacher emails

Parents are able to contact their form teacher directly by email, however, please be aware that teachers do not always have access to their email during lessons so you may not receive a reply straight away. As our teachers are extremely busy during the school day, we encourage them to look after their well-being and switch off in the evenings and weekends. We kindly ask parents to respect teachers’ time outside the classroom.

We are fortunate to have a very active and involved Parent Teacher Association at Heathside. All families are automatically invited to join the PTA.

The PTA plays an important role in welcoming new families to the school and will be very happy to answer any questions or help make introductions in the school community.

To contact the PTA, please use: pta@heathsideschoolhampstead.com

The PTA also has a key consultation role in many areas of school life. PTA representatives in each class act as a conduit between school and parents and feedback information and opinion to the PTA steering committee. The committee then meets each term with members of the school Senior Leadership Team.

School Management and Key Staff Contacts

All internal email addresses end in @heathsideschoolhampstead.com, ie: admissions@heathsideschoolhampstead.com

Senior Leadership Team

Nadia Ward Headteacher nward@

Zoë Humphrey Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead zhumphrey@

Chinyere Onukagha Bursar bursar@

School Leadership Roles

Louise Shotton Assistant Head and SENDCo senco@

Imogen Stone Assistant Head istone@

Karen Murphy Head of Early Years kmurphy@

Operational Team

Andy Mirza Data Protection gdpr@

Shweta Sharma HR Manager office@

Peter Bell Facilities Manager facilities@

Donna Simon Operations dsimon@

Fiona Murdoch Admissions and Marketing admissions@

Safeguarding Team

The wellbeing of all pupils at Heathside is of paramount importance. At Heathside, pupils are supported to develop healthy and happy friendships with their classmates and peers. Class teachers ensure that their pupils receive the support they need to make the most of opportunities on offer inside and outside the classroom. If a class teacher has any concerns about any pupil’s wellbeing, they will call on the experience and expertise of Heathside’s dedicated safeguarding and Special Educational Needs team to provide the appropriate support.

Safeguarding Team

Nadia Ward Headteacher nward@heathsideschoolhampstead.com

Libby Nicholas Safeguarding governor libby.nicholas@dukeseducation.com

Zoë Humphrey Designated Safeguarding Lead

zhumphrey@heathsideschoolhampstead. com

Scott De Blasio Deputy DSL sdeblasio@heathsideschoolhampstead. com

Louise Shotton Deputy DSL lshotton@heathsideschoolhampstead.com

Teaching Staff Contacts

All internal email addresses end in @heathsideschoolhampstead.com, ie: admissions@heathsideschoolhampstead.com

Nursery to Year 5

Nursery (Cygnets)

Fouzia Elanqaoui Nursery Lead felanqaoui@

Nursery (Swans)

Dean Sullivan

Glaucia Botkai

Reception

Pre-Reception Lead dsullivan@ gbotkai@

Pre-Reception Lead

Karen Murphy Head of Early Years kmurphy@

Year 1

Duina Puig

Year 2

Year 1 Robins dpuig@

Scott De Blasio Year 2 Eagles sdeblasio@

Year 3

Laurelle Campbell

Maria Shepelina

Year 4

Year 3 Larch Year 3 Hazel lcampbell@ mshepelina@

Beatriz Barrientos Year 4 Maple bbarientos@

Year 5

Imogen Stone

Belbi Kalia

Year 5 Rowan Year 5 Sycamore and 11+ Lead istone@ bkalia@

Year 6 to Year 8

Year 6

Hamid Haidari

Hannah Gibeon Year 6 Juniper Year 6 Willow hhaidari@ hgibeon@

Year 7

Anais Lacombe

Anna Patulska Year 7 Ash alacombe@ apatulska@

Year 8

Anais Lacombe

Anna Patulska Year 8 Beech alacombe@ apatulska@