Pre-Prep Parents' Handbook - Junior King's Canterbury

Pre-Prep Parents’ Handbook

Welcome

It is a great pleasure to welcome you and your family as you become part of the Junior King’s community.

The Pre-Prep is the start of a child’s journey through this exceptional school and the years they spend with us will be the building blocks for their future education. We believe in open-ended, child-led learning, balanced with the importance of structure and an individual curriculum, which we tailor to each child.

Our learning environments are at the centre of the children’s education, and we enjoy bringing the outside in, as well as taking the children out.

It is important to us that parents and the school work closely together. You will be kept informed and involved in your child’s education at each developmental stage and will be encouraged to support your child’s learning throughout the school.

This handbook serves as a guide to your child’s life in the Pre-Prep and hopes to address any queries you may have about our school routines. However, if you have any questions, please do feel free to ask at any point.

The future of the Pre-Prep at Junior King’s is an exciting one and we are delighted that you are joining us on our remarkable journey.

Camilla Webster Head of Pre-Prep

General Information

STARTING IN THE PRE-PREP

Starting a new school represents a significant milestone for some children, particularly for those children who may be experiencing time away from family members for the first time. Children will all arrive with a diverse set of skills, abilities and knowledge and often varying stages of development. It is our job, and pleasure, to work with your children to help them progress, develop and flourish.

We have created a helpful ‘preparation’ list for starting Nursery, which can be found in the Nursery Handbook.

Before starting in our Reception class, it is most helpful if children can carry out the following tasks:

• Be able to recognise their name

• Be able to count forwards and backwards to 10

As well as displaying signs of independence:

• Putting on a coat and doing up the zipper

• Putting shoes on the correct feet

• Attempting to dress and undress independently

• Using cutlery effectively

• Being able to use the loo

• Using a tissue to blow their nose

CLASSES

Children can join our Reception class during the academic year they reach the age of 5. Our Year 1 class accommodates children aged 5 to 6, while Year 2 is tailored for those aged 6 to 7. Named after British trees, each class is assigned a full-time class teacher and has access to one of our exceptional teaching assistants. Our classes are diverse in terms of ability and gender, with a balanced average across the board.

LUNCHTIMES

Lunch is enjoyed in the Prep School Dining Hall. Nursery and Pre-Prep children, along with staff, sit together at their designated tables, where they are encouraged to practise table manners and develop greater independence. Older children sit with their class groups under the supervision of a member of staff who oversees adherence to general table etiquette. A nutritious two-course meal is provided, followed by a choice of fresh fruits. Children are encouraged to make sensible food choices, and if a particular dish is not to their liking, they have the option to leave it. Special dietary requirements can be accommodated by contacting the Head of Pre-Prep.

MEDICAL MATTERS

Health Care

Please ensure that the Health Information Forms for your child are returned to school before the start of term. All communications regarding health should be addressed to the Head of PrePrep, Mrs Webster, or directly to the Health Centre. If your child has an operation, accident, serious illness, vaccination, or special treatment during the holidays, a full report should be

sent on return to school. It is the parents’ responsibility to keep the Health Centre updated with any new matters relating to your child’s health or wellbeing.

Medicines

During the initial stages of any illness, the best place for recuperation is at home. Towards the end of any prescribed course of medication, we are happy to administer at school. All medicines must be taken to the Health Centre staff in the Prep School. Signed parental consent is required before any medicine or remedy is administered. Please request a consent form from The Health Centre before sending the medicine into school. Please note, it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that medication is retrieved at the end of the school day if needed for evening use at home.

Absences and Illnesses

If your child is ill and unable to come to school, please email your form teacher or the Pre-Prep Secretary, or phone the Pre-Prep between 8.00am and 9.00am. Parents will be contacted during the morning if a message has not been received. You can also send a message to the Pre-Prep staff via My School Portal.

General Illness

In order to prevent infection, parents are requested to keep children away from school if unwell. Following diarrhoea or vomiting, a child should not return to school until 48 hours after the last episode. Children should only return to school when they are tolerating a normal diet, without continued stomach cramps or discomfort and feeling fit and well. Children with a high temperature and symptoms of a respiratory infection should be absent from school until their temperature remains within normal limits without medicine (Calpol or Ibuprofen), and they feel well enough to return to school.

If parents have any queries, then they should telephone the Health Centre before the child returns to school.

Illness During the School Day

If your child becomes ill during the school day, you will be contacted to collect your child. In the case of more serious accidents, and emergencies, every effort will be made to contact parents prior to a child being taken to hospital. If it is not possible to contact parents, the Head’s appointed representative would act ‘in loco parentis’ and escort a child to hospital.

School Counsellors

We have School Counsellors who visit the School once a week to see children who have been identified as needing support of an emotional nature. If you have any concerns about your child, you can contact the Health Centre or the Head of Pre-Prep, who will liaise directly with us.

Head Lice

Head lice and nits are very common in young children and their families. They are not caused by dirty hair and are picked up by head-to-head contact. To prevent the spread of headlice at school we request that parents check their child’s hair for lice weekly using a finetooth comb and treat if required. In cases of serious infestation, parents may also be requested to take their child home for treatment.

Sun Protection

It is preferable for children to have their own named supply of Sun screen with them during the summer months. The cream/ lotion must be clearly named and be at least Factor 30. Within Pre-Prep, there is a sunscreen dispenser which is available to all children. Consent will be required to administer this. Children must have a sunhat to wear for outside activities.

PARKING, COLLECTING AND DROP-OFF Parking

Pre-Prep parents can drop at one of two places; either through the public entrance to the Pre-Prep parking in The Hamels, or across the playground, parking in the car park behind the Nursery.

For the latter, entrance to the school is through Milner Gate which is open for entry via Milner Lane, directly off the A28. Please drive carefully through the lane and be especially careful on entry to the Junior School.

Once on the school grounds, do not exceed 5 mph. Please do not park in the lane or obstruct the gates in any way. Please avoid driving to the school down Church Lane as we have a oneway system. Exit from the school is via The Hamels onto Church Lane and follow the one-way system on to the A28.

Collecting your Child

The School day ends at 3.30pm and all children going home at this point will be dismissed from their classrooms. Parents are invited to wait in the Pre-Prep playground, having parked in either of the car parks mentioned above.

Information about Nursery

collection times can be found in the Nursery Handbook.

Collecting from Activity Club, Late Club and Twilights

Specialist Activity Clubs usually run from 3.30pm until 4.15pm. At the end of the club, children will return to their classrooms and are dismissed, as before, from their classroom external doors.

If you are collecting your child between 3.30pm and 4.10pm, they can be signed up for Late Club, which has more flexibility than our specialist clubs. Please ring the doorbell or call the clubs phone and someone will either bring your child to you or let you in.

We also offer Twilights from 4.30pm until 6.00pm. Children can be collected at any time by ringing the doorbell or the phone.

We do ask parents to sign up for Late Club and Twilights in advance, if possible, so we can staff accordingly. Thank you.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Safety in the School Grounds

It would be appreciated if parents could approach the Pre-Prep Oast Building slowly and be vigilant when reversing in the car park. Our main concern is the safety of you and your children. Car

parking space is available in front of the Oast House in the Hamels, beside the astro and in the car park behind the Sports Hall, as well as in front of the Prep School.

Please park sensitively and do not block driveways of houses in The Hamels. Please always observe the 5mph speed limit when driving within the school grounds.

Please be aware that, out of school hours, the school playground and equipment is out of bounds to both pupils and siblings alike. The Junior Adventure Playground is available for use at other times, but strictly under close parental supervision and responsibility.

Security

On arrival at school, all visitors should sign in and receive a visitor’s badge. Doors to the Oast are kept locked during the school day for security reasons. There are also 24-hour video cameras and alarms on Pre-Prep external doors. This alarm is activated by anyone coming in or going out. Both doors have a bell beside them, so if you need to come in to school to collect your child during the day, please use the bell and you will be let in.

The Pre-Prep metal school gate is always locked during the day

and opened 15 minutes before the end of the school day. This remains open until 4.40pm when all children should have been collected from after-school clubs. Access must then be gained via the Pre-Prep front door once the gate has been locked.

School Life

THE SCHOOL DAY

Mrs Webster opens the front door at 8.00am every morning to welcome the children between 8.00am and 8.30am. This is the highlight of her day when she is happy to informally chat to parents, while helping the children into school with their

bags and ensuring they safe arrival to their classrooms. Should you arrive later than 8.30am, please ring the bell and a member of staff will promptly assist you.

The children attend assembly during the week, where they reflect on chosen themes, sing songs and say the Pre-Prep promise.

08.00 – 08.30am Door opens for arrival

08.30 – 08.35am Class registration

08.35 – 08.55am Assembly

09.00 – 10.00am Lessons

10.00 – 10.20am Morning play/Snack

10.20 – 11.50am Lessons

11.50 – 1.00pm Lunch followed by lunch play

1.05 – 2.40pm Lessons

2.40 – 2.55pm Afternoon play/snack

3.00 – 3.30pm Story

3.30pm End of Day (3.00pm on Wednesdays)

3.30 - 4.15pm Optional clubs

4.30 - 6.00pm Twilights – to be booked in advance

On Wednesdays, children should be collected at 3.00pm, unless they are attending an after-school activity.

CLUBS & TWILIGHTS

A number of after-school activities are available to the PrePrep children.

Specialist Activity Clubs

Specialist Activity Clubs run from 3.30pm - 4.15pm (except on a Wednesday, which is 3.00pm3.45pm). These range from craft and construction, led by the Pre-Prep staff, to more specialist options such as horse riding, violin and dance, led by instructors.

Late Club

Late Club also runs from 3.30pm - 4.15pm, but with the flexibility for you to collect at any point between those times. Just ring the doorbell or call the clubs phone on 01227 719137 and someone will either bring your child to you, or let you in.

Twilights

We also offer Twilights from 4.30pm - 6.00pm. Children can be collected at any time by ringing the doorbell or ringing the phone. We do ask parents to sign up for Late Club and Twilights in advance, if possible, so we can staff accordingly.

ACADEMICS

Phonics

All classes have a designated Phonics lesson every day following a synthetics phonics programme, which focusses on pure sounds, word building and decoding strategies. As the children move up through the scheme, and the Pre-Prep, they will learn about digraphs, trigraphs, split digraphs and start to identify phonic families and spelling patterns.

English

Alongside phonics lessons, the children will enjoy weekly English themes, which might be based on a story, a place or one of our topics. The teachers cleverly weave these themes into reading, writing and comprehension lessons, including grammar and punctuation objectives. There are always plenty of crosscurricular links and the children love being exposed to so many opportunities to read and write.

Reading

Reading is embedded into the children’s day as they are surrounded by signs, posters, displays, working walls and books. There are opportunities to read in most lessons, whether as a whole class, in groups or individually. Alongside this, the children also

follow a reading programme, comprised of a number of different reading schemes which complement our synthetic phonics programme. The children read at school with staff and are encouraged to read at home as well. Teachers guide them through the levels at a steady pace, ensuring they comprehend both the content and the words they read before progressing.

Maths

We believe that children should have a concrete understanding of maths and not simply learn concepts by rote and song. To achieve this, we adopt a maths mastery approach, where we

teach from the root of a concept to ensure understanding of the how and why, rather than just the what. We employ resources and loose parts to make our lessons both practical and enjoyable. We take pride in fostering children’s independence, allowing them to discover strategies that suit their individual learning styles. Their independence is a skill which we hope they will carry with them throughout their time at King’s.

In addition to focusing on number and numerals, we also work with the children on their understanding of more widespread concepts, such as measure, time, shape and data handling.

Topic

The children in Year 1 and Year 2 have topic lessons, such as Geography, History, Science, Religious Studies and Art, all of which are taught by their class teacher. Whilst we follow the outline of the National Curriculum, the children’s interests also lead us, allowing flexibility to tailor our topics accordingly to the specific needs and interests of the classes. Our lessons often integrate multiple subjects in one afternoon, fostering a cross-curricular approach. We also delight in aligning our termly trips to our topics, such as a visit to the Cathedral or wildlife park.

Early Years Topics

The planning process within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is based on the Development Matters statements from the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. These plans remain flexible to allow your child’s teachers to adapt to the needs, achievements and interests of your children.

Planning, particularly within the Early Years is therefore often referred to as ‘in the moment’ planning’. This approach fosters a high level of motivation for learning within the 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas, nurturing your children’s

interests and engagement in their educational journey.

REPORTING AND COMMUNICATION

An induction meeting is held at the start of each academic year, providing parents with opportunities to meet their child’s teacher and to learn more about the distinctive nature of their year group.

There are currently three parents’ evenings in the Pre-Prep; before half term in the Autumn, at the Spring half term and finally at the Summer half term.

Early Years (Nursery and Reception) have a parent meeting at the end of the Autumn Term to discuss their child’s level of development. Year 1 and Year 2 will have a written report at this time.

All children will receive a written report at the end of the academic year.

ASSESSMENT

In Early Years (Nursery and Reception), we track our children through an online learning journal called ‘Tapestry.’ Assessment takes the form of both formal and informal

observations which are uploaded onto Tapestry, often with quotes and photos. Parents are also able to log on and view or add photos and observations.

In order to ‘track’ children’s progress in Year 1 and Year 2, we conduct National Assessments at the beginning of the academic year, providing a ‘baseline’ and again at the end of the year, to form summative information.

Our Year 2 children also have CAT testing, which continues throughout their time at Junior King’s showing their individual progression from Year 2 to Year 8.

LEARNING SUPPORT

Learning Support is essentially an umbrella term within which there are different strands: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Children with Potential.

The Pre-Prep has a Learning Support Co-ordinator, working with the Head of Pre-Prep and Head of Learning Support in the Prep School, to monitor pupil progress and provide the appropriate intervention.

Children have diverse needs, and many children experience additional barriers to learning

at points during their education. These are often mild and do not need extra educational provision. This is where we consider how we can offer carefully differentiated opportunities, or alternative approaches to learning, to help them progress. Of course, parents will be kept informed and play a significant role with any matters requiring extra support.

However, if after close observation and monitoring, a child appears to be experiencing a barrier to learning, and is not making significant progress within differentiation, an additional educational need may be identified, and Learning Support staff become involved to assess and provide appropriate intervention as is necessary. If progress is still not made and concerns remain, external agencies may be consulted. An Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may be sought from the Local Authority in some situations.

HOMEWORK

All children who are ready, from Reception age and above, will usually take a reading book home with them at least three times a week, having read individually to their class teacher or one of the teaching assistants. It is important that reading is seen

as an enjoyable activity and not as a chore, so the School will make every effort to stimulate and promote the reading of appropriate material. Parents are encouraged to read a little with them every day, referring to the Reading Record book that goes between home and school for comments about reading and noting the teacher’s guidance about how much the child should read. Some children in the PrePrep will be given flashcards, along with their reading books, in order to reinforce core vocabulary. Children are also encouraged to choose books from our Pre-Prep Library or indeed their own local library.

In addition to their reading books, the older children will be given homework. Children in Year 1 will be given weekly spelling lists linked to their phonics work. They will also be given a maths activity each week. Once they are in Year 2, children may be given more structured homework. This will be linked to their phonics work and numeracy. A child’s homework should not take longer than 15 or 20 minutes each evening. If it is taking longer, then the parents should mention this to the class teacher. If parents find that their child has a particular difficulty, they are advised to make contact with the child’s class teacher.

GUIDANCE AND DISCIPLINE

The Pre-Prep has a behavioural expectation that enables every child to feel safe and secure within the School environment. We believe that children will learn well in a happy and caring environment, and significant importance is placed on creating an awareness of the needs of others, making the right choices and building the self-esteem of every child.

Emphasis is always placed on offering support and kindness to others, and children are encouraged to be polite and show respect towards adults and other

children. Children are rewarded with stickers and dojos for good choices and often our ‘Sparkle of the Week’ celebration assembly reflects the children’s behaviour.

WELLBEING

The wellbeing of the children is incredibly important to us, and it is embedded into the School day and curriculum. Alongside our PSHCE lessons, school assemblies and mindfulness clubs, we host various calendar events focused around SMSC, such as kindness week and vertical reading sessions, where older children come to the Pre-Prep to read with the younger ones.

Our significant strength in the Pre-Prep lies in the close bonds between staff and children. With small classes, and favourable ratios, our staff get to know the children, and parents, incredibly well. This enables us to provide abundant pastoral care that is not only comprehensive but also personalised, allowing us to identify specific needs and behaviours.

JUNIOR KING’S ADVENTURERS (JKAs)

During their time in the Pre-Prep, as well as the formal curriculum, children take part in Junior King’s Adventurers (affectionately

known as JKAs) - an outdoor learning programme written specifically for Junior King’s.

This is much more than just forest school and covers wellbeing, creativity in nature, our local community, exploring the local area and getting to know the wildlife on our school site. All activities and adventures are tailored to the specific children in the class and specific to our School and community.

The children will work through bronze, silver and gold levels and become experts in a variety of life skills, independence, competence, cooperation, and

communication, as well as developing a sense of respect and appreciation for the environment.

SPECIALIST STAFF

French

All children have weekly lessons with a specialist French teacher. In Nursery and Reception, the children have one 20-minute lesson per week and in Year 1 and Year 2, there are two 30-minute lessons.

Dance and Music Classes

All children have weekly dance lessons with a specialist teacher. In addition, a specialist music teacher will take each class for two music lessons per week. We also offer the opportunity for children to have individual music tuition during the school day. Through our extensive after school activity programme, we encourage children to join several different group music sessions. Music also plays an important part in our assemblies and church services.

Co-Curricular

TRIPS

Every term, all children are provided with the opportunity to participate in a trip, often aligned with their learning topics or themes.

Recent excursions have included visits to a working farm, an indoor role play centre, a boat tour on the river, Canterbury Cathedral, a wildlife park, a museum, the village library, and outdoor adventure days in the surrounding woodlands.

For Early Years children (Nursery and Reception), parental permission will be sought for all off-site visits. From Year 1 onwards, consent is included in the School’s Terms and Conditions upon registration.

EVENTS

We host numerous parent events in our School Calendar (too many to list here!) and we love welcoming parents and families into the Pre-Prep on these occasions.

We invite families to join us for our church services at Harvest time, Christmas, Easter and the end of the year, all of these being preceded by coffee and pastries in the dining room with Mrs Webster and the School Chaplain.

This year we introduced Parent Activity mornings, where parents are invited into school one morning each term to enjoy some activities in the classroom with their children.

And we must not forget our incredible Nativities and Summer Show which are always supported brilliantly by the whole family.

The Pre-Prep is located in a beautiful Oast.

Outreach & Community

LINKS

As part of our Junior King’s Adventurers lessons, the children enjoy building links with the School community, parental community, local village and surrounding areas. We make and write cards to one of the local residential homes and have sent some handmade hugs to the Canterbury Age UK branch. Closer to home, we have hosted a parent car wash, a well-being parent/dog walk and a litter pick around the School. Alongside this we enjoy close links with the village and sometimes join the villagers for their church coffee mornings and on the allotments. We are very busy!

Links with local primary schools are also important to us and we enjoy shared school trips, forest schooling and music or sport afternoons.

BABY & TODDLER GROUP

Our Baby and Toddler Group runs every Tuesday during term time in our Pre-Prep Hall. We hold two sessions 9.00am - 10.00am and 10.30am - 11.30am and these can be pre-booked via the website link.

Pre-Prep staff run crafts and activities, along with delicious coffee and snacks. There is also a theme each week and special guests pop in occasionally to run sessions, such as music with Mrs Webster, stories and games with Miss Cowley or specialists helping with hot topics such as ‘baby weaning’ or ‘baby wearing’.

THE FRIENDS OF JUNIOR KING’S

The aim of the Friends’ Association is primarily to bring together parents, staff and others interested in the well-being of the School through social, cultural and other activities. We hope that you will be interested

in supporting these events. Any surplus money raised is given by the Committee for the use and benefit of the School. All parents and guardians are automatically members of the Friends’ Association unless they specifically wish to opt-out and a number of parents act as Class Representatives.

The Friends run a coffee morning on the first Friday of every term at 8.20am in the Dining Hall to which all parents are welcome. They also organise ‘Classlist’, a digital communication tool enabling parents to talk to each other with ease.

THE KING’S SCHOOL SPORTS CENTRE

All children have free membership of the Sports Centre in St Stephen’s Road, and parents can become members at a reduced rate. Application forms for parents can be obtained from the Centre.

Junior King’s purpose-built Nursery.

Uniform

This is the uniform list for Reception, Year 1 & Year 2.

WINTER UNIFORM

• White roll-neck

• Tartan tunic with navy blue long socks or woollen tights* or

• Cord shorts (all year) with grey long socks*

• Long, dark grey trousers (November - March)

• Navy blue pullover*

• Navy blue or black Velcro fastening shoes (spring/winter)

• School coat*

• Wellington boots (all year)

• School hat (woollen)*

• School scarf (optional)*

SUMMER UNIFORM

• Summer dress or Cord shorts

• Navy blue cardigan/* Navy blue pullover*

• White polo shirt

• Plain blue cagoule/shower mac (optional)

• Navy waterproof trousers (optional)

• White/grey short socks

• School hat (summer)*

• Navy blue or black T-bar sandals (optional)

SPORTS KIT & GENERAL

• School art apron

• School P.E. bag*

• Hooded school tracksuit top*

• Jogging bottoms (plain navy)

• Red polo shirt

• Shorts (plain navy)

• White sport socks (not too thick) to be worn with trainers

• 1 pair trainers

Please note: all items marked with * must be purchased at the King’s School Shop.

All clothes must be named with sew-in name tapes and trainers/ shoes named with stick-in labels. It is also helpful if your child’s name is clearly visible on the outside of their P.E. bag.

Hair

Hair styles must be neat, tidy and consistent with the School uniform. Hair must be tied back if it would otherwise cover the face and the means of doing so should be a plain navy, black, bottle green or brown hair band or clip.

Shoes

Children should wear navy blue or black shoes or closed in sandals with buckles or Velcrofastenings. They should not wear trainers or lace-up shoes.

Painting Apron

For Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, please provide your child with the long-sleeved, appropriately sized, painting apron, purchased from the King’s School Shop and clearly marked with their name.

The King’s School Shop

The School Shop is open during term time at the following times:

Monday 9.30am - 3.00pm

Tuesday 9.30am - 5.00pm

Wednesday Closed

Thursday 9.30am - 5.00pm

Friday 9.30am - 3.00pm

Saturday 9.00am - 1.00pm

During the school holidays times vary, please contact the shop:

Telephone: 01227 595551 or Email: shop1@kings-school.co.uk

Please note the School Shop in Canterbury gets busy, so outfitting for new and existing pupils is carried out by appointment only. Payment for outfits should be cleared by debit or credit card on the day of purchase. American Express is not accepted.

The School Shop offers a sewing service for the name taping at a cost of £50.00 per uniform which will be added to your first term school bill. All uniform must have name tapes before the start of term. If you wish to make use of this service, please ensure that you have either ordered name tapes at the time of making an appointment, or previously sourced.

If you wish to provide your own name tapes, please ensure labels include your child’s first and last name. These can be purchased from www.cashnametapes.co.uk. Please check deadlines for the purchase and sewing of name tapes with the School Shop.

The Friends of Junior King’s run a second-hand uniform shop. The shop is situated in the Prep School, on the Sports Hall balcony. Visits to the shop are by appointment only. Please contact the School Office: office@junior-kings.co.uk.

Useful Information

Food in School

Food and drink should not be removed from the Dining Hall/ classroom or consumed around the School. We cater for all dietary requirements. Sweets, chocolates and cakes should not be brought to school without staff permission as they can sometimes contain substances harmful to the health of others. The chewing of gum is forbidden. On the day of your child’s birthday, should you wish to, a boxed cake or cupcakes may be sent in along with napkins.

Holiday Absences

Holidays should not be taken in term time. In exceptional circumstances, permission can be requested in writing from the Head. Please also, wherever possible, try to avoid routine doctor and dentist’s appointments during term time, or alternatively make the appointments for out-of-school hours. Mrs Webster should

be made aware of any such appointments.

Parents’ Absences

If you are going to be away for a few days or longer, it is helpful for your child’s class teacher to know this, since parental absences often affect a child’s behaviour or work in school. Mrs Webster, or your class teacher, should also be told with whom your child will be staying in your absence, and who will be collecting him or her, giving any emergency telephone numbers which are relevant.

Change of Address or Phone Number

If you change your address or phone number, please notify the School Office in writing. It is clearly important that we have an up-to-date address and phone number for you, particularly if we need to contact you urgently. A member of the Pre-Prep staff will call parents on any occasion where it is deemed necessary.

Mobile devices

Children in the Pre-Prep will not need mobile phones, smart watches or Apple tags and these should not be brought into school.

Visits to the Prep School

All children have several opportunities to visit the Prep School in their final year of the Pre-Prep. For Year 2 parents, there is a special ‘Open Morning’ in the Autumn or Lent Term when there is an opportunity to visit Junior House and to have a tour of the Prep School. At the end of the Summer Term preceding your child’s entry to the Prep School there is also a ‘Welcome Afternoon’ tea.

Concerns and Complaints

The Junior King’s School has long prided itself on the quality of the teaching and pastoral care provided to its children. However, if parents do have a concern or complaint, they can expect it to be treated by the School in accordance with the Complaints Policy. Please contact your child’s class teacher, Head of Pre-Prep or see the School website for full details.

Payment of Fees

The Bursar will send out information about the school fees and private medical and fees insurance. Should a problem ever

arise, please let the Bursar or the Head know as soon as possible. Such matters are treated in confidence.

Early Years Funding

We are open 32 weeks of the year, term-time only and offer a weekly maximum of 15 hours’ Free Early Education Entitlement to children of 3 to 4 years of age who attend our Nursery. We offer a morning, afternoon or a full day place and the funding may be claimed to a maximum of 3 hours per morning session that your child attends. You may wish to consider a combination of mornings and full days.

Number of mornings attending

3 mornings/full days (minimum expectation)

4 mornings/full days

5 mornings/full days Free entitlement 9 hours 12 hours 15 hours

Sessions are charged either as mornings commencing at 8.30am and finishing at 1.00pm, including lunch, or full day, finishing at 3.30pm (3.00pm on Wednesdays).

For children turning four during

the year, we advise that you sign up for a minimum of 5 mornings, or 3 full days, in readiness for the Reception year ahead.

We are required by Kent County Council to inform you that we are unable to deliver the full free entitlement of 38 weeks a year at this setting, due to the constraints of our term dates. You will, therefore, only be able to access the free provision for a total of 32 weeks a year at this setting for the academic year.

Extras

The fees are inclusive of meals, textbooks, stationery and compulsory activities. Extras are optional (for example Late Club) and have to be requested, or agreed, by parents in advance.

Insurance of Belongings

The School’s insurance policies do not cover the personal effects of the pupils, and your attention is drawn to the leaflet, which will be provided by the Bursary.

Insurance of School Fees

We also recommend the School Fees Remission Scheme insurance for pupils who miss school through illness. Further information on the insurance scheme will be provided by the Bursary.

Year One children enjoying a maths lesson.

Contacts & Newsletters

It is vital that there is excellent communication between home and school, particularly when joining a new school. At no stage is communication more important than during the first few weeks. If you should have a query, or a problem, here are some contacts who should be able to help.

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS AND EMAIL ADDRESSES

The Pre-Prep Department 01227 714004 preprep@junior-kings.co.uk

Head of Pre-Prep 01227 714004 camillawebster@junior-kings.co.uk

The Prep School Office 01227 714000 office@junior-kings.co.uk

The Health Centre 01227 714022 health@junior-kings.co.uk

The Head’s P.A. 01227 714008 head@junior-kings.co.uk

The Bursar 01227 595544 bursar@kings-school.co.uk

The Registrar 01227 714019 registrar@junior-kings.co.uk

Most other staff can be contacted by email using a first initial followed by surname and then @junior-kings.co.uk

Newsletter

Every Friday, a digital newsletter called ‘The Week’ is emailed to parents and posted onto the website. It contains information about the forthcoming week with reports of events in Pre-Prep being found in The Mini Week section.

Letters Home

From time-to-time, letters are sent home, via the children or

by email, which include general letters with information from the Head of Pre-Prep and from staff members regarding school trips.

The School Website www.junior-kings.co.uk

You can find a great deal of information about the School on our website, including school policies, term dates, the school calendar, photographs and news of recent events and current and past copies of the weekly newsletter.

From the website you will have access to the Parent Portal, where you will be able to access:

• School Reports

• Academic Information

• Contact Information

• Music Reports

• EAL reports

• School Events

• Letters from the Head

You will be sent details of how to access the Parental Portal at the start of your child’s first term in school.

Social Media

News, photos of daily school life and information on upcoming events can be found on our social media pages. We post regularly to Facebook, Twitter LinkedIn and

Instagram. You can like or follow us on these platforms @JuniorKingsSch.

The Pre-Prep also has its own Instagram account with daily posts, photos and stories ranging from assemblies and trips to lessons and after-school clubs. Please do follow us!

If you do not wish your child to be featured on the School social media, you will have the option to opt out on your registration forms.

Termly Calendar

A calendar of events is published each term. It tells you about meetings with the teaching staff and dates for key events. Additional letters will be sent out regarding any class-based trips.