Parent Information
At Bexton parents share our aspirations for their children. We aim to ensure all our children are happy in school and are making good progress. Working in close partnership is an essential part of achieving this aim. There are many ways for parents to get involved with school, whether it is helping out each week or coming along on the occasional school trip, being part of the FOBs (Friends of Bexton) team or giving feedback through our termly questionairres.
If you have any concerns about your child please speak to your child's class teacher at the end of the school day. The school diary is also an excellent communication tool - if you have any questions or comments then please write them in the diary for your child's teacher to see. You can also email the school office and this will be forwarded to your child's teacher.
Parents FAQ
Q- What do I label?
A – Everything!! Children frequently forget where they have put their coat, bag, jumper etc – if they are named we can return them quickly to the correct owner. Please label all of their PE kit, including pumps.
Q- If I need to speak to a teacher in private, when is the best time?
A - At the end, rather than the start of the school day. You can also ring school to try to arrange a telephone conversation at a mutually convenient time.
Q – When do children have fruit in school?
A- They have a free piece of fruit in the morning in the infants. If your child is a little bit fussy, you can send in a healthy snack (no chocolate or crisps). Please do not send anything with nuts as we have children with serious nut allergies in school.
Q – What are the children allowed to drink in school?
A – As we are a healthy school we ask that the children fill their water bottles with water only, no fizzy drinks or juice please.
Q- Packed lunches – are there any restrictions in place (i.e. chocolate/crisps)?
A – It is not for us to dictate what you would choose to give your children for lunch. However, as we are a healthy school, we would encourage you choose healthy items for your child’s lunch. In the interests of health and safety we do not allow glass bottles or tins. We are a nut free school as we have children in school with severe nut allergies; therefore please DO NOT INCLUDE NUT-BASED products.
Q – Does anyone check if food is actually eaten?
A – Yes. Lunch time supervisors do monitor whether school meals have been eaten. They also encourage children to eat as much of their meal as possible and to eat their main course before their pudding! They will make the class teacher aware if they have any concerns.
Q- If parents want to help out at school, what do they have to do?
A – We love to have parent helpers in school. If you would like to help out on a regular basis, please contact the office who will advise whether you will require a DBS clearance and will guide you through the DBS process, if necessary. Any parent volunteering would work under the direction and supervision of the class teacher.
Q- Do I need to notify someone if my child is being picked up by someone else or going to a friend’s house?
A – Yes. Please inform your child’s teacher in the morning at drop off if they are being picked up by another person/parent. Alternatively, please inform the office and they can add this to our collection lists. Please do not write important messages in the diary as these are not checked on a daily basis.
Q – How will I know how my child is doing in class?
A – We have parent evenings in November and March, and a written report is sent home in July. If a teacher is concerned about your child, they will ask you to come in for a chat. Alternatively, we have an open door policy; therefore if you have any concerns or worries, please arrange to meet with the class teacher at a convenient time. For children in Reception, Tapestry is also a great way to see what your child has been doing at school.
Parent Feedback
- What a lovely surprise it was for us to receive the lovely school postcard in the post the other day! As a school you really do go that extra mile. Many, many thanks
- It's the little things in life that mean so much! Thank you Mrs Armstrong for taking time out to write to us to recognise our son's efforts- he is going to be so proud when he gets home from school!
- I just wanted to email in after meeting some of your children whilst they were on a visit to Chester. I wanted to let you know how well behaved and polite they were. A credit to the school! Well done to all their teachers.
- I just wanted to send an email to say thank you very much for showing me and my Husband around your wonderful school on Wednesday. We absolutely loved the school and everything it can offer our 2 children. We were so impressed with every aspect and felt that the school had such a wonderful warm and family friendly feel too it. The children seemed so happy and calm, which is a true reflection of the delightful environment that Bexton provides.
- I just wanted to say thank you for all the support you have given to the children and parents throughout the pandemic. You've gone above and beyond. Bexton is an amazing school and we are so lucky to be a part of it.
Parent Information Session
On Wednesday 13th January we held an online parents information session to give suggestions about how to help your child at home. The link to the video was shared with parents by email.
Here are some of the things parents said was useful to hear:
- Information about school routines, e.g. knowing that the children do maths activities first thing in the morning and I'll get them in ten minutes earlier
- The emphais on the importance of reading, simple things that can be done at home and why it is so important, tips for reading with older children
- The school's rationale towards homework
- The information about the new Jigsaw programme and how we're developing children's resilience in school
- The sense of home and school working together
- Information about bedtime routines
Here are some things parents would like to know more about:
Question: We'd like to know more about the book banding in KS1 and what this means in term's of my child's progression.
Answer: If your child is moving through the colour banding then they are making progress. We know it can be frustrating as a parent if you feel they are ready to move up, but teachers are assessing a wide range of reading skills, such as ensuring the child can read at that stage fluently and demonstrate they understand different elements of the text. We are investing in a new scheme of reading books this term and this includes lots of information for parents (including a website) which we will share with parents before the end of the year.
Question: How can I help my child who is a reluctant reader?
Answer: We're sure you're doing lots of things to help your child develop a love of reading. For some children they will find this as they get older and we all need to be patient. A reluctant reader may be an able reader or they may have reading difficulties which make books harder to enjoy. Firstly, we'd suggest visiting book shops or the library together and encouraging your child to read anything, whether it be comics, magazines, non-fiction books. For some children it takes finding a series of books or an author they like, this website has lots of suggestions of different types of books. We'd also recommend audio books as they can be very engaging and allow children to listen to books they might struggle to read.
Question: Please could you supply a suggested author/ reading list for the KS2 years?
It is really useful to keep up to date with the latest books for children as there are some brilliant books coming out all the time. On your child's year group page there is a link to the website linked above which gives excellent suggestions.
Question: How can I motivate my child to do their homework?
Answer: This can be tricky, especially if your child is tired after a day at school. We'd suggest finding a place with minimal distractions, after a snack and a short play. Making it part of weekly routines can be helpful and praising your child for what they've done will help them to feel confident with how they are doing.
Question: Where my child is up to with all areas of their learning, what their next steps are and if there are any areas they need a push in?
Answer: We know it's a long time between our November and March Parents' Evenings so please chat to the teacher at the end of the day if you're worried about your child's progress, they can either chat to you then or give you a call. Alternatively you can write a note in your child's reading diary. They will also get in touch you between parents' evenings if they're concerned about how your child is progressing. If you'd like to know more about the general skills or topic areas they are learning about in school, please see the year group overviews on your child's year group page on this website.
Question: Are the Y6/Y2 SATs still on and what can I do to support my child with them?
Answer: Yes, the Department of Education has told schools that statutory assessments will go ahead this year. Yeat 6 SATs will take place the week commencing Monday 9th May. We know the children sometimes get nervous as the tests approach, but in school we work hard to reasure them and to settle nerves. On the week of SATs, we run a free breakfast club which the children usually love to attend. They come into school from 8.30am, have some breakfast with their friends and then go on their morning walk. By then they're ready to do the tests.
Monday 9th May: English grammar, punctuation and spelling (two papers0
Tuesday 10th May: English reading
Wednesday 11th May: Mathematics (two papers- arithmetic & reasoning)
Thursday 12th May: Mathematics (one paper- reasoning)
As a parent, the best way you can support your child is making sure they get a good nights sleep the night before the tests and are in on time. We ask parents not to do past papers, as the teachers use these for assessment purposes in school. If you can support your child with their homework and continue to read with them regularly, then this will support your child.
SATs in Y2 will go ahead and are taken at any time in May, but these tests are undertaken in small groups in the classrooms and often the children aren't aware they're doing a test at all. The teachers will use these assessments, alongside your child's classwork to make their end of year judgements. The best way you can support your child is to continue to read with them each night and support them with their homework.