Punctuality

Pupils should be in the school building at least ten minutes before the start of school. 

Every week there is an assembly and prayer in the hall before lessons begin and all children are expected to attend the assembly. The double doors located to the rear of the assembly hall should only be used to enter and leave the assembly hall. The two double doors to the side of the assembly hall are only to be used by the staff and children.

Parents who wish to join in are all welcome to do so and it is an ideal time for parents to hear news and updates.All parents staying for the assembly should stand towards the rear of the hall, keeping the exit doors to the side and rear clear at all times.

It is imperative that parents bring their children into school on time as lateness is disruptive to both the children and teachers.

A committee table is located opposite the school's main entrance to oversee entry into the premises and movement through the interconnecting corridors on the ground floor.Any child that arrives at school after the children have gone to their classes, should come to the committee table to be escorted to class by a member of the committee.

Parents are not permitted to walk their child to class, before or after assembly. 

It is strictly prohibited for pupils to leave the school building during school hours. 

Dress Code

There is no requirement to wear a uniform to attend the school, but children should be appropriately dressed for school in clean and comfortable attire. 

From time to time throughout the year for special occasions and events children will be required to come to school in certain clothes or be issued with a costume to wear.

Appropriate footwear should be worn which is suitable for the dance classes that all children in Year 1 and above attend. Heeleys (footwear that have wheels) are not permitted to be worn in a school environment as they are considered dangerous and inappropriate for school.

Prohibited Items

It is strictly prohibited for any pupil to bring to school any fidget spinner, radio, DVD or MP3 player, headphones, handheld game consoles or other audio or visual devices for musical or other entertainment. These will be confiscated for the duration of the lesson and parents will be notified. 

It is a strict requirement of the school that all mobile phones are switched off during lesson time and not placed on silent as this can still lead to distractions to pupils. Any pupil found flouting this rule will be reprimanded and the mobile phone confiscated for the duration of the lesson. 

The school will accept no responsibility for loss or theft of or damage to personal belongings. Accordingly valuable items such as expensive watches, jewellery and bags or designer clothing should not be brought into school.

Although we are not a completely nut-free school we are trying our very best to eliminate the risk for those that are allergic. For some children, just being touched on the skin or smelling the breath of someone who has had nuts or a product containing nuts, can trigger a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Therefore, no nuts of any type should be placed in the lunch boxes or brought into the school as treats. For example, peanut butter sandwiches, chocolate spreads, cereal bars, cakes and biscuits containing nuts should be avoided. Many products we would not ordinarily suspect to contain nuts can sometimes have traces. Therefore, parents are asked to take the time to check the packaging of any product given to their child to bring to school to ensure it is not a risk. We must however emphasise that we cannot guarantee a nut-free environment and each parent should take their own precautions.

Conduct & Discipline

Discipline is intended to guide all students towards self-control and personal responsibility. Appropriate conduct is expected of all pupils both in the classroom and on the school premises generally. 

Pupils will be expected to:
•  attend school regularly and on time
•  participate positively in lessons
•  have respect for themselves, their friends, teachers, their work and their school
•  behave responsibly and politely at all times
•  take care of their own property and respect that of others
•  not chew gum as this is not allowed in school
•  not leave the school premises without prior consent from the teacher/head teacher during school hours
•  attend all the school festivities/yiortes.

We expect parental support to ensure that the pupils maintain a high standard of good manners, consideration for others, neat appearance, punctuality and regular attendance. Bad behaviour in the school will not be tolerated. A series of sanctions will ultimately lead to the permanent exclusion of the child, as follows:
•  initial reprimand
•  contacting and informing the parents
•  suspension from the school
•  permanent exclusion

A decision for suspension or permanent exclusion can only be taken by a joint decision of the school committee and the head teacher and only after the parents have been given the opportunity to comment on the matter. The parents will have the right of appeal to the officers of the GPA.

School Tidiness & Cleanliness

Pupils and parents must remember at all times that the Greek School is accommodated within the building of an English School and is permitted use of its classrooms, assembly hall, toilets, grounds, parking area and other facilities on the condition there is no interference with the English School. Therefore, pupils are strictly prohibited from damaging, interfering with or moving of any furniture, wall hangings, exhibits, books, materials and anything else located in the classrooms or other places of the school building which are the property of the English school. 

Pupils must not litter and should dispose all rubbish only in the bins provided. 

They must also leave the classroom and other areas in a clean and tidy condition after use. 

Parents are asked to properly supervise any siblings or other children on school premises that do not attend the Greek School to ensure that they do not play with or touch items belonging to the English school. 

Payment for any damage done to school property will be the family's responsibility.

Homework

Homework forms an integral part of the schoolwork programme and pupils will be expected to take work home to complete depending on their age and class. Every pupil is set homework weekly and they have a homework diary. 

Social commitments should not interfere with homework as it is compulsory and an important part of the child's educational development. 

Parents are asked to oversee and encourage pupils in their homework assignments to ensure its completion and that pupils work in the most helpful conditions at home. It is requested that parents sign the homework diary each week to confirm to the teachers that their child has completed the homework. 

As part of the ongoing development of your child's understanding of the Greek language parents are encouraged to introduce Greek into the child's home environment and in the day to day interactions with him/her. 

In instances where the pupil is absent from school, it is his/her duty to obtain the relevant details of the homework from his/her fellow pupils or from the teacher and to complete the work. If a pupil’s homework is systematically not being done, the parents will be informed in writing of the situation. 

Absences

Particular emphasis is given to regular and punctual attendance at school and at all lessons, which is constantly monitored. 

Pupils that attend regularly will be rewarded with the presentation of a special Certificate of Attendance at the end of the school year. 

Excess absence from school may lead to consideration of a pupil repeating an academic year. 

Should a pupil be absent, it is expected that the school be notified in advance or by telephone on the day. 

If the child intends to enter a series of non-attendance a written application for permission needs to be handed to the head teacher, outlining the reason for the intended absence.

Illness

Parents and carers should notify the school before the start of class if their child is suffering from an illness or has not been well earlier in the day, so that the school can be prepared for any issue arising with the child's condition or illness. 

Children that have been sick before school or with a contagious condition should be kept off school for that day or for as long as necessary. 

Should a child fall ill during school or suffer an injury we will contact the parent or guardian whose contact details are noted in our records.

Parents and guardians of children that suffer from any medical condition should make the school committee and head teacher aware of this and supply the school with a medical plan/instruction to follow in respect of the child. 

Progress Reports

Parents are informed of their child’s progress by their class teacher on Open Days, which are held at the school every three months. However, parents who wish to discuss any matter with a teacher may do so by arranging an appointment in advance with the relevant teacher. 

The school head teacher is available to discuss any matter of concern to the parents at a mutually convenient time during school hours.

Dance Lessons

We appreciate that parents and guardians enjoy watching their children dance Greek and there is always a temptation to enter the assembly hall to watch the children practice their routine. We ask that you refrain from doing this as entering the hall can be disruptive to the dance teacher and pupils and possibly even intimidating for the children. 

As with all classes we do not permit anyone other than teachers and authorised staff to enter the classroom during a lesson. The dance lesson is just like any other lesson and should be respected as such. Parents or guardians wishing to watch the children dance, can do so discreetly from outside the assembly hall through the windows. However, please refrain from gesturing or otherwise drawing attention to yourselves.

Tuck Shop

During break time pupils can visit the school's tuck shop which is located in the dining hall, where they can purchase drinks, crisps, chocolates or sweets (within reason - children are discouraged from buying more than 3 items). 

Younger children are allowed access to the tuck shop earlier than the older children to avoid congestion. 

The tuck shop may have items for sale from time to time which may not be nut, dairy or gluten free. Parents are encouraged to visit the tuck shop from time to time to be aware of the items that are on sale. 

Parents of children with food allergies or special requirements or who are prohibited certain items from tuck must inform the school and the child’s teacher accordingly and educate their child as to what is prohibited. 

If you would like your child to buy items from the tuck shop please ensure they have some money with them (£1 is sufficient). 

If you would prefer that your child does not purchase items from the tuck shop, please provide your child with a snack and drink from home and ensure that both the child and his/her teacher are informed of your decision.

Collecting Children

Parents are required to collect their children from their classroom at the end of the lesson, once the teacher has brought the lesson to an end and released the children from class.

Parents must collect their children promptly at the end of class. Please note that teachers are not responsible for the children after school hours. Parents must therefore ensure that children are collected on time.

Parents should avoid attending too early to collect their children as they will not be permitted to stand outside the class until nearer the time of collection. In such a situation, parents will be required to wait and stand within a safeguarded area away from the classes.The safeguarded area, which is hallway as you enter the building, between the canteen and the assembly hall, should be used by all parents until 12.55 pm for the younger classes and 1.25 pm for the older classes. A member of the school committee or the headteacher will invite you to go to the classrooms at the appropriate times.

Parents should not open the door to the classroom or beckon their child to step outside of class at a time when the teacher is still engaging with the children, even if the time is past 1 pm for the younger classes and 1.30 pm for the older classes. 

If a child needs to be collected early from class for whatever reason parents should notify a member of the committee and wait to be escorted to the classroom to collect the child. 

Parents should not collect children from the car park area or outside the school gates, where the safety of the children is compromised and not guaranteed. 

Pupils will be released once the parent is present.

If a parent is unavoidably delayed and is unable to collect their child/children on time or would like their child picked up by someone else, they must ensure staff are notified in advance or inform the head teacher by telephone – Mrs Niki Andreou on 07456 947 901.

Parking & Access

For the safety of our pupils and their family please take special care when entering and manoeuvring around the school’s car park. 

Vehicles spotted speeding or driving inappropriately will be banned from using the car park. 
 
Please park sensibly within marked bays making sure you do not block or restrict other vehicles. 

Ashmole School has a number of entry points. However, parents should only use the Greek School's entrance for entering and leaving the school, namely the entrance between the assembly hall and the canteen.

Persons visiting the school outside normal drop off and collection times should come to the committee table to make their presence known. A record will be kept of the person's name, time of arrival and purpose of attendance.

Persons not known to the school will be stopped and questioned. 

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted on any part of the school premises including all outside spaces and the car park.

First Aid

The school maintains a first aid box which is kept with the senior committee member throughout the school day. 

The school also maintains an accidents record log. 

If your child requires specific medical treatment aids then please ensure these are made available to your child at all times during school and that your child and his/her teacher is aware of their existence and method of operation. 

Fire Drills

From time to time we will hold a fire drill at the school to test our response times and procedures. 

As our fire drills are intended to evacuate just the Greek School and not the rest of the building, we do not use Ashmole Academy’s official siren that covers the entire building. Instead, we will have appointed fire officers going around the classes of the Greek School calling for evacuation. 

In the event of a fire drill, or when the fire alarm sounds, all pupils must evacuate the building in a silent, orderly and safe manner, following the instructions of their teacher/s or committee members.

Announcements

The school makes various announcements from time to time of upcoming events, news, reminders and points of interest, using a number of different means, including:
•  at school assemblies
•  by email - enquiries@ashmolegreekschool.co.uk
•  on our website - www.ashmolegreekschool.co.uk 
•  on social media

It is important that you are kept informed of these announcements and time should be taken where possible to attend assembly with your child, to log on to our website from time to time and also to register your email with us. If you are able to connect with us on social media then this will also be beneficial to you.

We send our emails to all parents at the same time using the BCC option, to keep email addresses confidential. However, as we are sending the same email to numerous addresses at the same time, some computers mistake our emails as spam and automatically direct them to the recipient's spam/junk folder. This tends to happen on occasions, rather than every time, so some emails could arrive in your inbox and others could be directed to your junk folder. Every computer has a different security setting and each email we send will have a different subject or content that can be interpreted differently by spam blocking software. There is little we can do about this, other than to ask parents to please check their junk folder from time to time in case this has happened with any one of our emails.  
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