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The ‘House’ System
Our house system was introduced by the Pointer sisters nearly 60 years ago. Your child will belong to one of these houses and will be awarded house points and/or badges for considerate behaviour, politeness, hard work, etc. Competitions and events such as Sports Day are often organized with the house system in mind. For example, the House Cup is awarded at the end of every term to the team with the highest total. House points and merit badges are awarded on a daily basis. Furthermore, we have a Head Boy, Head Girl, four House Captains, four Prefects, and in each class, a Form Captain. When a pupil accumulates 50 house points, he/she will be sent to the Headmaster to receive a certificate of merit and a present from the ‘treasure box’. We have found this sort of approach which tangibly rewards good efforts and/or achievement elicits a very positive response from all children.
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Badges and Awards
Should your child become a Prefect, Head Boy/Girl or Head of House, he/she will be given a badge to denote this. Badges and awards are also given for success in our many different extracurricular activities (eg chess, music). These are given after consultation with the appropriate members of staff including the Headmaster as an honour and something to be worn with pride. Button badges denoting house colour are also available to all children. We ask that all children wear these badges to school as it helps us to identify quickly the house to which the child belongs.
Should your child win a school cup (for excellence in some area of school life) at the end of the Summer Term, it will be subsequently engraved with your child’s name and kept on permanent display in the school. It would be very much appreciated if this could be returned at the beginning of the Autumn Term.
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Arrivals
The school day begins at 8.45am (Years 1-6), [or 9.00am for Nursery and Reception], although we begin our Breakfast Club at 8.00am. If your child does not attend this early facility, he/she should be brought to the school between 8.30 and 8.45am when there will be a member of staff on duty in the playground. Ideally your child should not enter the school grounds before 8.30am as this is when our playground supervisor begins her duty. Children should not in any event arrive before 8.30am unless in the Breakfast Club. If there are unavoidable reasons for bringing your child before 8.30am, it is on the understanding that you will supervise your own child until the school’s supervisor arrives at 8.30am. Children should not enter the classrooms until the bell is rung at 8.45am (unless it is raining).
Parents are kindly asked to say their goodbyes in the playground and not to accompany their children into the school buildings, and most especially, the classrooms. The exception to this rule, as underlined above, are parents whose children are in the Nursery, parents of new children during the first week, or parents who have an appointment to talk to their child’s class teacher.
Parents are invited to our class assemblies, though on a limited basis as space is at a premium. These assemblies combine song, drama, prayer and a story (usually, but not always, from the Bible). They are always enjoyable times when the whole school comes together perhaps to sing ‘Happy Birthday’, or to hear someone discuss their growing guinea-pig or read out a poem or story of which they are particularly proud. Whole class assemblies also occur once a week and usually reflect some aspect of class work.
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Departures
After school, Nursery and Reception teachers will dismiss their pupils at 3.15pm, from the front playground, from where they should be promptly collected. Year 1 & 2 pupils are dismissed at 3.30pm from the front door. Older children (Year 3 up) will leave at 3.45pm by the front entrance (unless staying for Extracurricular Clubs or Homework Club) and only when they know that their parent or guardian is waiting there. The school should always be notified (before the event) if your child is to be collected by taxi or an adult unknown to them and/or us.
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Timing/Punctuality
With so many children, parents and staff on site, Parents will appreciate the need for good order and respect for ‘necessary’ school rules. One aspect that will greatly facilitate the ‘good order’ and efficiency of the school is punctuality in the bringing of your child to school and his/her subsequent collection – if the correct time frames are adhered to, the smooth and orderly running of the school can be maintained.
The school policy on ‘late collection’ is that there is a 15-minute period of grace regarding collection for those who finish at:
- 3.15pm (Nursery & Reception)
- 3.30pm (Years 1 & 2)
- 3.45pm (Years 3, 4, 5 & 6)
For example, a Year 3 child who is not collected at 3.45pm will go to the Afternoon Club (for up to quarter of an hour) where there will be no charge until 4.00pm. After this time has passed, the parent/guardian will be charged, as if the child had been there for 1 hour (i.e. £5.00). (The Afternoon Club Supervisor will always be the final arbiter in a dispute over the precise time of collection.) We have clocks in the school which are radio-controlled and therefore highly accurate.
Children who stay for extra-curricular clubs should also be collected at the correct time, which is most usually 4.30pm. Some clubs, however, do finish at 4.45pm (e.g. Tai kwon-Do) and in the case of Golf 5.50pm and Horse Riding 5.45pm. The staff who manage our extensive Extra-Curricular programme are always grateful for the punctual collection of children. Nevertheless, if a child is not collected within 10 minutes of a club ending, he/she will be taken to the Afternoon Club, where a charge will be made. In these cases of unplanned attendance at the Afternoon Club, charges will be based upon £5.00 for every hour (or part thereof) in attendance. Parents should carefully note that the Afternoon Club finishes at 6.00pm, when all children must be collected. Any child left uncollected after 6.00pm will be charged £10.00 for every quarter of an hour.
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Security
The pedestrian gate is operated by means of voice identification and a special code for exit. If your child is brought to school within the correct time frames, he or she will always be supervised. We have a very high level of security awareness, and so arrivals and departures are more carefully attended to than in times past. The side gate main entrance is locked at 9.05am and entry is by the telephone/intercom system. All callers will be asked to identify themselves and state their purpose. The side gate is only unlocked again when classes depart. The main double gate is always locked opening only for deliveries.
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Swimming
All children from Year 1 to Year 6 are transported by private bus to the Arches Swimming Pool in Greenwich. Year 1 and 3 children swim on Wednesday afternoons and Years 2, 4, 5 and 6 swim on Fridays. Classes leave the school at 1.30pm and return by 3.30pm. Parents must provide their children with the regulation swim-wear. See School Uniform list (sports kit).
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Games
All parents should note that as from September 2005 all the children from Year 2-6 at Pointers enjoy rugby football training at Blackheath Rugby Football Club at present at the Well Hall facility, Eltham. In the Spring Term all children play football and other related games at the Meridian Centre, all-weather facility in Charlton - again a coach is used for transportation. In the summer term we take advantage of the good weather and play a variety of games (cricket, football
and rounders) on the nearby Heath itself. Rugby happens on a Tuesday afternoon and is applicable to all Year 2 to Year 6. It is recommended that children wear rugby boots, but this, as yet, is not mandatory (trainers for the time being are allowable). Otherwise, they should wear P.E. kit/track suits.
Year 1
All children from Year 1 are bussed on Tuesday afternoon to Woolwich Waterfront Leisure Centre, where they play ball games. All children play games on the Heath in the Summer Term.
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Absences
Parents should undertake to keep their children in full attendance throughout the academic year. However, they should inform the school with as much notice as is
possible if they intend to remove their child temporarily from the school during term time (e.g. for holidays and other unavoidable absences). If a child is absent because of sickness, he or she should always bring an explanatory note on his or her return. Similarly if your child cannot swim or play games, he or she should bring an explanatory note to the School Secretary.
NB - Parents should remember to contact the school with details of any change of address and/or telephone numbers (emergency contact numbers should always be updated).
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Parking
It is a condition of entry that parents do not park their cars in Langton Way to the rear of the school or on the yellow 'keep clear' markings to the front of the school or in the school forecourt which is reserved for staff. It is imperative for many good reasons that the school maintains good relations with its immediate neighbours.
Parents please note that Stratheden Road is a very busy road and therefore much care should be exercised when dropping off or collecting your child.
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Ethos
All parents should be aware that the Pointer School maintains a vibrant Christian witness in as much as Christianity is taught and celebrated. The Pointer School nevertheless, also endeavours to introduce awareness (i.e. knowledge) of the other major world faiths. This we believe encourages tolerance and mutual respect.
The majority of the weekly class assemblies will deal with reviews of class work by means of song, dance, drama and music. Many of our assemblies will also examine issues that arise from a Christian view of the world.
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Food
As many people will have heard, Pointers is very keen to promote its no-junk food/organic food policies. All parents I believe support this approach. All food is prepared on the premises and by a very experienced cook using, in the main, ‘organic’ produce. All our meat, dairy products, fruit, vegetables and bread are organic at source.
The cook does occasionally use items that have proved impossible to find from organic sources. Parents are required to provide their child with a fruit snack and a bottle of water for mid-morning break (not fruit bars, granola bars, sweets, chocolates or ‘fruit’ based energy sticks; water should be water not the sugared varieties) If your child stays for the Breakfast Club or Afternoon Club, he/she will be amply provided with a healthy selection of ‘organic’ cereals, sandwiches and fruit. Parents should not, therefore, provide their child on these occasions with any other kind of additional snack (as mentioned above), as this will not only tend to undermine the schools ‘healthy food’ policy and can cause friction with other children and parents.
If your child stays for an Extra Curricular Club which returns later than usual (e.g. Golf, Horse Riding and Skiing) they are given a fruit snack by the school before they leave and a biscuit when they return.
The very pleasant and relaxed atmosphere at Pointers could well be linked to the dietary intake of its pupils.
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Cleaning
Parents will also be pleased to note that cleaning (including hand washing) at the Pointer School is largely done by the use of organic non-chemical agents. We use the Belgian company ‘Ecover’ a company which has very much impressed us with not only its range of products but also by its use of natural, non-toxic, child friendly cleansing substances.
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