St Edwards 8 Pages 09 - 25459:Layout 1 - St Edward's C of E School

SCHOOL MEALS,TRANSPORT, CHARGINGAND CHILD PROTECTIONSchool MealsA cafeteria system provides a variety of meals at midday.Accommodation is available for those who bring sandwiches.Students going home to lunch require a permit to leavethe premises, as do those in Years 10 and 11 who wish toleave the site at lunchtime. (Depending on the financialcircumstances of their parents, some students are eligibleto receive school meals without cost, normally those whoseparents are in receipt of income support. Application shouldbe made to the appropriate Local Education Authority.)The canteen is also open before school and at morning break.TransportThe school is served by route 86 of London Buses Limitedto Romford or Stratford; route 686 to Romford; and byan Essex Bus to Basildon, Grays, Aveley and Thurrock byarrangements with Essex and Thurrock County Councils.These services run to and from the school car park or thebus stops immediately outside the school morning andevening. Staff supervise students onto the buses whichcome into the school at the end of the school day.Staff cannot supervise those students who choose to catchtheir bus outside.Charging for School ActivitiesThe school has adopted the Borough’s policy on charging(details are available on request). In summary, the schoolcharges for losses and breakages and for activities whichtake place outside the school day, and invites voluntarycontributions for activities taking place during the schoolday where this is necessary to defray the cost of theactivity. There is a charge for individual and small groupinstrumental lessons.The school is mindful of cases of parental hardship andseeks to ensure that no student is ever denied access toany activity relating to the curriculum or to corporate socialactivities. Parents wishing to seek support from the schoolwelfare fund to help meet the cost of such activities shouldwrite to Mrs Cassidy, the Student Welfare & InclusionCo-ordinator. All such requests are treated in the strictestconfidence.Child ProtectionThe staff in all maintained schools have a responsibilityto promote the welfare of the children in their care.The Local Authority also requires that staff safeguardthe Welfare of children by referring any serious concernsthat they might have about any child(ren) to the headteacher or a senior member of staff.To enable staff to monitor the welfare of your child youare asked to keep the school informed of any unusual orserious injuries that your child has suffered, and of anycircumstances at home that might cause a change in yourchild’s behaviour at school. Staff may, on occasion, wishto speak with you to discuss and clarify the cause of aparticular injury, to seek a reason for a sudden changein your child’s behaviour, or to raise other concerns theymay have.In those instances where staff have serious concerns aboutthe welfare of a child, the school is under a duty to makea referral to the Social Services. If this happens, pleaseremember that the staff concerned are exercising theirduty of care and acting in the best interests of your child.12