Admissions & Attendance
Admissions
Administration of the admission arrangements to County Primary Schools is through Local Authority (LA) and is administered centrally. Forms must now be returned to the relevant Council department and must reach those offices by the closing date each year for applications for places. We do still ask parents/carers who are expressing a first preference for our school to complete the school’s supplementary admission form which is used to rank requests for places. For parents/carers of children seeking to join the school in other years, please contact the Headteacher.
The School Admission Policy (developed with guidance from the LA) is available on request and via the school website. Appeals Every effort is made to make a place available for your child in our school. However, schools have a limit of 30 children in the Reception and Infant (KS1) classes. This figure is set by the Government. If the number of children wanting a place is below the set figure, all will be admitted. There may, however come a point when there are too many children of that year group for them all to be given a place.
If this should happen, priority will be given to children according to a list of carefully agreed criteria, which are published in the Admissions Policy. If a place is not available on application, you have the right to put your case to an admissions appeal panel. An independent panel will hear your case. The relevant address for all matters relating to admissions is: Director Children and Young Adults County Hall Matlock Derbyshire DE4 3AG Tel: 01629 580000.
Viewing Renishaw Primary School-
Starting school is a very important time for you, your child and the school. We all need to work together to make the transition smooth and rewarding. Visits to the school by parents and children are encouraged and we invite all parents/carers to discuss our partnership and talk about any worries that you might have.
If you wish to view RPS, please dont hesitate to contact us-
Tel- 01246
Email- info@renishaw.derbyshire.sch.uk
Please find below information as to how to apply to Renishaw Primary School and all about our attendance once you join! The admission arrangements can be found within the Admissions Policy.
If you require a paper copy of any of the documents, please contact school and we will be happy to help.
More information can be viewed via the link below-
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/primary-admissions/primary-infant-and-junior-school-admissions.aspx
Apply for an in-year admission-You can apply online to change schools at a time other than when your child is due to start infant, junior, primary or secondary school. We call this an in-year application for admission to school.
In-year admissions are also handled through Derbyshire County Council.
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/changing-schools/changing-schools.aspx
Nursery Admissions:
These are done on a termly basis Sept, January and Easter and children are admitted the term after their third Birthday. Invitations are sent out the half term before admission and you will be invited to come to a meeting to discuss admission arrangements.
We do not have any 'feeder' nurseries in the area. All applications are treated equally (as per the criteria)
If you need any further information about Admissions please contact the school office.
Reception:
Admission to the school in Reception is managed by Derbyshire County Council through the Primary Admissions process. Please find below a link to the County Council website where applications can be made online. In addition to this you can find our Admissions policy and supplementary Admissions form in the links below.
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/apply-for-a-school-place.aspx
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/school-places/primary-admissions/parentsguide/parents-guide-to-primary-admissions.aspx
Pupils will be admitted to Renishaw Primary School in the September of the year in which they are five. All pupils will be offered a full time place and letters will be sent out on 30th April. A happy start is important for a successful school career.
Over-Subscription Criteria
In the event that we have more applications than the 30 places we are legally able to offer (designated as Infant Class Size Prejudice), we apply the following procedure.
All applications, on receipt are ranked according to:
1. Children in public care (looked after children)
2. Children who will have brothers and sisters attending the school in the year of admission
3. Children of parents resident in the parish (or beneficial area) in which the school is situated.
4. Children living outside the beneficial area.
Further explanation of these categories can be found in the full policy.
Once ranked, the information is sent to DCC and the numbers 1-30 will be offered a place. In the event one is declined, the next ranked child will be offered a place, and so-on.
Late applications are handled by DCC and we are notified as to what to do next.
Details on appeals can be found in the policy.
Attendance
Attendance Expectations
We want our children to enjoy coming to school and to look forward to each new day. For our children to be able to thrive in school they need to be here every day. This not only supports their academic achievement but also their social and emotional well being.
Our expectation is that all children will achieve 97% attendance in any given academic year. Attendance of below this level will detract from their learning. We would always prefer to work with parents to improve attendance rather than move towards fixed penalty notices. If you are finding it difficult to get your child to school, contact us straight away so that we can find a solution together.
The school day
Our school day starts at 8.50am. Children gather on the playground from 8.40am. There will be a member of the Pastoral Team on the playground during this time for any questions you may have. Children on the playground before this time will not be supervised so please aim to arrive between 8.40am and 8.50am. Doors open at 8:45am.
The school day ends at 3.15pm. If you are going to be late, for any reason, please inform the school office by phone so that the teacher can be made aware and prepare your child so that they do not worry when there is no-one on the playground for them. They must be collected on time each day or this would be a safeguarding concern.
Punctuality
When children arrive late to school they often feel embarrassed going into class when everyone is already settled and working. This can create anxiety when they first arrive at school. Late arrivals also disrupt the learning of the other children in their class. Punctuality is a life skill that we try to instil in our children to support them as they move on through their education and eventually to their work life as adults.
Absence
If your child is unwell please phone school before 9am or input an absence for your child via ParentMail, to inform us of the reason for the absence. It is a parent’s responsibility to inform school of any absence and give details of the reason why a child cannot attend school. If we do not hear from you we will call the phone numbers on the childs contact details to speak to you.
If we are not able to contact you, we may make a safe and well-being visit to your home to fulfil our safeguarding obligation. It is vital you make contact with us, so please follow this procedures.
If an absence may be for a futhur few days, we ask for your confirmation on this too, otherwise a phone call will be made everyday morning of each absence.
At Renishaw Primary School, your child/rens health and well-being is vital to us. If we have confirmation your child will be absent for a little while due to illness, We like to give a courtesy keeping in-touch call.
Illness
Please notify school if your child gets any of the following:
German measles, measles, mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough, sickness and diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, impetigo, other infectious diseases, or head lice.
Please notify us if your child has any coronavirus symptoms or if you or a member of your household is isolating. Children should be kept at home as long as the doctor advises if they have any of these illnesses.
For cases of diarrhoea and/or sickness, children should remain at home for a full 48 hours from the last time they experienced the symptoms. This complies with Derbyshire County Council guidelines. In certain circumstances this may change, so please contact school if in doubt.
Appointments
Whenever possible, please make appointments out of school hours. We understand that there are times when this is not possible. We will require evidence of appointments during school time: an appointment card or the letter that you have received with details of the appointment. Without evidence the absence will not be authorised. Please be aware that even though an absence is approved, it still detracts from your child’s % attendance.
Holidays
We do not authorise holidays in term time. You are still required to complete a request for an absence form so that we can fulfil our safeguarding obligation. Where holidays taken meet the criteria for a fixed penalty notice we will always submit the paperwork to the Local Authority. The fine is currently £80 per parent per child. Please note that the monies raised from this do not come back to school. As of January 2023, should more than one term time holiday be taken a request will be made to the Local Authority and the matter may be referred to the Magistrate’s Court.
Keeping parents informed
Attendance is carefully monitored throughout the year. If a child is not in school they miss blocks of their learning. Once each term you will receive your child’s interim report. We will include your child’s % attendance on this form. The Government expectation for attendance is 97.%. If your child’s attendance falls below this figure we will send a letter to let you know. From this letter we hope that you will make sure that your child attends school each day. If you are concerned that there may be an issue please contact your child’s class teacher or Pastoral Team so that we can work together to get things back on track. If their attendance continues to fall, (below 90%) School will follow the school attendance policy, which can ultimately lead to a fixed penalty notice and/or legal action. We would ask that you engage with school before this stage to achieve the best outcomes for your child.
First Aid
The school ensures that we have staff trained in administering First Aid. If an accident needs further medical attention, we will make every effort to contact you first. Please ensure that your contact details are up to date.
Please see the NHS head bump guidance link below, which we use to support yourselves and you child. If they do have a bump to their head whilst in school-
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-injury-and-concussion/
Furthur attendance information and support can be found on the link below:
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/education/schools/welfare-services/attendance/school-attendance.aspx