With God by our side, we can move mountains

Illness at school 
If your child is unwell, please inform the school office on the first day of illness. If children have vomiting and/or diarrhoea they need to stay at home for 48 hours following the last episode. This is to limit spread of infection to others. You may find information on the following website helpful.
NHS information

​Safeguarding Officers
Mrs C Harrison (DSL)
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Mrs O Bates (Prevent Officer& DDSL)
Mrs S Cowell (DDSL)
Mrs G Riach (DDSL)
Mrs Cove (Pre school DDSL pending)

​Attendance 
It is very important that children attend school regularly, are on time and ready to learn. When children are absent they miss a wide range of learning opportunities and this impacts on their progress and attainment.
 The Local  Authority has set us the attendance target of 97%.
Please  read the  attached brochure  from the LA with  how you can ensure good  attendance  at school. We can't reach our target without your support. 
 brochure

​Kensworth CE Academy  does not authorise holidays in term time. Further information on our attendance procedures can be found in our Attendance Policy.

​Please note that  children  are not allowed to attend PTA events if they have been absent from school the same day. 
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To read Central Bedfordshire Council information for parents please click on the link below.
Holidays in term time

Communications
Parentmail, an electronic mailing system is used for most correspondence to parents.  New parents need to ensure that you have shared your email details with School so that you do not miss any information sent out.  If you are unable to access this system please let the office know and we will ensure you get paper copies of all information.  With regard to regular communications please check your child's book bag each week as we are trying to work in collaboration with yourselves as parents/carers and we do send some information via the children's book bags.  Unfortunately, we do, in some instances, find certificates and letters that have been left in book bags for many weeks.  The children are proud of receiving school certificates and it seems a shame that their achievements are not also celebrated at home.   You may also find that you have missed important information concerning your child, so do please keep checking.

PE Grants  - Please see the PE and School Sports page

Healthy Snacks and Drinks
All children in Holly and Cherry classes are given a piece of fruit as part of the Government's School Fruit Scheme.  
The children may also bring in a healthy snack for playtime. They may bring in a piece of fruit or vegetable in a named snack pot. Crisps, sweets and chocolate biscuits are not allowed.
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The children are also able to have milk each day; it is free for the under-fives. Once your child reaches the age of 5 you again can pay for them to continue to have the school milk as a healthy drink during the school day.  You will need to contact Cool Milk (http://www.coolmilk.com/) to register your child for free milk and paid milk.  If you need further information or help please contact the school office.  

The children should all have a named water bottle in the classroom.  These are available to purchase from the school office. They need to be taken home to be washed daily.

Parent view
We value your comments and always want to hear how you think we can make Kensworth  the best we can be. 
We hold Parent  Forum termly with Mrs Bates / Mrs Harrison and discuss a range of topics from parking to packed lunches, the curriculum to school developments. The minutes of these meetings are published in the  half termly  newsletters. 
There is a suggestion box in the foyer for  working parents and carers, if you cannot make the meetings. 
We also send email alerts to help parents. 
We hold meet the new teacher meetings in the summer term and parents' evenings in the  Autumn  and Spring terms.
We also send out a  yearly questionnaire and the results of this directly impact the School Development Plan.  
OFSTED also want your views. Please click the title above to  see the Parent View web page.
There is a leaflet here that gives you more information. ​

​Ofsted Parent View
https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/ - Tell Ofsted what you think of our school

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• First Aid - All staff have had first aid training and so are able to take care of children who are hurt or unwell. If we have any concerns about your child we will contact you. First aid boxes are located in the staff room and in the school hall.
  
  
• Illness and Accidents - Please do not send your child to school if they are ill. This can be very upsetting for the child. If your child has sickness or diarrhoea we ask you to keep them away from school for at least the next 48 hours. 
  Accidents can happen and although we have first aiders who can deal with minor cuts and bruises we prefer to contact you and to allow you to seek specialist help for more serious accidents. It is most important therefore that we have up to date emergency phone numbers in case we need to contact you if your child is unwell or has an accident.
  
  
• Medical Issues - Routine height and weight checks are carried out when the children are in Reception Class. Also eye and hearing tests are carried out. You will be contacted prior to the checks and given the opportunity to have your child removed from the checks if you so wish. 
  As inspections for headlice no longer take place we ask that you regularly check your child's hair. Unfortunately this is a common problem in all schools, particularly as headlice prefer clean hair! Leaflets on treatment can be obtained from the school office. If a case of headlice occurs in a class, all the parents of children in the class will be requested (by means of a letter home) to check and, if necessary, treat their child's hair. We will also let individual parents know if we think their child is infected and advise on treatment. The School Nurse will also give advise and will do a home visit if required.
  
  
• Medication - All medicines and inhalers must be taken to the school office and should be clearly named and labelled with instructions. Indemnity forms must be completed and signed, these can be obtained from the school office. We are legally only allowed to administer prescribed medicines.

Equality statement
We have carefully considered and analysed the impact of our policies on equality and the possible implications for pupils with protected characteristics, as part of our commitment to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) requirement to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. We make efforts to consult and involve those possibly affected by inequality in the decisions made by the school to promote equality and eliminate discrimination. 
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Admissions - please see the policies page 

School day timings
Line up in the playground at 8:50 and lessons start at 9am
School closes at 3:30
KidZone runs from 8am - 8:50  and from  3:30 - 5:30. ​

Lunches
All children in year R, 1 and 2 are entitled to a school meal under the governments 'Universal free School meals' scheme. This is NOT the same as Pupil Premium and we would recommend parents check with Mrs Fox if they think they might be entitled to extra funding for their child (It is very easy to check, and we can help with this). 
School lunches are provided by Hobbs. Any child  in the school can book a school dinner and Pre school can also book a hot lunch too!
For more details please speak to Mrs Fox. 
​spring_-_summer_2020_menu_full_cycle.pdf
School dinner menu Spring/Summer 2020

If you would like help with packing a lunch box or cooking at home with your child please take a look at the following links:
Cooking