Welcome to the FAQ page!

We hope you will find below all the answers to your questions about the school.  They are in alphabetical order.  If you think something vital is missing, please give feedback to the Website editor & we will try & remedy this.

Class Dojo

You may have heard your children at Coltishall talking about ClassDojo.  ClassDojo is a communication app for the classroom. It connects teachers, parents, and students who use it to share photos, videos, and messages through the school day.

If you would like more information on this app, please ask your class teacher.

You can access or download the ClassDojo app from these links:

For safeguarding reasons, we ask you NOT to share or re-post photos or videos from ClassDojo on social media.

Consultations & Reports

Two Parent-Teacher consultation evenings are arranged during the school year when parents will be able to discuss their child’s progress with the class teacher. The first is just after half-term in the Autumn term and the second in the Summer term.

A written report for each child will be sent home at the end of the Spring term. Individual targets are set for each child and these are discussed at the Summer term consultation.

Emergency Closure

In the event of very severe weather, the school may have to be closed.

If it’s BEFORE the school day begins, we will inform County Hall as early in the morning as possible & you can use the following ways to stay informed:

• Local Radio: Closure advice after News & Travel up to about 9.30am (BBC Radio Norfolk, Radio Heart…)
• Norfolk County Council Website
• Facebook & Twitter: Norfolk County Council Facebook & Twitter accounts
• Unofficial Network: Helpful parents may also post the news on social media in order to spread the news faster

If it’s DURING  the school day, all parents / carers will be informed to ensure that there is a responsible person able to receive their child/ ren. All children will be kept safely at school until they can be collected.

We always keep the school open wherever possible so closure is the last resort & hopefully will not become necessary.

Head Lice

Unfortunately starting school may mean catching head lice or nits for the first time. Please do not be alarmed. It may not be pleasant, but it is not dangerous. Advice on treatments is available from the school or from your G.P.

Health & Medication

Asthma

At Coltishall School we follow the Norfolk School guidelines on Asthma. Please see the following guidelines by selecting the link:  Asthma Guidance.  Useful information for parents/carers of Asthma suffers can be found by selecting the link: Asthma UK Resources .  Please read our school Asthma Policy for more details.

Medicines at school

Arrangements are fully in place to support pupils with medical conditions to ensure they can fully access and enjoy all of the opportunities at our school as experienced by all other pupils.  We understand that some of the medical conditions which require support at school affect the quality of the pupil’s life experiences. We therefore ensure that the focus at all times is on the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts upon their school life.  However, the administration of medication to children is the responsibility of parents/carers. Please note that school staff are under no duty to administer medication to pupils in school. If it is agreed by the Headteacher or his/her nominated representative to take on this responsibility itis purely on a voluntary basis. Please read our Administration of Medicines Policy for full details.

Vomiting or Diarrhoea

If your child has been vomiting or had diarrhoea, they should not attend school for 48 hours after the last bout of illness.  This is to prevent the illness spreading to other children & staff in the school.

Holidays – see Absence

Lost Property

The lost property box & rail is off the main corridor, in the alcove outside the boys & girls changing rooms.  It is always overflowing with random items of uniform, clothing & accessories.

If your child or children are missing anything, it is worth a visit.  Clearly named items are returned to their owners when the lost property is sorted, usually once every term (see “Marking Clothes” below).

Marking Clothes

Please ensure that all children’s clothes, coats, boots, shoes, gloves, PE kit and swimming costumes are marked with your child’s name.  

There are various possibilities for marking clothes: iron-on or sew-on name-tapes, black permanent marker or silver pen for darker clothes (though pen will fade with washing).

The lost property box is regularly sorted & named items are returned to their owners.  However, each year an anonymous collection of various clothes accumulates and appears to belong to no-one!  Unclaimed, unnamed items will eventually end up in a Friends uniform sale or the Bag2School collection.

Nits – see Head Lice

Parent Pay

ParentPay is our cashless online system.

All parents are given an activation letter - which gives them a username & password to create an account.

Parents can then book clubs - pay for lunches - receive letters - give permission for trips - and receive invoices.

Please see below for the link.

Recycling

Our school is committed to being environmentally friendly.

We offer the recycling of BATTERIES, MOBILE PHONES and OLD INK CARTRIDGES. 

The box for Mobiles and cartridges can be found in the front foyer. 

The box for the batteries can be found at the end of the corridor.

School Meals

A hot meal is available each day with a main course and a pudding. There is a choice of main course & pudding. A packed lunch is also available from school.

School meals are free for all KS1 pupils & pupils eligible for Free School School meals.  The cost is £2.30 per meal for all other pupils.

A hot meal or packed lunch needs to be paid for via our ParentPay system. A lunch menu for the week is given out termly. Packed lunches may be brought from home. No glass bottles please.

At mid-morning break only, healthy fruit tuck is offered free to KS 1 children. Children are welcome to bring fresh or dried fruit or vegetables from home (apple, banana, carrot, raisins etc.).  Each child is encouraged to have a bottle of water at their desk and is encouraged to drink regularly.

School Meals - Home Packed Lunch

Website links with ideas for when you're short of inspiration...

Sex Education

Sex education lessons are taught as a separate unit of work and certain aspects are integrated into science and health education lessons.  A specific series of sex education lessons are taught to children in Year 4.  Parents are invited to view the videos and materials used for these lessons before the children see them.

The school’s Sex Education Policy is available in the Policies section of this website & on request from the School Office.  Parents have the right to withdraw their children from some parts of the sex education lessons.

Please see the link for the RSHE page with further details.

Websites used in School:

Sites your children or Class Teacher have mentioned!

Other websites for parents & carers: