Drop off and Pick up

Introduction

Our assumption is that Primary pupils will arrive at school and leave school accompanied by a parent or recognised carer. There are many good reasons to vary that - such as travelling with an older responsible sibling, car-pooling, travel on the school bus - but it is important that you notify the school office of such arrangements and of any changes, by email. If there are any special arrangements for secondary pupils, we would appreciate being informed. Secondary pupils should be enrolled in an activity or leave the school grounds promptly at the end of the day. 

Arrival - Car and Bus

Pupils arriving by car must be brought to the Thame Lane car park (not to the front of the school) and the younger children must be accompanied across Thame Lane. The bus bay supervisor is there to aid the buses, not to supervise pupils, so if you use the drop off in the morning, your children must be old enough and responsible enough to make their way into school. Primary children go to the enclosed Primary playground, where there is supervision from 08:00. They should not go to their classrooms unless instructed to do so by the teaching assistant. This playground has a covered area for wet weather. Secondary pupils can enter the grounds at 08.00 and make their way to the secondary part of the school.


Pupils coming to school in their own cars may use the school car park, provided they have been granted permission by the school and that they drive sensibly and with care, otherwise this permission will be withdrawn.  Permission forms are issued by the school office. If pupils have permission to leave school during the day, they must not take other pupils with them.


Arrival by car

Getting in and out of Thame Lane

​Please note that Thame Lane is a 20mph school zone.

To ease the traffic that is moving from Thame Lane on to the A415 and vice versa, please try and use this simple rule (which reverses normal traffic rules, but really does help significantly):

When you arrive at school from Abingdon direction (3), before turning into Thame Lane, hold the traffic behind you and allow one car to exit (1) and one car to go in (2). You just need to approach the junction more slowly than usual and indicate well before turning.

Please remember that cyclists and pedestrians crossing Thame Lane have priority: ensure that you give wait until they are safely across.



Departure - Bus

Links:


All pupils:

Please send an email to bus@europaschool.uk with the regular schedule at the latest 7 days before the start of term. Mention “Routine Name Child, year and BUS no.” in the title please. Check this is entered correctly in our database on the first day of term. For September, a google form will be sent out to fill in. Before informing school, make sure you have confirmed the place with the independent bus coordinators. Your booking is directly with them.


Primary pupils travelling by bus are supervised until the buses leave. Last year, about 185 primary pupils were taking the bus on a regular basis and there are at least 10 members of staff involved in the supervision and ensuring the younger children are put on the right bus. 

Pupils should know the number of their bus, it's destination and their stop and have your contact details with them. Please check the parent portal on the first day of term to see whether we have the schedule right in our database.

Pupils who miss their bus, will be sent to the School office where the necessary arrangements will be made.


Reception up to and including Year 3:

We ask the parents of young children to send the bus information to our office as soon as arrangements have been made, as we create a daily bus list for children from Reception up to and including Year 3. 


For these children we ask you to not deviate from the normal schedule unless there is an emergency.  If a child is absent, our database will pick this up automatically, so you don’t need to notify us about that separately. Please be aware that Reception children are required to sit and wait for over 40 minutes, before they can even enter the bus. It is a very long day for them. Please consider this option carefully.


Please report any change by filling the Change request form before lunchtime on the day of the change. This is the only way to be sure changes are seen on time: teachers may not have the time to check emails regularly. If you have any questions, email bus@europaschool.uk. In case of any doubt, children will remain at school. The school staff will not make any last-minute decisions.

The best way to ensure there is no confusion is by sticking to your chosen routine .

Departure - Car

There is no supervision of pupils after school. Parents must ensure that their children are collected promptly or alternative arrangements made. The children who are not collected in time will be asked to wait in the office. If no-one in the office is available to look after them, they will be dropped off at the After School Club and the After School Club may charge you.


If you wish to wait in the car park, your children must be old enough to cross the zebra crossing by themselves. We understand that the situation in the car park may be frustrating at times, but please remain calm and polite to each other. Consider making use of the After School Club, parent-run buses or activities (the latter mostly from Yr2 onwards), if managing pick-up within the required time frame proves difficult.


Reception aged children should be picked up early, at 15:15. If you don’t have older siblings, please leave promptly so there are car park spaces for the older pupils.

Cyclists

Cyclists should use the cycle path up to the driveway by the Chapel, and not Thame Lane, as the bend in the road can be dangerous.  Cycling across the playground is forbidden. Bicycles may be left only in the racks by the Chapel or at the rear of the school and should be properly locked. The school does not accept any responsibility for lost or broken bicycles. Cyclists are expected to use safety equipment at all times.