School Contact Information 

Executive Headteacher: Mrs Kathleen Williams

Head of School: Mrs Ailbhe Farrell (maternity leave from June 2023)

Interim Head of School: Ms Paula Murphy

Address: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, Treadgold Street, London, W11 4BJ

Telephone: 020 7727 8523

School Website: www.stfrancisofassisi.org.uk 

Parent Hub: www.bit.ly/SFAparenthub  

Office Administrator: Ms Jacinta Reilly

Contact email: office@franassisi.co.uk

Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm

EYFS Leader: Miss Danielle Holder

The School Day

The Nursery and Reception classrooms will be open from 8:45am to 8:55am for the morning drop off. If children arrive after this time they will be registered as late by the office.

Home time is 3:20pm for Nursery and Reception children. Pick up is from the classrooms. Teachers are available for 10 minutes after this time to speak to parents if there is anything they would like to discuss. Children not collected on time will need to be collected from the main office. It is important that children are dropped off and collected promptly, as punctuality aids the smooth running of our school day and is in the best interest of the children. 

Children must be collected from the school by a ‘trusted adult’ over the age of 16. It is important to let us know in advance if someone different will be collecting your child, this includes play dates with classmates.

Breakfast and After School Clubs and Care

Breakfast club is available from 8am for all children from Nursery - Year 6, as well as a variety of after school clubs. Wraparound Care is available daily until 6pm and offers an afternoon snack.  

More information on breakfast club and wraparound care can be obtained from the school website or by calling the school office. An up to date list of clubs will be sent out at the beginning of each term, along with information on costings and how to sign up.

Uniform

Please ensure your child arrives at school in full school uniform everyday. It is important that all items of uniform are clearly labelled with your child’s full name. We advise using either a sewn in tag or iron on label rather than writing names on with a pen or marker. The school will not take responsibility for any lost clothing that is not clearly named. Jewellery should not be worn in school except for small, plain gold or silver stud earrings. Nail varnish and temporary tattoos are not permitted in school. 

Change of Clothes

All children in Nursery and Reception are required to have a set of spare uniform or PE kit left at school in their tray in case of any accidents. Please ensure you have this in a labelled plastic bag ready for your child’s first day. 

Outdoor Learning

There is a large focus on outdoor learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage and children will have access to the outdoor area in all weathers. It is therefore important that they have the appropriate clothing for all weathers including sun hats, gloves, winter hats and scarves. All children are required to keep a pair of wellies and waterproof puddle trousers/suit in school for use throughout the year.

Water Bottles

All children are required to bring a reusable water bottle to school with them every day. This should be clearly labelled with their name and class. Bottles should only contain water. No juice, squash or fizzy drinks will be permitted.

Medical and Special Educational Needs

If your child has any specific medical or special educational needs please note these on the Pupil Information Form. This will prompt a call back from us to discuss your child’s needs. This helps to allow time for us to put any individual measures in place before their start date.  

Medication

The school can only administer medicine to your child if it has been prescribed by a doctor and the medication clearly shows the prescription label with the child’s name on. 

If your child requires prescribed medicine during the school day please complete a  ‘Medication Form’ from the school office and discuss the details with the office administrator. 

Illness

At this age, if your child is feeling unwell, it is advisable to keep them at home. Please contact the office before 9am to inform us of your child’s absence. If they have suffered from sickness or diarrhoea it is essential that they do not attend school for 48 hours following the last episode of sickness. 

Requests for Absence

It is compulsory for all children to attend school once they turn 5 years of age, however, as you have chosen full time education for your child prior to this age you are committing to their full attendance during term time. 

If you require time off for hospital appointments or special circumstances such as a bereavement, please ask for a ‘Request for Absence’ form from the school office. This must be addressed to the Head of School, Mrs Kelleher.  

Requests for holidays during term time will not be authorised. 

Term dates for the forthcoming academic year are available from the school office, on our website and on the SFA School Hub. 

School Lunches

Children are provided with a mid-morning snack of fruit and milk. 

For lunch, nutritious and delicious dishes are prepared in our school kitchen using quality produce. All dietary needs can be catered for. If your child has a special dietary need please speak to the office administrator before they start with us to ensure a plan can be put in place to cater for their needs. 

You can find more information on the school lunches on our website.

School lunch prices for 2023/24 are £2.61 per day. If there are any changes to this price for the year 2024/25, information will be shared ahead of time. Payments should be made online in advance. 

As part of the government's Universal Free School Meals scheme children in Reception to Year 6 are entitled to a free school meal everyday and therefore no lunch payments will be required for children in these classes. 

We advise that all children take advantage of a hot school lunch, however parents can instead opt to provide a healthy packed lunch for their child if they wish to do so.

School Money

We are a cashless school. This means that payments for all fees will need to be paid electronically through our online system, Arbor. 

Policies

Key school policies are available on the school website to read at your leisure. For any further information on our policies please contact the school office to arrange a meeting with a member of the leadership team.

Concerns

Parents are encouraged to make an appointment to see teachers, a member of the leadership team or the head of school if ever they have any concerns or complaints. Please call the school office on 020 7727 8523 and leave a message with the office administrator or email office@franassisi.co.uk to schedule a meeting.

Bike and Scooter Storage

We actively encourage the use of bikes and scooters to travel to school and have a storage area that you are welcome to use. All items left are at your own risk, as the school cannot take responsibility for any lost or stolen items.

Excursions

The school organises a range of outings for the children throughout the year. Parents will be notified of these in advance unless they are routine trips to celebrate mass at church. We may ask for a contribution from parents towards the cost of the trip; if you are unable to pay for a school trip please speak with your class teacher or Miss Holder (EYFS Lead). We will often ask for parent helpers to support the teaching staff on trips offsite and would be extremely grateful for volunteers.

Change of Personal Information

Please inform the office of any change of address or telephone numbers. It is vital that this information is kept up to date. Details can be changed via our online system, Arbor. 

Class Meeting

During the first few weeks of your child starting school with us we will invite all parents in for a class meeting. This will provide an opportunity to share some more information about day to day learning and routines with parents. 

Parent Association

This is a group of parents that work together to organise fundraising events for our school. Fundraising is essential to the life of our school and we would like to encourage all parents to attend and take part. Information regarding meeting dates and times will be shared in the new school year.

Parent Council

The Parent Council is made up of a parent representative for each class. Parents are elected by other parents in that class. This will be organised at the beginning of the school year.

Communication with Parents

Weekly school newsletters are sent out on Fridays, sharing lots of important information, including upcoming dates. We will mostly use email to make contact with parents regarding other matters specific to your child or class. 

Parent/Teacher Induction Meeting

All new starters to our school will be offered a parent/teacher induction meeting. This meeting is an important part of our settling in process and acts as a means of getting to know your child’s class teacher and sharing key information about your child ahead of their start with us. Please call the school office (0207 352 2588) by 7th June 2024 to schedule your induction meeting. Meetings will take place throughout June/July.

Parents with children currently attending St Francis of Assisi Nursery and moving on to our Reception class in September will not be required to attend an induction meeting.

If your child has a special educational need or a medical condition please make this known to the office when scheduling your meeting and where possible we will have our SENCO attend the meeting alongside a member of our EYFS team. 

Stay and Play Session

We would like to invite you and your child to a Stay and Play session. The session will last around an hour and will give you and your child the opportunity to explore the learning environment, take part in some typical activities and familiarise yourselves with the school, staff and other new families joining the class. We believe that the session will aid the children’s transition into the new setting and help them to feel secure and comfortable starting with us in September. 

Nursery Stay and Play sessions will run on Tuesday 3rd July 2024 at 1:30 - 2:30

Reception Stay and Play sessions will run on Tuesday 3rd July 2024 at 9:30 - 10:30 

Start Date

The start date for all children will be Wednesday 4th September 2024. 

Nursery Settling In Schedule

Here at St Francis of Assisi, we believe that school is one of the most vital experiences a child will ever have in their lives and that it is our duty to ensure we provide the best experience possible. We are dedicated to making sure that your child’s first encounters of school are happy and positive and that they feel safe and secure in their new environment. We therefore schedule a settling in week for the initial week the children join us in nursery. The aim of this is to help ensure the smoothest transition possible for the child.  

The start date for all children will be Wednesday 4th September 2024. However, for the first week of the term the children in nursery will only attend for the morning. 

On Wednesday 4th, Thursday 5th and Friday 6th September the sessions will run for two hours. On Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th September the sessions will run for 3 hours, introducing lunch. From Wednesday 11th September all children will attend for the full day.