SCHOOL HOURS AND DROP-OFF/PICK-UP PROCEDURES

Our School Day: The Academic Day runs from 8:15 a.m. until 3:20 p.m. except for Wednesdays, which run from 9 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. Students in Grades K-8 have optional Sports and Activities until 5:05 p.m.

Arrival time: Students should arrive between 7:55 and 8:10 a.m., with classes beginning at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday is a late-start morning, and arrival time is between 8:45 and 8:55 a.m., with classes starting at 9 a.m. 

Drop-off Procedures:  The Thorpe House Car Park is where PreK-8 students will be regularly dropped off.

• Thorpe House Car Park: 

  • Thorpe House Car Park gates will open at 7:55 a.m. and close at 8:15 a.m. (8:45 a.m.-9 a.m on Wednesdays)

  • Please try not to arrive before 7:55 a.m. (8:45 a.m. on Wednesdays), as this creates a queue in the neighborhood around the school. Parents who are waiting for the gates to open should pull close to the side to allow other cars to pass. 

  • Parents are asked to use the drop-off bay to drop off children and depart. No parking is permitted in the drop-off bay. If parents need more time, they should park in the car park. PreK-4 children must be accompanied from the car park to the drop off area.

•  When Thorpe House gates are closed:

  • PreK-4 students must be supervised at all times. Therefore, if arriving at the Security entrance, parents must sign in and walk children across to Thorpe House.

  • Grades 5-8 students can walk themselves from the tennis courts. Students that are late must sign in at the Runnymede Hall office with the Grades 5-8 secretary. 

Dismissal time: Students are dismissed at 3:20 p.m. 

• After-school clubs: Students who attend after-school clubs are dismissed from 5 p.m.

Pick-up Procedures:  The Thorpe House Car Park is where PreK-8 students will be regularly collected. 

• PreK-4: Children must be picked up by an approved adult or Upper School sibling. Siblings in Grades 5-8 cannot collect PreK-4 children. You can add approved adults to your pick-up list through the LMS. You will also need to submit a copy of the adult’s driver's license to the relevant office. PreK-4 students cannot be collected by taxis or ride-sharing services (such as Uber) unless accompanied by an approved adult.

• Grades 5-8: Students are expected to be picked up by a parent, approved adult, or our school bus. The use of taxis, ride-sharing services (such as Uber), or other alternative transportation arrangements is not generally encouraged. However, where exceptional circumstances require such arrangements, parents must notify us in advance so that appropriate safeguarding procedures can be followed. In the event of an emergency change to collection arrangements, parents must contact the Head of Section and the Grades 5-8 Office directly with the relevant details. This enables us to verify the arrangements and ensure a safe handover of the student.

• Thorpe House Car Park: 

  • Please try not to arrive before 2:55 p.m., as this creates a queue in the neighborhood around the school. Parents who are waiting for the gates to open should pull close to the side to allow other cars to pass.

  • Parents are asked to park their cars and walk up to collect their children at dismissal times. Alternatively, parents may use the drop-off bay to pick up children and depart. Parents who are waiting for children in the drop-off spots should remain in their cars, as this is a “No Parking Zone.” If parents wish to stay after school, we ask that you park your cars in the car park. PreK-4 children must be accompanied at all times in the car park.

  • When parking, please park close to the sides to leave space for other cars. If parents are parking vans, we ask them to park in a designated bay so as not to block several spaces.

Late Pick-Up: If a PreK-4 student has not been picked up by 5:15 p.m. by a parent or guardian, or has been returned to school after the late bus has tried to drop the child off at home, parents will incur a charge of £5 for every five minutes late. This charge will automatically be advised to the Business Office, and parents will be invoiced accordingly.

Changes of Arrangement: When any plans change in your child’s daily routine (e.g., going-home plans, early departure, participation in PE), please email or call the relevant office  (and the classroom teacher for PreK-4 students), ideally by noon. If your child also has a club that afternoon or normally rides the bus, please also notify Mrs. Hudgens or Ms. Gregory and Mr. Davies.

• No PreK-4 students will be allowed to change their going-home plans without written confirmation to the PreK-4 Office.

Staying After School: All PreK-8 students that stay after school must be supervised by school personnel or be in the care of a family- approved adult. 

• PreK-4 students will be handed over directly to their after school activity or an approved adult.  PreK-4 students must be enrolled in an after school activity in order to take the late afternoon bus. 

• Grades 5-8: Students may walk to after school activities and to an appropriate collection point independently. The Runnymede Hall Library is available for students that wish to stay after school. Students that wish to use this service, must sign in and stay in the Library.  

All students must stay in the designated area for their activity and cannot go to additional locations without supervision.  

ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCES

Daily student attendance is important for students to be successful in their learning and is required by the Department for Education. The school year is short, and our effectiveness as a school depends on a vigorous and coordinated program of class lessons and homework. Except in the case of illness or emergency, children must be at school every day. All absences must be reported through an absence notification via the parent portal of the Learning Management System (LMS). Please note that if a student is not in school, they may not attend co-curricular activities or after-school functions.

Day-of-Absence Reporting: We ask that the School receives notification by 8:00 a.m. (9 a.m. on Wednesdays). 

Excused Absence Requests: Please note that we are only able to grant excused absences for approved events. We monitor student absences according to UK statutory guidelines so the decision to remove your child from school must be considered and discussed with us in advance. Where the absence is deemed to be a family decision that does not qualify as excused according to our procedures, the absence will be coded as “holiday not agreed” on your child’s attendance record.

Early Release from School: If your child needs to leave school during the day, you should make the request via the LMS absence notification. 

• PreK-4: Parents must sign in at Security and collect their child(ren) from the PreK-4 Office. 

• Grades 5-8: Students must sign out at the Grades 5-8 Office and then meet the parents in the Security car park. 

Extended Leave/ Vacation Requests: The School does not condone vacations for students that occur during scheduled school days. For this reason, vacations should be scheduled only during school holidays. Except under extraordinary circumstances, vacations during school days will be regarded as unexcused absences. Work will not be provided for vacations during school days.

We are mindful that special family situations occasionally present themselves and that these events merit discussion between parents and administrators. For your child’s sake, we recommend that you involve the School early by notifying the Head of PreK-8 of your plans. In only these rare instances, work will be given at the discretion of the classroom teacher.

Late Arrivals:  Students are expected to be in class, on time each day. With late arrival, students miss the important first moments of lessons, which is disruptive for themselves and others. We offer morning supervision from 7:55 am (8:45 on Wednesdays) to ensure all students get to class on time. The school monitors late arrivals and will actively work with families to encourage healthy habits and on-time arrival. 

Medical Appointments: The school can approve absence for medical appointments, however, these can be disruptive to learning. For this reason, these should be scheduled outside of school hours whenever possible.

Illness: We hope that all children will be fit and well to attend school. However, if your child has a fever, displays respiratory illness, has diarrhea or vomiting, or is in any other way too sick to participate in lessons, please keep them home. Following government guidance, we ask that students with diarrhea or vomiting stay at home for 48 hours.

Missed Work Due to Absence: For approved absence or illness, the school will assist your child in keeping up with missed work. We encouraged parents to reach out to the school with any questions related to missed work. 

• PreK-4: Students will make up assignments once they have returned to school. 

• Grades 5-8: Many assignments are accessible through Google Classroom or the School’s online Learning Management System (LMS).

For unapproved absences, the school will not be able to provide additional time to complete missed work or additional support. For this reason, we strongly encourage parents to avoid unapproved absences during school days. 

Planned Absence Reporting: If you know that your child will be absent from school, please  complete the LMS absence notification at least 48 hours in advance. 

• Grades 5-8: Students also need to collect and complete a planned absence form and then return it to the Grades 5-8 Office. This includes absences due to Sports or Activity commitments such as games or tournaments. This assists teachers in planning for any make-up work required. 

SCHEDULES

• PreK-4: Daily schedules vary by homeroom from day to day. This is due to the different specialist classes allocated across the week. The schedule for each class is shared with parents at the beginning of the school year.

• Grades 5-8: Students follow a schedule that is different for each day of the week. Both students and parents can view the schedule on the LMS. Each student takes five core academic subjects along with required specialist courses in art, music, innovation & design, drama, and physical education. The five core requirements are English, History,  Modern Language or Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. PSHEE is required for all students and is delivered by our advisors with the support of our Counselor.

Assemblies, Town Meetings and Community Gatherings: The PreK-4 Assembly and Grades 5-8 Town Hall program aims to develop a sense of community within the School. These gatherings support and enhance both our Academic and Pastoral Program. Students have opportunities to share and participate, and the entire PreK-8 meets about 4 times a year in one Community Gathering. 

Core Virtues: PreK-8 have adopted six Core Virtues which promote basic moral, civic, and intellectual virtues. The Core Virtues are emphasized in assemblies and classroom discussions. The Core Virtues are:

• Principled

• Respect

• Compassion

• Open-mindedness

• Curiosity

• Perseverance

LUNCH & SNACK

• Pre-Kindergarten: Pre-Kindergarten students bring their own lunch, which should include a non-carbonated drink and should not include candy, nuts, or nut products.

• K-8: A cafeteria-style school lunch is provided for all K-8 students. A wide variety of options is available, including at least two hot choices, served with a carbohydrate and two hot sides, soup, a salad bar, fruit, desserts, and a selection of bread and fillings for sandwiches. Home lunches are not permitted except in the case of medical exemptions approved by the Head of Section. 

• Lunch Guests (PreK-4): Parents are welcome to eat an occasional lunch with their K-4 children with prior notice. A note to the PreK-4 Secretary sent a few days ahead of the visit will enable us to make arrangements and advise you of your child’s lunchtime.

Snack:

• PreK-4: Snacks are provided each afternoon for all children. A morning snack is also provided for students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. 

• Grades 5-8: Snacks are provided each morning for all students. 

Food From Home: 

• Afterschool Club Snacks: All students may bring a nutritious snack and drink on after-school club days. Please ensure that these snacks do not contain nuts or nut products. 

• Candy, treats, or any other food from home are not permitted during the school day and will be confiscated. 

Allergies and Dietary Restrictions: Parents must complete a medical form before the start of each school year. This is where parents share information about allergies, intolerances, or other dietary requirements. Our Catering team will follow your guidance strictly as they prepare meals, snacks, and special treats. 

• Nuts Policy: Peanut or nut products are not served by our catering team, nor are they allowed anywhere in the school facilities, at any school events (on- and off-site), or on the bus.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Absentee Parents: Please notify your child’s homeroom teacher/advisor and the PreK-4 or Grades 5-8 Office of the dates of your absence from home and the name of the person in charge of the household during that time.

Class Assignments:  Placement decisions are based on our best professional judgment and scheduling needs. When determining placement, several factors are considered, such as student learning styles, pastoral and academic needs of students, student peer groups, etc. Because of this, specific requests for a particular teacher cannot be accepted. Additionally, it is not the policy of TASIS England to change classroom assignments mid-year.

Contact Information: It is necessary to have a current address and an up-to-date telephone number, plus an emergency number on file for each student. If your address and/or telephone number changes during the school year, please be sure to update the LMS.

Lost and Found: There are three Lost and Found locations around the school. The central location for PreK-4 is the closet in the Wellie Room. For Grades 5-8, there is a storage bench near the Runnymede Hall office. There is also a Lost and Found in the gymnasium for items left at PE. All clothing, notebooks, and sports items should be clearly marked with the owner’s name.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

We have systems in place that help us to celebrate your child’s birthday here at school.

• PreK-4: Parents have the option to order an edible birthday treat through our Catering department, which will be served as an afternoon snack. These treats are free of charge and will cater to all dietary requirements in the class. Parents should contact our Catering department at least 72 hours before the desired day at cateringmanager@tasisengland.org. 

  • Parents should notify the Homeroom teacher if you would like to send in a non-edible birthday keepsake for the class. This could be something like a special pencil, keychains, or a favorite book that the class could sign. Please do not send edible treats to school. 

• Grades 5-8: Edible birthday treats are provided during monthly Celebration Advisory periods which recognize all of the birthdays for the month. 

• Gifts: Gifts for other students should not be brought to school. 

• Party Invitations: Invitations for parties outside of school may not be handed out at school, even if the whole class is invited. Parents are asked to use the LMS or TPA WhatsApp Groups to find contact details for the class members. We ask you to consider the feelings of other youngsters and to be fair and sensitive in issuing invitations.

VISITORS ON CAMPUS

• Parents are very welcome on campus. Parents do not need to sign in when dropping off or picking up, or when attending open events.

• If you need to meet with a faculty member or walk across campus, we ask that you make an appointment ahead of time and sign in at Security, where you will receive a badge and green lanyard. You should then proceed to the relevant office (Runnymede Hall or Thorpe House) to sign in there. 

• Parents who are coming to campus for a small workshop, or to pick up or drop off at alternative times, are also asked to park at Security and sign in before walking over.

• Guests to campus who are not TASIS England parents must present their ID when signing in at security. They will receive a badge and red lanyard and must be escorted at all times. 

• Thorpe House (PreK-4) is locked during school hours. Please ring the buzzer for Reception, and the Secretary will assist you. Adult toilets are not readily accessible to visitors without assistance from Reception. There are also visitor toilets available at Security.