Kingsdown School Information

Kingsdown School Day

Kingsdown School day starts at 8.45 am and ends at 3.30 pm.

Celebrating Achievement

Kingsdown School recognises any opportunity to identify and celebrate pupils' achievement.

Classes vary in their approach to celebrating achievement according to the particular needs of the pupils and their understanding. Recognition of achievement include sticker charts, tokens, badges, certificates and 'Pupil of the Week' t-shirts.

A whole school assembly takes place once a week and it is the headteacher’s pleasure to hand out Kingsdown School Golden Certificates awarded to pupils for outstanding effort and special work. A record is kept in the very highly revered ‘Golden Book’.

Home - School Communication

Each pupil is provided with a 'Communication Book' or folder which travels daily between school and home. This is for the brief exchange of day to day information between the class teacher and the parent or main carer.

Letters home are enclosed within the books or folders and the therapists frequently use them to pass on information.

Parents' Evenings are held each term and operate on an appointment system.

Appointments can be made with the teachers and the Headteacher.

Homework

Parents and Teachers work together to determine whether and which type of homework is appropriate. Reading Books can be sent home and formal tasks are set by the class teacher on request. Each child is different and this determines their homework needs.

Lunchtime and After School Clubs at Kingsdown School

The pupils can enjoy a variety of lunchtime and after-school clubs including: Boccia, Cookery, Craft, Film, Gardening, Karaoke, Massage, Music, Sensory, Soft Play, Story, Swimming, Vitality and Wheelchair Dancing.

Jewellery

Pupils are discouraged from wearing jewellery to school but jewellery worn for religious purposes is acceptable. Any jewellery worn to school is the responsibility of the parent/carer and pupils wearing watches do so at their own risk. All jewellery should be removed during swimming, P.E. and games lessons.

'The Days of the Week'

The school encourages all staff to wear the agreed colours for each day of the week, ie:

Monday: Red
Tuesday: Orange
Wednesday: Yellow
Thursday: Green
Friday: Blue

The reason for this is to assist our pupils to identify the day of the week. To further support this, the school supplies polo shirts bearing the Kingsdown logo to all staff in all five colours.

Medication

Permission for medication to be administered must be given by parents in writing.

The school nurse will liaise with parents regarding the writing of a care plan PRIOR to a child starting school. This will list medication, times and procedures specific to your child. Once you have signed this it will be shared with class staff and adhered to in school.

All medication must be labelled with your child’s name and have a clear expiration date. It is the parents’ responsibility to inform the school in writing if there are any changes to their child’s medication.

Multi-Team

Therapists spend allocated times in school working with pupils, always with the full consent of parents. These include a team of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, a Speech and Language Specialist, a specialist teacher for the Visually Impaired, a specialist teacher for the Hearing Impaired and a team of nurses.

Kingsdown staff liaise closely with multi-team colleagues to devise programmes which support the individual needs of each pupil to maximum effect.

Specialist Clinics

Orthotic clinics are held in the therapy room once a fortnight.
Specialist seating and assessment clinics are held regularly in response to demand.
Medicals are held weekly at the Children’s Development Centre with a paediatrician, by appointment only.

School Dinners

School meals are provided at a cost of £2.20 per day. Payment must be made weekly in advance.

Menus are based on a fortnightly cycle and are available from the school office on request.

Southend Borough Council now have an online eligibility checking service for parents wishing to check their eligibility for Free School Meals. Please visit www.southend.gov.uk/fsm.

If you would like more information about Free School Meals, please contact the school.

Snack Contribution

Parents are requested to contribute £5.00 each term (or £2.50 each half-term) to cover the additional extras that arise within each class. This is a voluntary contribution but one gratefully received.