What shall I do if I need to speak to my child’s teacher?

Parents wishing to speak to or meet with a member of staff should contact school by phone or email. Teaching staff are not always available to take calls, but Office staff will always pass messages on to teaching staff who will contact parents at the earliest opportunity. Parents are also able to pass messages to members of staff by writing notes in their son’s planners which boys can show to their teachers.

Parents are politely requested not to turn up expecting to meet with staff without an appointment.  However, in an emergency, a member of staff will always meet with parents, but this may not be the member of staff parents originally request to see.

 

What shall I do if my son has an appointment during school time?

All appointments for doctors or dentist should be made outside of school time if at all possible.   For hospital and orthodontics appointments please provide details as soon as possible to (absence@camphillboys.bham.sch.uk) and provide a copy of the appointment card or hospital letter which will enable the Attendance Officer to authorise the absence.  If an emergency doctors or dentist appointment is unavoidable then please provide a medical appointment card or slip with date, pupils name and surgery stamp signed by the receptionist.  

Pupils in years 7 to 11 should be collected from the Main Reception by their parent/carer or another adult contact on their Student Data Sheet.  Pupils should make their own way to the School Office to sign out for any appointments at the agreed time. Office staff will not collect pupils from lessons. Any pupil who needs to leave the premises during school hours, for whatever reason, must report to the school office before leaving school.

 

What shall I do if my son is unwell and can’t come to school?

In the event of absence, parents should report their child’s absence via the Study Bugs app. https://studybugs.com/about/parents  Parents can also telephone or email the school absence@camphillboys.bham.sch.uk to give the reason for absence in the morning of the first day of absence and each day of absence thereafter. School does not observe a 24 hour rule following vomiting/diarrhoea but parents are requested to ensure pupils are fully recovered before returning to school.

 

What should I do if my son is running late for school?

Students are expected to arrive for school on time. If, due to unforeseeable circumstances, a student arrives late, he should walk up the pathway off Vicarage Road next to the school drive or the path off Cartland Road (before 9.30), enter the school via the rear doors, then come to reception to sign in. Please note parents are not permitted to use the school drive to drop off late pupils and pupils who are late should not enter the school via the front entrance. If your son is going to be late because he is attending an appointment, please notify the office in advance and provide evidence of appointments in the form of an appointment card or a hospital letter.

 

What shall I do if my son needs to take medication during school hours?

If a parent feels their son is responsible, the pupil may carry their own medication and take responsibility for managing it himself. The school office will only hold and administer medication to pupils if it would be detrimental to the pupil’s health or school attendance not to do so. In most circumstances, only prescribed medication will be administered. Parents must give consent to medication being administered. It is the student’s responsibility to come to the office to receive their medication at the agreed time.  

Pupils with asthma should carry their inhalers with them at all times and parents are asked to provide a back up device to be held in the school office for emergencies.

 

What do I do if I need to get a message to my son during the school day?

Wherever possible, parents are encouraged to give messages to pupils and make after school arrangements before pupils come into school in the morning. It is a good idea for parents to arrange with pupils to check their phone after school in case arrangements have changed. However, we do appreciate that emergencies can occur. If it is urgent that a message is given to a pupil please telephone the school office and office staff will pass on the message as soon as they are able. Please note that students are not allowed to use mobile phones during the school day, except in the office, with express permission from a member of Office staff or Head of Year.

 

What do I do if I am not receiving emails from school?

Emails from school are sent through a system called Groupcall. On occasion, these emails may go into your spam/junk mail folder. To prevent this we recommend that add the following email to your contacts / safe senders list:    3305407@groupcallalert.com

If the problem still persists, please contact the school so we can check we can investigate why this is happening.

 

What happens if my son is unwell when he is in school?

If a pupil feels unwell at school he should report to his class teacher, who will refer them to the school office. Pupils are encouraged to remain in school wherever possible, but if a student is too unwell to stay in school, staff will contact parents to arrange collection. Boys who feel unwell in school should NEVER use their own phones to call home asking to be collected.

 

What should I do if my son has left an item at home?

If items of equipment are forgotten, parents may bring them to the school office for pupils to collect. Please do not bring items into school if your son is unaware they are being dropped off, as staff are not able to take items to boys.

 

My son has lost something. What can I do?

All personal property, including bags and coats, should be clearly marked with the owner’s name as this enables items to be returned to boys.  Pupil’s can look for lost items in Meeting Room 1 where lost property is stored. Lost property is also stored in the Sports hall and Pavilion. Parents are also welcome to check for lost property before or after school but please notify the member of staff on reception before doing so. The school cannot accept responsibility for items that are lost.

 

Use of lockers

All boys are issued with a lockers when they start in Year 7 when they have paid a £10 locker key deposit via Parent Pay. Boys are encouraged to keep valuable items in their lockers during the school day for safe keeping, rather then leaving them in blazers or bags. We also have several lost locker keys handed in every day. Please encourage your son to add a keyring to his locker key so it is less likely to slip out of his pocket and can be more easily identified if it has been lost.

 

Where shall I collect my son from?

Boys can leave the school on foot via the pedestrian drive, which joins Vicarage road, or the drive, which joins Cartland Road. Please arrange to meet with you son on one of the side roads around the school site. Parents are asked to park responsibly and not on the zigzag yellow lines directly outside the school gates. Please note parents are not permitted to use the school drive to drop off and collect pupils, unless there are exceptional circumstances and prior permission has been obtained. However, parents may use the drive when collecting a pupil for an appointment during school hours or returning a pupil to school after an appointment. Parents may use the drive for evening functions, but only after 4pm.

 

What time does the school building open and close?

Boys can enter the school premises from 8.00am, but will be unsupervised until 8.45am when morning registration takes place. Boys should leave the school premises by 3.45pm unless involved in an activity in school. The school office is open between 8am – 4pm and the Library is open at the following times: Before school (8.00 to 8.45 am) Lunchtime (12.35 pm – 1.35 pm) After school (3.35 to 4.45 pm Monday to Thursday, and 4.00 pm on Friday)

 

What shall I do if my question hasn’t been covered on this sheet?

Check if the answer to your question is covered in your son’s planner or on the school website. If it is not, please telephone the school office or send an email to enquiry@camphillboys.bham.sch.uk. You may also visit the school office between 8.30am and 4pm.