Open Mornings 2024-2025 for St Luke's School

Please pre-book for the limited places available: 01582 626727

 

Arbor App now supports biometric login! So, logging into the Arbor App means

• No more entering login details every time - the App will now save parents’ email address and password, eliminating the need to re-enter them each time they login
• Parents can use their existing login method - whether that's face or fingerprint recognition, or their device’s pin code
• For parents with children at different schools, it's now easier and faster to switch between them

When your child is sick

Short Term Absences:
When your child is ill, please contact the school office on 01582 626727 or email admin@stlukes.herts.sch.uk

Public Health Infection Control

• When your child has vomited or has had diarrhoea, we follow the Guidance for Schools on Infection Control (click button above) and ask that you keep your child off school for 48 hours.  Over 70% of our pupils have complex medical conditions, and many of these have serious implications when battling virus or bacterial infections. By reducing the likelihood of children catching viruses and infections, they are more likely to keep healthy.

Longer Term Absences:

Please contact the school to let us know about your child's circumstances and information relating to this.  We sometimes need to let other parents/carers know about illnesses to prevent the spread of viruses and bacterial infections in the school.  Where children are away from school for several days, and they are able to access work, we will provide this for the parent/carer to continue learning.  Where a child is absent from school for a longer period of time, we work with ESTMA to support learning at home or in hospital.

Expectations of School Attendance

DFE Statutory Guidance for Parents on Attendance

• You must make sure your child gets an education that meets their needs (for example if they have special educational needs). You can send your child to school or educate them yourself.  Children must get an education between the school term after their 5th birthday and the last Friday in June in the school year they turn 16. 
• At St Luke's School we expect all pupils and staff to be in school each day of the academic year with 100% punctuality whenever possible. 
• Pupils are in school for 38 weeks of the year: 190 days with 175 days (weekends and holidays) not in school.
• We ask that precautions / plans are in place to reduce the likelihood of absence, though when unavoidable, the school is notified at the earliest possible opportunity on 01582 626727
• We recognise many of our pupils have complex medical needs that require visits to specialists in London and further afield. Preparation for these visits and the travel time, often mean pupils cannot make school on such days.

School Registration

• Schools are statutorily required to take a register of pupils' attendance.
• There are two points in the school day, this is taken - am and pm, creating two school sessions.
• 9.00am is the start of the school day and the register is taken before 8.50am.
• Afternoon Registration takes place between 12.00pm and 1pm

Lateness

• When a pupil arrives between 9.10am and 9.40am, this is classed as a late.
• When a pupil arrives between 9.40am and 1.00pm, this is classed as an absence.

Authorisation of Absences

• The Head of School authorises absences, where there are legitimate reasons. Where not, these are classed as unauthorized absences.

Attendance Improvement Officer (AI0)

• The AIO reviews absences and lateness with the school on a monthly basis. Where the school has been unable to improve attendances, they can address matters further. This could lead to a court hearing and possible financial fine for families who do not support their child accessing school, where they could.

The school may:

• Authorise the absence; authorisation of the absence is at the discretion of the Head of School or Executive Headteacher.. 
• Invite you in to discuss the situation if absences persist.
• Inform you by letter if persistent absenteeism is a concern; all below 85% attendance will receive a letter each half-term; attendance figures to accompany reports.
• Refer the matter to the Attendance Improvement Officer if attendance moves below 85%.
• Support a long term absentee with gradual integration and support from school.
• Where a pupil has 21 sessions marked as an unauthorised absence in one school term, a referral will be made to the school Attendance Improvement Officer (AIO). (Mornings and afternoons are counted as individual sessions)

Ensuring Our Pupils are Safe when Absent from School

If your child is unexpectedly absent, school reception will:

1. Telephone the primary contact number on the first day of absence if we have not heard from you by 9:30am, to ascertain the reason for absence. (It is therefore important that telephone numbers are constantly updated with the school as soon as there is a change of number and that more than one is provided).
2. Telephone the primary contact number again on the morning of the second continuous day of absence if we have not heard from you by 9:30am, to ascertain the reason for absence.
3. The Head of School will be notified.
4. Telephone all contact numbers provided on the afternoon of the second continuous day of absence to ascertain the reason for absence.
5. If we have not heard from you or been able to get in touch on the third continuous day of absence a member of staff will make a home visit to ensure the wellbeing of the child and parents/carers.
6. If we are still not able to verify the welfare of the child or parent/carer the school will immediately notify CHILDREN’S SERVICES and/ or Community Police links. This is to ensure the welfare of the child absent is known about and raise an alarm to ensure their safety.

Holidays in Term Time

We can only rarely authorise holiday in term time. 

 

Fines for Parents/Carers regarding absences

The new National Framework about absence in schools has standardised the criteria for fines for parents/carers.

1. The school MUST consider a penalty notice when 10 sessions (there are 2 sessions in a school day) are missed for unauthorised reasons in a 10-week rolling period. This carries over from term to term and from school year to school year. Where this criteria is reached, a 'Notice to Improve' letter will be sent initially and parents contacted to highlight the concerns. 
2. Each penalty notice is a minimum of £80 per child, per parent/carer. If the penalty notice is not paid within the first 21 days, the notice increases to £160. Should there be a second fine, this will start at £160 per child, per parent. These fines are not able to be appealed. Failure to pay them can lead to the Local Authority taking parents to court. Should the parent be found guilty, this will be on their criminal record and will flag on any DBS checks. 
3. The school must collate evidence of engaging with parents/carers about sustained absences.
4. We are rarely able to authorise any holidays in term-time. Any parents/carers taking their children out of school unauthorised for a holiday will receive a fixed penalty notice. For our schools it is worth noting that we club together our INSET days to allow families to take their children on holidays outside of half term weeks and requests will not be authorised.

School trips

We ask parents/carers for a voluntary contribution to the cost of activities like school trips. Over half of our pupils now access free school meals and as such, we budget to support children to access trips and activities.  However, if it is not financially viable to run, we might have to cancel the planned activity.

Absence as a Result of High Anxiety

Children who aren't able to attend school may be due to extreme anxiety or phobia. This is sometimes known as 'school refusal'. The term 'school refusal' makes it seem like the child has a choice, however the anxiety is usually so severe it's impossible for them to face it.

• Why is my child refusing to go to school?
• What can I do to help?
• Who can support me?
• Independent organisations who can help

Why is my child refusing to go to school?

These anxieties can stem from a number of things such as:

• Mental health issues such as anxiety - in particular separation anxiety.
• Trauma
• Low self-esteem
• Bullying
• The environment itself
• Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

School refusal can happen at any stage, however mostly occurs when children start school or transition into secondary school.

What can I do to help?

There are plenty of options available to help you if you think your child might be experiencing school refusal.

Speak to Us At School

• Talk to a teacher or the mental health lead at school and work with them around the issue. It's important to maintain a good relationship with them during this time. They can help agree on things the school can do such as arranging flexible start times to avoid the morning rush.
• If you have concerns about bullying, speak to the school about their anti-bullying policy.
• Speak to your school and ask them to assess your child if you think there may be an unidentified SEND need causing the anxiety.
• You'll need to work with us to help your child - particularly with any support plans they put in place.

Find help online

• Healthy Young Minds in Herts have advice on what to do if you're worried as well as tips for talking to children and young people about their anxiety and mental health.
• The NHS list a number of mental health apps which you can try with your child at home. These can help them learn to cope with their anxiety in a more positive way.
• MindEd provides free educational resources for parents and carers who might be worried about the mental health of their child.
• Young Minds have a dedicated section for parents which includes a parent helpline as well as expert tips and advice.
• Family lives offer parenting and family support with a helpline and online forum.
• No Panic offers information and advice on children's anxieties, school phobia and treatment for overcoming school phobia.
• KOOTH offers free, safe and anonymous online mental health support and counselling for young people.
• Just Talk Herts is a campaign run by multiple agencies in Hertfordshire that is encouraging young people to talk about their mental health. They have lots of useful resources for young people and schools too.
• Families Feeling Safe - An organisation which teachers and protes Protective Behaviours
• Familyfund.org - Providing grants to families

Who can support me?

You should start by speaking to your GP. They might be able to refer you to services such as CAMHS or PALMS.

Mental health services

CAMHS (Child and adolescent mental health services) works with children and young people who have difficulties with their emotional wellbeing or mental health difficulties.

PALMS (Positive behaviour, Autism, Learning Disability and Mental health Service) helps children and young people aged 0-19 who have a learning disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Education Welfare Officers

Education Welfare Officers (EWO) meet with both parents and pupils in order to try and reduce unnecessary absence and remind parents of their legal responsibilities.

It's natural to be concerned if your case gets referred to an EWO, however they can work in partnership with you and the school. They can make suggestions like having you stay with your child until they've settled in class.

Attendance team

Schools will usually make a referral to the attendance team if attendance is below 90% and the majority of absences are unauthorised. However you can contact them for support too.

ESMA

The Education Support for Medical Absence (ESMA) team support pupils who have had, or are expecting to have, significant time off school due to a physical or mental health condition. Their aim is to help children continue their education around their needs and work towards getting them back into school life.

Educational psychologists

Educational Psychologists Provide support to schools to help them meet the needs of children and young people. This can be through both school wide advice or concerns about an individual. Although they work directly with schools and settings, they also have a contact line specifically for parents.

Independent organisations who can help

SENDIASS: Provide impartial and confidential information, advice and support to parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Not Fine in School: NFIS aims to support children and their families struggling with school attendance, and raise awareness of their experiences.

Health for kids: Hertfordshire based support and advice for parents, carers and kids from the NHS

Health for teens: Hertfordshire based support and advice for teens from the NHS

 

Telephone: 01582 626727

Email: admin@stlukes.herts.sch.uk

Arbor

Arbor is an online portal that allows parents to communicate with the school, give consent, make payments and keep all their details up to date.

Change of personal details ?

You can update all your details including changes of address, names and phone numbers through the Arbor App.

Letters Home:

All correspondence is now done via email through the Arbor App.

Payments

All payments including lunches, trips, can be made through the Arbor App.

Consent

There are times when we need to obtain your consent (for trips etc). This can all be done on the Arbor App

For more information about Arbor please contact the school.

Class Dojo

Class Dojo allows you to communicate with your child's teacher directly and enables the teacher to update you with some of the work your child is currently undertaking in class. It is available as an App through the usual channels.

Please note: Teachers are only available between the hours of 8am - 4pm Monday – Friday.

 

 

EHCP Annual Reviews are yearly meetings to discuss the progress of your child, their medical and social needs and to review the EHCP Outcomes.

At St Luke's School, this is organised by: Ms Lisa Williams

We arrange our EHCP Annual Reviews in a particular way:

Yr11	Yr10	Yr9	Yr8	Yr7	Yr6	Yr5	Yr4	Yr3	Yr2	Yr1	Yr R
Oct	Nov	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	May	Jun	Jun	n/a	n/a

 

Protecting Your Child in School

The internet and especially the World Wide Web, are essential parts of modern life which can enrich lives and empower children and families when used in a safe and secure environment. There are ever more ways to access this world using computers, tablets, phones, games consoles, TVs, watches... the list gets longer each year. With this access comes an element of risk, and a responsibility for adults to protect and educate children to use the technology safely.

At St Luke's we use INTERM IT connectivity, which filters and records access to unsafe sites.

Mobile Phones & SMART Watches: Not Accessible During the School Day

At St Luke's we understand that the majority of children will at some point own a mobile phone, some children also have a SMART watch that can access the internet.  Whilst we are more than happy for them to be used on the journey to and from school we have a policy of collecting devices as children arrive. They are then stored in a locked room until they are distributed at the end of the day. 

We do however allow children to use mobile phones and Smartwatches when accessing Travel Training.  Your child's class teacher will inform you when this forms part of the curriculum.

Information on Free School Meals from Hertfordshire Local Authority

If you do not meet the criteria for free school meals but need some support to buy food or pay household bills, help is available. Contact HertsHelp for advice and practical support – call 0300 123 4044, email info@hertshelp.net or visit www.hertshelp.net. You can also find further information around support at Hertfordshire County Council | Help to manage the cost of living

 our Home-School Agreement

Considering Pocket Money for Chores? 

Developing Children's understanding of money in a digital age - check out this app - Rooster Tracker

If your child has a medical condition that requires them to have medication during the school day there is a procedure in place that enables this to happen.

Before any medicine can be given, parents/carers need to complete the Prescribed Medicine Consent Form which can be downloaded, below.

Once the form is returned parents/carers will be contacted to discuss the arrangements that will be put in place for the medicine to be given to your child.

Medicines must be sent in to school in the original package from the chemist, with your child’s name, amount and method of dosage clearly visible.    

Medicines cannot be brought in to school by pupils. An adult, parent/carer or Passenger Transport Assistant (PTA) escort must bring all medicines into school and hand them to the person on Transport Duty.

If your child has a short term condition that requires, for example, antibiotics to be given during the school day, the medicine should be brought in to school with a completed form.  If you cannot print a form for the first day, a covering letter can be sent with the medicine, but a form will need to be completed for any further days.

Please contact Reception if you have any questions about these arrangements.  

Our policies for Supporting Children with Medical needs and dispensing medication are found on our Policies Page

Music can soothe, excite, stimulate or calm.  It can satisfy creativity through composition and performance. It can enrich the understanding of other nations through the study of cultural variety of music styles and instruments.

In addition, music brings together intellect and feeling and enables personal expression, reflection and emotional development allowing children to develop creativity at their own pace.

We are fortunate to be able to offer music lessons through the Hertfordshire Music Service. They offer lessons in keyboard, drums, guitar, singing and ukulele. 

Depending on your child's circumstances, you may be entitled to funding by the local authority. 

If you would like your child to learn an instrument please contact us. There is currently a waiting list.

Friends Of St Luke's (FoSL)

Our PTA is a great way of getting to know other families and staff whilst making a real contribution to the quality of school life for all.

Whilst fundraising is a significant part of the objectives for the 'Friends of' it provides a great way to build the whole school community, including links with wider society all of which benefits the school and offers a positive influence within the local area.

If you would like to be more active in the life of your child’s school please get in touch by emailing fundraising@bluetangerine.herts.sch.uk

 

• Arrival and Registration: 8.45am-9am
• Break: 15 mins 10.45-11am
• Lower School Lunch: 30 mins 12.00 - 12.30pm
• Middle and Upper School Lunch: 45 mins 12.30-1.15pm
• Transport: 2.45pm-3pm 

Signposting Guide for Other Support Services for Children and Young People

Payments for school dinners, clubs, trips etc can be made via Arbor. You can top up your childs school dinner balance and also give your consent for trips etc. Simply download the Arbor app on your phone or device or access it through any laptop or desktop.

Why a uniform?

Our school uniform exists to support the ethos of the school and help parents and children with regard to differentiating between school and out of school clothing.  Our pupils tell us they like having a uniform.  There are choices and optional aspects with the uniform that we have found can support individual children and families, such as a child's clothing preferences and costs.

Non-gender bias uniform

Our school uniform is non-gender bias, meaning boys and girls can wear any aspect of the uniform identified below, such as dresses, skirts or trousers.

Where to buy

Most items can be purchased from supermarkets and general suppliers of clothing and shoes.  Branded clothing can be obtained from Peter Spivey (see below).

Our school uniform supplier is :

Peter Spivey

71 The Marlowes

Hemel Hempstead  HP1 1LF

01442 256760

To visit their website click Peter Spivey

'Non-Uniform' Guidance

On occasions, students in school are allowed to wear clothes other than the school uniform. This may include ‘mufti’ days to raise money and awareness for charities, or as a form reward; or when on school trips.

Whilst this allows students the opportunity to express themselves as individuals, it must be done so appropriately. It is particularly important that any student dress on these occasions recognises that the school is still a working environment, and further that student dress does not cause embarrassment to staff, students and other members of the school community.

When not in uniform, therefore, students are to adhere to the following:

In doing so, the following guidelines are to be adhered to:

• Shorts, skirts and dresses, if worn, should be of at least mid-thigh length;
• Leggings, if worn, must also be worn with a skirt, dress or other top, of at least mid-thigh length.

The following items are prohibited:

• See-through clothing, for example see-through blouses;
• Strapless or ‘string-strapped’ tops;
• No cropped tops
• Clothing which is revealing; for example, exposing bare midriffs;
• Baseball caps;
• Clothing which reveals underwear;
• Flip-flops or backless footwear, due to health and safety issues;
• Clothing with offensive logos.

It is recognised that this dress code will not cover all issues that may arise. Students may seek to wear, for example, items which have not been covered by the above guidelines, but which are against the tenor of the dress code. In such a case, or given any issue of dispute, the final arbiter is the Head of School or other senior member of staff.

All students are expected to arrive at school wearing clothing in accordance with this dress code. Should they not do so, then they will be sent home to change by the Head of School or other senior member of staff. Any student unable to go home to do this will work in isolation for the day.

Please label all items of clothing.  Lost, named uniform will be returned.  Un-named uniform is provided as second hand uniform for pupils in need.
	Lower School	Middle School	Upper School
Head	Long hair tied back No make-up, jewellery or nail polish	Long hair tied back No make-up, jewellery or nail polish	Long hair tied back No make-up, jewellery or nail polish
Body	Navy Sweat-top with St Luke's Logo or, Sweat Cardigan with St Luke's Logo Royal Blue Polo shirt (St Luke's logo or no logo) Blue check school dress	Navy Sweat-top with St Luke's Logo or, Sweat Cardigan with St Luke's Logo Royal Blue Polo shirt (St Luke's logo or no logo) Blue check school dress	Navy Sweat-top with St Luke's Logo or, Sweat Cardigan with St Luke's Logo Royal blue Polo shirt (St Luke's logo or no logo) Grey or navy school dress
Legs	Black, grey trousers Black, grey pleated skirt Black, grey tracksuit bottoms (without patterns, stripes or logos)	Black, grey trousers Black, grey pleated skirt Black, grey tracksuit bottoms (without patterns, stripes or logos)	Black, grey trousers Black, grey pleated skirt Black, grey tracksuit bottoms (without patterns, stripes or logos)
Feet	Black low heeled shoes or Black trainers	Black low heeled shoes or   Black trainers	Black low heeled shoes or   Black trainers
PE Kit	Royal PE shirt (St Luke's logo or no logo) Navy or black PE shorts Change of socks Trainers for use in the gym and outside Black, grey or navy tracksuit (bottoms for when cold) Swimming costume (girls – one piece costumes only) Towel	Royal Blue PE shirt (St Luke's logo or no logo) Navy or black PE shorts Change of socks Trainers for use in the gym and outside Black, grey or navy tracksuit (bottoms for when cold)	Royal blue PE shirt (St Luke's logo or no logo) Navy or black PE shorts Change of socks Trainers for use in the gym and outside Black, grey or navy tracksuit (bottoms for when cold)
Optional Extras	St Luke's Fleece (St Luke's logo or no logo) St Luke's Showerproof coat (St Luke's logo or no logo) Swimming cap	St Luke's Fleece (St Luke's logo or no logo) St Luke's Showerproof coat(St Luke's logo or no logo) Swimming Cap	St Luke's Fleece (St Luke's logo or no logo) St Luke's Showerproof coat(St Luke's logo or no logo) Swimming Cap

 

A visual guide to our uniform