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  Supporting our PTA. This is a great way to help the school. Every parent and carer is automatically a member of the PTA, and is invited to all events. We do rely on volunteers to help plan, organise and/or run these events, and many hands make light work. We have PTA meetings each term, and when more people attend, we have more ideas for fun events, and everyone has less work to do! One of the benefits of getting involved in  the PTA is the social opportunities it presents, as it has allowed for some very good friendships to be built between parents. Find out more about the PTA here.

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  Helping out in class: We are very pleased when parents volunteer to help out in class. Mr Daivs and Mr Huseyin and our Year Group Leader, organises this. Experience has taught us that it is not always a good idea for parents to help out in their own child’s class, as it can be very distracting for that child, and so we ask you to help elsewhere in the school. All parent helpers do have to be DBS checked.

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  Volunteering to help out with trips and visits

Small sweetie gifts are acceptable which children should ask parents permission, at home time, before consuming.  Although during the pandemic we are not allowing sweets to be bought into school. Please remember we are a 'No Nuts' School, due to allergy considerations.

At Danegrove, we are keen to foster a friendly but professional relationship with our families. To this end, we would prefer to be addressed in the more formal way, e.g. Mr Huseyin, Mr Davis.

We encourage the children to wear as little jewellery as possible. We do not want to run the risk of items being lost during the day, as this will cause extra work, and possible upset. Some, items are, however, allowed, as long as the following conditions are met:

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  Earrings must be plain studs.

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  Items of a religious nature, such as a Star of David or the 5 Ks, must be hidden under the child’s clothing, and must be removed for P.E. lessons.

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  Watches are allowed in school, although they should be cheap, and of no sentimental value as they may get lost or broken.

Although we are great fans of dogs at Danegrove, and think it is a good idea for children to care for and learn about pets, it is not practical to allow them in the playground, as if each family had a dog, and decided to walk them into school, we could have well over 400 dogs crowding the playground!
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Also, although the vast majority of dogs are placid and loving, a small number can be aggressive and occasionally dangerous, and it is for this reason that we must ask you not to bring them into the school grounds, as it would be unfair to have a rule that discriminated against certain families simply because of the breed of dog they own.

The car park at the front of the school on Ridgeway Avenue is for the sole use of staff and visitors to the school, unless agreed with the head teacher. Parent parking would not be fair, as we cannot offer it to all families.

We expect all visitors to the site to report immediately to the office area to sign in to the visitor book. A member of staff will take children to, or fetch them from, their classroom if they are being brought into school late, or picked up early.

We are keen that any problems between pupils are dealt with quickly and effectively by the school. We do not think it is appropriate for parents to approach another child to tell them off, or question them, for something that has happened in school. From any child’s point of view, this can be distressing and intimidating and it can also often make matters worse.
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If there is a problem, your first point of contact should always be the class teacher. They will most often be able to reassure you that the problem was dealt with appropriately. If you wish to discuss the matter further, you can also come to the office to speak to one of the office staff. Mr Davis or Mr Huseyin would be approachable at the Friday Surgery sessions at 9 a.m.

We ask that you do not allow your child to play on the equipment before the start of school or at the end of the day.  We have strict rules and expectations for the use of the equipment during playtimes and lunchtimes and it would not be possible to enforce these rules outside of these times. The school takes no responsibility for unauthorised use of the equipment.  The school insurance policy does not cover any accidents that may occur in such situations.

We are very strict about what bags and other items can come into school. We only want the children to bring the bags listed below to school:

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  P.E. Bags: These are navy drawstring bags. P.E. Kits are only worn two or three times in a normal week, and so don’t need to be washed all the time. As we have a lot of children who forget to bring them back into school, we recommend they are taken home at the end of every half term, and brought back at the beginning of the next. If you wish to wash them more regularly than this, they must be returned to school for the next day.

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  Reading Folders: Every child should have one of our school reading folders. These will be used to transport reading books, homework and letters to and from school. Even though your child only reads to their teacher once every week, they will need to bring these folders to school every day, as they will still read at other times.

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  School Rucksacks: Rucksacks may be used to transport all school items.

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  In addition, the children will need a coat appropriate to the time of year, and if they have packed lunches they will need to bring their named lunch box every day, if applicable.

Pencil cases: We already supply the children with all the writing and drawing equipment they need in school. Pencil cases are not normally necessary.