Communication

How do I communicate with the school effectively?
When to contact the office
Please email office@greville.surrey.sch.uk with any information about your child’s appointments or pick-up arrangements. The office will update attendance records and inform the class teacher, as teachers cannot check emails during the school day.
When to contact the class teacher
Email or speak to your child’s teacher for learning-related questions. For detailed matters, arrange a call or meeting. Emails are acknowledged within 48 hours and fully answered within 5 working days.
Communication before school
Teachers welcome children from 8:45 and provide morning activities. Please contact them at the end of the day, rather than in the morning. Teachers are unavailable on Wednesdays for training.
Please be considerate in your emails. While we teach during the day, we are human and always act in your child’s best interests.
Gathering information from parents/carers
On enrolment to the school, parents/carers provide the following information for each child:

The names and full addresses of parents/carers (including confirmation of parental responsibility or private fostering arrangements and any relevant paperwork)
Work/mobile/home phone numbers and email addresses where appropriate
Two authorised adult contacts who may be called in the event of the parents/carers being unobtainable or in the case of an emergency
Information about any person who has been denied legal access to the child (with copies of any relevant legal documents). The school will use a secure system to store this information

What are the dropping off and picking up procedures before and after school?
Children travelling to and from school without supervision

There is no legal minimum age for children to travel to school alone. At The Greville, children in Year 4 and below should be accompanied by an adult or older sibling. If this isn’t possible, the school will discuss arrangements with the parent/carer to ensure the child’s safety.

What happens with late pick-ups or if no one turns up?

In the event of lateness for collection the school will:

Contact the parent/ carer
Call emergency contacts if parents/carers cannot be reached so an authorised adult can come and collect the child
Keep records of late collections

If parents/carers have authorised someone else to collect the child, and he/she is late, the school will inform the parent/carer.

Persistent lateness might indicate that a parent is struggling to meet the child’s needs. The school will contact the parent/carer outlining its concerns. This will be recorded as a safeguarding concern using the school’s safeguarding procedures. If the school has an ongoing concern about a child’s welfare, it may make a referral to children’s social care so that the family can receive support.

What happens if a parent/carer cannot pick up?

If someone other than the usual parent/carer is collecting a child, the school must be notified in advance. ID or a password may be required. If no one collects the child, the school will contact parents/carers or authorised contacts. After 5:30 pm, children’s social care will be informed. Until collection, the child will remain in staff care.

The relevant safeguarding lead will make a written report of the incident and this will be added to the child’s safeguarding records. If appropriate, it will also be shared with children’s social care.

What happens if someone else comes to collect a child?

Children must not be released to anyone unauthorised without parent/carer permission. If a child’s social worker is collecting them, this must be agreed with the parents/carers. If an unauthorised person arrives, the school will contact the legal guardian and will not release the child without their permission.