Parent's Meetings & Communications
Parent Hub
At AYJS, we use the Parent Hub app to communicate with our parents and carers. Parent Hub is a messaging system that ensures that all school letters and updates are delivered to our parents and carers via the app, email and when needed, text. A copy of all letters sent out on Parent Hub are also uploaded to our website. We strongly recommend that all parents/carers download the app.
Please see the document below for download instructions. Please contact the school via the school office if you need any assistance.
Website
A copy of all school letters sent out each week can be found on our website here.
Paper Copies
We are working towards a paperless office but there are times when we do need to send out paper copies of a letter. These will be sent home with your child in their book bags.
Online Safety
The National Curriculum states that we are to ‘ensure that pupils become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.’
One strand of the KS2 computing curriculum is for children to ‘use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly; recognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviour; identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.’ This builds on the KS1 strand to ‘use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private; identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.’
It can be difficult for adults and parents to keep up with the increasingly advancing changes of technology and so can cause worry.
Below is a collection of guides we believe to be suitable for our parents as we are aware that there are some children in school using these social media platforms and online games.
Online Safety Presentation for Parent Forum
- YouTube Parents Guide
- Fortnite Parents Guide
- Instagram Parents Guide
- Roblox Parents Guide
- Minecraft Parents Guide
- Snapchat Parents Guide
- TikTok Parents Guide
- Twitch Parents Guide
- WhatsApp Parents Guide
- Screen Addition Parents Guide
- Age Ratings Zoom – NPCC Secure Zoom
- Age Appropriate Content
- 10 Ways You Can Share Kindness Online
- Online Safety Presentation for Parent Forum – Feb 2022
Below are links to useful websites for parents about Internet safety and Setting up parental control on devices.
Uniform
Our school uniform is smart and practical. On PE days, or days where children attend a sports club, children will come to school dressed in their PE Kit. All items should be clearly named so that if found, an item can be returned to its owner. We would be grateful that parents check name labels periodically.
Please see the Policies section of our website for the full School Uniform Policy.
School Uniform
- Purple sweatshirt/cardigan/white polo shirt*
- Black school trousers/black school tailored shorts/black school skirt
- Purple gingham dress (Summer)
*these items can bear the school logo and can be purchased from Emblazon
PE Kit
- White T-shirt
- Black shorts/black jogging trousers
- Black sweatshirt (not a hoodie)
Footwear and Equipment
- Training shoes appropriate for sport
- School Bag
- Rucksack
- Pencil case – small enough to fit in a drawer
Earrings, fashion items, jewellery and hair
The wearing of jewellery is not encouraged in school for health and safety reasons.
- Earrings should be plain studs only and removed for PE lessons.
- Watches and fitness trackers (no smart watches) can be worn but must be removed in PE lessons.
- Coloured nail varnish and ‘body transfers’ should not be worn in school.
- Hair should be tied back where there may be a safety risk i.e. PE, Design and Technology, Science
Please see the Uniform Policy on the website for more information.
Uniform Provider – Emblazon
Our school uniform is available to purchase all year round from Emblazon through the shop or https://www.emblazon.biz
School Day
Arriving at School
We actively encourage children to walk or cycle to school. Alternatively, there is a Park & Stride Scheme. Children are not permitted to enter the school via the car park under any circumstances.
Timetable
In a normal school week, the school day is timetabled in the following way:
8.45amClassroom doors open| 8.35am | Gates open and children arrive at school |
| 8.50am | Registration (closes at 9.00am) |
| 9.00am – 9.15am | Worship |
| 9:15am – 10:15am | Lesson 1 |
| 10:15am – 10:30am | Break |
| 10.30am – 11.30am | Lesson 2 |
| 11.30am – 12 noon | Lesson 3 |
| 12 noon | Lunchtime |
| 1.00pm | Start of afternoon school |
| 3.10pm | Gates open – (Y3/4) 3.10pm (Y5 and Y6) 3.15pm (Parents onto the Playground) |
| 3.20pm | School ends |
If a child arrives after the register has closed, a late mark will be given. Please see the Attendance Policy on the Policies section of our website for more information.
Lunch Menu
Lunchtime is from 12 noon until 1.00pm. Children may either have a school dinner, bring a packed lunch, or go home for lunch. The overwhelming majority of children have a school lunch. School dinners are freshly prepared and cooked on the premises and are healthy and appetizing. Pupils have a choice of a vegetarian option each day. School dinners should be paid for in advance using ParentPay.
Packed lunches should be sent in an appropriate container. The food should be such that your child can manage to eat it himself/herself at lunchtime. Water will be provided. Children are encouraged to finish their lunch. Fizzy drinks, canned drinks, glass bottles and flasks must not be brought to school.
Our aim is for the school to be a ‘NUT FREE ZONE’ as we have a number of children and staff who are allergic to nuts. We ask parents not to send anything containing nuts to school in packed lunches. In addition, for children who have school dinners, while all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure all products supplied by our caterers are free from nuts, we cannot guarantee this to be the case as products may be subject to external influences which cannot be controlled.
A team of Midday Supervisory Assistants look after the children in the dining room and on the playground during the lunchtime break. The Headteacher and senior teaching staff retain overall control of the arrangements.
Catering Provision – NYES Catering
Meals will be provided by NYES Catering who are a specialist catering provider within the education sector. Meal prices are £3.40 for a pupil meal.
Please see the Autumn Term menu below. Please note that in addition to the main meal options on the menu children also have the daily option of a jacket potato, panini or a pasta pot.
If your child requires a special diet or has an allergy, please contact the school office and we will send you a Special Diet/Allergy (SD1) form to complete. Alternatively, please find the SD1 form below. This form should be returned to the school office, accompanied by a copy of the signed referral letter from a medical professional.
Payments
We use an Online Income Collection system called ParentPay to collect dinner monies, trips and activities. This is of huge benefit to both you and the school as we move towards a cashless office.
The school will provide you with account activation details but should you need any further assistance please feel free to contact us via the school office. For more information about ParentPay, please visit ParentPay.
Medication
Please read the document ‘Medicines in Schools – A Parent Guide’ below. Children are not allowed to carry their own medication. Should your child need to be given medicine by staff, please complete ‘Form 3: Parent/Carer Agreement for School to Administer Medicine‘ and hand the form and the medicine in to the School Office. Should your child need to carry his/her medicine during the school day (eg an inhaler) please complete a ‘Form 7: Managing Medicines in School‘ and hand this in to the School Office. All forms are also available from the School Office.
School Clubs
Extra Curricular Information
Spring Term 2023 – Club Letters
Years: Year 4, 5 and 6
Times: Monday, 15:20 – 16:20
Art Club takes place after-school on Monday afternoons. It is open to children from Years 4, 5 and 6 and there are 20 spaces available. The club is run by freelance illustrator Lucy Monkman: www.lucymonkman.com. Each term the children look at different ways of working and they explore different areas of art. The work of one particular artist or art movement is also usually explored each term. All the materials are provided.
Years: All
Times: Thursdays, During School Hours
Cost: Free
Wednesday Singers is open to everyone and offers the chance to come together as a singing ensemble to explore expression and creativity through song to lift the heart, enrich the soul – and have fun doing it! We will explore a diverse range of songs and explore singing for learning to create musical memory pathways across the curriculum; improve mental alertness; boost energy; and build confidence and teamwork. To hear singing again in school will be wonderful!
Years: Year 5 / Year 6 (Not all year)
Times: Thursday, 15.20 – 16.20 pm
Cost: Free
Code club is run by an Anne Carlill, an outside provider, and supported by Mrs Clarke. Children will have the chance to use coding to create games, animations and much more using Scratch. The children can progress through beginners and intermediate levels in programming and coding. Limited to 10 places
Years: All Years
Times: Tuesday, 15.20 – 16.20
Cost: £5.00 per session
Musical Theatre with Let’s Dance at AYJS
Jennifer Smith RAD RTS
Jennifer Smith is a professionally trained dancer with teaching qualifications in Ballet, Tap and Modern ISTD. For the past two years she has been training with the Royal Academy of Dance and is now a qualified Royal Academy of Dance Ballet teacher in association with the Royal Ballet.
“I am delighted to be starting a Musical Theatre club at AYJS. I want to pass on as much knowledge as I can in Musical Theatre. Each class will start with an appropriate warm up and then we will work on developing technique. The students will learn choreography and work towards a final performance.”
Years: Year 6
Times: Monday, 15.20 – 16.20
Cost: Free
Drama club is led by Mrs Carrington. Children develop their dramatic skills in lots of fun ways and have the opportunity to work towards taking part in a production during the year.
Years: Mixed Group
-Year 5 & 6 Spring Term 1
-Year 3 & 4 Spring Term 2
Times: Wednesday, 15:20 – 16:20
Cost: £4.00 per session
York City FC Foundation offers after school clubs that are fun, inclusive and enjoyable. Based around football activities & challenges children will have the chance to develop their agility, balance, co-ordination and teamwork skills with YCFC Foundation coaches. The ASC will also include small sided matches where the children can show the coaches what they have been learning and practicing each week. This club is open to all abilities and skill levels.
Years: All
Times: Monday Lunchtime 12:00 to 12:45 (From September to end of October, then February to July)
Limited to 15 children
We have nine raised beds in the school grounds, a shed for keeping tools etc and are surrounded by apple trees. The children help keep the said beds in tip top condition – weeding, digging and planting and caring for crops. We plant broad beans, swiss chard and red onions which we grow over winter, ready for Spring. In Spring, we also grow carrots, potatoes, peas, runner beans, a salad crop ie leaves or lettuce, beetroot and cabbage. Once their crops have come to fruition the children take the produce home.
Donations of seeds full or part packets are most welcome. If you are a parent/carer and would like to help, please contact the office team on 01904 551630.
The Gardening teamVina, John and Judith.
Years: All – Some musical experience required
Times: Monday, Lunchtime 12:30 – 13:00 pm
Cost: Free
The Guitar group is open to all guitarists of grade 1 standard and above. It will take place on Monday lunchtime and will play music arranged by myself for the players available. The music will cover a wide range of styles from modern pop music to Bach Chorales and everything in between. We will of course be learning carols at Christmas and trying to find opportunities to play in public.
Years: All
Times: Friday, Lunchtime 12:30 – 13:00 pm
Cost: Free
Jam club offers the opportunity to explore Christian faith in a fun way. We learn about Bible heroes and great stories and how these can help us and support us to lead our lives. We play games, do crafts and quizzes, enjoy singing and listening to worship songs and music, pray together and have a great time! We will be meeting in the Reflection area whenever we can so we can enjoy this lovely outdoor space . When it is chilly or wet we will meet in the hall. We are hoping that lots of children will come and join in every Friday. We will have a special welcome for new year 3 children.
Years: All
Times: Mondays – 8:00-8.45am – All Years
Shooting Stars Netball Club is returning to AYJS this term with Head Coach and York Puma’s Goal Defence star player Faye Orton leading the sessions! Come and train with us before school starts! We even have a team kit you can purchase to train in!
Learn how to pass and receive the ball correctly, how to play each position effectively, how to work as a team to achieve your goals while stopping the opposition scoring, and how to move effectively off the ball so you can always be relied upon to be there for your teammates!
We provide bibs and balls, but please ensure your children bring a drink along! Open to boys and girls, we KNOW you will absolutely love the competitive element that Netball club brings, while our sessions also cater for complete beginners, who can feel a part of a new team which might stay together throughout their time at AYJS and also at secondary school as your children move up together! Netball really is a ‘game for life’
Times: Thursday 3.20pm – 4.20pm
Cost: £3.50 per session
York City Knights After School Rugby Club will be running a Rugby Club at AYJS. This Club is an introduction into Primary Rugby League for mixed abilities for both boys and girls. Each week is themed and will help to develop movement skills centered around a specific technique, for example how to correctly hold a Rugby ball. The skills will help children to develop their confidence and ability to play the game. Please note all sessions will be non-contact based. Limited places and will be given on a first come first served basis.
Years: All
Times: Tuesday: 08:00 – 08:45 – Year 3
Thursday: 08:00 – 08:45 – Year 4
Friday: 08:00 – 08:45 – Years 5 & 6
Cost: £5/week
ABC Tennis will be back in school this Autumn Term led by York’s Head Coaches Ben Orton and Rob Hodge, delivering before school tennis clubs designed to improve your children’s agility, balance, coordination, and racquet skills in readiness to become brilliant tennis stars of the future! Our sessions are fun and engaging and suitable for all levels and abilities. We provide all the equipment, but please bring your child’s own tennis racquet and refreshments if you so wish!
Expect to learn how to play all the strokes; how to score and compete; what we mean by the ‘spirit of the game’ and how before we win, we must first lose (lots!) to improve! Come with your friends for an invigorating, energy-packed session where games and scenario-based tennis are at the heart of each lesson! With discounted places on all 2021/2022 ABC-Tennis holiday camps on offer for attendees, there is plenty of tennis on offer! We can’t wait to see you there! Session cost: £5/week: paid termly upfront via BACS transfer
We have a group of peripatetic music teachers that come into our school and give lessons to our chidren. For further information and contact details please see our Music Teachers page.
Music Teachers
Brass and Woodwind teacher.
Instrumental tuition is through Music in Schools (York) and they charge a small fee. For more information please see the booklet below or visit the website.
Mr Marcus Bousfield
Marcus Bousfield offers Guitar and Violin lessons during school hours on Mondays.
Marcus studied Violin with Haroutune Bedelian at Chethams school of Music in Manchester and with Erika Klemperer at the Guildhall School of Music in London. He studied Guitar with Fred T. Baker at the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music.
He has worked as a freelance musician in both this country and abroad travelling as far afield as South Africa. He has been an instrumental teacher in York for the past 16 years and plays with several ensembles and orchestras including the English National Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with renowned international artists, including soprano Angel Blue and tenor Alfie Boe.
He has written and recorded string parts for groups including Ben Bruce (Asking Alexandria) and Shed Seven. His quartet performed for the Queen on her recent visit to York and has appeared on BBC Television and Radio.
His previous pupils have gone on to become professional musicians in both teaching, performing and record producing.
Marcus holds an Associate of Trinity College London and is working towards a fellowship.
He is listed on the City of York Council’s Approved Teachers Register.
Mr Andy Jennings
Andy Jennings runs our Drumming lessons which are held on a Friday during school hours.
Since graduating from the University of Salford in 2004, Andy has worked as a professional/semi-professional musician and as a peripatetic drum tutor. He has been fortunate enough to have toured central Europe extensively and to have played as far afield as America, Canada and Mexico. Andy has played in venues from Murrayfield to Shepherds Bush Empire to Reading & Leeds Festivals, supporting artists such as Bryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Paulo Nutini and Elbow along the way.
Lessons are designed to focus on what the individual needs and can cover a wide range of musical genres; from rock bands to orchestras and everything in between. From beginners to advanced, Andy tutors players of all ages at a pace to suit the individual.
Further information can be found at
or you can contact Andy directly on
- 07527 048676
- andy@yorkdrumteacher.co.uk
Forms and Links
Useful Forms
- Request for Leave of Absence Form
- Medical and Dental Appointments Notification
- Form 3 – Parent Carer agreement for school to administer medicine
- SD1 Special Diet Request Form (NYCC)
- Form 7 – Request for child to carry their medicine during the school day
- Year 6 Permission to Cycle to School Form
Useful Links
Fundraising
As a school we raise funds for lots of different charities through the year.
FBJS (our friends organisation) raise money for the school every term. In the past this has been through cycle rides, discos, fairs and barbecues. We often raise funds for special charities especially at the carol singing evening at Christmas and also at Harvest Festival or when visitors come into assembly.
We are always looking for new books to add our our library, The Burrow. Please see our wishlist.
Occasionally the school needs help for special things such as stock for the new library or kit for sports teams – if you would like to consider sponsorship please get in touch with via the via the school office.
Pupil Premium/FSM
Pupil Premium and registering for free school meals
Some of the funding schools receive, called Pupil Premium, is based on the number of children who qualify for:
- Ever 6 free school meals (pupils recorded as eligible for free school meals at the time of the October census, or at any point in the previous 6 years)
- Children adopted from care or who have left care
- Looked-after children
- Ever 6 service children (Service children who have a parent who services in the HM Forces)
We use this money to employ and train additional staff to support children in the development of their learning and social skills. This helps children to maximize their potential. Part of the core funding schools receive is also determined by the number of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals. More details about how much the school spends pupil premium can be found on our website.
Should you qualify it will therefore be advantageous to your child / children and the School. If you are eligible but decide for your child / children not to have the meals, they and the school would still benefit from the extra funding. It may be that your circumstances change during the time your child is at the school and you may become eligible for Free School Meals.
You may be entitled to register your child / children for Free School Meals if you receive any one of these benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit combined with both a household income below £16,190 per annum and are not entitled to Working Tax Credit, or
- Universal Credit
If you think you qualify, you can apply for free school meals via the City of York Council’s Parent Portal using your existing account. Alternatively, a form is available from the school office or by contacting the City of York Council’s Schools Services Team on 01904 551554 or via e-mail at education@york.gov.uk.
If you are no longer in receipt of Working Tax Credit and your circumstances have changed or are about to change you would need to contact the helpline to obtain new proofs on 0345 300 3900. If you are in receipt of income based Jobseeker’s Allowance you would need to contact them to obtain a letter stating the start date of your benefit. Further information can be obtained in confidence from the School Office or from School Services at City of York Council on 01904 551554.
Holiday Clubs
Information Coming Soon
Family Courses for Parents
Family Matters York
Family Matters York is a charity working to strengthen relationships and build confidence within families.
For visit the Family Matters York website please click here
Learning at Home and Remote Learning
We want to support any of our pupils who become ill and in need of a long period of time off school. In this instance we would liaise with parents to support home learning.
Please find links below to websites which you may find useful should you need them. Most can be accessed free but may require you to create a log in.
We use a number of online platforms to enrich learning for our children, some of which they may be able to access from home. Click on the icons to log in!
The following resources can be used, if you and your child would like, to support further independent learning at home.
The BBC
BBC Bitesize – created in collaboration with teachers and educational experts, its videos and interactive activities cover core subjects and other topics on the school curriculum.
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy was created during Covid lockdowns by teachers from schools across England in response to school closures, and continues to provide resources to support pupils with their learning.
NATRE (National Association of Teacher of Religious Education)
NATRE have put together some free resources to support and extend learning about Religious Education.
Online Safety
See our collection of useful guides and links on our Online Safety page. Please also see the CEOP website for information about how parents and carers can help to keep their families safe online.