Safety/Parking: Please take care when dropping off and collecting your child from school – the safety of the children is our number one concern and we ask for your complete awareness when crossing the road, getting in and out of the car (pavement side only) and when walking along the road. Please always park safely and to be mindful not to block the entrance/driveway to any of our neighbours’ houses/flats or restrict access to other roads by parking on corners – such an obstruction is dangerous, and causes upset among our neighbours.

Active and Healthy Travel: As a school we encourage active travel and promote getting to and from school in a way that is healthy and safe for ourselves and our environment. We are thrilled that so many children are walking, scooting and cycling to school – there are plenty of bike racks under the conservatory by the big chess, and space for scooters by the ramp that goes up into the playground. We are of course mindful that scooting, cycling and/or walking to school is not always possible for all our families, and that nor is public transport always a possibility. For those who have no alternative but to travel by car; we suggest ‘park and stride’ where parents/carers consider parking in a Controlled Parking Zone, or in an appropriate spot away from the school, and walking the rest of the way where possible. Car sharing with local families is another good alternative. We are proud of our TFL STARS gold accreditation, meaning we are ‘among the top 10% of London schools, setting high standards to inspire others to transform travel habits, fully engage the wider community to promote best practices, and see a measurable reduction in the number of journeys made by car every day’, and we appreciate parent support in helping us maintain this award.

Lunch: Merlin provides a delicious, healthy cooked lunch from Monday-Thursday and the menu is sent home in our Friday email each week. Parents are encouraged to speak enthusiastically about the delicious food they would like their children to try at school. The encouragement and support at home is key to making progress, where needed, in school. The school will provide variations on the planned menu where possible. Individual menu options are not possible due to the high number of children we have with allergies/dietary requirements.

Snacks: As you know, we promote healthy eating at Merlin – please provide your child with a daily healthy snack of fruit and/or vegetables only (no cheese sticks, hummus etc). Examples of healthy daily snacks include apple, celery, carrots, pepper, orange, blueberries etc.  On Fridays, due to the later lunchtime, the Upper School children are permitted to bring a savoury snack e.g. rice cakes, oat cakes, crackers or breadsticks, in addition to their fruit snack. Lower School children can bring a savoury snack on Fridays only. We do not permit sugary snacks including cereal bars or fruit bars, nor chocolate or crisps and would really appreciate your support in this. Please do name your child’s snack box/any container used to hold their snack.

Birthdays/Bake Sales: Children will be able to bring in cakes for their birthday and we will of course continue to hold the half termly Bun and Biscuit sales for charity. Please remember to ensure there are NO NUTS in any products brought into school.

*NO NUTS OR NUT PRODUCTS OF ANY SORT ARE TO BE BROUGHT INTO SCHOOL – THIS MUST INCLUDE BIRTHDAY CAKE*

• If your child has an ongoing medical need the School Office must be informed and any relevant medication must be given to the school with full instructions.
• If your child needs to receive prescribed medication during school hours, you will be asked to complete a form giving authorisation for the medication to be administered by a member of staff.
• The School Secretary will contact the parents if a child becomes unwell at school and feels that the child should be taken home.
• The school administers basic first aid and should your child be injured during the day this will be recorded with a copy of any treatment given. This slip will be sent home at the end of the school day with your child – it is often sellotaped to their school jumper or it will be given to the adult collecting them at pick-up.
• Parents often ask if we can administer a dose of Calpol or similar medication when their child is feeling a little under the weather; unfortunately, it is illegal for us to do this. In instances such as these please consider if your child is well enough to attend school.
• On sunny days in the Summer Term please apply sun cream to your child before they come to school as we are not permitted to do this. There is plenty of shade available on the playground.

Please send your child to school with a full re-usable water bottle each day – this can of course be refilled during the day and, as well as at lunchtime, water is available from the water fountains in the playground.

Please note that dogs are only allowed on the school premises if they are kept on a very short lead and supervised by adults only. Dogs must never be left unsupervised and we please ask that parents are vigilant about dogs around young children.

Please can all parents or carers ensure that they sign in and out of the visitor’s book in the main office when visiting school during school hours.

If parents do not wish their children to be photographed or filmed by the school, or if they wish for these images not to be shared, this view can be expressed in our Photo Consent Form and parents reserve the right to amend this at any point.

It is Merlin policy that any photos/videos of Merlin children taken by parents/carers during school time, for example during assemblies/performances or on school trips, must not be uploaded or shared on any public social media platform.

Please keep the school updated as to parent contact information including phone numbers, home addresses and email addresses, as well as emergency contact details.

As a school we do not give out contact information/personal details to other parents, without the permission of parents. Parents consent to this when they sign the Pupil Information Form at the beginning of every academic year.

Sickness: If a child is sent home/off school with either vomiting or diarrhoea the school advice, in line with current NHS guidelines, is for the sick child to stay at home for 48 hours before returning to school.  If a child is well enough to be in school they should be deemed well enough to take part in all school activities that day including Games and PE.  The school does not support the practice of allowing parents to collect children at lunchtime to avoid Games sessions, unless a Doctor’s note or advice has been provided.  If children are collected without a Doctor’s note such time taken out of school will be marked as an unauthorised absence. 

Absences: Absences during term time are not encouraged. In exceptional circumstances, please request any absences from school providing plenty of notice from Miss McConville (via secretary@merlinschool.net).

The children should be dropped off between 8.30am – 8.50am, as near to 8.30am as possible for the older children. School ends at 3.30pm (12.30pm on Friday) and if you have any difficulty collecting the children on time please telephone the school office.

Please ensure that the school is notified of any changes at home time before the end of the day either in writing to the school either via email, a note in the Yellow Reading Record or phone call to the School Secretary on 020 8788 2769. If you have any difficulty collecting the children on time, please telephone the School Office.