|
General
Information
The
following items are put down as the result of some years of experience. We hope
we have got most of the questions that you may be asking yourselves, but if
there are any others, do please feel free to ring and ask us! Sometimes Sue
Cooper will be able to tell you straight away and at other times she will have
to put you through to Matron or the Headmaster.
Pastoral
Care |
Medical
Matters
|
Exeat
Weekends |
Sundays
Out |
Birthdays
| Matches |
Academic
Matters |
Passports
|
Telephone
PASTORAL
CARE
We
will ring you up within the first 48 hours (unless some other
arrangement has been made) to let you know how your little one has settled in.
If you can bear to wait until we phone you this first time, we would be very
grateful. There are of course a lot of people to speak to and it is very helpful
to have the telephone lines reasonably clear!
Back
to top
MEDICAL
MATTERS
Sister
Julie Corbin is here most mornings till 11 a.m., Wednesday and Saturday
afternoons and most evenings. Mrs Michelle Grantham (who is also a fully
qualified nurse) is her "alternate". There
is a telephone line to the Surgery (01342-820504) but if you could avoid calling
her before 8.45 when she is at her busiest, so much the better.
The
Doctor will conduct medicals on every new pupil and we will of course inform you
should this reveal anything that needs attention. Many thanks for all the
immunization cards and notes.
Should
your child be ill at any time our policy for informing parents is to let you
know at the time if they have to be out of circulation for more than a day and a
night.
Back
to top
EXEAT
WEEKENDS
These
usually start on Friday after 2 p.m. The first exeat weekend in the September
term also sees a teacher/parent discussion for all those in the 5s (the youngest
ones). Teacher/parent discussions begin at 1.15 and end probably, an hour and a
half later. We send a separate notice out reminding parents of this nearer the
time.
Many
children travel up to London by coach on the Friday afternoon. The coach usually
leaves at 2 p.m. and arrives in London about 1 ½ hours later – exact times
are given prior to each exeat (though obviously the traffic dictates the pace!).
Exeats tend to end on Sundays and the coach from London leaves at 5 p.m. Both
ways it is escorted. Back at Ashdown there is always food available in the
evening for those who have caught the coach from London or who are back quite
early and may not have had anything since lunch. But we do not allow food on the
coach itself! Pupils should be returned to us by the following times: Forms 5, 4
and 3 by 6.30 p.m., Form 2 by 7 p.m. and Form 1 by 7.30 p.m.
Back to top
SUNDAYS
OUT
Children
may go out on any Sunday apart from the first and last in a term. Please try and
avoid two consecutive ones and three or four should be the maximum – we are,
after all, unashamedly a boarding school! They start after Chapel at 11.30 and
end as for the exeat – except for any Sunday when there is an evening Chapel
Service: then they start at 10.30 and end at 5.30. PLEASE DON’T TAKE YOUR
CHILDREN OUT FOR A SUNDAY LUNCH UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST SHORT WEEKEND IN THEIR
FIRST TERM.
If
a friend or relative is taking them out, it is important that we have a contact
number.
PLEASE
LET SUE COOPER KNOW BY THE THURSDAY IF YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE YOUR SON OR
DAUGHTER OUT THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY.
Back to top
BIRTHDAYS
Your
child’s birthday will be automatically noted by the Kitchen and unless you
have given instructions that you will be bringing a cake yourself, the Kitchen
will make one for him or her, provide a birthday party "tea" and there
will be a suitably festive atmosphere! We tend to arrange birthday tables with
the whole form so that the exercise doesn’t become divisive! Presents can of
course be sent and stored until the day. Some parents like to come with them
themselves: a good time to do that is 10.45 in the morning (break time). We
would certainly prefer this rather than an appearance at the birthday tea, where
the presence of parents can cramp the duty master’s style! Please tell Sue
Cooper on the telephone if you intend to come during the morning break and we
would be grateful if you could remember that they need to be heading off to
class again at 11.25.
Back to top
MATCHES
You
will see lots of fixtures on the Calendar Card. There may be a match in which
your son or daughter is involved. If this is so you will be informed by
telephone on the first occasion, but subsequently we ask parents themselves to
spot matches in the Calendar Card and ring us up to find out if their son or
daughter is in the relevant team, if they want to come and watch. Often weather,
illness or injury forces teams to change or games to be cancelled, sometimes at
the last minute, so if you can leave the phone call until after, say, 11.30 on
the morning of a match it would be much appreciated.
Back
to top
ACADEMIC
MATTERS
We
have three Assessment Cards during the term and you will get a copy of this at
each exeat or half term: we would be grateful if you would initial the card and
return it after the exeat with your child. A full report comes at each term’s
end. We are of course automatically in touch if we have any reason to be very
worried.
Back to top
PASSPORTS
Your child will be going on various
educational trips during their time at Ashdown
so it would save last minute panics, if he/she hasn’t already got a passport,
to set the wheels in motion as soon as possible!
Back
to top
WHO
TO TELEPHONE IF I WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING OR HOW MY CHILD IS GETTING
ON….
There
are a number of people who can speak at varying times. You will understand of
course that we may all of us be busy at any given moment but if you leave your
number and a message, you will always be rung back.
Please
note, however, that we have a number of lines into the school and sometimes only
one person answering them: so please don’t think there’s nobody there if the
phone rings and rings – it’s just that another line is busy!
In
the first instance, it is best to phone between 9 and 5 and you will always get
Sue Cooper or Ruby Woolley on the end of a telephone. They can put your call
through to the right person if they can’t answer the question themselves. Form
masters and form mistresses will be well acquainted with everything. The best
time to speak to such an adult is between 10.45 and 11.15 a.m. It is difficult
however to pin members of staff down during the day and it may be best to leave
a message asking them to call back.
The
senior matrons will be fully informed about your children in all domestic ways
and of course see them morning and evening. Mrs Julie Corbin (RGN) or Mrs
Michelle Grantham (SRN), as mentioned above, are the ones to speak to on medical matters.
However
Robert Taylor and James Taylor, the Deputy Head, are the ones who
will be able to give you the fullest picture of everything and will happily
do so. It is important for you to know that you can be in touch with us at any
time and we will be very pleased to chat over any problems or simply give you as
full a picture as we can of your child’s existence – if you don’t feel you
are getting a full enough picture already!
Back
to top
|