Medication & Illness

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Q: Does my child need a Healthcare Plan?

A: If your child has a long-term medical condition or a condition that may require emergency intervention whilst at school, you will need to complete a Healthcare Plan. In addition to this, if your child requires medication during the school day, you will also need to complete the relevant medication form.

 

Q: What do I do if my child needs medication?
A: Prior to staff administering any medication or student self-medication the school must have written confirmation of details from the parent/guardian. In order to comply with Government legislation, we also require written confirmation of instructions from a health practitioner.

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Please note that there is no legal duty which requires staff to administer medication, however staff who volunteer to do this will be unable to administer any medication without the appropriate consent form.

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There are three situations which may arise:

• Staff to administer medication on an adhoc basis (usually short-term treatment)

• Staff to administer medication for more complex medical needs

• Student to carry/administer their own medication

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Q: What do I do if my child is ill before arriving to school?
A: If your child is ill and cannot attend school, please telephone the school as soon as possible, selecting Option 1 – pupil absence. Alternatively, please email attendance@stbb.org.uk. 
You will need to leave your child’s name and form group along with details of why they are absent.  

You are required to do this on each day of your child’s absence.

If your child has vomiting and/or diarrhoea, they must remain off school for 48 hours from the last episode.

 

Q: What happens if my child is ill in school?

A: Students who become ill or have an accident must inform their teacher.  The school offers basic first aid and can deal with minor ailments. If students need to go home, the school office will telephone a parent/carer or emergency contact to make appropriate arrangements. Students should not contact parents directly if they are unwell.

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Taking My Child Out of School

 

Q: What do I do if my child has an appointment during the school day?
A: Medical appointments must be made outside of school time.  Where this is not possible, please ask for appointments in the afternoon so that your child can be registered. This will ensure that their attendance record is not affected.

If the appointment is in school time, notify the school with a note in their planner and a copy of their appointment card/letter. 

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Under no circumstances should a student leave the school and go home without permission.  In the event of illness or injury they will be taken care of until a parent or carer can be contacted.

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Q: What do I do if I want to take my child on holiday?
A: In exceptional circumstances you can request a leave of absence for your child.  You will need to complete the Leave of Absence Request Form and return it to school for a decision to be made.
 

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Who To Contact?

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Q: Who can I talk to about my child?
A: If you feel that there are any problems, please get in touch with us so that we can look at them together.  To do this, it is always best to make an appointment because people can’t always come out of classes to talk to you. If you need to speak to them and they are unavailable, please leave a number so they can call you back.

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Q: Who do I contact about a subject related issue?
A: These issues will be dealt with initially by your child’s subject teacher, who is supported by their subject leader.

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Q: Who do I contact about a pastoral related issue?
A: Pastoral issues (such as peer issues, bullying, behaviour) will be dealt with initially by your child’s form tutor, who is supported by their year team.

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Q: Who do I contact about an attendance related issue?
A: Attendance issues are dealt with by our Attendance Officer, Miss Smith.

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Q: Who do I contact about changing my contact details?
A: For safeguarding and emergency purposes, it is essential that we have up-to-date contact information for Parents/Carers. To update your contact information, please ask your child to request a Student Data Check Form from Student Reception for you to complete and return to school.​

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School Transport

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Q: How do I apply for Home-School Transport?
A: Applications for home-school transport are made online at: Northumberland School Transport
Home-school transport is provided by Northumberland County Council.

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Bus passes are normally issued during the summer holidays once your application is complete.  A pass will not be issued if evidence of faith or a photograph are outstanding.  If you have any queries about your application, please contact the County Council Transport Department on 01670 624839.
 

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School Meals

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Q: How do I apply for Free School Meals?
A: Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of certain benefits.
The eligibility criteria changed in April 2018 when the Government made amendments to reflect the introduction of Universal Credit. 

If you think you might be eligible for free school meals you can telephone the Free School Meals Team on 0345 6006400. 

Alternatively, you can apply online here: Northumberland Free School Meals

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The information you provide will be used to check if you are in receipt of a qualifying benefit.
If you are eligible, the school will be notified.  Your child will receive free school meals and the school will receive extra funding.

An application cannot be made retrospectively as the process is a set criterion and there is no appeals process.

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Q: Does the Catering Department cater for children with food allergies and food intolerances?
A: Our catering team have experience of providing for a range of Special Dietary requirements. Please contact school by phone and ask for the Catering Manager who will be happy to help.

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Q: How do I find out what my child has spent on their account and what they have had to eat that day?
A: Our online payments system iPay keeps track of all transactions on your child’s school meal account, which is available for parents to view through their secure online account.
 
Q: How can I pay for my child’s school meals?
A: Our preferred method of payment is the online payments system iPay. Once registered with the system, parents can make secure payments that will be credited to your child’s account within 30 minutes. iPay has the added benefit of parents being able to view what their child has bought on their school meals account. If you would like to register for iPay, please contact the School Office.
 
Q: What if I have forgotten to top up their account?
A:  School will allow your child to have a school meal of up to the value of £2.50 (the cost of a daily meal deal), their account should be topped up before the following day, however, to prevent the student creating a large deficit on their account.

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