Gotherington Primary School

The school day starts at 8.50am and finishes at 3.15pm. This equates to 32.5 hours per week. The school gate is open from 8:40am where a senior member of staff will be on duty to welcome the children. Children will not be allowed to go out of the school gate once they have been dropped off unless a parent/guardian of the child is present.

Morning playtimes:

All children have a morning break from 10.25am – 10.40am.

Lunch:

All children have their lunchtime at 12:15pm. The children in YR, Y1 and Y2 eat their lunches first. They are often joined by one of the junior classes. The remainder of the junior classes are then called in on a rolling basis. Lunchtime for all children ends at 1.15pm.

Afternoon playtimes:

Children in YR, Y1 & Y2 have an afternoon playtime.

Drop-off and collection

At the beginning of the day children and parents are welcomed at the gate and at the end of the school day, parents are encouraged into the playground. This helps to build up a close relationship between home and school – we want to have good links with all parents.  If normal arrangements have to be altered (e.g. you are delayed or another person is collecting your child) please let us know. This avoids any confusion or upset. As the children become more confident, parents are encouraged to drop the children off at the school gate. 

Reception children are dropped off and collected at their own gate. 

The school gate is open at 3:10pm. Parents/carers are encouraged to wait in the playground for their children. Children in KS1 are brought to the playground and are then dismissed on an individual basis once a member of staff has seen their parent/guardian. To aid this process, the children are asked to hold their hand up when they see their parent/guardian. This is a system that works extremely effectively.

Children in the junior classes are dismissed from their classrooms and allowed to meet their parent/guardian on the playground or, if permission has been given by their parent, to leave school independently. 

If alternative arrangements have been made with regard to collecting your child, it is crucial that the school is informed. The staff will not allow children to go home with another adult if there hasn’t been prior consent from their parent.

All children are told that if their parent/guardian is late, they must return to the main school building with their teacher or go straight to the school office where they will be asked to wait quietly and sensibly in the school library. 

Getting to school

To get to and from school, walking is definitely the best option! There are lots of benefits: it’s healthier than travelling by car, it improves the safety of pedestrians and road-users, and it respects nearby residents and parking regulations. Alternatively, we have bike-racks and our very own scooter park. If you do need to travel by car, please park wisely and respect the driveways of residents who live near to the school.