Important Information
This page is designed to answer many questions you may have about Cross in Hand school. It remains a useful reference throughout the time your child is at the school, covering day to day issues and routines, ranging from attendance to our dress code.
If information you have searched for is not included, please use the Contact Us link at the top of the page.
School Day
Beginning of the school day:
- Doors open - 8:45am
- School starts - 8:55am
Children are expected to arrive on time at school every day and be seated quietly in their classrooms by 8:55am. Early morning work will be ready for them to do while their class teacher takes the register.
In the mornings, we ask that parents avoid speaking to their child's class teacher to allow them to focus on the children and the learning for the day ahead.
End of the school day:
- Early Years and Key Stage 1 - 3:10pm
- Key Stage 2 - 3:15pm
At the end of the school day, children are to be collected from outside their nearest classroom exit. Any changes to the normal routine for collecting your child must be communicated to their teacher at the earliest convenience.
School Uniform
We ask that all our children wear school uniform and by doing so we feel that this:
encourages pride in our school
prevents discrimination
creates a corporate identity
makes recognition of our children easier
reduces arguments at home about suitable clothing
(Order forms can be downloaded at the bottom of the page)
Our school uniform is as follows:
Boys:
Grey trousers
White shirt
School jumper
School tie
Grey socks
Grey shorts (summer only)
Reversible coat (not compulsory)
Girls:
Grey straight legged trousers (not bootleg or stretch)
Grey skirt or pinafore dress
White blouse
School jumper/cardigan
School tie
Pink and white dress (summer only)
Reversible coat (not compulsory)
Please note:
All school shoes should be black and we do not allow the wearing of trainers. Sandals with open toes and shoes with high heels are not suitable for school.
We do not allow tramlines and dyed hair at school. Simple hair accessories such as hairbands are permitted.
Children are allowed to have one set of ear piercings but must only wear studded earrings; this is the only jewellery that is allowed to be worn to school.
PE Kits
The following PE kit needs to be kept in a drawstring PE bag at school:
Plain white t-shirt or polo shirt
Black or burgundy shorts
Plimsolls or sports trainers
Please note: No jewellery is allowed to be worn during any PE sessions.
More information about the sale of second hand uniform can be found here.
Wrap Around Care
Cross in Hand is pleased to be able to offer the facility of wrap around care, looking after your children from 7.15am until 6.00pm.
Children can be looked after in our Breakfast Club, where they can arrive from 7.15am onwards. Costing only £4.50 (concessions available for parents with more than one child), Breakfast Club makes sure that you child starts off the day on a full stomach, ready for their learning that lies ahead.
(The application for Breakfast Club can be downloaded at the bottom of the page)
Our After School Club also provides care for your children until 6:00pm, costing just £4 per session.
Please contact the school office to book a place for your child.
Notification of Absence
In the event that your child is ill and unable to attend school, it is the parent's/guardian's obligation to contact the school office before the start of the school day. Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should be kept away from school for 48 hours after their symptoms have gone (further advice can be be found on the NHS website). Upon returning back to school, a written letter is required giving full explanation of your child's absence.
East Sussex schools are working with the Local Authority to improve levels of school attendance, and we are committed to working with parents to help every child achieve their full potential through regular school attendance. We therefore do not expect parents to take their children out of school for a holiday in term time and it should be assumed that a request for a holiday in term time will be unauthorised. In the case of an unauthorised holiday, the Behaviour and Attendance Service will be notified and a penalty notice will be issued resulting in a fine when 5 consecutive days or more are taken as holiday during term time.
If you need to request an upcoming absence for your child, a form can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.
Emergency Closure Procedures
We endeavour to keep the school open as much as is humanly possible but from time to time we are affected by severe weather which results in the school having to be closed. This is mainly because the weather conditions have made travelling to our school too treacherous for parents and staff. It also may have affected the school's heating system. If we do have to close, we will publish our decision on the ESCC and school websites, Twitter, by text to all parents and we will also notify the local radio stations. Any decision will be made as early as possible.
School Letters
We would encourage all parents to provide details to enable letters to be sent home electronically. Not only is this environmentally friendly but it also ensures you receive letters and that they are not lost at the bottom of book bags! You also have the added benefit of reading full colour newsletters rather than a black and white photocopied letter. Often work or photographs of children are included in newsletters and they look so much better in colour. All you need to do is provide an email address. If you also provide a mobile phone number, we can then text any more urgent messages directly to your phone.
Parking Guidelines
Cross in Hand has a large number of children and therefore the start and end of the school day can be very busy regarding the amount of traffic. We ask that all parents be extremely considerate of our local residents when parking to drop off and collect their children. Ideally, we ask for all those parents using their cars to transport children to school use the Mill Road car park as much as possible. This is only a maximum of a 5 minute walk from the school gates and will ensure children's brains are fully active by the time they reach their classroom every morning! Walking to school or car-sharing would be fantastic alternatives too.
If you require paper copies of any of the information found on our school website, please ask at the school office as these can be provided for you free of charge.
Other useful forms can also be downloaded below:
Withdrawal from Learning Application
Uniform Purchase Form
Breakfast Club