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Chesswood Junior School

Chesswood Junior School

Frequently Asked Questions

Further Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions

Summer Term Club, Tutorial and Intervention dates: Monday 24 April to Friday 30 June.

The club bookings will not be available until Monday 20 March, 18:00 - prices will be confirmed by this date.

Click on the title below to go to that section on this page:

 

 

Dates to be aware of FOR THIS CURRENT TERM
    • Mondays: 8-9 weeks – 25/9, 2/10, 9/10, 16/10 (Parents evening – no Karate),  30/10, 6/11, 13/11, 20/11, 27/11.
    • Tuesdays: 9 weeks – 26/9, 3/10, 10/10, 17/10, 31/10, 7/11, 14/11, 21/11, 28/11.
    • Wednesdays: 7-8 weeks – 27/9, 4/10, 11/10, 18/10 (Parents evening – no Drama), 1/11, 8/11 (Y2 Open Evening - clubs will continue to run as normal), 15/11 (INSET), 22/11, 29/11.
    • Thursdays: 9 weeks – 28/9, 5/10, 12/10, 19/10, 2/11, 9/11, 16/11, 23/11, 30/11.
    • Fridays: 9 weeks – 29/9, 6/10, 13/10, 20/10, 3/11, 10/11, 17/11, 24/11, 1/12.

Dates are populated in MCAS to show which days to attend: no club in MCAS calendar = no club that day.

How & when will I know which club my child has got in to?

Once you have paid, your club space is secure, and you will receive an email receipt - your MCAS diary will also be populated with the club dates. If you are requiring a pupil premium place, Tracey Rainford will confirm your booking and your MCAS diary will be populated with the club dates.

How much do I have to pay?

There will be a charge for ALL after school clubs including those run by Chesswood staff.

    • Chesswood run clubs – normal after school - £2.50 per week -one week free
    • Chesswood run clubs – resource heavy after school (Sewing/Cooking) - £4.50 -one week free
    • Chesswood run clubs – morning (Running) & lunch (Minecraft) - £1.25 per week -one week free
    • Externally run clubs each charge fees independently:
      • SAMA Karate - £5 per session (payable to SAMA Karate)
      • Basketball – see term fees on club list - £24-£27 per term (payable to James Brame)
        • James’ has had his core hours changed, there is a possibility he may be late to school, approximately 3.30pm, so we have included a contingency plan to allow children to continue to attend basketball clubs. Children will read quietly in 4UO with Mrs Giles until James arrives – they may get a bonus 15-minutes extra basketball for free!
      • Table Tennis - £2.50 per session (payable to Worthing Table Tennis Club)
      • Drama - £35 per term (payable to Star Academy)
      • Chelsea Foundation - £43 must be paid on Chelsea Foundation online booking system
      • Dance - £30 per term (payable to Megan Ring)

Please think carefully before signing up to a club, once allocated, the place is taken from another child - you will be charged - refunds will not be available for non-attendance.

HOW DO I USE CHILDCARE VOUCHERS TO PAY?

If you wish to use Childcare Vouchers / Tax Free Childcare to pay for the clubs, please email the school office at office@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk to request the club places you require. The club places will be booked for you (as long as there is space) and a charge will be added to MCAS.

Then, please email payment confirmation to finance@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk, so they can change the booking to 'paid'.

Pupil Premium

Families in receipt of pupil premium (Are you eligible?) can claim up to two free places for any Chesswood-run club. All free places will be granted with consultation with the SLT. Email your club selections to Tracey Rainford: trainford@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk or visit her in person on Mondays or Fridays in reception.

Tutorials and Tutoring

If your child has been selected for class tutorials (you will receive communication from your class teacher or lead teacher confirming the day, time and lesson missed), you can claim a free place in a Chesswood run music club/summer production (if missing music) or a Chesswood run sports club (if missing PE). If you are wishing to apply for one of these free places, please complete the booking on MCAS as for all other clubs, including payment, then contact the school office at office@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk to request the free place. Eligible places will be granted, via consultation with the SLT, and the payment refunded.

If your child has been selected for tutoring (you will have been contacted directly by the tutor), you must avoid booking clubs that clash with the days and times agreed with the tutor.

Are there any booking conditions?

Yes:

  • Families who have fees that are still outstanding from club sessions in autumn or spring terms, will not be able to book into clubs for the summer term until they have paid.
  • For the most popular clubs (cookery and sewing), children can only book these once per academic year to allow more children to experience the clubs
  • For clubs that have more than one session a week, children should only book on one of these to allow more spaces for others and because both sessions will be the same and should not be repeated
  • We ask families to follow these rules out of courtesy for other families, we will try to limit options on bookings but as MCAS is a new system there may be glitches that allow people to book more than they should Chesswood staff reserve the right to remove a club booking and refund the fee if it breaks the conditions above.
  • Payment must be made at the time of booking to secure the place
  • Refunds will not be available for nonattendance or booking errors.
  • Tracey Rainford is the only person who can authorise bookings for pupil premium places.
Can I get a refund?

Refunds will not be paid unless there are exceptional circumstances. This does not include your child “hating the club” or not attending all of the sessions or that you booked the club in error or that your child has changed their mind. If you believe you could qualify for a refund, please contact the school office at office@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk

Refunds will be provided if we have to cancel the club due to limited numbers, you will be informed via MCAS push notifications and the school Newsletter.

Session Cancellations

If we need to cancel a club session for any reason, you will be informed via MCAS push notifications with as much notice as possible. Refunds will not be provided as we have already included one free session in the internal club fee. If more than one internal session is cancelled, and for all cancelled external club session, the missed week will be rearranged – you will be informed by via MCAS push notifications and sessions will appear in your MCAS diary.

What if all the club spaces are taken?

We have a variety of Chesswood-run club sessions that have large capacity (some sports clubs each term and choir), so you should be able to secure a place in one of these.

However, we are limited by physical space, room and staff availability. We cannot guarantee access to a specific club, especially the most popular clubs, which is why we have asked families to only book one term per academic year for these, and only one session per term for those with two options. Once a club is full, we cannot add anyone else to this club – please do not ask as it increases administration – the answer is unfortunately NO!

Any club that still has spaces available will remain in the ‘Extra-curricular clubs and activities’ section until Monday 1 May; we have left the booking system open until the end of the first week of clubs to allow the maximum possible time to book into a club.

Please be aware, there will be no further administration on clubs after Monday 1 May. Administration time for clubs is huge, we must prioritise other activities and therefore are limiting club support to this short period of time. Time and opportunity have been provided to enable everyone to sign up to clubs they want. Further opportunities will be available in the next academic term.

All club place decisions are finalised by Chesswood Junior School, external providers cannot make judgements on additional places for clubs.

What if I cannot access MCAS?

For those without internet access at home or for whom MCAS is not functioning correctly, there will be opportunity for you to book club spaces in the computing suite, from 15:15 to 15:45 for the two week period after the club bookings open. There will be a member of the IT staff available to assist with this if needed.

Musical Theatre Performance (Summer Term Only)

If your child gains a part in the summer term musical performance, rehearsals will be during lunchtimes and after school on a programme that Mrs Cossins produces in advance. She will endeavour to give as much notice as possible to the children selected for the performance so that they are aware of the nights they are required for rehearsals, but these do change for different characters each week.

  • Major characters – rehearsals on most Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Main characters can book an after school club on Wednesdays without disruption, Fridays may be required for scenes with the main groups.
  • Important characters – rehearsals on some Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays (see rehearsal schedule). Club bookings on Wednesdays will not be affected; for all other days, up to 3 sessions could be missed (refunds will not be paid for these missed sessions).
  • Group characters (anyone interested in performing will get a part) – rehearsals on Fridays (see rehearsal schedule) – Club bookings on Wednesdays will not be affected; for other days, up to 3 sessions could be missed (refunds will not be paid for these missed sessions).

Families will need to decide if club involvement is possible using the guide above. Refunds will not be provided for missed sessions due to involvement in the performance - they are getting a free musical production session instead. 

See further information on Back to the Future page.

Chesswood Wrap Around Care Club

Where children usually attend our Wrap Around Care Club after school, they may choose to attend one of these clubs first and then go on to our Wrap Around Care until their usual collection time. This is shown on the MCAS system with different timeslots for Wrap Around Care Club, therefore if you require your child to attend Wrap Around Care Club following their club, please book from 16:15 – 17:00 or an add-on till 18:00 if required. Wrap Around Care LINK.

Attendance

If your child is unable to attend a club, please ensure you notify the school in advance. If your child is absent from a club, a notification will be sent home via MCAS asking if you are aware and to advise if your child is safe at home.

Collection of Pupils

All pupils will be dismissed onto the front playground for collection at 16:15. Please ensure that your child is collected promptly and are offsite by 16:25 – you must wait on the front playground for your child until their club has finished. If you are delayed in collecting your child, you must inform the school as soon as possible. 

Behaviour and expectations

As a primary condition of club membership, children must show courtesy, care and kindness to leaders and other members at all times. Pupils are expected to be at all clubs by 15:25 at the very latest, if this is not adhered to, their place may be withdrawn, and a refund will not be provided. Please ensure you discuss expectations for behaviour with your child before seeking a place at a club.

Why use a first come, first served system?

Families will instantly know if they have secured a space on a club or not, therefore, reducing the need to second guess which clubs to have in reserve in case the first choice is not secured.

Will this reduce fair access to clubs?

Places for children in receipt of pupil premium funding have been reserved to ensure disadvantaged pupils have access to the full range of clubs. We acknowledge that our former system allowed us to check all children had a club and the most popular clubs were shared fairly, this may not be as easy for us to ensure this time around, so we have added limitations/conditions that families should abide by when booking to allow as much fairness as possible:

  • For the most popular clubs (cookery and sewing), children can only book these once per academic year to allow more children to experience the clubs.
  • For clubs that have more than one session a week, children should only book on one of these to allow more spaces for others and because both sessions will be the same and should not be repeated.

We ask families to follow these rules out of courtesy for other families, we will try to limit options on bookings but as MCAS is a new system there may be glitches that allow people to book more than they should - Chesswood staff reserve the right to remove a club booking and refund the fee if it breaks the conditions above.