Here are some questions that we have been asked recently.

When will I receive Parent Pay account information?

Parent Pay account details will be sent to you via email over the next week or so. If for some reason accounts are not ready on the first day of term, we will ensure that children are able to buy food in school and the payments can be sorted out afterwards.

 

Are you still serving school lunches or do students have to bring their own food?

The canteen will be serving meals and snacks at break and lunchtime though a limited menu may be in place. Break time snacks will be restricted to pre-packaged items. Lunch will consist of hot and cold meals that are pre-portioned in disposable containers with disposable cutlery.

All students will be issued with a lunch payment card, rather than using fingerprints for the cashless catering system.

Students who are entitled to Free School Meals will have their accounts credited each day so that they can purchase a meal deal at lunchtime.

Students are welcome to bring their own food/packed lunches if they prefer. Please remember that we are a nut-free Academy.

 

I have children in both Year 7 and 8 – can I wait between dropping them off at the Academy in the morning?

We recommend that if you have children in both Year groups, if possible, aim to arrive at the Academy at around 8:40. The Year 7 child will be in plenty of time to get to Form by 8:45 and you should be able to wait in the drop off zone, space permitting, for a short time before we allow Year 8 on site. If you have children in each year group that are going to be walking to school together, again, we ask that they arrive at the Academy with just enough time for the Year 7 student to be on time for Form while the Year 8 student waits in a designated area.

 

Are the start and end times of the day just for the first week or so or for the foreseeable future?

We will be keeping the staggered start and end times of the day for Year 7 and 8 for the foreseeable future, while the COVID-19 situation continues and social distancing remains in place.

A reminder of these times:

Year 7: Gates open at 8:30am, registration at 8:45am, end of the day at 3:10pm

Year 8: Gates open at 8:50am, registration at 9:00am, end of the day at 3:25pm

 

Will afterschool clubs be available?

There will be no afterschool clubs or provision in the first two weeks. We will be taking this time to assess the situation and determine what we are able to offer. Details and timings of clubs will follow once the plan is finalised.

 

Are you providing equipment for children?

We ask that you provide your child with their own set of personal writing equipment. This should be stored in a pencil case or a sealable plastic bag that we will provide. Where this is not possible we will be able to provide small numbers of equipment, but please provide it for your child if you can. The list of equipment can be found in the uniform section of the website. https://wbca.school/the-academy/academy-uniform/

 

Do you provide transport?

There is not a ‘ WBCA school bus’ that brings children to the Academy nor are there plans for one to be introduced. The majority of our children live a short walking distance away and those who live further away are very spread out so it is not feasible for a bus to be able to serve all of the areas. We do not have funding to provide this service. Sandwell may be able to assist with public transport travel costs, please see their website for further information. http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/schooltravel

 

Final reminders

  • Our Academy email address has changed to info@wbca.shirelandcat.net Any emails to the old address are automatically forwarded to the new inbox but please update our address in your records.
  • We are a NUT FREE ACADEMY – do not allow your child to bring any nuts or products that contain nuts (Snickers etc) on to the Academy site as we have some students with severe nut allergies.
  • Mobile phones and headphones are not permitted on the Academy site. If you wish your child to have a phone for safety reasons we recommend a cheap pay-as-you-go phone that must be switched off and in their bag at all times while on the Academy site. If a phone is seen while on the Academy site, including at the start and end of the day it will be confiscated and family asked to come and collect it. The Academy does not accept responsibility for any loss or damage, accidental or otherwise, to mobile phones, headphones etc.
  • To comply with GDPR (data protection) regulations, photos and videos must not be taken on the Academy site apart from where permission has been granted in advance.
  • Please ensure that you keep up to date with E-safety information, particularly the restrictions regarding social media sites in order to keep your child safe. We will regularly share guidance and updates with you.