School Policies

a. General

• Students should be polite and courteous to both adults and other students.
• Students should respect property – each other’s and that of the school and staff.
• Students should show consideration for others.
• Honesty should always be encouraged.

b. In the classroom

• Students should be aware of and adhere to class routines and rules, so that everyone can tackle tasks in a quiet, orderly way without interference from others.
• Attentiveness and hard work should always be encouraged, as is taking care of equipment and valuing the work of others.

c. Moving around school

• Students are advised of the need to walk quietly around the school, to reduce the disturbance of others who are working.
• Students moving around by themselves are expected to keep out of certain areas, (e.g. staff room, staff toilets, storage areas etc).

d. Playground

• All students should be on the playground at break-times, unless they have permission to be elsewhere.
• All students should wear comfortable shoes at all times.
• Students should wash hands after each playtime and before class times.
• Playground equipment is shared among school children. Students are expected to take turn, show respect and avoid play or movement that may harm others. Play should be sensible and safe.

e. Toilets

• Students should use the allocated toilets.
• Washing hands is mandatory after using toilets.
• Students are encouraged to use toilets at the end and start of playtime and at the end of sessions.
• Toilet attendants are always on site to clean toilets after each use and assist students whenever needed.

f. Snack and Lunchtimes

• Parents are encouraged to pack healthy food and drink for snack and lunch times.
• Lunch boxes and water bottles should be in a plastic container and tightly secured for no spill.
• Lunch boxes and water bottles should be kept clean and clearly marked with child’s name.
• Children are encouraged to drink plenty of water through the day to avoid dehydration.
• Peanut or food containing peanut product is not allowed at school.
• Sweets, other sweet foods, chewing gum and fizzy drinks should not be brought into school.
• Students are not allowed to share food and drink at school except on special occasions.
• Parent should inform the school in writing in regards to serious allergies.
• Teachers will supervise snack and lunch times.
• School attendants and playground supervisors will supervise lunchtime and playtime after lunch. Report on irregularities during these times will be passed on to class teachers.
• Students are expected to display good table manners.
• Students should dispose unwanted bottles, juice boxes, tissue papers and wastes in the bins provided, both in the classroom and the playground.

g. School Uniform

• Prep II and Grade level students should wear the designated school uniform at all times.
• Sportswear should be worn for PE classes (students are allowed to come to school wearing the specified sportswear).
• Clothing should be clean and in good condition.
• Shoes should be polished and cleaned regularly.
• Students are not allowed to bring or wear valuables, jewelleries and toys to school. The school is not responsible for any lost or missing items.
• Girls should not wear any form of make-up including nail varnish.
• Different Hair styles allowed.

h. Punctuality

• Punctuality is expected from all children. Latecomers should report to the Office. Office staff will accompany late coming students to class.
• Parents will be contacted for frequent latecomers and written warning will be issued.
• Repetitive lateness may result in temporary or permanent expulsion from Flipper International School.

i. Bullying

• Bullying is one person or a group of people exercising power over another, which results in intimidation. It can take a wide variety of forms, e.g. physical harm, verbal and emotional abuse, etc.
• It is our moral responsibility as a school to address the problem. People are not born bullies; bullying is a form of behaviour which develops, and therefore the "bully" is also a person in need of some form of help. In this regard:
  • The behaviour of the bully will be monitored, with their knowledge. Other appropriate adults (teachers, classroom assistants, lunchtime supervisors) will be informed to support both the victim and the bully and help in the monitoring process.
  • Appropriate sanctions may be used against the bully where no effort to modify bullying behaviour is observed. They may include extra supervision at lunchtimes, missing playtimes etc.
  • Parents of a child bullying others will be informed at an appropriate time depending on the nature of the incident(s) and children involved.
  • Parents of the victim will be informed of the situation and steps being taken to support their child.
  • Bullying may result in temporary or permanent expulsion from FIS.
  • The school expects parents to reinforce positive behaviour among students and display exemplary behaviour in the school vicinity.

Appropriate educational resources may be imported, locally purchased or prepared by the school. All educational resources, including books and software programs are registered, appropriately labelled and stored in the resource room. To support children's reading and the learning process, books and textbooks can be provided for children to take home and return on time. Books and textbooks should be properly labelled and lost/ damaged item's fee should be indicated on the cover of the book. At the end of the school year, all educational resources will be collected and stored for the coming academic year.

Formal Communications:

All formal communications between the school and parents/guardians will be in writing. Such communication should bear the individual child’s name and parents have to sign a receipt of such notice. School Administrators will follow up the communication in person or through telephone as required. All written communication coming from the parent/ guardian should be addressed to the school administration. All school administrators will be responsible to pass on such communications to the higher management. In such cases, the school should immediately provide a confirmation note indicating that it has received a letter from the parent. The school administrator should officially respond to parents/guardians within two working days in regards to the submitted request, complaint or comment. For any information, parents must directly contact the office since teachers are not allowed to provide their personal contact numbers, as this will cause miscommunication between parents and the office.

Informal Communications:

Administrators should avail themselves to parents at drop off and pick up times to facilitate informal communication. Administrators should enquire teachers on weekly meetings to gather parent comments, suggestions or requests directly addressed to class teachers or teaching staff. All comments, complaints, requests or suggestions collected informally from parents should be recorded and informed to higher management.

Our school places great consideration on children’s Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning -empathy, self-awareness, managing feelings, social skills and motivation. We aim to develop independent young people who are confident, flexible and able to co-operate with others. Any form of behaviour that threatens the safety, happiness or concentration of other children is not acceptable in the school. Class teachers will clearly display classroom and playtime rules and will reinforce it positively. Students are constantly encouraged to comply with school rules. Rewards may be given appropriately and by taking into consideration individual children's behaviour. Rewards may vary based on the situation and can be applause, verbal recognition, child of the week sticker, display child’s work, school award etc. These awards will be given both for academic and behavioural achievements.

For students not complying with school rules, the first step will be to assist the child in understanding the rules and their meaning. Students will also be given the opportunity to observe proper behaviour within the school compound. Time out can be given to a child to help the child reflect on his/her unwanted behaviour. It is important that the school’s code of behaviour is clearly understood by students and parents with whom the school aims to form a close working partnership.

When persistent behaviour problems are encountered students will be referred to the school management team. And the school management will be kept informed and involved as a last resort. When the school has concerns about a child, parents will be informed and the school will enlist their support in helping the child to overcome his / her difficulty. The school will inform parents about the steps being taken in school and provide regular reports on progress. Staff members will closely monitor students exhibiting repetitive behavioural problems and parents will be consulted in this regard. In case of a serious incident (for example, bullying, verbal abuse, theft, physical violence, disruption of the teaching/ learning process, bringing harmful or unauthorized substances to school etc…) investigation will be led by members of the school management team. Such serious incidents may result in temporary or permanent exclusion from Flipper International School.

There is no corporal punishment at Flipper International School. The school emphasizes on the positive approach of encouragement, praise and reward. It is the school’s belief that criticism should always be constructive and helpful so that the pupil clearly understands the cause of concern. The school administrator should be kept fully informed about any child giving rise to concern about his / her behaviour. The child should only be referred to the administrator for disciplinary action in exceptional circumstances, when the severity of the incident warrants the school administrator’s involvement. The school administrator reserves the right, in discussion with the school management body and the parents, to exclude a child either temporarily or permanently.

Concern about individual children’s behaviour should be shared on weekly staff meetings. Concerns about a child should be informed immediately to parents and the school management should outline parents support in helping the child overcome his / her difficulty. The teaching staff/ administrative staff should keep parents fully informed about the steps being taken in school and provide regular reports on progress. The school administration together with teaching staff should try to ensure that parents feel able to openly discuss their concerns and that a partnership can develop where regular meetings and joint reward systems can be devised as and when appropriate.

Staff should maintain good order and discipline among the pupils, safeguarding their health and safety within school and when they are involved in school activities elsewhere. Staff should supervise the pupils at the beginning and end of the school day, at break, at lunchtime, when moving to and from the lunch area room, and at all times. Staff should ensure that children are aware of rules and guidelines and remind the class and individuals from time to time and as necessary. Any possible danger in regards to children’s safety should immediately be reported to the office. The report should be recorded on “Flipper Facility Maintenance file” and the administrator should follow-up the situation and take immediate action. Drop off and pickup times are very important times in regards to children safety and well-being. At the beginning of the school year, the school gathers full information in regards to key people collecting children at the end of the school day. Children cannot be collected by any other person other than specified on the list. If a person mentioned on the information list comes to collect a child for the first time, the school should request for a picture ID and confirm that the name on the list and the person identity match. Parent should inform the school administration if their child will be collected by any other person or other parent. If this information is passed through phone, the office will dial parents’ phone number for confirmation – after this confirmation the office will authorize the class teacher to allow the person to collect the child after checking the individual’s picture ID. In regards to morning drop off time,

Flipper’s known culture is to welcome each child every morning with open arms, smile and a hug. The child is then accompanied to the class to arrange his/her school bag and is directed to the play area until class time. This warm welcome love and attention to individual child has been proved to foster confidence and allow children to follow the daily schedule with better attention and interpersonal relation. The relation between Flipper staff and students is more of a loving big family rather than a distant school. This “Flipper attitude” should be displayed by all staff members at all times.

To support the learning process, the school organizes one or two school trips per year for the Grade 2 classes and up. Such school trips are considered part of the lesson plan and the learning outcome will be properly planned.

Consent forms should be signed by parents/ guardians to allow their child to participate on the school trip and share responsibility for accidents and incidents which may occur outside the school ground.

Students from Nursery to Prep II may celebrate birthdays at school. Children’s birthday may be celebrated at school without affecting regular teaching. School birthday celebrations must be short and simple. To celebrate child’s birthday at school, parent must inform class teachers at least a week earlier. The teacher then reprograms daily schedule accordingly and facilitates the celebration. Upon such request, teachers must inform parents on the followings:

• Number of children in the class;
• No more than three adults can attend the celebration;
• Picture and video clips may be taken by family members using home camera with inbuilt flash lights (professional camera/ video crew is not allowed);
• Parents/ guardians can bring cake (peanut free) and packed juice to be shared with the class;
• Parents/ guardians must also provide paper plates, plastic cups, napkins and forks required for the celebration;
• Regular candles could be used - sparkling, explosive or scented item are not allowed to be used for the celebration
• Birthdays should be celebrated within the classroom and with minimal disturbance to other classes
• Gift bags are considered unnecessary for class celebrations; therefore, birthday hat is sufficient for the children to share the birthday spirit.
• Parents/ family members should assist in setting and cleaning the birthday area
• Preferred time for birthday celebration:
• The school suggests that Nursery classes celebrate birthdays right after snack time i.e 10:15 am, KG to Prep II, celebration should take place in the afternoon before heading home i.e 2:00 pm

All information about individual child is private and will only be shared with staff members who need to know about the child in order to provide the appropriate service. All information including medical and personal information along with addresses and telephone numbers of parents/guardians will be passed to or shared with a third party without getting full consent of the parent. The School Administrator will inform all staff members in regards the school’s “confidentiality policy” and will also direct staff members to handle all individual issues in a sensitive manner. Photographs or video footage of children should not be used without the permission of parent/guardian, particularly for the press or television. Parents will only have access to their child’s file, marks and grades. It is clearly understood by all those involved in the school that all personal information about a child is highly confidential. Parents/guardians and children need to be aware that the school cannot guarantee total confidentiality, in some legal circumstances’ confidentiality will be broken (upon legal request).

The school grounds are covered by Hibret Insurance Policy. The school administrator should initiate the claim for accidents occurred within the school compound.

Teachers and caretakers should do their level best to assist children in taking their belongings back home at the end of the school day. Teachers of younger children should take extra care not to mix up children’s items. At the beginning of the school year, class teachers should request parents to clearly mark children’s belongings to avoid mix up. The school doesn’t allow children to wear or bring valuables to school. In case, a child brings valuable to school, it should be notified to the school administrator. The valuable item must be removed from the child and handed over to parents at home time. Unidentified clothing should be kept with the school supervisor until it is claimed. All valuable must be kept with the school administrator until claimed.

In the event of a fire, all classes will be immediately notified. Upon such notification, children and staff should vacate their classroom immediately and go to the playground area – away from the fire. Evacuation should occur in an orderly manner, at a walking pace, and in the strictest of silence. No personal belongings may be brought out of school. Staff will be the last to leave the classrooms and classroom doors must be closed after departure. Staff will be the last to leave the building having ensured that all of their class have vacated. Teaching assistants should check the toilet areas. Class teacher should have a head count and make sure that all children are gathered together safely. Any situation should be immediately communicated with Administrative Staff. The school administration should call fire-fighting authorities and make necessary arrangement in-order to contain fire damage. Children and staff members will return to classroom after the school administration confirms and gives clearance to proceed.

The school expects all children to attend school regularly. If a child couldn’t come to school for any reason, we expect parents to call the office and provide sufficient explanation. All information in regards to child absence should be communicated with the school administration on a daily basis and recorded on “Children Attendance File”. If a child is absent for more than a day, and parent fail to inform the school, the school will make a call on the second day of absence to make an inquiry. The communication detail should be recorded on the upper mentioned file. If a child is missing school due to sickness, the office should continue to call parent/ guardian every other day to follow up the situation. Such calls should also be recorded for future references.

Up to date information is kept on parent/guardian contact details including mobile phone numbers, alternate phone numbers and emergency contact number. To avoid cross infection and the spread of diseases from one child to another child/adult, parents should refrain from sending their child to school after an illness unless fully recovered. If school teacher or care taker notices unusual situation in regards to a child’s health at drop off time, parent should immediately be notified to pick the child and attend a doctor. If the situation is observed during the day, the class teacher/ assistant teacher should immediately communicate with school administrator. If found necessary, the child will be placed at the school’s sick bay/ office. Parent should be immediately contacted and child health information should be referred. If child suffers from fever, fever reducer medication and cold compress can be administered after checking child’s medical allergy from child’s information file or upon consultation with parent. If parent communication has been unsuccessful, emergency contact person should be communicated, if this fails, and the situation is an emergency, the child should be taken to the nearest paediatric center and get proper treatment for the illness. All medical procedures and accident should be reported to parents in writing – FIS – Form 108. The school administrator should follow up situation that required child’s pick up at the middle of the school day. All medical procedures and administration should be provided with gloves and infected areas thoroughly cleaned after treatment. All procedures should be recorded on “Child Attendance file”

To administer medicine at school, parent/ guardian should provide a written permission and information on medicine, dosage and time of dosage to the school administration. This information together with the child’s name should be attached to the medicine and stored out of children’s reach (refrigerator may be used if required). A copy of this information should be provided to the class teacher – and the class teacher should take the responsibility of administering the medicine as per the information. The medicine administrator should record time and dosage provided through the day. This information together with the medicine should be returned to parent at the end of the day. Parents are responsible for the disposal of unused medicine.

Up to date information is kept on parent/guardian contact details including mobile phone numbers, alternate phone numbers and emergency contact number. Pick up time is within 30 minutes from end of school day. During this period of time all children will remain under full supervision of teaching staff. If a child is not collected after 30 minutes, this information should be passed on to the admin office to make contact with parents. If contact could not be made with parent or guardian, the child will remain another 30 minutes under the supervision of the teaching staff. The admin office should continue to try to contact parents. If within this period of time the office is unable to make contact, emergency and all alternate numbers on the file will be communicated within the next hour. If this is still unsuccessful, higher management will be notified on the next step. For the safety of children, children should be supervised by teaching staff till pick up time. For delays which occur past to 5:00 pm, 2 adults should be assigned to stay behind and supervise the child until the child gets collected or the higher management intervenes. Frequent late collection should be reported in writing to the admin office for the office to take action.

No class or playground with children should be left unsupervised for any reason. The school administrator should ensure that full and appropriate supervision of all children occurs throughout the school day. All possible measures should be taken in order to prevent injuries. In case of injury, major or minor, the administration office should be informed and information should be recorded on “student attendance file”. For minor injuries, the school nurse should be contacted for first aid treatment and parent should be informed on the situation and first aid procedure undertaken. For major injuries, the school nurse should immediately respond with first aid treatment and at the same time parent should be contacted in order to take the child to the hospital. For an emergency situation, children should immediately be taken to the nearest paediatric hospital and at the same time parent/ guardian or emergency contact person should be contacted and informed on the situation. In case of injury or school accidents, the school administrator should make a phone follow up on the child’s status afterwards and should inform the higher management as well. Accident/ sickness FIS-Form 108 reporting slip should be provided to parents.

To withdraw a child from the school, parent should give formal notification to the school administrator at least a month ahead from the last day of school. The school administrator will record the reason and date of withdrawal and add the information to the student file. Upon confirmed withdrawal, the school administrator will:

• Inform class teachers
• Consult the finance department for any outstanding payment and get written confirmation;
• Consult class teachers for any unreturned books or school materials
• Consult librarian for any unreturned books
• Consult afterschool administrator for extra-curricular activities outstanding fee
• Issue payment request for immediate settlement of all outstanding fees
• Prepare progress reports and letter of recommendation (if requested)
• Withdrawal clearance sheet should be signed by all the upper mentioned parties and attached to student file
• PROGRESS REPORT AND OR LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION CAN ONLY BE PROVIDED WHEN ALL FEES ARE SETTLED AND ALL SCHOOL MATERIALS RETURNED

Our school prides itself on the quality of the teaching and care provided to the students. However, if parents/ guardians or students have complaints, they can expect it to be addressed by the school in accordance with the following procedures.

The school assures that most complaints and concerns will be resolved quickly and informally. If the complaint cannot be resolved on an informal basis, then the complainant should put their complaint in writing to the School Management. The School Management will decide, after considering the complaint, the appropriate course of action. In most cases, the school management will speak to the complainant within a day of receiving the complaint. If possible, a resolution will be reached at this stage. Otherwise, it may be necessary for the school management to carry out further investigations. Complaints made directly to the school management will usually be referred to the relevant class teacher, assistant teacher or class attendant unless the school management deems it appropriate to deal with the matter personally.