A Typical Day at St Margaret’s Junior School
We recognise that different schools have different day-to-day schedules; we hope that the following outline of a typical day in the junior school at St Margaret’s may be helpful in building up a picture of what we offer to girls aged from 4 to 11 or 12.
Morning care
We appreciate that some parents may need to drop their children off at school earlier than the scheduled registration time. To this end we offer a supervised morning club in our spacious general purpose room, where Junior school girls can – free of charge - enjoy time with friends and participate in supervised activities from 8.00am until 8.30am.
Registration and assembly
A normal school day begins with registration at 8.40am. Several times a week this is followed by an assembly at 8.45am; these are generally broad in theme, and provide the opportunity for recognising achievement. Our assemblies also are occasions when girls in different year groups may come together, emphasising the all-through nature of our school.
Time to learn!
Lessons begin every day at 9am followed by a twenty-minute break at 10.20am for the 1 - 4 Juniors. Older pupils in 5 -7 Junior have a twenty-minute break at 11.00am. During this time, pupils can go outside to play in the playground (weather permitting) or are supervised in the general purpose room and the hall during inclement weather, where they can play and eat their snacks.
Lunch
After a busy morning, the pupils have built up quite an appetite and are glad to hear the lunchtime bell. For girls in 1 – 4 Junior lunch is served in the dining room at 12.00; girls may opt for school lunches or bring their own packed lunch. Naturally, time to play outside (weather permitting) is recognised also as an important feature of the lunch hour, before our younger girls return to class at 1.00 p.m. Our older girls in 5 – 7 Junior eat lunch in the dining room from 12.30 onwards and head back to lessons at 1.30 p.m.
Extra-curricular clubs (daytime)
During the lunchtime break and after the school day has ended, there are many and varied extra-curricular clubs for our junior pupils, ranging from musical activities and sporting activities to puzzle club, craft club, gardening club, story reading and quiz club. If you would like more information on these clubs, please do ask.
End of lessons
Pupils in 1-6 Junior end the day at 3pm, with the 7 Junior girls ending lessons at 3.40pm – except for a Friday afternoon, when all Juniors finish at 3pm.
After school club
If pupils are unable to be collected at the end of normal lessons, they are welcome to attend our after school club where a range of enjoyable activities is provided.
The session for girls in 1 Junior takes place in the nursery, and for girls in 2-6 Junior in the dining room. Children can take part in a variety of activities such as crafts, baking, ICT, role-play, board games and puzzles, all supervised by our team of after school care staff.
The girls in 2 – 6 Junior can be part of the after school care pupil council, and all the children participate in planning what happens at after school care. Every year, after school care holds a charity event and a pupil conference. Healthy snacks are provided, including fruit or vegetable sticks, along with a variety of other items such as toast, bagels, cereals and soup.
Homework Club
Girls from 7 Junior upwards who need to stay beyond 3.40 p.m before being collected might find it useful to attend the homework club. This is also a supervised club which takes place in the school library between 3.45 p.m. and 5.30 p. Monday to Thursday, and from 3.05 p.m on Fridays. Here, pupils can work quietly to complete set homework until parents arrive.
Big Sisters’ Club
Many younger girls attending St Margaret’s in 1 Junior - 6 Junior wait for an older sister to finish school later in the day. These girls can come along to the Big Sisters’ club – a free, supervised service where girls can wait until their elder sibling has completed the school day. This must be booked in advance, so please do get in touch with the school if this is of interest.
Enquiries about St Margaret’s Junior School
We currently have some places available for an immediate start in the junior school. If you would like further information or would like to arrange a visit to the school, please contact our Admissions Officer, Karen Schmitz, on 01224 472814 or admissions@st-margaret.uk
