The hub for much of the data exchanged between you and the School is the Parent Portal. This contains information on your child’s timetable, teacher contacts, their sporting and co-curricular schedule, the lunch menu and many other useful items. Copies of all messages sent to you via the School’s official communication system are archived on the Parent Portal for your ease of reference. If your child needs to be absent from School, or you wish to request leave for a future date, these notifications should be made via the Portal. We will write to you later in July with instructions on how to login.

Your child's Tutor is your gateway into school. They will pass on information, answer routine questions, or get you connected to the right person. But more than that, they know your child very well, and so are perfectly placed to offer advice or support if needed. General information is shared in the 5.30pm mailshot each day, which on a Friday includes the Headmaster’s weekly message. Occasionally, the School also uses text message to communicate time sensitive information. You may also periodically receive emails or telephone calls from individual teachers, including the Head of House, regarding specific matters. The Parent Portal contains information about forthcoming events, fixtures, co-curricular activities or changes to routine via the Daily Bulletin and Calendar pages. You are also able to view any praises, behaviour for learning flags, or detentions awarded to your child on the Parent Portal.

Pupils are not permitted to use mobile telephones in school. If a pupil needs a mobile phone for their journey to and from school, they must, on arrival at the school gate, switch the phone off and place it in their locker for the duration of the school day. If a parent needs to contact a pupil, or vice versa, during the day, the Reception team will communicate the message via a teacher, or the pupil can go to Reception at break or lunch to contact home.

Families of Ibstock Place School (FIPS) is a volunteer-led organisation for families of pupils in the Prep and Senior schools. FIPS organises a wide-ranging programme of social and fundraising activities throughout the year, including a parent choir, festive fair, and a quiz. Each year group, from Kindergarten to Sixth Form, has volunteer class representatives who are the day-to-day contact between FIPS and the wider community of parents and carers. Click here to learn more about FIPS. The committee can be contacted at fips@ibstockplaceschool.co.uk.

Study Hall is a supervised study session held in the Library from 7.30am to 8.15am and from 4.00pm to 6.00pm each day. Breakfast is available from 7.30am to 8.15am and Tea from 4.00pm to 4.20pm. Pupils may access their lockers from 8.10am and must leave school at the end of Period 6 unless attending Study Hall or a supervised 'After Four' activity. 

Pupils enter and exit School through either Lodge Gate, Main House Gate or via the Bridge. Pupils must use the zebra crossing on Priory Lane to access Lodge Gate. Parents or carers should enter Ibstock via Main House Gate, unless attending an event, when they may be invited to enter through either Theatre Gate or Roberts Gate.

For environmental reasons we encourage car sharing, public transport, and walking or cycling to school where possible. There are bicycle racks for pupils to use within the school grounds. There is limited parking on the roads surrounding the school, so please be mindful of our neighbours if parking your car. Parking is available a short walk away in Richmond Park car park. 

We run a free school minibus shuttle service to and from Barnes railway station for those travelling to school by train. The service begins at 7.15am, and the last bus leaves shortly after 8.00am. There is also a return service running at 4.00pm, 5.15pm and 6.10pm. Bus passes must be applied for and pupils should show their pass when boarding. Should you need to apply for a School Bus Pass on behalf of your child, please click here to complete the application form.

Through partnership with a private coach company, Kura, we offer a pupil transport service in the mornings and afternoons. Based on demand we currently have four operational routes, serving Shepherds Bush, Twickenham and Kew, Wimbledon and Kingston, and Kensington and Chelsea. There is a charge for this service. Route and booking information is available at ridekura.

We also use HomeRun, a school travel app which connects our school community online and provides more travel options for parents. Instructions on how to join HomeRun will be sent to you in late July.

There is a school uniform guide (including sport kit) detailing which uniform items are required by your child and indicating which must be purchased from our official supplier, School Blazer. Second-hand uniform may also be available through FIPS second-hand uniform sales. Please ensure all uniform items are clearly labelled.

Each pupil is assigned a locker and is encouraged to use a padlock to secure it. The school follows a no bag policy indoors, so pupils must use their lockers to store their equipment and materials. The lockers should only be visited at break, lunch and at the start and end of each day. The school recommends that pupils use tuff folders or bags to organise their materials by subject. 

Tuck Cards (WisePay Card) allow pupils to purchase food and refreshments during breakfast, break and tea. Lost Tuck Cards are replaced by informing Reception. We shall contact you later in July to let you know how to set up your WisePay account.

Please note we are a no-nut or sesame school.

All pupils participate in our ‘Digital Device Scheme’ and bring their Microsoft Surface Pro to School with them each day. It is important that the device arrives in the morning having been fully charged at home the night before. Pupils will use their devices in lessons to access information, resources or media and to complete some written tasks. Microsoft Teams is used by the pupils to organise their work and to see prep assignments. Teachers may use Teams to share resources, set prep assignments, offer feedback and monitor progress. Parents do not have their own login to Teams, but you are encouraged to spend time with your child exploring the portal on their device and checking that prep assignments are being completed and returned. A summary of assignments can also be accessed via the Parent Portal. Pupils' devices are remotely monitored using software (Senso) and a content blocker (Sophos); however, no software package is infallible and pupils’ use of devices when in School will also be physically monitored by an adult. We advise that, similarly, your child makes use of their device only in a supervised, public area of your home.

The prep timetable is available on the Parent Portal, which allows you to identify which prep your child should be submitting each day. Pupils can use MS Teams to see prep assignments set for each subject. Many subjects offer lunchtime subject tutoring sessions to support pupils with their academic work.

The Wellbeing Centre is home to the School Nurse and The Soke counselling team offering a safe space for those pupils struggling with their mental health. Pupils can self-refer to The Soke, however if you are concerned about your child’s mental health, please do not hesitate to contact either their Tutor or Head of House. Professional advice and support on a huge range of topics is also available to parents and pupils through TeenTips. You can set up your free Teen Tips account right away by following this link.

Our Head of Academic Mentoring operates an open door policy. Parents and carers can raise concerns by email, and pupils are encouraged to approach the Head of Academic Mentoring, Mrs Harmer (sharmer@ibstockplaceschool.co.uk) for guidance. Our school has well-established and structured procedures in place for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND, working in partnership with parents/carers and pupils to agree an action plan. Find out more about support for learning here.

All pupils belong to one of four Houses: Brearley, Findlay, Montefiore and Paget. Within each House there are two Senior 7 Tutor Groups. All pupils meet daily with their Tutor in Pastoral Time. The are four Heads of House, who work alongside the Tutors, to provide pastoral care and coordinate participation in House competitions. Find out more about our House system on our Wellbeing page here.

Pupils are awarded formal praises by their teachers which are visible on the Parent Portal. These praises contribute towards their Tutor Group’s running total, and at the end of each term the Tutor Group with the most praises is awarded a prize. Special achievements and contributions are also recognised by the Headmaster each term by invitation to the Headmaster’s lunch where pupils enjoy pizza and soft drinks. We attempt to use detentions sparingly in Senior 7. Parents will be contacted if their child's approach in class or behaviour outside of class is falling below what is expected.

There are over 100 co-curricular clubs on offer at Ibstock. Pupils can learn more about each club during the 'Clubs Fair' held during lunchtime at the start of the Academic Year and can try new clubs during 'Try It' week at the start of each Term. Pupils sign-up to join a club using an online portal. We encourage S7 pupils to join at least three different clubs in their first term. Clubs are run either before school, during lunchtime, or after school. Most clubs are attended in School Uniform, with the obvious exception of sports clubs. 

Most individual music lessons take place in the Music Corridor in Main Building or in one of the Armadillas (wooden pods located in the woodland in the middle of the campus). Occasional use is made of other spaces such as the Ballroom and Theatre Foyer. The venue of the music lesson is always detailed on the weekly timetable sent out by the Visiting Music Teacher. If a pupil is in doubt, they should ask their Tutor or Reception. If you would like to sign your child up for music lessons, please fill in this form.

S7 have Games once a week on a Tuesday afternoon (Periods 5 and 6) and should arrive in School already dressed in their Games Kit. During Games pupils will either compete in a fixture against another school or participate in training. Information about fixtures and training sessions can be found on SOCS. S7 have PE once a week. During PE lessons pupils will try a range of different sports on a rota. For PE, and all sports clubs, pupils must change in and out of their kit whilst at School. This rule applies even when pupils have PE for their first or last lesson.