General information

Chalkwell Hall Infant School shares a site with Chalkwell Hall Junior School on the corner of London Road and Leigh Road and opposite Chalkwell Park. The school serves an area on either side of the Leigh/Westcliff boundary. The school was built in 1909 and comprises: a main school building with a central hall and six classrooms. There are a further four classrooms, including one which is attached to our dining hall as well as our Treehouse class for children within school who have additional needs. The Infant and Junior Schools share the kitchen facilities and playground area. We have 10 classes which each accommodate 30 children, with a yearly intake of 90 pupils. Children begin their school life in one of our 3 Reception classes; this phase of their education is known as The Early Years Foundation Stage. Children then progress into Key Stage 1, where they spend 2 years, before leaving us to go to the Junior School.

The School Day

Children can attend school from 8.35am, the school day finishes at 3pm

Getting to school – The school gates are open between 8.35am and 8.50am. Children are welcomed into their class room during this time. We start the day with a 'soft start' where children can organise their belongings, speak to ther friends and teacher and take part in a gentle activity to start the day.  

Playtimes – In the Foundation Stage, the children have the opportunity to play and learn outside the classroom both in the morning and in the afternoon. They have their own garden which is filled with exciting resources. In Key Stage 1, the children are given the opportunity to play outside during the morning, where they can take a break from the learning in the classroom and enjoy a healthy snack.

Lunch – lunch time begins at 11.30am for Reception children and 11.50am for Key Stage 1, Lunchtimes are one hour long. Parents can provide their child with a healthy packed lunch or take advantage of our school kitchen, where all children are entitled to a free hot or cold meal.

The end of the school day – The school day finishes at 3pm. Gates are opened at 2.50pm and parents are invited onto the playground to collect their children. Each class has an outside waiting area. Some parents choose to enrol their child in one of our after school activities.

School Dinners

Healthy eating is encouraged and foods cooked in our kitchen are low in fat, low in salt and home cooked wherever possible. We use fresh vegetables every day and have an assorted salad bar for the children to choose from. We offer a choice of water or milk.

The current "School Menu Week" can be found on the Newsletter.

Packed Lunches

We encourage healthy eating for packed lunches and must comply with our Food Policy. Please do not send children with sweets, chocolate or food known to contain nuts. Children may bring a cold drink in an unbreakable flask (please do not send fizzy drinks). Water is provided.

Please see our Food Policy here 

Home Dinners

Reception children can be collected at 11.30am and should be returned to school at 12.30pm. Key stage 1 children should be collected at 11.50am and returned at 12.50pm.

Morning Snack
Every child is given a whole piece of fruit and water is supplied throughout the school. We understand how important it is to drink plenty of water so children can bring a water bottle in order to drink throughout the school day. Milk can be ordered through ‘Cool Milk’ and delivered to your child in school daily. No snacks or other drinks are allowed.

Clubs and visits

Lunch-time and after-school clubs include a variety of activities such as dance, music, football, recorders, ICT, cooking and gardening. These change on a regular basis depending on children’s interests and teachers’ specialisms and interests.

We maximise the use of the local environment to extend the learning beyond the classroom and regularly visit Chalkwell Park, the library, the beach and the surrounding areas of the school, e.g. Leigh Road. Some trips are further afield, such as The Tower of London, Colchester Zoo and Hadleigh Farm. We welcome visitors to the school such as local clergy, authors, artists, fire service, school nurse. We welcome family and friends into school to tell us about their jobs and expertise, and also to share family and cultural traditions. 

Throughout the year we celebrate a range of focus and days and weeks, such as World Book Day, Children's Mental Health Week and Energy Saving Week.