Is your child eligible for free school meals?

The rising cost of living means everyone could use a bit of help.  If you are unemployed or on benefits then you may be able to claim free school meals for your child.

This would not only help you: it would help the school too.

Schools are given additional funding by the Government for every child who gets free school meals.  We want to obtain as much as possible so that we can improve education for all Abbey students.

We are aware there are children who attend The Abbey School who are entitled to free school meals but do not realise it.  We are also aware that some parents choose not to take up the entitlement to a free school meal.

The Pupil Premium means that even if you don't wish to access a free daily meal, applying will mean that this school will receive further funding.

If you think your family could qualify, please complete the following online application:

If you have any queries please contact the school office on info@theabbeyschoolfaversham.co.uk with the subject line ‘Free School Meals’ 

The progress of Pupils is a partnership between parents/carers, the pupil and the school

In order to make the best of this partnership, it is important that parents/carers have all relevant information regarding the school and are aware of the depth of opportunities to learn, enjoy and achieve while with us here at The Abbey School.

The handbook also gives important practical information for new and existing parents alike.

Parent Guide 2023-24 is currently under production.

For most of the year we enjoy a spacious and open site at The Abbey School, but unfortunately, this presents us with many problems when we encounter snow.

The long access road and car park can become impassable and the many pathways that link the various buildings are difficult to restore to a condition that will ensure the safety of the staff and students that work on the site. The other consideration to make is that, although a few of our staff live locally, many travel from a wide area that includes Thanet, Dover, Maidstone and the Medway Towns, so that heavy snow in these areas reduces our capacity to adequately supervise all of our students, even if the snow in the town is not so bad.

Obviously, it is our aim to keep the school open wherever possible to minimise the disruption to student learning and parent/carers’ own arrangements. However, given the above, there may be occasions when the school will be forced to close.

If the school closes you will be informed by a message on the main page of the school website and local radio stations. If there is any doubt, you will see a message on the website that a decision is pending. Students should not leave home until the message confirms the school is open. If the school is open, but the whole site cannot be cleared, we will ask the more senior year groups to come into school. In certain circumstances, we will open the school later in the morning to allow for the site to be cleared, if the forecast is more optimistic.

On rare occasions when the weather deteriorates rapidly during the school day and we are concerned that students and staff might face difficulties getting home, we may have to evacuate the school earlier than 3.30p.m. However, this measure will be taken in exceptional circumstances only and we will endeavour to contact parents.

If you have changed your contact details recently please ensure that the school have been notified in case we do need to contact you. We believe these arrangements will help to maintain the health and safety of children and staff, endeavouring where possible to keep the school open to minimise the disruption to student learning. Thank you for your support.

• All lost property should be handed into the School Office.

• Please ensure all uniform is marked clearly with your name to enable us to return to you in the event of an item being lost.

• Where an item is not labelled and is not collected, the school policy for lost property is that it will be kept for a minimum period of one month, after which it will be sent to a local charity shop.

• School uniform items will, after a month, be taken into a stock of spare uniform that the school keeps.

• In the event of more valuable items, the school will use its best endeavours to reunite property and owner.

• A list of all lost property is sent regularly to Form Tutors to relay to their form. 

School Expectations/Targets

The Abbey School expects every student to have at least 96% attendance.

Absence/Illness

Years 7 to 11 - to report your child as unwell please call the Attendance Office on 01795 542477 on the first day that your child is not well enough to attend.

For 6th Form Absence:
Call: 01795 532633 ext. 2066
Email: sixthformattendance@abbeyschoolfaversham.co.uk

We appreciate and encourage parents making daily contact to inform us of absences. In, certain medical cases, some continued absences will be authorised. We do not expect letters from GP’s, but any medication packaging or an appointment card from the Doctor may be enough. If we have requested medical evidence from you, and it is not provided, the absence will not be authorised.

Below are some links to guidance for using the Arbor app:

Below are some links to online safety guidance:

Need help accessing Office365? This guide should help: