• Settling in policy

We want for children to feel safe, comfortable and happy within our institute; both with the surroundings and the staff. We aim to make the settling in process as easy as possible for parents and children. Most children adjust very well to our setting right from the beginning. In the unlikely event that your child finds the settling in period difficult, we will ask a parent to stay for the first few sessions, until the child is comfortable staying on its own.

• Parking

When dropping off and collecting children, parents are requested to park safely outside the school. The nearby streets are permit areas, though there are several Pay and Display bays and time restricted parking bays a short distance away. Parents are urged to adhere to the parking restrictions at all times, ensuring not to park on double yellow lines, as this causes much inconvenience and draws negative attention to Darul Atfaal.

• Visitors

Darul Atfaal welcomes parents and others to visit the building and observe lessons and classes taking place. However, this is on an appointment basis only. Parents and carers are strictly not allowed to enter the building and classrooms without a prior appointment.

• Holiday

At Darul Atfaal, we are very generous with our holidays and therefore expect parents to NOT take children on holiday during term time.  If it cannot be avoided due to exceptional circumstances, a ‘request for absence’ form must be filled out and submitted to the management a minimum of 2 weeks in advance of the proposed holiday dates.

• Pick up and drop off procedure

Drop off

Children are to be dropped off after 9.15am.

The students should make their way to their classrooms and be present in class by 9.30am.

The doors will be closed at 9.35am. If arriving after this time, please call us to gain entry.

Parents are requested to avoid driving into the school car park as it causes congestion and unnecessary danger to the pedestrians.

Pick up

Dismissal time is at 12.30pm Children will need to be collected by a parent/guardian, unless otherwise discussed.

• Late collection

Parents are expected to collect their children at their allocated time promptly.  If you arrive late to collect your child, we will call you or send you a reminder by text or email. After 3 reminders, you will be asked to pay an administration fee: £10 per every late arrival. Whilst we understand that sometimes circumstances are beyond our control, we ask for you to get in touch with us at first instance if this is the case. It can be very distressing for children to be left behind when their parents and carers are late to collect them. 

• Uniform

Our uniform policy is as follows:

Boys: a white jubba/thobe and a hat

Girls: a black abaya and a reasonable sized hijab/scarf. For the younger girls, we recommend a hijab that does not require pins/clips as they tend to struggle with it.

During the Winter months, children will need a jacket/coat and socks, as appropriate for the weather conditions.

• Haircuts

Boys: Haircuts must be in line with the Sunnah. Simplicity is encouraged, meaning if the hair is not in accordance with the Sunnah it must at least be one size all over or close to one size all over.

Hair styles, short back and sides wherein the side skin is visible but not the top, step cuts etc. will not be permitted.

Girls: Haircuts must be kept modest and not imitate the hair of boys/men.

• Madrasah and parent agreement

We want to get the best out of all our children, but in order to do this, we need your help! We expect that you will assist and support your children in their learning at home and ask us whenever you have a concern. Please ensure all homework is completed and handed in on time, and all the relevant portions learned as requested by the teacher.

• Attendance and punctuality

Children are expected to attend Darul Atfaal every weekend, on time. If for any reason, your child is unable to attend or will arrive late, please email us at contact@darulatfaal.com.

• Provisions for students

At Darul Atfaal, we provide all the books that children will require during their time here and also a book bag. Parents are requested to send their child with a pencil case containing basic stationery such as a pen, pencil, ruler, rubber, sharpener and colouring pencils. Please label your child’s belongings clearly to avoid them getting mixed up.

• Breaktime/ tuckshop

Children have a 15 minute break during their lessons to refresh themselves. Snacks may be brought from home, or alternatively from our tuckshop. We have a healthy eating policy for the last weekend each month wherein all snacks brought in must be healthy. On such weekends, we stock healthy options at the tuckshop, such as fruit pots,  milk, fruit smoothies, yoghurts, crackers, healthy crisps Parents are requested to ensure to either send snacks from home or provide money to purchase them, as children tend to feel left out when they have nothing to eat or drink.

• Toilet procedure

Please ensure your child uses the toilet and relieves him/herself of all necessities before coming to madrasah. All children are required to be toilet trained and able to clean themselves before joining Darul Atfaal. Please encourage children to only use the toilets when necessary.

• Discipline system

We expect our students to be polite, courteous and well mannered at all times, with teachers and peers alike. If your child fails to meet our expectations, a warning will be issued. After being warned, matters will be escalated to the Headteacher. Parents and carers may then be called in to decide on what to do depending on the situation. As a last case, for the betterment of the students and our institute, we may resort to suspension and exclusion.

• Class system

The classes at Darul Atfaal are set out according to the age and academic year of students.

Qaa’idah/Qur’aan: this is on an individual basis. The teacher will set work according to the effort and ability of the student. Our aim is that students complete the Qaa’idah with the makharij and tajweed learnt to a high level, then progress onto Qur’aan at their own pace. Since we only operate during the weekends, our Qur’aan syllabus focuses on different sections of the Qur’aan, such as Juz Amma, Surah Kahf, Sajdah, Rahman etc, eventually moving onto other Surahs. The purpose is that by the time students leave Darul Atfaal, they should be confident and fluent enough to be able to recite the Qur’aan from anywhere.

Islamic Studies/Arabic/Duas and Sunnahs: these lessons are taught on a class basis, so all students are set the same work and are expected to learn it for the given time in order to advance forward.

For Islamic Studies, we use the Safar Academy Syllabus as we find that it is dynamic and very well suited to a weekend madrasah. For Duas and Sunnahs and Arabic, we use our own textbooks, especially tailored for our children by our very own staff. Further copies are available to purchase on request.

• Examinations

At Darul Atfaal, we have examinations twice a year; Mid Year and End of Year. The Qaa’idah/ Qur’aan and Duas and Sunnahs exams are oral while the Islamic Studies exam is written and the Arabic exam is a combination of the two. For years 1 and 2, all exams are oral. All students must attend and pass exams in order to move on to the next year.

• Progress reports

Our policy is to return all exam papers after the results are handed out so that parents and students are able to go through the papers and work out where marks were lost and how they may improve on future exams. We also send out Reports via email after both the midyear and end of year examinations, which include the examination results as well as comments from teachers.

• Accidents and incidents

Although accidents are extremely rare within our care, sometimes accidents do happen. Significant accidents are recorded on an accident form, detailing the incident, action taken and how the child was after the accident. In the event of a serious accident, we will immediately contact you with information of what has occurred.

• Student illness

In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment, we expect children to be kept at home when noticeably unwell. Minor colds, coughs, aches and pains should not result in absence from madrasah; though when a child displays flu like symptoms, nausea etc, he/she should be kept at home until well again. If a child falls ill whilst at madrasah, we will not administer any medicine. We will, however, call for parents to collect the child at their earliest convenience. We generally have the following exclusion period for the various illnesses:

Illness	Exclusion Period
Sickness/ diarrhea	48 hours after the last episode of sickness
Chicken Pox	5-8 days (until every spot has completely scabbed over)
Hand, foot and mouth	36 hours after the course of antibiotics has started
Impetigo	Until completely treated
Head Lice	Until completely treated
Measles/ Mumps/ Rubella	5-7 days after rash/swelling appears and child is well enough

• Important policies

Risk Assessment

We ensure that our setting is a safe environment for your child. We frequently assess the different areas to ensure their safety.

Equality

We value each and every child, parent and staff in our institute, regardless of race, gender, religion or disability.  Our madrasah and youth clubs are open to all members of the community.

Behaviour policy

Our staff aim to be positive role models for the children, through their interaction with each other as well as with the children. We will display a happy and caring environment, conducive to learning, and our expectation of childrens behaviour is equally high. Our classroom rules are regularly mentioned to the children.

• Absences

If a child is absent, we expect parents to send in an email/text message with reasons of the absence. If a child is absent for 3 weekends, without any notice or correspondence, his/her name may be removed from the register.

• Safeguarding

Safeguarding is of utmost importance to us; all the staff are fully trained in this regard and we also have a designated officer.

• Complaint procedure

If parents/ carers have a concern or complaint about anything related to madrasah, they are requested to contact the Headteacher, Maulana Abdul Wahhab directly. This can be done in person, by phone or by email. We take all complaints very seriously and will take appropriate action as necessary.

• Fees

At Darul Atfaal, the registration fee is £100 per student. This sum includes all the books and resources that your child will need during their time with us.

The fee for the Academic Year is £350 per student.

This can be paid as a lump sum at the beginning of the Academic year or in 2 installments; the 1^st due in September and the 2^nd due in March. 

Late payments will incur a £10 Administration fee. Parents are requested to ensure all payments are made on time.

• Outdoor learning

We may occasionally decide to engage in an outdoor learning activity, environmental walk or a visit to our local park. If you do not wish your child to participate in such activities, please inform us via email so we can set some indoor work for your child during this time.

• Contact

If you need to contact us, please do so using the following details:

Telephone number: 07746 520961 (Maulana Abdul Wahhab)

                                    07858 023583 (Muallimah Sabiha)

Email address:           contact@darulatfaal.com

• Final word

Darul Atfaal: a home to your children!

Success is ultimately achieved with the help of Allah, but we ask you to help us provide the best education and nurturing to your child by supporting us whatever way or form possible.