7 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3RR
Key Information
School Uniform
We expect all children to wear school uniform. The uniform is a gold polo shirt and a royal blue sweatshirt or cardigan, which all have the school logo printed on them. Grey trousers, shorts, skirts or pinafore dresses may be worn with grey socks or tights. In the summer blue checked dresses and white socks may be worn, although this is optional. Sensible black school shoes should be worn, not trainers or boots. It is also possible to purchase coats, fleeces, hats and book bags with the school logo on.
Children need a plain white T-shirt, black shorts and black plimsolls or non-marking trainers for P.E. In cold weather, black tracksuit bottoms and a navy blue sweatshirt can be worn. The sweatshirt is available with the school logo printed on it but a plain one from a high street retailer can also be worn.
No jewellery items should be worn, with the exception of stud earrings or a wrist watch. Long hair must be tied back with a dark coloured, plain band. Brightly coloured bows, hair accessories and nail varnish are not permitted.
No makeup should be worn.
Uniform can be ordered from pmgschoolwear.co.uk or purchased locally from Stevensons in Victoria Street. If ordered online we do hold samples of all the sizes in the school office if you wish to check before ordering. A small amount of stock for sale is kept in school for emergency purchases. Unbranded items can also be purchased from high street retailers.
The PTA runs an excellent nearly new uniform shop which can be accessed here: PTA
Please label all items that are brought into school all including clothing, footwear, PE Kit, water bottles, lunch boxes and bags.
PE Kit
We are advised by the DFE in their “School Sport Safe Practice in Physical Education” publication that the following procedures in regards to PE kit need to be adhered to:-
- Appropriate P.E. kit must be worn. Children should not wear long loose shorts or large baggy T-shirts which are likely to get caught on P.E. apparatus.
- Watches must be removed and stud earrings covered in micropore tape (provided by the parent).
- Appropriate footwear will be required for outdoor activities.
- Long hair must be tied back.
The school will not accept responsibility for any item of jewellery taken off prior to a lesson or left anywhere on the school premises.
Medical
Should your child require medication during the school day, please bring the medication to the School Office. We have a small fridge in the school office so we are able to store antibiotic medication too. Medication should not be kept in childrens’ bags
Parents/Carers must also complete a permission form to allow office staff to administer medicines in school which can be downloaded here:
Permission To Administer Medicine In School
You can view our policies in relation to managing and supporting your child’s medical needs in our Policies section of the website.
School Meals and Milk
As of November 2025, Stir is our school meal provider. All meals meet the school food nutrition standards and are freshly prepared on site using fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients as much as possible. Hot meals are provided daily with a choice of a meat or fish, vegetarian, pasta, jacket potato or baguette option. All food allergies can be catered for. Halal meat can also be provided, but must be ordered in advance. Please contact the office team for more information.
There is also the opportunity for children to bring their own packed lunches from home should children not wish to have a hot meal. We ask that children are not given any junk food or fizzy drinks in their packed lunches.
You can download the current menu here:
Menu - Autumn 26And you can download more information about Stir here:
Children in Reception and KS1 are provided with a piece of fruit or vegetable each day for their mid morning snack an we ask that children in KS2 bring their own fruit or vegetable snack each day.
Children in Reception, Year One and Year Two are entitled to a Universal Infant Free School Meal. For Children in Year Three upwards, the cost of a school meal from November 2025 is £3.00 per day. Meals should be paid for in advance so we ask parents to keep their child’s lunch account in credit at all times, topping up regularly via Arbor.
If you are in receipt of Universal Credit, your child will be eligible for Free School Meals and may be eligible for Pupil Premium Funding. You can apply here:https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/at-school/free-school-meals/free-school-meals.aspx
Milk
Milk is available for parents to order from the Cool Milk website by registering and setting up an account. It is free for children under 5. From the FAQs section on the Cool Milk website https://www.coolmilk.com/:
‘If you haven’t registered with us before you will need to create a parent account; just visit www.coolmilk.com/register. You will then need to add your child(ren) to the account. If you already have an account with us, log in to your account at https://customers.coolmilk.com/manage/parent.php and you can add additional children.’
Before & After School Care (Wraparound Care)
We offer the following sessions:
Breakfast Club: 07:30 to 08:30 Monday to Friday
After-School Club: 15:30 – 17:00 or 18:00 Monday to Thursday and 15:30 to 17:30 Fridays.
Terms & Conditions
Wraparound Care Terms & Conditions
Wraparound Care General Information
Application Forms
Please ensure you have familiarised yourself with the terms & conditions and pricing information before submitting a request.
Change your existing recurring bookings:
click here: https://forms.office.com/e/7dFUHhDR3p
Ad-hoc session Request:
click here: https://forms.office.com/e/kNK5n8pBJP
New User Request:
click here: https://forms.office.com/e/Ss3AsfCngF
Bookings & Payment Schedule
Below is a table detailing when the booking window will open and close and when payment is due by:
Who to contact
8am – 4pm Mon-Fri: School Office: 01727 860304 or admin@albancity.aetrust.uk
4pm – 6pm Mon-Fri: Call or text 07848 107469
Parent Portal
Alban City School operates a cashless payment system, so all payments for meals, trips and certain clubs can be paid online via your Arbor Parent Portal.
Your Parent Portal will be activated once your child is enrolled at the school. Once activated, you can download the app via the Apple Store or via Google Play, just look for this logo:
Arbor’s Parent Portal is a great way to engage with the school as it allows you to:
- View and amend all of the details we hold for you and your child
- View school meal account and Wraparound Care balances and add monies
- Book and view clubs and activities
- Give consent to and pay for trips and visits
- View your child’s timetable
- View your child’s attendance
- Send and receive messages to and from the school
You can access your account online too:https://login.arbor.sc/
You can find more information and some user guides here:
If you are experiencing any difficulties, please contact Lucy Hutton, Office Manager on 01727 860304.
Music Lessons
We are pleased to offer curriculum music lessons taught by a music specialist to all children. In addition to this, all children in Year 3 learn the recorder. We have a school orchestra and a school choir.
We are also able to offer private instrumental lessons for piano, strings, woodwind, brass, guitar and singing. For more information please contact Karen Dore via e-mail: karendore@gmail.com.
Smartphone Free
Who are we?
Smartphone Free is a parent-led initiative which is supported by Alban City School. We are a group of parents, with children of various ages, who have got together to discuss both the difficulties of parenting in this smartphone era, and what could be done to help parents and children navigate it.
As a school community, we believe in fostering a childhood free from the pressures and risks associated with smartphones and social media. Whilst we are in no way “anti-tech”, and recognise that technology has immense benefits, we believe that young people should be able to enjoy the opportunities it creates when they are ready and when it is safe to do so.
We work alongside the school to introduce new initiatives and help facilitate conversation with, and education to, the school community as well as the children themselves. Following a parent survey back in the Summer of 2024, children are no longer allowed to bring smartphones into school, and feedback has been extremely positive. We have recently gone one step further and banned mobile phone use on school premises, hoping that adults modelling desired behaviour will have a positive impact on the children.
Smartphone Free Childhood
Smartphone Free Childhood is a national movement which encourages parents to stand together, in the hope of reclaiming childhood and reducing the mental health impact and other challenges presented by smartphones and social media. Since its launch in September 2023 over 160,000 parents have signed the Smartphone Free Childhood Pact, as a commitment to delay giving their child a smartphone until the age of 14 (at the earliest). The hope is that if it is no longer the norm to have a smartphone by Year 7, the social pressure will be significantly reduced and parents will no longer worry that their child will be socially excluded if they don’t have a smartphone.
What can you do?
-
- Sign the pact: https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/sign-the-parent-pact
- Consider the alternatives to smartphones: https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/alternatives
- If you’d like to join our working party, please email the school office and we shall get in touch with you.
Useful resources
- An excellent 12 minute video from Papaya Parenting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zhfd0jW7iY
- A 30 minute summary of the leading book on the subject, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn_Ha37cNrk
- A powerful documentary called “Swiped” on Channel4: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/swiped-the-school-that-banned-smartphones
- There is a wealth of useful information on the Smartphone Free Childhood website: https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/resources-for-parents