What do I need to do for my first lesson?
On your first visit to your school you need to take the following items with you:
- Your DBS certificate (if your school have let you start before receiving this you must take it to show the school as soon as it arrives)
- Photo ID e.g. driving licence, or passport
On your first visit please arrive about 20 minutes before your lesson is due to start. Allow
plenty of travelling time until you are familiar with the journey, bus times etc.
What happens if my timetable changes and clashes with my school session?
If timetable changes impact on your volunteering, it is your responsibility to speak to your school to re-arrange an alternative time for you to visit. Please talk directly to your class or link teacher as soon as possible so that they have time to find you another class. Please do not ask the Students in Schools office to arrange this for you as this will take much longer. However, you must notify the SiS Office of these changes to your volunteering schedule once they have been confirmed by your school, via the SiS Student portal: https://sitesb.reading.ac.uk/sis/change-of-volunteering-details/.
What do I need to do to complete the scheme?
A minimum of 10 visits or 18 hours in your chosen school is required to complete the scheme so you are unlikely to achieve this within a single term. Therefore, please make sure you know when the schools return after their Christmas or Easter holidays and if your timetable has changed, follow the advice above.
What do I do if I want to withdraw from the scheme?
If there is an issue or you are not enjoying the experience, please talk to a member of the SiS Student Management Group (SMG) before you decide to withdraw. Withdrawing can cause reputational damage impacting on future volunteers and upset the schoolchildren who look forward to your visits.
However, if you do need to withdraw you must let the school know and email Students in Schools at sis@reading.ac.uk giving as much notice as possible.
Can I stay on in my school after completing 10 visits?
Yes you can ask to spend longer in school on each visit or you may choose to extend your number of
visits beyond 10. Talk to your class teacher and agree the new arrangement. Also please email sis@reading.ac.uk, so that we are aware of it. Many volunteers do decide to continue their volunteering and this additional commitment is reflected in additional levels of award as follows:
| Basic Award | 10 visits | or | 18 hours |
| Commended Award | 13 visits | or | 24 hours |
| Highly Commended Award | 16 visits | or | 30 hours |
What if I’m ill when due to attend school?
If you are unwell and unable to attend you must let the school know as soon as possible. You can contact the school office by telephone or email or use the ‘Message’ option in the SiS Student portal.
What if the weather is severe?
Check the school’s website as any urgent announcement will be prominently posted here. Local radio can also be a useful source of updates. Do not try to email or call the school as the school will not be in a position to respond to individual queries.
What do I need to do for my final lesson?
Let the teacher know it will be your final session as the children will want to say goodbye to you. You can track the number of visits you have made in the SiS Student portal. Remember to say that it is your final visit when you log out on your last visit.
How can I claim my travel expenses?
If the school you are attending qualifies for travel expenses, keep all of your receipts and see the Travel Guidelines in this pack for more details.
Can I volunteer again next year?
Yes, returning volunteers will be given priority allocation to a school of their choice. You will not need to attend another training session or get another DBS certificate, although you will still need to be in possession of your original certificate.
Can I get a reference from Students in Schools?
SiS can only provide very limited information in a reference – confirmation of your participation, whether you have successfully completed the requirements of the scheme and whether there were any safeguarding issues. This limited information is not always accepted as a reference so you should check this before asking SiS to provide a reference for you. Do not ask the school for a reference as they are very busy with commitments for their own students.