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  • FAQs

    I need to pay something to the school - how can I do this?

    Test Valley School uses a system called Arbor to find out how to access. Please go to Arbor

    Please note at this time our Canteen/Dinner money payments for food are made using Ipayimpact go to Ipayimpact.co.uk.

    An Arbor app is available, and you can make payments via your mobile devices, by downloading the app.

    How can I get my child get access to a locker?

    ILS provides lockers for Test Valley School students.

    The lockers are owned by ILS and are available for students to rent on an annual basis. Rental costs are £36 per year allowing use from September through to July.

    Please note all bookings terminate at the end of the school year in July. We apologise but there is no discount for lockers booked late in the year.

    The locker size is as follows:

    Height:  595mm

    Width:   300mm

    Depth:   450mm

    To guarantee a locker, please book online at: www.ilsschools.co.uk 

    Please note we are a separate entity from the school and all dealings will be directly with us.

    Lockers for September 2024 will be available online from June 1st. Lockers are subject to availability. Please book early to avoid disappointment. All available lockers are shown online.

    All rentals are subject to our terms and conditions, which are available during the booking process.

    How can I create my child a cashless catering account?

    The Test Valley School canteen operates a cashless system to pay for school meals using a secure service called iPayimpact.

    iPayimpact offers:

    • a secure online account with your own unique username and password
    • a secure activation via your email address
    • a secure system to make online payments using your credit or debit card
    • the freedom to make payments whenever and wherever you like - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

    Once activated you should keep your username and password safe and secure. For further information on iPayimpact please see the FAQs information attached or visit www.iPayimpact.co.uk  

    Making a payment is straightforward and iPayimpact holds a payment history for you to view at a later date; no card details are stored in any part of the system. Once you have activated your account you can make online payments straight away. You will receive your unique iPayimpact Account activation details by email once your child has registered.

    All pupils will need to be registered to be able to purchase items from the school canteen in September. This will involve taking an image of your child’s finger and turning this information into a biometric digital signature. Further details on this are attached to reassure you that this is not the same as holding a finger print.


    How do I Register my Account?

    You will receive a letter from your school which gives you your Child Account Reference.

    This letter will detail how you can access the website www.ipayimpact.co.uk and some simple instructions on how to use the website to make payments and look at purchase history for your child/ren.

    Registration is easy:

    1. Go to www.ipayimpact.co.uk
    2. Click on Register
    3. Enter the Child Account Reference – this will be on the letter provided by the school
    4. Enter your Username – This is what you will use to login to your account
    5. Enter a VALID email address – this must be valid as it will be used to send you payment receipts and activation details for your account
    6. Confirm the email address by entering it again
    7. Enter a password that you will remember.  Please remember NOT to give your password details to anyone else.   Your Password MUST have at least one Capital letter; one number and one other character that is NOT a number or letter.
    8. Confirm your password
    9. Answer the Maths Test This is to prevent automated SPAM registrations
    10. Click on Register.

    An email will be sent to the email address you entered above.  Please go to your email and follow the instructions you receive to activate your account.

    How do I Activate my Account?

    Once you have registered – see How do I Register my Account

    You will receive an email with an activation link.

    Click on the link or copy and paste the link into your browser and this will activate your account.

    How do I Login to my Account?

    Follow the steps in How do I Register my Account and How do I Activate my Account first.

    1. Go to www.ipayimpact.co.uk
    2. Click on Login
    3. Enter your Username
    4. Enter your password
    5. Click ‘Log On’

    You are now logged in.

    When you FIRST log in you will be asked to enter some personal details such as your name and address.  This is to ensure that you don’t have to keep entering these details when making a payment via the secure site.  Please enter these details accurately.

    How do I Link my Child/ren(s) accounts to my Account?

    If you have more than one child at the school – Login to your account - then

    1. Click Child Accounts (from the menu)
    2. Enter the Child Account Reference – this will have been provided by the school for your child/ren
    3. Click on Find Account and School
    4. Click on Link Account
    5. If you have more than one child at the school repeat the above process by clicking on Link Another Account.

    How do I View my Child/ren(s) balances, purchases?

    When you login your Home Page will display all the relevant information for your child/ren

    How do I make a payment to my child/ren(s) accounts?

    1. From the Home Page, you can add items to the basket
    2. Then click on the basket
    3. Proceed to checkout and follow the instructions.

    How do I remove items from my Basket?

    1. The contents of your Basket can be seen by Clicking on View Basket from the home page.
    2. Items in your Basket are displayed and you can:
      1. Click on the Remove button to remove the items – you will be asked to confirm that you do wish to remove the selected item
      2. Click on the Amend button to amend the payment amount to be made for this item
    3. Once you are happy with the Contents of your Basket you can Proceed to Checkout.

    How do I check to see if a Payment has been processed?

    1. Login to your account
    2. Click on Payment History
    3. Click on Details – this will show all the payments which have been made by you

    You can also check your email for payment receipts which will have been sent to you on the successful processing of your payment

    I have forgotten my Password/How do I reset my Password?

    If you have forgotten your password – follow these steps

    1. Go to www.ipayimpact.co.uk
    2. Click on Login
    3. Click on the ‘Recover your password’ button
    4. Enter your Username
    5. Enter your valid email address
    6. Click on Recover Password

    A message will be sent to your email address with instructions on how to reset your password

    Click on the link in the email

    You can now enter your new Password and Confirm this by entering it again.  Click on Change Password.

    You can now login using your new Password.

    Is the site secure?

    YES.  All pages viewed on ipayimpact are encrypted using a ‘Secure Socket Layer (SSL) session

    SSL is an industry standard and is designed to ensure internet pages and sensitive information are not intercepted.  When browsing using an SSL enabled site, you will see a padlock icon visible in your browser.

    All payments are made through a Payment Gateway which adheres to the highest level of compliance under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI), including stringent fraud screening, SSL encryption and tamperproof data storage.   This process is regularly audited by the banks and the banking authorities.

    How do I check or edit my Account details?

    1. After logging in to your account choose My Profile from the menu options at the top of the screen
    2. You can now update your details
    3. Click on Save Your Details once you have finished

    Who should I contact if I have a problem?

    Your first line of enquiry should be with your school.   They will contact CRB Solutions on your behalf if they are unable to help.  Due to child and data protection directives CRB Solutions are unable to answer parent’s queries directly.

    Why do I have to accept CRB Solutions / iPayimpact Terms and Conditions?

    New iPayimpact users must accept the Terms and Conditions during their account registration – they include the Parent Terms and Conditions, Data Protection and Privacy Policy. If acceptance of the Terms and Conditions is declined you will not have access to this service.

    Can I pay the school in cash/cheque?

    This will depend on your school’s policy; it’s likely that having subscribed to iPayimpact they would prefer payments to be made online – making their school site as cashless as possible.  Please contact your school for further information

    My child has left the school how do I obtain a refund?

    You will need to contact the school caterer to request a refund.  They will be able to refund any credit left on your SCHOOL MEALS fund or alternatively they can transfer the balance to a sibling account.

    How can my child access home learning?

    All homeworking is set on ClassCharts, as part of joining the school, all pupils will gain access to all Microsoft 365 systems on their own computers.

    username@testvalley.hants.sch.uk

    Their username is two digits for the year they would start at Test Valley in Year 7, followed by their surname (no spaces or hyphens) and their first initial.

    e.g. a current Year 7 (starting 2020) called J Smith would be 20smithj@testvalley.hants.sch.uk

    Pupils will have set their own password during their first IT lesson.

    They can be reset by coming to the IT office, had the pupil forgotten their password.


    Microsoft Office at Home

    Need to access Word, Excel or PowerPoint resources but don't have the software on your computer?

    Office 365 for free

    Microsoft Office for Windows and Mac

    Pupils are able to access Microsoft Office software for their home Windows or Mac computer, as long as it runs Windows 7 or later, or OS X 10.5.8 or later.

    https://portal.microsoftonline.com/OLS/MySoftware.aspx

    On that page, sign in with your school email address (username@testvalley.hants.sch.uk). You will be taken to our School Email login page.

    Then just click the Install button.

    Office apps for your tablet or phone

    Download the apps for your device:

    When asked, sign in with your school email address (username@testvalley.hants.sch.uk). You will be taken to our School Email login page.

    How do I get access to my parent/pupil ClassChart codes?

    Codes can be accessed by contacting either office@testvalley.hants.sch.uk, or your child's tutor.

    Homework will be set through ClassCharts, however some classes may still set homework on Teams.

    How can I report an absence or request a leave of absence?

    Pupils Absent or Late

    When your son/daughter is absent from school or will be late due to an appointment, missed bus etc. please call on the usual school number and select ‘Option 1’ for the Pupil Absence Voicemail; this is independent of the school switchboard so phone calls can be made at any time of day. Messages are retrieved from the voicemail and logged on the attendance computer system. It would be most helpful if messages could be left before 9.00 am where possible. Please call on each day of absence.

    Alternatively, to let us know your child will not be attending school, please provide their name, tutor group and a detailed description as to why they will not be in school and email it to absence@testvalley.hants.sch.uk. Please avoid using the office@testvalley.hants.sch.uk for absence related matters.

    When your child returns to school they should bring a letter signed by a parent confirming the reason for absence.

    If they need to sign in late due to a medical, dental or orthodontic appointment they should have the appointment slip (or a copy) to hand in.

    Please note: If pupils arrive in school by 9.10am or leave after 1.40 pm their percentage attendance will not be affected.

    Procedure for Pupils Leaving Premises

    Pupils who need to leave the premises during the day for appointments need to come to Pupil Services to wait.  We would be most grateful for advance notice of the appointment and appointment slips would be appreciated where possible. Parents also need to come to Reception and sign them out.  We are legally bound to ensure we hand pupils over to a responsible adult during the school day.

    Leave of Absence
    See Also

    Please view the Attendance and Punctuality policy here. You can also download the Leave of Absence application form.

    Any absence that is not medical or due to illness must be covered by a Leave of Absence application.

    At Test Valley School Leave of Absence in term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.

    We will consider every application individually but our policy is NOT to grant leave of absence during term-time.  Time off school for family holidays is not considered to be an entitlement.

    Hampshire County Council recommends that no holidays are booked until approval from the school has been received.  Leave of Absence applications should be completed on a green request form available from Pupil Services or on the school website.  Forms should be submitted to Pupil Services at least 3 weeks in advance of the requested dates.  Please allow 5 working days for a response.

    Please note that following revised Government guidelines in September 2013, a maximum of 5 days Leave of Absence can be approved and supporting documentation may be required.

    The law requires schools to be open for 190 days each year and every day is important.  This leaves 175 days for holidays.  Please help pupils not to miss any of their valuable time at school.  We publish the dates of school terms well in advance to help you plan your holidays. The ‘Key Dates for Parents’ are sent home during the last Summer half term and are available on the website.

    For all pupils attendance should be over 96% for Leave of Absence to be approved.

    If pupils in any year group are taken on leave without school approval it will be marked as unauthorised absence.