An introduction for parents of children in Year 1
An introduction for parents of children in Year 1 2022/23
Clifton College Year 1
Contents Welcome to Year 1 Clifton College The School Day Pastoral Care After School Care Curriculum Clifton College Pre-Preparatory
Specialist Activities Sport Assessment and Reporting Class Assemblies Uniform Security Absence and Sickness Communication Golden Rules and Positive Behaviour The Parent/School Partnership Term Dates
Contact preprepoffice@cliftoncollege.com 0117 315 7591 www.cliftoncollege.com
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An introduction for parent of children in Year 1 21/22
—Welcome to Year 1 The warmest of welcomes to Year 1 at Clifton College PrePreparatory. Year 1 is the first year of Key Stage 1, a two-year stage of education for the age group 5-7 years. Our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum 2014 Key Stage 1 programmes of study. Pupils are taught most subjects by their class teacher. Occasionally some teamteaching occurs where teachers
within the year group may teach the other classes in subjects that exploit their particular areas of expertise and interest.
We hope you find this booklet informative and helpful, but if you have any problems or queries please do not hesitate to speak to a member of staff.
All children cover the same broad syllabus and the teachers meet each week to plan activities and assess each pupil’s progress. Each class has a teacher and TA support.
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Clifton College Pre-Preparatory
—Clifton College Clifton College consists of two schools: the Upper School, with pupils from 13 – 18 years of age and the Preparatory School, with pupils from 0 – 13. Nursery to Year 3 form the Pre-Prep part of the Preparatory school. The Pre-Prep is based in Butcombe House, Sharps House and The Nursery.
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Our aims are: • To deliver a well-balanced, interesting and challenging curriculum • To encourage high standards and enthusiasm for learning • To develop self-esteem, self-confidence, selfmotivation, self-discipline and independence
• To provide a happy, purposeful learning environment where pupils enjoy their work • To develop the pupils’ awareness and understanding of the importance of British values • To create a close and interactive partnership with parents
In meeting these aims, we are always mindful of the overarching aims of Clifton College, and our role in providing an education which will lay firm foundations in all aspects of school life, and equip the children to make the very best of their school career at Clifton.
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—The School Day Breakfast Club
Drop Off
Lunch
End of Day
Children in Year 1 have the option of attending Breakfast Club from 7:30am. This takes place with children from across the Pre-Prep in the basement of the Nursery. The children are then brought back to the Pre-Prep at 8am.
8.25am is our main drop off time at which we ask that the children wait in a queue in the playground with their parent/guardian until greeted and signed in by an adult from the year group team.
At 11:55am the children walk over to lunch in the dining hall with their teacher. At approximately 12:15pm they return to the playground, where they play until collected by their class teacher.
The school day ends at 4:00pm. Parents meet their children at the bottom of the fire escape steps from Butcombe House where the children will say goodbye to their teacher.
Early Stay
Clifton College Pre-Preparatory
Early stay is from 8-8:25am in the Year 1 classrooms (using the stairs on the Nursery side of Butcombe House). Early stay is free to use and does not require booking. When dropping off please ensure that you sign in you child so that we know who will be picking them up and at what time.
Snack A healthy snack is provided for the children to independently access during mid-morning, e.g. milk or water, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers. Morning playtime takes place between 10:15 am and 10:40am. At 10:40am the children are collected from the playground by their class teacher.
An afternoon snack will also be available for the children as per the morning snack. Afternoon break takes place between 2:30pm and 2:45pm.
—Pastoral Care All classes in Year 1 have their own class teachers who oversee the pastoral care of the children in the class. They are supported in this by the other teachers in Year 1 and by the teaching assistants who work throughout the school and who get to know all of the children well. Clifton College has a Medical Centre, where there are trained nurses on site who can be called if necessary.
“Year 1 have their own class teachers who oversee the pastoral care of the children in the class.” 6|
—After School Care
Our After School Care facility takes place in the lower ground floor of Sharps House, and runs until 6.00pm. Qualified staff supervise the children until they can be collected.
Children are able to select a variety of activities including art and crafts, games and may use the playground when daylight allows. The children are given a drink, sandwiches, cheese and a selection of fruit. After School Care can be booked by submitting a form to the office. The form is shared with parents ahead of each half term, so bookings can be made in advance for regular users.
Occasional use may be available on the day, and a booking can be made via the office, but children can only be accepted if space is available. After places are allocated to working parents, places will be given to occasional users on a first come, first served basis.
Introduction for parents of Years 2-4 2020/2021
After School Care is primarily a provision available for children who cannot be collected at the end of their school day due to the work commitments of their parents.
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—Curriculum
We will arrange visits and visitors based on the themes and children’s interests studied during the year. We go to Noah’s Ark to learn about animal classification, visit a Jurassic beach to hunt for fossils, as well as welcoming the Explorer Dome to support our ‘Space’ theme. The themes are broad enough to incorporate many areas of the curriculum and to allow room to encourage the diverse interests and abilities of the pupils.
Literacy There are three major areas of Literacy within primary schools today: speaking and listening, reading and writing. Though these three strands of study regularly overlap, planning within the curriculum approaches each area separately. Phonics is taught following a scheme called ‘Unlocking Letters and Sounds’, and parents are welcomed into school in September to hear more about our phonics scheme and how we deliver it.
Speaking and listening Speaking and listening underpins all our work in Year 1, whether it is sharing our news or listening to a story before we go home. Stories, however, are not simply read aloud, they are shared.
Children are invited to retell traditional tales like The Three Little Pigs or The Three Billy Goats Gruff; to act them out for each other or to stage it for the class or school assemblies; to use puppets or pictures to tell a story; to discuss different versions of stories and explain which they like best. At Clifton College we believe all children should learn to speak confidently and listen to what others have to say. Children also begin to think about the needs of their listeners in Year 1 and how best to make themselves understood building on the development of their language from Reception.
An introduction for parents of children in Year 1 2022/23
We aim to follow themes related to the children’s interests whilst meeting all the National Curriculum objectives, integrating a variety of teaching and learning styles. Themes and interests are studied offering children more scope and opportunity to pursue learning and their own interests in greater depth. Cross-curricular links are made whenever possible, from literacy to history to music. Children are also encouraged to show their own initiative by posing their own questions or pursuing independent study in class or at home.
Working together in small groups or in pairs children take part in listening games, exercises which encourage them to ask questions, take different points of view into account or use language in imaginative ways.
“At Clifton College we believe all children should learn to speak confidently and listen to what others have to say.” |9
Clifton College Pre-Preparatory
Reading
Writing
At Clifton College most children begin to read independently in Year 1. This entry into literacy is an exciting time for children and parents, an opportunity to savour stories, characters and reading aloud to each other. Building on Letters and Sounds introduced in Reception, children in Year 1 learn to identify, segment and blend sounds into words.
In Year 1 children continue to understand the connection between reading and writing. Children begin to plan their writing more, focusing on the structure of different genres and how sentences are punctuated. Children’s writing becomes more ambitious in Year 1 too as children attempt to write poems, compose lists, draft scripts and construct information booklets. Children develop their understanding of letter families and how to correctly form each letter in-line with the school’s handwriting policy.
Reading books go home each day and children visit our library, where they can choose books of interest to them to share and read at home. In addition to this, children have a spelling folder which has a new list of words each week to improve their understanding of phonics and spelling patterns. Each child has an individual keyword folder to help them spell high frequency and tricky words at their own pace. In class, children begin examining texts more closely. They look and compare the differences between poems and plays, fiction and nonfiction, re-telling of traditional and fairy tales, sentences and questions and what makes some characters bad and others good. Children practice reading aloud and learn to read for meaning. They are also encouraged to express their own reading preferences and pick out the words and features of poems and stories that capture and fire their imaginations.
Mathematics In Maths, the children develop their number, calculation and place value and apply it practically in different contexts through practical activities and investigations. They begin to discuss, describe and extend patterns; count objects reliably to 20 and then beyond; form numbers properly; understand what it means to add or subtract; recognise coins and identify various ways of making different amounts; and develop an awareness and understanding of place value through number lines, hundred squares and abacuses. Children work by themselves, in pairs and in groups recording their work in their Maths books or on white boards.
“Children have a spelling folder which has a new list of words each week.”
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Work in Maths, however, is not confined to written records. Mental arithmetic plays an important role in how Maths is taught in primary schools today. Lessons in Maths occur daily and each one opens with an introductory mental arithmetic session. These games, songs, drills or problem-solving activities include counting aloud in 2s, 5s and 10s; sorting a collection of different items into sets; playing shopping games; solving number puzzles and riddles; and accessing an array of mathematical websites. The Pre-Preparatory uses the White Rose schemes of work to ensure quality of learning and consistency across the Preparatory School. In Maths children also learn about shape, time, positioning and measures. Children learn how to make patterns or mosaics and then how to name, describe and identify 2-D and 3-D shapes. They use pictures to chronicle their day and then how to tell the time to the hour and half-past. Other activities
and skills include weighing with scales, and measuring with rulers, metre sticks, and different objects. They make maps, use compasses and plot data charts and graphs.
Science Science helps children explore questions about animals, plants and even their own bodies. It offers knowledge and a practical way of asking questions and then trying to answer them. Children have science lessons in Year 1 and many scientific ideas will inform work on themes and through interests. In Year 1 children are encouraged to observe, explore and classify. They also learn to evaluate evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are fair. They begin to use information books to answer questions and share their ideas using scientific terms and language. Children are also taught how to communicate these ideas, predictions and findings using charts and tables.
Music is taught by a specialist music teacher using the scheme Music Express. There is an emphasis on creative music making, exploring the elements of music, e.g. rhythm, pitch, texture, timbre, in order to compose and perform. In class the children also participate in Sing Up activities with their teacher. The Year 1 children take part in regular ‘Big Sings’ with the Pre.
Computing In Year 1, computing is embedded in the curriculum and used to support all curriculum areas particularly through the use of interactive white boards. Pupils use a range of equipment including iPads and multi-media PCs in the classrooms and PrePrep ICT suite. They learn to log on and off independently, develop their understanding of the keyboard, combine text
and graphics, use the Internet for information gathering, use cutting and pasting skills, manipulate sound, are introduced to databases and become familiar with a variety of software.
PSHEE Personal, social, health and economic education helps enable children to lead confident, healthy and independent lives. In PSHEE, the children follow a scheme of work called ‘Jigsaw’. This is a thread that runs throughout the school and allows children to explore and discuss important topics. Children are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities, experiences that help them learn to recognise their own self-worth and how to name and deal with their feelings in a positive way. These activities include circle time discussions on what is fair and unfair; setting realistic targets and goals;
writing rules that make our classrooms more welcoming and our playground safer; and learning how to empathise with others through role play and story-telling.
Pupils will also look at the works of various artists and experiment in a range of different techniques.
PSHEE also includes activities aimed at developing a healthy, safer lifestyle. They learn the basic skills needed for keeping themselves healthy and safe such as lessons in personal hygiene, how diseases spread and are controlled, what it means to be a healthy eater and that medicines can be harmful if not used properly. They also learn about road and sun safety.
Art and Design Technology
An introduction for parent of children in Year 1 21/22
Music
Children explore ideas and meanings through art and design. They will investigate the uses and possibilities of sketches, paintings, watercolours, clay, charcoal, modelling and other materials over the year.
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—Sport
Clifton College Pre-Preparatory
Physical education provides opportunities for children to be creative, competitive and to face up to different challenges as individuals or as part of a group or team. PE promotes physical skills, physical development and an understanding of our bodies in action. In Year 1 children have opportunities for physical activity each day as well as timetabled lessons in swimming, gym, dance, and games. During these sessions children learn how to use different swimming strokes in the water; to change the rhythm, speed and direction of their movements; to link skills and action in short movement phases; and to bat, dribble, kick, throw or pass a ball to a teammate.
The children have two kit bags: Red bag Swimming kit: towel, costume, swimming hat, hairbrush or comb. Blue bag PE kit: Navy blue shorts, white polo shirt, white socks. Games kit: Tracksuit top, tracksuit bottoms, Trainers.
—Forest School Forest School is an integral part of school life and we teach a lot of our Science, DT and PSHEE curriculum in the forest. We have our own Forest School site at Clifton College sports ground at BB, and travel to the site on our Forest School minibus. Visits to Forest School run throughout the year, we go to the woods in all weathers. In Year 1 we visit Forest School for half a day. Whilst we are there we collect fire wood so we can have a camp fire and take part in themed activities. There is a Forest School uniform of- green fleece, green joggers and long sleeved navy top which children in Year 1 wear, this should be kept in the green kit bag.
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At Forest School children have the opportunity to learn about the natural environment, how to handle risks and most importantly to use their own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others. Children use full sized tools, play, learn boundaries of behaviour; both physical and social, establish and grow in confidence, develop self-esteem and become selfmotivated under the leadership of trained Forest School Leaders.
An introduction for parent of children in Year 1 21/22
“PE promotes physical skills, physical development and an understanding of our bodies in action.”
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—Assessment and Reporting On a termly basis, teachers assess pupils on their levels of attainment in the National Curriculum objectives in the core areas of reading, writing and Maths. There is a parents’ evening each term at which you are invited to meet with the
class teacher for fifteen minutes to discuss progress. You will receive a written report on your child’s progress twice a year. Each term you will be invited to come into your child’s class for ‘Time to Share’. During this time your child will be able to share their work with you.
—Class Assemblies In the Michaelmas and Lent terms each class will lead an assembly. Parents are invited into school to watch their child take part in their class assembly. It begins at 8.45am and usually lasts about 10 – 15 minutes.
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We intend to hold an information evening for parents to meet with the Year 1 team and other parents. This will be an opportunity to learn more about life in Year 1 and to visit the classrooms.
—Uniform
All accessories, hats, scarves, gloves and hair bands should be standard school colour of navy blue, or grey/black. Children with long hair should wear it tied up whilst in school. Children are not allowed to wear jewellery of any kind whilst in school.
The uniform for Year 1 is: Option 1
Option 2
Grey trousers or shorts
Black watch tartan pinafore
Blue long sleeved shirt
Grey trousers or shorts
Navy jumper or tank top
Blue long sleeved blouse
School tie
Navy cardigan
Blazer
School tie
Grey socks
Blazer
A labelled water bottle
Navy tights or socks A labelled water bottle In the summer-School summer dress and white socks An introduction for parent of children in Year 1 21/22
All pupils need to wear standard school uniform appropriate for the season. All uniform must be clearly labelled inside. It is useful to have loops on the inside of jumpers, dresses and trousers to enable them to be hung up. All shoes and trainers must be clearly labelled. We recommend the ‘Whoshoe Label’, available to order from the School shop.
—Security The security of your child is of paramount importance. We will not allow them to be collected by other adults unless we have received your permission in advance. We would appreciate it if you could write a brief note in your child’s message book if you have made arrangements for them to be collected by another adult. If we do not have permission, we will require your child to stay with us until either parent has been contacted, even if the collecting adult is known to us, i.e. the parent of another child.
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—Absence and Sickness
Should a dentist/doctor’s appointment be required during the school day, please inform the school office and write in the message book. If absence is due to holiday arrangements, permission is required from the Head, and a letter explaining the circumstances is required to be kept on file. Although most requests for an occasional day’s
absence are usually looked upon favourably, it should be noted that the school does not support absence for family holidays, nor accepts the obligation to provide work to be completed at home when pupils are absent through parental choice. If a child has had an upset stomach with sickness and/ or diarrhoea, please keep him or her away for at least 48 hours after the last episode has passed. The staff will only administer doses of antibiotics to pupils subject to written instructions being given on an authorization form signed by the
parent/guardian. In the event of a child requiring paracetamol for high temperature or discomfort an emergency dose can be administered with your written permission. This will be given while we wait for your child to be collected from school. These forms are available from the office. If your child requires an inhaler at times, or may be prone to an anaphylactic reaction, the appropriate in-date medication must be given to the office with full written instructions on its use. An introduction for parent of children in Year 1 21/22
If your child is absent from school, please contact the school secretary, at your earliest convenience, or leave a message on the voice mail.
—Communication Alongside Google Classroom, which we use frequently to share pictures and information with parents, each child also has a white message book. The Message Book is the main vehicle for communication between the parent and teacher, so please feel free to use it to let us know how things are going. It is especially useful for working parents, who do not have the opportunity to see the teacher informally as often as they would like.
Parents are asked to inform the school office preprepoffice@ cliftoncollege.com of any change of details, e.g. address, telephone numbers, emergency contact numbers, when they arise. We do our utmost to effect good communication with parents, but should it ever break down, please let us know so that we can improve the system.
You will receive a weekly Newsletter from the Head via email.
“The Message Book is the main vehicle for communication between the parent and teacher.” | 17
—Golden Rules and Positive Behaviour We pride ourselves on being a happy school, and happy children invariably reach their potential. Our Positive Behaviour Policy, in which we reinforce good behaviour rather than penalising poor behaviour, has a significant impact in making the school a happy learning environment. The school has a set of Golden Rules, which apply to all age groups from Nursery to Year 3.
In line with our positive approach to discipline, the rules make a positive statement about behaviour, and are on show in classrooms and public areas around school. The rules are discussed in PSHEE (personal, social, health and economic education) lessons and ‘circle time’, and often form the focus of school assemblies. The rules are:
Do be gentle Do not hurt anybody
Do look after property Do not waste or damage things
Do be kind and helpful Do not hurt people’s feelings
Do listen to people Do not interrupt
Do work hard Do not waste your or other people’s time
Do be honest Do not cover up the truth
—The Parent/School Partnership Clifton College Pre-Preparatory
We value close links with parents in order to create the most effective partnership between home and school, and you will always find a welcome here. If you have a query or concern, please do not hesitate to ask any member of staff - we are all here to help your child make the very best of his or her opportunities.
The door is always open to you, so please let us know how things are going. We are all very proud of our school, but we are not complacent and we value your feedback. We look forward to getting to know you and your child, and to a long and happy partnership in the years to come.
Staff are available during drop off and pick up for a quick word, or if you would like to talk more privately or at greater length, please make an appointment.
“The door is always open to you, so please let us know how things are going.”
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An introduction for parent of children in Year 1 21/22
—Term Dates 2022-2023 Reception to Year 3 Michaelmas Term 2022 Term starts at 8:30am Thursday 8 September – 3:30pm Thursday 8 December Half Term: 4.00 pm Wednesday 19 October – 8:30am Thursday 3 November Lent Term 2023 Term starts at 8:30am Thursday 5 January – 3.30pm Thursday 23 March Half Term: 1:00pm Friday 10 February – 8:30am Monday 20 February Summer Term 2023 Term starts at 8:30am Wednesday 19 April – 1:00pm Thursday 6 July Half Term: 4.00pm Friday 26 May – 8:30am Monday 5 June
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An introduction for parent of children in Year 1 21/22
Together, we are Clifton Clifton College Pre-Preparatory School Butcombe House, Guthrie Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3EZ T. +44 (0)117 315 7591 E. preprepoffice@cliftoncollege.com cliftoncollege.com
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