Chorlton Park Primary School - little guide

A little guide for parents and children

‘Outstanding teaching and carefully planned activities move learning along in small steps through challenging experiences that encourage children to think independently and solve problems.’ Ofsted report 2009

A warm welcome to our school

Chorlton Park is the biggest primary school in Manchester, but that doesn’t mean your child will get lost in the crowd. In fact we put many measures in place to make sure they feel safe, secure and valued.

Our children know that they are part of a big exciting community, but they also have their own mini communities with their own area in the school, classrooms, outside play area, teachers and support staff. Whether they are working in small groups or as part of a larger team we’ll be there to encourage your child to be independent, and to feel secure within a school environment. We’ll celebrate their achievements with them, and help them to begin their school journey.

Making sure all our children reach their potential is key to everything we do, and our school is built on the belief that it is happy and secure children who achieve the most.

Our 2009 Ofsted report noted that “children get off to a flying start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and progress rapidly”, and we are proud that the hard work of our children, staff and parents and carers has been recognised.

The success of Chorlton Park depends on maintaining a strong relationship with you, and our tried and tested settling-in process begins this relationship.

Chris Burgess Head of Early Years

‘We’re prou d of our op en and friendly approach and look fo rward to getting to k now you an d your child better.’

Chris Burges s Head of Earl y Years

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The school day We start at 8.50am, a parent or carer can stay with their child until 9.00am.

We have lunch at 11.30am and go home at 3.20pm.

We have indoor and outdoor activities throughout the day and up-to-date timetables are on the wall in all nursery and reception classrooms.

Settling in The Foundation Stage We have highly experienced early years staff who are in demand for their expertise across the north west and beyond.

These talented staff draw on their knowledge of a range of teaching and care techniques and strategies. Their hard work led Ofsted to say that “excellent provision ensures all children make outstanding progress in their learning and development”.

The Foundation Stage at Chorlton Park begins at the age of three and a half. It’s made up of two nursery rooms: Acorn and Oak and three reception classes. The nursery rooms each have 45 children who are split into three family groups.

Each year 45 children begin reception in September and a further 45 join them in January to make three classes of 30 children.

We have lots of ways to make sure your child settles well at school and gets the most from their time here.

There’s a well-planned settling-in period for every child to make the transition to school as smooth as possible.

‘Parents and children enjoy excellent warm, friendly relationships with all the adults in the setting.’

Ofsted report 2009

Your new community ‘We’ve got a thriving Parent Teacher Association here at Chorlton Park. The PTA organises lots of events: from school fairs to cricket matches, melas to discos. Getting involved is a great way to get to know other parents as well as raising money for things our children benefit from every day.’

Angela Keane and Mel Horton Co-chairs of the PTA

What we do at school

What the children do at school in nursery and reception lays the foundation for the whole of their time here.

If you walk around one of our nursery rooms you might think that the children are simply playing as they would at home, but all activities are planned to develop the whole child.

It’s vital that they’re constantly stimulated, stretched and having fun. We take everything at your child’s pace, making sure they feel ready to take the next step towards their personal, social and emotional development.

Every child matters

The child is at the centre of everything we do and we recognise that every child is different. Ours is a diverse and tolerant school. No child should be excluded or disadvantaged because of ethnicity, culture or religion, family background, special educational needs, disability, gender or ability. It’s a long list but you’ll soon see that this is more than an aim for Chorlton Park and we achieve this in partnership with parents and carers.

The focus is to remove barriers to learning so we’ll identify children with special needs and disabilities early, and with parental involvement work together with agencies such as health services to provide the best learning opportunities for the child.

If a child has English as an additional language we plan learning to develop their home language and their English skills. We also ensure that all the children recognise and respect each child’s home language and culture.

haviour is “Their be and their excellent us as t is obvio n e m y jo n e y h and pla they laug .’ r gethe happily to ort 2009 Ofsted rep Our priorities for the Foundation Stage child • Personal, social and emotional development • Communication including language and literacy • Mathematical development • Knowledge and understanding of the world • Physical development • Creative development

If you’d like more information about the school or to arrange to come and visit us, please get in touch.

Chorlton Park Primary School Mauldeth Road West Chorlton Manchester M21 7HH dwatson@chorltonpark.manchester.sch.uk www.chorltonpark.manchester.sch.uk 0161 881 1621

This guide is printed on recycled paper and was written, designed and produced by copper media www.coppermedia.co.uk 07884 427 009. Photography by Paul Cliff

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