Batheaston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
SCHOOL AWARDS and SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Recognised by OFSTED in 2010 as an Outstanding School
National Leadership School 2013
National School of Creativity, awarded by CCE (Culture, Creativity and Education), 2009-2011
Healthy Schools Award (2003, 2007) and Healthy Schools Enhanced (2010)
Regional partnership grant with NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics)
Inclusion Quality Mark, renewed November 2008
Eco-School status, awarded the Green Flag award which is the highest EcoSchool grade
Activemark Gold award for dedication to the benefits of sport and PE
Used as a case study school by the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) for Outstanding Provision for Gifted and Talented Children in the Early Years
FMSiS – Financial Management Standard in Schools
Commendation from ContinYou’s schools ETC awards for our Wednesday Workshop programme
Featured as an example of excellent practice in a DFES training film sent to all schools on inclusion.
‘The school's excellent curriculum provides rich, memorable learning experiences that are relevant and purposeful, and relate fully to pupils' different abilities, interests and experiences. An excellent range of visits and visitors, including residential visits, provides first-hand learning experiences.’ Ofsted September 2010 2
Our mission statement: Together, we work to provide children with teaching and learning which is exciting, challenging, nurturing and memorable. Batheaston is a place where children learn to love learning.
Our values and aims:
Encourage excellence - We enjoy the uniqueness of every child and endeavour to demonstrate to each of them our high expectations. We provide learning opportunities with good levels of challenge and support, informed by a highly professional understanding of children’s initial attainment and background factors. Whilst taking into account their individual needs and strengths, we promote the best possible progress of all our pupils. Maintain a high standard of learning environment – We design and create our indoor and outdoor learning environments alongside pupils and parents to create spaces which are exciting to use, purposeful to learning and constantly evolving. Pupils are connected to their learning environments, using them as resources to support their academic and spiritual development. Include everyone – We promote an ethos in which every child matters and where relationships are based on respect, honesty and trust. Every strength is recognised and celebrated. Difficulties are shared and discussed, never hidden. At play and in their work, children learn to include and value everyone. Live our ethos - We endeavour to create a friendly and democratic atmosphere, where all children are given responsibility for each other’s care and happiness, and are encouraged to participate in the running and development of the school. Engage in a creative curriculum - To ensure the highest levels of achievement by our children, we provide high quality teaching, via a broad, balanced and meaningful curriculum, which encourages and challenges them to be active, creative, independent and self–critical learners, unafraid of making mistakes. We want our children to be constantly engaged and stimulated by the richest learning opportunities available. Communicate effectively - We create a real partnership with parents and carers. Their contribution to the learning process, to the happy learning atmosphere, and to the development of the school, is a very real commitment made by all members of our staff. We aim to keep our whole school community informed of school developments, consulted in changes and involved in our evaluation. Build community - We encourage respect for religious and moral values and tolerance of other cultures, religions and way of life. In our work with St John’s Church and by providing experiences of wonder, awe and mystery we actively provide spiritual and moral development in line with our Church School foundation. Children, staff, parents and governors work together to actively promote and develop our shared vision. In many different ways, we create links with our local, national and global community. Protect the future – Children are given every opportunity to understand more about the world they live in. We teach them about the interdependence of individuals, groups and nations and place real importance on the need to value and care for the environment. We prepare children for the next stage of their learning and aim for them to leave Batheaston as happy, fulfilled individuals keen to make a positive contribution to society.
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SCHOOL INFORMATION Headteacher: Chair of Governors: Address:
Sarah Weber Joe Devine School Lane Northend Bath BA1 7EP
Telephone: Fax: E-mail: Website:
(01225) 858555 (01225) 852893 batheaston_pri@bathnes.gov.uk www.batheastonprimary.co.uk
The school provides places for girls and boys between the ages of 4 and 11. Batheaston is a Church of England school and along with the opportunity to study Christianity, children also learn about other major religious traditions.
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Dates 2013/14: Please be aware that there may be some INSET Days (days when the school is closed for staff training) that yet need to be finalized, but we will do our very best to give you as much warning of these as possible. TERM 1 INSET DAY (school closed): Start: OPEN MORNING FOR VISITORS Individual Photographs FOBS Children’s Disco Event! Finish:
Monday 2 September Tuesday 3 September Tuesday 11 September, 9.30 – 11.00am Tuesday 24 September Friday 18 October, 5.00 to 7.00pm Friday 25 October
TERM 2 INSET DAY (school closed): Start: OPEN MORNING FOR VISITORS FOBS Family Ceilidh Event! Finish:
Monday 4 November Tuesday 5 November Thursday 7 November, 9.30 – 11.00am Friday 22 November, 6.00 to 9.00pm Friday 20 December
TERM 3 INSET DAY (school closed): Start: Finish:
Monday 6 January 2014 Tuesday 7 January Friday 14 February
TERM 4 Start: Finish:
Monday 24 February Friday 4 April
TERM 5
Start: May Day Bank Holiday Finish:
Tuesday 22 April Monday 5 May Friday 23 May
TERM 6 Start: Finish:
Monday 2 June Tuesday 22 July
IMPORTANT: The school year is based on a calendar of 195 days. Five days are to be used for staff professional development which means that schools will be open to receive pupils for the legal minimum of 189 days (378 sessions). It will be necessary for parents and other interested parties to contact individual schools direct for confirmation of the 5 dates when they will be closed to pupils. DAILY TIMETABLE: Lessons begin a.m.
Playtime a.m.
Lunch
Playtime p.m.
Lessons end p.m.
Monday to Friday
8.50
10.40 - 11.00
KS1 12.05 - 12.55 KS2 12.30 - 1.15
2.15 - 2.30 (KS1 only)
KS1 3.15 KS2 3.20
Wednesday
8.50
10.15 – 10.35
KS1 11.50 - 12.30 KS2 12.05 - 12.30
2.00 - 2.15
KS1 1.00 KS2 1.00
Wednesday Workshops (optional)
1.00 - 3.15
There are also opportunities for collective worship at various times throughout the week. 5
The Key Stage Structure Children begin school in the year of their 5th birthday. Children in Class 1 follow a related, but separate curriculum, called the Early Years Curriculum, and this is organised through 6 areas of study. Children in pre-school education will be familiar with this structure. The National Curriculum is introduced in Y1, following a carefully planned transition period. Class 1 = Reception EYFS)
(also known as EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE -
Class 2 = Year 1 Class 3 = Year 2
KEY STAGE 1
Class 4 = Year 3 Class 5 = Year 4 Class 6 = Year 5 Class 7 = Year 6
KEY STAGE 2
The Staff Who Look After Your Children in School Headteacher: Deputy Headteacher: Teachers:
Sarah Weber Claire Fegan
KS1
-
KS2
-
Nikki Macbeth Georgina Wilson Jo Knight Alison Smith Kate Symons and Jackie Taylor Sian Stowell Claire Fegan
Special Needs Teacher: Wednesday Workshop Co-ordinators:
Jon Stevenson (part time) Sheena Tavendale
Teaching Assistants (TAs) and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs supporting individual children with special needs):
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Elle Allen Wendy Cardona Suzzy Chandler Sarah Cottle Polly de la Croix Vaubois Sarah Finch Trish Goodwin Secretary: Office Assistants:
Elise Menghini Hannah Lewis Suzy Pritchard Hannah Reeves Sally Robertson Sue Rosser
Sheena Tavendale Lisa Smithers Lin Symes Sue Trott
Caroline Courtenay-Clack Nicky Benjamin Sue Rush Rosie Summers
Finance Assistant:
Lunchtime Supervisors: Elle Allen Jonathan Burnstone Sarah Finch Hannah Lewis Belinda Milsom Bertie Poole Hannah Reeves Lin Symes Sandra Treacy Caretaker/Cleaner:
Phil Reeves
Cleaner:
Sandra Treacy Bertie Poole
Cook: Kitchen Assistant:
Mary Johnson Julie Wilkins Jackie Davies
The School Governors Governors meet at least once a term at school. Governors are appointed to help: -
support staff with the evaluation of and development of school plans interview and select staff decide how the school budget is spent.
Governors have legal duties and can only act together, not individually. School Governors are parents; teachers at the school; local Council representatives; community representatives; businessmen and women. If you are interested in becoming a parent Governor in the future, please ask the Headteacher for details. The current board of Governors are:
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Mr. Joe Devine (Chair) Ms. Lee Hennessy (Vice Chair) Ms. Emma Carmel Ms. Caroline Courtenay-Clack Ms. Louisa Kile Mr. Peter Giles Mr. Mike Gray Mr. Daniel Plowright Mr. Mark Priday Ms. Claire Fegan
Mr. Gus Neale Ms. Jackie Taylor Mr. Martin Veal Mr. Stephen Ward Mr. Henry Weber Ms. Alison Gittens Ms. Sarah Weber Clerk to Governors: Ms. Sheena Tavendale
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CURRICULUM ‘Pupils' achievements, both in academic and personal development, are outstanding and are reflected in their excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and high academic attainment. By the time they leave Year 6, standards are high in English and mathematics, with the great majority of pupils reaching the expected levels, and over half exceeding them. An outstanding curriculum contributes to this success. There are many planned opportunities for pupils to use and develop their core skills, including the use of information and communication technology (ICT), in creative and highly enjoyable ways.’ Ofsted September 2010
English, Maths and the Foundation Subjects – The Cross-Curricular Approach At Batheaston, we pride ourselves on a curriculum which inspires learning across all subjects whilst remaining centred on developing core skills in Numeracy and Literacy. To this end, children follow termly topics, such as ‘Our World’ or ‘Invaders’. These topics are planned alongside the children, incorporating their questions and starting from the knowledge they already have. Each topic is enriched with at least one ‘Inspire Day’, often in the form of a trip out of school or an external visitor coming to talk to the children. For a recent ‘Space’ topic, children had the chance to climb into a mobile planetarium; work with an astronomy lecturer from Oxford University and enjoy a session with a roboteer who had worked on the Eagle space project. Teachers work hard to plan lessons in all foundation subjects which enhance and develop this topic learning. For example, in a ‘Romans’ project, children may investigate building an aqueduct in Technology; sculpting a Roman vase in Art and mapping the growth of the empire in Geography. This cross-curricular approach helps children to make links in their learning and supports each individual to connect to the topic in different ways. Children chronicle their topic learning in their Learning Journals, which contain photographs, quotes and pieces of work from the term. At the end of a topic, it is concluded with a Grand Finale event which involves sharing this learning with parents, sometimes through an open classroom evening, a class assembly or a performance after school.
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Often, this topic approach is also used to make English and maths lessons engaging and inspiring for children. Year 6 children may use a historical figure such as Boudicca for the subject of their unit on Biographies, whilst Year 2 children studying ‘Animals and Habitats’ might make bar charts to show the number of species discovered in key locations. This said, teachers plan English and maths units using the Primary Framework to ensure clear progression in these core skills. Classes have an English-based and a mathsbased session every day. In both subjects, teachers differentiate to five levels, providing work which is well-matched to each child’s ability. Children who need extra support often have the opportunity to work with an additional adult and are sometimes supported through 1:1 sessions and small group input. Children who are highly achieving in a subject are presented with extra challenges, work at the next level and are sometimes given the chance to mentor a younger child in the school. All children receive 20 minutes of discrete phonics and spelling based teaching every day. Various systems, including daily ‘Maths Clubs’ also support the practice of key mental maths skills such as times tables.
Religious Education In terms of the children’s moral and spiritual growth, there are many issues that are regularly discussed through assemblies and class times. Subjects include: family life; care of people and property in the community; the elderly; the values and the maintenance of friendships; issues of equality; honesty; trust; violence; caring for ourselves and celebrating people’s differences. These issues are dealt with sensitively, often through stories or role-play, and introduced at an appropriate age. Religious Education makes important contributions to the curriculum of every child. It helps children’s understanding of human history and the development of traditions in this and other countries. It can also help children to identify for themselves some of the fundamental questions of human existence. At Batheaston, we enjoy strong links with the local Church of St. John the Baptist and the Vicar, Rev’d. Alison Fry. Assemblies are regularly led by Alison, mainly within the classroom or on special occasions such as Harvest Festival. We have structured programmes to ensure the main Christian celebrations and events are covered across the school during the school year. We also think it important that the children understand and respect the beliefs of people who are not Christians. This is taught through activities which focus on key religious figures, festivals and core belief systems. For example, Moses and the Ten Commandments; the story of Prince Sidharta (Budda) and the festival of Diwali (Hindu). Should you wish your child to be sensitively withdrawn from Religious Education, this can be arranged with your child’s teacher. Likewise, should you wish your child to be sensitively withdrawn from Collective Worship, this too can be arranged
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with your child’s teacher. Children withdrawn from RE lessons/Collective Worship will be supervised and given the opportunity to continue with topic work.
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Learning outdoors and Forest School We believe there are many benefits of providing children with opportunities to learn in different environments outside of the classroom. Working outdoors is beneficial for emotional and physical health and is also highly motivating and engaging for children. If a class of children are about to write a poem about the sounds you hear on a crisp winter morning, their work will be inspired by a sound walk outdoors and the poetry will be of a better quality. Teachers plan for activities in all curriculum areas and will use the outside space for many different activities which also support and encourage the development of our key skills: Social skills Reasoning Communication Problem solving Information processing Improving own learning and evaluation skills Creative thinking Enquiry
We have developed the neighbouring field, ‘Mike’s Meadow’, into a wonderful outdoor classroom which includes many stimulating and exciting elements to support our curriculum and also teach children about our local environment. This area includes a story circle and fire pit, giant newt earth work with tunnel and amphitheatre; badger sett and otter holt and community-built straw bale classroom, called The Lookout. This project more than doubles our outdoor space and provides the children and local community with a wonderful environment, including a wide range of planting chosen to encourage biodiversity, stimulate the senses and create year round interest. We have also built a large pond and wetland environment to provide the children with examples of additional different ecological environments. Forest School is an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning. The philosophy of Forest Schools is to ‘encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences. By participating in engaging, motivating and achievable tasks and activities in a woodland environment, each participant has an opportunity to develop intrinsic motivation, sound emotional and social skills. Forest Schools has demonstrated success with children of all ages who visit the same local woodlands on a regular basis and through play, who 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.’ Forest School take place throughout the year, (though not if it too windy), so children will need to have warm, waterproof clothes or hats and sunscreen depending on the weather. They will always need named Wellington boots kept at school for these sessions. 12
Creativity ‘Creativity is not bound within the arts, but a wider ability to question, make connections and take an innovative and imaginative approach to problem solving’ At Batheaston, we are investigating how to include children’s input into curriculum planning, how to integrate the development of key skills into everyday experiences, and how to share what we are learning together, with parents, other schools and our community.
5x5x5=creativity We have had a long and rewarding partnership with 5x5x5=creativity and the work projects we are involved in have become an integral part of school life and enjoyed by all the children. 5x5x5=creativity is an independent, arts-based action research organisation. It involves groups of artists, educators and cultural centres working in partnership to support young children in their exploration and expression of ideas - and in doing so helps them develop valuable creative skills for life. 5x5x5 is inspired by the celebrated Reggio Emilia educational approach in Northern Italy that respects children as strong, capable protagonists in their own learning. It recognises children's innate inquisitiveness, and affords them the space, time and individual adult attention to explore and learn from the world around them. This child-informed approach is distinguished by a unique commitment to the role of documentation and research in learning and teaching - and by the participating adults' role as companions, not leaders, of the children. For many years, Edwina Bridgeman has worked with us as our Artist in Residence. She works with all children in sessions throughout the year, supported by parents who also act as documenters. This year the children are engaged in the theme of imagination. The children’s experience of school has also been enriched by learning with other creative practitioners who work with 5x5x5, including musicians from WOMAD and Bath Festivals. 13
Lunchtimes Our school lunches are cooked in our lovely new kitchen by our exceptional team, Yvonne Howard-Lewis and Julie Wilkins. We follow the B&NES catering policy of providing choices, each providing a healthy, balanced and varied diet. There is always provision for vegetarians, and we will endeavour to provide any special dietary requirements should we be requested to do so. Food and herbs grown in the school gardens is used whenever possible in the school dinners. These meals may be purchased at the cost of £2.20 each and we request that the weekly amount be brought to the office in a sealed, named envelope at the beginning of each week, or termly if preferred. As a recognised ‘Healthy School’, we work hard to include happy and healthy lunchtimes. Children bringing a packed lunch also eat under the supervision of a team of lunchtime staff. Children are asked not to bring fizzy drinks, chocolate or sweets to school and to avoid bringing crisps to school. They are strongly advised to try to bring fruit or vegetables as part of their lunch. Parents on Income Support/Child Tax Credit may be eligible for Free School Dinners, and no distinction is made to the children between those who are paying and those who are receiving this support. If you would like to find out about Free Dinners, please do not hesitate to ask the office to help you with the appropriate form and information. This will be handled in confidence. Even if your child prefers to have a packed lunch, we would ask you to apply if you entitled to claim this benefit as this can qualify your child for additional support, including possible funding for extra curricular activities (see Pupil Premium below).
Ethos and Behaviour ‘Pupils' exemplary behaviour, both in and out of the classroom, along with their
excellent attitudes to learning and ability to work cooperatively and independently, make a highly effective contribution to their learning and progress.’ Ofsted September 2010 Our school rules are designed and agreed with the children and are phrased positively so that we can all remember what we should be doing to ensure a happy, gentle and hard working ethos. We have high expectations of children’s behaviour and attitudes and 14
there are consistent reward systems throughout the school, including House points, stickers, certificates and Golden Letters from the Headteacher. Daily structures and routines, eg Special Person in every class, help us all to remember and build on friendship and citizenship skills. There is a strong emphasis on the celebration of diversity and supporting each other without judgements. Older children enjoy helping and playing with the younger ones and everyone at the school is keen to help maintain the happy and friendly atmosphere. When there are difficulties there is a clear system of sanctions which the children understand and we will discuss concerns with parents at the earliest opportunity. All children are encouraged to take on responsibilities within the school community and there are many opportunities for this, eg Friendship Monitors, Special Friends, Eco Monitors, Librarians and Peer Mentors. The children enjoy being involved in our House system. We have 5 Houses: Elmhurst St. Catherine’s Northend Solsbury Bannerdown Siblings are together in the same House and 3 times a year we hold a celebration for the House which has gained the most points for excellent attitudes, effort, achievement, social skills, politeness etc.
Play The children are given a variety of play activities to choose from at lunchtime. They are allowed to play inside if it is extremely cold or wet, and outside they are provided with facilities for football or other ball games (for boys and girls together) as well as all sorts of play equipment, including skipping ropes, hoops and racket games. The Friendship Monitors are also there to help other children with ideas, to find a friend or to organise and collect the resources. There is a large terrace, areas of grass, class gardens, a traversing wall and quieter areas for reflection. We have a canopy, which provides a large covered outdoor play space for the children, and also a South African Lapa, which provides a picturesque setting overlooking the wetland and pond, where the children can sit and talk. They are also able to enjoy contact with our school guinea pigs. Children in their first year at school are provided with a Special Friend in Class 7, our ten and eleven year olds. The older children play with the younger children and help them to socialise together with their friends, to play appropriate games, use the play areas safely and generally have fun and confidence in the playground.
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The teachers and lunchtime supervisors have worked together to evolve a shared ethos for playtimes, and to provide continuity in their guidance and approach to the children. To see our Anti-Bullying and Behaviour Policies, please see the link under Policies on our website: www.batheastonprimary.co.uk Snacks Classes 1, 2 and 3 are provided with free fruit each day, and many children love this and like to carry this on by bringing fruit from home once they reach KS2. You may choose to provide your child with other mid-morning snacks such as fruit bars or breadsticks. Chocolate and sweets are not allowed, and we prefer that children do not bring crisps. Supervision During all the break times, there are a minimum of 3 members of staff with the children in the playground, at least one of whom will be a trained First Aider. At lunchtime the five supervisors help to organise playground games and look after the children in the dinner hall and outside play areas.
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WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS At Batheaston, the organisation of the teaching week has been modified to fit into 4 ½ days. The start/finish times of the day have been very slightly altered and the lunchtime period shortened. A whole programme of exciting clubs is now long established, and over the years have included the following: Art with Heart Indian Art Drama Taste of Art Sign Language Zumba
Fun and the Bible Football Being an Artist Journalism Steel Pans Cookery
Yoga Pottery Dance Rounders Cinema Club Drum Fun
Many activities are free of charge apart from an initial contribution of £1.50 per week towards administration costs, but parents also have the choice of their children attending clubs with a small charge to cover the cost of the specialist teacher and/or materials (e.g. Basketball at £10 per term; Drum Fun at £15 per term). For lots of parents, this will enable their children to receive extra-curricular opportunities and tuition during a weekday session, and save them from using weekend or evening time for this purpose. School swimming sessions have also been moved to Wednesday afternoons, avoiding children missing lesson times for this learning.
Because the Wednesday afternoon workshops are not official school time, children do not have to attend school during this session. Parents can take their children home or on outings from 1.00pm - or arrange dental or doctor appointments for this time, in the knowledge that they won’t be missing any lessons. There is a very careful registration and procedure for notifying the school if a child is given permission by parents to leave the school on a Wednesday afternoon. The Headteacher or Deputy will normally be on site so that there is additional adult support available, should it ever be needed. The workshop programme is, however, fully co-ordinated by and supervised by two members of school staff - Sheena Tavendale and Lin Symes. Community volunteers, parents and artists/specialists (all of whom have completed necessary CRB police checks) also lead activities. If you are interested in leading or helping with a workshop, please see Sheena or Lin who would love to hear from you.
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After School Clubs Most or our children attend two extra curricular clubs every Wednesday afternoon, but there are other after school clubs provided. The choices change from time to time but usually include choir, orchestra, football, athletics etc. There are also occasional interschool sports tournaments after school which we encourage the children to attend, including cross country and tag-tails. Most clubs invite children from Year 1 upwards because we find children in their first year at school tend to be rather weary by the end of the school day! Lateness If you are very occasionally unavoidably late, don’t worry - we would always rather children came to school late than not at all. However, if your child was frequently late, we would contact you to see if there was a specific problem with which we could help. Because registration time is a vital part of the day, when the day’s plans are shared and explained, missing this session disadvantages children. It can also be disruptive to the teacher and other children to be interrupted during this time After the register is called, it is sent to the school office, and if a child comes to school after this, for Health and Safety reasons their parent will need to go to the Office to fill in the Late Book, and indicate whether they are having a school lunch or sandwiches. Attendance The Government requires that we keep detailed records of every child’s attendance, and from these, reports are publicised regarding the number of authorised/ unauthorised absences in every school nationally. The local Children Missing Education Officer (CMEO) comes to the school regularly to monitor the level of attendance. Any unauthorised absence is perceived to be truancy. In order to maintain these records, we would ask that all parents complete the Absence Note (available in Reception) when their child returns to school after any absence or ring/email on the day of the absence. Should you forget, we will put an Absence Note in your child’s book bag for them to fill in. In this way, we hope to be able to continue to have minimal unauthorised absences. The Government is striving to reduce the amount of school time lost by children and therefore parents are strongly discouraged from taking their children out of school for holidays. For this reason special consent should be requested from the Headteacher. A required form is available from the school office. Security During every busy day, we welcome a lot of visitors to the school. All visitors follow the routine of coming to the Reception and signing in the Visitors’ Book so that we have a record that they are in school. Visitors are then given a badge so that everyone knows that they have a specific reason to be in school, and they are asked to sign out, too. An adult will approach anyone on the school premises without a badge. Any adult working regularly with children will need an up-to-date DBS check. If they are a visitor or a volunteer supporting an activity one a one-off basis (e.g. a parent accompanying children on a trip) a DBS check will not be necessary, but the adult will be under the supervision of a qualified member of staff at all times. 18
Our Health and Safety Governor and Teacher Representative regularly review the school grounds to check whether any improvements need to be made to ensure the children are safe in the playgrounds and moving around the school. Health and Welfare It is VITALLY IMPORTANT that we are provided with up-to-date Emergency Contact Numbers for all the children, so that we can phone you or a delegated person should they feel ill and need to come home. We ask that you remember to inform us should circumstances change, e.g. change of workplace, mobile phone number. In cases of sickness/diarrhoea, we would ask that children be kept off school for a minimum of 24 hours after the last incidence, in order to restrict the spread to other children, as far as possible. Children should not attend school with temperatures, for the same reason. Similarly, impetigo and conjunctivitis must be treated with prescribed medication before children return to school. Chicken pox: All spots must be dry/scabbed, with no new spots developing (approximately 7-10 days from first spots appearing) We would ask parents to encourage good hygiene and hand washing routines. Staff are trained to deal with first aid, and use an Accident Book to record any injuries. Following any bump to the head, a sheet is completed for the child’s parent information, so that they are aware of the incident and able to monitor the child over the next 24 hours. Serious accidents/injuries requiring first aid are recorded and investigated following the B&NES guidelines. Our School Nurse and Children Missing Education Officer are regular visitors to school and play an important part in the care of the children at school. There is support for whole groups of children, sex and relationships education for example. Individual children and families can also access support and practical help/advice. With regard to ASTHMA, the situation is as follows:We are always happy to make special arrangements for children with asthma who have inhalers. These should be discussed with their class teacher. We follow B&NES policy, which is: “Children over 8 years of age: In general, these children are able to self-administer their inhalers, and keep them on their person, in their drawer or desk, etc. Individual teachers will be aware of the varying abilities of children, and if there is any doubt about a child’s ability to cope, they will apply the procedures as per the under-8’s, below. Staff should be mindful of the effects on asthma sufferers, particularly with regard to Sport/PE, going out in the cold, pets in classrooms, etc. Children under 8 years of age: It is important that these children have access to their reliever inhaler at all times. Inhalers will be held in an appropriate place, e.g. Teacher’s desk, and should be labelled clearly by the parent with the child’s name. The responsibility for checking if the inhaler is fully charged or otherwise properly functioning rests with the parent. It is not the responsibility of any member of school staff. Many young children can use their own inhalers, and the responsibility of the teaching staff is to supervise the self-administration of the inhaler”.
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Giving Medicines at School: Prescribed medication may be administered by a member of staff by special request when the child’s doctor deems it to be essential, and ONLY following completion of a Parental Agreement for School Setting to Administer Medication Form, which must be signed – please speak to the office staff. The member of staff administering the medication will complete and record the details on each occasion.
Uniform We believe having a clear school uniform code will benefit the whole school community because it: • promotes a sense of pride in the school; • engenders a sense of community and belonging towards the school; • is practical and smart while allowing for some choice and individuality; • identifies the children with the school; • prevents children from coming to school in fashion clothes that could be distracting in class; • makes children feel equal to their peers in terms of appearance; • is regarded as suitable wear for school and good value for money by most parents; • is designed with health and safety in mind. Our school colours are navy and red. Michael Hope is our supplier of navy and red tops with the school logo. You can order on line, through our website, or fill in an order form from the office. Girls’ trousers/dresses/skirts and pinafores should be purchased from a uniform range and should be navy. For summer, the traditional gingham dresses are a lovely and practical addition to the uniform range. Socks and tights could be red, navy or white but plain please. All boys’ trousers and shorts should also be bought from a uniform range and should be navy. Excellent quality school clothes in both navy and red are available from stores including Marks and Spencer, Sainsburys, Tesco, Woolworths and Asda, both online with free delivery and in store. If you wish not to purchase the school clothes available through Michael Hope then polo shirts, T-shirts, fleeces, jumpers, cardigans and sweatshirts need to be either plain red or plain navy. Tops of all kinds should have no logos other than our school one, and should be one complete block colour without any pattern or decoration, e.g. a red top but which has a big yellow star on the chest would not be part of the code. Again, there is a wide and cheap choice from many stores including packs of 3 polo shirts for £6. 20
Year 6 children have the choice to wear either plain red, navy or black tops. Michael Hope also stocks black logoed tops. Skirts, pinafores, trousers and shorts should be black or navy and bought from a uniform range as all other year groups. All children need to have a PE kit in a named bag available at school during the week. For all PE and games lessons children need a pair of shorts (or leggings in the winter), a T shirt and daps or trainers. We prefer the children to have navy and/or red kit, particularly when representing the school at competitions, tournaments etc. Eco Monitors are provided with green caps and high visibility vests, and Librarians also wear pale blue caps to identify their special role. For health and safety reasons, we need for every child to be wearing robust shoes which are comfortable and practical. We ask that all children keep a pair of named wellies on their class wellie rack, ready for the many outdoor classroom activities. Crocs, heeled shoes and ballet pumps are not appropriate. No jewellery is allowed apart from stud earrings and wrist watches. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ALL SCHOOL CLOTHES AND YOUR CHILD'S PE KIT AND BAG ARE NAMED. We will endeavour to return named items of clothing found at school to the appropriate child, and parents are invited to check the Lost Property bench (the first on the left inside the Creative Space) for lost un-named items. Periodically unclaimed items will be washed and sold at the school Jumble Sales. A group of parents run a quality school clothes second hand stall, in the playground on some Fridays throughout the year. For a small donation, parents can stock up on school clothes for fast growing children! Pupil Premium The Government introduced the Pupil Premium in 2011 to provide additional funding to children in receipt of Free School Meals. "The Government believes that the Pupil Premium, which is additional to main school funding, is the best way to address the current underlying inequalities between children eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their wealthier peers by ensuring that funding to tackle disadvantage reaches the pupils who need it most." [Department for Education: Pupil Premium - What you Need to Know] The current funding per pupil (2012-13) is £623 per pupil. 2012-13 was therefore £14 952 (based on 24 pupils).
The school's allocation for
Spending to date 2012/13
Early Intervention time with Teaching Assistant for phonics, handwriting and maths Funding for Play Rangers to support home/school links Small group input with TA for reading, writing and maths 1:1 reading and daily maths TA support for Units of Sound IT programme which helps with spelling, reading and memory skills Nurture time with a TA Funded extra-curricular trips and activities 1:1 tutoring for a 10 week period Phonic application groups Planned support to help families access IT and internet at home Funding for Wednesday Workshops to support enrichment opportunities 21
Every child at Batheaston Primary School has personal targets set for reading, writing and maths and each one is tracked to monitor progress across each term. If children are at risk of not achieving their targets (or exceeding them) then the support provided might be changed or increased. All targets, and progress towards these, are shared with parents and carers and the children are also involved in these discussions. Community Links Pre-School Group We enjoy an excellent relationship with the pre-school group – The Jack and Jill Playgroup - which is situated very close to the school. Before starting school, there is lots of to-ing and fro-ing between the Pre-school group and the class. The pre-school children come to the school regularly to use the outdoor facilities, participate in story times, and induction activities, and also to the social family events and school performances. There is also an induction programme with a workshop for parents, visits and a picnic. Outside Agencies and Affiliations The school receives regular involvement from a variety of external professionals to support children with special educational needs and learning difficulties (Educational Psychologists, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, etc.) Parental and Carer Involvement Parents and carers contribute in lots of way to the life of the school. At Batheaston, we particularly value the role of parents as co-educators and most of a child’s first learning takes place within the home. We are extremely proud of how so many parents have become involved in the life of the school in many different ways. Many parents enjoy helping in the classrooms of their children. Each day, the teachers plan and prepare a whole variety of different activities for the children to work through, and certain of these activities are designed for specific teaching by the member of staff. Other activities might be group investigations, follow-up activities etc. Many parents also like to help when the children are involved in learning through the outdoor curriculum, e.g. the class gardening projects and Forest School sessions. Parents also help on occasional days and/or weekends when we maintain or develop the outdoor areas for the children. We call these events ‘Grounds Days’ and are very grateful for the support. Batheaston CEVC Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Volunteers intending to work regularly will need to complete a full Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) form, available from the office, and you are asked to bring in proof of identity and address (passport/driving licence/birth certificate/utility bill etc.) The form is then sent in to the DBS for checking against police records – this can take up to a month. When cleared, a certificate is issued. We would also ask all volunteers to work at the school at least once every three months in order to keep this certificate current.
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PLAYRANGERS Breakfast and After School Club We are fortunate to have our own Breakfast and After School Club providing exciting and well-supervised childcare from 8.00am to 6.00pm daily, and offering cover for Inservice days. Breakfast Club – 8.00 to 8.55am, £4.50 per session After School Club - 3.15 to 6.00pm, £9.50 per session Sue Rosser, the Play Leader (who also works as a Teaching Assistant and so is very familiar to the children) can be contacted by text on the following mobile number, and she will return all calls as soon as possible (please phone in emergencies only): 07729 558359 You are also welcome to contact the school office in person, or on 01225 858555, where Nicky Benjamin will help with queries regarding bookings/payments/vouchers/admin. etc. Please note: The Ofsted Number for Play Rangers is the same as for school -109184
Communication with Parents All parents are welcome to come before or after school to talk to teachers, and we really value the important information about your children which you share with us. In the mornings the class may be waiting for the teacher so after school is often a better time to talk to the teacher. If you would like to look at your child’s work, please make an appointment so you can discuss this with the teacher. We endeavour to keep you informed about your child’s progress in many different ways:
through regular formal or informal discussion there are two Parent Meeting evenings every year. The first one takes place in Term 1 and will focus on how your child has settled into the new class and what targets have been set for the year. The second meeting takes place at the end of the school year to review your child’s progress throughout the year. For children in the Foundation Stage, discussions will centre around your child’s individual profile 23
an annual written report topic webs and regular Bulletins and Class Weekly Newsletters sent by e-mail via Parentmail, or by paper copy sent home in your child’s book bag. parent workshops and information sheets on how we approach the different curriculum areas; through talking to parents about KS1 and KS2 SATs; through the issue of ‘Golden Letters’, stickers, House points, ‘Teacher Award of the Week’ awards etc, which specify a particular current achievement; the celebration of every child’s achievements in classroom displays and Working Walls New this year, progress slips sent home in February and April so that parents are very that their child is making the targeted progress
Please remember, no information that you wish to share with us is ever too small; even if it is just that your child has had a bad start to the day, we can nearly always do something to help. We would encourage all families with access to email to sign up with ParentPay as this has proved to be an excellent way of communicating with parents, plus it reduces the use of paper; in emergencies (e.g. school closed in severe weather) the system also allows us to send a text to a mobile phone. Parents’ Voice Group (PVG) The PVG is a discussion group where staff and parents bounce ideas off one another. Talk centres around social and academic issues specific to our school. Most meetings include issues/questions brought by parent Representatives. It is also an opportunity for us to seek parental response to any new developments. We might also, for example, express our appreciation of parental help and involvement, and parents might tell us what things they like and think are going well. There are one or two Representatives for each class. A PVG Representative’s role is to bring to the meeting any issues that have been raised by other parents of the class for whom s/he is the Rep., and then feed back what has been discussed at the meeting. Lots of issues are also taken back to school staff meetings by the Deputy Head and other teachers, who liaise with the group on behalf of the staff. Meetings are held once every half term, and minutes are taken and distributed to PVG members, pinned up at the school and summarised in Bulletins. Violin, Guitar, Cello, Flute, Piano and Steel Pan Tuition A very reasonable fee is charged for children who learn an instrument at school. These lessons are arranged during the school day, individually or in small groups, with specialist music teachers provided by the B&NES Music Service. Please see Caroline, Nicky or Sue in the school office if you would like further information. We will try to arrange a taster session for your child before you sign up for a 10 week course of lessons, but please be aware that once you are committed to your child having these lessons, we will need a minimum 10 weeks notice should they wishes to stop. For further information, please see Appendix A.
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Outings As part of their class topics, the children go on class outings which include local walks and visits, trips into Bath and further afield. Parents are asked to make voluntary contributions towards the funding of some outings depending on the costs of transport and entry fees. Please note that no child will be excluded from such a trip on the basis of non-payment, and we are very grateful to the support parents provide in this important way.
For residential trips, eg Year 6’s activity holiday in Bude, parents do pay because these kinds of outings are not curriculum linked. However, local charities have subsidised the costs for children in the past so we always encourage parents and carers to let us know if some financial support is needed and we will do our best to help. Other residential trips are also organised for upper KS2, including an overnight visit to London and another to Oxenwood in Wiltshire. We are developing plans with the village’s Twinning Association in the hope of taking children to Oudon in France in the future.
Walking to School and Parking As a Healthy School, we always encourage children to walk, scoot or cycle to school whenever possible. If you have a longer journey to make, or drop your child off at school on the way to work, we encourage parents to park a bit further away and walk the last part. School Lane should not be used by cars unless a child or parent has mobility difficulties or a BANES taxi is picking up/dropping off a child. Please park carefully so that due consideration it shown to our neighbours. We suggest you park in Northend or by the 25
garages off Coalpit Road. It is also possible to park on the estate and walk to school by using Muddy Lane. Charging Policy The Governors have drawn up a Charging Policy in line with the requirements of the Education Act 1988. This details items for which the Governors make a charge, whilst asking for voluntary contributions for such events as school visits etc. The Governors need to reserve the right to cancel anything which receives insufficient parental support. Details can be seen in the Charging Policy, which can be accessed by looking at our website www.batheastonprimary.co.uk under ‘Policies’.
ParentPay Welcome to ParentPay! In order to respond to parents' requests to make payments easier, and to help reduce cash and cheques at school, we now ask all parents to only use our e-payment method to pay for dinner money, PlayRangers, Wednesday Workshops, trips, music etc., whenever possible. This can be done online using a very secure website called ParentPay, or in cash at local stores where you see the PayPoint logo. ParentPay is also the communication system the school uses to provide parents with all news bulletins and important school information via email and emergency texts. IT IS THEREFORE VERY IMPORTANT THAT EACH PARENT WISHING TO RECEIVE THIS INFORMATION REGISTERS, even if you do not wish to use the online payment option. New to ParentPay? Log onto www.parentpay.com. You have a secure online account that you will need to activate using the unique activation username and password below; you will be prompted to change these and then keep them safe and secure as your Username and Password for future logins. If you have two or more children at a ParentPay school, you only need to activate one account to create your ‘main account’ and then add your other child/ren via the “Add a child tab” on your home page. Please visit www.parentpay.com and activate your account via the “Account login” area on the Home page of the site. <b>Username: <loginname/> Password: <password/></b> Once you have activated your account you can start to make online payments. ParentPay will hold an electronic record of your all your transactions, so you can check what payments you have made in the past by clicking the VIEW TRANSACTIONS button . Already have a ParentPay account? If you already have a ParentPay account, perhaps with a Secondary ParentPay school, you can simply login to that account and add your other children via the “Add a child” tab on your home page. You will need the below activation username and password to do this. Those parents wishing to pay cash should contact the school office to request the option of paying via PayPoint; we will then order you a card for this purpose. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you need assistance. Your support in using ParentPay will help the school enormously - thank you!
General Permission Slip Each year, you are requested to sign a “General Permission Slip”. This gives us permission to take your child off the school premises for school visits, swimming, 26
attending church, village studies etc. We always ensure the correct adult/child ratio on such visits, and your signature is given on the understanding that the correct provision has been made. We also ask your permission to reproduce photographs/videos of your child(ren), although last names are never used in publicity e.g. Chronicle articles. Please see the Privacy Notice in the Appendix. Child Protection In response to The Children’s Act, we are now asked to provide parents with the following information through the School Prospectus: “Whilst the Education Service does not constitute an investigation agency, because of their day-to-day contact with individual children during term-time, school staff have an important role to play in recognising and taking the appropriate action in cases of suspected child abuse. All school staff, both teaching and non-teaching, are instructed to report any suspicions to the Headteacher or Designated Teacher for Child Protection, who is required under the procedures to alert the Social Services Department. Child Abuse is a particularly sensitive issue, and does impose for those involved, particularly parents, strong feelings and emotions. However, whatever parents may feel about the situation, it needs to be appreciated that school staff are required to report, in line with the procedures, any situation where abuse is suspected, and a member of staff could be deemed to have acted improperly if this were not the case. Parents may seek advice and guidance from the Education Welfare Officer for the school or contact the Social Services Department direct, if necessary”. Complaints Procedure As we have an “open door” policy with parents, we would hope that all worries could be dealt with satisfactorily at the school. However, there is an official Complaints Procedure that parents should be familiar with if ever the need arose. If there is anything you do not agree with or with which you are unhappy, the procedure outlined below illustrates the official B&NES police for complaints: 1. 2. 3. 4.
See the Headteacher; If not satisfied, see the Headteacher again; If still not satisfied, see a Parent Governor; If again not satisfied, they will see the Headteacher, and report back to you, or they may consult the whole Governing Body; 5. If still not satisfied, ring the Education Department at B&NES in Keynsham.
The Foundation Stage – Class 1 We think that it is vital for children in their first year of school to be happy and safe, and to develop very positive attitudes about learning, through experiences of success and fulfilment. It is a time when they develop so much and meet so many new challenges and they need to be guided through these with sensitivity, consideration and carefully planned challenges. As well as learning through the curriculum, these young children need to 27
separate comfortably from their parents, learn to be part of a social group, and to establish and maintain friendships and to express themselves as individuals.
At Batheaston School, we are careful to develop children’s learning based on the individual needs of each child. We recognise that children’s ages will span over the whole year and in the reception year this is a particularly important factor. Although age has little to do with learning and achievement, at this very young age, it can be an important factor to consider in terms of maturity, physical growth, independence and tiredness etc We understand the importance of valuing the activities and experiences children share with their families outside of school. The impact of which becomes visible in the classroom through their learning and playing. We strive to develop strong positive relationships between school and home as we are aware of the influence it can have on creating confident, independent learners. Parents are asked to support their child’s learning through focused activities at home. Throughout the year we hold parent workshops, providing useful information and support about our approach to reading, writing, phonics and mathematics. We follow the national Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum very closely and are strongly committed to the needs of young children to learn through a structured programme of play activities as well as providing academic learning, such as early reading skills; writing independently; recording number activities etc. From Term 2, the children join in with a daily phonics lesson based upon a multi-sensory method and so become quickly confident in early writing and reading skills. Our approach to learning is very much based on play and exploration and the opportunities for: * making choices and decisions * the power of talk * using one’s imagination * experimenting * practising skills and learning new ones * adapting and transforming knowledge, attitudes and skills * the importance of self esteem for learning All adults working in the Reception Class are very well qualified, they work with the children, and are sensitive to their needs and know how and when to intervene in supporting their learning. The physical environment is safe, secure and stimulating, and the children’s learning takes place outside as well as inside the classroom – with daily sessions in the school grounds, e.g. gardening, number/shape trails, mini beast hunts etc. Well-planned ‘Wellie Walks’ enable children to explore aspects of their learning in the
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local environment to the school. We see our outdoor space as an extension of the classroom, where the children can make sense of the world around them and use it in their story telling and role play.
The School’s Admissions Policy Parents have the right to express a preference for the school they wish their child to attend. This preference is governed by the Education Reform Act 1988. This Act ensures that every school sets an admission level that reflects fully the capacity of the school. No child should be refused admission to the school preferred by parents unless it is genuinely full. This admission level is called the Standard Number, and applies to that year group as it proceeds through the school. The Standard Number is indicated by the school’s physical capacity and for Batheaston School the current number is 30.
Applications for places should be made on line at: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/schoolscolleges-and-learning/admissions-schools
COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED SCHOOLS PRIORITY A Children in Public care (Looked after Children) or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order.
PRIORITY B (The 3 categories in this criterion will be given equal consideration).
Children who live within a 1.5 mile radius* of the school and for whom there will be a sibling in attendance on the admission date at the preferred school.
Children who live outside a 1.5 mile radius* of the school but their sibling was offered a place prior to September 2013 and will be in attendance at the time of admission.
Children who live outside a 1.5 mile radius* of the school but it is their closest Community or Voluntary Controlled School and for whom there will be a sibling in attendance on the admission date at the preferred school.
PRIORITY C Children who live closest to the school as measured in a direct line.
Additional Notes
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To be considered under the above criteria parents must have named the school as a preference. Under the above criteria all preferences are considered equally. If a child qualifies for more than one school they will be offered their highest preference as stated on their application form. * The 1.5 mile radius will be measured from the address point of a school as defined by the Local Land & Property Gazetter (LLPG). In the case of paired Infant and Junior Schools the 1.5 mile radius will apply from the address point of both schools with the exception of Oldfield Park Infant School, Oldfield Park Junior School, St Michael’s Junior School and Twerton Infant School. For these particular schools the 1.5 mile radius will be measured from a midpoint between the paired schools. For Oldfield Park Infant and Oldfield Park Junior Schools the midpoint is 29 Maybrick Road, BA2 3PU and for St Michael’s Junior and Twerton Infant Schools the midpoint is 29 Cleeve Green BA2 1SD. In all cases, distances will be measured in a direct line from the address point of the child’s home address to the address point of a school as defined by the Local Land & Property Gazetter (LLPG). Measurements will be determined using the Local Authority’s GIS computerised mapping system. If under all the above criteria any single category resulted in oversubscription, those living closer to the preferred school would receive the higher priority. In the event of the school being oversubscribed where the applicant for the final qualifying place(s) available within the admission number is the parent/carer of twins, triplets or other multiple births the authority will breach the admission number to allow these children to be offered places. In the case of schools where there would be Infant Class Size issues such children will remain as an ‘excepted pupil’ to the class size limit for the time they are in an infant class or until the class numbers fall back to the normal class size limit of 30. For the purposes of Criterion B, a paired infant and junior school will be treated as one school. The paired schools are: Chandag Infant and Junior Schools, Moorlands Infant and Junior Schools, Oldfield Park Infant and Junior Schools, Paulton Infant and Junior Schools, St Saviour’s Infant and Junior Schools, Southdown Infant and Junior Schools, Twerton Infant and St Michael’s Junior Schools, Widcombe Infant and Junior Schools. Please note this applies to applications for Widcombe Infant School only. Widcombe C of E Junior School is a Voluntary Aided School and has its own individual admissions criteria details of which are published separately. Children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) are dealt with through the SEN Code of Practice and their placement is determined through the statutory assessment process or an annual review of their statement. All schools are consulted before being named on a pupil’s Statement and schools have the opportunity to draw attention to any difficulties arising from oversubscribed year groups. If a particular school is named on a Statement this will take priority over the Admissions Criteria, although, wherever possible the place will be offered within the Admission Number for the school. Parents/Carers who make a formal appeal against their allocated school will have their child’s name kept on a waiting list for any places which may become available at their preferred school. They may also ask for their child to remain on the waiting list without making a formal appeal. Any places which do become available will be reallocated using the Admissions Criteria, taking into account those parents who have asked to remain on the waiting list or who have lodged a formal appeal together with any late applications received.
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However children who are the subject of a direction by a local authority to admit or who are allocated to a school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol must take precedence over those on a waiting list. Every effort will be made to contact applicants on the waiting list using the last contact details provided by the applicant, but, where a response to an offer has not been received within 10 school days, the offer will be withdrawn and the available place offered to the next child on the waiting list to qualify for the available place. The child’s home address is defined as the permanent address where he or she generally resides with their parent. Temporary addresses may not be used to obtain school places. A random sample of 10% of all applications received each year will be checked to confirm addresses using the Council Tax Office, Electoral Roll and if appropriate the school currently attended before allocations are made. A copy of a utility bill may also be requested. In certain additional cases proof of residency will also be determined by using the above methods. Once proof is obtained that the parent is resident at the address given it will be accepted that the child is also resident at this address. Where parents share parental responsibility for a child but live separately if two applications are received from the child’s parents the LA will ask them to determine which application it should consider and which application should be withdrawn. This is because the LA will offer only one school place to a child at any one time. If parents cannot agree they should resolve the issue through the court system for example to obtain a ‘Specific Issues Order’ which specifies which parent has responsibility to make decisions on school preferences. However in the absence of any Order the application received from the parent who receives Child Benefit for the child will be the only one considered. Parents may be asked to provide supporting documentation confirming receipt of child benefit. The above information has been taken from the B&NES Information Booklet: A Primary School For Your Child 2014/15. Full access to this booklet is available by making the following link: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Schools-andLearning/AdmissionstoSchools/primary_booklet_2014-15.pdf The B&NES Admissions webpage, including the online application, is available on: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/schools-colleges-and-learning/admissions-schools
‘The children ‘feel extremely safe in school, knowing that their personal concerns are listened to and acted on with great sensitivity. They also know that the school listens to their ideas for school improvement and expects them 31
to play a full part in the life of the school and wider community.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ofsted, September 2010
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Appendix A: Confirmation of Musical Instrument Tuition We employ peripatetic music teachers through the B&NES Music Service. The cost will vary slightly from term to term, depending on the number of children starting/stopping lessons. As a rough guide, this works out at about £8 per lesson for a 10 week block of lessons (2 terms).
Lessons take place during the school day. They may occasionally overlap with playtime/lunchtime, but we will do our best to avoid this. If unavoidable, the timetable will be varied over the term so that the same children are not always affected. 10 lessons are provided over the course of 2 terms. They are not normally scheduled during the first weeks of terms 1, 3 and 5. If a music teacher has to miss a lesson (illness; pupil exams etc.) this will be made up at some point during the 2 terms, so that children will always get the 10 lessons they are charged for. This is made possible because most terms are at least 6 or 7 weeks long, so there is still time to fit in additional lessons. Should your child miss a lesson through illness/trips etc., unfortunately this cannot usually be made up, due to the demands of the teachers’ schedules. The school is obliged to pass on the full cost of the excellent music teachers, and we ask for prompt payment, please. Bills will be sent out with your child at the end of each 10 week block (2 terms) and cheques should be made payable to B&NES. Each child will usually need to be provided with their own instrument, and the teacher will be happy to advise about purchasing/leasing this. (The Assisted Scheme means that you can chose an instrument to purchase from a local shop, and we can order this through the school. You then reimburse us without having to pay VAT). The teacher may also request that you provide your child with a particular music book. Practising! It will be expected by the teacher that a certain amount of practice take place during the week between lessons – please make sure your child is aware of this! We will need 10 weeks notice, IN WRITING, please, if your child wishes to stop their music lessons. The school is required to book the music teachers at the beginnings of Terms 1, 3 and 5, and so will already be committed to this payment.
Given this information, we would ask you to complete the slip below and return to the office as soon as possible. We do hope your child enjoys their music lessons! Susan Rush Confirmation of Musical Instrument Tuition I would like my child
Guitar [ ]
Violin [ ]
in Class to continue to learn the following:
Cello [ ]
Piano [ ]
I agree to the terms and conditions as laid out above. Signed:
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Ukulele [ ]
Recorder [ ] Dated:
Appendix B BATHEASTON CEVC PRIMARY SCHOOL PRIVACY NOTICE for Pupils in Schools, Alternative Provision and Pupil Referral Units and Children in Early Years Settings
Privacy Notice - Data Protection Act 1998 We, Batheaston CEVC Primary School, are a data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. We collect personal information from you and may receive information about you from your previous school and the Learning Records Service. We hold this personal data to:
Support your learning;
Monitor and report on your progress;
Provide appropriate pastoral care, and
Assess how well we are doing. i
Information about you that we hold includes your contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance information and personal characteristics such as your ethnic group, any special educational needs you may have and relevant medical information. If you are enrolling for post 14 qualifications the Learning Records Service will give us your unique learner number (ULN) and may also give us details about your learning or qualifications. We will not give information about you to anyone without your consent unless the law and our policies allow us to. We are required by law to pass some information about you to our Local Authority (LA) and the Department for Education. If you want to receive a copy of the information about you that we hold or share, please contact Caroline Clack in the Office. If you need more information about how the LA and DfE store and use your information, then please go to the following websites: http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/your-council-and-democracy/data-protection-and-freedom-information/data-protection-act/priv or http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/datatdatam/b00212337/datause If you cannot access these websites, please contact the LA or DfE as follows:
Data and Performance Team, People & Communities Bath & North East Somerset Council st 1 Floor Riverside North Temple Street Keynsham BS31 1LA Email: childrens_info@bathnes.gov.uk Telephone: 01225 395393
Public Communications Unit Department for Education Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT Website: www.education.gov.uk Email: http://www.education.gov.uk/help/contactus Telephone: 0370 000 2288
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Attendance information is NOT collected as part of the Censuses for the Department for Education for the following pupils / children - a) in Nursery schools; b) aged under 4 years in Maintained schools; c) in Alternative Provision; and d) in Early Years Settings. This footnote can be removed where Local Authorities collect such attendance information for their own specific purposes.
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NATIONAL CURRICULUM ASSESSMENTS KS2 RESULTS 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 31 children Percentage achieving Level 4 or above in both English and mathematics Batheaston Primary School
2009
2010
2011
2012
84%
IA
85%
90%
Bath and North East Somerset
80%
80%
77%
82%
England - All Schools
72%
73%
74%
79%
CHILDREN MAKING EXPECTED PROGRESS BETWEEN KS1 and KS2 Percentage of children making 2 levels of progress in English: 93% Percentage of children making 2 levels of progress in Maths: 90% Percentage of children achieving Level 5 in both English and Maths: 29%
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