Welcome to Sunny Bank Primary School
'to be the best we can be'
Welcome
I would like to personally welcome you to Sunny Bank Primary School. I hope that you find our prospectus informative, providing you with an insight into all of the great things that happen at our school. Sunny Bank is a proud part of The Island Learning Trust, alongside Halfway Houses and Minster-in–Sheppey, sharing a passion to create a positive and rewarding journey, setting high standards and insisting on EVERY child, parent, teacher and governor ‘to be the best they can be’. We want the best for each child because they deserve no less. We believe that children learn best when learning is exciting, challenging, creative, collaborative, practical, reflective and meaningful. Learning should inspire children to ask questions and to wonder, providing them with memorable experiences and a sense of awe. I am passionate and determined to build a school based on the foundations of success, where our pupils feel safe, happy and secure and can learn and develop skills that enable them to become lifelong earners. If you would like to find out more about what Sunny Bank Primary School and Nursery can offer your child, then please contact me for further details or to arrange a visit. Mr Jack Allen We would be delighted to show you of School around our school as I am very proud Head Sunny Bank Primary School and of the pupils and staff. Nursery
School Information CONTACT DETAILS
Sunny Bank Primary School Sunny Bank Sittingbourne Kent ME10 3QN 01795 473891 Email: SBOffice@tiltrust.org Website: www.sunnybank.kent.sch.uk
SCHOOL HOURS 07.30
Breakfast club begins
08.30
Gates are opened.
08.45
Registration and start of session 1
10.15 – 10.30
KS1 Morning break
10.35 – 10.50
KS2 Morning break
12.00 – 1.00
KS1 Lunch time
12.15— 1.15
KS2 Lunch time
3:05
End of school day for Years R, 1 & 2
3:15
End of the school day for Years 4, 5 and 6
Admissions Procedures Starting at Sunny Bank Primary School and Nursery Nursery Admissions to Sunny Bank Primary School The Nursery has 52 places and has up to 26 AM and 26 PM places (3hrs in the morning and 3 hrs in the afternoon). Places are available for all 3 and 4 yr olds for 15 hrs a week with either AM (8.45 – 11.45) or PM (12.30 – 3.30) sessions 5 days a week or If spaces are available we offer a maximum of 4 places to children who are eligible for Free for Two funding in each funding term. For those who are eligible there is also an extended Nursery offer for up to 30hrs. The option to do full days with nursery sessions being 9.00 – 3.00. Nursery has 3 head counts a year (September, January and April) but we accept children throughout the year (if places are available) with places being offered on the child’s 3rd birthday.
During Term 1, it is our practice to admit all children on a parttime basis (initially mornings, followed by mornings including lunchtimes and then stepping up to full time).
For September 2022, KCC Admissions co-ordinates primary admissions and all procedures will be undertaken by them, following Government admissions criteria. We will need to see your child’s birth certificate before they start with us. Children moving from other schools are inducted into our systems. Parents are encouraged to come and look around the school and to speak with our Head of School, Mr J Allen.
We work closely with all local secondary schools to prepare and support our Year 6 pupils for transition to secondary school as far as we are able. Discussions are held between staff prior to transfer and we promote and encourage open evenings and transition days at your child’s chosen school.
Attendance
The entire staff community at Sunny Bank Primary recognise the significance of good attendance and punctuality to give the children the best chances in life. Our Family Liaison Officer (FLO) is available to support families in driving and improving attendance Mrs Newbury LNewbury@tiltrust.org
Parents and carers can help us to achieve our high expectations of 100% attendance by ensuring:
Children attend every day and are on time Children are prepared adequately for the school day School is informed of any concerns which could impact on their child’s learning Medical appointments are arranged outside of school hours when possible Good nutrition and hygiene Children get enough sleep
Our School We are currently a mixed form entry primary school and nursery that is on a transformational journey - both in terms of quality of education and our school site. We currently have 6 classrooms on the main site with a further 1 situated on Tonge Road, however a £4.4 million pound building project will bring a new 2-storey 8 classroom building and a new nursery down to the main site by September 2022 enabling the school to grow to a 2 form entry primary school in the future. Current structure:
Nursery (am/pm) plus Year R
Year 1
Year 1/2 class
Year 3 class
Year 4/5class
Year 5/6 class
Year 6 class
We have an open-door policy and parents are very welcome in school. Our office is open from 8.30am—4.00pm each day. The school team consists of office staff, class teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, learning mentors, pastoral team, sports coach and librarian as well as 1 head of school, 2 assistant headteachers and an executive headteacher. If you have any queries or questions about the school or would like to arrange a visit, please contact our school office on 01795 473891 and they will be pleased to assist you.
Our Statement of Purpose Grow
Achieve
Succeed
Our aim is to always provide for the pupils of our school what we would want for our own children.
We put children first. Staff have a responsibility to be positive in their relationships with pupils and supportive of each other and are prepared to go the extra mile to provide the best possible education and support for our pupils. We have a responsibility to ensure every moment a child is in our school will be spent productively. The happiness and well-being of the children is paramount to us recognising that all are treated in a just and fair manner.
Our Values Each term we focus on one of our values; we have celebration assemblies, shout outs and awards for those who demonstrate the values around the school. Our values also form the basis for our school rules and are at the HEART of everything that we do.
Positive Behaviour Our school values also form the basis of our rules.
Our school behaviour policy focuses on promoting positive behaviour choices and our school rules reflect this. Each term, the top two dojo point scorers become behaviour ambassadors who award special stickers to their peers.
Houses Our school is divided into four houses which are named after prominent families in the Sittingbourne and Murston areas. Dojo points are awarded for achievements, following the school rules and encouragement. The house with the most points at the end of each term, gets a non-uniform day!
LLOYD
Named after Edward Lloyd who built the Sittingbourne Paper Mill during the
TAYLOR
Named after The Taylor brothers who built barges along Milton Creek and at
OPIE
Named after the family who have been making pickles and preserves in Sittingbourne since the early 1900’s.
SMEED
Named after George Smeed who began making bricks in 1846.
Pupil Voice Pupils at Sunny Bank have a voice. They complete a survey annually which gathers their opinions on the teaching and learning that they experience at Sunny Bank Primary School. The results of these are analysed and used by school staff to improve the education on offer.
We also have a school council where the representatives of each class are voted for by their peers at a formal whole school election. They aim to meet fortnightly, where they address issues brought to them by school members and actions on the school improvement plan.
Inclusion At Sunny Bank we ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress. All pupils are entitled to high quality provision that will enable them to achieve their full potential. We believe in positive intervention, removing barriers to learning, raising expectations and levels of achievement and working in partnership with other agencies in order to provide a positive educational experience for all our pupils, including those with a special educational need or disability (SEND).
Contact Miss Akrill (Cover SENDCO) regarding any SEND queries you may have on 01795 473891. jakrill@tiltrust.org
Our Curriculum At Sunny Bank Primary School, our curriculum has been designed to help every child be
‘the best they can be’ The aim of our curriculum is to develop: Successful learners with aspirations Confident children who are independent and resourceful learners. Responsible citizens, pupils who value and understand their responsibilities towards sustaining their local and global environment. Our current topic based approach to learning allows each year group to explore a range of learning opportunities in all curriculum subjects. Our whole school topics are ‘Home and Away’, ‘Black History’, ‘Environment Explorer’, ‘Going Global’, ‘Time Tunnel’ and ‘Making the news’. They are designed to be diverse and provide a broad, inclusive and exciting curriculum where all learners can excel. We design, organise and plan our curriculum to ensure that children are not merely covering content but achieving a depth to their learning, which enables them to use their skills and understanding in all areas of the curriculum. We allow time for children to think, discuss, practise and explore but most importantly to embed. At Sunny Bank growth mindset is a key concept which shapes the ethos of our school. Each classroom has a display and its principles underpin all learning activities
Early Years Foundation Stage Our EYFS environment and curriculum, both promote rich learning opportunities; both indoors and outdoors. We provide a broad range of accessible and exciting learning activities which facilitate a love for learning and discovery. As practitioners, we are always striving to enhance the children’s experiences, facilitating them through play and exploration and developing them into confident learners, ready for the transition into Reception and Year 1. Play underpins the learning, here in the EYFS at Sunny Bank, providing the children with practical, hands on experiences and interactions; the Sunny Bank experience will help them to become independent, curious and confident learners. Early reading skills are developed as children listen to and discuss texts on a daily basis. Currently, we teach phonics using ‘Letters and Sounds’ and a basic sight vocabulary of high frequency words that they need to recognise. Our new phonics scheme will be Monster Phonics and this will be introduced from Term 5.
“Children are inquisitive and enjoy learning about the world around them.” Ofsted 2019
“Teachers and support staff utilise their enthusiasm and question children well, encouraging further enquiry.” Ofsted 2019
Spelling Bees Our spelling programme, Spelling Bee, is used to teach spellings across the school from Years 1-6. The relevant Spelling Bee booklet, which contains the statutory spellings alongside the spelling patterns to be taught and learnt will be sent home each term. Please help your child to practise their spellings for their upcoming Friday spelling test. A Spelling Bee competition is held annually to celebrate success and find our Spelling Bee Champions.
Accelerated Reader, Numbots and Times Table Rockstars Alongside our curriculum we use our Accelerated Reader and TTRS programs to improve reading and maths across the school. All children from the end of year 1 to year 6 use our AR program to pass comprehension-based quizzes on books they have read in the library. Every child is expected to pass at least 1 quiz a week and we have a weekly league to celebrate our reading successes. Similarly, in maths, each child has a TTRS account which is used to help with times table practise. The minimum expectation is 15 minutes a week with the opportunities to gain a ‘Rock status’ the more they play!
Wider Curricular We offer a range of exciting school trips and invite visitors into school for our children to immerse themselves in a range of experiences. From maths workshops, science fairs and art gallery events to being a partner school in the Murston HEART project! We believe a rich curriculum is paramount to our children’s learning and therefore offer a rage of hooks and exit points each term to engage our children.
Our Road Maps are used to ensure we teach a broad and balanced curriculum which gives all of our children a variety of learning opportunities. We are passionate about our fun and engaging curriculum which allows all pupils to make good progress in every subject from literacy to music. Here at Sunny Bank, the wider curriculum enables a 'buzz' for learning and extends opportunities for reading, writing and maths. All of our subjects have a clear learning journey, from Reception through to Year 6, which builds on prior learning. Our Road Maps enable us to share the key skills we are teaching across each year group.
Copy single movements with a reasonable degree of accuracy and developing control Perform simple dances using simple movement patterns, with prompts Send and receive a variety of objects with developing control Demonstrate good static balance across a range of different body shapes and positions and using bases of varying sizes Begin to develop simple dynamic balance Move in a range of different ways with increasing control
Use fundamental movement skills in combination and with increasing confidence Combine movements in different ways to produce different outcomes Apply their skills in a range of modified game situations Use skills effectively to execute simple attack and defence strategies in a range of modified games situations
Move confidently in a range of different ways, linking together simple actions with control. Perform a short series of actions/movements with some changes in level, speed and direction Show good dynamic balance in a range of different contexts Show good co-ordination skills to throw, catch, strike, bounce, trap and kick a variety of objects in different contexts Begin to apply simple physical skills in team games Create and perform simple dances using simple movement patterns
Use a wide range of different movements in combination, maintaining good control, in a range of game situations Begin to adapt the performance of different movements to meet the outcomes required. Develop increasingly complex sequences of movements
Physical Progression in PE
Begin to use skills effectively to execute simple attack and defence strategies in a range of modified game situations Use a broad range of movement skills with control and consistency and relevant to the learning context Begin to use fundamental movement skills in combination in sequences and small game situations
Combine complex sequences of actions with quality and fluency Show confidence in adapting movements and skills to meet a specific outcome Apply their skills confidently in a range of sport specific contexts.
Forest School
Forest school is an outdoor learning experience which supports pupils with their well being, self-esteem and social skills. The open and free environment fosters the development of children’s natural intelligence and provides activities which enable them to problem solve and ask questions; improving their resilience and concentration skills.
Home Learning Home learning is the opportunity to work alongside your child to strengthen the skills that are being taught at school. Through home learning you can share the fun aspects of learning together exploring learning in an unstructured setting, encouraging your child to be independent and follow their own lines of enquiry. In addition, homework creates a partnership between school and family, giving you an insight into what your child is learning.
Passports to Learning
Each term, our children are given a ‘Passport to Learning’ project to complete. These projects are individual to each year group and contain a variety of activities; some are based on the curriculum whilst others centre around hobbies and interests. Please enjoy these Passport to Learning projects alongside your child. We love to celebrate achievement and participation at Sunny Bank, therefore at the end of each term there will be the opportunity to showcase your projects.
Uniform
Navy blue sweatshirt or cardigan with school logo White shirt/blouse or white polo shirt Grey or black trousers Grey or black skirt or pinafore dress. With skirts or dresses: white ankle socks or grey/black tights in winter With trousers or shorts: dark plain socks. Black shoes
Summer Uniform: Navy blue and white checked or striped dress Grey or black tailored shorts (not sports shorts) Navy or black sandals with enclosed toes and heels For PE:
Plain white t-shirt Plain navy or black shorts Black plimsolls or trainers
For Art (Years 3-6): Apron or old adult shirt All uniform is available online from: My Clothing (www.Myclothing.com). Sweatshirts, cardigans, fleeces, polo shirts, book bags and PE bags may also be purchased from ‘EastEnders’ clothing store (5 West St, Sittingbourne ME10 1AA, 01795 431334) EastEndersschoolwear@gmail.com Forsters School Uniform Shop (17-19 East Street Sittingbourne) tel:01795 472947 info@forsterskent.co.uk
Communication with parents We use a variety of platforms to keep in touch and to celebrate our pupils’ achievements. Alongside the traditional newsletters and texts, we also make full use of social media.
Our school website offers a wealth of information. www.sunnybank.kent.sch.uk
Our Youtube channel is SunnyBank PrimarySchool Find us on Instagram using our handle sunnybankprimaryinfo Anybody can visit sunnybankprimaryinfo. Parents/carers can join our closed group Sunny Bank Primary School. Pupils and parents are invited to use Class Dojo where they can message the teachers, complete home learning tasks and receive updates about the school.