School Information Booklet - The British School of St Petersburg

School Information Booklet

Table of Contents Welcome from the Headmaster Our Philosophy Contact Information General Information Keep us Informed What to bring Uniform Guidelines School Uniform Requirements School Timetable Teaching and Learning Curriculum Class Trips End of Year Excursions Assessment and Reporting Enrichment Activities (EAs) Community Activities Russian English as an Additional Language (EAL) French P.E. Music House System Rewards Homework Reading at home Communication with Parents Progress Reports Open Door Policy Life in School Use of Electronic Devices School Lunches & Snacks School First Aid Medicines Absence Academic year 2022/23 Fees and Invoicing Glossary

5 7 8 9 9 9 10 11 12 14 14 14 14 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 17 18 18 19 20 23 23 23 24 24 24 25 25 25 26 27 28

Dear Parents, Welcome to The British School of St Petersburg.

As we enter our fourth year, it's amazing to see how much the school has grown, through accreditations, student numbers and the building design. Our children from PreNursery to Year 9 embrace each day, coming to school happy as they develop and flourish both academically and holistically.

My sincere hope is that, as you read through this booklet, you also feel the desire to become an integral part of our school community; to be someone who shares our ethos of working together to ensure the very best outcomes for our children.

Our school's mission is to be a 'World Leading School', which means nothing less than having the highest of standards in everything we do.

We are ambitious with the education we provide, ensuring our students thrive, within the curriculum and also personally and socially. Every child who attends our school is unique and we endeavour to instil a love for learning, core values and experiences that will remain with them throughout their lives.

The British School of St Petersburg is dedicated to achieving a baseline of excellence in education, but is also innovative and expansive in its approach. We will always aim to stay at the forefront of the latest educational developments and seek to integrate them into our pedagogical approach. Our vibrant and enriched extracurricular programme also seeks to expose our students to high quality tuition in music, drama, sports and the arts.

I hope you find this booklet helpful, we have tried to include as much relevant information, relating to the day-to-day operations of the school. Communication with our families is very important to us, so if there should be any queries that are not addressed in this booklet, we encourage you to get in direct contact with the school.

My door is open to all parents should you wish to come and chat with me.

I look forward to welcoming you to the school.

Warm Regards, Leon Clarke Headmaster

5

Our Philosophy Mission Statement To be a World Leading School.

Vision To be an exemplary educational institution dedicated to the proposition that every child should be inspired to achieve extraordinary success. To realise this, we will instil in them a love for learning, a relentless pursuit of ambitious goals, and respect for core values in-line with the very best of our British educational heritage.

Guiding Principles Ensure our pupils are safe and happy.

Expect honourable, kind and well-mannered conduct.

Uphold the highest standards in everything we do.

Provide exceptional learning environments and experiences.

Seek and retain the very best teaching professionals.

Impart a passion for learning and the determined pursuit of excellence.

Positively influence our community.

Our teachers know what students can achieve when inspired to be academically driven and encouraged to be ambitious. A large part of student development is access to varied educational and cultural experiences and we provide students with lots of opportunities.

Our Enrichment Activities programme (EAs) covers physical, academic, creative and performing arts. Sport plays an important part in developing talent and students participate in both non-competitive and competitive sporting competitions. Music also provides students opportunities to take part in the school choir and perform in school productions.

Our team of highly qualified teachers create an optimum learning environment in which students naturally excel.

7

CONTACT INFORMATION Headmaster Leon Clarke: head@britishschool.ru Administration, uniform, invoices: info@britishschool.ru School Location: 38-N, Lit. A, Zhdanovskaya Ulitsa 45, 197110, St Petersburg Phone number +7 812 46 777 46 www.britishschooI.ru @ britishschoolsp britishschooI.ru

SAFEGUARDING Child protection and safeguarding is of paramount importance for us. At the beginning of the year, any adults who are able to collect or drop off children at school, must have their photographs taken for an ID badge card. We will not allow an adult without a school photographic ID to collect children from school.

Any children being collected outside of the normal collection times of 3.15 or 4.15 must collect the children from the Reception Desk rather than the Bistro area.

General Information Keep us informed: Parents are asked to keep the school informed of any changes that may occur to their contact details. Please make sure you inform the Admission Team of any changes as soon as possible so we have the most up-to-date information in our database.

Email us at: info@britishschool.ru

What to bring Nursery: School backpack, bag with change of clothes and water bottle.

Reception to Year 3: School backpack with water bottle.

Years 4 -9: School backpack with water and any relevant equipment according to the day.

Mid-morning snacks and lunch are organised by the school. If your child wishes to bring a healthy snack for the end of the day they are welcome to do so.

9

Uniform Guidelines School uniform is compulsory for all students attending the school.

We believe that wearing school uniform in a proud and smart manner promotes positive self-esteem and, therefore, is integral to the ethos of the school.

LONG TROUSERS

LONG SLEEVE SHIRT

TIE

GIRL'S PINAFORE

SUMMER DRESS

SLEEVELESS JUMPER

GIRL'S SKIRT

P.E. LONG SLEEVE TOP

P.E. LONG TROUSERS

P.E. T-SHIRT

P.E. SHORTS

BLAZER

10

School Uniform Requirements: Boy's primary uniform consists of trousers, long sleeve blue shirt, sleeveless jumper, tie and blazer.

Girl's primary uniform consists of long sleeve blue shirt, pinafore, navy blue tights, tie and blazer (girls may also opt to wear trousers instead of the pinafore).

Boy's high school uniform consists of trousers, long sleeve white shirt, sleeveless jumper, tie and blazer.

Girl's high school uniform consists of long sleeve white shirt, skirt, navy blue tights, tie and blazer (girls may also opt to wear trousers instead of the skirt).

Footwear is important aspect of the school uniform. Shoes must be black leather, business-like style and worn each day.

In Primary school on P.E. days (two days a week), children should come to school wearing their P.E. kits.

For children in High School, they should bring their PE kits to school and change before and after the sessions.

P.E. kit is unisex, with a long sleeve shirt and P.E. trousers. P.E. shoes should be black or white trainers.

All children are required to use our regulation school backpack which can be purchased from our Uniform Shop.

All clothes worn to school (uniform and non-uniform items) should be clearly labelled with the child's name. Lost, unnamed clothing and bags are placed in Lost Property.

For uniform enquiries please contact: info@britishschool.ru 11

School Timetable

The school day starts at 8.15am.

Students should be dropped at school between 8.15am and 8.40am. Late students should register at the reception using the Late Arrival/Early Departure Log Book.

The school day finishes for Nursery at 3.15pm.

From Reception to Year 5, children finish at 3.15pm on Monday and Friday and can stay until 4.15pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Our Enrichment Activities that take place from Tuesday -Thursday will begin on the second week of each term and end on the penultimate week of each term.

In Key Stage 3, lessons finish at 4.15pm Tuesday -Thursday.

In the case of your child being sick and unable to attend school, please advise the school office by email or phone call, ideally before 8.00am.

EYFS (Pre-Nursery - Nursery, children aged 2 to 4) 08.15am - Children start to arrive to class 08.15am - 08.40am Group Time 08.45am - 10.40am Registration and Morning Session 10.40am - 11.10am Snack and break time 11.10am - 12.50pm Middle session 12.50pm - 01.30pm Lunch and play time 01.30pm - 02.45pm Nap Time 02.45pm - 03.15pm Story time 03.15pm - Home time 03.15pm - 04.15pm Indoor Playroom (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) 12

Reception + Key Stage 1+2 (Reception to Year 5, children aged 4 to 10) 08.15am - Children start to arrive 08.15am - 08.40am Interventions and Individual Tasks 08.45am - 09.30am Lesson1 09.30am - 09.50am Assembly or Mental Maths/Grammar 09.50am - 10.40am Lesson 2 10.40am - 11.10am Snack and break 11.10am - 12.00pm Lesson 3 12.00am - 12.50am Lesson 4 12.50pm - 1.30pm Lunch and break 1.30pm - 2.15pm Lesson 5 2.15pm - 3.00pm Lesson 6 3.00pm - 3.15pm Classtime 3.15pm - Home (Monday and Friday) 3.15pm - 4.15pm Enrichment Activities (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) KS3- Key Stage 3 (Years 6 - 9, children aged 10 to 13) 08.15am - Form Time 08.40am - Registration 08.40am - 09.40am Lesson 1 09.40am - 10.40am Lesson 2 10.40am - 11.10am Snack and break 11.10am - 12.00pm Lesson 3 12.00am - 12.50am Lesson 4 12.50pm - 1.30pm Lunch and break 1.30pm - 2.20pm Lesson 5 2.20pm - 3.10pm Lesson6 3.15pm - Home (Monday and Friday) 3.15 - 4.15pm Lesson 7 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)

Teaching & Learning Curriculum For many families, a British education is the best choice, especially for those regularly moving between countries, as it provides consistency and continuity for children.

At the British School of St Petersburg all lessons and objectives are delivered in line with those set out in the English National Curriculum (ENC), ensuring any pupil can relocate to another country, attend a British school and pick up exactly where they left off. Some subtle changes are made to the curriculum to tailor the topics we teach according to our international environment.

Our aim is to ensure that topics are relevant and the skills acquired can be applied to any topic they may study in the future.

Class Trips Excursions are an essential element of the education we provide and being in St Petersburg affords us unrivalled access to some of the most amazing resources. From museum visits to a trip to the local markets, we make sure excursions are relevant, linked to topics and enhance learning.

These trips bring learning to life and provide students with a real world perspective on the learning in the classroom. Excursions are an integral part of the overall school experience and foster independent thinking, working as a team and build confidence.

Trips are designed and chosen to be inspiring, educational, cultural and ultimately a lot of fun.

Whether the children go on a school trip 5 minutes from the campus or an hour away by bus, a full risk assessment is conducted by teaching staff prior to the actual visit taking place. This ensures that even the most exciting and challenging activities are wellprepared, managed and most importantly, safe for all.

End of Year Excursions All classes will have end of year excursions. These range from half day excursion within the city for EYFS to overnight trips within Russia and eventually abroad for our children in Year 6 and above. These trips help to develop independence as well as a variety of social skills for our children.

14

Assessment and Reporting Students are continually assessed by our teachers to refine the pace and content of future lessons. This ensures each child has maximum access to the curriculum.

Feedback from these and the progress of your child are provided to parents weekly using a portal that contains photographs from their learning, bi-annual Parent / Teacher consultation evenings, mid-year and end of year reports. Summative Assessment takes place once a term for Key Stage 1 and 2 and at the end of every unit for Key Stage 3. End of Year Assessments are also done in English and Maths once a year to take a comparison worldwide.

Reports are sent to parents in December and June. In person conferences take place in October and March.

After School Activities We offer a range of EAs. These can be academic studies for Russian or English or holistic activities such as: football, art, chess, robotics and yoga. EAs are held from 3.15pm to 4.15pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Each child from Reception - Year 5 will select an EA to do on each day. The most popular EAs can only be chosen once a year. All EAs will be limited to a maximum number of 14 students. The cost of most EAs is included in the fees. However, some EAs with selected partners do come at a cost.

15

Russian Russian is taught as a specialist lesson to our students from Nursery - Year 2 three times a week. Within their year group children are grouped according to their language ability allowing for targeted teaching and learning to take place. Native children in Year 3 and above have four lessons a week instead of three. These fit with a standard Russian programme of study.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) We are used to children arriving with limited English and have an excellent EAL (English as an Additional Language) Programme to cater for this. Children have EAL classes each week and are given a lot of support within the classroom to enable them to acquire English quickly. We find that children pick up English incredibly quickly in this environment.

French We offer French for students from Year 3 upwards. We fully understand that we are an International School, and we have an obligation to help support develop the multilingual abilities of our students.

P.E. All children from Nursery upwards take PE lessons at specialist facilities on Krestovsky and Petrovsky Islands. These include, but are not limited to; tennis, football, basketball, volleyball and athletics. From Reception, children are allocated a term of swimming as per the requirements of the English National Curriculum. Children enjoy two weekly P.E. sessions and there are opportunities for children to play in school teams with both friendly and competitive tournaments. Our sports programme gives opportunities to learn, build skills and have new experiences outside of the normal classroom environment.

At the British School of St Petersburg we aim to provide a very high standard of coaching and competition for our athletes as well as enable all our students to find something they can enjoy in the sporting arena.

16

Music We use Music to unlock your child's imagination through our Performing Arts Programme which enriches their music education at the school. Beginning with music, your child will study an inspiring curriculum featuring works which represent a wide variety of music genres, styles and cultures.

We bring these works to life in the classroom through hands-on experiences for students of all ages. Activities such as improvisation and basic composition will unlock your child's creativity.

Your child will also gain an understanding of how music functions and its role in our cultural and social history. Children experience wide reaching benefits from learning to play a musical instrument.

Our instrumental programme will support your child's development across the whole curriculum, fostering valuable life skills, such as creativity, communication and critical thinking.

17

House System What are School Houses?

The House System is used to promote team identity and competition. Commendations and other competitions (sport, music, academic) contribute towards the House Cup, which is awarded at the end of every term.

All students are allocated to one of four Houses when they join our school: Shackleton, Franklin, Eliot and Turing, with siblings being assigned to the same House. The Houses run across the school and students meet regularly in their House group.

Rewards We have high expectations of our pupils in their work and for behaviour and it is important that we reward students accordingly. Pupils are awarded House Points for good work in lessons and for their homework that go towards their team total.

They can also earn stickers for themselves individually, which go towards certificates that are presented during our Friday Celebration Assembly. Additionally, individual children are also recognised during this assembly when 'Star of the Week' certificates are awarded for by their class teacher.

18

Homework In the Primary Year groups, from Year 1 onwards, homework is assigned to children on a Friday. Children will take home four pieces of homework: English, Maths, Topic and Russian.

Homework will be a revision of what children have done that week and should be brought in for the following Friday.

Homework will help children further embed their learning and allows parents to understand what they are learning in class and how to help at home.

Alongside these pieces of homework, children should read regularly with an adult at home using their Home Reading Books. These books are changed on a Monday and are matched to the child's reading level.

Children in Year 1 and above will also be given a list of spelling words on a Monday to learn for a test on Friday. These words will be linked to their phonic sounds or high frequency words.

In Key Stage 3, children are allocated homework on a more regular basis and this can reflect their targets within subject areas. Homework can be more task and research based.

Reading at home On Mondays, children in the primary section will bring home new Home Reading books which are levelled and set to their reading ability. They will also be able to visit the library once a week and select a library book of their choosing.

Reading with your children at home is the best homework that you can do with them. This should be done on a regular basis, 3-5 times a week, for 20 minutes per session. It is important that you read in both English and your native language, if that is not English.

Like anything we do in life, your child is going to want to participate more if it is something fun and enjoyable. When improving your child's reading there are two main focus areas.

These are phonics and comprehension.

Although comprehension will start before phonics skills through the use of picture books where is the star? What is the boy wearing on his head? It is phonics that provides the basis of beginning to understand the relationship between letters and their sounds.

Children from the age of 2 will start to notice that letters look different, that they aren't merely all the same squiggle. They might recognise common letters like those at the start of their name.

Once children learn the sounds those letters make they can then break down words and build them up by blending the sounds. Unfortunately, English doesn't completely abide by phonetic rules and there are many words they must learn to recognise from sight. These are known as “sight words” such as said and who. As well as being able to speak the words on the page, children will also at this stage start to use punctuation, pausing at commas and full stops and exclaiming when encountering exclamation marks.

When reading aloud, you should also be promoting intonation. Thinking about how a character will sound. Are there sections in capital letters or bold writing? Then how should these sound when you hear them?

Parents often assume that if their child is a fluent reader and can articulate every word on the page that their understanding is perfect. Vice versa parents will worry that their child doesn't understand what they are reading if they are prone to mispronounce words.

The rule is that children should be able to pronounce 90% of the text they are reading, but as they are always looking to improve they should always be encountering new words they are unfamiliar with in order to help them build their vocabulary.

20

Even if a child comes across a word they have never seen or heard before there are ways in which they can work out what it means through context, much in the same way an adult might do when encountering a foreign language. If you're reading a menu or looking at road signs, you can use what you already know about these to make calculated guesses.

Remember that reading can often be open to interpretation. Unlike maths where the answer is either right or wrong, there can sometimes be multiple answers depending on the background the child has when reading the text.

The rule is that if the child can back up and explain their answer and it is relevant and makes sense then this can be correct. Remind your child that when answering questions they don't have to try to remember the text but can look back over the piece. Some children like to mark the text with a pencil or highlighter to assist them.

Below are questions to help aid their comprehension levels.

Prior reading: What do you think this book is about? What type of characters do you thing will be in it? Where do you think the story will be set?

During Reading: What is happening now? How do you feel about? Why do you think the character is doing? Why do you think the author choose this setting? How do you think the character is feeling? Can you find? What do you think this word means? Can you think of a similar word?

After reading: What parts did you like best? Can you think of a similar story? Could you write your own story like this? When did the story take place? Who were the main characters? On which page would you find?

Children in Key Stage 3 will have set books that they study in English. Photocopies are usually made of passages that they are required to study throughout the week.

21

Communications with parents A weekly review will go out to all parents on our bespoke parent app that can be downloaded from the Play or App store. This will include a short caption to explain what they have been doing that week.

Photographs and other updates, including photographs of Big Writing will be sent via the app Seesaw.

Any letters from the school that require a signature are sent home as paper copies as well as on Seesaw. Parents are encouraged to get into the habit of checking their child’s school bags regularly.

Parents should always email their child's class teacher with any questions.

Progress Reports Progress reports are sent home in December and June. These reports will focus on academic achievement as well as personal and social matters, and will include targets for future learning.

Parent Teacher Conferences are delivered in October and March and present a chance for parents to sit down with the class teacher and hear about the progress being made and targeted areas for improvement.

Open Door Policy Parents need not wait for an official opportunity to meet with teachers, but are kindly requested to make an appointment in advance via email. This will avoid disappointment if the member of staff is not available and will prevent any disruption to the teaching day.

Parents who wish to meet with the Headteacher, should contact administration, either by telephone or email.

Meet the Teacher sessions are held at the beginning of each academic year in order to learn more about the teacher and the lessons your child will be involved in.

An Open Day is also held in the first term, allowing you to come and experience a lesson and assembly with your child.

23

Life in school Use of Electronic Devices Children in primary school are not allowed to bring electronic devices into school which includes iPads and smart watches. This includes bringing items in their school bags. Any items found/reported will be confiscated and their parents will be asked to come into school to collect them from the Headteacher.

Children in high school should hand in any mobile phone to their form teacher in the morning to be locked away in a desk or leave these inside their bag in their locker.

School Lunches and Snacks A hot lunch is served to all children in school every day. School lunches are paid for in advance along with tuition fees. If your child has dietary restrictions (whether for health, religious or allergy reasons), please inform the school immediately if you have not already done so.

We will inform the school kitchen and special arrangements will be made to provide suitable alternatives. The school aims to offer a balanced healthy meal. Snacks are served in the morning. These consist of fruit, yoghurt and delicacies such as bliny, syrniki.

Please note that the school is a nut-free zone.

On their first day at school, all children with special lunch requirements will be identified and all teaching staff will be aware of the individual needs. Kitchen staff will also be made aware and make sure they are given the correct meal.

School First-Aid As well as having a trained nurse on site, the school trains staff in first aid prior to the beginning of the academic year. In the unlikely event of a more serious incident occurring at school, parents will be telephoned to inform them of the accident and if deemed necessary, parents will be asked to meet the child at school or the local hospital.

Medicines If your child needs to take medication, it should be brought to the School Reception. You will be asked to sign a consent form to confirm the details. Pupils may not administer their own medicine. Please advise us of any medical needs your child may have, particularly when there is an allergy to materials or food.

Absences Regular daily attendance at school is expected but sometimes absence is unavoidable.

Please inform the school if your child is not able to attend — the most effective method is by email direct to your child’s teacher or telephone the school office.

Please also inform the school immediately if your child has an infectious illness or condition (i.e. chickenpox, hand foot and mouth, measles, etc.). Children with a fever or upset stomach MUST stay at home for 24 hours before returning to school.

25

Academic Year 2022/23 Term One - Autumn Term First day of Autumn Term — 29th August Half term — 24th – 28th October End of Term 1 — 16th December Term Two — Spring Term First day of Spring Term — 9th January Half term — 20th – 25th February End of Term 2 — 24th March Term Three - Summer Term First day of Summer Term — 3rd April Half term — 1st – 9th May Russia Day — 13th June End of Term 3 — 7th July

Fees and Invoicing The tuition fees for the school are displayed on our website at https://britishschooI.ru Tuition Fees include stationery, learning materials, and consumables but do not cover the cost of school trips, uniforms, school bus or lunches. Tuition fees are payable in three (3) equal instalments in advance of the start of each term and are subject to an annual review.

School fees will be issued on a termly basis.

For your financial planning, the following table details when you can expect to receive the invoice and when the invoices will be due.

Fees for

Invoices sent out by

Due Date

Autumn Term

15th June

1st August

Spring Term

15th November

15th December

Summer Term

15th February

15th March

The administration team will be in touch to confirm your individual invoicing details.

If you wish to be invoiced yearly or for any subsequent changes and requests please contact us via info@britishschool.ru 27

Glossary EYFS — Early Years and Foundation Stage (from Nursery to Reception, children aged 2-4).

KS1 — Key Stage 1 (children in Years 1 and 2).

LKS2 — Lower Key Stage 2 (children in Years 3 and 4).

UKS2—Upper Key Stage 2 (children in Years 5 and 6).

KS3 — Key Stage 3 (Years 7,8 and 9).

EA — Enrichment Activity.

EAL —English as an Additional Language.

IMPS —Individual Music Programmes.

One to One — An adult allocated to assist a specific child in class.

P.E. — Physical Education.

PSED — Physical, Social and Emotional Development.

PSHE — Physical, Social and Humanities Education.

STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics.

TA — Teaching Assistant.

28

Notes

Our Location School Campus: 38-N, Lit. A, Zhdanovskaya Ulitsa 45, 197110, St Petersburg Contact Us Phone: +7 812 46 777 46 Email: info@britishschool.ru www.britishschooI.ru @ britishschoolsp britishschooI.ru