Our Prospectus

Welcome Dear Parents, I am delighted that you have chosen to send your children to Hurst Knoll C of E Primary School.

Our last Ofsted inspection agreed with us that “This is a good school” and we are all very proud of that. Our children are happy.

They receive a sound, well balanced education within a Christian context and they work hard. They learn to be well-behaved and polite, and, through a variety of experiences, they become curious about the world around them and develop into life-long learners.

Here at Hurst Knoll we have a team of dedicated and committed professionals who work exceptionally hard to develop good relationships with the children so that they can support their learning at every level. The staff have high expectations of the children and the children respond to those expectations, whether it’s in the classroom, on the sports field, in music, in cooking, in the forest school, in arts and crafts, or the dining room and playground.

As parents, it is important that you support the school, and its aims. There will be all sorts of opportunities for you to come in, to get to know the staff and to learn how best to help your child on his or her learning journey.

The Governing Body is here to work with the Head and staff to ensure that your child has all the opportunities that we can provide for their education. Let us know if we can help you in any way.

Yours sincerely,

Revd. Pat Lodge Chair of Governors

(Contact: Pat Lodge by email at governor@hurstknollschool.org.uk)

Ethos and Aims Our School

Our Aims

Church Links

Hurst Knoll is a one form entry primary school with the advantage of its own Nursery.

To develop a sense of responsibility and caring within children towards themselves, others and their environment.

“Hurst Knoll School is a Church of England Primary School. The Parish to which it belongs is the Parish of the Good Shepherd, and the school is particularly linked with St. James Church in Ashton.

We are a Voluntary Controlled Church of England school, linked to St James’ Church in Ashton and provide education for children from 3 years to 11 years of age.

Through a rich curricular and extra-curricular programme, and strong links with the community, we will help each child discover and develop their talents and interest.

We use every appropriate opportunity to unify our new school and develop a whole school culture.

To develop an awareness of spiritual and cultural values.

To develop a respect for the point of view of others and recognise the right to be different.

To ensure all children are given equal access to the curriculum and to raise their achievements.

To encourage children to become independent learners with enquiring minds and a desire to learn.

To encourage children to strive for excellence in all they do.

To provide opportunities and support for continuing professional development for all staff.

Links between the school and St. James’ Church in Ashton are strong. As a church community, we are proud to be associated with Hurst Knoll School. We are delighted to be able to have foundation governors on the governing body of the school and we enjoy hosting school services in church four times each year.

I enjoy my regular visits to the school to lead assemblies and I think that it is wonderful that I can host a variety of different visits to the church by children from the school”.

(Revd Roger Farnworth Team Rector, The Parish of the Good Shepherd Ashton-under-Lyne)

Ethos, Vision and Mission Ethos Statement

Mission Statement ‘Inspiring Learning for Life’

Recognising its historic foundation, Hurst Knoll St James will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with our Church; St James, our Parish; The Good Shepherd and the Diocese of Manchester.

Hurst Knoll St James is moving forward as a whole school in a direction that allows children to grow, develop, work collaboratively and be active participants in their own learning with the support and guidance of the Christian community.

Hurst Knoll St James aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and its significance of faith, and promotes Christian values through the experience it offers to all of its pupils.

Christian Values At Hurst Knoll St James we have four Core Values at the heart of all that we do:  JUSTICE Giving our children what is right and fair for them to have: life, health, freedom and dignity Our children are excited by their learning with all their talents being developed.

They are motivated to become life long learners and are able to take full advantage of the next stage in their learning journey.  FORGIVENESS Giving our children the understanding that forgiveness cannot be given or received unless it is asked for. It demands that we take what we have done wrong with the utmost seriousness Make informed ‘good’ choices as not only to become skilled learners in their learning journey but also well rounded citizens with spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.  HOPE Giving our children not wishful thinking but a firm assurance that God can be relied upon Set goals to do their best and they are proud of all their achievements

Vision Statement For the children of Hurst Knoll St James to have the skills to make good life choices, spiritually, educationally and socially, so as to take full advantage of all learning opportunities.

 TRUST Giving our children the very essence of faith; trust in the God who is trustworthy and the understanding that trust lies at the heart of relationships Recognise their own uniqueness and respect the uniqueness of others

General Information The School Day

School Uniform

Personal Items

School times are:

All children are expected to wear school uniform. It gives a sense of identity to the school.

Children are discouraged from bringing mobile phones to school. However, if children walk home on their own and parents/carers prefer them to have a mobile phone for safety reasons, they must be handed in to the teacher at the start of the day and collected at home time.

Nursery Morning Session Afternoon Session

8.45 am – 11.45 am 12.15 pm – 3.15 pm

School Key stage 1 Key stage 2

8.50 am – 12.00 noon 8.50 am – 12.15 pm

The School uniform consists of: Royal blue sweatshirt or cardigan Gold polo shirts Black trousers or skirts Black shoes Blue gingham summer dress (optional)

All other electronic devices are not permitted and should left at home.

Jewellery/Valuables Key stage 1 Key stage 2

1.00 pm – 3.15 pm 1.15 pm – 3.15 pm

Dinner Time Children may go home, have a school dinner or bring sandwiches to eat in the dining hall.

Dinner money must be sent each Monday morning in an envelope clearly marked with your child’s name and class. Any change from dinners to sandwiches or home dinners must be notified in writing on a form available from the school office at least two weeks in advance so that the cook can plan accordingly.

PE Kit White tee shirt Navy shorts Navy track suit type clothing for outdoor games.

Training type shoes Please send your child in suitably warm clothing especially during cold weather. It is good for them to have fresh air during the day and so most days they will be outside for some time. Hats and gloves make this much more comfortable and wellingtons prevent children having to sit with wet socks on.

Please name all clothing.

Jewellery is never allowed to be worn during PE or swimming lessons for safety reasons. We do not encourage the wearing of it in school because of the possibility of it being lost or stolen, for which we cannot take responsibility. Any valuables of any description are the responsibility of your child, therefore toys, watches and other possessions are best left at home if there is a risk that it cannot be taken care of by him/herself.

Uniform Supplier Sweatshirts and polo shirts bearing the school logo can be bought from M.C.S. Uniform shop at 32 Market Street, Ashton-under-Lyne.

General Information Attendance, Absence and Holidays

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Complaints

We strive for excellent attendance. Where possible, appointments should be made outside of the school day to prevent lost learning time.

We recognise that some children will need extra help with their work or behaviour at times.

Special educational needs of all children will addressed according to the Code of Practice issued by the Government. Mrs Nelson is the designated teacher who co-ordinates this work throughout the school. There is a substantial policy for Special Needs in school, which is available for inspection upon request.

Any complaint that you may have, must in the first instance, be addressed through the class teacher. If this is not resolved satisfactorily, then refer the matter to the Headteacher who will discuss the matter and investigate at school level. In the event of this not being to your satisfaction, you have the right to contact the chair of Governors for the school. After these steps have been taken you are then entitled to take your complaint, if unresolved, to the LEA at the following address :-

Every effort must be made to telephone the school on the first day of any absence so that we know exactly where your child is. For record purposes a written note must be sent on return to school if your child has been absent.

We also ask that children attend regularly and that families avoid taking children out of school for holidays during term time. We have a strict policy of no holidays being authorised during term time. All holidays in term time will be classed as unauthorised absence and will be dealt with accordingly.

School Policies We have policies covering all aspects of school life. If you would like to see these, please ask at the main reception.

The Education Department Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Council Offices Ashton-under-Lyne Tameside OL6 6DL

Teaching and Learning Our curriculum We aim to put our children at the centre of their leaning and place great importance on nurturing skills and attitudes such as resourcefulness, resilience and co-operation.

Our teachers bring the National Curriculum alive by making links between the individual subjects and applying them to topics.

A termly curriculum letter will be sent home detailing work to be covered in your child’s class. This will keep you involved with your child’s education.

Religious Education As a Church of England school we try to create an environment, which we hope, will encourage each child to become a responsible, caring person, learning to be increasingly aware of their cultural values and those of others.

We believe that the children should experience worship in church and have regular services in church.

Parents/Guardians have a right to withdraw their children from acts of collective worship and religious instruction on religious grounds and anyone wishing to do so should discuss the matter with the Head teacher.

Teaching and Learning Outside school Our children enjoy going on a variety of outings which include educational, residential and day excursions. Recent adventures have included residential trips to Robinwood and a whole school visit to the cinema.

School and home Our school has an ‘in it together’ attitude to learning. We believe in letting parents and carers know what and how we are learning. We encourage communication between school and home and support this through Parents’ Evenings, curriculum information such as Reading Records Books and invitations to many of our assemblies.

We also believe that homework can help reinforce what we learn at school. All our children get homework but our teachers are careful to make sure it is kept to an appropriate level.

Extra Curricular Activities

Extra Curricular Activities A large number of our clubs and activities are run free of charge. Others are offered for a small charge. Clubs vary depending on demand and season, but regularly include: football, multi sports, crafts, dance and cooking.

Extra Curricular Activities Breakfast Club

Our school provides a Breakfast Club service from 8.00 am. A range of breakfast items can be purchased at a reasonable price.

Breakfast club provides the opportunity for the children to have a healthy and calm start to their school day with their friends. Parents are also welcome to stay for breakfast.

“My daughter has been coming to breakfast club for over a year now. She loves it, and it means that I know she’s safe while I go off to work. The staff are friendly, the menu is varied and there are activities to keep them occupied too! Keep it up Hurst Knoll - it’s great”.

(Parent) “My children come to breakfast club and really enjoy it. There’s a good choice and the prices are low”.

(Parent)

Facilities At Hurst Knoll, we understand that ICT now plays an integral role in all of our lives and that, if children are going to succeed in the 21st century, they will need to be confident in using these skills. For this reason, the use of ICT runs like a thread though our curriculum.

From Nursery, right through to Year 6 you will find ICT enhancing and enriching the curriculum, motivating and extending the children’s learning.

Our main job here at Hurst Knoll is to keep your child safe. Working with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection service, we ensure that your child has the information they need to stay safe in the virtual world. We want our children to enjoy using ICT competently and safely, making the most of the technology around them to help them achieve their potential.

“Our school library has over 4000 fantastic books for the children to choose from and bring home. New titles are being added all the time, along with old favourites. It’s a bright, colourful place where our children are welcome to come and sit and share books”

Intervention Suite We are lucky to have our own intervention suite which enables small groups of pupils to work in a quiet environment.

The intervention suite is also home to our very successful cooking clubs.

We have regular whole school assemblies in the Hall, which is also used for PE, performances and acts as our Dining Hall.

Wellbeing Child Protection

Behaviour

In line with the LEA recommendations we have three designated teachers to deal with protection matters. These are Mrs Nelson, Mr Lavorini and Mrs Browe. If an adult suspects that a child is being mis-treated in any way it is their professional obligation to inform one of these staff members who will in turn involve relevant agencies immediately to investigate the allegations.

We have a comprehensive Behaviour Policy which reflects the importance of considerate and courteous behaviour in our school.

Parents are welcome to request a copy.

The essence of this policy is that children should: Behave respectfully towards each other and towards other people’s property.

Being Happy and Healthy Ensuring a happy, healthy environment in which our children enjoy learning is central to our ethos. We do our upmost to make it easy for children to approach staff with their problems or concerns. We teach that bullying is never acceptable behaviour. We promote healthy eating and provide fruit snacks for children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.

We encourage everyone to drink water throughout the day. We make the most of our wonderful outside space and, weather permitting, head outside as often as we can.

listen to and value other people’s contributions and points of view.

Be polite to everyone.

Follow instructions promptly.

Behave appropriately in lessons, so that effective teaching and learning can take place.

Form the habit of going to the toilet only at break and lunch times except in special circumstances.

Community Our School Community

P.F.A.

We are a friendly school. The older children often act as ‘buddies’ for the younger children, helping them with reading and playground activities at playtime. Parents and carers make friends when they come to collect their children at the end of the school day.

Raising money and having fun at the same time, that’s our motto! from the ‘Bop till you drop’ leavers disco to the enchanting Christmas grotto. We love to hear your ideas for fundraising. Every parent can be a member, and a dedicated committee organise events throughout the year.

Our Local Community Community Garden People in the community, including local fire crew, police officers and authors often visit us and tell us about what they do. We also visit people outside and take part in community activities such as our community garden, singing carols, visiting the local old people’s home, enjoying the harvest festival at our local church.

Our Global Community We have strong links with our partner school in Uganda and we are developing links with a school in Berlin and Dubai. Global dimension is a vital part of the Hurst Knoll teaching curriculum bringing a sense of real understanding and enjoyment of international cultures.

British Council reciprocal visits have enabled staff and children to develop lasting relationships with distant schools.

Hurst Knoll Community Garden was originally a disused council allotment site, but with lots of hard work from its members, it has steadily grown into a valuable resource.

Events such as seed planting and working parties bring the community together and the group hold regular committee meetings in school.