Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School - Prospectus

2015

Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School

School Prospectus

Mission Statement We are a Catholic School.

We strive to be a sign of Christ's presence in the world.

We follow Jesus.

Introduction Thank you for your interest in our school. This booklet is designed to provide some basic information about Our Lady of Lourdes School. It is hoped that by reading it you will get a ‘flavour’ of the school. Our Lady of Lourdes is a two-form entry voluntary aided Catholic primary school in the London Borough of Redbridge. The trustees of the school are the Brentwood Roman Catholic Diocese Trustees, including the Bishop and other clergy.

Welcome from the Head teacher Welcome to the Our Lady of Lourdes School community. I am very proud to be acting head teacher and feel privileged to work with talented and committed colleagues.

We are fortunate to have very supportive parents, governors and priests and we strive to work together to give each child a happy and rewarding primary school experience and positive memories that will last long into adulthood.

We strongly believe Our Lady of Lourdes is like a family and we work in a three-way partnership between home, school and our parishes for the educational benefit of each child. As a Catholic school, be believe that all learning is rooted in God. We aim to meet each child on her/his faith journey and help her/him to grow to know and love God more deeply over time.

Excellent pastoral care is as important to us as outstanding academic achievement.

We believe in a broad and balanced curriculum where each child’s unique talents are both developed and celebrated. We have a record of good academic results in English, Mathematics and Science but we also prioritise sport, music and the arts so that children are given opportunities to shine wherever their talents are found.

We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to the school.

Mr Edward Cottle Headteacher

School Aims We want to prepare children to be successful learners who enjoy learning. This means we aim to develop the ‘whole child’ and the following abilities:  Kinaesthetic – being body smart and developing physically  Linguistic – being word smart and growing to understand language and communication  Logical – being number smart and understanding how to solve problems and work things out  Interpersonal – being people smart and relating effectively to other children and adults  Intrapersonal – being myself smart and understanding my own strengths and weaknesses in relation to others  Musical – being music smart and developing ways of expressing ideas creatively  Visual/spatial – being picture smart understanding images and diagrams and expressing ideas in a range of ways  Naturalistic – being nature smart and appreciating life in all its forms in the world around us We aim to teach children the essential skills that will prepare them to be happy, healthy and confident individuals and responsible citizens of the future. It is important to us that children have high self-esteem and we work with them to develop this both in them and in others. We want our pupils to be brave, enthusiastic and creative when tackling new challenges and we help them to be both open-minded and motivated to be the best that they can be.

Vision Vision provides a shared picture of the future we seek to create, the could be, and what should be. Our shared vision for our school is: • Mutual understanding of the Mission Statement • The school should be a learning community. Everyone will view themselves as continual learners and be encouraged to strive to achieve their best • An acceptance of mistakes is recognised as a valuable and essential part of learning • There should always be a sense of enjoyment for everyone within the school and humour should never be absent, laughter is good for a school and those whose lives revolve around it • There will be co-operation and high levels of self-esteem • Everyone will have a sense of personal and mutual responsibility • The continued creation of an organised, caring, safe and friendly atmosphere for all • To continue to build on previous achievements to carry the school and children forward to play a key role in the Catholic community and beyond • People share information and will be ready to assess and adopt/adapt new ideas when necessary • Respect for each other and concern about their feelings • The fostering of the partnership between home, school and family, and parish based on mutual respect and commitment will continue • An over-riding feeling which appeals to people’s best hopes not their worst fears Religious Education Religious growth and development, which is the aim of Religious Education, is not confined to timetabled lessons. It is the aim of our whole school experience so that every part of the curriculum stimulates growth and development along with academic and social progress. Within this overall aim Religious Education is central.

For Religious Education we use the programme ‘Come and See’ which has been approved and authorised by the Conference of Bishops of England and Wales for use in Catholic schools. This programme complements the catechesis which takes place in the home and the parish. Each term work focuses on one of the basic questions about life, its dignity, its purpose and a central Christian belief which relates to and addresses the question in the light of the Catholic faith tradition. All classes pray together at times throughout the day. Each class also has an opportunity to lead an assembly for the school. This is a way of sharing and celebrating the work and life of the classroom.

Special Educational Needs A pupil with Special Educational Needs is any pupil having a significant difficulty in relation to others of the same age. Children may have a significant difficulty in: General learning: children make slower progress than others of the same age in all subjects Specific learning: children progress in most areas at the same rate at as others but they have difficulty in one subject or part of it, e.g. maths, writing or speaking.

Emotional or behavioural development: children may have poor concentration or motivation, be over anxious or have difficulties with relationships with other children or adults. This is not the same as ‘bad’ behaviour.

Physical development or health related: children may have physical difficulties, e.g. a degree of visual or hearing impairment or a chronic condition such as epilepsy which may affect their learning.

If you have concerns about your child’s learning or progress in any of the above areas it is best to discuss these first with the class teacher who will be able to tell you how they are progressing in relation to others in the class. Help may then be given within the classroom in the form of suitably prepared work to meet the child’s need.

If further advice or help is needed an appointment may arranged with the Inclusion leader or Deputy Headteacher to discuss the most appropriate ways of supporting the child. Further details or the school policy on Special Educational Needs is available from the School Reception Office.

Equal opportunities The Equality Act 2010 has replaced all previous equality legislation. At Our Lady of Lourdes we promote equality of opportunity and good relationships between people of all backgrounds, regardless of race, gender, disability, ethnicity or belief. All children will receive equality of opportunity and access to the whole curriculum while working within their own class situation. The school will strive to ensure that this consists of a caring, stimulating, happy and safe environment where each child is equally valued and work is provided so that they fulfil their potential.

Safeguarding All school have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are their pupils. This responsibility necessitates a child protection policy and procedures.

Our Lady of Lourdes follows the Redbridge procedures, and our policy is available from the school office. We may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare.

Choosing the right school Most parents rightly feel that this is one of the most important decisions they will ever have to make. It is hoped that the following points will make the decision a little easier.

DO: • • • •

Decide what sort of education you want for your child, e.g. academic, broad based, co-educational or single sex Work out your priorities, e.g. academic success, Religious education and compare them with the aims of the school(s).

Obtain information from several different types of schools and arrange visits to those which interest you.

Take into account your child’s personality and abilities.

DON’T: • Opt for the most convenient school without knowing anything about it.

• Rely entirely on friends’ opinions (they may want something different for their child).

• Opt for a school unless you are prepared to support its purpose, aims and ethos. Of particular importance is the strength of your commitment to bring up your child in the context of a practising Catholic family. If you accept a place without commitment, you may be depriving someone else.

Open Afternoon and further information The school holds an Open Afternoon for parents of prospective pupils each year in the Autumn term. Further information about the school is available on the school website, including details of school inspections. Alternatively you may contact the School Reception Office in person or by telephone.

Please note: • Governors will not enter into private conversations or discussions about their decision to offer or refuse a place to any individual applicant.

• The admissions criteria also apply to admissions other than those to the Reception classes.

• The fact that the child attends or attended the nursery or that a sibling attends or attended to nursery, is irrelevant to the application for the child to enter a Reception class of the school.

Accuracy of Information The information contained within this document was updated in 2013/14. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information was correct in relation to that year at the date of publication. It cannot be assumed, however, that there will be no changes before the start of, or during, the school year, or in relation to subsequent school years.

ADMISSIONS TO RECEPTION 2014/15 Applications are made on line on the London Borough of Redbridge Website.

As Our Lady of Lourdes is a Voluntary Aided Catholic school, the Governors require a Supplementary Information Form (SIF). The SIF is available to be downloaded from our website and it must be returned to the school. In addition to this, a separate Priest Reference Form (PRF) will need to be completed, and also returned to the school along with the original baptismal certificate, proof of residence and utility bill. The PRF can be collected from the school office or downloaded from our website.

If you are another faith applicant, the relevant form can be downloaded from our website.

This must also be returned to the school.

Due to the new co-ordinated admission arrangements, families who live outside of Redbridge will need to apply through their home borough even if they want to come to Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School.

If you live outside London Borough of Redbridge you should contact your own borough for advice. The Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and Priest Reference Form (PRF) or Other Faith Applicants Reference Form will still need to be collected from and returned to our school.

If you have any problems relating to Primary Admissions, please contact Mrs Terri Beak, Admissions’ Secretary at the School on Monday or Tuesdays, telephone number - 020 8989 9521.

Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School Admissions Criteria 2014/15 The Governors propose to admit a maximum of 60 children based on the schools standard number to the Reception Class in accordance with the Admissions Criteria.

The Governors believe that children from practising Catholic families where the faith is alive will benefit most from the education provided at Our Lady of Lourdes RC School. Whenever there are more applications than places available, priority will always be given to Catholic applicants in accordance with the oversubscription criteria below.

1. * Looked after baptised Catholic children and children who were previously looked after.

2. Baptised practising** Catholic children whose parent’s/guardian’s permanent residence is within the boundaries of Our Lady of Lourdes parish.

3. Baptised practising Catholic children whose parent’s/guardian’s permanent residence is within the boundaries of St Anne Line parish.

4. Baptised practising Catholic children whose parent’s/guardian’s permanent residence is beyond the area described for Category 2 and 3 above.

5. All other Looked after children and children who were previously looked after. A Baptismal Certificate is not required for this category.

6. Baptised children of other Christian faiths whose parents are in sympathy with the aims and ethos of the school.

7. All other applications will be ordered in priority determined by the distance from the residence to the school measured in a straight line as determined by the Local Authority. A Baptismal Certificate is not required for this category.

Applicants from Category 4 who have their own Parish Catholic School are strongly advised to apply there.

Within each of these categories, priority will be given to children with brother(s) and/or sister(s)*** already attending the School at the time of admittance. As the number and spread of applicants varies from year to year, admission cannot be guaranteed to a child having a brother or sister** attending the School.

In the event of over subscription in any of the above categories then the Governors will offer places in the order of priority determined by distance as measured in a straight line from the front door of the child's home address (including flats) to the main entrance of the school, using the Local Authority's computerized measuring system, with those living closer to the school receiving the higher priority. Should there be more than one applicant for a final place living an identical distance from

the school in question, the random allocation facility will be used from the Local Authority’s system.

For the purposes of the admissions criteria and procedure, the boundaries of the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, and St Anne Line shall be as marked upon the map lodged in the school office. Persons wishing to consult this map may do so by arrangement with the School. Where there is a dispute regarding distance from residence the arbiter will be the London Borough of Redbridge.

Application process and supporting information Redbridge parents wishing to apply for a place in the school in the school year 2014/15 must complete a Common Application Form (CAF) available from 1 st September 2013 from both the Children’s Services Authority and school. (Residents in other boroughs must apply via their home borough’s Common Application Form).

Forms must be returned according to the date and timetable determined by the Children’s Services Authority in accordance with the Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme.

A separate form (Supplementary Information Form) to confirm Catholicity , which will be available with the Common Application Form (CAF), should also be completed and returned directly to the school. Without the Supplementary Information Form (SIF), we will be unable to confirm Catholicity or other faith and a child will therefore be automatically considered under category 7.

It should be noted that all applications must be submitted on the CAF and SIF forms and all applications will be considered at the same time.

Applications will be considered by Governors in accordance with the Children’s Services Authority timetable. Supporting paperwork will be accepted up to the date as determined by the Local Authority. A School place will only be offered to applicants whose parents provide Governors with evidence of: (a) The child’s baptism – in the form of a baptism certificate. This does not apply to categories 5 or 7 of the admissions criteria. (b) Permanent residence in the form previously agreed by the Children’s Service Authority, e.g. most recent council tax bill. The school may wish to confirm this with the electoral registration office. (c) A recently completed Parish Priest Reference Form (PRF) which recommends your application. This does not apply to categories 5, 6 and 7 of the admissions criteria.

Applicants in category 6 only should complete a Faith Leader Reference Form (FLRF), available from the school.

Please note

A Parish Priest Reference Form (PRF) is available from the school. Part A is a selfevaluation to be completed by the parent/carer. Part B will be completed by the Priest once you have met with him. These forms do not form part of the school’s admission arrangement.

Unsuccessful applications and late applications will be offered the opportunity of their names being placed on a waiting list. The waiting list will be ordered as per the admissions criteria should a place arise.

In accordance with the provisions of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998 an unsuccessful applicant has the right to appeal against the Governors decision. If you wish to exercise your right of appeal you should write to the school stating your wish to do so. *By looked after children we mean any child in the care of a local authority or provided with accommodation by them, e.g. children with foster parents. **Please note: the term Practising Catholic, in accordance with the teaching of the Church, is taken to denote a Baptised person who is in full communion with the Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Sunday Eucharist (Saturday Vigil) as the foundation of all practice. Accordingly the Catechism states that on Sundays (Saturday Vigil) and other Holy Days of Obligation, the faithful are bound to participate in Mass.

In accordance with the above teaching, a priest will confer the status of practising Catholic, where a child has been baptised in accordance with the teachings of the Church, and where compliance with the Sunday obligation is the established practice of the child, and their family. ***Sibling refers to brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, step brother or sister, or the child of the parent/carer’s partner where the child for whom the school place is sought is living in the same family unit at the same address as that sibling.

Please note Pupils who are admitted to the school will enter the Reception classes in September 2015.

If a parent wishes to defer a child’s entry until later in the school year, they are asked to contact the school at the time the place is accepted. Where deferred entry is requested, parents are not able to defer entry beyond the beginning of the term after the child’s fifth birthday, nor beyond the academic year for which the original application was accepted.