Our School Prospectus

Holy Family Catholic Primary School

We follow in Jesus’s footsteps

Holy Family Catholic Primary School Dear Parents Welcome to Holy Family Catholic Primary School and thank you so much for your interest in our school. As a Catholic school, we are inclusive and welcome children of all faiths and backgrounds into our school community. We pride ourselves on being a friendly and welcoming school and treasure our family atmosphere.

Holy Family school is housed in an amazing building, which provides something a little bit different for your children. As a team we constantly strive to achieve the very best for you and your child to create successful and happy children.

Education is a partnership between home and school and we place a great deal of emphasis on our relationship with parents. We believe that children learn best when home and school work together for their benefit. We hope that this prospectus gives you a flavour of what our wonderful school has to offer, and that we will see you at one of our open mornings when you will see the school in action and understand what we are all about, but if you have any questions in the meantime please contact our school office.

Kind regards Janet Westray Headteacher

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Holy Family Catholic Primary School Mission Statement With Christ at the centre, we love one another and always try our best.

We learn together and look after each other by showing respect.

We understand that we are all unique and precious in God’s eyes.

Our school prayer Lord help me to be the best I can be Help me not just to look but to really see Help me to speak your words clearly and be proud to belong Give me the courage to help others each day Help me to realise I am following in your footsteps in every way ‌ 2.

Our school prayer How we aim to make your child SHINE at Holy Family Catholic Primary School – a place where every child is valued as a unique child of God. SUCCEED We want your child to be a confident and successful learner who achieves their very best. We will treat your child as an individual, carefully monitoring their progress and planning next steps on their learning journey.

All staff are dedicated and committed, ensuring that your child will get the very best.

HAPPY We will provide a fun, friendly learning environment in our wonderful building, where we enthuse about what each new day will bring.

INSPIRE Your child will be inspired by our creative and imaginative approach to the curriculum, providing a firm foundation for lifelong learning.

NURTURE We will build strong relationships based on trust and respect with our faith permeating through every part of school life. Holy Family school is a place where Pupil voice is highly valued by us all and we listen, value and act on what is important to you.

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EXCEL By working together to create a community that is constantly striving for the highest possible standards in everything we do.

We will create opportunities to allow your child to SHINE. The School: Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a one form entry school. Our published admission number each year is 25 and children work in single aged classes. Holy Family Nursery is housed in a separate building situated within our school grounds and accessed along a winding path. The school is situated across the road from Holy Family Catholic Church on Whitby Avenue, Ingol. The school grounds are incredible as we have two playgrounds, a Foundation Stage outdoor classroom, separate nursery and play area, playing field, environmental area and a nature reserve behind our field!

In addition we offer: ✶ A hexagon shaped hall ✶ Hexagon shaped classrooms all with direct access to playground areas ✶ Wireless internet access across the whole school with laptops/ipads available for all classes to use ✶ Interactive whiteboards in all classrooms ✶ Kitchen area for cooking and large art projects ✶ Environmental area and wildlife pond ✶ An additional Group Room for focused group teaching and activities ✶ Adventure Trim Trail and playground equipment

Learning through our School Holy Family Nursery is housed in a purposebuilt separate building and this accessed along a winding path. The Nursery is run by a Teacher and Nursery staff. The building consists of a large learning area, a smaller room, kitchen and toilets. Lunches are delivered directly from our school kitchen. Nursery is open from 8.50am until 3.10pm Monday to Friday. Children can attend on a full or part time basis. Please talk to staff for further information.

As a primary school we educate children aged from 4 to 11 covering the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.

Foundation Stage Reception Class (4-5 year olds) The Foundation Stage makes a crucial contribution to children’s early development and learning. We provide children with a rich variety of teaching and learning experiences that are appropriate to their needs. The Foundation Stage is about developing key learning skills; as listening, speaking, concentrating, resilience and learning to work and co-operate with others.

Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7, the Infant Department Years 1 and 2 Key Stage 2 (ages 8-11, the Junior Department Years 3– 6) The core curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2 comprises: ✶ English ✶ Science

✶ Mathematics ✶ Computing

Children also study the subjects below as part of the National Curriculum. These are called Foundation Subjects: ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶

Art and Design Design Technology (DT) History Geography Music Physical Education Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education ✶ French (In Key Stage 2)

The areas of learning that make up the Foundation Stage Curriculum are: ✶ Personal Social and Emotional Development ✶ Physical Development ✶ Communication and Language ✶ Literacy ✶ Mathematics ✶ Understanding the World ✶ Expressive Arts and Design.

The outdoor environment is also a special part of the Foundation Stage curriculum. As such it is carefully planned for and available each day.

The reception class have their own specially equipped outdoor area which is planned for and in continuous use.

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Religious Education As a Catholic School, Religious Education is provided within the timetable according to the syllabus authorised by the Archbishop of Lancaster, “The Way, the Truth and the Life”.

Holy Family is a Catholic school and as such a Catholic ethos pervades all that takes place within our school community.

During Lent and Advent Mass is celebrated in our classes whilst on other occasions, as a school, we visit Holy Family Church. Other religious services and special assemblies are considered an integral part of school life and important for the spiritual development of the children. The Parish Priest of Holy Family 5.

Church, Fr Peter Draper, makes weekly visits to our school and is very involved in our school life.

It is a parent’s legal right to withdraw pupils from RE lessons or collective worship but by so doing would negate the reason for choosing a Catholic school.

Prayer and Liturgy At the start of the week and at the end of the day on Friday we have a whole school collective worship. We also have an assembly led by one of our classes each week and parents are welcomed to this as well as to the coffee morning afterwards. Prayer and Liturgy sessions are also prepared and led by the children in their own classrooms.

Every day life at Holy Family School Breakfast club begins at 8.00am. This is free as we are supported by Greggs the Bakers.

School begins at 8:50am although the school doors open at 8.40am. Children enter into school either directly into their classroom (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) or through the Key Stage Two entrance.

When the children go into their classroom they will have quiet reading time or a start of day activity. Break time is from 10:45am to 11:00am with the children playing on separate KS1 and KS2 playgrounds. Infant lunch is from 11.50am – 1:00pm and Junior lunch is from 12.10pm to 1pm. The afternoon break is from 2pm to 2.10pm and sessions finish at 3:10pm.

School Meals Our excellent kitchen on the school site provides freshly cooked school meals which are nutritionally balanced. The children can also choose to have packed lunches if they so wish, but these do need to be healthy and must not include sweets or any drinks in cans or glass bottles. The children all eat together in the main hall.

Money Dinner money must be paid in advance and this can be via cash or cheque. Money brought into school should always be in a clearly named envelope indicating the reason for payment.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal as part of the government initiative ‘universal free school

meals.’ Please call in to the office to check if you meet the criteria for free school meals.

School Uniform Uniform is worn at Holy Family to develop a sense of pride in being a member of the Holy Family Community. Information about our uniform and local suppliers can be found at the back of our Prospectus.

Hairstyling Hair should not be shaved below grade 3 and patterns must not be shaved into the head as this is inappropriate for school. Hair should be cut in a uniform length (ie sides should not be markedly shorter than the top). All shoulder length/long hair must be tied back using a blue, white or red hair band, scrunchie or bobble.

Jewellery Jewellery must not be worn to school. Children who wear watches must take full responsibility for them.

Personal belongings Children may not bring valuable personal items to school, as staff cannot be held responsible for them. Children are expected to take responsibility for their own school equipment, which must be named.

Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium Where parents are entitled to certain state benefits children attract a ‘Pupil Premium’ (a sum of money paid to the school to support their education.) If you think you may be eligible for this please speak to the school office.

This money can be used in a variety of ways e.g. funding trips, one to one tuition or addition interventions/support.

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Learning at Holy Family Curriculum Staff work incredibly hard to ensure the children at Holy Family receive a broad, balanced and stimulating curriculum which engages them and challenges their learning.

Each year group studies three different topics across the year and individual subjects are woven into the topic to create memorable learning experiences and ensure robust academic achievement.

Inclusive Provision Within each class work is differentiated to suit the needs of the individual child. Inclusive provision includes learning difficulties, sensory impairment, physical difficulties, behavioural and emotional problems as well as meeting the needs of the especially gifted and talented. The staged approach of the Code of Practice for the identification and assessment of Special Educational Needs operates within the school.

Once a difficulty is identified provision is made to meet that need and progress is carefully monitored. At later stages the class teacher and SENCo may receive support from outside agencies. Parents are fully consulted and encouraged to actively participate at all stages.

Please see the School Offer on our website for more info. If your child has special educational needs please come and meet with our SENCo and we can discuss what support they may need and how we can meet it.

Educational Visits Visits play an essential role in our work and take place on a regular basis. These vary from places in the locality for instance the library, Our Lady’s Catholic High School, Holy Family Church to residential trips for our upper Key Stage Two children.

Senior Pupils Children in Year 6 are given extra responsibilities and fulfil the roles of house captains, cloakroom monitors as well as supporting our zoning at lunch times. We also 7.

have a Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy, Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl who are ambassadors for our school.

Homelearning Children throughout the school are encouraged to read at home for at least ten minutes on a daily basis and we ask that this is recorded in their reading diary. Termly curriculum maps and information on the RE curriculum is also provided.

In addition, for years 1 to 6 we set weekly homework to support, complement and enrich the learning that is happening in class on a daily basis. In years 4 to 6 compulsory homework is set in preparation for transition to secondary school. Details of our expectations are sent to the parents at the beginning of the school year in these year groups.

Behaviour We take great pride in the behaviour of our pupils. The emphasis in the school is to praise positive behaviour, attitude and effort and to increase children’s awareness of the need to make a positive contribution to their community.

We have a Behaviour Management Policy which is consistently applied by all adults who work in our school. It is available on our website.

Our Behaviour Management Policy is linked to our Mission statement in that we follow the example Jesus gave us.

Children at Holy Family School agree to the following: ✶ We will treat everyone as we would like to be treated. ✶ We will respect our environment. ✶ We will listen carefully to others and follow instructions. ✶ We will be honest and take responsibility for ourselves. ✶ We will keep our hands and feet to ourselves. ✶ We will walk around the school sensibly and quietly.

Extra Curricular Clubs At Holy Family School we are able to offer a wide range of activities during lunchtimes and before and after school. There is a cost for some of the clubs and some are run on a voluntary basis, but children are expected to make a commitment to the activity and attend regularly.

During the last academic year activities have included: Holy Family Singers, School Football, Netball, Hockey, Chess, Dance Club, Sports4All Club, Book Club, Sewing Club and Computing.

Class groupings We aim to create an optimum learning environment for all pupils that enables them to fulfil their full potential both academically and socially, so that they are confident, self-assured and well equipped for each stage of their education. Pupils are taught in classes of up to 25 pupils in light, airy classrooms.

Ingol Out of School Club This facility is run externally by our next door neighbour school Ingol Community Primary School. Children are collected from our school at the end of the school day. It is available from 3:10pm until 5.45pm in term time.

School Council Two representatives from each class regularly attend meetings held to discuss items on the agenda drawn up from suggestions made by the children themselves about key issues affecting them in school.

Partnerships with Parents Home and school At Holy Family Primary School we value and appreciate the important role you have to play in supporting your child and developing a positive attitude to school and learning. We offer a wide range of opportunities for parents to actively participate in supporting their children in school. These include: ✶ Open afternoons – once a term parents are invited into school to have a look around their child’s classroom and to see their work ✶ Parent/teacher consultations – this is an opportunity to find out how your child is doing in school. These take place in the autumn and spring terms. ✶ Annual School Report- these are sent home at the end of the summer term and they include details of your child’s progress to date together with targets for further progression ✶ School Newsletter – Each week an electronic and paper school newsletter is sent out to all parents including notices for upcoming events and a summary of events that have taken place that week. ✶ Curriculum Workshops – These are organised on an adhoc basis linked to areas that we are focusing on in the School Development Plan.

The Governing Body Our Governing Body takes a full part in the life of the school. The Governors bring to their role a wide breadth of interest, experience and expertise. Some of the work is managed in subcommittees but all Governors share responsibility. There are a number of Parent Governors as well as Community and Local Authority Governors.

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Induction We have a comprehensive Induction plan which runs throughout the summer term prior to the children joining our reception class in the following September. There are many opportunities for the children to take part in a number of activities, including: ✶ Tea and Toys – where parents and children spend time in the school when they are first offered a place. ✶ Story times – an opportunity for the children to join their teacher for half an hour in their classroom for a story and to sing some songs. ✶ Reception Induction Meeting for all reception parents to receive up to date information on the year ahead. ✶ Induction Afternoons for all children entering reception in the June before they begin. ✶ Home visits by the Nursery team just before the children start school in September.

We work closely with Our Lady’s Catholic Secondary School and other local secondary schools to ensure a positive and effective transition for the children in Year 6 as they move into Year 7.

Friends of Holy Family All parents automatically become members of the Friends when they join the school community. The Friends organise various functions throughout the year. These events will raise money that will enable the Friends to provide equipment that might not otherwise be available

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Attendance Should your child be absent, it is important that you inform us of the reason before school begins in the morning. Unexplained absences will be recorded as Unauthorised Absence.

Unauthorised absences are pursued by the School Welfare Officer. Holidays in term time will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.

School Terms Under the 1986 Education Act children are required to be in school for 190 days each academic year. These are divided up into three terms: Autumn, Spring and Summer.

September – December, January – April and April – July.

The term dates vary slightly from year to year depending on public holidays. During each term there is a half term break of one week. Teachers are in school for a further five days for professional training (INSET days), these dates are released well in advance. Term dates for the current academic year are on the website.

Admission For the school’s year commencing each September the number of children to be admitted will be 25. For more information about admissions please refer to the school website.

And finally‌ We would be delighted to welcome you on a visit to our fantastic school. We hold open mornings for parents/ carers who are seeking a place in our reception classes. These take place in the Autumn term and provide an opportunity to meet some of our children, governors, parents and staff.

Please consult our website for more detailed information of life at Holy Family.

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Holy Family Catholic Primary School 59 Whitby Avenue, Ingol, Preston, PR2 3YP Telephone: 01772 727471 Email: bursar@holy-family.lancs.sch.uk Website: www.holy-family.lancs.sch.uk

Holy Family Catholic Primary School