Wincanton Primary School LEARNING TOGETHER, LEARNING FOR LIFE

Prospectus

Wincanton Primary School provides a caring environment where, in a stimulating and purposeful atmosphere, learning can flourish. We aim to support the children in
Learning Together, Learning For Life

Our school's core aims which support this statement are to believe that we can and we will:

· keep children's learning and overall development at the heart of all our thoughts and actions
· provide challenges in every area of each child's development
· set high but realistic expectations for all
· promote and maintain an ethos which nurtures independence and self esteem
· promote mutual respect and a shared responsibility for others
· provide a safe, happy, purposeful and supportive school environment
· provide equality of access and opportunity
· extend strong and productive partnerships with parents and the wider community
· provide a broad, balanced and well resourced curriculum Back to top

HOW DO WE GO ABOUT ACHIEVING OUR AIMS?

By setting clear objectives for the school as a whole:

Staff and Governors work closely together to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to reach their highest levels of achievement. A School Improvement Plan (SIP) is drawn up each year with a wide range of action plans aimed at improving the service we offer and raising standards of achievement throughout the school.

Included in our current SIP are targets and actions as wide-ranging as raising further the children?s achievements in National Curriculum tests, planning staff development and improving the school premises. From these broad targets more detailed Action Plans are drawn up and these become the focus for development during the year. Governors and staff also work together to establish policies for all areas of school life from curriculum to Health and Safety and Child Protection.

By co-ordinating action:

Throughout the year staff meet regularly to work towards the goals of our School Improvement Plan. We hold weekly briefing meetings and staff development and business meetings weekly or fortnightly. We also have five days in the school year when we meet together for In-service training (INSET), and focus on identified goals and targets. The Senior Management Team made up of the Headteacher and the Assistant Headteachers meets weekly. It is supported by the Management Group which includes the two Key Stage leaders and the ICT Manager and meets monthly. Back to top

STARTING SCHOOL

In Somerset all children entering school for the first time start in the September of the academic year (1 September - 31 August) in which they will reach their fifth birthday. Parents considering applying for a place at the school are very welcome to arrange a visit in order to meet the Headteacher and assess the opportunities that the school can offer their child. Back to top

ADMISSIONS POLICY

At Wincanton Primary we follow the admissions policy outlined by the LEA. Priority is given to:

· children who live in the designated transport area
· children who have brothers and sisters already at the school
· children who have compelling or significant social or medical reasons
· children for whom this is their nearest school.

Remaining places are offered to children living in the locality. You have the right of appeal to the Local Education Authority if we are unable to offer your child a place. These appeal forms are available from the school office.

School Transport is available to those children who meet the admission criteria and live at least 2 miles from school if they are infants and at least three miles if they are juniors. These measurements are undertaken by the Local Education Authority. Further information is available from the School Office. Back to top

FIRST ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS

We operate a staggered entry system over the first two to three weeks of the autumn term with children starting school in small groups and attending part-time for all or some of the first half-term. We have found that this approach has a number of advantages which help your child to make a happy and purposeful start to their life in school:

· your child's teacher is able to give each child a lot of individual attention in these important early days

· your child's teacher can discover the strengths and needs of your child

· your child can meet and play with a small number of children at a time, helping to ease the transition from playgroup Back to top

PREPARING FOR SCHOOL

In order to help your child settle into school in September, we offer a range of activities and meetings throughout the preceding year, which we encourage you and your child to attend. Our programme of activities typically includes:

· teachers visiting each of the local playgroups/nurseries
· information evenings for parents
· 'learning though play' sessions for children and parents
· story time sessions for children in June and July
· children's visits to school with playgroup
· the opportunity to receive a home visit by teaching staff
· use of the pre-school library of books and games

We are always pleased to receive visits from parents and children starting with us part way through the year or later in their school career. If a child joins us during the school year we have a 'buddy' system which means that two children in the designated class are given the task of supporting the new child during his/her first week or so in school. This is particularly effective if families can visit the school before the actual start date because it helps to put the child at ease Back to top

WHAT DO WE DO AT SCHOOL?

THE CURRICULUM FOR THE RECEPTION YEAR

The curriculum for the reception year is now part of the Foundation Stage which applies to children in nurseries, playgroups and the reception year in schools. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is intended to underpin all future learning by supporting, fostering, promoting and developing children's all-round development. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage focuses on six key areas known as the Early Learning Goals:-

· personal, social and emotional development
· communication, language and literacy
· mathematical development
· knowledge and understanding of the world
· physical development
· creative development

Children in the reception year experience all the elements or parts of the Numeracy and Literacy hours during the autumn and spring terms and move towards the full Literacy and Numeracy Hours during the summer term.

THE CURRICULUM FOR YEARS 1-6

The National Curriculum covers the following areas

Core subjects

English
Mathematics
Science
Information & Communication
Technology (ICT)
R.E.

Foundation subjects
History
Geography
Design & Technology
Art & Design
Music
Physical Education

In addition, as a school we have chosen to include Personal, Social, Health Education and Citizenship within our curriculum because we feel this is a vital element in every child's development. Finally, every child undertakes studies in Religious Education in line with the Local Education Authority's guidance. Back to top

PROMOTING KEY SKILLS ACROSS THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM

Throughout their time in school children learn, practise, combine, develop and refine a wide range of skills in their work across subjects in the National Curriculum. Some of these skills are subject specific, eg painting in art and design but some are common to several or even most subjects. Six skill areas are described as key skills and are embedded in all areas within the National Curriculum:

· Communication
· Working with others
· Application of number
· Improving own learning and performance
· Problem solving
· Information & Communication Technology Back to top

SPORT AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Every child should have the chance to participate in sport. We are committed to developing each child's full potential and to giving opportunities for children to excel in certain sports. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. For example netball and football clubs enable children to pursue their individual interests and compete against those in other schools. All children receive swimming lessons. The National Curriculum's aim is for all children to be able to swim 25 metres before they leave Primary School. This target is reached by many of our children before they even begin Key Stage 2. Our lessons are held at the Sports Centre.

Music is a growing strength in the school as witnessed by the exceptional standard of singing at our annual Carol Service when all the children take part. The singing is supported by an ever improving choir. The school also employs instrumental music teachers so that children can learn to play a wide variety of instruments. These lessons are in addition to the normal curriculum and parents are charged for this service to meet the cost of these additional teachers. Back to top

SEX EDUCATION

Sex Education is taught according to the Policy drawn up by the school's Governing Body. A copy of the policy is included with this information. Sex Education is part of the Health Education programme but also relates, where appropriate, to other areas of the school curriculum, for example science and Personal Social and Health Education. At Key Stage 1 teachers approach the subject in a simple, straightforward way, responding very much to the children's own questions as they arise from normal classroom activities in science, religious education and health education as well as through stories.

At Key Stage 2, particularly in Years 5 and 6, there is a more structured approach and we will always inform you when certain aspects of sex education are planned so that you can ask for more information. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from sex education lessons. Back to top

HOMEWORK

We set homework to help reinforce learning to prepare for forthcoming lessons, to help develop independence, self discipline and responsibility and to help parents in supporting their child?s learning. Typical tasks include:

· learning to read or share a book
· learning key words
· learning number facts eg multiplication tables or pairs of numbers that make 10

(Year R/1) or 20 (Year 1 and 2) or 50(Year 2 and 3) or 100 (Year 3 onwards)

· carrying out a simple research activity.

All children are expected to read/share a book daily with parent(s) 4-7 years, to read daily at home once fluent and to undertake such tasks as maths and writing from Year 2 or 3 rising to 2.5 hours per week in Year 6. Details of expectations are set out in the Home School Agreement published to all parents. Back to top

Educational Visits

From time to time, your child will have the opportunity to visit places that reflect and expand on the work being done in class. These visits are very popular with children, bringing their lessons to life, stimulating their interest in a topic and giving them first-hand experience of, and an insight into, the world past and present. Visits vary from investigations of the local environment to residential visits ('going to camp'). Parents are informed in advance of these events and safety is always the top priority. On occasion, we also invite visitors into school to share their culture and/or experiences with the children. These might include theatre groups or musicians and the children gain enormously by watching and participating in live performances. Back to top

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

In our school all children are given equal opportunities to experience the full curriculum and to develop their talents wherever they have a particular strength. In sporting activities there are certain restrictions on girls and boys playing together competitively in some team games, but in class lessons, and in after-school clubs for junior children, both boys and girls are encouraged to take part in whichever sport they have a special interest.

In academic subjects we are careful to ensure that certain areas are not dominated by either girls or boys, and teachers plan to give support and encouragement equally to all children. All children have equal access to all aspects of the curriculum regardless of gender, race or ability. At our school we celebrate differences and aim to instil tolerance, understanding and respect. In our teaching we try to reflect the multi-cultural society in which we live. Back to top

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Any child may at some time have special educational needs. These can be academic or behavioural in nature, and they affect able as well as less able children. Whenever possible, these needs are met by the way we structure our teaching and by the child's own teacher. Class teachers are supported by the Special Needs Co-ordinator, who offers advice and works directly with individual children and small groups.

Every child is different. Each has their own special abilities and their own pace of development. Our curriculum is designed to help every child to achieve their potential. Where possible we group children, particularly in English and mathematics, thus allowing them to work together with children of similar ability. In this way, we can tackle the difficulties of children who are finding a subject hard to learn and further stretch children who learn more rapidly. It is current school policy to place children in ability sets for mathematics in Years 5 and 6. Mrs Humble, who co-ordinates the provision for children with Special Educational Needs and those children defined as Gifted and Talented, is the 'extra' teacher in these arrangements thus allowing us to reduce these ability sets to much below the norm in size.
Where additional support is needed, the school follows a national Code of Practice which details a five stage process for identifying and addressing the needs of individual children. We strongly believe that the best way to help a child is to work in partnership with you, the parents, whom we seek to involve in every stage of the process. Sometimes we will call on the help of experts outside the school; for example specialist teachers, educational psychologists or speech and language therapists. These are arranged only after consultation with parents. At every stage, the support given to the child is based on their individual requirements. Back to top

DISCIPLINE

We aim to make Wincanton Primary School a happy, orderly, pleasant place to be; a place where teachers can teach and children can learn. To this end we have developed a Behaviour Policy which promotes positive behaviour whilst at the same time providing sanctions for those who behave in an unacceptable way.

Children are expected to show respect, courtesy and tolerance, both to each other and to all staff and visitors to the school. Rules are made clear to the children and they are helped to understand that they are there for the benefit and safety of everyone.

Positive contributions to the life of the school are rewarded and celebrated by the awarding of certificates, house points and stickers and we place a high value on rewarding those children who, through their co-operation, hard work and positive attitudes, help to make the school a happier place for everyone.

We provide a wide range of support and guidance for the pupils? welfare in all aspects of school life.

Despite these findings we actively seek to ensure that bullying does not occur and to take clear and firm action if it does. We have a clear Anti-Bullying Policy which is summarised in the Home School Agreement. The Policy contains advice that we publish to children and parents. Back to top

HOME SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP

We believe that you, the parents, are partners with the school in the education of your child. The aims and policies of the school succeed best when home and school work together. An effective partnership is needed by:

· you, the parents, so that you know what is happening and how you can help and support your child

· the school so that we can build on your positive contributions and further improve the education of your child

· your child who will benefit enormously if parents and school share the same goals and have a consistent approach towards them.

The school has an 'open door' policy and we hope that parents will feel free to visit their children's classrooms regularly. Teachers are usually very busy at the start of the day but will always be happy to arrange a time to meet you if there is a particular need for discussion. Should the matter be urgent just come along and we will do all we can to meet your needs.

Parents' Evenings are held each term, when you will have the opportunity to discuss your child's progress with the teacher. In Years 3 - 6 we like you to bring along your children too, so that you, the teacher, and your child can discuss progress and targets. All parents receive a written report on their child's progress towards the end of the summer term.

Parents are always welcome in school and Infant parents in particular become very familiar with what is going on in their children's classrooms. During the year we have Open Days when we invite you to come in and see what goes on in the rest of the school. In addition our monthly newsletters aim to keep you as fully informed as possible about events in the life of the school.

The school has a very active Parent and Friends Association (PAFOWPS), to which all families automatically belong. The PAFOWPS organises many and varied activities throughout the year. Major fundraising events include the Summer Fete and Christmas Bazaar. Smaller events are organised regularly to raise funds and also to provide social activities for families. A committee of parents takes the lead in planning these events, but many parents volunteer their support for individual activities or events.

All teachers appreciate having parent helpers in the classroom either on a regular basis, or for particular activities such as class trips or special events like a Science Week. We have a weekly special Assembly where we remember birthdays, award certificates and badges and generally celebrate all the positive things that happen in our school each week. Back to top

COMPLAINTS

Both the school and the Local Education Authority have procedures for dealing with complaints from parents. If you have any concerns the first point of contact should be the class teacher. If you feel it necessary a meeting with the Headteacher can also be arranged to discuss any difficulties. It is to be hoped that at this stage your concerns will be adequately dealt with. If you remain unsatisfied, after having discussed your concerns with the Headteacher, you should take your complaint to the Governors c/o the school. If you find this response unsatisfactory you should then contact the Local Education Authority at County Hall, Taunton TA1 4DY or phone 01823 355455. Back to top

HEALTH CARE

Children who are clearly unwell should not be sent to school. A child who has not properly recovered from an illness and is sent back too quickly is likely to make a slower recovery and may be a health risk to others.

Medicines are not normally allowed in school but can be stored in the medical room if a dose during the school day is essential. In cases of long term illnesses, eg asthma or diabetes, special arrangements can be made with the Headteacher. Under no circumstances are medicines allowed in the classroom. (See notes on asthma).

Minor cuts and bruises will be treated at school in the medical room by qualified staff, but if your child has an accident, requiring more than first aid, the school will contact you. For this reason we require an emergency telephone number and the name of the person(s) to contact if you are unavailable.

Asthma Children who need to use an inhaler may bring this to school with them. Junior children are able to keep it with them at all times to use when they feel it is necessary if this is recommended by their G P. Alternatively inhalers may be stored in the medical room. Our first aiders are skilled and experienced in dealing with children who experience mild and severe asthmatic attacks.
If your child suffers from asthma or from any severe allergic reactions we will ask you to complete a form giving details of treatment. Back to top

ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY

If children are unable to attend school because of illness please let us know as early as possible. There is a particular concern for children who may come to school on their own. If they do not arrive we do not know if this is because they are ill or because something may have happened to them on the way to school. For reasons of safety, therefore, if a child does not arrive and we have not received a message, we may telephone you to check that they are at home.

Absences other than for illness will be judged by the teacher or Headteacher to be authorised or unauthorised, and will be recorded as such in the register. Children are allowed a maximum of two weeks' authorised absence in any one school year for a family holiday. We have forms in school which must be completed beforehand. We would, however, discourage your from taking holidays in term time unless absolutely necessary, as this will inevitably disrupt your child's learning.

We also record on the registers when a child is late for school. It is important that classes get off to a prompt, orderly start to the day and children are often distressed if they arrive after the class has begun. Back to top

TRANSFER ARRANGEMENTS AT THE AGE OF 11

At the age of 11, children come to the end of the primary years. Most of our children transfer to King Arthur's Community School, which is situated in the town. A few children opt for state schools in neighbouring towns such as Gillingham and Sherborne and some join the independent sector. During the autumn term before transfer, you will be sent information by the Local Education Authority on transferring to secondary education and told how you can state your preference for a particular school. We liaise with the secondary schools to help make the transition as smooth as possible. Back to top