What the Government said about our school:

According to a National Analysis of Data, undertaken annually, when compared with all the primary schools in the country,

In mathematics this school ranks in the top 26%

In English this school ranks in the top 19%

In science this school ranks in the top 5%

The average rank for this school is in the top 12% of all schools.

Girls and boys attain equally well.

When children come here from Thorpe Hesley Infant School, they have had a very good start to their education and achieve high standards. The value added achievements theymake here are “Significantly above the national average.” (DfES data, 2006)

Recent awards earned by our school:

2006 Bronze Eco-award for commitment to conservation and

the environment

Activemark awarded for high quality PE and sporting activities as well as active playtimes

Excellence in Enterprise Education award from Warwick University

We are currently in the process of gaining the Basic Skills Award, Platinum Award for Excellence in Enterprise Education, Artsmark and may become a Government accredited Leading Aspect School for personal development and well-being.

In addition to this two of our staff were selected for the regional finals of the National Teaching Awards (North of England) – which has not happened in any other school. They were selected from 8,500 teachers nominated across the north of England.

2007 development and well-being.

Does that sound like we are showing off?

YOU BET WE ARE!

What parents and pupils say

about our school:

“Thank you for helping my son have a very good time here.”

[Parent]

“This school will be in our thoughts for a very long time.”

[Parent]

“I have always supported this school and will continue to do so.”

[Parent]

“Thank you for taking the time to understand XXX’s problems.”

[Parent]

“My child has enjoyed coming to school since we moved here – it hasn’t always been like that.”

[Parent]

“My child made excellent progress and achieved really good exam results, so moving to her next school was easier for her. She had a really good start at this school.”

[Ex-parent]

“It’s not like when I was at school – these kids have a great opportunity, that we didn’t have.”

[Grandparent]

“Teachers here really care about what they are doing.”

[Parent]

“I enjoy coming here.”

[Teacher from Winterhill]

“I was scared when I first came here, but I soon realised how good it was!”

[Pupil, year 3]

“I enjoy learning things because it will help me when I grow up.”

[Pupil, year 4]

“Teachers keep saying this is a good school. It isn’t. It’s the best!”

[Pupil, year 5]

“I will miss being here because I always know there’s someone I can talk to when I am worried about stuff – and not just school stuff either.”

[Pupil, year 6]

Who will you see in school?

Working in class with children

Teaching staff:

Class 1 Miss Z Speakman

Class 2 Miss K Haythorne

Class 3 Miss B O’Neill

Class 4 Miss L. Tingle

Class 5 Miss R Green

Class 9 Mr. I. Beecroft

Class 6 Mr A Wirth

Class 7 Mrs S Hewitt

Class 8 Mr M. Hanson

Class 10 Mrs L Reasbeck

Class 11 Mrs J Wright

Miss D Lambert will work with both year 6 classes covering all subjects.

Mrs Hunter will support PSHCE across school

Ms C Haywood will work across all classes to support PE and reading and to release teachers for planning, preparation and assessment time.

Teaching assistants:

Mrs M Ardron, Ms R Cunningham, Mrs V Hobson, Ms L Reed, Ms L Sales, Mrs A Sharp, Mrs R Simmons, Mrs L Smelt, Mrs E Wallhead, Ms V Wilkinson,

(In addition, there are a number of peripatetic music teachers and teaching support visiting school each week.)

Working in and around school

Office staff:

Administrative Officer: Mrs M Copley

Clerical Assistant: Mrs H Firth

Office Assistant: Mrs J Dixon

Caretaker:

Mr D Fox

Dining Room Assistants:

Mrs L Smelt (Senior Supervisor)

Mrs P Barraclough

Mrs J Dixon

Mrs E Wallis

Mrs S Wilkinson

Cleaners:

Mrs S Wilkinson

Mrs J Parkin

Kitchen:

Mrs J Rowbotham (Cook in Charge)

Mrs Ridge

Mrs J Smith

Crossing Patrol Warden:

Mr Chadburn

Mrs L Lilley

Headteacher:

Ms P Harmer

About this school:

Thorpe Hesley Junior School was built in 1927.

The land slopes down the hillside towards the village, giving panoramic views over the rooftops towards Wentworth and Hoober Stand.

Although the school is the very edge of Rotherham, close to the M1, the school is involved in a number of initiatives in Rotherham. Some of these involve children going to other schools for musical and sporting activities and some children are invited to go to the master classes for mathematics.

Children join the school in year 3, after leaving infant school. They are in this school for four years, which are called National Curriculum years 3 to 6. In September 2009 there will be eleven classes, three each in years 3, 4 and 5 and two in year 6. We have deliberately chosen to maintain small classes, with roughly 23 children in each class in years 3, 4 and 5.

There has been considerable investment in the building, to provide two good quality additional classrooms, a stage and plenty of interesting playground furniture, all of which has enhanced the appearance of the school’s exterior.

Inside, the school is in good repair, with good quality resources and furnishings. The hall is a large space, used for assemblies and PE. Performances and larger meetings for parents are also given in the hall. We are fortunate to have a separate dining room. The outside block is used for additional class space at one side and food technology (cooking) at the other in a specially furnished room.

There is ample hard play surface as well as a field that can be used in dry weather.

Please note that school begins at 8.50am and ends at 3.20pm. There is a clear understanding, for their own safety and protection, that children do not come into school before the bell rings at 8.50am. We request that for your children’s safety you do not allow them to be in the grounds before 8.30am, because they are completely unsupervised until 8.50am, when school starts. School ends at 3.20, which is when teachers and children start to pack up. This does not mean that children walk out of the doors at 3.20 – there may be a time lapse, while children prepare to leave the building. This does not mean that teachers are late in sending children home.

We want you to share your concerns with us and to feel free to check on your child’s progress whenever you want to. Teachers are almost always available at the end of the school day to speak to parents and carers. We ask that you only speak to teachers in the morning if it is really necessary, because we like our children to start the day off really well, which means teachers are not able to give time to parents at the start of the day.

What makes this school special?

There are many things that make a school unique. As parents, you need to look at the whole picture and decide if what the school is offering is what you want for your child. Below are some of the issues parents often ask about, but there may well be others. If what you want to know is not here, please do not hesitate to contact school and ask – no question is ever too small or insignificant when deciding on something so important as your child’s education.

Our vision:

We want to create a safe and exciting school, where children will want to come every day. That is our priority, because it is in such a place that children thrive and learn.

We want children to feel comfortable about expressing themselves, confident that their views are important and they are valued.

We want to nurture excellence and innovation amongst our children and also amongst the adults who work here.

The children who come through our doors today are the adults of tomorrow – and we can never lose sight of that.

Our Aims:

To equip children with life skills for adult life, namely:-

ü Enthusiasm and enjoyment of learning, a positive attitude

ü Confidence to express views and opinions

ü Tolerance and understanding of themselves and others, built through an awareness and acceptance of diverse cultural, spiritual and moral traditions

ü Creative thinking, ability to think round a problem and take calculated risks

ü Perseverance and commitment

ü Financial understanding and an understanding of ethical and moral dimensions in business and commerce

ü Self-awareness and understanding of their preferred styles of learning

ü Literate, numerate and technologically aware

In addition, we aim to:-

ü Provide a safe, secure environment to which all adults and children contribute, and in which everyone feels confident to express themselves in the knowledge that their views and opinions are valued

ü To actively build good relations with parents, carers and the wider community

ü To build worthwhile relations with Governors and incorporate their skills and knowledge into our school

ü To constantly review practice to offer the best education we can

All this is achieved through a broad, balanced and carefully structured curriculum, which has at its heart enterprise, the environment, community and spiritual and moral understanding.

Our Curriculum:

We are proud to offer our children an ever evolving curriculum, designed to meet the needs of all learners.

We are keen to ensure we are up-to-date in our knowledge of educational research into what makes a good learner and to put that research into practice.

The result is an enriched curriculum, which is balanced across artistic, linguistic, scientific, mathematical, enterprising, social and physical principles.

Within this curriculum, we also plan for themed weeks across the year, when the whole school learn about something within a specific topic. We also hold termly events across school, which enrich the children’s school life and build their understanding of community. For instance, we hold annual championships for Kurling, Bowling and Tug-Of-War and are about to introduce a championship Jenga competition.

We also have a sports afternoon, a musical evening and school plays. Children experience a range of visitors, craftspeople, musicians, authors and actors to build their understanding of the world in which they live, to broaden their own horizons and for the sheer enjoyment of it!

This does mean that in order to give children such a range of experiences, we sometimes have to ask you to contribute. Without your contribution, we are unable to make good use of the range of professionals available to enhance the children’s learning. Just as you would expect to pay to take your child to the theatre, cinema or to visit a gallery or stately home, we have to pay when we take them from school. If parents do not pay for their children to visit the places we arrange or for their children to join in to see pantomimes and productions, then we have to cancel those events.

Year 6 are currently taken on a residential visit to Filey in October. This is an outstanding experience for our children, where they learn lots of important science, geography, history and social skills in a safe – but different – environment. The children are away for two nights and learn a lot about each other and themselves as well as Filey.

Children in every class will engage in day visits, carefully chosen to enrich and enliven their learning. We need you to support these visits financially, or we are unable to make the visits. Children learn a huge amount from these visits and they are very worthwhile indeed. They form a large part of the work done back in school and any children who do not go are at a real disadvantage.

Each term, you are sent a copy of the curriculum your child will follow, so that you can look for ways to enrich the experience, or to give you topics for discussion. Sometimes, however, a teacher may want to keep this secret from the children so that when the topic is unfolded it excites the children. In this case, your copy of the curriculum for that term may be a little late – we hope you will understand the reason behind this!

What will my child learn at this school?

What used to be called “Infants” and “Juniors” are now called Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. You will frequently see references to KS1 or KS2 – it simply means infant and junior. KS stands for Key Stage.

In KS2, we build upon what the children have already learned, both at home and in their previous school. Children still want to come to school and still want to learn about their world and we must capitalise on that by making the teaching interesting and interactive. We plan activities that will help children to develop their own thinking and encourage them to be creative thinkers as well as extending their knowledge and understanding of the world.

Throughout the school, teachers plan to build upon the knowledge, skills and understanding of previous years. Within each year, teachers plan a steady progression, assessing children’s progress and building in additional support as needed.

Across the school, all children expand their social skills and develop an understanding of how to operate within a community. Good behaviour and manners are modelled by all adults here and children are expected to show the same towards each other. When they make a social mistake they are corrected – as they are in any other area of learning.

Standards of expectation at Thorpe Hesley Junior School are very high in terms of work as well as behaviour. We believe that children feel secure when they understand what is expected of them, so we make it clear from the outset. There are many rewards in school and children are praised for effort, not just attainment. Out-of-school achievements are also recognised.

As children move through school, they are expected to take on responsibilities for themselves, their work and for others. For example, our older children operate as Playground Leaders, for which they receive a small gift as payment. This not only builds up children’s understanding of good citizenship, but also prepares them for the real world of work and responsibility. There are many opportunities given to children to show leadership and community responsibilities and to develop as enterprising people.

Your child will be an adult well into the 21^st Century, so an awareness of technology and its advances is vital. We have a dedicated technology suite and each teacher is familiar with a range of programmes in use in school. Children are encouraged to see technology as a part of their everyday life, to enhance work, make tasks simpler, more complex or just different. They are encouraged to incorporate technology into their research. It will certainly benefit your child to have use of a computer at home. Photography is also a growing part of our curriculum and there are many examples of pictures composed and taken by children around school.

As far as possible, the curriculum grows from, or is enhanced by, first hand experience. Taking children on educational visits is a way of developing a real understanding in children that would be unavailable through books. Such visits must be paid for – and we have to pass that cost to you. If coaches are involved children always have seat belts. All visits are risk-assessed and all are well supervised, with more adults than the legal requirement. Teachers plan very carefully to get as much as possible from the visit and back at school some weeks’ work will be stimulated by it. If a child misses out on the visit, their understanding is definitely impeded.

In addition, children enjoy going on visits with their friends and this also stimulates them to remember and learn from the experience. Think about when you were at school – can you remember the visits you went on?

Please support the children by paying for visits. Although no child will be refused a place because a parent has refused to pay, that money has to come from somewhere such as the Christmas fund – or, if a number of parents do not pay for their child’s place, the visit has to be cancelled and the class miss out on some real learning.

How do you know what my child can already do?

We ask!

We ask you what your child can do at home and we listen to what you have to say. Just because your child has entered the next phase of education does not mean that you suddenly drop out of the picture!

We also ask the staff at your child’s previous school, which in the majority of cases is Thorpe Hesley Infant School. We have very good relations with the Infant school and receive copious records from them, detailing your child’s achievements and areas for development. Any particular comments about your child are noted. We also receive your child’s KS1 SATs (Standard Attainment Tests) results and teachers from both schools spend time discussing each child.

We ask the children who their friends are. We try to ensure children are in classes with some friends, but it is almost impossible to accommodate all their wishes. We also look at the children’s ability in different areas of learning and try to ensure classes are balanced.

During the school year, both headteachers visit each other’s schools so that the children become familiar with each face. Children in Year 2 (the year before transfer to this school) come to performances and on other occasions, to begin to feel comfortable with the layout of the building. Nearer the end of the school year, the transferring children spend a morning with the teacher who they will join in September, so that they arrive to a familiar face. On that day they also have lunch here and spend some time in the playground.

Even so, many children are nervous when they join a new school. This is to be expected. You can really help your child by being very jolly and positive about the move. Please don’t promise that monumentally exciting things will happen – like space travel or trips to India – or your child will be very disappointed! Just be calm and purposeful. It is going to happen and it will show that your child is growing up. There will be lots of new and exciting things to do over the year.

The things that are a worry to your child, which will be the things you need to reassure her/him about, are always the same:-

It will be too difficult for me – I saw what the children were doing and it is very difficult.	All those children started off just like you – as they got older they got to be able to do all those things – you will too
Playtimes full of enormous strange children	At playtime there are teachers outside for you to go to if you need to talk to someone. The older children are in a different playground at playtimes. The teacher will tell you when to line up and when to go inside again.
What do I do at lunchtime?	The lunchtime staff will help you. You all go together to the dining room for lunch. The staff will be outside with you to help you. In the dining room they will always be there to help you. When you choose your lunch in the morning you will be given a coloured band to wear that shows which meal you have chosen. That means you will always get the meal you want, no matter when you go in for your lunch. *
What if I get lost?	You won’t get lost. If you don’t know where to go or what to do, you can always ask someone to help you. You never, never leave the school through the gate.
Where are the toilets?	You will be shown the toilets – they are right next to your classroom. When you want to go you ask the teacher, because they need to know where you are.

* There are lots of menus around school and in each class so that children can make a choice of which meal option they want. If your child is late, that choice will not be available as the order will have been made to the kitchen. That means if your child is late, s/he will have to have what the cook provides, with no choice.

If there are any other problems worrying you or your child, please call or ring school so we can help you to sort them out. We are happy to give your child an additional tour if needed.

What about subjects?

The curriculum is divided into two parts – core and foundation subjects.

English, mathematics and science are the core subjects and everything else is the foundation.

All schools follow the National Strategy for maths and English. That means that all primary children can expect to cover approximately the same work over the four years, which means when they transfer to the next phase of education, the receiving school knows what work they have done.

Both literacy and numeracy are given very high importance here, as can be seen in our table of results at the end of this brochure. Both subjects are taught not just as discreet subjects, but also across other subjects, so that children understand their broad nature and how they relate to real life. Children learn to be confident to tackle a range of increasingly difficult problems, selecting appropriate strategies from a growing repertoire.

These two subjects are of paramount importance. They act as building blocks, upon which everything else rests. For this reason, children’s attainment, aptitude and progress throughout these two are very closely assessed, monitored and recorded.

The foundation subjects are so called because they form a major part of children’s learning about the world they live in and how it comes to be as it is. It is the preparation for adult life. Each school carefully plans the children’s learning, taking into account the features that make the school unique. The school, within government parameters, determines this part of the curriculum. In this school we plan a curriculum which has four overarching themes that give this school its distinctive flavour: enterprise, community, environment and spiritual/moral awareness.

Our curriculum has won us many accolades:-

¨ We were the first junior school in the world to receive the Warwick University Platinum Award for Enterprise

¨ Our head teacher, Ms Harmer, was the winner of the Teaching Award for Enterprise for the north of England in 2008

¨ Mr Wirth achieved a distinction in the Teaching Awards as outstanding new teacher

¨ We are Enterprise Lead School for Rotherham (along with only 2 others)

¨ We have been awarded a Leading Aspect Award for developing creative and enterprising pupils – a national award, which is not easily acquired

In each school year, teachers plan a carefully designed curriculum, taking into account the skills and knowledge of each subject as well as the interests of the class. They also take into account the general ethos and principles of the school – the things we as a staff believe are important. Children undertake work in every subject, based around themes and teachers plan to develop key skills rather than teaching children to regurgitate facts. We firmly believe that children need to know how to learn, how to find out, rather than learning facts by rote – we want to develop life long learners, not people who are just good at quizzes!

What can I do to help?

Children receive homework from year 3 onwards – this is the first year of our school, which runs from year 3 to year 6.

This is frequently a book to read, but will also include spellings to learn and sometimes there will be written tasks. It may also include maths practice or research to support work in class. It is important to remember that whatever work comes home, it is practice. We do not ask you to teach your child anything new – in fact this can do more harm than good. If your child appears unable to do something set as homework, please talk to the teacher, or ask your child to seek support. Work sent home is almost always as a follow up to something in class and the teacher needs to know if your child struggles. Please do not be tempted to do the work for your child because that will only mask the difficulty and cause worse problems later on.

A regular homework set is Talk Homework, which is sent home each week usually on Wednesdays. This will be a topic for you to discuss with your child, which will help them with their extended writing on Friday mornings, which we call Big Writing. We ask you to spend some time over the Wednesday and Thursday evenings talking about the set topic with your child and involving other family members and friends as well. The point of this is to help your child clarify ideas, to give them time to formulate opinions and to give them depth to their writing by offering someone else’s point of view. There is no need to write anything down – it is actually a hindrance rather than a help in this case. Some children do not engage in talk homework with their parents or carers – and it certainly shows in their writing development.

You can also particularly help your child by hearing her/him read at least five times a week, and by reading to your child regularly. Talk with your child about the story, asking for opinions or asking what might happen next. Children in years 3 and 4 bring home 2 books to read – one book is carefully graded to further build on what the child can already read and the other is a free choice, which may be too difficult but is for you to read and discuss with your child.

Try to make your child responsible for her/his own homework. If your child is reluctant to do it, let her/him explain to the teacher why it was not done on time. This is good training for the next phase of education. Provide a quiet place away from distraction for your child to do homework.

Make your child responsible for her/his own bags and equipment. Children of junior age need to become increasingly organised and responsible for themselves. If your child is not an organised individual, keep a weather-eye on affairs, but let her/him feel in control. A note by the door, or a picture of a school bag or PE kit can be useful to jog memories. The personal organiser given to each child at the start of the year will be of help in developing organisational skills and is also a useful bridge between school and home.

Come to parents’ evenings and concerts to support your child. School is a very important part of your child’s life and you taking an active part in it gives a very strong message of support. Call after school to discuss progress informally with the teacher. Call to arrange an appointment if you feel you need a formal discussion. Ring the headteacher at any time for help, advice or clarification. Parents were recently asked what they would prefer to be offered for parent consultations and the majority elected for the system now adopted.

In Autumn, round about late October or early November, you will be invited to attend a parents’ evening, where the teacher will discuss with you how your child has settled into school. In February, you will receive a short report about your child’s attitude to school and to learning. This will be followed by an evening when you can discuss any points you wish to raise from this report. Parents who do not have any issues do not attend this evening. In late June, you will receive a full report about your child’s attainment over the year, followed by a parents’ evening where the report will form the basis for discussion.

Each half term you will receive your child’s targets and a letter giving you an indication of what your child will be covering and how you can support that at home.

If your child receives additional support, the Special Needs Coordinator will make sure you are invited at attend reviews of progress so that you are fully aware of what additional support your child receives and how that is helping your child make progress.

You can also attend our Parent Teacher Association meetings! As a member of our school community you are already a member – come along to a meeting and get involved! The PTA is a very worthwhile organisation, always crying out for members, which organises lots of events in school for parents and children. The aim is usually to raise money, but all the money they raise goes back to support the children. For instance the PTA recently donated £250 to buy games to help in Golden Time. The school newsletter, which comes to you half-termly, notifies you of the next date of meeting.

What if my child is finding school work difficult?

Children are constantly being assessed and monitored and if a child is experiencing difficulties, teachers will know about it.

If a child needs additional support, you will be informed of what support is felt appropriate. This might be help from a teaching assistant, or it may be from the Teaching Support Service.

If a child needs more support than is available in school, we may ask for the educational psychologist to test your child to see if we can pinpoint the exact nature of the difficulty, so that we can help your child do her/his best.

In such a case, reports from everyone who knows your child, including you, are gathered and a thorough assessment of your child’s strengths and areas for development is made.

Any outcome from such an assessment is always designed to help your child.

What other things can my child do in school?

Your child will go swimming in year 4 for twelve weeks. This is compulsory. The children swim at Wingfield baths and are taught by a qualified instructor. Because this is a compulsory lesson, a doctor’s note is needed if there is a reason your child cannot attend.

Children are offered music tuition for a small cost, if they wish to take up a musical instrument. At the moment children can chose to play a brass or woodwind instrument or a guitar. The important thing to note is that children must commit to daily practice – which means you have to do a bit of nagging to persuade them to do it. Children need to understand this aspect before committing a place, because places are limited and where children drop out because they do not want to practice, another child has lost an opportunity. Please think carefully before saying yes to what may be an impulse.

In year 5 or 6 all children have the opportunity to join “Soundstart”, which is an orchestra lesson held weekly. This is free to children and they get to borrow an instrument for the year – but they must commit to practising. These lessons culminate with taking part in a concert held in a venue in Rotherham.

There is a wide range of out-of-hours activities on offer to our children. Some activities are outdoors, like football, cricket, basketball or gardening. Others are indoors such as rock school, su doku, choir, fencing, matball or craft club. Activities change according to available adults, interest and season. The list here is by no means all we offer! If your child stays to an after school club, we need to know what your hometime arrangements are, so that we know who is collecting your child. If you are held up, please do not worry because we are never likely to turn your child out into the dark. Please do try to be on time though, because adults running clubs do so voluntarily, often at the end of a long day at work and do need to go home to regenerate!

Some clubs incur a charge, usually because we have bought in a provider. This is usually around £2 per session, which has to be paid before the club starts. There is a policy of no refunds if your child is absent because the provider still has to be paid.

Why do children go into assembly?

Well, primarily because the law says they should, unless you specifically request that your child does not.

We see assembly as a time to bring our whole community together, to praise people for good work or effort, to pass on messages and to share thoughts about particular issues. Children have time to reflect and often there is a song.

A range of different things happen in assembly:

ü On Monday the headteacher takes assembly, to give out birthday cards and presents, awards, notices and events. There will also be a theme, usually relating to our Golden Rules.

ü On Friday, children sometimes plan and deliver assembly around a given theme. These groups are self-selected and the preparation is done by the children in their own time. In summer Friday assemblies are auditions for the end of year talent show.

ü Teachers takes assemblies, with a specific theme

ü Singing takes one assembly each week

Assemblies have a strong moral and spiritual tone, drawing on many cultural traditions.

If you have a reason for wanting to withdraw your child, please speak to Ms Harmer to discuss your concerns.

What is Golden Time?

It is a reward for upholding our Golden Rules, which were written by the children.

The rules are:

We are gentle – we don’t hurt anybody.

We are kind and helpful – we don’t hurt people’s feelings.

We are honest – we don’t cover up the truth.

We work hard – we don’t waste time.

We look after property – we don’t waste or damage things.

We listen to people – we don’t interrupt.

Children lose Golden Time if they break rules. Golden Time happens each Friday afternoon for half an hour, when children select from a wide range of activities. Occasionally, a child loses all 30 minutes of Golden Time. This is quite serious because it signifies a very poor week for that child. If your child behaves badly enough to lose all her/his Golden Time, you will receive a letter to let you know about it. That way the children understand that their actions have repercussions and you will wish to spend time at home discussing it with your child.

What other discipline measures are there?

As you do at home, adults in school use a range of measures, all of which are aimed at making a child aware that the responsibility for her/his behaviour rests with the child. As in all things in school, we hope that poor behaviour, or wrong choices, will serve as a learning point for your child.

We talk with children frequently about doing the right thing and making the right choice. We also have high expectations of children’s behaviour.

Adults may talk with your child about the behaviour or may decide to withdraw privileges or break times. It may be decided that a behaviour log between home and school is needed, so that you too can see the pattern of emerging behaviour. In serious cases of poor behaviour, a child may be sent to the headteacher to explain her/himself.

We do not tell you every time your child makes a small mistake, but we will always tell you if your child behaves in a seriously wrong way. In extreme cases of bad behaviour it may be necessary to exclude a child for either a fixed period or permanently. Bringing dangerous weapons to school, violence to an adult or violence towards another child will certainly result in exclusion.

In every case, every child is given ample opportunity to explain and discuss what has gone wrong. All children are asked to reflect on how things could have been differently handled. If your child is telling you that no one listened to them, please contact school for an accurate reflection. It is always difficult to hear and accept that our own child has misbehaved in a serious way – indeed, many parents are unable to accept it. But only when we confront the problem can we start to learn from it, to prevent it happening again.

Racism and bullying are offences notifiable to the Local Authority and the Government and are treated very seriously indeed. Parents on both sides are always informed if their child is involved as victim or perpetrator in any instance of racism or bullying. Sometimes children say they are being bullied when there has been a falling out, so every incident is thoroughly investigated. In extreme cases, the child who bullied would be excluded.

No matter what your child does, no matter how badly s/he has behaved, every adult in school will make clear that the behaviour is unacceptable – not the child.

At this school, children’s social, emotional and behavioural development are seen as very important. We treat children fairly and appropriately and bring a wealth of many years’ experience to bear on child related issues. You may feel you would have handled a situation differently – but that does not mean that the staff here handled it wrongly. We are always ready to discuss how we deal with issues arising, but expect all conversation to be conducted in a polite, appropriate manner.

Every member of staff has a duty to report to the headteacher any concerns about the welfare of a child and similarly the headteacher has a duty to report to Social Services or the Police any serious concerns.

From time to time parents and others connected with the school will become aware of matters which cause them concern. To encourage the resolution of such situations the Governing Body has adopted a General Complaints Procedure.

The procedure is devised with the intention that it will:

¨ Usually be possible to resolve problems by informal means

¨ Be simple and easy to understand

¨ Be non-adversarial

¨ Provide confidentiality

¨ Allow problems to be handled swiftly

¨ Address all the points at issue

¨ Inform future practice so that the problem is unlikely to recur

Full details are available from the headteacher.

What should my child wear for school?

There is a compulsory dress code here. The Governors, staff and parents almost unanimously voted to have a clear uniform for this school, partly in preparation for the next school the children will attend, but mostly because it is seen by all as a mark of being part of this community, with all the things that means – our ethos, our rules, our sharing, our looking out for each other, our constant striving to do our best.

Children wear a red sweatshirt bearing the Infant and Junior school logo, “Thorpe Hesley Schools”, available through school. If you choose not to have one of these for your child, please note that the sweatshirt, pullover or cardigan must be plain red, carrying no logo whatsoever. Shirts or blouses worn in school are white polo style, with a collar. Black or grey trousers or skirts are worn. Shoes must be plain black in line with expectations at Winterhill School. Please do not buy expensive clothes for schoolwear.

In summer, children may wear plain shorts of an appropriate length. The top should be polo styled as it is for the rest of the year. Girls could also wear cotton dresses in red and white. Cut off trousers and footless tights are not to be worn. Please ensure that your child has a hat to wear outside in sunny weather.

Boots are fine to walk to school in, but are not worn all day. If your child comes to school wearing boots, another pair of shoes will be needed to change into. We actively discourage children from wearing boots all day, on grounds of personal health.

Please do not allow your child to wear jewellery or fashion items, like belts, to school. We accept one watch, preferably inexpensive, and a small ring. Children can also wear a maximum of one small stud earring only in each ear. If your child wears earrings, they are the sole responsibility of your child. They must be removed for PE. If your child is unable to remove them alone, it would be far better if the earrings remained at home. If it is not yet possible to remove earrings, they must be covered completely with tape brought from home. This is also the responsibility of your child – staff cannot help children put on or remove tape from ears. No other piercings are allowed at all.

For PE we expect children to wear either a black leotard or black shorts and white T-shirt, exactly as they wore in the infant school. Lycra cycle shorts cannot be worn for apparatus work, as they are slippery and can lead to your child having an accident on the apparatus.

Children are expected to bring to school their PE kit on Monday and leave it til Friday. Children are not allowed to share or borrow kit, as this is unhygienic.

What if my child is ill?

If you know that your child is not coming to school through illness, please ring or call into school or pass a note via another parent. This is really important so that we can be sure that all our children are accounted for. If we do not hear from you, we will ring you to be sure you know the whereabouts of your child. As you can imagine, the cost of ringing round lots of parents can be high and if a child is missing we need to know very quickly, which cannot happen if there are lots of calls to make – please help by letting us know about your child’s absence.

The Education Welfare Service and the Government monitor absence. Your child is expected to attend school at least 95% of the time. If your child’s attendance drops below 90%, you may be asked to explain this to the Education Welfare Officer (EWO). If attendance falls below 85% you risk further action being taken.

Can we take our child on holiday in school time?

Please arrange holidays during the twelve weeks of school holidays that we have. The disruption caused to children’s education by taking them out of school for holidays is great. If you take your child out of school in year 6, the damage can be enormous and in May your child would miss the SATs tests, resulting in a recorded score of Nil. Leave would not be authorised for any child in year 6 in May. If you take your child out of school for a holiday, there is a possibility that you will incur a fine of £50 for each child, from each adult – in other words, one child with two parents (even if one does not live at the home) would incur a fine of £100.

All requests for holidays are dealt with according to strict rules. If your child’s attendance is below 90% or if you have removed your child for a holiday in the same year, leave will not be granted, which means the time would be recorded as unauthorised. You are required to apply for leave of absence at least 6 weeks before your intended holiday and the form you need is available from the school office. By far the best for your child’s education is not to take holidays in term time.

Certificates and rewards are given as encouragement to children with 99% or 100% attendance.

If your child needs to have medicine this can only be allowed in school if a doctor prescribes it. Medicine bought at the chemist cannot be brought into school. If the medicine can be kept at home and administered before and after school, please do so. If medicine must be taken through the day, please follow these rules:

You must bring it yourself, not give it to your child to bring.
It must be in a clearly marked container stating your child’s name and the dosage.
You must sign a letter of consent, available in school

We definitely cannot administer medicines in these circumstances:

Where medicines or tablets are dangerous.
Where the timing or dosage are of vital importance.
Where serious consequences could result if we forgot to give the dose.
Where technical or medical knowledge is required
Where the office staff feel unsure about accepting responsibility for administration

The Health Service visit children as a regular service.

Sight and hearing are checked at certain times but can be checked for individual children if you or a member of staff here feels it is necessary.

The school nurse operates a monthly drop-in for parents and can see your child if you or staff here ask. She also gives advice to children in classes throughout the year.

Is my child insured at school?

I am requested by our Local Authority to ask you to read this reference carefully:

There is no personal accident insurance for pupils who may suffer injury whilst at school and participating in approved activities. The liability of the Council is strictly limited to cases where negligence on the part of the Authority can be proven.”

You may wish to consider making your own arrangements for your children.

The Local Authority organises personal and accident cover for children taking part in any sporting or physical activity organised by the school. This costs 45p per year and is paid by the school. Residential and day visits are also covered at a cost of 15p each day, which is part of the cost of the visit.

Key Stage 2 results for 2008:

These results are indicative of the high standards children achieve at this school. Please take a few minutes to look at these – they reflect the results you can expect from your child’s class when it reaches year 6.

Although year 6 staff are responsible for a revision and preparation programme as children approach SATs (Standard Assessment Tests), the progress your child makes is cumulative and each class is as important as the next in the journey your child makes through school. Please take this opportunity to reflect upon the damage that is done to your child’s chances of high achievement if you take her/him out of school for a holiday in any year, but particularly in year 6, especially between January and mid-May.

The details below show you the percentage of children last year who achieved Level 4, which is the level expected for an 11 year old, or higher. They also show the percentage of children achieving the expected 2 levels progress in English and mathematics.

ENGLISH:

84% attained L4+

Making 2 levels progress over the junior years (expected progress): 81%

MATHS:

92% attained L4+

Making 2 levels progress over the junior years (expected progress): 90%

Making 2 levels progress in both English and Maths: 82%

Yes!

We are very proud of our children and their achievements – come and share it with us!