School Prospectus 2015 - 2016

SOUTHWICK CE PRIMARY SCHOOL We believe that all are equal in the eyes of God

Live to Learn, Learn to Live Head teacher : Mrs Lesley Shellard Hollis Way Southwick Wiltshire BA14 9PH

Telephone : 01225 763325 Fax : 01225 710750 e-mail : [email protected] Website: www.southwick.wilts.sch.uk

Dear Parents/Carers Choosing the right primary school for your child is one of the most important, yet difficult decisions you will ever make. Not every school is right for every child so it is important that you find a school which mirrors your values, shares your expectations and one where you know your child will feel happy, safe and secure. At Southwick School, our children are at the heart of the school and are central to everything we do. We want to provide our children with the best education possible but we also want them to be confident, happy children who are able to take their place in our changing world. As a church school we promote strong Christian values which form the ‘golden threads’ of school life. If you think our school is a place where your child can be happy, come and visit us to see for yourself – we can’t wait to meet you! Yours sincerely Lesley Shellard (Headteacher)

Southwick CE Primary School is a Community School maintained by Wiltshire County Council

SOUTHWICK CE PRIMARY SCHOOL Southwick Church of England Primary School is a Voluntary Controlled school, founded in 1868, for the education of the children of the local community and as such we have close links with the church. The present school was built in 1975 in attractive open grounds. The school accommodates children aged from four to eleven years and is currently organised into seven classes. These classes are named after birds and are Wren, Kingfisher, Robin. Jay, Woodpecker, Hawk and Osprey. Five of the classes are housed within the main building whilst the remaining two classes are situated in a mobile. There are approximately 184 children on roll.

Headteacher Deputy Headteacher Osprey – Year 6 Hawk – Year 5 Woodpecker – Year 4 Jay – Year 3 Robin – Year 2 Kingfisher – Year 1 Wren – Reception Other Teachers School Business Manager Administrative Officer

STAFF Mrs Lesley Shellard Mrs Nina Stiddard Mrs Nicola Woodford Mrs Nina Stiddard Miss Rachel Smith Mrs Paula Bartlett Mrs Rachel Ross Miss Felicity House Mrs Hanna Duggan Mrs Jenn Parsons, Mrs Sarah Watkins and Mrs Sue Sandberg Mrs Heidi Williams Mrs Sue O’Brien

Teaching Assistants

Mrs Karen Lane Mrs Lesley Davis Miss Bev Webb Mrs Rose Chivers

Mrs Cathy Newton Mrs Kathleen Goodier Mr Steve Fowers Mrs Anika MacLarty

Mid-day Supervisory Assistants

Mrs Karen Lane Miss Kim Taylor Mrs Lesley Davis Mr Steve Fowers Miss Bev Webb We also employ a sports coach who organises sports at lunchtimes.

Catering Manageress Catering Assistant

Mrs Becky Laing Mr James Hunter

Cleaners in charge

Miss Loretta Francis & Ms Nicky Dix

AIMS OF OUR SCHOOL As a Voluntary Controlled Church of England school, we believe that all are equal in the eyes of God. All members of this school, whether child or adult, are learners on a journey to increase their knowledge, understanding and skills in all aspects of their lives. We aim to enable each individual to live a fulfilled life in which they achieve highly, develop a better understanding of themselves and the world in which they live as well as serve the communities to which they belong. In order to do this we: • Support each other on that journey • Value worship and times for reflection • Promote spiritual development • Teach children Christian values • As adults, model these values in action so that they are seen in the life of the school • Place a strong emphasis on the quality of relationships • Are sensitive to and care for each other as individuals • Value each other whatever our strengths and weaknesses, beliefs, ideas and opinions • Nurture each individual, endeavouring to remove any barriers to learning. Southwick C of E Primary is a ‘Values Based School’. Within our school aims we refer to the teaching of Christian values and how adults model these values in action so that they are seen in the life of the school. In order to do this: •

There is a rolling programme of core values which will develop over time in consultation with children, parents, carers, staff and the community.

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Each term, all our assemblies will have a focus around the value. This year our values are perseverance, truthfulness, trust, forgiveness, justice and unity.

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The value of the term will be displayed around school and in each classroom.

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Each week there will be a class focus around the value to encourage reflection and deeper understanding.

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Each day there will be times for reflection.

Values help us to build the ethos and common purpose of our school and enable our children to become valuable, caring members of the different communities to which they belong and be able to reflect on and take responsibility for making the right decisions about the path their lives take. We hope that parents/carers will also focus on the values at home so that we can all work together to enable our children to be the best they can be. We will publicise them in our newsletters and on our website as well as around school.

We asked the children what they want our school to be. They said it should be: a place of discovery, where we listen to what others think as well as having our own ideas and asking our own questions a place where we learn to be able to keep on learning and try our best for the rest of our lives a place where we have good teachers who help us to communicate and to understand God’s world a place where we can increase our confidence and become more independent a place where people are kind and helpful and we learn to co-operate with others a place where everyone feels safe and cared for and good behaviour is important

Working in partnership: All children have the right to a good education and should be given the opportunity to fulfil their potential. We firmly believe that the most powerful influence on any child’s learning is the support they receive from their parents/carers and, that when all members of the school community work together in harmony, your children can be assured of a high quality education which also helps them appreciate the importance of friendship, loyalty, politeness, honesty, self respect and discipline. You will have the opportunity to attend Parents’ Evenings in the Autumn and Summer terms to view your child’s work and discuss his or her progress and future targets for learning with the class teacher. We encourage children to attend these meetings with you. You will also have an opportunity to meet with the class teacher to discuss the written annual report which is sent home in March. We regard these occasions as being of great importance since, as well as benefiting the children, they are also of great help to the class teacher. Lots of information about us is published on our website: www.southwick.wilts.sch.uk

We want our parents: • to work closely with us to provide positive role models for the values which are considered worthwhile in the communities in which we live; • to feel welcome at our school; •

to feel able to discuss the progress and well being of their children;

• to take an active role in their child’s education and in the life of our school. We are also able to provide support or information to families as well as work with individual children.

We believe that ‘Every Child Matters’.

We want our children to be healthy and hold the Healthy Schools Award. So, for example: we offer a wide range of sporting activities both within and outside of the school day for both KS1 and KS2. our own kitchen staff provide healthy home-cooked meals using locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible. We provide KS1 children with a portion of fruit or vegetables as a snack each day, whilst children in KS2 bring in, or can purchase, fresh or dried fruit or vegetables ; we work closely with a range of health professionals and other agencies to support individual children and their families ; we have our own gardening club which has its own vegetable garden; we help our children to develop their understanding of how smoking and using drugs, including alcohol, can impact on the quality of their life; we help children to recognise and cope with their own emotions and those of the people they meet; Mrs Lane is trained as an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant.

We want our children to stay safe so, for example: we believe that it is essential that children grow up with a clear view of what is right and wrong and we help our children to appreciate their own needs and feelings and those of others around them. we teach our children to be responsible for their own choices and actions and recognise that sometimes these may have negative consequences. Our behaviour policy ensures that firm, clear boundaries are consistently applied throughout the school; we do not expect anyone to be bullied or harassed by any other pupil. We believe that every member of the school community should feel safe and secure. If, as a parent/carer, you have any concerns, we ask you to contact the school immediately; Y6 and Reception children are ‘buddied’ so that the younger children are supported by a friendly face during their first year in school; we teach children how to keep themselves safe e.g. through road safety, use of the internet, emergency fire procedures etc; we foster a culture of honesty, openness and trust in which all the views and ideas of all are respected.

Child Protection Although we respect your privacy, we have a legal responsibility to pass information on to, and work in partnership with, other agencies if we feel that a child is at risk or discloses information to us which makes us concerned about his/her welfare.

We want our children to enjoy learning and experience achievement and success so, for example: we place a strong emphasis on the acquisition of basic skills and have held the Basic Skills Quality Mark Award since 2003. We track the progress of each individual pupil and put in additional support or challenge as required so that they achieve the highest educational standards they possibly can; we encourage a love of learning, independent thought and lively, enquiring minds through a creative, relevant themed approach; we engage our children in a wide range of activities, appreciate and develop a variety of achievements which help them to understand themselves and the world in which they live; we help children to become confident, co-operative learners by putting the needs and wants of individual learners at the heart of our school; we engage and help parents to actively support their child’s learning and development; we help children to develop the skills they will need beyond school as citizens of the 21st century. We want our children to contribute positively to society so, for example: we work together in a community which encourages self respect and confidence; we develop our children’s sensitivity to the similarities and differences between themselves and others and have strong links with Mary Aikenhead Open Community School in Lusaka, Zambia, schools in Montbazon and Sorigny, France and St Nicholas of Tolentine in Bristol. We hold the International Schools Award for our work to develop children’s understanding of other cultures and beliefs. we help the children to develop their sense of responsibility and independence. The School Council plays a very active role in improving school life. Two of our children represent the school on the Trowbridge Children’s Parliament. we encourage our children to be involved in the local community e.g. campaigning for road crossings in the village; working with local developers on sustainable housing

we encourage our children to take on responsibilities in school e.g. by leading playtime activities, helping in the dinner hall, helping in assemblies etc; we teach our children to be good citizens. We want to help our children achieve economic well-being and be able to meet the unknown challenges of the 21st century so, for example: we teach our children to ‘Learn to Learn’ by developing the ‘4Rs’ of resourcefulness, resilience, reflection and reciprocity (working well with others); we develop the children’s awareness of the financial skills they will need through studying the ‘World of Work’, looking at its impact on families, communities and the world at large and through a programme of visitors who talk to KS2 children about their careers.

THE CURRICULUM Early Years During a child’s first year in school, the curriculum is based on seven areas of learning and development: personal, social and emotional development; communication and language; physical development; literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; expressive arts and design with the first three being the prime areas. Our large and well resourced Early Years classroom, along with the outdoor learning / play area, is designed especially to enable us to provide activities which are challenging, stimulating and fun. In this way, the children are able to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes towards learning which they will need on their learning journey. Y1 – Y6 In KS1 and KS2, the following subjects are taught: English; mathematics; science; RE; ICT; history; geography; art; design technology; music; PE and PSHE & C (physical, social, health education and citizenship) and MfL (modern foreign languages). We place great importance on the acquisition of basic skills in English and mathematics. These subjects are both taught daily. By the time our children leave school we expect them to be able to communicate effectively through speech and by writing and be confident and competent in their application of mathematical skills. We also want our children to develop a lasting love and appreciation of literature and believe that reading skills are best developed when home and school work together. We would encourage you and your children to visit and make use of our school library. As well as reading at home, your child will also read regularly with adults in school. We are also committed to providing every child with a broad and balanced curriculum. Our creative approach to the curriculum enables us to make links between subjects which motivates and engages children in their learning. Other subjects or skills may be taught discretely e.g. French (KS2), RE and PE. All Y4 pupils learn to play the cornet. Sex education is an important part of every child’s education. Questions are answered sensitively and honestly against a background of traditional Christian values. If you have concerns or wish to exercise your right to withdraw your child from the sex education programme, we would ask you to talk with us.

Home Learning Home learning not only provides your child with an opportunity to reinforce learning, it also provides you with an opportunity to find out more about what your child is learning in school. All children are asked to complete at least one task at home each week. This may be to learn spellings or, if appropriate, times tables; or to complete a given activity sheet or play a maths game with you. It is also important that you share books with your children and listen to them read at home regularly. We encourage you to make comments in his/her ‘Share a Book’. Children in Y6 may also be given additional activities in preparation for their SATs tests.

Educational Visits We feel that it is very important to bring the curriculum to life whenever possible and believe that first hand experience is an extremely important element in effective learning. Our children often go out of school on educational visits. Sometimes they may walk to a nearby location or go on a trip requiring transport. The regulations for school transportation will always be followed and you will be consulted before your child goes. In addition two residential visits are arranged for pupils in Y4 and Y6. Details about these will be given well in advance and parents will be invited to a meeting prior to the trip where more information will be available.

School Clubs The school organises a full and varied programme of clubs and activities. These vary from term to term but may include dance, drama, art, a wide variety of sports, ICT, chess, and gardening. Children also have the opportunity to learn to play guitar or a brass instrument; there is a small charge for these lessons. After school clubs usually take place between 3.05 and 4.15 pm though some take place during lunch times. Parents are asked to complete a booking slip termly when lists of clubs are sent home. This gives a firm commitment that your child will attend so that we are able to fund the cost if one is incurred: some clubs are free but others provided by paid coaches.

Special Educational Needs

At some point, during your child’s school life he/she may need extra support. If your child is experiencing difficulties, please talk to your child’s class teacher who can talk to you about what we are doing in school and what you can do to help at home. If your child has more significant learning difficulties, a referral can be made to the Local Education Team who can carry out an assessment for particular needs and advise as to what is appropriate. Individual Educational Programmes, including recommendations from external support services and agencies, are then drawn up detailing specific targets and progress is carefully monitored. You and your child will be involved in drawing up targets and you will be kept informed about the progress your child has made. If a child has specific learning or behavioural difficulties, Teaching Support Assistants may be allocated to work closely with the children concerned. If you are concerned about the Special Needs provision for your child, please speak to the class teacher or Special Needs Coordinator ( Mrs Paula Bartlett). If your child has a disability, we will invite you to discuss your child’s particular needs with the Headteacher and the Governors so that we can plan provision which is appropriate. Through our Access Plan, we are constantly working to improve the physical environment of the school as well as increasing access to the curriculum for pupils with disabilities. A copy of the policy on the provision for children with Special Educational Needs is available on request and is published on the website. The success of the policy is reflected in the consistent good progress made by our children.

Able, Gifted and Talented Children identified as able, gifted or talented are also provided with opportunities to extend and challenge learning. Out-of- school activities are also signposted to parents.

Equal Opportunities At Southwick we firmly believe in equality of opportunity for all children and adults. We are committed to developing policies, practices and procedures which promote equality within the school ensuring that no members receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, disability, religion, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, or pregnancy/maternity and actively discourage stereotyped views of male/female roles. We recognise how important it is for each individual to have a positive perception of his or her role in life and the possibilities open to them.

The School Day 8.40am

Children are welcomed into school and provided with settler activities. (We are unable to accept responsibility for children who arrive before 8.30am.)

8.45am 8.50am

Lessons begin for children in KS2 Lessons begin for children in KS1

10.30am

Morning break (15 minutes) Milk is available at a small cost for over 5s through Cool Milk.

12.05pm - 1pm

Lunch break A healthy menu of school meals is available on a daily basis though children can bring packed lunches if you prefer this. Children are also able to go home for lunch.

3.00pm 3.05 pm

The school day ends for children in Rennie The school day ends. If you are collecting your children, we would ask you not to enter the classroom until the lesson has ended and to inform your child’s teacher if there is any change in the normal collection arrangement.

Emergency Closures It may be necessary to close the school if there are severe falls of snow, very strong winds, or other reasons, such as loss of utilities. You may check to see if the school is closed by contacting the school by phone (763325) or looking at the school website. There will also be notification through the local radio stations of closure. GWR FM 96.3 or 102.2 BBC Wiltshire Sound FM 103.6 FM103.03 FM103.05

THE GOVERNORS Position Chair of Governors Vice Chairman

Name of Governor Janice Hiscock Stephen Carey

Governors

Rev. Julian Parker Carole Moon Tish Hillum Neil McManus Paula Bartlett Heidi Williams Lesley Shellard Margaret Almond

Parent Governors

Marcelle Chivers Samantha Wiltshire

Clerk to Governors

Danny Holland

Concerns and Complaints If you have any concerns about anything connected with the school, we would ask you to discuss these first with the class teacher or, if more appropriate, the Headteacher. Experience shows that the vast majority of problems can be cleared up quickly and you are strongly advised to visit the school and talk over your concerns. Often when problems are discussed they can be sorted out. You will be assured of a sympathetic and fair hearing. (Please see the Complaints Policy for further details.) The Chair of Governors, Janice Hiscock, can be contacted on Tel: 01225 760114 or e-mail [email protected] The Clerk to Governors, Mrs Sue O’Brien, can be contacted on Tel: 01225 7763325 or e-mail [email protected]

Admissions We are happy to welcome children from outside Southwick to our school provided places are available. Wiltshire children can start school from the September following their fourth birthday but don’t have to attend full time until the term following their 5th birthday. All children will, for the first two whole weeks of their first school year, attend for half days in a small group to enable them to settle and so that staff can really get to know them. We will discuss with you your wishes regarding your child’s attendance after that time. It is important that the transition from pre-school to full-time schooling is a positive and enjoyable experience. During the term prior to starting school, pre-school children are able to meet the Reception Class staff on a regular basis. We have strong links with the village pre-school group, Busy Bees which is situated in our school grounds and it is in this setting that the children are first able to get to know their new teacher. Short visits to school follow so that by the time the first ‘proper’ day at school arrives the children are already familiar with their classroom, their teachers and the other members of the class.

Travel We encourage children to walk to school or walk part of the way whenever possible both to improve their fitness and improve the environment. The school has a Travel Plan which aims to: • improve road safety; • encourage travel awareness; • reduce car trips and car parking. • encourage sustainable travel modes. If you do need to drive to and from school we request that you follow a voluntary one way system, arriving in Hollis Way at the Southfield End and leaving near to Wynsome Street. Please could you park on the school side of the road only to enable local residents to access their drives. We also request that you do not walk through the car park which is out of bounds to children.

Absence from School If your child is absent from school for any reason, it is important that you let us know immediately by telephone and follow this up with a short note on your child’s return to school. If your child is late for school, please come to the office, on arrival, so that our registers can be amended. Should your child need to leave school during the day for a medical appointment, please let the class teacher know beforehand and collect them from the reception. If it is necessary for you to take your child out of school during term time, you will need to fill in an absence form, which is available from the school office before making any firm arrangements. Absences will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.

Medical Care Please do not send your child to school if they are unwell. If your child becomes unwell at school, we will try to contact you to take him/her home so it is important that we have up-to-date telephone numbers where you or someone else can be contacted in the event of an emergency. If at all possible, we ask you not to send your child to school with medicines, as County Council policy states that teachers should not administer medicines to children. Naturally it is better if a child undergoing a course of treatment is not sent to school until the treatment is completed. However, we know that this is not always possible and, with written permission, we will oversee the taking of a medicine. If your child needs to take any medicine (prescription only) whilst at school, please obtain a medical form from the office, fill in the details and return it to the school. If your child suffers from asthma please make sure your child has an inhaler in school so that this is readily available if needed. This, like any other prescribed medicines, should be clearly labelled with your child’s name and clearly written directions for use. It is also essential that we know of any allergies that your child may suffer from. Please make sure that you inform the class teacher of any problems.

School Uniform We expect your child to wear the school colours of blue and grey/black. A school sweatshirt and other items are available with the school logo. These can be obtained from ‘Scholars’ in Trowbridge or online at tesco.com/ues. Shoes should be dark in colour with low heels both for summer and winter. Strappy sandals are neither appropriate nor safe. Long hair should be tied back. We consider that casual wear and fashion items are not appropriate for school; the decision as to what ‘casual’ and ‘fashion’ means is left to the discretion of the Headteacher. The school uniform is: For Girls :

For Boys :

White blouse / polo shirt Grey, black skirt /pinafore /trousers Blue cardigan or blue school sweatshirt Blue and white summer dress

White shirt Grey or black trousers School sweatshirt or blue jumper

Jewellery is not appropriate in school and it is best if children with pierced ears wear studs to avoid damage to the ear lobes. Earrings must be removed for PE lessons. The school cannot accept responsibility for watches or other items of jewellery which are brought to school. It must be recognised that those who bring such items into school, do so at their own risk. For PE your child will need a suitable kit bag, a white T Shirt, black or navy shorts and trainers as well as a track suit for outside activities. Since we have limited storage space, could you please make sure these bags are as small as possible. An overall or old shirt is also useful for messy craft work. Please mark all items of dress and sportswear clearly with your child’s name to avoid items of clothing being mislaid. Lost property is kept in the school office and we would ask you to check with the Admin Officer as soon as any item of clothing becomes lost.

Freedom of Information All information published by the school e.g. policies, minutes of governors’ meetings, etc. are available for inspection, please ask at reception. Single copies of these can be provided free of charge although if your request results in a great deal of photocopying we will inform you of the cost before fulfilling your request.