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School Brochure |
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Welcome to
We are a friendly school and proud of our children and their
achievements, both in and out of the classroom.
Our mission statement is ‘Confident, caring and accomplished
children’ and everyone at Meadow Farm works hard to achieve this for
each child. The day-to-day management is the responsibility of the
Headteacher who can be contacted in school.
The Governing Body are responsible for strategic management and can
be contacted through the school.
A full list of staff and Governors is attached.
When you come into school please go to the office where
someone will be happy to deal with your enquiries.
We have an open policy in school where parents/carers are able to
speak to their child’s class teacher or the Headteacher at a mutually
convenient time. PARENTS/CARERS We regard parents/carers as partners and endeavour to work
with them to further each child’s education.
We celebrate each child’s achievements and parents/carers are invited
into school for ‘good learning’ assemblies, performances, meetings and other
activities. We also have
parent/carer interview evenings, which take place during the year. There are an increasing number of parents/carers helping in
school both in and out of the classroom and also on educational visits.
(Everyone who comes into contact with the children has the relevant
police checks). We welcome
parents/carers to come and help us in school.
Please see your child’s teacher or the Headteacher who will be happy
to discuss this with you.
MEADOW FARM PARENT
TEACHERS ASSOCIATION We have a Parent Teacher Association who raise a great deal
of money for the school, as well as organising social events.
Every parent is automatically a member of the PTA and all
parents/carers are invited to attend the half-termly meetings, which are
held in school. A P.T.A
newsletter is sent to all parents on a regular basis.
THE SCHOOL
ORGANISATION AND CURRICULUM The teachers and teaching assistants work closely together
to ensure that a broad and balanced curriculum is taught to each child
enabling them to reach their potential.
Foundation Stage -
Children in Foundation one (Nursery) and Foundation two
(Reception) follow the Statutory Foundation Stage Curriculum.
An integral part of this curriculum is the assessment of children
during their time in the Foundation Stage.
Key Stage 1 -
(5 to 7 year olds) and Key Stage 2 - (7 to 11 year
olds) follow the National Curriculum.
This is composed of the core subjects of English, Mathematics,
Science, Information and Communication Technology and Religious Education;
and the foundation subjects of History, Geography, Design and Technology,
Music, Art, Physical Education and Personal, Social and Health Education,
Citizenship /MFL. An integral part of teaching and learning is ongoing
informal and formal assessment.
At the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, children take Statutory
Assessment Tests (SATs). Further details of the Foundation and National Curriculum
subjects, and any aspect of assessment are available from school on request.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
AND COLLECTIVE WORSHIP At Meadow Farm we have collective worship each day.
Religious Education is broadly Christian, following the Derbyshire
Agreed Syllabus. Parents/ carers have the right to withdraw their child from
any aspect of Religious Education in school.
HEALTH AND DRUGS
EDUCATION A Health and Drugs Education programme, which is age
appropriate, is taught throughout school within the planned PSHE and Science
curriculum. In the final two
years of primary school part of this programme introduces the children to
sex education. Parents/carers
may request to view the materials that are used and have the right to
withdraw their children from these lessons.
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS Meadow Farm is an inclusive school and children with special
needs are taught in the classroom alongside their peers.
The school has adopted the city policy for identifying and monitoring
special needs. If a child has
special needs parents/carers are encouraged to play an active part in all
elements of their child’s progress.
Parents/carers attend termly reviews where progress is discussed and
targets are set for the child, staff and parents/carers to work on.
For some children the targets that are set will require specialist
teaching from other agencies. As with all matters regarding your child, if you feel your
child has special needs, please come and discuss your concerns with the
class teacher who will then refer the matter to the Special Needs
Coordinator or Gifted & Talented Coordinator.
THE SCHOOL DAY We encourage all of our children to walk (or ride their
bikes) to school. We do
appreciate that some children have to come to school by car but parking
around school is very difficult.
Please be considerate to our neighbours and allow people’s access when
parking and ensure the children are safe from the danger of being injured by
other cars.
Foundation One (Nursery) –
Morning Nursery begins at
9.00 am. and finishes at 12.00 pm.
Afternoon Nursery begins at 12.30 pm, and finishes at 3.30 pm.
Foundation Two (Reception) and Key Stage 1 -
School begins at 8.55 am.
The children need to be on the playground by 8.50 am. and no earlier
than 8.45 am. The infants break
for lunch at 12 noon. Afternoon
school begins at 1.05 pm.
Children who go home for their lunch should return to school no earlier than
1.00 pm. School ends at 3.15 pm.
Key Stage 2 -
School begins at 8.55
am. The children need to be on
the playground by 8.50 am. and no earlier than 8.45 am.
The juniors break for lunch at 12.05 pm.
Afternoon school begins at 1.05 pm.
Children who go home for their lunch should return to school no
earlier than 1.00 pm. School
ends at 3.15 pm. There is a morning break of 15 minutes for the infant and
junior children and an afternoon break of 15 minutes for the infant
children.
BREAKFAST CLUB We run a breakfast club in school each morning from 8.00 am.
to 8.45 am. Children (and their
parents/carers if they would like) can come to school and start the day off
with a very reasonably priced breakfast with a choice of cereals, toast and
fruit juice.
PLAYTIME SNACKS AND
DRINKS We are members of the Healthy Schools Project and also part
of the Free Fruit for Schools scheme.
Children in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 are encouraged to
have a piece of fruit, provided free of charge.
All children may bring a piece
of fruit, cheese, dried fruit or a cereal bar (no chocolate or chocolate
flavouring) to eat during playtime.
As part of our Healthy Schools Project all children have
access to drinking water each day and are encouraged to bring their own
spare drinks too. All
children will have access to water at
all times. There is an
opportunity for children to have their drink bottles refilled with water
during lunchtime. We occasionally have celebration ‘Tuck shops’ in school when
cakes are made by parents/carers and/or children and then sold during
playtime. The proceeds go either to the charity for which we are raising
funds or the PTA.
DINNERS Our school dinners are cooked in our own kitchens and are
eaten in the school hall. They
offer real value for money and the dinners are nutritionally balanced each
week. Children need to bring
their dinner money in a sealed, labelled envelope each Monday morning
clearly stating the child’s name, their class and the amount of money
enclosed. Dinners may be paid
for by cash or cheque (Cheques made payable to ‘Derby City Council’). Some families may be eligible for free school meals –
further details are available, from the Education Department, in strictest
confidence. Packed lunches are eaten in the hall with the children who
have a cooked dinner. (Plastic
containers and flasks only please).
SCHOOL CLOTHING Children should wear…
No tapered heels please as these damage the hall floor.
Please can sweatshirts and polo shirts be free of logos and patterns
other than the school badge. Sensible sandals may be worn in the summer (no jelly / croc
type sandals) with socks to protect the children’s feet. All clothing must be clearly marked with the child’s name. Clothing with the school logo on can be purchased from: Morleys, 446 Nottingham Road, Chaddesden, Derby, DE21 6PE PE KIT
Indoors
Navy or black shorts
White T shirt
Black pumps
Spare socks
Outdoors (Key Stage 2 only)
Blue or black tracksuit or jogging bottoms and
sweatshirt.
White T shirt
Pumps or trainers
Spare socks
All PE kit must be clearly marked with the child’s name and
should be kept in a suitable small bag. Foundation One (Nursery children) do not require a PE kit.
JEWELLERY, HAIR AND
BODY DECORATION Hair should not be cut shorter than a grade two, be free
from shaved patterns and kept a natural colour.
Longer hair needs to be tied back with a suitable bobble (not a
headscarf) to help prevent head lice spreading.
For safety reasons children are not allowed to wear ‘hair extension’
bobbles. Furthermore, for safety reasons, children who have pierced
ears may only wear one pair of small studs to school and these must be
removed for PE (no other body piercing is allowed).
If a child cannot remove their earrings
they will be provided with tape to cover their studs.
Any child wearing earrings does so at their own risk.
Jewellery must not be worn in school.
Key Stage 2 children may wear a sensible watch. We ask that body decoration and coloured hair is kept for
out of school activities such as parties.
Children who wear make-up or nail varnish to school will be provided
with the materials to remove it.
The year 4 children go swimming throughout the year.
This has proved a real success as it gives even the most nervous
swimmer the opportunity to learn to do something that may one day save their
life. Girls are required by the
swimming baths to wear a full costume and boys to wear trunks / swimming
shorts. The instructors insist
that earrings are removed for swimming therefore please ensure your child is
able to remove their own earrings.
All children with long hair are required to wear swimming caps
(available from school). There
is currently the opportunity for year 5 children to continue swimming to
allow them to reach Level One.
CHILDREN’S WELFARE At Meadow Farm children are constantly encouraged to become
‘confident, caring and accomplished’.
We readily reward good behaviour and have appropriate sanctions for
children who break the rules.
Bullying is not tolerated under any circumstances and any parent who
believes their child is being bullied should contact the class teacher as
soon as possible. The class
teacher will then investigate the allegation and decide on the appropriate
action. This is normally all
that is required but if it is necessary to take further action the class
teacher will refer it to the Headteacher. All through school children are encouraged to be independent
and are given ‘responsibilities’ that need to be carried out both in and
around their classrooms. The
older children have additional responsibilities such as answering the
telephone at lunch time, preparing the hall for assemblies and giving
registers out. Year 2 lead hymn
practice. We have class and
school council meetings. MEDICAL It is essential that we have current telephone numbers (home
and mobile) where you, as well as another relation or close friend can be
contacted should any need arise.
Please keep us updated. We now
use a texting service for contacting parents / carers. If your child needs medicine then please ask you doctor or
chemist to provide you with medication that can be taken before and after
school. If this is not possible
you are more than welcome to come into school to administer medication
yourself. If you have problems
with this please see the Headteacher or secretary who will make alternative
arrangements for you. If your child is absent a letter informing us why is
required when they return. In
order to prevent the spread of infection, children who have sickness and/or
diarrhoea should only return to school if forty eight hours have elapsed
since they were last ill.
The School Medical Team make visits to school for medicals,
eye tests and teeth examinations as necessary. In addition to this it may be suggested that your child has
an up to date hearing or eyesight test if they appear to be struggling with
such things as following instructions or reading text. HOMEWORK All children have a learning together log to bring home each
week to share with their parents/carers.
This includes word detectives, reading and an attribute
activity which is either Numeracy or topic. Please support your child with their homework and encourage
the children to bring their completed learning together log back to school
on the appropriate day. Children
who don’t complete their homework will be subject to a sanction.
Children may take advantage of our lunchtime Home Work club.
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES These take place at lunchtime and after school and are an
excellent opportunity for children to widen their interests and develop
their social skills. Our school
teams play in friendly games and matches with other schools.
We run a wide variety of activities dependant on staff and pupil
interests. We are part of the cluster of schools who benefit from by
activities provided by our local secondary schools.
They provide children with opportunities to take part in activities
both during and out of school hours.
We are fortunate that other outside agencies may occasionally offer
additional activities for various year groups before, during and after
school. VISITS At Meadow Farm we arrange activities and visits to enhance
the children’s learning and/or to widen their experiences.
As a result of careful organisation, costs are kept to an absolute
minimum. We see these activities and visits as important and rely upon
parents/carers’ support through voluntary contributions. We also run extremely popular residential visits where the
children spend a few days and nights away from home.
On these visits the children develop their independence and social
skills as well as having a great deal of fun. They are carefully and
properly supervised at all times.
CHILD PROTECTION The school is required to take reasonable action to ensure
the safety of our children. In
cases where the school has reason to be concerned that a child may be
subject to ill-treatment, neglect, or other forms of abuse, the Headteacher
is obliged to follow the Child Safeguarding Procedures.
This involves informing the Social Services department with the
Children and Young People’s Service, of the concern.
Social networking websites are a public forum and are not to
be used to talk about or show pictures and videos of children.
DATA PROTECTION The school and the Local Authority are registered with the
data protection agency and follow their guidance regarding all matters of
disclosure about pupils. By law
information may only be disclosed to other persons in accordance with this
registration. The school keeps
basic information about pupils on computer to assist with the efficient
organisation of the school and the individual’s educational needs.
Security measures are taken to ensure the information is kept
confidential. Children use computers in the computer suite and in their
classrooms but they do not have access to personal records. If you are concerned about any aspect of personal
information held on computer please speak to the Headteacher or write to: The Data Protection Liaison Officer, Education Department,
Children and Young People’s Services, Middleton House, 27 St. Mary’s Gate, CHARGES To guide the school in charging for activities, the
governors have agreed a policy which is:
·
that the school will
provide free education;
·
the school will provide
books, equipment and materials;
·
when parents/carers wish
to have a finished product made by their child, a charge will be made to
cover the cost;
·
a charge will be made to
cover the cost of board and lodgings for residential trips;
·
a charge will be made to
cover the cost of books or kit lost by children;
·
a charge will be made to
cover the cost of deliberate damage caused by identified children.
Voluntary contributions will be requested in order to pay
for organised activities and educational visits.
Sufficient contributions will have to be made in order for a visit to
go ahead. Parents/carers
experiencing financial difficulty can see the class teacher or Headteacher
in strictest confidence to discuss possible alternatives. CONCERNS/COMPLAINTS If you have a concern or complaint about your child’s
schooling, you should raise it with your child’s class teacher.
They will be willing to discuss the matter with you at an appropriate
time. It is expected that the
majority of questions and anxieties can be easily solved by the class
teacher. If concerns or
complaints cannot be dealt with in this way, then the Headteacher is willing
to discuss things with you. If
matters cannot be resolved, a formal process involving the governors and LA
can be used, a copy of which can be obtained from the school. It is not appropriate under any circumstances to discuss any
school matters or member of staff on social networking sites.
The authority will legally challenge any perpetrators who breach
this.
FURTHER INFORMATION If you require further information or details about our
school, it is available from the above address, telephone number or web
site.
CONCLUSION
NOTE The information in this brochure is correct at the time of
printing, but it may change during or after the year in question.
Parents/carers will be notified of any changes in the newsletter,
school web site and in the school profile.
January 2013 |
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