LANDKEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Introduction

Included in this ‘Information for Parents’ Booklet are reminders about the day to day general

routines of the school, reminders of policies, targets for the coming year and other information

which we felt you may find useful. In addition to existing policies, there are several changes

which will take place in September.

Please take the time to read the information – whilst some may be the same as last year (for

the benefit of the new parents in school), some is new / amended, and is worthy of a read.

As always, we enjoy working in partnership with you, the parents, and welcome any feedback

and comments as to how useful the document is and any ideas for future improvements.

We look forward to a fun packed year working with you and your children!

The Staff at Landkey Primary School

The School Aims

At Landkey Primary School, learning will prepare our children for the needs of a changing world. We believe that we can learn from each other: we always have more to learn. We develop core skills through the curriculum that each child follows:

Learning skills Citizenship Relating to people Managing situations Teamwork and Leadership

We want children:

*to grow in confidence and independence and to experience the value of co-operation in a happy environment. *to understand the feelings of others, to respect their values and to consider their own attitudes, values and beliefs. *to take pride in personal achievement and pleasure in the achievements of others. *to develop lively enquiring minds together with a willingness to ask questions and to listen to the response. *to think and act creatively. *to gain knowledge, skills and understanding appropriate to a fast-changing world. *to acquire in particular the enabling skills of literacy and numeracy. *to develop an understanding of the past, both long and short term, which will help them to live successfully in the present and to plan for the future.

These aims began life in the Devon Curriculum Statement of 1994 and were modified by staff and governors. Some principles we hope to work by can be found below:-

The school aims to achieve a balance between teaching basic skills in literacy and numeracy and the need for a broader curriculum.

The school is developing a rolling programme to help us plan the curriculum. The full range of teaching strategies, whole class teaching, group activities and individual work

are employed at appropriate times, as are the many different learning styles which will encompass the learning of every child.

The environment of classroom, school site and village community provides a starting point for

learning.

Children should take some responsibility for their own learning. Children work better when intrinsically motivated to learn. We try to offer a stimulating

environment that encourages this. The adults in the school provide role models for the children. Children are encouraged to

approach the staff at informal moments. Children receive the following minimum teaching times:- In Key stage 1: 22 hours 30 minutes In Key Stage 2: 23 hours 45 minutes The taught curriculum is constantly being developed and improved by the school. At the same

time, assessment issues are being addressed by the school in the form of building portfolios of work by children that will indicate the quality of work to be expected at different levels of achievement. This year, children will also begin their own personal Learning Journals, which will show their own individual progress throughout their school career.

We expect 7 year olds to achieve Level 2b in English, Maths and Science. Some will achieve

Level 3. At the end of Key Stage 2, the majority of children should achieve Levels 4 or 5 in the core subjects. In addition, we expect all children to make at least 2 levels progress between Year 2 and Year 6.

There are three formal opportunities to discuss a child’s progress with parents during the

year. If you need to talk to the class teacher or Headteacher, then please feel free to do so before or after school. Teachers will be available in the playground each morning for informal ‘chats’, but for a more in depth discussion, you may need to make an appointment as the member of staff may have a prior commitment.

Details of the term’s work and homework are to be distributed to parents at the beginning of

each new topic with the first Friday Newsletter (see later). The National Curriculum provides us with statutory obligations within the subjects. English Mathematics Science History Geography Technology Information & Communication Technology Art Music Physical Education Whilst all these subjects will be taught on a regular basis, some may fall under the category ‘topic’ on the timetable in school. Timetables will be available in each classroom for your information. The National Curriculum is currently under review – you may hear it referred to as ‘Gove’s’ Curriculum. This will be implemented fully in September 2014 – we will keep you updated. The school has adopted the Devon Curriculum for the teaching of Religious Education.

School Development Plan Targets for 2013 - 2014

We are constantly striving to improve the quality of education and care that we provide for your children. A reflective staff can identify areas for improvement and direct training and resources towards these areas. We also plan our staff development and INSET (in service teacher training) days around the School Development Plan. The main targets from the development plan for the Year 2013 - 2014 are outlined below.

The School Environments

Every aspect of school life can be described in one of three ways:

The Physical Environment

The school buildings and grounds

The Learning Environment Quality of learning The curriculum Teaching resources

The External Environment The involvement of parents and families How the school works alongside the local community

This year at Landkey Primary School, we are working on :

The Physical Environment

Maintaining and improving the forest school provision and outdoor learning area Re-landscaping the school garden Beginning a rolling programme for the refurbishment of classrooms and main areas throughout the school

The Learning Environment

Improving standards through monitoring, sharing good practice and involvement of parents at home Improving standards in mathematics – this will be a real focus this year, in order to close the gap between Literacy and Numeracy standards. Continuing to improve means of assessment that are meaningful to children and provide them with targets for future learning Maintaining and improving teaching standards through rigorous monitoring systems and necessary re-deployment of staff to provide best value to the school and children Teaching the children of Landkey to be more aware of ethnicity and living life in an increasingly multi-cultural society and allowing them to experience different cultures and people Continuing to develop our planning across the school ensuring children are encouraged to become independent learners Ensuring that we maintain breadth in the curriculum, so that our children learn for life and enjoyment, through memorable learning experiences Developing the potential of the Gifted and Talented children across the school Establishing new staff and Leadership teams in school

The External Environment

Making our school an integral part of the community, allowing and promoting use of our facilities Promoting and marketing our school through Open Days and by updating our prospectus and web-site, resulting on our number on roll at least being maintained, if not improving, in order that single age classes can continue in the future Giving the opportunity for parents to become more involved in our school by keeping them better informed and asking for their opinions when necessary Promoting and fostering learning at home by providing curriculum information to parents each term, welcoming them into our school and making them more valued as the primary educators Welcoming the parents into school through an ‘open door policy’ and by being readily available in the playground before and after school

If you feel you have any skills to offer to help us in these areas …………

Class Information / Staffing

Headteacher Ms Kate Fairbrother

Reception Miss Meg Brownscombe (Class Teacher) Seahorses Mrs Shirley Little (Teaching Assistant) Year 1 Mrs Jayne Trickey (Class Teacher) Oysters Mrs Alison Brownscombe (Teaching Assistant) Year 2 Miss Sophie Huggins (Class Teacher / KS1 Leader) Starfish Mrs Michelle Rippon (Teaching Assistant)

Mrs Lisa Binmore (Teaching Assistant) Year 3 Miss Sian Griffiths & Mrs Michelle Horsman (Class Teachers) Jellyfish Mrs Sam Piper (Teaching Assistant) Mrs Zoe Garbriel (Teaching Assistant / Forest School Leader) Year 4 Mrs Lucy Taylor (Class Teacher / Deputy Headteacher) Turtles Mrs Buffy Best (Teaching Assistant / Forest School Leader) Year 5 Miss Hannah Fry (Class Teacher) Octopus Mrs Tara Nance (Teaching Assistant) Year 6 Mrs Emily Burns (Class Teacher) Stingrays Mrs Liz Jennings (Teaching Assistant) SENCo Mrs Lucy Taylor ICT Technician Mrs Gina Skinner Office Manager Mrs Jo Slate Administrative Assistant Ms Nicky Williams School Cook Mrs Joy Mitchell Caretaker Mrs Kim Jewell Cleaner Mrs Claire Toleman

How to Contact Staff

It is very important that the children see their parents, teachers and carers working together in partnership. An active partnership will help to ensure the very best education for your child. Teachers and support staff are usually available for a brief chat at the beginning and end of each day, but an appointment should be made if you need more than a few minutes. The Headteacher is very happy to talk to parents and is quite often available, but sometimes appointments need to be made. In the event of the Headteacher not being available, then parents are welcome to speak to the Deputy Headteacher. Any worries, problems or complaints can usually be dealt with by first speaking to the class teacher. If there are more serious issues, then the Deputy Headteacher or the Headteacher should be approached in the next instance. There is a more formal complaints procedure for parents, details of which are available from the school office. It must be emphasised however, that any incident of rude or aggressive behaviour towards members of staff or indeed any person on the school premises will not be tolerated. In the event of such an incident the person concerned will be asked to leave the school premises. This is in line with County Policy. Please feel free to contact us via telephone 01271 830421, fax 01271 830421 or e-mail admin@landkey-primary.devon.sch.uk. Please also keep staff updated of any problems / issues which may affect your child in school. Governors are also available to contact and are linked to your child’s class as follows: (Vacancies have been advertised and will be filled soon) Name Position Child in School Class Responsibility Area of Responsibility

Mr Neil Hookway Chair Alex Year 6 Year 5 Octopus Class ICT/Health and Safety

Mr Richard Prowse Vice Chair Year 5 Octopus Class NQTs / Creative

Ms Kate Fairbrother Staff Headteacher

Ms Annette Hennessy Community Seahorses Class Early Years

Mr Jason Mellett Local Authority Ben Year 4 Year 3 Jellyfish Class Finance

Mr Ray Moon Community Year 3 Jellyfish Class Buildings / Premises

Mrs Lizzie Toon Parent Archie Year 4 Year 3 Jellyfish Class PSHE

Mr Ian Walsh Parent

Ms Stacie Gear Parent Isabella Year 3

VACANCY Parent

VACANCY Parent

School Timings

School begins at 9.00am and so it is asked that children arrive on the premises no earlier than 8.45am when they are supervised by the teacher on duty. Until this time, the school accepts no responsibility for the children, particularly as they are only covered by our insurance against accident when a member of the school staff is supervising them. The children will come onto the main school playground at this time and all teachers will be available on the playground from 8.50am onwards. The whistle will be blown at 8.55am for the children to line up and enter their classrooms. In addition, may we remind parents that the school office and school building will not be open or accessible until 8.50am. The above is applicable for all children from Oysters Class upwards, and DOES NOT apply to the children in Miss Brownscome’s Class. Parents will bring the children from this class into school each day and deliver them to the outside classroom door, in the Key Stage 1 Playground from 8.50am onwards. In the Summer Term, the children from Seahorses Class will begin to line up in the main playground with the rest of the school, in order to ease transition into Year 1. If children are late, arriving after 9.00am, it is essential that they are signed in at the school office – we ask that either you do this, or remind your child to do so. Lunchtimes are as follows : Reception and Key Stage 1 12.00 – 1.15pm Key Stage 2 12.10 – 1.15pm The school day finishes at 3.15pm for Key Stage 1 (Reception, Year 1 and 2) and at 3.20pm for Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6). We ask that parents collect their child / children promptly. Staff are not available after school to supervise children unless clubs have been planned. In the interests of Health and Safety, children are not permitted to wait outside the school office, unless in an emergency situation, when we request that you telephone the office to inform them of your estimated time of arrival. Again due to the safety of the children, arrangements for dismissing children at the end of the day are as follows:

All classes in Key Stage 1 are dismissed from their external classroom door. Teachers will not allow children to leave until a responsible named adult comes to this external door to collect them.

Key Stage 2 will either leave via the main playground door (Year 5 and 6) or teh main school entrance (Year 3 and 4)

If you have children in more than one class, we suggest that you collect the younger children first.

If anyone other than the usual adult is to collect your child, please inform the office or the class teacher, otherwise your child will NOT be dismissed by the teacher.

Older children will be allowed to walk home alone if you so wish. However, we ask that you inform the school in writing of any such arrangement.

This all may seem rather excessive and a hassle, but it is in the interest of the children and their safety.

We have recently made changes to the school day, altering break times to give two equal sessions before and after play.

Landkey Primary School School Day Timings 2013-2014

8.45am Children allowed onto playground (supervised) 8.55am Whistle / all teachers collect from playground 9.00am Registration 9.05am Session 1 (Split into separate lessons) 10.30am Break 10.45am Session 2 12.00pm Lunch (KS1) 12.10pm Lunch (KS2) 1.15pm Assembly (15 mins, except Class / Celebration) 1.30pm End of Assembly 1.35pm Session 3 3.15pm End of School – Key Stage 1 3.20pm End of School – Key Stage 2 On Mondays, assembly will take place first thing in the morning, to give time for Class Teachers to liaise with Teaching Assistants about planning and the coming week. We plan to continue to hold Class Assemblies, where parents are invited, on Thursdays from 2.30pm. Exact dates will be relayed to you for your own child’s class assembly via the weekly newsletter. We will try to get these to you in advance at the beginning of each term, along with other important dates for the term. For Key Stage 1 children the morning session will also include30mins of Physical Literacy (PE) each day. Therefore, children in Key Stage 1 will need their PE kits in school ALL WEEK. KS1 and KS2 children will both have two and a half hours of PE each week.

Term Dates for Schools in Devon

Academic Year 2015 - 2016

Summer Term 2015

Tuesday 14th September 2015 – Wednesday 22nd July 2015

(half term – week commencing 25th May 2015)

Autumn Term 2015

Monday 3rd September 2015 – Thursday 17th December 2015

(half term – week commencing 26th October 2015 )

Spring Term 2016

Wednesday 6th January 2016 – Wednesday 23rd March 2016

(half term – week commencing 15th February 2016 )

(May Day – 4th May 2015)

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Non-Contact (Teacher Training) Days in 2015 - 2016

Summer Term 2015: Thursday 24th March 2015

Monday 11th April 2015

Autumn Term 2015: Tuesday 1st September 2015

Wednesday 2nd September 2015

Spring Term 2015: Tuesday 4th January 2016

Children DO NOT attend school on these Teacher Training Days.

The 2 occasional days, when children again DO NOT attend school are planned for Friday 18th December 2016 and Monday 4th January 2016.

Breakfast Club / After School Club

Care before and after school hours is available at Ladybirds Day Care. They will drop off and collect your children to and from school. Their contact details are : Ladybirds Day Nursery Blakes Hill Road Landkey EX32 0JQ Cathy McKendrick 01271 830118 Holiday clubs are also available in this setting – prospectus’ can be obtained either from Ladybirds or from School. In addition, there are child-minders living within the village. Two known to the school are: Orchard Mill Childcare Annette Hennessy 01271 831004 Tracey’s Tiddlers Tracey Hommell 01271 830618 The school has no responsibility for the above child-care facilities – they are independently run provisions.

The School Curriculum In order to address a more ‘holistic’ approach and more enjoyment for the children, we

will continue to link much of the curriculum to topics and memorable learning experiences. There will be a topic studied each term. For each topic studied, parents will receive a curriculum overview outlining the areas to be studied, in order that you are well informed and can support learning at home should you so wish. The curriculum overviews will be sent home at the beginning of each topic with the first Friday Newsletter. This has been so successful in previous years, and we have had a great deal of positive feedback from both the parents, children and OFSTED!

Homework Expectations

We continue to have a very positive response with regard to our Homework Policy. It is expected that each child in the school will complete a compulsory ‘core’ homework task for each topic studied. The suggested tasks are not compulsory, but are provided in order that parents can

support the children’s learning at home – please DO NOT feel that you have to do these tasks and put unnecessary pressure on the children.

The time spent on each task will progressively increase as the children get older and move through the school. Homework tasks for the WHOLE duration of the topic will be distributed at the

beginning of each topic with the first Friday Newsletter. The homework tasks are not intended to be too taxing, and are to support the learning in class.

Many tasks will involve reading / finding out.

For each half term each child is expected to complete ONE Core Task. It is a National expectation that children in Key Stage 2 do homework on a weekly basis, increasing in amount as they progress through the school. Therefore, at Landkey, in addition to the topic related homework, Literacy or Numeracy homework may be set where necessary, in order to practise skills learned in class. In addition, each child is expected to read regularly. Parents are asked to record comments in reading record books / homework diaries (depending upon the age of child), and can also communicate with class teachers / vice versa in this manner. PLEASE hear your child read!! There will be awards at the end of each school year to recognise the children who have read and filled in their reading diaries regularly. Spellings are also sent out each half term for the children to learn at home – they are grouped into ‘phases’ according to the Letters and Sounds phase they are on (KS1) or according to spelling ability (KS2). The children are tested on the words learned each half term. Children who make vast improvements in their spellings will be awarded with a ‘spelling star’ badge each half term. Hopefully this will motivate the children to learn!! In order to promote maths in the school and in our endeavour to improve standards this coming year, children in every class will be set a Numeracy homework task / challenge on a weekly basis. You will be told by the class teacher when this will be given out / expected in each week. Please support your child/ren and encourage them to complete these tasks throughout the year. In addition, in line with the new ‘Gove’ Curriculum (2014), it is a requirement that ALL children know their multiplication tables up to 12x12 by the end of year 4. Without in-depth knowledge of the multiplication tables, we find that children struggle far more in other areas of the numeracy curriculum, such as division, fractions, percentages – the list is endless. If all children in our school knew the multiplication tables, we fell that standards would improve even further. Therefore, in order to motivate children to learn their tables, beginning in September 2013, we are introducing our ‘Mathmagician’ reward scheme. Details of the certificates / awards to be earned are attached. It is important to be aware, however, that badges etc will only be awarded, if children reach the standard by the year group and within the time limit specified. Please encourage the children to practise at home!!!

Times Table ‘Mathmagicians’

To motivate the children to learn their multiplication tables an award system has been designed involving Bronze, Silver and Gold Wise Owls. The children need to learn the following tables (multiplication and division facts and missing digit questions) to pass the following awards:

Wizard’s Apprentice – 2, 5 and 10 times tables – by the end of Year 1

Potion’s Master – 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables – by the end of Year 2

Bronze Wise Owl – 6 and 11 times tables (+all previous tables) – by the end of Year 3

Silver Wise Owl – 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables (+all others) – by the end of Year 4

Bright Sparks - all tables mixed – by the end of Year 5

Gold Mathmagician Owl – 100 mixed questions – by the end of Year 6

To achieve the awards the children need to complete a 3-5 minute timed test (depending on the level) and answer all of the questions correctly. Once one level is completed, the children move onto the next – children therefore, may earn awards sooner than the expected Year Group (this should motivate our more gifted mathematicians!!)

Half - Termly Topics

Provisional topics for each class for the year have been planned. Please note – these may not be studied in the order shown below, and as we plan to develop an even more creative curriculum throughout the year, they may be subject to some changes!

Reception Home Sweet Home Seahorses Come and Join the Celebration (Christmas customs and traditions) Once Upon a Time Helping Hands

What a Wonderful World of Animals

Year 1 Whatever the Weather Oysters Come and Join the Celebration (Christmas customs and traditions) Never Eat Shredded Wheat! Fairies and Frogs How Does Your Garden Grow?

Happy Families Here Comes the Sun!

Year 2 Swashbuckling Seas Starfish Come and Join the Celebration (Christmas customs and traditions) Famous Faces Neighbourhood Watch Where the Wild Things Are Paddington’s Passport

Beside the Seaside

Year 3 It’s all Greek to Me! Jellyfish Come and Join the Celebration (Christmas customs and traditions) Order Order! Out of the Box Let’s Walk the Timeline: “Ug” Green Fingers

May the Force be With You Three Giant Steps

Year 4 Let’s Walk the Timeline: Under Attack! Sea Turtles Come and Join the Celebration (Christmas customs and traditions)

From Out of the Shadows A Right Royal Battle: 1066 Window on the World When Mickey met Wallace

Year 5 Abracadabra! Octopus Come and Join the Celebration (Christmas customs and traditions) That’s Life Episode 1 Indus Valley A World of Cracking Ideas! Spaced Out! Location, Location, Location

Year 6 In Your Element Stingrays Come and Join the Celebration (Christmas customs and traditions)

That’s Life Episode 2 The Maya: Cities of Stone Sparky Scientists Eco Warriors

Each topic tends to last for half a term, however, in some year groups, the children study in more depth and the topic lasts for a whole term.

Standards in School

We are delighted that standards are gradually rising in school, and that children are making very good progress. OFSTED have confirmed that standards and achievement at Landkey School are outstanding. We wish to retain the current OFSTED accolade in the future, and so are working even harder with a focus to improving Numeracy standards. Historically, children come into school with lower attainment in Numeracy than in Literacy and this appears to be the pattern throughout the school. We are focussing on closing the gap between the Literacy and Numeracy standards and will have a real emphasis on Maths this year. More details will follow from our new Numeracy Co-ordinator, Miss Sophie Huggins (Year 2 Teacher) Rising standards can be attributed to the excellent teaching taking place and in particular to the rigorous tracking and monitoring systems now in place. We have developed our own tracking system in school, highly acclaimed by OFSTED, which tracks the progress of each individual child, via test data and teacher assessment data (APP) on a regular basis. Gaps in knowledge are addressed through adapting planning on a daily basis in class, according to the need of individual children and on a long term basis, they are addressed through necessary intervention strategies that are put into place. This may involve more intensive group tuition. As a school, we are very aware of the achievements of EACH individual child, their strengths and their areas for development. It is this detailed knowledge that has allowed standards to rise.

Food in School

We would like to remind ALL parents that we are a Healthy School. We encourage children to bring a snack into school to eat at morning playtime. These snacks should be healthy, for example, fruit, vegetable sticks, cheese or cereal bars. Please remind your children that it is NOT an opportunity to eat half of their lunch – as they will find themselves hungry again at lunchtime! In addition, we remind you that we are a NUT FREE SCHOOL and so no snacks or packed lunch boxes should contain nuts. We need to be extra vigilant as several children in school have allergies and mere exposure to them can cause severe reactions. We also have a child in the school who has severe allergic reactions to EGGS, and so we kindly request that children refrain from bringing in egg products – egg sandwiches, scotch eggs etc. Your co-operation in this matter would be much appreciated!

School Uniform Children are expected to wear the dark blue school sweatshirt with the logo which was designed by children in the school some years ago and was adopted by the parish as a symbol for Landkey. White shirts or polo shirts can be worn underneath. Trousers / skirts / pinafores should be black, dark blue or grey, as should shorts in the summer. 3/4 length trousers are acceptable, but should be plain with no stripes / zips (tracksuit styles are NOT acceptable). Jogging bottoms or tracksuit bottoms are only acceptable on cold days for PE/games activities. Tights and socks should be dark coloured or white. Shoes need to be safe, so please, no high heels or other fashionable items that are not safe and comfortable. They should be dark coloured, preferably black. Trainers should not be worn, however, we do accept that many styles of boys school shoes are ‘trainer style’ – if worn these should be plain black. Croc shoes and flip-flops are NOT acceptable for Health and Safety reasons. Girls are welcome to wear blue/white check or patterned dresses in the summer.

Jewellery

Children may wear watches and simple stud earrings (preferably plain gold / silver, not ‘novelty’ studs, not sleepers) but no bracelets, necklaces or anklets. In the interests of health and safety, on days when children have PE, please do not send them to school with studs. This is a safety issue within Devon County guidelines. If children have recently had their ears pierced (although we do suggest this is done in the summer holidays), they will need to bring with them to school a reel of surgical tape to cover them with for PE. The children need to be able to do this themselves as class teachers are not allowed to do so. In addition we ask that children only wear simple hair slides or bands in their hair and no nail varnish.

NO other jewellery is acceptable for school.

In addition, may we remind you that PRESCRIPTION ONLY glasses are allowed – the children should not be wearing fashion glasses.

P.E. A change of clothes for PE is essential.

Children need a white top and white, black or blue shorts along with plain trainers. Trainers are suggested for PE as they support the feet better.

On cold days, when working outside, children should wear tracksuits or jogging bottoms. These should be in the school colours – black, grey or navy.

PE kit should be kept in a named bag, suitable for hanging on pegs – not too big please.

ALL uniform and PE kit should be clearly named.

Absence from School

We encourage holidays to be taken during the school holidays, but recognise that costs rise at these times. Please only take your children away from school during term time if absolutely necessary and ensure that you fill out a holiday / absence form – available from the school office. Government guidance suggests that absence for holiday should not be allowed, except in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the Headteacher / Governors. Indeed, some schools are enforcing fines for such absences. Our policy remains that a maximum of 10 school days holiday per year are authorised in exceptional circumstances, but any more than this will have to be taken as unauthorised absence. This does not include illness absence. If your child is ill and cannot attend school, we ask that you telephone the school on the first day of their absence before 9.30am and on each day of absence thereafter – unless you know in advance that your child will be absent for a specific period of time – in this case, one telephone call will suffice. On their return to school it is most helpful to also receive an absence note for our school records.

Music Tuition Many music lessons currently take place in school – these are requested by and paid for by parents on a termly basis. Instruments currently studied are : Drums Recorder Clarinet Keyboard Singing Guitar Lessons are normally for children from Year 3 upwards, due to the size of the instruments with the exception of recorders which can begin in Year 1. Please contact Di in the office if you are interested in your child learning any of the above instruments.

Trips and Educational Visits

Following parental feedback from questionnaires, we are beginning to offer many more opportunities for the children to participate in school trips and residential visits. Trips are usually educational and link closely with the topics being studied in class. Residential visits also cover aspects of the curriculum. We recognise that the cost of such residential visits can be high, but do stress that we are offering the opportunity, rather than stipulating that these are compulsory for all children. Many are planned over weekends when staff give up their own time to take the children away. However, it would be great to see as many children as possible taking up the opportunity of residential visits, as the benefits are so great, in particular the Residentials in Year 5/6! Costs of other visits can also be high, often unfortunately due to transport costs, which will probably rise even higher in light of recent inflation on fuel prices! We also need to accept that due to our geographical position, time and money to get to other places in the country can also be greater than often desired! Residential visits currently and approximate costings are detailed below: Year 4 TBC Year 5 / 6 PGL Isle of Wight £220 Year 5 / 6 PGL London £270 The Isle of Wight and London visit are offered to Year 5 /6 on an alternate basis. This year, in the Summer of 2014, we will visit the Isle of Wight for an adventurous, outdoor pursuits residential, with emphasis on watersports. The London visit (2015) will be more cultural, including Theatre Trips, museums and famous London Landmarks, but with some adventurous activities offered. Saving and instalment schemes are offered and assistance may be offered to those in financial difficulty.

Parents in School Parents are most warmly welcomed in school at all times. Please see your child’s class teacher if you are able to help out at any time, in any way. We acknowledge that you may not be able to give a regular commitment, but you may have a particular expertise which you could offer to certain topics being studied. ALL help is gratefully received. Class assemblies will continue to take place during the year and you are most warmly invited to attend. Each class will give 2 class assemblies throughout the year and these will now be on Thursday afternoons (occasionally on other days of the week). Please keep your eyes on the dates lists and newsletters for more exact details of when these will be.

We will continue to celebrate the achievements of the children both in and out of school at weekly ‘sharing assemblies’. These are held on Fridays. If the children have earned certificates and trophies outside of school, please encourage them to bring these in to share with us. Weekly newsletters will also mention children’s achievements. There are several ways for the less forthcoming children to inform us of their good news :

By telling us themselves By parents informing the office By writing a note and giving it into the office for the newsletter folder.

Hopefully no-one will be missed out! In addition, we welcome parents in school to join our PTA – the ‘Friends of Landkey School’ and welcome your support. Please help us to put the ‘P’ back into our PTA – at the moment, the vast majority of members are school staff. It is our aim that each class within the school should have a t least one representative on the PTA. Please contact us for further details. Termly open afternoons are also held for parents, when you are welcomed into school to look around at displays and share in what the children have been learning. Children are very excited to show you their work in books, on walls and in and around the classroom! Reports are received 3x yearly. Two are verbal reports in the Autumn and Spring Terms at Parent’s Evenings. The final report is a written annual report in the Summer Term. We really welcome feedback from parents and are very open to suggestions as to how to improve further. If you have any concerns, worries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to discuss these with the school – we are not scary really! In addition, it may be useful to have regular meetings with parents or representatives of parent groups as an ‘open forum’ format on a regular basis – any ideas as to how this may work would be most welcomed. Whilst it is our aim to have happy children in school, we also recognise the need to have happy parents! Thank you to all existing parents for your fabulous support and a big welcome to all new parents!