school brochure 2010 - 2011 - dec update

8/8/2019 School Brochure 2010 - 2011 - Dec Update

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Ixworth

Church of EnglandVoluntary ControlledPrimary School

School Brochure2010/2011



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Ixworth Church of EnglandVC Primary School

September 2010

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to our school. This brochure has been prepared to give you aclear picture of the school and its aims. We hope it will be helpful to you.

Our school building creates a warm, welcoming and stimulatingenvironment to work in and our skilled and experienced staff work closelytogether on behalf of the children.

All staff work hard to create an atmosphere in which each child‟s personal talents can be developed to the fullest extent. We aim to work closely witheach child and their family so that all the children will feel as safe andhappy at school as they do at home. We are proud of the achievements ofall our children and like them to take a pride in all that they do in our

school.

Ixworth Primary is a Church School where we share Christian values andcelebrate the achievements of all our children.

Visitors are welcome to come and see the school. Please phone the officeand we will be happy to make an appointment. I look forward to meetingand working with you, so that together, we can give your child the verybest possible start to their school life.

Yours sincerely

Anna RichardsHead teacher



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Ixworth CEVCP Primary School

Where children…

feel special and valued

are secure, happy and flourish

enjoy learning and celebrate achievement

learn Christian values to live by

are stimulated, challenged, inspired andencouraged to do their bestenjoy new experiences and opportunities

show respect, tolerance and understanding

become responsible, caring citizens andlife-long learners

Where families feel valued, informed andinvolved,

Where every individual matters and we learntogether!



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Ixworth Church of England (VC) Primary SchoolCrown Lane, Ixworth, Bury St Edmunds, IP31 2EL

Tel: 01359 230228 Fax: 01359 230352E-mail: [email protected]

Head teacher: Mrs Anna RichardsDeputy Head teacher: Mrs Rebecca Dodman

Suffolk County CouncilWestern Area Education Office

West Suffolk House, Western Way

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

IP33 3YUTelephone: 01284 758000

School GovernorsMr Chris Fuller (Chair)

Mrs Anna RichardsMr Tim Coe

Mrs Debbie SearleMrs Lynne JohnsonMrs Julie HowardMrs Nicky Thomas

Mr Toby TateMiss Zoe MorrisonMr Maurice HartillMr Adrian Harmer

Mrs Liz BonnelykkeReverend Phillip GarbettReverend Doug Neupert

The information contained in this brochure relates to the school year indicated on thefront cover and is correct at the time of publication. (September 2010)

It should not be assumed that there will be no changes affecting the relevantarrangements or details either before the start of, or during, the school year in questionor in relation to subsequent school years.



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Meet the Staff

Senior Leadership TeamHead teacher: Mrs Anna RichardsDeputy Head teacher: Mrs Rebecca Dodman

Administration TeamOffice Manager: Mrs Teresa SnowlingAdministration Assistant: Mrs Barbara Clutterham

Eagle Class (Year 4)Teachers: Mrs Sally O‟Brien and Mrs Catherine Legg

Kestrel Class (Year 3)Teachers: Mrs Carolyn Pashby and Mrs Sally O‟Brien

Kingfisher Class (Year 2)Teacher: Mrs Sharon Warland

Owl Class (Year 1)Teachers: Mrs Rebecca Dodman and Miss Lorraine Downes

Swallow Class (Reception/Y1)Teachers: Mrs Claire Lambert, Mrs Charlotte Pratt and Mrs Anna Richards

Robin Class (Nursery)

Teacher: Mrs Louise Price

Teaching AssistantsMrs Sylvia Currey, Mrs Amanda Backhouse, Mrs Grainne Titlowand Mr.Nigel Robson

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO): Mrs Sally O‟Brien SENCO Assistant: Mrs Sylvia Currie

Cook in Charge: Miss June Wood

Caretaker and Cleaner: Mrs Alison GoldsmithCleaner: Mr William Goldsmith



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Introduction to the schoolIxworth CEVCP School is a village primary school serving the villages ofIxworth and Pakenham Fen. It has Voluntary Controlled status under theDiocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The schoolcaters for children aged between 4 and 9 years. It is partof the Thurston pyramid which consists of 14 primaryschools and 3 middle schools which all feed intoThurston Community College. The school day begins at8.55am and finishes at 3.30pm.

The School Building and GroundsThere has been a primary school in Ixworth since 1840.The original school building was in Thetford Road but in1969 the school was re-located to a purpose built modernbuilding in Crown Lane. Since the current school opened40 years ago, it has been significantly extended and

improved. The school is centred around a large hall whichis used for PE activities, assemblies and concerts. Themidday meal is also served in here. There are sixclassrooms, each with its own resource area and an ICT

suite. Our Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 1 and 2 classes have outdoorlearning areas.

The outdoor playing space consists of a hard playgroundarea, a large climbing construction and a carpeted play areawith play fort and ship which is surrounded by shrubs. Thereis also a fenced environmental area with a pond.

The school is able to use the village hall playing field foroutdoor games and sports. Our children also use this area during playtimes under thesupervision of teaching staff and Lunchtime Supervisors.

Links with the ChurchIxworth Primary is a Voluntary Controlled School, and as such, maintains strong linkswith our local church. We have a daily act of collective worship, which is part of ourassembly.

The Team Rector, Reverend Phillip Garbett, comes into school to lead assembly on afortnightly basis. At Harvest, Christmas and Easter, we hold services in the churchwhere the children take a leading role in the worship. Parents are always invited tothese services.



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Our Ordained Local Minister, Reverend Jill Walker, is a regular weekly visitorto school. She leads an assembly with Years 3 and 4 and runs story tellingsessions with our younger pupils.

Admission ArrangementsThe Local Authority is responsible for admissions to boththe Nursery and the main school. Children are admittedinto our Reception Class at the beginning of theacademic year in which they become five, although theyoungest children attend on a part time basis to beginwith. Our Nursery offers half-time early years educationfor the two terms prior to this. If there are places in theNursery, children may be able to start three terms beforethey start full time school if parents feel their children are ready.

Pupils will not be allocated a place in school automatically. All parents / carers mustapply for a place, even if their child already attends the school‟s nursery class. If anyparents / carers would like a CAF1 application form and a „Schools in Suffolk‟ bookletand/or further clarification on the admission process, they should contact the school orthe Admissions Team on 0845 600 0981. The form is also available on line at:www.suffolk.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/Schools/AdmissionsToSchools

Parents’ / Carers’ Visits to School

The school recognises the importance of establishing stronghome-school relationships and aims to work in partnership withparents for the benefit of their children.

Parents are invited to attend formal interviews with their child‟sclass teacher three times a year. We operate an appointmentssystem so all discussions are private. Teachers are alwayswilling to talk informally toparents on a daily basis. Weprefer you to see classroomassistants before school and

teachers immediately after school so that the teacherscan concentrate on the children first thing in themorning. Parents who use child-minders to bring andcollect children may find it easier to communicate withteachers on a regular basis through reading journals orlog books. Should any problems arise, the school strongly urges parents to make anappointment with the class teacher without delay so that action can be taken as quicklyas possible.

http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/Schools/AdmissionsToSchools





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LiaisonAt present, children leave Ixworth CEVCP School at the end of Year 4 tomove onto a middle school. It is unclear at present when the middle schoolsin our area will be phased out.

The primary schools in the Thurston pyramid work closely with each other to ensurethat all children transferring to middle school have had similar opportunities andexperiences.

Regular liaison meetings are held with the staff of Ixworth Middle School. Year 5 tutorsfrom the middle school visit the primary school towards the end of the summer term totalk to the children about the transition. Provision is also made for parents and childrento visit the middle school. A range of activities are organised to enable year 4 pupils tomeet with pupils from other feeder primary schools and to visit the middle school onseveral occasions.

Transition arrangements will be made individually for any pupils who will not be

transferring to Ixworth Middle school at the end of Year 4.

School RulesWe endeavour to develop courtesy, respect, good manners and consideration forothers in all our children. We trust that parents support us in this. In conjunction withparents, governors and pupils, the school has developed a „Behaviour Policy‟. Copiesof this are available for parents to read.

Our school rules are:Follow instructions straight awayKeep your hands and feet to yourselfBe kind to others and show respectTake care of the things belonging to yourself and others

The CurriculumIxworth CEVCP School provides a broad and enrichedcurriculum which aims to promote the intellectual,personal, social and physical development of all pupils.We aim to make our curriculum as creative and exciting

as possible. Although emphasis is placed on developingskills and knowledge in the core subjects of Literacy andNumeracy, other subjects are taught predominantlythrough topics in a cross-curricular way. This ensures astimulating context to the children‟s learning. The school

follows the Local Authority‟s “Agreed Syllabus” for Religious Education. PSHE(Personal, Social and Health Education) is timetabled and taught throughout theschool. Throughout the curriculum, opportunities to develop children's social, moral,spiritual, emotional and cultural development are fostered.



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LiteracyLiteracy is concerned with the use of language for communication andincludes:

Speaking and listeningOpportunities to speak and listen exist throughout theschool day. They may consist of children relatingexperiences, describing activities, discussing how tosolve a problem or using creative language in a playsituation. The talk may be with one other child, in asmall or large group, or with an adult. There arefrequent opportunities for children to listen to storiesand poetry.

ReadingChildren learn to read at different rates and times. We aim to help children to learn to

read fluently and to learn to love reading texts for the enjoyment and the knowledgethey can impart. Children are helped to develop their reading skills through a variety ofmethods including whole word recognition, phonics and the use of contextual andpicture cues.

A wide variety of reading material is available in school, including the very best ofreading schemes, real books, poetry and non-fiction material. Children are able to taketheir reading books home and are provided with either a reading log book or a journalto record the texts they have read and enjoyed. When they are learning to read, weencourage children to read to an adult daily at home and value the contribution parentsmake. The school library contains a wide range of reading material.

WritingChildren are encouraged to express themselves in writing as soon as they feelconfident to do so. Initially this may take the form of ashort sentence to describe a picture they have drawn.Later their writing may take the form of a story or bookthey have made up, a poem they have created or anarticle for a school newspaper. We aim to makechildren aware of different forms of writing for differentpurposes. We also encourage them to draft their work,then in conference with the teacher or a peer, self

correct and alter, coming finally to an end product ofwhich they feel proud.

MathematicsThe mathematics curriculum is broad and balanced with priority given to the teaching of„number‟ and the using and applying of number facts in different contexts throughpractical and problem solving activities. We aim to develop children‟s enthusiasm andconfidence alongside their capabilities in the subject. A variety of teaching methods andmaterials are employed to achieve this.



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Science

Science is taught throughout the school either as part of awider based topic or as an individual unit. The children areencouraged to observe, explore, experiment, investigate andto ask questions about their work, to help them acquire a

sound scientific knowledge and understanding. They aretaught to communicate and record their findings and ideas in avariety of ways.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)There are computers in all classrooms and a total of nineteenin the computer suite. The children also benefit from a bank of20 laptops which can be used in any classroom. Children

learn to use software programs for word processing, datacollection and design. ICT is used to support all areas of thecurriculum. Interactive whiteboards are installed in allclassrooms and the school has wireless internet throughout.

History and GeographyThese subjects are taught through the medium of topic work. Inboth subjects, local studies as well as more distant regions areused as contexts for learning. The village of Ixworth is used to

help children develop fieldwork skills.

PERegular exercise and participation in sports activities are vital ifwe are to produce a healthy generation. Within the curriculum,children participate regularly in gymnastics, games, dance andin the summer term and athletics and rounders.

ArtArt is planned to ensure that children have the opportunities to develop their skills andknowledge and to work with a variety of media. This includes work with textiles, 3Dwork, painting, drawing, printing, collage and clay

Design and TechnologyChildren are given the opportunity to develop their D Tcapability through:

assignments in which they design and make productsfocused practical tasks in which they develop and

practise particular skills and knowledgeactivities in which they investigate and evaluate items



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MusicWork in music includes singing, listening, composing and performing.Children in Year 4 learn to play the recorder.

Religious EducationIxworth Primary is a voluntary controlled school and ReligiousEducation is taught in accordance with an Agreed Syllabusapproved by the Local Authority. Children learn aboutthemselves and the groups they belong to. They exploreideas, feelings, opinions and beliefs of people from the majorworld religions.

Collective WorshipWe have a daily act of Collective worship in accordance with the doctrine of the Church

of England. Parents, if they so wish, may withdraw their children from ReligiousEducation lessons and Collective Worship assemblies. Such requests should bemade, in writing, to the Head teacher.

PSHEPersonal, Social and Health Education is a timetabled subject with a scheme of workthat includes citizenship.

Sex and Relationship EducationThe school accepts its responsibility to prepare all pupils for adult life. Teachers use a

sensitive approach, taking into account each pupil‟s person values, needs, beliefs andfamily circumstances, and endeavour to guide each child to make their own effectiveand responsible choices in matters of personal behaviour. A copy of the school‟s policydocument, which has been approved by the School Governors, is available for anyparent to view if they wish.

Children with Special NeedsThe school has a policy of inclusion and aims to

meet the needs of all children. Differentiatedactivities are included in the class teachers‟planning.

Individual Education Plans are written for any childwhose progress or behaviour needs monitoringmore carefully. These are written in co-operationwith parents and reviewed regularly.

Some children with more pronounced specialneeds may require provision additional to that normally provided in the school and may

need to be referred for specialist advice and support. Where children have specificlearning difficulties advice may be sought initially from the Local Education Authority‟s



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Advisory Teacher and then, depending on need, a range of specialistadvisory services.

The school expects to work in partnership with parents to provide the best possibleresult for their children.

Gifted and TalentedThe school has a policy of identifying children with special gifts and talents anddeveloping them in a variety of ways.

Educational VisitsIn support of the curriculum, children regularly benefit from educational visits. Visits aregenerally financed through voluntary contributions from parents or through grantsawarded from outside the school. The school governors‟ policy on “Charges andRemissions” allows for part or all of the cost of an educational visit to be met from the

school‟s budget in cases of personal financial hardship. Further information should besought from the head teacher.

School CouncilThe purpose of the School Council is to provide a forum for the children to raise itemsof concern or interest, and take part in agreeing any resolutions or activities. Childrenelect members of the school council each year and these representatives from eachclass meet regularly with the head teacher.

Extended Schools ProvisionThroughout the year various clubs and activities are organised by the staff. Some ofthese take place at lunchtimes whilst others are after school. Sometimes specialistteachers or coaches visit the school to lead some of the activities. Some of theactivities provided recently are: football, gymnastics, French, art and choir. A smallcharge is made for most after school clubs to cover staffing costs.

The school also runs a breakfast club from 7.45am every school morning. Childrenhave a healthy breakfast and take part in a range of games and activities before thestart of the school day. The charge for this is currently £3.50 per session.

Medical MattersIt is the responsibility of parents to ensure that children who are unwell receive propercare. Consequently children who are unwell should not be sent to school. Parentsshould advise the school of any medical condition which may affect the child during theschool day. Should the doctor consider it necessary for a child to receive medicationduring the school day, where possible, this should be administered by the parent.

In certain circumstances, a member of staff may agree to administer medication. In this

case, parents will be requested to complete a medication form and sign a legaldisclaimer in favour of the staff involved in administering the medicine. The medicine



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must be in the original container and be clearly labelled with the contents,child‟s name, and the dosage and/or other instructions from parent or doctor. It should be handed to the Head teacher or Administrative Assistant by theparent together with the completed signed disclaimer.

If a child suffers from asthma, the school needs to be made aware and an inhalerprovided for use in school. Inhalers are kept in the classrooms and will always be madeavailable when needed. They are also taken on all trips out of school.

Members of staff will deal with minor injuries and contact parents immediately if theyhave concerns. In the case of a more serious injury or illness when parents cannot becontacted the head teacher will act on the advice of the medical officer consulted. Ifthere is any doubt the child will be taken to the local surgery or hospital and the parentsinformed as soon as possible.

Attendance

The Education (Pupils‟ Attendance Records) Regulations of 1991 attempts to ensurethat children are present in school as often as possible. Parents are asked not to makenon-urgent appointments with the doctor or dentist during school hours unless it isunavoidable. We have to record each absence carefully noting in the register whetherthe absence is „authorised‟ or „unauthorised‟. We operate “first day calling” of parents if a child is not present in school. It is vital, therefore, that parents phone the school eachtime their child is absent, stating the reason for absence. Unauthorised absencesinclude truancy, visits to town to buy clothes and holidays. Parents should telephoneschool before 9.15 am on the first day of absence, and send a letter when their childreturns to school. There is a form to fill in to request absence during school time.Requests for holidays in term time will not be authorised.

Pastoral careThe class teacher is the person who normally assumes the responsibility for the day today pastoral care of children in their class. A child‟s behaviour can be affected by manyfactors, e.g. family bereavement, loss of a much loved family pet, parental separation,etc. Teachers are better able to help your child through a difficult emotional crisis ifthey are taken into your confidence, so please keep us informed.

Child ProtectionThe school management team takes its responsibility to ensure the safeguarding of ourchildren very seriously. All staff are checked thoroughly following governmentguidelines and regular voluntary helpers will be asked to complete a Criminal RecordBureau check. Details of all checks are kept in a Single Central Record in the schooloffice. If members of staff have concerns about a child, they follow widely knownprocedures to report their concerns to the Designated Person (the head teacher).Children & Young People‟s Services (Social Care) will be informed if children arethought to be at risk. Parents are expected to work in cooperation with the school in thebest interests of their child/ren.



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Every Child MattersOur school fully supports the Every Child Matters agenda. We are committedto ensuring all children in the school can:

o be healthyo stay safeo

enjoy and achieveo make a positive contributiono achieve economic well-being

Improving outcomes for children and young people also involves „narrowing the gap‟ for the most disadvantaged. Schools, parents and the local community all have a part toplay, especially in encouraging participation. Working with other agencies our schoolhas increased the support available for families and carers, and has aimed to intervenein the best interests of children before they reach crisis point. Our staff are trained touse the “Common Assessment Framework” and can make a CAF referral in order toobtain support for families from other agencies. This close working relationship with

other agencies such as health, social care, police and the voluntary sector means thatinformation about children and their families will be shared strictly on a „need to know‟basis.

School MealsMeals served at this school are cooked on the premises. A nutritionally balanced twocourse meal is served which complies with all the Government‟s guidelines for schoolmeals and is of a type which appeals to children. Themenu is displayed in our school hall and is also sent

home at the beginning of term. The price of meals iscurrently £2.00 per day. All meals should be paid forin advance, at least weekly, on the first day of theweek.

Parents are requested to put the correct money (cashor cheque) in an envelope on which is written theirchild‟s name, number and name of days for which payment is enclosed and amountenclosed. Cheques should be made payable to Suffolk County Council.

If your family gets state benefits you may be able to get extra help. The extra help will

depend on the type of benefit that you claim. If your child is about to start school andyou want to make a claim please let the school know straight away.

Children whose parents do not wish them to have school meals may bring a packedlunch. If you wish to send a drink for your child, to drink with his/her lunch then pleaseensure that it is in an unbreakable container, otherwise water is always available. Fizzydrinks are not allowed.

Water bottles are encouraged for use in the classroom.



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School UniformWe take pride in our presentation and expect all children to wear our schooluniform. Please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled. Name tapes canbe ordered through the school. Named clothing can quickly be returned if it is mislaid.Fleeces, sweatshirts, cardigans can be purchased from the school. Book bags and PE

bags are also available. Please ask in the office for the latest price list.

Girls

Grey skirt or trousers

Blue or white blouse or polo shirt

School sweatshirt or cardigan

Blue and white checked dress

Dark shoes/boots / sandals withouta heel

Change of footwear when it is wet

or muddy

Boys

Grey shorts or trousers

Blue or white shirt or polo shirt

Burgundy jumper or schoolsweatshirt

Dark sensible shoes or sandals

Change of footwear when it is wetor muddy

PE KitChildren will need a named drawstring bag containing:

Plimsolls and/or trainersShorts (black or navy)White tee shirt or polo shirtTrack suit (for cold weather)

JewelleryIn the interests of safety and security, jewellery should not be

worn in school. If your child chooses to wear a watch, theymust be responsible for looking after it. The staff can take noresponsibility for the loss of jewellery or any injury to a childarising from the wearing of jewellery, such as torn ears orfingers. Earrings can cause a particular problem in school andwe would urge parents to consider carefully before deciding tohave their child‟s ears pierced. If worn, earrings should be thesleeper type only and should not have any protrusions whichextend beyond the butterfly clip. For safety reasons we ask thatchildren are able to remove and replace their own earringsbefore participating in any PE activities.

Friends of Ixworth Primary School (FIPS)The school has an active group of parents who organise social, educational and fundraising events. Any person with a child at the school automatically becomes a memberand will be sent details of events via their child.

DogsIn the interests of hygiene and safety, dogs should not be brought into the schoolgrounds.



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ParkingParking space outside the school is very limited and the road is narrow.Please avoid bringing your car to school unless absolutely necessary. If youneed to use your car, please use the lay-by whenever possible, especially if you expectto be parked for any length of time.

Vehicles should not be driven into or out of the school grounds when children arearriving or leaving. Except in emergencies e.g. when collecting a sick child, parentsshould not use the staff car park. Please exercise extreme caution and considerationat all times when driving in Crown Lane, especially when children are entering orleaving school.

Charging and Remissions PolicyThe Governing Body reserves the right to make a charge in the followingcircumstances for activities organised by the school:

- activities taking place outside school hours

- charges for ingredients / materials if parents wish to own the finished product

The school will also invite parents to make a voluntary contribution towards the cost ofeducation visits (to cover transport and admission fees.) It is understood that it may benecessary to have substantial voluntary parental contributions in order that theproposed activity can take place. However, no child should be deprived of any activitydue to the inability of their parent to contribute. In circumstances of financial hardship which make it difficult for children to participate inparticular activities that form part of the curriculum, sympathetic consideration will begiven for remission. The Governing Body invites parents to apply in confidence to theHead teacher for the remission of charges in part or in full.

Public Access to DocumentsAccess to the following documents and information is available on request to the headteacher:

Any statutory instruments (including statutory orders for the National Curriculumsubjects). Circulars and administrative memoranda relating to the powers andduties under chapter 1 of the Education Reform ActAny published HMI/OFSTED reports concerning the school

Any schemes of work currently used by teachers in the schoolAny school policy documentsSigned copies of the minutes and agenda of meetings of the Governing BodyAny educational records maintained on pupils attending the school may beexamined by parents/guardians on request to the Head teacher.

Complaints ProceduresAny parent who has a complaint or particular worry may contact the head teacher atany time. If, however, the issue cannot be resolved in this way, it may be referred first

to a panel of governors of the school and as a last resort to a Local Authority panel forformal consideration.



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PhotographsFrom time to time children may be photographed as part of normal school activities.Any parent who does not wish their child to be included in this should make this knownto the school. Parents who do not want their children to be videoed at school plays and

performances must make this known to the school. At present, video cameras arepermitted at these events.

SafetyWe welcome all visitors to our school.

We ask all visitors to report to reception and to sign the visitors‟ book in theentrance hall.We aim to ensure that it is a safe place for pupils, staff and all other members ofthe school community.If visitors threaten or assault anyone in the school, or persist in abusive behaviour,they will be removed from the premises and may be prosecuted.

Outside doors are closed at 9 am. Children who arrive at school late should come inthrough the main entrance and report to the school office so that they can beregistered. Teachers keep a careful watch on children as they are collected from schooland we would ask that you inform us if someone different is collecting the child, or ifyou have been delayed. We are aware that some Year 4 children are encouraged bytheir parents to walk home independently. Please make the class teacher aware of this.

And finally …

We hope that this brochure has given you useful information about our school. Wewould be delighted to show you around and would ask that you phone to make anappointment.

If you require further information about Ixworth CEVCP School, please do not hesitateto contact us.

Brochure updated— September 2010