KS1 Handbook 2019 by BSAK Abu Dhabi

KS1 HANDBOOK YEAR 1 AND YEAR 2

THE BRITISH SCHOOL AL KHUBAIRAT PO Box 4001 | Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates T. +971 2 204 0200 F. +971 2 204 0201 bsakabudhabi

BSAKAbuDhabi www.britishschool.sch.ae

BSAK_AbuDhabi

Our School The British School Al Khubairat (BSAK) is Abu Dhabi’s leading British not-for-profit, co-educational day school. From Nursery to A Level (3 – 18) our dynamic school culture offers students an enriching experience and outstanding results.

Our Vision Building on our unique local heritage, we will provide a world-class British education, inspiring all our students to exceed expectations.

Our Values Empathy and Care Honesty and Integrity

Respect and Inclusivity Endeavour and Resilience

CONTENTS Welcome From Our Head Of Primary

Uniform And Appearance

Deputy Head and Assistant Head

General Rules And Regulations

Our Year Group Leaders

Attendance And Punctuality

Introduction To KS1

Healthcare And Nursing

House System

Communication From The School

Safeguarding And Counselling

BSAK Social Media

Our Code Of Conduct

Transportation

Reward Consequences Anti-Bullying

Parking And Trafﬁc Safety

Dining And Snacking

Learning Support

Library

Year 1

Year 2

WELCOME FROM OUR HEAD OF PRIMARY We are a lively, busy, happy and hardworking school where our students are helped to develop a ‘growth mind-set’ and achieve the best they can. All students in BSAK Primary School are encouraged to achieve their best in academic, sporting and creative ﬁelds, whilst at the same time developing their social skills; manners, a respect for each other and those around them, kindness, helpfulness and a willingness to participate for the beneﬁt of others. “Achievement and laughter are out trade marks!

Children are central to all we do and our school is a way of life for all students. We are in the business of teaching children to a high standard, turning them into conﬁdent and interested learners. It is not just our heritage and facilities that mark out our school; it is the atmosphere and happiness that runs throughout our community. MRS ELAINE RAWLINGS Head Of Primary

DEPUTY HEAD PETE COLLINGS

pcollings@britishschool.sch.ae

ASSISTANT HEAD JO BAILEY BLACK

jbblack@britishschool.sch.ae

OUR YEAR GROUP LEADERS

Jeffrey Payne Year 1 Leader

jpayne@britishschool.sch.ae

Chris Saunders Year 2 Leader

csaunders@britishschool.sch.ae

INTRODUCTION TO

KS1

Welcome to Key Stage 1 at BSAK. As the children move from the Early Years Foundation Stage, we carefully manage their transition into the National Curriculum of England 2014 in Years 1 and 2. Elements of Early Years provision are continued into Year 1, providing the children with familiar learning experiences, supporting them in the move to the next stage of their education whilst introducing some more formal aspects of learning in the classroom. In the early part of the year, the staff work hard to develop positive relationships with children and parents, enabling the children to settle quickly into their new class, working closely in partnership with parents to provide the best possible educational experience for each child. Your child will be nurtured and engaged by our experienced, committed teachers and support staff in exciting and age appropriate learning spaces. Their attainment and progress across the curriculum is carefully monitored and reported to you at regular intervals throughout the year so that you are fully informed of their next steps at any stage of their journey through Key Stage 1. You will have the opportunity to visit the school each term to engage with your child’s learning, whether it be a visit to the Year Group or classroom or to enjoy an assembly or show. Through SeeSaw, our digital learning platform, you will be able to engage with your child’s time in school via a ‘virtual keyhole’, providing you with the insight you require to be able to talk to your children about what they have learnt at school on any given day. This support from home is invaluable and is much appreciated by staff. The school values are continually promoted throughout the children’s time at school: in the classroom, assemblies, throughout the House System and generally around the school. Pupil voice and opportunities for leadership are fostered from an early age, with the introduction of House Captains and School Council Representatives in Year 2, allowing the children to feed back on their feelings and thoughts as to how the school can be developed. The children’s individualism and successes are celebrated with their peers and the school community and we genuinely strive to ensure your child is happy, settled and comfortable in the school environment. The learning will then follow. We very much look forward to working with you and your child and celebrating their many successes over the course of the academic year.

HOUSE

SYSTEM PRIMARY HOUSES The British School Al Khubairat follows a traditional British house system. The Houses offer a variety of opportunities which encourage team spirit, a healthy sense of competition and most importantly allow for vibrant self-expression. The House system is an integral part of life at BSAK and brings out the very best in our community. There are four houses in the Primary school, whose names are derived from an animal or bird from the Middle Eastern region: Dhabi, Oryx, Cormorant and Falcon.

Every pupil is assigned to a house on entry from Year 1 which remains with them until Year 6. All staff members are also assigned to houses. The house system in Primary is led by 2 ‘Staff Heads of House’ and by ‘House Leaders’ in Year 6. At the beginning of each Academic year, one boy and one girl are chosen to represent their house as a ‘House captains’ across Year 2-5. The house captains and leaders support staff during house assemblies and other house events. The house with the most house points for the month, celebrate by being allowed to wear their house colours i.e. Falcon wear red on a designated Thursday each month. The children with the most house points for each month are awarded a special badge and certiﬁcate and celebrate in a ‘Breakfast With The Stars’ event with the staff Heads of House.

SAFEGUARDING AND

COUNSELLING

MS PRIYA MITCHELL School Counsellor Designated Individual

MRS ELAINE RAWLINGS Head of Primary

MR MARK LEPPARD MBE Headmaster

MISS TERESA WOULFE Head of Secondary

MR PETER CHURCH Bursar

The welfare and safety of children who attend the British School Al Khubairat is our paramount concern. We will promote the health, well – being and safety of the students in all we do. Our children have the right to protection, regardless of age, gender, ability, race or social background. They have a right to be safe in our school. BSAK expects all of its employees and volunteers to share this commitment. The school recognises and understands its responsibilities to work together in partnership with other agencies both here in the UAE and the UK to help children to grow up in a healthy and safe environment. Appointments are subject to satisfactory checks including the enhanced DBS check, Prohibition check and references. If you have any concerns in this regard please contact any member of our Safeguarding Team on +971 2 204 0200 safeguarding@britishschool.sch.ae

OUR CODE

OF CONDUCT The Code of Conduct lies at the centre of everything we do in school and forms the basis of our rewards and sanctions systems. Please take time to read it through with your child. It will be discussed in detail (including the few written rules referenced below) with pupils at the beginning of term and will be constantly referred to throughout the year. We are a caring learning community, whose values are built upon mutual trust and respect for all. Every member of our school should feel safe and valued; each person should be treated well and fairly at all times. All pupils must follow the ‘Golden Rules’ of Behaviour: We are gentle We are kind and helpful We listen to each other We work hard We look after property There are three underlying principles of respect that ensure that pupils at BSAK beneﬁt from their time here and enjoy all that school has to offer. Therefore all pupils are expected to act respectfully by: “Taking care of ourselves, others and our environment” Those showing exemplary standards of behaviour and work attitude will gain recognition with special awards. They will also earn points for their Houses.

07 02

REWARDS CONSEQUENCES

ANTI-BULLYING Primary School Rewards

Golden Points are awarded for outstanding effort or acts of good conduct in school through our comprehensive reward system. On-going exemplary behavior is recognized with ‘Star of the Week’, ‘Star Conduct the Term’, Star Effort of the Term’, ‘Year Group Leader’, ‘Deputy Head’ and ‘Head Teacher’ awards. Each of these is assigned a House Point value which is logged against the pupil’s name. All children have an opportunity to receive certificates and awards in front of their peers which leads to shared celebration of success. Pupils are rewarded as individuals with stamps and certificates but their personal endeavor also adds to the ongoing House Point total for their school House. At set milestones, pupils earn House Point certificates for their accrued House Points: Bronze (15), Silver (30), Gold (45), Platinum (60) and Diamond (75). At the beginning of the next academic year, individual pupil House Point totals return to zero to provide them with fresh impetus for the new year and to enable new entrants to start from the same point as their peers. Primary School Consequences We promote and reinforce the Code of Conduct at every opportunity to maintain a positive and safe learning environment. Consequences are in place to uphold the expectations in the Code of Conduct and ensure the safety of all. We employ consequences appropriately to each individual situation. There is clear escalation of the consequence as the severity of the offence increases. We do not tolerate bullying of any kind (refer to Whole School Anti-Bullying Policy on the Parental Portal). If we discover that an act of bullying or intimidation has taken place, we act immediately to prevent any further occurrences of such behavior. We do everything in our power to ensure that all children attend school feeling safe and secure.

UNIFORM AND

APPEARANCE Students are expected to take pride in their uniform and appearance, creating a positive first impression of themselves and the school. The wearing of school uniform is mandatory and all uniform must be purchased through our official supplier, Aquarius Textiles. There will be an on-site shop from August 2019. https://issuu.com/bsakabudhabi/docs/bsak_uniform_requirements GIRLS Everyday • Light blue gingham dress: white collar and BSAK logo on front pocket • Navy blue skort/culottes with blue gingham blouse. White collar and BSAK logo on the front pocket • Navy blue cardigan/v-neck jumper with BSAK logo • White ankle socks • Shoes: black, sensible leather shoes. Other forms of footwear (ie open-toed sandals, trainers, boots or high heels) are inappro priate and not permitted for school wear. • Sun hat with BSAK logo. Any other branded caps or hats are not permitted. Winter uniform (January and February only) • Navy blue, smart, tailored trousers. Denim sportswear or casual trousers are not permitted. • Navy or white tights PE • Blue School Polo shirt with BSAK logo • Blue Shorts • Trainers: non-marking, light trainers • Waterproof PE/Swimming Bag Swimming • Plain one-piece, navy, school swimming costume • Waterproof PE/Swimming Bag • Swimming Towel • Goggles and flip flops

BOYS

Everyday • Light blue short-sleeved gingham shirt with BSAK logo on front pocket. • Navy blue shorts: pleats at the front, elastic at the back, no turn ups. • Navy Blue cardigan/v-neck jumper with BSAK logo • Navy blue ankle socks • Shoes: black, sensible leather shoes. Other forms of footwear (ie open-toed sandals, trainers or boots) are inappropriate and not permitted for school wear. • Sun hat with BSAK logo. Any other branded caps or hats are not permitted. Winter uniform (January and February only) • Navy blue, smart tailored trousers. Denim, sportswear or casual trousers are not permitted PE • Blue School Polo Shirt with BSAK logo • Blue Shorts • Trainers: non-marking, light trainers • Waterproof PE/Swimming Bag Swimming • Plain navy school swimming trunks • Waterproof PE/Swimming bag • Swimming Towel • Goggles and ﬂip ﬂops

GENERAL (GIRLS AND BOYS) • An analogue watch • BSAK Book Bag (available from Aquarious Textiles) • Lunch box (Cool box type container with frozen cool pack insert) • Pencil Case • Water bottle x 2 • Rucksack or shoulder bag • Hair longer than shoulder length must be tied up • Hair accessories should be in keeping with school colours (blue/white) • The use of dye/colouring is not permitted • Make up and nail varnish should not be worn • One pair of small, stud earrings and a watch are permitted, anything else, including friendship bands and bracelets are not permitted. • Any haircuts which detract from a neat and tidy appearance (ie patterns, close shaving, fringes over the eyes) are not permitted.

GENERAL RULES

& REGULATIONS Equipment And Keeping It Safe Please ensure all items of clothing and all personal property eg school bag, PE/Swimming bag, book bag, lunch box, water bottle, hat, jumper and pencil case are clearly marked with your child’s name and class. Lost Property Lost property is stored inside the Jubilee Building between the Arabic Office and French classroom. Items Not Allowed In School Knives, laser pens, chewing/bubble gum, large amounts of money (if not for a specific purpose eg a sponsored event or trip payment, in which case it is to be passed immediately to your class teacher), sweets or fizzy drinks, glass bottles, cans, nuts, personal music players, mobile phones, jewellery (other than one small pair of stud earrings for girls) including friendship bands and bracelets, aerosols, correction fluid, expensive toys or computer games. Students Requesting to Phone Home Primary Reception regularly receives requests to phone home for items such as children’s forgotten homework, folders, PE kit, swimming kit, pencil cases, instruments. As part of a child’s development, we teach responsibility and we would therefore appreciate your support in encouraging your child to remember the items necessary for lessons/after school activities. Phone calls home will be allowed for items such as forgotten lunch boxes or for items of sporting equipment which may be needed from a safety aspect ie gum shield or shin pads however, phone calls will not be permitted for general PE or swim kits. However, please be assured that discretion will be used with all requests. School Planner Your child will be provided with a school planner. It will be an integral part of school life and should be looked after and used effectively each day. Pupils and parents will be given guidelines on how to use the planner at the beginning of term.

ATTENDANCE AND

PUNCTUALITY Regular attendance and punctuality are a prerequisite for student progress and a vital preparation for adult life. It is essential that students form good habits with regard to attendance and punctuality early in life. In the interests of student welfare, attendance and punctuality records are logged electronically and monitored regularly. Future schools, universities and employers will refer to these records when considering applications. The First Day Back On the ﬁrst day back at school pupils will need to be dropped off with their class teacher in the classroom at 7.40am. We encourage independence in your children in the Primary School so please say goodbye and let them settle into their new surroundings - you do not need to stay in the classroom or year group areas. The teachers and teaching assistants will be there to support them. At the end of the day, children must be collected from their classrooms at 2.20pm (1.20pm on Thursday). Please ensure you are punctual when collecting your child each day. We ask that Parents do not enter the year group areas until 2.15pm and that children are escorted from these areas as soon as possible. At the beginning of the year, you will be asked which designated adult will collect your child each day. Please notify your child’s class teacher if there is any planned change to your child’s normal collection routine. If arrangements change on the day of collection, please phone Reception at the earliest opportunity so that we may convey the message to the class teacher. Alternatively, you may email the class teacher directly. Please note that pupils must be collected by an adult and therefore no child can be released into the care of an elder sibling who is a student at BSAK. Late Arrival If your child arrives in school after 7.40am, please report to Reception with your child. The class register will then be updated. Your child may then move to lessons. First Day of Absence If your child is unwell, going to be late or cannot make it into school for any other reason, please contact Reception before 8.30am. The number for Reception is: 02 446 2280 Option 1 – (Nursery to Year 6 – Primary Receptionist) or Option 3 – Absent (answer machine to leave a message).

Alternatively you may send an email to primaryabsent@britishschool.sch.ae detailing your child’s name, class and reason for absence/lateness. It is only necessary to call on the first day of absence. If we do not hear from you, we will try to call you. However, if there are many absentees, this can be a long process and may delay our Receptionist from discovering if there is an emergency issue. After a period of absence, please ensure that your child has a note, or send an email to primaryabsent@britishschool.sch.ae formally explaining their absence. If you do not confirm a child’s absence and provide a reason, this will be noted as an unauthorized absence. Request for children to leave school early If your child has an appointment with the doctor or dentist or has to leave school during school time for any other reason, please notify your child’s class teacher accordingly. Please notify the Primary Receptionist if you collect your child early for any reason so that a note detailing that he/she is no longer on the premises may be added to the class register for safety reasons. Late Collection The official end of the day is 2.20pm (1.20pm on Thursday). Shortly after this time, any child who has not been collected will be taken to the Primary Reception area to enable the teacher to start the next part of his/her working day; leading after school clubs, marking, attending meetings, planning and preparing resources. The Receptionist will log the child’s name in the ‘Late Collection’ log and will endeavor to contact parents to confirm collectionarrangements. Please ensure that children are collected on time at 2.20pm (1.20pm on Thursday) as late collection has a negative impact on the smooth running of the school and in particular, the co-curricular activities programme. The same procedure will be followed for late pick up after co-curricular clubs.

HEALTHCARE

AND NURSING The Clinic opening times are as follows: Sunday – Wednesday 7.30am – 2.30pm (nurse available until 5pm for anything urgent during after school clubs and sports) Thursday 7.30am – 1.30pm (nurse available until 3pm for anything urgent during after school clubs sports) School Telephone Number – 02 204 0200 Email – nurses@britishschool.sch.ae

The school clinic at BSAK is staffed by a team of HAAD registered school nurses and professional administrators. The nurses main role is to provide first aid and/or emergency care to all students and to ensure the safety of children at all times. When To Keep Your Child At Home BSAK has a policy for when children are unwell. Please see the School website for certain illness’s that require you to keep your children at home. BSAK Healthcare Contact Details For Parents When children become unwell in school and parents need to be contacted, it is important to ensure that parental contact details on our system are correct, as these are used when we call you in an emergency. Your contact details can be updated via the Parental Portal. Collecting Your Child From The School Clinic If you receive a call about your child who needs to either go home or be seen by a Doctor, we request that you collect your child as promptly as possible. We suggest that within 1 hour is an acceptable time frame, however, we appreciate that this may not always be possible. If parents are unable to collect their child, they should notify the Nurse of the details of another person who is able to collect them. Children must sign out at Reception with their parent in order to receive an exit pass to leave the school premises. Healthy Eating and Food Policy BSAK promotes Healthy Eating and we are a Nut free school. Please see the School website for our Nut and Prohibited Food Policy. Medical Information for School Trips At the start of each year each child is issued with a Medical Sports and Trip form for that academic year. It is an ADEK requirement that we receive a form for every student.

COMMUNICATION FROM

THE SCHOOL

We believe that communication is vital in strengthening the partnership between students, teachers and parents. Particular concerns regarding individual student’s progress may be communicated by teachers via telephone or email. Regular communication is maintained via SeeSaw, email and the student planner. More details regardingAssessment these will be provided at the Parent Information Evening over the first two weeks. All physical activities and games will be assessed

and criteria shared with students. Students will be

encouraged to be part of this process and will have Reports are delivered each term via the Parent Portal. many self and peer assessment opportunities via video analysis. Students will also have a theoretical Parent Portal examination during term 3 (Exam week), which will The ‘BSAK Parent Portal’ will help keep you up-to-date data the school holdsScience on allow us to with assessthe their knowledge of Sports your child, as well as important information about what is goingconcepts on at thethat school. Features and the theoretical underpin sporting performance. include; a daily bulletin; school calendar; Newsletters and other information documents;

your child’s timetable; rewards your child receives; exam timetables and results; Skills Developed assessment and reports; links to staff contact details; ability to update contact details A range of skills are developed and refined with a yourself. key focus on team work, collaboration, tactics and

strategies. Students are also encouraged to analyse

their performance usingcan ICT. be accessed via Ideally, it is advisable to check the portal once a week. The portal the school website, or by using the direct link: https://parents.britishschool.sch.ae

Equipment Needed PE and House Kit, Games socks, shin pads, You will be provided with the necessary registration codestrainers. if you are new to the school. football boots,

For further support please contact isams@britishschool.sch.ae.

Kit Policy At will BSAK we have a easier policy for where There are iOS and Android Apps. These Apps make it even youall tostudents access are expected to bring a kit to every lesson. If they are information and be kept up-to-date about your child. The Apps will also feature push injured or unwell, they must have a parental note notiﬁcations. that excuses them from the practical element of the lesson. However, they must still get changed and they will develop their coaching and leadership skills. Setting Students will be set in both Physical Education

BSAK

SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOW US

We have a wide following on our School Social Media channels, which form an implortant part of our overall communication strategy for parents and wider School community.

@BSAKAbuDhabi

@BSAKAbuDhabi @BSAKParentCummunity @BSAKOAKS

For those on Twitter, stay up to date with the latest news of the whole School or choose an area of interest from the wide range of Twitter Handles shown overleaf. As you can see, our BSAK stories are provided directly by every department. Follow our BSAK Abu Dhabi Facebook page and Instagram feed for highlights of the week’s event and fabulous photos. Join our closed Parent Community Group for a friendly place to connect with other parents, ask questions, and keep up to date with events.

@bsak_abudhabi

BSAK OAKS is our Alumni site where old friends stay in touch and share news and events. The British School Al Khubairat

Connect with our community of staff, parents and Alumni on LinkedIn

TWITTER

HANDLES FOLLOW US

@BSAKAbuDhabi @BSAKheadmaster

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

GENERAL

@BSAKAbuDhabi @BSAKnursery @BSAKreception @BSAKyear1 @BSAKyear2 @BSAKyear3 @BSAKyear4 @BSAKyear5 @BSAKyear6

@BSAKsecHead @BSAKsecondary @BSAKyear7 @BSAKyear8 @BSAKyear9 @BSAKyear10 @BSAKyear11 @BSAKsixthform

@BSAKsports @BSAKadmissions @BSAKdofe @BSAKlibrary @BSAKnursing @BSAKphse @BSAKspecialEdu

@BSAKprimArabic @BSAKprimMaths @BSAKprimSports @BSAKdigitalEdu @BSAKprimLangs

@BSAKarabic @BSAKart @BSAKbiology @BSAKbusiness @BSAKchemistry @BSAKcomputing @BSAKdrama @BSAKdt @BSAKenglish @BSAKfoodtech @BSAKgeography @BSAKhistory @BSAKmediadept @BSAKmaths @BSAKmusic @BSAKmfl @BSAKphotography @BSAKphysics @BSAKpsychology @BSAKscience

HOUSES @BSAKcormorant @BSAKdhabi @BSAKfalcon @BSAKoryx @BSAKcentaur @BSAKchimera @BSAKgriffin @BSAKhydra @BSAKpegasus @BSAKphoenix

ALUMNI @BSAKoaks

TRANSPORTATION BSAK runs an excellent School Bus service which is provided by our new partner, Shanawaz Transport Services. Shanawaz operate a large Fleet of buses, all 32 Seat in size. The buses are equipped with point seat belts, internal and external CCTV and have GPS location systems. Parents have access to an App where they can view the time their child boarded and disembarked the School Bus and can see, in real time, the exact location of the School Bus their child is travelling on. The bus company is regularly inspected, is compliant with at DoT and ADEK Regulations and drivers and supervisors are professionally trained and certified. There is only one drop off in the morning for the start of School and one afternoon pick up once School has finished. Many pick-up and drop-off locations, both inside and outside Abu Dhabi city limits are offered. In order to support a consistently good service at an affordable price, ADEK have introduced a cap on school bus fees, reducing them, with immediate effect to AED 5,000 per annum. All payments for the School Bus should be made directly to the BSAK accounts department. For details of available pick up and drop off locations, please contact Shanawaz Transport at bsakbus@shanawazgroup.com. If you would like to speak to a member of staff, please contact The Clubs, Trips and Transport Officer, Mrs Carol Gray on Transport@britishschool.sch.ae.

PARKING & TRAFFIC SAFETY AT BSAK Airport Road Residential Villas

Parking Zones Drop-Off/Pick-Up Zones

Waiting Zone

Street 17

St.Andrews Church

St. Joseph School Church

British School Al Khubairat

Street 1

Umm Al Emarat Park

Mosque

Secondary

No stopping

Primary

Umm Ammar Girls School

Evangelical Community Church

Cross Here

ONE WAY

Al Yasat Compound

Karamah Street

We spent a year discussing and agreeing on a set of traffic rules.

THIS IS OUR COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER One Way: It’s one way ﬂow on the road outside the Primary entrance and St Joseph’s School.

Drop-off / Pick-up Zones: These are near the Primary and Secondary entrances. • Parking or waiting is not allowed in these zones • Nursery – Y2 children must be accompanied. From Y3 up, children enter alone • Drivers should move on and wait in the Waiting Zone rather than park and wait on the road • Drivers should be notiﬁed by phone to pick up carers

Red Cones: Red cones indicate no stopping.

Pedestrian Crossing: Please do not ever stop, drop or park on or near the crossings.

Traffic Safety Team: The Trafﬁc Safety team is here to help us, for the safety of everyone. Please remember to be patient, drive slowly and respect each other and the rules.

Parking on the roadside is at the car owner’s risk. The Dept of Transport decree (2011/5/31) states that stopping is only allowed here between 6.30am – 9.00am and 12.00pm – 4.00pm

Your Feedback Matters To Us Please contact us on Trafﬁc@britishschool.sch.ae

DINING AND

SNACKING From September there will be a new dining facility in Primary run by Food Nation. There are plans to investigate whether Year 2 children will be able to use these facilities later in the academic year. More information will follow on this. At the beginning of the year there is a ‘Back to School’ event which will give you the opportunity to come in to school to sign up for Transport, Dining, Outside Provider Clubs ie H2O, PASS etc. The new uniform supplier will also be available then.

LEARNING SUPPORT The school values the abilities and achievements of all children and strives to meet the learning needs of every child. Lesson planning provides for differentiated learning tasks to make the curriculum accessible to all children, and to enable each child to make personal progress. If a teacher has concerns about any child’s personal progress, he/she will share these concerns with you. Likewise if you as a parent have concerns about your child, please speak to your child’s teacher at the earliest opportunity. Most learning needs can be met through class differentiation and by the teacher’s professional skills in managing a mixed ability class. However, if a teacher has more specific concerns about aspects of a child’s learning they may seek support from our Learning Support Department. The learning support team work with children within the classroom setting and through short periods of individual or group work away from the class. If the school feels your child will benefit from such support you will be fully involved in the process and begin to have regular review meetings with the learning support teacher. Partnership with parents plays a key role in enabling children with learning difficulties to achieve their potential. We recognise that parents hold key information and have knowledge and experience to contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs and the best ways of supporting them. The school will have regard to the UK Code of Practice when carrying out its responsibilities toward all children needing learning support.

LIBRARY BSAK Primary Library boasts over 30,000 titles by world renowned children’s authors. Spread out over two floors, the library is a treasure trove for curious young minds and contains a host of fiction and non-fiction books on topics ranging from dinosaurs to fairy tales. Our dedicated Librarians arm young learners with the tools they need to become responsible and capable library citizens through our fun and interactive library skills programme which begins at FS1. At BSAK we understand the importance of parent and guardian involvement in children’s development, therefore parents are encouraged to visit and borrow from the library daily. On any given morning and afternoon, parents, grandparents and guardians can be seen reading to children in our library. We believe that promoting this sense of BSAK community spirit is what helps to foster a love of life-long learning in our young library users.

YEAR 1 On behalf of everyone here in Year 1, we want to extend our warmest wishes for the year ahead. We are delighted to have you joining us and look forward to working in partnership to make this a happy and productive time for your children. This will be another exciting year in your child’s learning journey where they will be provided with new learning opportunities and activities in a culture of discovery and innovation. We will try to nurture a growth mindset in all and be true to our BSAK aim of exceeding expectations. We feel privileged to be part of your child’s education and are excited to get to know them. We want them to be happy and proud and will endeavour to ﬁll their days with purpose, challenge and plenty of fun. Theme Days, Costumes and Trips Term 1 Festive Singing National Day Celebrations Term 2 Sports Day Term 3 Little World Science Trip World Book Day Space show

YEAR 2 On behalf of the Year 2 team we would like to extend a warm welcome and best wishes for the new academic year. In Year 2 we believe in a strong parent partnership in order to create a fun, creative and challenging learning experience for your children. With our assistance, the children will continue on their learning journey building on the strong foundations that have already been put in place. The children will continue to beneﬁt from many exciting learning opportunities based on the UK and the UAE Curriculum. Along the way, we will encourage the growth of their ability to collaborate with empathy, to work independently, to have conﬁdence in their own ability, to maintain a positive mind-set and to develop good organisational skills. We feel these elements are vital tools to help the children thrive in the ever changing demands of a technological environment. The information in this handbook will hopefully give you a feel for the experiences that the children will gain during their time in Year 2. It is there for your reference throughout the year but please feel free to contact your child’s class teacher if you have any questions or concerns. Finally, thank you for all the support you will be giving your children throughout their time in Year 2. It will be a privilege on our part to be a part of their education and to watch them progress during this important stage of their education. Theme Days and Costumes and Trips Term 1 National Day Celebrations Festive Show Term 2 Sports Day Little World Science Trip Amazing Animal Day Term 3 World Book Day Shangri La Chocolate Trip