Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
Prospectus & School Information
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus Dear Parents, Brooklands Farm is ‗Weaving a Learning Journey‘. As it grows and develops it seeks out excellence to build firm foundations to inspire the future generations of learners. We do not know what this journey will hold but we do know that we hold on tight to the golden threads of the child, parent and the community. At Brooklands Farm Primary School we aim to:
OPEN...hearts, minds, eyes, ears, dialogue. GROW...talents, mindsets, skills, knowledge, relationships. BELIEVE...I can, we can and you can. Everybody in our school has the right to:
Know Know Know Know Know Know Know
they are precious and that we will protect them. that they will grow and grow to reach their life dreams. that they will be taught to be the best they can be whatever they wish to do. they belong and their differences are recognised and celebrated. that family is important. they will be listened too. our school will act as advocates and protect our communities rights to thrive.
Brooklands Farm Primary School considers the UN Rights of Children to be central to everything we do. Its guiding framework provides a clear message. Children come first, they are precious and have amazing capabilities that need to be nurtured and grown. The following prospectus is set out under the UN rights of children framework and aims to provide you with initial information about our school and how you and your child will be central to all we achieve.
Maxine Low.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus Contents
All children have a right to be listened to: ................................................................................................. 4 Restorative Principles ............................................................................................................................ 4 Equal Opportunities ............................................................................................................................... 4 Freedom of Information ........................................................................................................................ 4 Understand all children are precious......................................................................................................... 5 Well Being. ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Behaviour ............................................................................................................................................... 6 All children should be able to grow ........................................................................................................... 7 Good Attendance at School ................................................................................................................... 7 Limited Absence ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Solutions found to problems that may prevent your child from attending school. .............................. 8 Healthy Meals ........................................................................................................................................ 8 All children have the right to be taught to be the best they can be at whatever they may wish to do. 10 Personalised Learning. ......................................................................................................................... 10 All children have a right to play and rest ................................................................................................. 11 Timetable of the Day............................................................................................................................ 11 Curriculum............................................................................................................................................ 12 PE Curriculum....................................................................................................................................... 12 Outdoor Classrooms. ........................................................................................................................... 13 School Trips - Igniting Learning ............................................................................................................ 13 Charging Policy ..................................................................................................................................... 14 All children have the right to belong. ...................................................................................................... 15 Special Education Needs at Brooklands Farm School .......................................................................... 15 Supporting Children with SEN .............................................................................................................. 15 Medical needs. ..................................................................................................................................... 15 We all have the right to live in family unit to ensure that we thrive. ...................................................... 16 Community Cohesion ........................................................................................................................... 16 A right never to be hurt by those who may wish to use cruelty against them. ...................................... 17 Security ................................................................................................................................................ 17 Dropping off and collection ................................................................................................................. 17 All children have the right to be watched over to ensure they thrive across all the areas of health, emotional, social, economic well-being, as well as academic achievement and access the resources that ensure they thrive. ........................................................................................................................... 18 Health and Safety ................................................................................................................................. 18 Collective Worship ............................................................................................................................... 19 3
Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
All children have a right to be listened to: As a head teacher this right is my biggest passion. When a child comes to our school we will see them as being ‘strong powerful learners’, ‘leaders for future generations’. Children ask big questions that really matter, they are not scared to challenge the status quo. I believe it is our duty as a school to listen carefully to what they have to say and encourage them to reach for goals that us as adults are yet to comprehend. Listening is an active verb we therefore plan for listening throughout all we do: Children’s Parliament , school council, weekly pupil voice, child leaders across the school, check in and out circles, learning conferences.
Restorative Principles Your child will be required to apply restorative principles to all the relationships they develop in school. These principles recognise that mistakes are made in our day to day interactions. Friendships often change and are dynamic. We may also work alongside people we may disagree with. However we are part of one learning community and our strength will be in our ability to find solutions. Children will be taught how to resolve conflict and leaders throughout the school will support adults and children alike to seek solutions.
Equal Opportunities The school operates an equal opportunities policy for pupils, staff and parents. We aim to provide equality of opportunity, access and outcome for all children regardless of their gender, ability and their ethnic, linguistic, emotional, social and cultural background. Our curriculum is carefully planned to consider the individual child‘s needs. Each child is an important and valued member of our community and we aim to create opportunities whereby each child can enhance self-esteem.
Freedom of Information Our school upholds the values of Openness — Transparency Grow — Relationship Believe — in sharing The Freedom of information Act is therefore a crucial policy that sets our values in statue.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
Understand all children are precious. We pick them up when they fall down and give them the tools they need to make them happy.
Well Being. At Brooklands Farm we measure your child‘s well-being throughout the day and over time. Good well being is essential if your child is to thrive as a learner. A child who believes they can ...will. To ensure all children achieve this balance between intellectual and emotional /social ability we again track their progress in these areas. Children will be given planned opportunities daily and whole school opportunities to develop and refine their ability to communicate and form recipricol relationships with those around them. We will use the principles of ‘Restorative Justice‘ BE open GROW dialogue BELIEVE in change Children begin and end the day with check in and out circles where they get to really know the other children in their class socially. Brooklands Farm has careful transition and induction programmes to ensure children are happy from the start, laying down positive roots. To ensure this we will:Ensure your child receives an induction process tailored to meet their needs. Provide a key worker in the school that you can build a trusting relationship with. Open evenings and learning forums will provide you with a space to learn more about the curriculum your child receives. 5
Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus You and your child will be invited to celebrate when your child achieves their targets. Staff will listen to you if you have a worry or concern and find a solution wherever possible.
Behaviour (Full policy detail is available in school.) ―Good behaviour is a necessary condition for effective learning to take place‖ We require all children at Brooklands Farm Primary to respect the need for our learning community to be a well ordered and respectful place for all with clear routines. Our school has adopted a very clear ―positive praise‖ approach to behaviour management. We emphasise respectful relationships, respect, truth, honesty and the ability to turn behaviour around when mistakes are made! Golden rules are displayed throughout the school and within each classroom to ensure children are very clear of the expectations of behaviour in our learning community. Very clear procedures are in place for children who do not conform to the rules of the school. All members of staff are aware of the consequences they must apply to be consistent with pupils. Senior members of staff observe the behaviour of pupils across the school at all times of the day to ensure policy is applied consistently and fairly, We do expect parents to work in partnership with us and any concerns that need to be brought to parents‘ attention will be promptly so that the child receives a consistent message from home and school.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus All children should be able to grow and grow and grow until they are grown ups and make decisions for themselves. Until this time it is our duty as adults to ensure the following -
Good Attendance at School We ask that children are brought to school and collected by people familiar to the school. Children under the age of 16 will not be allowed to pick children up. If you change familiar arrangements at any time you must inform the school by telephone or in writing. Attendance is crucial to your child for filling their potential. We ask that if children are unable to attend school that you contact us immediately. It is the schools policy to phone all parents of non attending children each morning. Please ensure your child is not late into school as lessons start promptly at 8.40am with maths, reading and phonic work. If your child misses this teaching they may not achieve their potential in maths, reading and writing. We work very closely with the Education Welfare Officer and all non attending or consistent late arrivals will be followed up promptly.
Limited Absence If your child is unwell they should be kept at home. It is vital to contact the school office to explain their absence before 9.00am where possible. The school operates a policy to contact parents on first day of absence if there has been no explanation of absence. This is in the interest of health, safety and the education of your child. We ask you to keep your child at home until they are fully fit and to allow 48 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea before returning to school. All children thrive on routine it is therefore essential to your child‘s happiness and development that they attend every day. If your child has a period of persistent absence we are able to refer them to a number of agencies to ensure the barriers causing absence are removed promptly.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
Solutions found to problems that may prevent your child from attending school. We aim to deal with any problems or complaints promptly, thoroughly, confidentially and sensitively. Please speak to your child‘s class teacher if you experience any problems or queries. If you are not satisfied with the answer, the matter should be brought to the attention of the Head teacher. If it is not resolved by this means, you are able to write to the Chair of Governors so that the matter can be brought to the attention of the Governing body. The LEA publishes detailed guidelines on this procedure.
If you have any complaints with regard to staff, other parents or similar the school upholds all guidance on equality and will take action to resolve conflict, discrimination or inequality where it occurs. On a practical basis we use the strategies of ―Restorative Justice‖ to find resolution when needed. We expect the adults in our community to seek resolution when issues occur. Application for leave of absence should always be made for all appointments, family events or similar. Our school follows government guidance closely and therefore urge you not to take holiday leave in term time. Full details are available from the office.
Healthy Meals Our school has a purpose built kitchen which provides nutritional hot meals for children at both our school and those in the surrounding area. We engage our resident chef in extended activities both through the curriculum and through joint projects with parents. To ensure we make our kitchen sustainable we would ask parents to consider using this high quality service. Lunches will be provided in a calm home like atmosphere. We sit children in family groups where older children are expected to care and nurture younger children. Older children set the table and staff encourage discussion and foster lunchtime as a social event. If your child brings a packed lunch please ensure it is healthy. Children are not be allowed to eat chocolate or drink fizzy drinks lunchtimes and we ask that you support this policy.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus To maximise pupil‘s potential to learn we believe that access to fresh water and fruit snacks are essential. Each pupil is encouraged to manage their health needs to ensure they are in their ―learning zone‖. Our learning mentor will support children to achieve this with a healthy breakfast and snack if your child is deemed to need their support. Break time snacks of free fruit are provided in KS1. KS2 parents may send a healthy snack in for their children to have at break time.
Our school has been designed to be accessible to all. However in line with our accessibility plan we continually review the needs of our pupils and other uses to ensure they can thrive within our environment. Do not hesitate to contact the school to discuss this further.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
All children have the right to be taught to be the best they can be at whatever they may wish to do. Personalised Learning. Each child‘s learning journey is special to them. At our school we realise that to ensure each child excels we need to know each child as an individual learner. At Brooklands Farm Primary school we will track your child‘s progress on a 6 weekly basis. All teachers will be required to discuss your child‘s progress with a senior member of staff. At this point if there are any concerns about the progress your child is making we may adjust the ‗learning diet‘ they are receiving. Our curriculum is built to ensure we monitor closely the developmental steps your child takes. Our teachers are continually monitoring the current step your child is taking and support them to the next level. This journey is not linear but each child must make progress and achieve at least the national average expectation. We believe in ‗anytime, anywhere ‗learning. Children learn all the time in every environment. The greatest and most powerful partnership is the one between home and school. Parents are the main educators in their child‘s lifelong learning journey. Our school has an absolute determination to work in partnership with parents. We will share our knowledge of your child in our environment and how we support them so that you can plan their life opportunities.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
All children have a right to play and rest Example Timetable of the Day for Foundation Stage Our day starts at 8.40am. Children must arrive on time. Doors therefore open at 8.30am. 8.40 - Hello/Well Being 9.05 - Literacy 9.15 – Children‘s Parliament, planning our learning 9.20 – Child initiated learning 10.45 – Children‘s Parliament, Reflect and review 11.00 – Phonics 11.45 – Lunch 1.00 – Maths 1.20 - Children‘s Parliament, planning our learning 1.30 – Child initiated learning 3.00 – Children‘s Parliament, Reflect and review 3.15 – Well Being 3.30 - Home
Example Timetable of the Day for Years 1-6 Our day starts at 8.40am. Children must arrive on time. Doors therefore open at 8.30am. 8.40 - 9.05am - Reading /Well Being 9.05 - 10.05am - Maths 10.05 - 10.25am - Assembly 10.25 - 10.45am - Break 10.45 - 12.15pm - Literacy – Various reading and writing activities 1.45 – 2.20pm - Cross Curricular Projects 2.20 – 2.35pm - Break 2.35 - 3.20pm - Cross Curricular Projects 3.20 - 3.30pm - Reflect and Review 11
Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus Times will be adjusted per year group and for individual learners when the need arises. Children in Years 2-6 also have Enrichment sessions. During these sessions children will develop skills in the art, music, drama and dance and be taught by specialist teachers. Peripatetic music sessions are also booked at this time to allow children to explore a musical talent in-depth.
Curriculum The curriculum at Brooklands Farm Primary School is designed so that children become competent communicators, readers, writers, mathematicians and thinkers. Our curriculum teaches children resilience, persistence, reciprocity and team work. It is equally balanced with our passionate desire to ensure children enjoy their own learning. We know children make the most progress when they are inspired by the content of their curriculum. Three distinct pathways have been designed to ensure enjoyment and achievement comes together successfully. They are as follows1. Whole school projects that explore sustainability - scientifically, socially and economically. 2. Year group projects that ignite age appropriate topics providing meaningful cross curricular links. 3. Key skills lessons in literacy, numeracy and science ensuring they are building skills and knowledge.
PE Curriculum Your child will receive 2 hours of curriculum timetabled PE a week. Your child will be informed of the days they are timetabled. Please ensure a PE kit is on site at all times. A PE kit and bag can be purchased from the school.
Your child will be involved in outdoor PE all year round as our school is lucky enough to have an all weather pitch in its grounds. Please ensure your child is provided with a tracksuit once the weather changes. Our school is able to offer 5 hours of PE per week if your child attends the various lunchtime and afterschool sports clubs. A timetable is provided half termly.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
Outdoor Classrooms. We are extremely privileged in our school to have access to outdoor classrooms. Your child will be learning in the various spaces provided. Writing Area – Children will sit in a Roald Dahl writing hut, make doorways to step through into different settings and climb the Story Mountains when adding structure to their creative writing. Art and DT room – We have designed an outdoor art room for children to become involved in large scale paintings and sculpture. Sand area – We will develop an understanding of physics, engineering as well as archelogical digs in this area. Outdoor theatre — Our theatre will provide the backdrop to the schools magnificent performances. It is surrounded by allotments where we will grow and sell our own vegetables, fruits and flowers. Habitat areas – We will build dens, bug hunt and provide sustainable habitat areas in this classroom. YOUR CHILD WILL NEED A WATERPROOF COAT IN SCHOOL AT ALL TIMES. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOUR CHILD WILL GET DIRTY WHEN USING THESE OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS. COATS SHOULD BE EASILY WASHABLE. PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR CHILD WITH WELLIES OR OUTDOOR SHOES.
School Trips – Visits - Visitors Igniting Learning It is the policy of our school to learn and be connected to our local community. We believe that igniting learning by linking it to the world around children is highly effective. For this reason we take pupils our on trips regularly. We will:Always seek your written approval. Ensure it fits with the curriculum your child is receiving. Always undertake the required risk assessments in line with MKC policy. These are always available for parents to read before the trip takes place. Your comments are fed into the process. Always allocate a person in charge of the trip. Ensure that those people supporting the trip are fully briefed beforehand.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus School trips are expensive! Our school policy is to pay for the majority of the costs within the allocated budget the school receives for curriculum delivery. At times we ask for voluntary contributions and for these trips we are reliant on your support before these can take place. Some trips occur with very little notice. However we never want to miss an opportunity so rarely turn them down. However we do always follow the above guidance.
Charging Policy A charge will be made for any activity which the LEA or Governing Body arranges and for which a charge may be made as set out in the Education Acts where the activity takes place wholly or mainly outside the school session time. Where educational activities are provided by a third party its charges will be passed on to the parents of the participating pupils. We are strong advocates of inclusion and therefore aim to support involvement for all where cost may be an issue. In these circumstances please contact the school.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
All children have the right to belong. All children have a right for their differences to be recognised.
Special Education Needs at Brooklands Farm School Our aim is that every child should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. All staff will work hard to plan for each individual‘s needs, providing work appropriate to the children. It may be appropriate at times for children to work in small groups or individually to enable them to make the best possible progress. Teachers will keep detailed records about children's achievements and attainments and match work to individuals' abilities whenever possible. Children‘s progress will be monitored closely and their attainment will be tracked regularly to ensure that all their needs are met.
Supporting Children with SEN We also have access to a variety of external agencies to help us support children. These include: Early Years Specialists, a Special Educational Needs and Disability Inclusion Service, a Primary behaviour Support team, an Educational Psychology Service. When necessary the school will seek advice to assess children and see whether there is either a specific need or, alternatively, something specific we can do to address the child's need. A referral to the Educational Psychologist or other external agency would only ever be made with parental consent. Children are informally assessed as they move through school. Should it arise that a teacher is concerned about a child's progress there would be communication with parents before any decisions are made about whether or not to formalise a programme of support. Part of this might be the drawing up of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which would be discussed and agreed with parents regularly. Miss Esom is presently the school's Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and if you do have questions or concerns about special needs matters please feel free to contact her at the school.
Medical needs. If your child has an ongoing medical condition, please ensure the school is fully aware so that we can make your child comfortable during the school day. If your child requires medication during the day please hand this into the school office. Medication should be well labelled with your child‘s name and necessary instructions. You are required to complete and sign a form to authorise the administration of medication, this can be done in the school office. If your child is ill it is always better that they stay at home to recover. If you are unsure of the incubation times for certain illnesses please ask at the office.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
We all have the right to live in family unit to ensure that we thrive. We have a right to many different definitions of family to be recognised.
Community Cohesion Our school is the first building on the block of a brand new community. Most families are not only new to the area but new to Milton Keynes. Building a community that knows each other well and supports each other to settle and grow roots so that they can thrive is vital to children‘s well being. We do not yet know who our community will be and what it will look like! However we promise we will act as your advocate, listen to your ideas and support the development of relationships. However to date we have acted on what we do knowWe are open from 8am-6pm term time only. We are engaging with groups to provide holiday club provision. We have drop in sessions run by parents for parents. Music Toddler sessions. Child minder network meetings. PTA events throughout the year. Parent forums to ensure the school are listening carefully to want parents want.
There will be more to come and we are excited about extending the opportunities to build a strong community where all children are safe to flourish.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
A right never to be hurt by those who may wish to use cruelty against them. Our school works with a range of professionals to ensure your child thrives. We recognise that life experiences can often create barriers for children to access the world around them. Please always inform the school as we are often able to signpost you to someone who can help and the earlier life experiences are dealt with the quicker a child is able to deal with them. Children are often more resilient than adults! The local authority requires Head teacher‘s to report any obvious or suspected cases of child abuse – which includes non-accidental injury, severe physical neglect, emotional abuse and/or sexual abuse. All schools follow the same set procedures and these are intended to protect children at risk.
Security In the interest of safety for everyone, all callers (including parents during school session times) MUST report to the school office before proceeding round the school. Visitors are required to sign in and out of school. If you need to collect your child for an appointment you must call at the office where a member of staff will contact your child for you. Children are not allowed off the school premises unaccompanied. Parents who support in classrooms must have CRB clearance beforehand.
Dropping off and collection All Foundation and KS1 children are expected to be dropped off and collected from their classrooms. You must inform the school of the designated person for your child as we will not allow children to go home with an unauthorised person. KS2 pupils will be released from their classrooms to find the designated person who is collecting them. They will not be allowed to leave the school site until they have located this adult.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
All children have the right to be watched over to ensure they thrive across all the areas of health, emotional, social, economic well-being, as well as academic achievement and access the resources that ensure they thrive. That ―safeguarding children is not just about child protection.‖ Our school will never work in isolation to achieve these aspirations. Parents are our most important leaders in safeguarding their children‘s rights to thrive. Our role is to support parents in this challenging role. In our school the following safeguarding approaches are used: At our school all adults working with children or volunteering support for children undertake police checks to ensure they do not have a criminal background. However this is never a substitute for monitoring relationships and senior staff consider this role to be vital in keeping children safe. It is important that you and your child feel happy and settled when you become part of Brooklands Farm learning community. Our school has a strong anti-bullying policy. We expect all of our community to act to stamp out discriminatory, bullying or harassing behaviour. Our key words are:STOP—Tell them to stop THINK— How can a solution be found? BE RESPONSIBLE—Tell someone, change your behaviour
Health and Safety The school complies with national and local guidelines on matters of health and safety. We regularly check all areas of the school and equipment to ensure a safe environment. An organised safety inspection of the school is carried out each term. A series of emergency procedures also exist to cover a range of hazardous situations such as fire, bomb alert and severe weather. Children and adults are expected to follow health and safety rules:· Take responsibility for the safety of themselves and others with whom they work,
· Observe all the health and safety rules of the school. These will be discussed with the children. · Listen to and follow the instructions of any member of staff especially in an emergency. School staff have attended the Emergency First Aid in school training courses and will administer first aid for minor injuries, A note will be given to you if this has occurred, For more serious injuries i.e. Head injuries, we will make every effort to contact you. 18
Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus All children have the right to say prayers in their own words to their own gods in accordance to the ways of their own people.
Collective Worship Our school believes strongly that the moral, spiritual, cultural, social values and belief of our society must be represented and celebrated. This is achieved through the curriculum and daily opportunities for collective worship.
Brooklands Farm children have created a Reflection room in which they either pray, pause and take time to think in. This space is very important to our children. Daily assemblies allow us to celebrate our community and the cultural and religious diversity within it. Our School Prayer: You weave a pattern in my life Sometimes the threads are light And sometimes the threads are dark You pick up the stitch if I drop it You repair the stitch that breaks Always you are there Threading and weaving your love and care.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
Home-School Agreement
Please read this home-school agreement with your child. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us in school.
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus
To help me do well at school, I will do my best to: Always try to do my best in my lessons, work hard and listen carefully to instructions. Come to school every day, be ready to learn and be on time. Keep the school rules, behave well and be polite and helpful to other pupils and grown-ups. Ask the teacher, or someone at home, if I find my work hard. Talk at home about what I learn at school. Read my books regularly to someone at home. Do all of my homework and catch up with any work that I have missed. Wear the school colours and follow the dress code. If I am unhappy I will see: Signature (Pupil) To help my child at school, I will do my best to: Make sure that my child attends school every day in term time and inform the school of the reason for any absence. Make sure that they arrive in school on time and are collected on time. Work with the school to try and make sure that my child behaves well. Support and encourage my child to work hard and listen to my child read regularly. Attend parents‘ evenings and other meetings to discuss my child‘s progress at school. Ensure that my child wears the school colours and follows the school dress code. Let you know if there are any problems that may affect my child‘s ability to learn.
Signature (Parent/Carer)
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Brooklands Farm Primary School: Prospectus To help your child get the best from school we will do our best to: Ensure your child‘s physical and social well being at all times, helping them to grow feelings of confidence, self-worth and belonging. Welcome you into the life of the school and keep you informed about policies, guidelines on behaviour and general school matters. Make time to listen to you and to discuss your child‘s progress and to share any concerns. Deliver a balanced and carefully planned curriculum which meets the needs of your individual child. Provide a range of after school extra-curricular activities designed to enrich your child‘s learning journey. Ensure that all teaching staff are up to date on important educational developments and initiatives. Contact you as soon as possible if we are concerned about your child‘s work, behaviour or attendance. Signature (School)
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