CLOVER HILL
VA Infant & Nursery School
“The school works very hard to make pupils feel special, and to develop their confidence and self-esteem.� OFSTED 2011
“The curriculum is good and is tailored to individual needs well.� OFSTED 2011
Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome to Clover Hill VA Infant and Nursery School. We hope that the following information gives you a good picture of our lovely school, our values and vision. Children lie at the heart of this school which is a unique place to learn. Clover Hill is a Church of England School but it is also an integral part of the community and fully reflects the wide cultural make up of our families who live in the area. We aim for each child to achieve their own possible best but also make sure that they develop a love of learning and school. We are a values led school and firmly believe that we share responsibility with you for ensuring that our children not only achieve highly but also uphold good morals and values that will enable them to contribute positively to society and live life happily and successfully.
We are proud of our children who work hard, have fun and achieve high standards. We have high expectations of ourselves, staff and children. We believe in working in close home-school partnership and know that children achieve their best when they are encouraged by interested adults. We value our community and recognise the contribution that richness and diversity bring to the children in our care. This brochure gives you a picture of life at Clover Hill and some of the wonderful opportunities your children will experience as they start their lifelong journey with us. Helen Newell Executive Headteacher
Our vision is that we lay excellent foundations for a life long journey which will enable our children to achieve successful, rewarding and happy lives. We provide a nurturing yet exciting and challenging learning environment and a rich variety of opportunities and experiences. We provide a curriculum which is appropriate for all children’s needs and talents. Our aim is to develop a culture of confident and responsible citizens who will make a valuable contribution to the world.
free flow inside and out. Exciting large outdoor play facilities and our Wildlife Area make learning extra fun! The Reception classes also enjoy a rich and varied learning environment, both indoors and out. In the Foundation Stage, the children enjoy working together through a play based curriculum. This includes growing more familiar with learning to write, read and use number confidently.
KEY STAGE ONE EARLY YEARS We have a well established, recently refurbished Early Years provision. Our well resourced Nursery is equipped to admit children from 2 to 4 years old. The Nursery and Reception teams work together to ensure smooth transitions and consistency across the Early Years. The outdoor area has been redesigned to enable total
Key Stage One builds on the learning that has taken place during the Foundation Stage. The transition from Reception into Year 1 is carefully planned to ensure continuity. Staff in Years 1 and 2 work closely together to plan and develop children’s individual skills across a broad range of activities which will enable them to achieve to a high standard.
“Pupils make good progress because good learning is fostered in classrooms.” OFSTED 2011
“Pupils enjoy school and talk with enthusiasm about it.” OFSTED 2011
“I love our ‘Enterprise’ work! We set up our own little business!” YEAR 2 CHILD
“I can play the violin now! I enjoy learning an instrument.” YEAR 1 CHILD
We have developed an inspiring curriculum which motivates our children to jump out of bed and want to come to school! We believe that a good grasp of reading, writing and maths is key to life long learning. We have a well stocked library and throughout the school a love of books and phonics is established. We also believe that all children should learn to play a musical instrument and be competent with a wide range of technology. The children will use laptops, PCs and iPads as well as digital cameras and beebots.
Our curriculum is based on themes and launched with exciting wow – factor lessons. These may be special trips, activities or visitors into school which help the children understand the topic better and inspire them to find out more. Through a skills based curriculum, we aim to prepare our children for a future in an ever changing world. At regular points we invite parents into school for the children to share their learning with you.
“I like playing outside. We have lots of big climbing equipment.” RECEPTION CHILD
Beyond the
curriculum: The school enjoys an excellent reputation for extra curricular activities, including sport, dance, cookery, ICT and arts and crafts. Following the purchase of a mini bus we now transport children to and from our partner Junior School to access the Breakfast Club and After School Clubs. Even more choice now! The children are elected by their peers to be members of the School Council or the Eco-Council. They discuss important issues affecting school life and the wider world community. We value their opinions and make regular changes suggested by the children.
“I love using the laptops and iPads best.” YEAR 1 CHILD
We are a healthy school so we encourage healthy life styles and healthy eating. This will happen through the curriculum, trying foods during topic work or experiencing new sports and activities. We aim to widen the children’s tastes by introducing them to a range of tastes and experiences. We cook all our own food on site and run our own kitchens so we are able to respond quickly to the needs of our children as well as offer healthy nutritious meals. We ensure that the meals are appealing to the children and regularly have “lunch with your child” days so that parents can sample the menus and have special time with their child. If children chose to have a packed lunch we ask that parents provide a healthy balanced packed lunch. We are happy to provide further guidance with this. Children are offered a piece of fruit and water at snack time in the mornings and milk is available to order too. The outdoor environment is very important to us too. We make full use of our extensive site and areas for growing fruit, vegetables and flowers. Learning outdoors is so much fun!
“Pupils achieve well within the school’s safe, friendly environment.” OFSTED 2011
Our overall aim is that every child should achieve his or her potential from whatever their starting point. We recognise that each child is an individual and we make sure that the experiences each child is given while they are with us is underpinned by exceptional care, guidance and support. Making good progress and developing a love of learning is key for the rest of their lives. We have an inclusive approach to meeting all needs whether your child has Special Educational Needs (SEN) or is gifted or talented (G&T) in certain areas.
We monitor progress carefully and involve parents fully in their child’s learning plan, which then informs our provision. Clover Hill has an excellent reputation for supporting parents to enable them to help their child achieve even more in school. Our Pupil Support Services Team is strong and will provide early help to support with all matters relating to attendance, working with outside agencies, family issues and children’s emotional and behaviour support.
“My best thing is the Wildlife Area.” NURSERY CHILD
All our nursery children have priority admission into Reception. Admissions into the school at other times is through the Local Authority but parents are welcome to visit the school for an informal look around by appointment. All children at Clover Hill have priority admission into our partnership Junior School, St Michael’s at Year 3. We have very close links with the Junior School and transition arrangements are smooth and well planned to ensure that the children continue to be successful in school.
CLOVER HILL
VA Infant & Nursery School
CLOVER HILL
VA Infant & Nursery School Rawley Road, Bowthorpe, Norwich, Norfolk NR5 9AP Telephone: 01603 745559 Fax: 01603 744432 Email: office@cloverhill.norfolk.sch.uk www.cloverhillschool.co.uk
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