Parent Information 2017

Simon Balle All-through School Welcome Welcome to Simon Balle All-through School. We believe our school is very different from many other schools. Everyone who knows us, or visits our school speaks of our distinct ethos with its strong sense of mutual support and loyalty.

Our students will leave us after having had a fantastic educational experience. They will have achieved the highest possible grades that they can and thus be able to go out into our competitive world with the skills, attributes and behaviours equipped for 21st century living. They will be self-motivated to achieve their very best, be resourceful and resilient and able to accept others for who they are. Our students will be happy people, creative in their thinking, respectful and responsible in their actions.

Simon Balle students will have discovered what they find interesting and thus be passionate about their learning. They will therefore possess confidence and have a self- worth, empowered to make decisions and able to self-improve.

We believe:  That learning is an enjoyable, lifelong process through which everyone can achieve their potential and exceed their expectations  That teaching and learning should be fun  That all individuals have self-worth, dignity and rights, and can excel when their unique needs are recognised  In cultural diversity that embraces individuals and promotes community spirit  In personal responsibility, adhering to the agreed rules and respect for others  That effective teamwork and partnership with families is key to success Starting School Before your child starts at Simon Balle the Primary Phase Leader or Reception teachers will have visited them in their setting. This introduction ensures the children, on starting school, recognise a familiar face. It also enables us to see the children in a setting they are comfortable in and see their likes and interests in order to prepare the classrooms to suit their needs.

You can help your child to settle into school more easily by encouraging him/her to be able to do the following things:  Respond to their name  Listen and respond to simple instructions  Go to the toilet alone  Wash their hands  Put their coat and shoes on  Dress and undress independently  Tidy toys away  Use a knife and fork correctly

First Day The first day at school is Monday 4th September 2017. The school day will start at 8:50am, but the door will open from 8:40am to allow a staggered entrance. Please make sure that you arrive in plenty of time so that your child is prepared. You should wait in the playground with the other families, and a member of staff will be there to greet your child.

For this day, you will need to supply a NUT FREE packed lunch with a drink. They will need to bring with them their favourite teddy bear or soft toy. We will have a ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ lunch together at 12:00. We will then welcome the parents to collect their children early at 1:00pm, on this day only. This will also give you a chance to look around the building and see the learning environment. Please come to the main entrance to collect them on this day.

The following day, Tuesday 5th September, we will welcome your child for the same times, but we will provide them with a cooked lunch and then you should collect them at 1:05pm from the playground.

For the remainder of the week, you should collect your child at 3:15pm from the playground where you dropped them off.

Settling in Starting Reception is a really exciting time for you and your child, a time to make new everlasting friends and start the journey of education. However, we also appreciate that it can be a time where you may feel anxious, particularly if your child is joining Simon Balle from a setting by themselves.

We aim to make the process as smooth as possible and feel that by starting all at the same time, the children will have an equal settling in period and a fair chance to make new friends and establish themselves as part of the community at Simon Balle. Our team of friendly staff are always available if you have any worries or concerns.

How and what will your child be learning?

As an Early Years setting we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. The EYFS has 7 areas of learning and development and these are split into two main areas: prime areas and specific areas.

The prime areas are fundamental, work together and move through to support development in all other areas.  Communication and language  Physical development  Personal, social and emotional development The specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for the children to participate successfully in society.  Literacy  Mathematics  Understanding of the world  Expressive arts and design The Unique Child reaches out to relate to people and things through the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which move through all areas of learning.  Playing and exploring  Active learning

 Creating and thinking critically Each half term a ‘topic’ will be chosen as a starting point and the topic will develop as the interests of the class develop. All of these areas of the EYFS will be developed and explored by learning through play. The environment and exciting resources and activities available to the children, will encourage them to develop their skills and knowledge and the observations we make about each child will be stored in their ‘Learning Journal’.

Learning Journals As the children learn through play, the experienced team caring for your child will make observations linked to these areas of learning. They are a way of recording the progress that your child makes during the Reception year and at Simon Balle we see these records as a key tool in communicating between home and school, as well as tracking the progress that is made.

We also warmly welcome contributions from parents and other family members, as this really helps to build a picture of the whole child from more than one perspective.

We will be using an online learning journal called Tapestry and in the Autumn Term we will invite you in to demonstrate how the journal works and provide you with a username and password so that you can access your child’s journal online, and can regularly share in your child’s learning and achievements. Each week, the reception teachers will suggest a ‘Tapestry Task’ for you to do at home and upload for the team to see. Again, this will be discussed in the Autumn term.

Home Learning As we work in partnerships with parents, we do expect the education to continue at home. As well as a Tapestry Task each week, your child will come home with a reading book and a reading record. You should hear your child read most nights and sign in the record book, so we can see your child is regularly practicing the skills we have taught in school.

Your child will also come home with key word cards. These are a mixture of new words that have been taught in class, or words that your child has found tricky in their book that they might need to practice. Children progress more rapidly when they have regular support from home.

Care, guidance and support Success in learning is achieved when children have the appropriate care and support in order to focus on their learning. By treating the students as individuals and working closely with their families we can create confident, self-assured children, who feel safe and are able to express their feelings and emotions in suitable ways.

At Simon Balle the ethos is clear in all of our pupils. This, coupled with a committed, experienced and talented team of staff enables the children to be motivated to understand their needs and do their best.

We treat every child as an individual and respect the needs of every child in our school. We will work closely with families to offer the best level of support for your child.

Medication If your child has any prescribed medication for medical reasons and the medication needs to be kept at school and administered. Please ensure you come into the main office and pick up a ‘request for school to administer medication’ form. The school does not offer this as a service, but can be administered under certain circumstances. The school will not administer any unless you have completed this form and supplied the medication.

Should your child fall and have an accident at school, this is dealt with by a designated first aider. Each accident will be treated differently, however, if your child bumps their head at all they will be given a ‘bumped head sticker’ to wear, so adults at school know to look out for any changes in behaviour. They will also be sent home with a note to you, so you know to keep an eye on them. If we were at all worried about your child, we would telephone after the accident and let you know. This is very similar to a significant fall, where a substantial amount of first aid was administered.

Facilities and Resources Our new building will offer the Reception children light, spacious spaces for learning and playing. Each classroom has WiFi and is fitted with the latest teaching resources and technology to support learning. iPad’s are available to the children to ensure the children are able to develop their ICT skills. After all, technology is ever changing.

The Reception outdoor classroom is covered with a canopy, allowing year round access to outdoor learning. We will continue to develop the environment throughout the year.

We also access the woodland area at the back of the field, the local Balls Park as well as our newly built outdoor classroom which hosts a pond, firepit and teaching area. We look forward to using this to support the curriculum.

The school day 8:40-8:50am- loose drop off 8:50am- school starts 12:00- 1:00pm-lunchtime 3:15pm- home time Snack The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme will supply a piece of fruit daily.

Water will be available throughout the day to ensure the children stay hydrated.

However, we like the children to bring in their own water bottle so that they can take it out to play with them. We also feel it is a good way for you to monitor how much water they have had during the day.

Hertfordshire Catering Limited Lisa, the school cook will ensure that the children eat a fresh, hot meal every day.

The menu is set by Hertfordshire Catering and the children will be given the multichoice menu. This is a choice of two options, option 1: red (meat) or option 2: green (vegetarian).

The menu supplied is on a three week rolling programme and changes twice per year. As a school we have decided that all children will be provided with a hot meal, this is because it is funded for you all until your child is in Key Stage Two. The children will be given the options in the morning and they will choose their desired option. It would be useful, if you could use the menu we have supplies to discuss the choices available each day.

You will have informed the school of any food intolerances or allergies. These must be confirmed by medical records and you must complete the relevant information online. The menu will be tweaked to allow for any dietary requirements your child has.

(A copy of the current menu has been supplied by HCL in your welcome pack)

Before and after school Our students are our ambassadors for Simon Balle. This is why we need our children to wear full, smart uniform and behave sensibly to and from school.

The journey to and from school has an impact on the child’s safety, health and also on our local environment. We at Simon Balle have a travel plan which looks at how we can reduce car travel and encourage and increase sustainable travel such as walking, cycling, scooters and public transport.

Our plan is there to help:  Reduce traffic congestion and pollution in and around the school  Improve road safety skills  Improve the health and fitness of students and staff  Enhance relations with the local community We offer secure parking for scooters and bikes.

You may be aware of the ‘Kiss and Drop’ facility at Simon Balle, this is an area outside the front entrance of the Larch Centre for you to drop off your child and a member of staff will be there to bring them into school. However, as this has expanded over the years, we are now only offering this for exceptional circumstances. If you feel you have an exceptional reason, please email Mrs Oakenfull at oakenfullr@simonballe.herts.sch.uk to share the reasons.

If your child is attending Play Aloud, before or after school, they will ensure that the children are taken to their classrooms after breakfast and collected from there at the end of the day. You are welcome to use the car park for drop off/pick up at Play Aloud.

Behaviour Here at Simon Balle we strongly believe that the children should be well-mannered, respectful of their environment and every member of the school community. We have high expectations of the children’s behaviour, both in and out of school and will ensure that the children follow the school rules at all times.

• We praise good behaviour and share it • We have high expectations of our students who work together in a cooperative, caring way • Students are taught to understand the consequences of their actions • If inappropriate behaviour is displayed, we explain why it is not acceptable • We consistently use a behavior system of the rainbow, moving to the sunshine for good behavior or the cloud for repeatedly making poor choices. Positive behavior choices are rewarded with ‘Golden Time’ at the end of the week.

Other useful information Communication during the day Should you need to contact the school during the school day, please telephone 01992 410400, messages can be left with the school office.

Although we strongly advise that appointments are made out of school hours, should you need to collect your child during the day, then please sign in /out at the Larch Centre reception.

Absences If your child is absent from school, even for half a day, it is very important for you to telephone us on 01992 410400 and leave a message on the Absence Answerphone giving your child’s name, class and reason for absence. Or you can email admin@simonballe.herts.sch.uk stating the same information.

Contact We regularly send information to you via our InTouch email system. Please ensure we have your correct email address so you can keep up to date with your child’s

education. We also regularly, update the school website with information and events, so please access this frequently.

There are a number of opportunities for you, as parents to come into school to review your child’s work and progress. In addition we welcome you to a wealth of events, ranging from concerts, plays, musicals, information and celebration evenings.

We welcome parent helpers in the classroom to help with reading, small group activities, cooking and general support. If you would like to help on a regular basis, please approach your child’s class teacher who will direct you to the school office to complete the relevant paperwork for a DBS check.

It is important that our partnership remains strong and therefore, if you have any queries or concerns about your child, do contact us. Equally, if we have any praise or concerns about your child, we will contact you.

Policies and procedures Statutory policies can be found on our school website under the ‘About SBS’ section. All policies that are specific to the primary setting can be found under lower school tab on our website. Please ensure you are familiar with these policies as they will also give you clear guidelines to follow.

Collections We will assume that your child is being collected by you, as parents. Should your child be collected by anyone else at the end of the school day, you will need to inform the teacher on door duty. They will pass the message to your child’s class teacher.

If you are running late and cannot pick up your child, but somebody else will, you must ring the school office and a message will be taken to the class teacher informing them who will be there instead. We will not let your child go with anyone else, unless we have been informed.

We thank you for supporting these guidelines to ensure the safety of all our children.

For any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at school admin@simonballe.herts.sch.uk or telephone us on 01992 410400