Saint Lawrence CofE PS Prospectus

Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School Prospectus

Welcome to St Lawrence CE Primary School

Message from the Headteacher

Welcome to St Lawrence CE Primary School. I hope this prospectus gives you a glimpse of life at our school and answers any questions you may have about our aims and ethos as well as the curriculum and wider learning opportunities we offer.

I am sure that when you come to visit us you will recognise that our Christian values of Love, Compassion and Respect are the firm foundations on which our whole school is built. This positive, caring ethos encourages all children and adults to develop into confident, reflective individuals, with a strong sense of belonging. As a Church of England school, we value our strong links with the church community and are proud to promote Christian values.

I believe our first priority is to ensure all our wonderful children are happy and feel safe in our school. From these secure foundations, our children will learn, achieve without limits and develop through our carefully thought out curriculum. This curriculum is broad, balanced and knowledge-based combining the demands of the National Curriculum with cross-curricular themed work often linked to our locality. We expect high standards of work and behaviour and encourage our children to give their best in all areas of school life. Most importantly, we aim to motivate and encourage them to develop into independent, enquiring children who are prepared and ready to enter the next phase of their lives.

I believe it is so important that we recognise the uniqueness of each pupil, ensuring our children leave St Lawrence as well rounded, loving, tolerant individuals with our values of Love, Compassion and Respect intrinsically embedded..

Mrs Fiona Micklefield Headteacher

More details can be found on our website.

About our School

St Lawrence CE Primary School is a one-form entry primary school in the heart of the market town of Alton. We have a dedicated and passionate staff who strive to meet the needs of every child in an exciting and innovative way. We pride ourselves on making learning irresistible.

We are a warm, welcoming school and have strong relationships with the local community. Visitors always comment on how polite and respectful the children are and enthuse about the calm, purposeful feel of the school. Many parents describe the school as being one big family - going above and beyond to support every family.

“The St Lawrence School community really lives by its values of Love, Compassion and Respect.”

“It’s a great school and it is always coming up with ways of helping the children to express themselves.”

“An excellent school for teaching morals, values and life skills.”

“It is very friendly and all staff are so easy to talk to if there are any issues.”

We are very keen to develop our links locally and nationally. We have already started this with our Year 5 and 6 children volunteering at the Dementia Café weekly, joining in with gardening, singing and sharing books at Library Club; we would love to see this grow. We are also very excited about the possibility of setting up some global links in the future.

“I love visiting my friends at the Dementia Café. We have a lovely time playing games and doing some gardening.”

We encourage you to come and visit us - feel for yourself the strong values that underpin the work of the school and see how the learning here is shaped to ensure children love learning and thrive on the challenges they are set.

St Lawrence CE Primary School Vision and Values

St Lawrence CE Primary School is a school where everyone flourishes.

• We believe it is important that every child recognises the inner worth of every human being, starting with their unique selves.

• We are passionate that our children recognise the value of connecting with others through building bridges, both locally and globally.

• We encourage the children to engage and fall in love with learning; fostering a sense of pride in themselves and their achievements

• We believe that as a caring, loving Christian community all our children can make a positive difference in the world through acts of kindness within our school community, supporting charities and being trailblazers for local inter-generational links.

This vision is underpinned by our Christian values of:

LOVE - COMPASSION - RESPECT

These values inspire all members of our school from our children, our staff, our governors and are lived out in all that we do.

These reflect our shared beliefs and our commitment to create a happy, collaborative and empowering school community remembering the words of Jesus “Let your light shine.” (Matthew 5: 16)

2 | Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School 2024

St Lawrence CE Primary School is a school where everyone flourishes.

Flourishing individuals

Passionate learners

FLOURISHING INDIVIDUALS

Compassionate neighbours

Connected citizens

We believe it is important that every child recognises the inner worth of every human being, starting with their unique selves.

CONNECTED CITIZENS

We are passionate that our children recognise the value of connecting with others through building bridges both locally and globally.

PASSIONATE LEARNERS

We encourage the children to engage and fall in love with learning; fostering a sense of pride in themselves and their achievements.

COMPASSIONATE NEIGHBOURS

We believe that as a caring, loving Christian community all our children can make a positive difference in the world through acts of kindness, supporting charities and being trailblazers for local initiatives.

Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School 2024 | 3

Our children...

• are emotionally intelligent and value themselves

• have confidence

• celebrate their uniqueness, staying true to who they are

• are happy

Our children...

• understand that they can have a positive impact on the world and the environment

• are welcoming to all and show understanding of all our differences

• make a positive impact on our local community through projects such as Dementia Café, ACAN and Alton Food Bank

• make links and learn about where they fit in the wider world, making connections with schools in Rwanda.

4 | Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School 2024

Our children...

• are inquisitive about the world around them and their future

• have high aspirations for themselves

• are reflective learners who recognise the power of a growth mindset

• believe in the joy of learning

Our children...

• understand the importance of showing and spreading kindness

• show empathy and love to others

• understand they can be the change

• value everyone regardless of their strengths and weaknesses

Ofsted quotes

• This is a friendly, welcoming school. Leaders make sure that the values of love, compassion and respect flow through all aspects of school life.

• They want the very best for all pupils.

• Leaders know pupils and their families well.

• Pupils are very happy and feel safe and valued.

• Pupils behave well and are kind to each other.

• Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum.

• Pupils with additional needs are supported well to develop their skills across the curriculum.

• The school’s work to support pupils’ wider development is a strength. Pupils enjoy a wealth of carefully planned opportunities that enhance the curriculum.

• Pupils also visit places of worship from different faiths, including a mosque, a Hindu temple and a cathedral, in addition to weekly visits to the local church.

• The home-school link worker provides a listening ear to pupils and parents when needed. Pupils say that they value this opportunity.

• Parents are highly positive about the school. They value the family feel. As one parent said, ‘St Lawrence is a lovely school. There is a home-from-home feel with much love, compassion and respect between pupils and staff.’

Parent quotes

• It is a warm, welcoming school.

• St Lawrence Primary School provides a warm, friendly and safe environment to support all aspects of the children’s learning and development.

• My child is inspired by the way the curriculum is presented and enjoys his time at school.

• I find all the staff extremely approachable and feel supported as a parent.

• This is a school that the children want to go to rather than have to go to.

• St Lawrence is a school that encourages friendship among the children, it accepts diversity with open arms.

• The school did an amazing job during the lockdowns and that is due to all of the staff at the school.

• The key to the schools’ success is academic success while still prioritising the children’s well-being.

Lawrence Church of England Primary School 2024 | 7

Pupil quotes

• It is like a second family. (Hazel)

• The school is amazing: the teachers are the best and everyone is so loving and kind. (Harry)

• We are all kind and respectful towards each other and everyone follows our school values. (Molly)

• We’re a big family and help one another when they need it. (Holly)

• This place is such a loving and welcoming place – it is like a big family. (Aiden)

• St Lawrence School always is and always has been a caring and loving community. (Elspeth)

• I would describe St Lawrence as a place where you can be free. (Leo)

• St Lawrence is a kind, loving family that you can trust. (Isla)

• A kind and supportive family who values everyone. (Joel)

• The thing I really like about St Lawrence School is all the DT and Art we get to do. This includes making a Spitfire in Year 5, a Viking boat in Year 4 and a flower in Year 3. (Amelia)

• I love this school from bottom to top from teacher to student. Everyone is so lovely here. I feel like it is my second family – our St Lawrence family. In my past years I have learnt the flute here and I love playing it. There is always some sort of exciting thing happening. (Emily)

• Everyone in St Lawrence School shows our school values of Love, Compassion and Respect. We also have lots of clubs like dance, gymnastics, drama, Breakfast Club and After-School Club. (Emily)

• Our school values are Love, Compassion and Respect and those words make me feel safe. (Toby)

• One of the main reasons I love this school that when you are new, everyone is so welcoming and kind hearted. (Ivy)

• Our school is loving because we always help each other. (Edward)

• St Lawrence is like a big family. (Eleanor)

• Love is at the heart of St Lawrence School because it follows the values of Love, Compassion and Respect. (Jojo)

• St Lawrence is filled with Love, Compassion and Respect – I recommend this school. (Alice)

• St Lawrence is the best caring school. (Mackenzie)

• Our school is full of love and care. (Owen)

• St Lawrence School is a mix of Love, Compassion and Respect with kind people and wonderful teachers. (Marcel)

• St Lawrence School helps me to learn new things in Maths, English and Science. (Molly)

8 | Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School 2024

Pupil quotes

• St Lawrence School is one of a kind! (Emma)

• St Lawrence School is a special place because it helps me to welcome new people. (Seb)

• St Lawrence School is so fantastic that I don’t even have the words for it but this is what I think: it is kind, respectful and loving. (Violet)

• St Lawrence School is really fun and I love the clubs after school! (Ruby)

• St Lawrence School is kind, loving and it keeps us safe. I love it here because it helps me learn a lot. (Dorothy)

• I love St Lawrence School because there is Love, Compassion and Respect in everyone’s hearts. (Grace)

• At St Lawrence School you always have someone to play with at break times. (Josie)

• St Lawrence School is the best school I have ever been to. It makes me feel safe and the teachers help me to learn. It makes my heart glow like the sun. (Maisie)

• I love St Lawrence School because our values are Love, Compassion and Respect. They go everywhere around the school and people help each other. (Phoebe)

• I love St Lawrence School because it feels like you belong there. (Aubree)

• St Lawrence is fun because you make friends really fast. (Jacob)

• Everyone is kind and loving at St Lawrence School. (Spencer)

• I love St Lawrence School because it is filled with love. (Lara and Felicity)

• St Lawrence School is the best school because the teachers are really kind. (Emily)

• Everyone is kind in our school. (Evie)

• At St Lawrence School we love each other. (Evelyn)

• Our school is happy. (Alexander)

• We will help you at our school. (Joss)

• Our school likes to share. (Kara)

• At school we share love. (Blaze)

• We are friends. (Solomiia)

• I love playing with my new friends. (Alyssa)

• I have made new friends and they have made me happy. (Dylan)

• I like being able to colour and draw pictures with my friends. (Ella)

• I like learning new letters – it is fun. (Freddie)

Starting School

In Hampshire, children begin school in the September following their fourth birthday. At St Lawrence, we work closely with parents and pre-schools to ensure the smoothest possible transition into primary school.

During the summer term before a child starts in Year R, the Early Years team from St Lawrence run a series of ‘Stay and Play’ sessions at the school in order for children and parents to get to know their new teachers and surroundings, as well as each other. The team also visit the children in their pre-school settings in the summer term. Just before starting school in September, the team also visit the children and their parents at home.

The Early Years Team will spend time getting to know each child and parent during these sessions and will discuss with them the best approach to starting school. We will work with you to arrange what is best for you and your child.

If you are interested in your child becoming a pupil at St Lawrence, then please make an appointment to come and look round.

You will need to contact the Admissions Team at Hampshire County Council in order to organise admittance. You can fill in an application form online at: https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/admissions

Please see our Admissions Policy which you will find at the back of this prospectus.

The School Day

7.45am – 8.45am

Breakfast Club– providing breakfast and a quiet opportunity to play

8.45am

School gates are opened– children come into the school and begin Early Morning Work

9.00am Registration

10.15 - 10.30am KS1 break time

10.35 - 10.50am KS2 break time

12.00 - 1.00pm KS1 and KS2 lunch

3.15pm School day finishes

3.15 - 4.15pm A variety of sports clubs on offer each term

3.15 - 5.45pm

After-School Club - providing a nutritious snack and a range of exciting activities

10 | Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School 2024

School uniform

We believe that school uniform helps to achieve a sense of belonging and identity. It is important for children to look smart and take pride in their appearance.

Our uniform consists of:

• grey trousers, skirt or pinafore dress

• white shirt or polo shirt

• white, grey or black socks

• grey or black tights

• maroon sweatshirt or cardigan with the school logo

PE Kit

Black shorts with house coloured polo shirt with school logo. For outside sports in cold weather: plain black leggings/jogging bottoms and a plain black hoodie/long sleeved sweatshirt or a school jumper.

Your child will also need a pair of plimsolls or light trainers for outdoor games.

School fleeces may be worn as a coat at playtimes.

No jewellery except for watches or stud earrings. No nail varnish. Earrings must be removed for PE, swimming and games.

ALL clothing needs to be marked with your child’s name.

We attempt to return all lost and unmarked items. Any unclaimed possessions/belongings are put on display at the end of term.

Uniform can be purchased from the school office.

Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School 2024 | 11

SIAMS quotes

• The school has an extremely strong and distinctively Christian ethos which is woven into all aspects of the curriculum and school community life.

• The school’s Christian character has a high profile and has a significant impact on the spiritual, social, moral and cultural development of the pupils.

• Pupils have an exceptionally good understanding of the traditions and liturgical calendar of the Anglican church.

• Pupils are extremely happy to take major roles in Collective Worship, supporting and closely monitoring and feeding back to those who lead it, including staff.

• Parents and governors recognise and value the commitment and Christian vision of the school’s leaders and staff.

• The school’s distinctive Christian character and the values of ‘Love, Compassion and Respect’ are immediately obvious upon entering the school.

• The genuinely warm and caring relationships modelled by staff to pupils and each other encourage pupils to show the utmost consideration and courteousness to everybody, without being prompted.

• Pupils are given many opportunities to reflect and pray, and parents spoke of the spiritual development that they have been able to see in their children

Saint

Saint Lawrence Church of England Primary School