Jenyns

WELCOME

Jenyns is a small school with a big heart set in the picturesque village of Braughing and we are very proud to be part of the local community. Our bright and modern school building overlooks a fantastic play space, sensory garden and large school field where the original school used to sit, dating back to 1860.

Our children receive quality first teaching in mixed age classes, from a dedicated and experienced teaching team. We strive to provide the very best standard of education for our children, ensuring they are fully prepared and equipped with the knowledge for each part of their school journey. Our school is part of the Buntingford three-tiered system and we have built strong relationships with our neighbouring schools to ensure successful transitions. We welcome children from the age of 3 into our excellent Nursery provision,

offering flexible hours; full and part time. Our children will then stay and flourish with us until Year 4.

We are proud of the work that we are doing to develop and provide an engaging and challenging curriculum that is accessible for all pupils. Our school motto is “Our Children, Our Future” . We want to inspire and set no limits to our pupil’s achievements and do so with enjoyment. We believe in the importance of children’s well-being and happiness as much as their academic success and we work on our Growth Mind-set across the school, supporting each other to be happy and ambitious learners.

We look forward to welcoming you to our school. If you would like to visit or find out more about our school please contact the School Office on 01920 821461 or visit the school website: www.jenyns.herts.sch.uk

VISION AND VALUES

Every aspect of our life in school is shaped by our vision and is an aspiration that will grow and develop as we work together as a learning community to do the very best for the children in our setting.

At Jenyns First School we want our children to have…

• An enquiring mind with confidence to ask and learn

• Creativity and a life-long passion for learning

• Excellence, high personal achievement and the experience of success

• A set of values by which to live

• Independence and responsibility of their own learning

Our Core Values

As a school we have used our vision statement to identify 3 core values which underpin everything we do. We believe that behaviour needs to be taught explicitly to ensure the children develop and practise good attitudes to learning as well as everyday life situations. It provides a moral capacity to equip our children with social and relationship skills, attitudes and intelligence to succeed in all aspects of their life and school journey.

The values we teach are: Ambition, Positivity and Respect

– OFSTED,

2017

Very effective leadership, combined with high quality teaching, learning and assessment in the early years, ensures that children make outstanding progress from their starting points within their nurturing and stimulating environment’.

EARLY YEARS

In our Early Years setting, our children are aged between 3 and 5 and are described as being in the Foundation Stage. In the first year, children attend Nursery and in the second they start school (Reception). We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and our experienced team ensures that planning supports the children’s needs, furthers their learning and extends their interests.

We want all of our children to be independent and inquisitive learners. We place great emphasis on supporting children to develop their confidence and self-esteem and to realise their full potential. Children are encouraged to explore and investigate, to question and to develop their own ideas

Our children are provided with a safe, stimulating and inviting environment where they can experience a range of activities and learning opportunities both inside and out. We are committed to giving our children the best possible start to their school life.

FOREST SCHOOL

All of our children access our Forest School from Nursery to Year 4. This is done through a sequence of regular sessions which all take place in our wonderful woodland area and develop the relationship between the learner and the natural world. These sessions give children the time and space to develop skills and confidence through active exploration in the outdoors environment. Children are given opportunities to challenge themselves to try new things, and so Forest School embraces a growth mindset.

Play is recognised to be of great importance for learning and development in Forest School. Children are encouraged to make choices, explore ideas and follow their own interests.

‘I couldn’t be happier with the Nursery and Reception class at Jenyns. It’s fantastic. The Nursery and Reception setting is the start of primary education you dream about having for your child’ – PARENT

CURRICULUM

At Jenyns First School and Nursery, our curriculum supports our children to be engaged, motivated and resilient learners and has been built upon our three core values: Ambition, Positivity and Respect .

Our inclusive curriculum has been designed so that it is knowledge rich across all subjects, coherent and progressive; where children can make meaningful links and prepare them for each chapter in their school journey and beyond.

Children’s characters are nurtured and developed just like the knowledge and disciplinary knowledge of our curriculum. With high expectations, we create a learning

environment where every child is valued and respected. All learning styles are planned for when teaching, to ensure every child can reach their full potential while developing personal characteristics to grow into a well-rounded citizen.

We have a strong belief that reading and vocabulary plays a huge part in our curriculum. From the moment a child joins our school, we aim to immerse them in a wealth of high quality, diverse and relevant texts to support their vocabulary and knowledge of the world. We know our curriculum is most effective, when a high quality core text is used to support children’s understanding of vocabulary and knowledge.

‘The subjects are fun. In English, we don’t just do writing – we do performances and drama as well.’ – PUPIL

PARTNERSHIPS

Governors

It is the role of the governing body to help define and set the strategic goals for the school’s development, to monitor and evaluate progress towards the achievement of these, and to act as a ‘critical friend’ to the Headteacher. Our ultimate aim is to ensure that the school is providing the best possible education for its children and is continually looking at ways to do things even better.

The full governing body meets twice a term. We have clear agendas and objectives at each meeting, although there is always opportunity for extra discussion on specific issues as appropriate.

Parent Teacher Association

Friends of Jenyns (FOJ) is a group that is dedicated to raising money towards special

projects and resources for the school that might not otherwise be available from the normal school budget. FOJ meet regularly to discuss fundraising opportunities to support the school, organising many events including Christmas Fairs, Christmas Party, Easter Egg Hunt, School Discos, Bag2School collections and the Summer Fete.

In recent years, the money raised has funded school trips, Chromebooks, a sensory garden, books and many other learning resources.

WASPS out of school club

Through our partnership with WASPS, they provide Breakfast and After School clubs, picking up and dropping off children to Jenyns.

SAFEGUARDING

At Jenyns, we ensure that children learn in a safe, caring and enriching environment. Children are taught how to keep themselves safe, to develop positive and healthy relationships and how to avoid situations where they might be at risk.

We comply with the current guidance for Keeping Children Safe in Education issued by the DfE. Our staff receive current and regular safeguarding training and understand that safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility.

Our school works in partnership with parents to educate children and keep them safe from harm and promote their welfare. We have positive working relationships with other agencies and will work closely with them to ensure the best possible outcomes for the child and family.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITIES

We are committed to promoting a learning and teaching environment for all that embeds the values of inclusive educational practices. We recognise that some children may have a special educational need at some stage throughout their life. Through a child-centred approach, we aim to ensure that education is accessible and relevant to all our learners.

At Jenyns we regard our pupils as unique individuals with a wide variety of strengths. We will promote these strengths in order to build a positive self-image and to provide opportunities for each pupil to achieve.

We are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for each of our pupils whatever their needs. We support pupils who need extra help to become independent and seek to equip them with the necessary life skills to succeed as adults. We work closely with other agencies to ensure that pupils with educational needs or disabilities are fully supported.

‘Promoting confident pupils and celebrating even the little successes’ – PARENT