Parents’ Information Booklet CONTENTS 2020/21 CONTENTS • INTRODUCTION TO YARLET SCHOOL • Contact Details • Governors • Aims and Ethos • INTRODUCTION TO THE MAIN SCHOOL • Main School Staff • School Week • Pupil Messages • Examinations and Timetable • Curriculum • Assessment and Reporting to Parents • Internet Use • Extra-Curricular Activities • Chapel Service • Orchestra & Choir • Fathers’ Day Cricket Match • Mothers’ and Daughters’ Rounders Match • Sports / Prize Day • School Matches • Pastoral Care • Important Yarlet Dates • Catering • Educational Trips and School Events • Uniform • Sports Kit • Flexi-Boarding • Fees • Medical • Absences from School • Car Parking • School Policies (list of policies enclosed) • Clothes Lists (Girls and Boys) • Home and Away Matches - Parents’ Permission Slip in separate document • General School Policies - Parents’ Permission Slips enclosed in Separate document, where required • Terms & Conditions CONTACT DETAILS Yarlet School Yarlet Near Stafford Staffordshire ST18 9SU Tel: 01785 286568 Website: www.yarletschool.uk GOVERNORS GOVERNORS Mrs J Betteley Mrs R Bullock Mr P Middleton Mrs G Mitchell Mr A Morris Mr C Paget Mr K Robins Mrs P Sharratt Mr N D Tarling Mrs J Teather Mrs S Tennant (Chair) HEADMASTER Ian Raybould BEd Hons ALCM NPQH YARLET SCHOOL VISION STATEMENT, AIMS & ETHOS At Yarlet, our key objective is simple: To create and maintain an environment in which all children are happy, secure and challenged to achieve their personal best in all areas of school life. Yarlet School Vision Statement and Aims: At Yarlet, our vision is to be the leading preparatory school in Staffordshire and the natural choice for parents because we have: A) pupils who are safe and extremely well cared for and nurtured in an environment which promotes and recognises exemplary behaviour; B) pupils who achieve to the best of their ability in all areas of school life and are thoroughly prepared for the next stage of their education; C) a curriculum which is broad and balanced and designed to challenge all students, develop their academic abilities, and build upon their individual strengths; D) an extensive and high quality extracurricular programme which is particularly strong in sport and music and includes opportunities for pupils to learn by making contributions in the community; E) excellent teaching which is inspirational and enables children to reach their full potential; F) frequent opportunities for pupils to develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally; G) a thriving flexi-boarding service which allows pupils to gain valuable boarding experience whilst participating in a range of activities which are well organised and fun; H) outstanding Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision which affords the strongest possible start for our youngest pupils; I) an active Board of Governors which places great importance on child safety and welfare and provides vision, support and guidance to the school’s leadership team; J) a solid leadership and management team which provides clear direction and maintains the highest standards across the board; K) premises, accommodation and resources which are of a good standard and enable pupils to thrive; L) a high quality catering service, a clean and hygienic environment and children who take pride in their appearance by wearing a smart but practical uniform; M) grounds and buildings which are secure, well maintained and attractive; N) the opportunity for past pupils to have a continued involvement in the school by attending special events and being kept up-to-date via social media and the school’s website; O) a first-class reputation in the local community and beyond; P) an effective system of communicating with parents, carers and/or guardians and a commitment to provide regular feedback in relation to pupil effort, progress and attainment; Q) a stable and well managed financial position; R) a commitment to provide public benefit, including the provision of bursaries at 11+ through the R. S. Plant Awards and Combined Scholarship Programme. Our ethos: We nurture within our children a love of learning, even in subjects where they do not feel that they ‘shine’. Our ‘Old Yarletians’ look back on their days with great affection and this is due, in no small part, to the tailor-made education they experienced during their time here. Children learn to get along in a school environment without it stifling their creativity, individuality and love of fun. Children who are sporty, who love to perform dramatically and/or musically, and children who express themselves artistically will all find their niche at Yarlet. All of this goes hand in hand with the hard work required to produce the excellent results we achieve and maintain. Parents send their children to Yarlet because they know that Yarlet staff will reinforce the ethos that they share at home – i.e. good manners, enjoyment of life, good sportsmanship and sensitivity and empathy with others. Our children discover the best in us and we help them to uncover the best in themselves! We pride ourselves on our family atmosphere, our magnificent rural surroundings – which we make full use of - our pastoral care, our home-cooked meals and staff/pupil dining times, our one-to-one care especially with our daily individual reading sessions, our competitive spirit and our love of the outdoors. We are energetic in our teaching and learning, forward-thinking in our development plans but traditional in our habits. We communicate openly with parents and invite feedback, comments and constructive criticism. The example we give of team-working between staff, both teaching and non-teaching, gives the children a basis upon which to build their own attitudes towards life and learning. As we say here – Yarlet is a preparation for life. A life to be lived to the full! YARLET MAIN SCHOOL INTRODUCTION The Main School is the home for children aged between 7 and 13. As the School has grown, additional buildings have been constructed, each purpose-built to fulfil the needs of certain specialist subjects, ie Science, Maths, Art, French and Computing. Other facilities used by children in the Main School include the splendid grounds, used on a daily basis (dependent on the season) for rugby, football, hockey, cricket, netball and rounders, an all-weather pitch, tennis courts and swimming pool. Chapel, too, is at the heart of Yarlet life. STAFF A full list of Governors and teaching staff is attached. In State maintained schools, children are not taught by subject specialists until the start of year 7 (after transfer at 11+). At Yarlet, children are introduced to teaching from subject specialists from Form 3 and have time set aside for supervised prep. The teachers are: Headmaster Ian Raybould Deputy Head and Computing Nicky Burrows-Berry Head of English and Drama Catherine Brownsword Head of Modern Languages Thierry Roussarie Head of Sciences Patsy Barron Head of Mathematics Graham Shaw Head of Humanities Henry Pass Head of Art & Design Heidi Hamplett Director of Music Laura Madden Head of Form 3 Karla Lucas Head of Form 4 & Head of Games Emma Davis Head of Learning Support Natalie Owen SCHOOL WEEK Arrival: School day officially starts at 8.30 am, but children may arrive from 8.00 am onwards. For health and safety reasons, Parents are asked to use the main car park when dropping off and collecting children. In the case of disability or impaired mobility, written application for a parking permit may be made to the Bursar on a termly basis. Departure: Day Pupils may leave at 4.30 pm (end of academic day), 5.30pm (after a study period), 6pm (after tea). It is important that pupils are ‘ticked off’ the register as they leave. This also applies if pupils leave during the day to attend the doctors, dentist etc, and report to Reception on returning to School. PUPIL MESSAGES A pupil notice board is displayed in the Main Hall to inform pupils about messages from home, eg. to convey a change in pick up time, or to authorise and advise that someone other than a parent will be collecting a child. Please telephone the school office to pass on such messages. EXAMINATIONS AND TIMETABLE Dates of exams are included on the “Diary Dates” list issued at the beginning of term and which is included on the school’s website. A detailed examination timetable is issued as far as possible before the week in which the exams will be held, along with revision work. CURRICULUM The National Curriculum forms the core of Yarlet education. However, the Yarlet syllabus extends well beyond these guidelines; not only embracing additional subjects, but working at a level more advanced than that laid down by curriculum guidelines. Each child is encouraged and challenged to achieve to his or her full potential in all areas of Yarlet life. Children work towards Scholarship and Common Entrance examinations to various Senior Schools, including Shrewsbury, Repton, Moreton Hall, Rugby, Denstone, Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Rugby, Malvern, Newcastle-under-Lyme School and Stafford Grammar School. The National Curriculum comprises the core subjects of: Maths English Sciences – Physics, Chemistry & Biology Computing Religious Education and the foundation subjects of: French Spanish Art and Design History Geography PSHE Music Drama ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING TO PARENTS Yarlet has high academic expectations of its children. Each child works to his or her full potential and those who show academic promise are given the opportunity to work at a more advanced level, towards Scholarships / Awards to Senior Independent Schools at the age of 13 or before. Regular reporting of progress takes place, both in written form (report and assessments) and by way of parents’ meetings. Grades are explained to Parents within the report format. Form Tutors and pupils discuss all areas of the report and identify ways to improve, as well as recognising and rewarding where an individual has excelled. Regular assessment is important in order to confirm where pupils are over or under- achieving so that, in each case, appropriate action may be taken to ensure that each child reaches his or her potential.