Birdsedge First School Prospectus 2020
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Birdsedge First School Prospectus 2020 Headteacher: Mrs Donna Waddington Birdsedge First School Email: [email protected] Penistone Road Birdsedge Huddersfield Chair of Governors: Mrs Sian Allen HD8 8XR Email [email protected] Telephone: 01484 605441 Email: [email protected] Contents Page Contents Page Welcome 3. Values 4. Meet our team 5. Governors 6. Admissions 7. Starting School 8. Security 9. School Meals / Snacks/ Milk 10. The Curriculum and visits 11. Relationships & Sex Education / Religious 12. Education/ Welfare Safeguarding /Medicines/ common illness 13. Additional Educational Needs and Disabilities 14. Extra-curricular activities 15. Behaviour 16. Parental involvement in school 17. Attendance and absences during term time 18. What our children think….. 19. Welcome to our school A Welcome from our Governors We hope that you find this information useful and would be delighted to welcome you to our lovely school! All details in our prospectus are correct in September 2020 Sian Allen, Chair of Governors Mast Academy Trust Our school converted to an Academy as part of the Mast Academy Trust in December 2016. Currently there are four schools in the Trust and we work collaboratively to support our aim of creating amazing learning opportunities for our children and for generations to come. Please follows the link on our website to www.themast.co.uk A welcome from our Team We would love to welcome your family to our very special school – we are small but have a big heart. We pride ourselves on offering: High quality and caring relationships – we know our children very well High levels of care and support – we have a high level of adult support An engaging and bespoke curriculum taught through high quality lessons Specialist teaching from Scissett Middle School Staff who are highly trained in aspects of additional needs, eg Makaton A staff team who put children at the heart of everything they do Dear Parent, Choosing a first school for your child will form the foundation for their future education and happiness. We aim, through our prospectus, to give you the confidence to entrust the staff and governors of Birdsedge First School with the privilege of offering this education so that, in partnership with yourselves, we can ensure success and a love of learning. Birdsedge First School is a small village school that offers a family atmosphere. There is a feeling of warmth and security, where all the children know each other and are known by all of the staff. The older children take responsibility for supporting the younger ones. Mutual respect and care means that behavioural issues are minimal and dealt with quickly. There is a very positive ethos in school and children and adults enjoy being there. The school environment, both inside and out, is very attractive and we all take a pride in it. There are three classrooms, a hall and combined library and computer suite. The large playground and field offer a very spacious outdoor area and the wildlife garden is delightful. We are aiming to develop it even further in the future. Every child in our care is special. Every child is an individual. Together, with your assistance, we carefully consider your child’s strengths and where they need support, so that they can achieve their potential. Our high staffing levels facilitate this and are a strength. We have an excellent success rate of supporting children with additional needs and training in this area has been prioritised. We are currently on an exciting journey in our school, combining the existing strengths with new but experienced Leadership. I look forward to meeting you and your child, when I will be very happy to explain more fully our vision and values. Donna Waddington Headteacher School Ethos At Birdsedge First School we are on a very exciting journey to creating a school that provides the ‘Best’ of everything, for every person. We want give our children Brilliance in their knowledge through a broad and balanced curriculum. We aim to provide Excellence in every child’s education by making sure lessons are consistent and use strong and high quality teaching. Through both of these aspects we hope that children will enjoy ‘learning to learn’ through developing basic skills, knowledge, concepts and values through discreet subjects. We also hope children develop curiosity, enquiry, resilience and an openness to new ideas. We want all children to be Successful in their wider lives both now and in the future due to the knowledge, skills and experiences we give them. We want our children to be unique individuals who celebrate their own place in a diverse community and wider world. Community involvement and local knowledge and traditions will have an active role in this. Ultimately, we want all of this to happen in a safe, positive and inclusive school culture where every child feels safe and happy through the Trust we have in each other. Our children should leave Birdsedge First with a sense of belonging and a confidence or decision making that helps them to be lifelong learners and ready for their next stage in education. Meet our Staff Senior Leadership Team Mrs Donna Waddington Headteacher Teaching Staff Miss Danielle Haigh Class Teacher Miss Katie Hutton Class Teacher Ms Monica Spark Class Teacher Support Staff Mrs Ann Clarke Classroom Assistant Mrs Kath Nightingale Classroom Assistant Mrs Emma Carter Classroom Assistant Mrs Arlene Schofield Classroom Assistant Mrs Sam Lavy Office Admin Assistant Mrs Kristi Saunders Business Support Assistant Mrs Donna Taylor Cleaner Mrs Tracy Metcalfe Cleaner Out of School Mrs Leanne Taylor-O’Brien Out of School Club Manager Catering / Lunchtime Staff Mrs Anna Caven Lunchtime Supervisor Mrs Tracy Metcalf Lunchtime Supervisor Mrs Caroline Pinder Lunchtime Supervisor Our School Governors Mrs Sian Hyett-Allen Chair of Governors Dr Andy Williams Trust Appointed Governor Mrs Caroline Stevens Parent Governor Mrs Sarah Greene Co-Opted Governor Mr John Thompson Parent Governor Mr Terry Sigsworth Co-Opted Governor Miss Katie Hutton Staff Governor Mrs Jan Ansell Co-Opted Governor This prospectus may be your first introduction to Birdsedge First School. All involved with the school - parents, children, staff and governors are very proud of the quality of education it provides. Birdsedge is within easy travelling distance of a number of towns including Huddersfield, Barnsley and Wakefield. Currently there are children attending the school from outside the Kirklees area, as well as from several surrounding villages and Birdsedge itself. This prospectus covers all aspects of school life, gives some examples of the children’s comments about their work, plus descriptions of outside visits and school events in which they all participate. Birdsedge First School has the advantage of being a small school where teacher/pupil time and interaction are seen as important to the learning process. The cornerstone of our school is the staff, whose enthusiasm, commitment and depth of experience are reflected in the confidence and development of our children. Working in partnership, parents, staff and governors have the common objective of providing the best possible education in a happy learning environment. Parents are always welcome and are seen as crucial to the continuing success of our school. There is a healthy Friends of Birdsedge Association and the full quota of parent representatives on the Governing body. Our Leadership Team welcomes further enquiries and is always happy to show parents around. She can be contacted on 01484 605441. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming your children into our school. Birdsedge First School Governing Body Admissions We will admit children with Statements of Special Educational Needs where the school is named on the Statement. NB: Children in priorities 1 and 5 may also be admitted above the published PAN. THE PUBLISHED ADMISSION NUMBER (PAN) is 15 for each year group. The school cannot guarantee a place for any child in any of the priorities at any Key Stage. AGE is the criteria for allocation to classes. Mixed age classes have been a feature of the school for many years due to the numbers admitted and work effectively. Children may NOT stay together as a class as they move through the school – this is dependent upon numbers in the school and national class size regulations. Currently, only 30 pupils are allowed in one Key Stage 1 class. Please note that any child applying for a Middle School place who does not live in the PAA is at risk of not securing a place. *Please note. These admission arrangements are correct at the time of printing but will be subject to change if there is any alteration to the MAST Academy Admission Policy. Admissions Policy September 2020 We have adopted the MAST Academy Children born between 1/9/2015 and Trust Admission Policy and so children 31/8/2016 will start full time school in are accepted at Birdsedge First School September 2020 in the following order of priorities:- 1. Children in public care (looked after children) or a child who was previously looked after. 2. Children who live in the school’s Priority Admission Area (PAA) who have a brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission (the sibling rule). 3. Children who live in the school’s PAA. 4. Children who live outside the school’s PAA who have a brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission (the younger sibling rule). 5. Children who live outside the school’s PAA Starting School Visits to school are welcomed prior to registration of your child. These can be arranged by telephoning the office. We encourage parents to initially come into school with their child, to settle them in at the start of the school day.