Tow Law Millennium Primary School SScchhooooll PPrroossppeeccttuuss 22001177 - 22001188 - Prospectus 2017 - 2018 2 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL TOW LAW MILLENNIUM PRIMARY SCHOOL SCHOOL PROSPECTUS 2017 - 2018 SCHOOL ADDRESS: WEAR STREET ATTLEE ESTATE TOW LAW BISHOP AUCKLAND CO DURHAM DL13 4LF Telephone Nos: (01388) 730283 / 730260 Email: [email protected] Website address: www.towlaw.durham.sch.uk Chair of Governors: Mr Russell Bell Vice-Chair of Governors: Mrs Lisa Croft Headteacher: Mrs Lisa Jackson Second-in-Charge: Miss Nicola Mawson Prospectus 2017 - 2018 3 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 Prospectus 2017 - 2018 4 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 NO TOPIC PAGE NO 1. Introduction 7 2. General Information 8 3. School Achievements 8 4. Membership of the Governing Body 10 Activities of the Governing Body 10 5. Personnel Team 11 6. School Organisation 12 - 13 - The School Day - Swimming - Assembly and Collective Worship - Extra-curricular Activities - Term Dates - Leave of Absence Application Process Flowchart 7. Our Vision 15 School Aims and Curriculum 15 – 16 8. Safeguarding Statement 16 Home-School Links 17 Behaviour 17 - 18 Definitions of Bullying 19 10. Special Educational Needs 20 Charging and Remissions Policy Trips 11. School Performance 20 - 21 - Absence Rates - Concerns and Complaints - Performance Targets - Teacher Assessment for 7 year olds - National Curriculum Test Results for 11 olds 12. Post Ofsted Action Plan 22 13. Admissions Information 22 14. Sex Education 23 RE and Collective Worship 15. British Values 23 Pastoral Care 24 16. School Security 24 Uniform 25 School Transport 17. School Meals 25 Secondary Schools 18. Professional Development of Teaching Staff 26 School Council Community Links Equal Opportunities Statement 19. Childminder Information 27 Prospectus 2017 - 2018 5 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 Prospectus 2017 - 2018 6 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 December 2017 Dear Parent/Carer This booklet contains information on the school, its aims, its curriculum and other activities. We hope that we have provided sufficient extra information for you to gain an accurate picture of what our school is like. If there is any further information you would like which we have not included, please do not hesitate to contact us. The school welcomes visits by prospective parents and pupils. These can be arranged by phoning the school. The information contained in this prospectus was accurate in December 2017 but over the spring term, prior to the next revision, there will inevitably be some changes. L Jackson R Bell Lisa Jackson Russell Bell Headteacher Chair of Governors Prospectus 2017 - 2018 7 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 TTOOWW LLAAWW MMIILLLLEENNNNIIUUMM PPRRIIMMAARRYY SSCCHHOOOOLL ________________________________________________________________________ General Information The school currently has 85 pupils on roll with a further 14 children in our Nursery. Pupils are organised into four classes of between 14 and 32 children. The school is accommodated in a modern building containing an open-plan practical area, four classrooms plus a fully equipped Foundation Stage classroom for our Nursery/Reception pupils. The building includes a multi-purpose hall, an open plan group room, a Community Room and a Community Library. Outside, the grounds contain an extensive hard-play area and playing fields for Key Stage 2 including a Trim Trail, a large play area for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 with both grassed and hard play areas in a secure, fenced-off area; a large grassed area and a range of trees, shrubs and a wetland area, which provide a suitable environment for investigational work. We also have a Secret Garden situated around the rear of the building. School Achievements Choosing your child’s school is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. At Tow Law Millennium Primary School our staff team, in partnership with the Governing Body, strive to provide the very best opportunities and experiences for children. TLMPS is a vibrant school where children are enthusiastic and motivated to achieve and they are truly at the heart of every decision we make. Investors in Children, Young Carers’ Charter, working with the eXtreme Group (Investors in Children) to improve accessibility, Sainsbury’s Gold Mark for PE as well as achieving the Physical Education and Sport Quality Mark with Distinction are but a few of our achievements on our journey from 2015 – 2017. We have outstanding School Councillors and Buddies and a strong staff team who have steered our children through life without levels into the new National Curriculum. I am pleased to introduce you to this year’s Buddies and School Councillors. Buddies meet weekly with Mrs Jackson on a Wednesday at 2.50 - 3.10pm and School Councillors with Miss Dobson on a Monday 12.00 - 12.30pm. At Tow Law Millennium Primary School, we pride ourselves in working together with the community. We are an integral part of the town and as such strive towards providing a high quality learning environment for all our children. In February 2012, we opened a 16 place (8 morning and 8 afternoon) nursery in our existing Reception classroom which has recently been extended to enable us to offer 32 places (16 morning and 16 afternoon) in order to cater for the new Government initiative offering 30 hours of free childcare per week. This is available for parents of three and four year olds, to help them continue or take up employment. Our Early Years facilities offer high quality provision in a respectful and caring environment. We recognise and celebrate that all children are individuals and as such develop at different rates, have different interests and come from varied cultural backgrounds. We strive to ensure our provision reflects and supports all children both indoors and outdoors. We have always had a good relationship with the two local childminders and together recently looked at the facilities in and around Tow Law. We all recognised that these are limited, especially when you look at SAFE areas for our very youngest residents to play. During the school holidays, we are now opening the school to allow the Childminders to bring their children to TLMPS to access our facilities. Prospectus 2017 - 2018 8 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 Miss Dobson and I are very proud of our KS1 pupils. They have had a wonderful attitude to all aspects of school life and we look forward to watching them embrace the challenges of the KS2 curriculum. In May 2017, our Year 6 pupils took their end of KS2 SATs. They worked hard and Miss Mawson and I are very proud of their results. We worked with three secondary schools, Wolsingham School and Community College, Parkside Academy and the Academy Consett on a clear transition programme for pupils and we wish them well for the next phase of their education. We also took part in the Wolsingham Eurovision evening. Governors have had another very proactive year starting with the remodelling of the Early Years’ environment, preparing the school to meet the demand, for those parents eligible, for 30 hours nursery provision and reacting to the results of our summer term surveys for pupils, parents and staff. We have listened to the views of parents regarding the gate to the yard beside my office which has been fitted with a stop plate as well as allocating £1,000 to extending the reading book provision within the school. During the school year, we worked with Chris Cook, Olympic swimmer, through the Inspire Programme. The focus, as you can guess, was to inspire our pupils through believing in themselves. We recognise the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle for our pupils and have, from September 2017, funding has been allocated for a Sports Apprentice to support the provision of sport across the school day and within after school clubs. Our most recent Ofsted took place on 3rd October 2017 where we were judged to be a “good” school. The Inspector recognised the school’s drive to raise standards and said: ¢ Over time, leaders have improved the teaching of mathematics. A strong and systematic focus on basic skills has ensured that most pupils have a secure knowledge of arithmetic. Highly effective teaching in upper Key Stage 2 has enabled pupils to make very rapid progress. In 2017, every pupil in Year 6 reached the expected standard in mathematics. ¢ Following a dip in reading standards at the end of Year 6 in 2016, leaders reviewed the reading curriculum. Pupils now enjoy a new programme of independent reading and a range of rewards, which encourage them to read frequently. Pupils speak positively about the breadth of reading material available to them. ¢ Improvements to the teaching of phonics have resulted in a higher than average proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the national phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. ¢ Governors are highly committed to improving the school. They have ensured, through accessing training, that they understand the recent changes to the national curriculum and testing arrangements. The Chair of Governors is particularly diligent in ensuring that any new governors have the skills they need to make a strong contribution to the Governing Body. Governors have challenged leaders, over time, to improve aspects of the school’s performance and this has resulted in improved outcomes for pupils. Prospectus 2017 - 2018 9 Updated December 2017 Edition 2 MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY ________________________________________________________________________ Name Appointed by Term of Office Expires Russell Bell (Chair) Co-opted 7 February 2018 Lisa Croft (Vice Chair) Co-opted 24 January 2019 Lisa Jackson Ex-officio Nicola Mawson Staff 18 September 2018 John Hart LA 6 February 2018 Steve Peat Co-opted 7 February 2018 Vacancy Co-opted Stephen Hall Parent 7 February 2018 Clare Wild Parent 5 April 2018 The Chair of the Governing Body is Russell Bell c/o the school and the Clerk to the Governing Body is Peter Robson, School & Governor Support Service, Education Department, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UJ.