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Prospectus |
01460 281370 |
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Letter from HeadOn behalf of the Governors, Staff and Pupils of Hambridge Community Primary School, may I extend a very warm greeting and thank you for taking the time to read our prospectus.Our mission is to develop personal fulfilment within all our pupils, so that they may leave our small community with the self esteem, initiative and determination necessary to make the most of the larger community they will subsequently enter. We aim to do this by striving to enhance the following qualities: H appiness - Staff and pupils who are happy, learn better together A chievement - In any area will lead to other successes M otivation - Comes from within, the desire to want to improve B elief - Self belief derives from knowing you can succeed R espect - For all members of our community I nclusion - Every member of our community shall have access to all experiences within our school. We are all equal D iscipline - The self discipline required to learn and practice G rowth - As individuals, as an organisation and as a community E xcellence - To continually strive for the best As a school community we embrace the above and aim to provide a curriculum which is broad, balanced, stimulating, relevant and as practical as possible. As you read on we hope that this will become clear, however, we do recommend that you take the opportunity to look around the school, where the atmosphere and spirit of Hambridge would be much more evident. We would be delighted to meet you and look forward to welcoming you into our school. Iain Crabtree Hambridge Community School
Our school is located in the village of Hambridge, on the Somerset Levels, a few miles from the town of Ilminster.
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School AddressHambridge Community Primary SchoolHambridge Langport Somerset TA10 0AZ Telephone 01460 281370 Fax 01460 281894 Email office@hambridge.somerset.sch.uk |
Local Education AuthoritySomerset Education CommitteeEducation Department Taunton Somerset TA1 4DY Telephone 01823 355455 |
People in Our School
School Organisation & Staffing: 2006/7
Headteacher - Mr Iain Crabtree B.Ed| Class 1 - Reception & Year 1 - Age range 4-6 | Mrs Pizii Cert.Ed Mrs Brown BA Mrs S Gatcombe Miss A Melbourne |
Literacy and RE, Early Years & Foundation Stage Science, and Art & Design Classroom Assistant Classroom Assistant |
| Class 2 - Years 2 & 3 - Age range 6-8 | Miss Hammick BA Mrs Powell BA Miss L Kergon |
Music and Recorders History and Geography Classroom Assistant |
| Class 3 - Years 4, 5 & 6 - Age range 8-11 | Mr Crabtree B.Ed Mr Curry Mrs M Livingstone |
Numeracy and ICT P.E. and Design Technology Classroom Assistant |
| SENCO | Mrs J Weaver BSc | Special Needs, and Able & Talented |
| ICT Assistant and HLTA | Miss L Kergon | |
| S.E.N Assistants | Mrs J Robson Mrs K Trippick | |
| Lunchtime Supervisors | Miss A Melbourne Miss L Kergon Mrs M Livingstone | |
| Admin Officer and Secretary | Mrs E Woodland | |
| Caretaker and Cleaner | Mr M Coghlan | |
Currently the school is organised into three classes as follows:
Class 1 - Reception and Year 1
Class 2 - Years 2 and 3
Class 3 - Years 4, 5 and 6
However as our numbers have increased significantly in the older year groups, but decreased in the younger age groups, we shall be changing the class structure from September 2006 as follows:
Class 1 - Reception, years 1 and 2
Class 2 - Years 3 and 4
Class 3 - Years 5 and 6
Governors
The governors are volunteers but are responsible for the strategic management of the school. Their responsibilities include:- Appointment of staff
- The school budget
- The religious education in the school
- The sex education in the school
- Monitoring the curriculum
- The maintenance of the premises
- Health and Safety
Governor | Appointment |
| Mr R Clark Chair | Parent |
| Mrs W Devereux Vice Chair | LEA |
| Mr R Roberts | Additional Co-opted Appointed |
| Mrs J Phillips | LEA |
| Mr P Masters | Co-opted |
| Mrs J Corns | Parent |
| Mr P Brandt | Parent |
| Mrs S Pizii | Teacher |
| Dr D Gauld | Parent |
| Mrs J Knight | Co-opted |
| Mr I Crabtree | Head teacher |
| Mrs E Woodland | Clerk to the Governors |
LEA
MLA
Parent Governor
Co-opted Governor
Teacher Governor
Staff Governor
Finance (Working Party)
Pay / Personnel (Sub-Committee)
Curriculum (Working Party)
Premises & Security (Working Party)
Village Hall Representative
Link Governor
Aims
The staff and governors aim to provide the children with a wide and varied education, which will enable them to reach their full potential in every aspect of school life.
- To create a caring, happy and positive atmosphere where the children feel confident, valued and motivated to learn.
- To provide a stimulating environment where the children can access a broad based curriculum, relevant to their needs.
- To develop the partnership between the school and home, and foster links with the wider community.
- To encourage co-operation, responsibility and respect for the people and environment around them.
The Curriculum
All the children of statutory school age at Hambridge School receive a broad and balanced curriculum framework, which meets the requirements of the National Curriculum 2000. They follow nationally agreed programmes of study in Mathematics, Literacy, Science, Art, Music, PE, History, Geography, Design and Technology, Information and Communication Technology, Personal Social and Health Education and Citizenship. French is also taught throughout the school.
Through this curriculum our pupils will develop:
- lively, enquiring minds, the ability to question and argue rationally and the ability to apply themselves to tasks and physical skills.
- knowledge and use of literacy and numeracy.
- self-esteem and confidence and respect for others.
- high standards of behaviour and self-discipline.
- appropriate relationships with other children and adults in both school and the wider community.
- knowledge and skills relevant to adult life and employment in a fast changing world.
- appreciation of human achievements and aspirations.
- tolerance and respect for religious and moral values and for people of other races, religions and cultures.
- understanding of the world in which they live and the interdependence of individuals, groups and nations.
- Communication, Language and Literacy,
- Mathematical Development,
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development,
- Knowledge and Understanding of the World,
- Physical Development,
- Creative Development
RE
Religious education is taught according to a non-denominational syllabus used in Somerset schools, which develops a knowledge of Christianity whilst raising the awareness of other religions.Children meet daily for collective worship. These assemblies provide opportunities for the children to participate.
All parents have a right to withdraw their child from the daily assembly. Any parent wishing to do so should contact the Head Teacher.
SEN, and Able and Talented
Consideration is given to all children with Special Educational Needs, including the most able children, children with learning difficulties, children with physical disabilities and children with emotional problems. Our Special Needs Co-ordinator, Mrs Jill Weaver, works very closely with staff, support staff and parents to ensure that all the children work at a level appropriate to their needs. Support and guidance can also be obtained from outside agencies such as speech therapists, educational psychologist, occupational, therapist, physiotherapist and the hearing impaired service.Class teachers ensure that the more able, gifted and talented are given opportunities to extend and enrich their learning. Through the local federation of schools (Community Learning Partnership) the more able pupils have the opportunity to take part in activities with other children from the local area.
Equal Opportunities and Multi-Cultural Education
Our aim is to provide equal opportunities for all children and adults at Hambridge School. We recognise how important it is for individuals to have a positive perception of his or her role in life and the possibilities open to them. We aim to treat each person as an individual with equal access to all areas of school life, regardless of aptitude, sex, nationality, disability, social, religious or ethnic background. We believe it is essential that all our children should develop an understanding of a variety of cultures and consider them with respect.Sex Education (Years 5 and 6)
The aim of the Sex Education curriculum is to generate an atmosphere in which questions about sexuality and reproduction can be answered with sympathy and understanding. We aim to give the children a solid base of factual information, which will help them to cope with the emotional and physical changes they will experience in puberty, and to develop a sensitive and responsible attitude to their relationships.We believe that the partnership between home and school is of crucial importance, and all the resources used will always be available for parents to study in a supportive environment with the guidance of the staff.
Educational Visits
We believe educational visits to be of vital importance in developing personal growth, independence and to enrich the learning. These may involve the use of the rich local environment around the school or constitute a whole day visit further afield. All visits are conducted in accordance with the guidelines issued by Somerset Education Authority and parents are always asked for their consent.
For children in years 4, 5 and 6 children there is a three day residential visit to an outdoor activity centre. In the past we have visited Pinkery on Exmoor, Greatwood in the Quantocks and this year we shall be visiting Sanymouth near Bude. We hope that all children will take part in these visits and in cases of financial difficulty the Head Teacher should be contacted. No child is ever excluded from participating in additional educational activities on the grounds of cost but activities may have to be cancelled if insufficient contributions are received to make them viable.
Sports Provision and Extra Curricular Activities
We believe that the wider one's opportunities, the more likely one is to find personal fulfilment. We do therefore extend the school day considerably in order to offer our pupils a wealth of other experiences.
Physical Education helps our children to develop their physical competence, artistic and aesthetic understanding, promotes health and helps establish self-esteem and co-operation with others. The school uses the playground, playing field, recreation ground and village hall for gymnastics, games, dance, and athletics. Swimming takes place for Years 3-6, in the Autumn Term at Crewkerne Swimming Pool. We use the skills of the SASP team (Somerset Activity Sports Partnership) to teach across the school during curriculum PE and Games.
We have a wide range of after school sports clubs for all the children including- football, tag rugby, netball, ball skills, rounders, basketball, cricket. Some of our clubs are run by staff but some are orgainised through outside providers and therefore a small charge may be payable. Providers include: Yeovil Town FC, Team Theme, SASP, Premier Soccer, Steve West
Other clubs offered are:
Chess, Choir, Country Dancing, Drama, Imagineering, Fishing, Gardening, Recorders and Dance
Hambridge is part of the Huish Community Learning Partnership . This gives us many opportunities to take part in organised events with the other schools in the area, such as sports matches and tournaments, music activities, and science workshops. We are also heavily involved in the Yeovil Games Association which furthers our sporting opportunities.
We should state that permission needs to be granted by parents for pupils attending a club after school and permission slips are available at the start of each term. We expect pupils who join a club, to do so for the duration of that term and not to simply stop turning up. We believe that 'winners never quit and quitters never win.'
School Houses
Last year we trialled a new house system based on four colours for our whole school sports day. It was so successful that we now intend to introduce the house system across the school rewarding good behaviour and citizenship.Travel in Cars
We are most grateful to those parents who give endlessly of their time in transporting children to events and activities outside the school - for example netball, football, local visits.
Parents who use their own vehicles for this purpose must ensure that the car and driver are covered for passenger liability and that insurance regulations are not infringed by overloading. Parents will be asked to sign a form in the school office to confirm that their insurance covers them for journeys of this kind and will be asked to provide a copy of their insurance certificate. If parents are in any doubt whatsoever they should first check with their insurance company.
Health and Welfare
Lunches
The school at present, is unable to provide school meals at midday, however plans are afoot to provide hot meals from September. There is, currently, supervised provision for the children to eat their packed lunches. Please pack their lunches in a labelled box and we ask that there are no glass bottles, fizzy drinks or sweets. Children whose parents are in receipt of income support are entitled to a lunch at no charge. Full details are available from the office.Snacks
We have recently taken part in Somerset's 'Healthy Schools Initiative' and have been awarded a Healthy Schools Status. We are part of the national Free Fruit and Vegetable Scheme whereby Classes 1 and 2 all receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable every break time. The children in Class 3 are encouraged to eat a piece of their own fruit or veg from home at this time. Milk is provided free for children under 5 and can be purchased for all children through the school office. Children are encouraged to bring water to drink during the day and especially in hot weather. We have drink containers, which can be purchased from the office.School Council
A council has operated at the school for over a year now. The pupils vote on a half yearly basis for their representatives from years 1-6. The agenda for the weekly meeting is set by the suggestion boxes placed in each class and items that the management team would like the council to consider. Each session is attended by a member of staff who reports back to the rest of the school staff.
Children's Health
If your child is away from school, it is essential that you let us know the reason by telephone or a short note on the same day of absence.If you wish your child to leave school during the day for an appointment please ensure that we are informed beforehand.
If your child has an accident or becomes ill we will contact you as quickly as possible. It is important that we always have up to date contact details and any change of phone numbers should be notified to the school at once.
As a general rule, if a child needs medication of any sort it usually means that they are unfit for school. If your child needs to take prescribed medicines while at school, they should be brought to the office for safekeeping. The medicine should be in the original container provided by the pharmacist with clear instructions relating to the child's name, dosage and time that it should be administered. We will always inform you if your child suffers a knock on the head.
Whilst in Class 1 children are given routine, vision and hearing tests and parents will always be notified when these are forthcoming.
Should it be required that your child miss PE or swimming lessons, you should inform the member of staff by letter.
Child Protection
The school has a child protection policy in place and is able to liaise with Social Services when required. Sally Pizii is appointed as Child Protection Officer and in her absence the headteacher assumes her role.
Road Safety
There are no facilities for car parking within the school grounds but parents may park in the Village Hall car park. In the interests of safety you are asked by the Governors not to park in the area immediately outside the school gates where legal enforceable No Waiting restrictions are in place on the zigzag lines outside the school gates.
Children can come to school on bicycles provided that there is parental agreement, the children ride sensibly and not inside the school site. Cycling Proficiency courses are organised through the school and there is an expectation that all pupils who ride to school attend these courses.
The car park does get extremely busy and we would ask that both drivers and their passengers take extreme care when parking, manoevering and arriving/departing school. To reduce the congestion in the car park, pedestrians and cyclists are requested to use the front entrance to the school, thereby avoiding the car park altogether.
School Security
The school grounds have two entrances in to the school, one off the main road and one from the adjoining car park. The main entrance has a security system, which is administered from the office and there is a signing in system for all visitors to the school. At the start of each school day the side gate into the playground is locked and access is available only through the main entrance. There are also gates leading on to the field, which are used when supervision is available - at break times and for Games and PE. The school has a comprehensive alarm system in place for when it is unoccupied.Fire drills are undertaken termly, and the remote classrooms have now been linked to the main building and operate on the same alarm system. Children and staff are evacuated onto the playground area.
Severe Weather Procedures
In the event of severe weather creating transport difficulties or a health and safety risk, the school may be closed. If such an event occurs out of school hours, a member of staff will be on hand at the school in the morning to disseminate information and local radio stations will be informed of any closure.Data Protection Act 1998
Information provided by parents and held by the school is used solely for administrative/educational purposes. Some information will be shared with the Local Authority, who will use it for statistical analysis. Some information will be passed to the pupil's next school to facilitate easy transfer. Parents have the right to view data held about them or their child, and are encouraged to assist the school to uphold its responsibilities to maintain up to date data by notifying any changes, for example of address, telephone number, religious belief, parental responsibility, etc. As a matter of course, parents will be provided on an annual basis with a copy of their child's administrative computer record, in order that they can check for inaccuracies. Personal data held is treated in absolute confidence.
Uniform and School Rules
All clothing should be clearly marked with your child's name:
- White shirt/blouse/polo shirt
- Green cardigan or v-neck sweater or school sweatshirt (available from school)
- Grey skirt/pinafore dress or grey/black trousers
- Grey or white socks
- Suitable shoes (not trainers or high heels)
- Green checked dresses for the summer
- P.E. - Green shorts and Hambridge T-shirt (available from the office)
- P.E. - No jewellery apart from 'sleepers' should be worn in school
We do not encourage pupils to bring valuables into school, but items such as watches and spectacles should be handed to the member of staff prior to PE and Games.
In general PE kit should be brought to school at the beginning of the half term and taken home at the end of it. Games kit and kit required for clubs should be brought in and taken home on the same day.
Lost Property
It is extremely difficult to locate owners of school uniform if the items are not named. We would ask, therefore, that parents clearly mark or label their children's clothing. Lost property boxes are kept in each cloakroom and will periodically be displayed outside the school. However, at the end of a half term, any unclaimed property will be either gifted to the FOSA uniform shop or given to a local charity clothing store.Children's Own School Rules
Within each class, rules are agreed between classmates and the staff relating to how one should conduct oneself within their shared environment.School and Home
New Home School Agreement
As members of the Hambridge Primary School Community we should all embrace our mission statement to 'Develop personal fulfilment', by aiming for our school to have:H appiness
A chievement
M otivation
B elief
R espect
I nclusion
D iscipline
G rowth
E xcellence
Parents and carers are expected to:
- Get their children to school on time (8:50) and attend regularly, informing the school in writing on the first day of reasons for absence
- Ensure that all homework is completed and handed in on time
- Make sure that school uniform is worn, tidily, and that only studs are worn as jewellery
- Respect all other members of the school family
- Encourage responsible membership of the school clubs
- Support their children with reading at home
- Take an interest in their children's education by attending parents evenings and information evenings where possible
- Support the school's behaviour policy
- Let the school know of any problems which may affect their children's work
- Work in partnership with the parents involving them as much as possible in their child's learning
- Celebrate all our children's achievements
- Have high expectations of behaviour and standards of work
- Be dedicated to the well being of all the children, providing a happy and safe environment where everyone is treated fairly and respected
- Extend learning out of the classroom to widen opportunities for all
- Provide an informative written report every year and termly opportunities to formally meet their children's teacher
- Work towards the whole school aims by nurturing self esteem and confidence
- Set targets for pupils to aspire to
- Bring the things they need for school every day and look after them
- Have respect for the school's and other people's property
- Wear their school uniform and PE kit tidily
- Care for each other and treat everyone with respect
- Act as a responsible member of the school family
- Take pride in themselves, their work and their school
- Value the importance of trying hard and understand that making mistakes is all a part of learning
- Be disciplined in their behaviour around the school
- Make the most of the opportunities the school offers them
Parental Help in School
We encourage and value a close partnership between home and school as we feel that this is the key to the success of your child's education.
We welcome and value help from parents both in school and on visits. Teachers plan a variety of activities for children as part of the curriculum, and we appreciate help from parents who have special areas of expertise they are able to share with the children.
Parents who are interested in helping with class activities on a regular or incidental basis should discuss their involvement with the child's class teacher. There is a volunteers handbook, giving guidance on working in the school, which we would ask you to read prior to taking on any role within the school.
Homework
Homework is an integral and important part of the child's school day. It helps to consolidate and extend the work done in school and also provides parents with an opportunity to become involved with their child's work.
Shortly after children start school they are given a reading book and a Home-School link book. Initial homework activities will be sharing a book together and talking about the pictures and the story.
When appropriate for your child, word cards and handwriting activities will be sent home. The Home-School link book forms the basis of communication about these activities and any other issues you may need to share with your child's teacher.
As your child gets older, in addition to these initial activities a range of homework activities will begin to be set on a more regular basis. There will be spellings and tables to learn and work to do or to finish from a range of curriculum subjects.
By the time your child is in class 3 homework will be very formalised, with numeracy and literacy homework books which will need to be completed over a three day period and then handed in. Alongside the learning of spellings and tables and regular reading children in Class 3 are expected to spend about two hours a week on their homework.
You are asked to provide a quiet working area and encourage your child to complete the work conscientiously and to a good standard.
Any concerns relating to homework should be discussed with your child's teacher at the earliest opportunity and parents will be informed if homework is not being completed regularly.
Absence
There has been a tightening up of attendance procedures in the last year. You are now requested to inform the school by 9:30 of your child's absence and the reason for it. Further, in the case of an absence of more than one day, you are asked to keep in daily contact with the school.The school is unlikely to authorise requests for holidays in term time, except in the most exceptional of cases. Nevertheless, any request for the taking of holidays in the school term, should be made on the appropriate form available form the office.
The school sees regular attendance as essential in maintaining high standards and pupils attaining their goals. 100% attendance for a term is therefore rewarded and celebrated in the final assembly each term.
Information to Parents
We welcome the interest and support of parents in all aspects of school life. We aim to keep parents well informed about their child's education and hope that they see it as a partnership between home and school.The national Curriculum provides statements of attainment, which are the standards against which the child's progress is measured. There are formal assessment tasks SATs) at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and at the end of key stage 2. Year 6. The results of these SATs are communicated in confidence to parents. However, children's progress is constantly monitored and if we have concerns parents are contacted in order to discuss any difficulties.
Results of Optional SATs taken by Years 3, 4 and 5 are communicated to parents in the end of term report and a guide is provided to help parents understand the levels reported.
Written reports are sent home in the summer term and formal consultations with parents are held in the Autumn and Spring term when your child's progress is discussed.
Regular newsletters are sent home keeping parents informed about forthcoming activities and events.
The school holds a wide range of documents dealing with topics such as educational provision, LEA policy, Complaints Procedure, Annual Governors Reports, Schemes of work, all of which are available for parents or other members of the public to view.
Friends of School Association (FOSA)
All parents belong to the Friends of School Association which enthusiastically organises a variety of successful and enjoyable fund-raising and social events. We are indebted to the work of FOSA who provide additional resources, which support all the children in the school. New members are always welcome to join the committee, which is elected annually at its AGM in the autumn term.Charging Policy
Under the 1988 education act, schools are unable to charge for educational activities arranged during the school day. In order to be able to provide additional opportunities for the children, such as school trips, individual music tuition, residential trips, we need to ask for voluntary contributions to offset the cost of these activities.The Education Authority is able to provide financial aid for free school meals (a packed lunch) and school uniform. Contact the school for further details.
Starting School
Visiting school
We actively encourage prospective parents to visit our school to meet the staff and children and ask any questions that may arise.Arrangements for visits can be made by telephone to the school.
Admissions Policy
The LEA is the admissions authority for this school. This enables children to start school in the September of the academic year in which they have their fifth birthday.The school's catchment area comprises Hambridge, Westport, Isle Brewers and Isle Abbots, though all parents are welcome to apply for a place for their child through procedures administered by Somerset Education Authority..
There is an appeals procedure for those parents whose application for a place at our school is unsuccessful.
Starting School
We do our very best to ensure that all children settle into school happily and take this big step towards independence, with confidence.Before the children join us in September, we provide plenty of opportunities for them meet the teachers and other children. Parents and children are invited to a meeting with the reception staff, where you will receive an Induction Folder and the children may start to borrow our wonderful Story Sacks and Home-Start Folders. The children are able to attend several morning sessions in Class 1 in the summer term and those attending Little Beavers Pre-School regularly visit in the Spring and Summer Terms.
The Class 1 teachers can also visit the child at home to meet the family.
When the children start school they begin in Class 1 on a part-time basis (mornings only) until half-term. This reception year provides the opportunity to gain in confidence, increase in independence, make new friends and build the foundation for the start of the National Curriculum in Year 1.
By working very closely with parents we hope to make the children's first year at school a happy and fruitful one.
Transferring on
At the end of Year 6 pupils transfer to secondary school. The catchment area secondary school is Huish Science College. Almost all our Year 6 pupils move on to Huish, with whom we have exceptionally good relationships. During the Spring term, the Head of year 7 visits the class and speaks to the Year 6 pupils. At least two more information gathering visits are made by the Head of year 7 before the pupils spend a day at Huish late in the summer term getting a taster of secondary school life and finding out who and who is not in their tutor group ! A Treasure Hunt is held prior to this taster day so that pupils know their way around the school geographically.School Results (2005)
During the Summer Term pupils in year 2 (Key Stage 1) and in year 6 (Key Stage 2) took the National Statutory Assessment Tasks. The year 2 pupils are tested on English (reading, spelling and writing including handwriting) and Maths. The year 6 pupils are tested more formally on English (reading, writing, spelling and handwriting), Maths (with and without a calculator) and Science.
Complaints Procedure
Whilst we naturally hope you will never feel the need to complain there is a procedure laid down by the LEA and the school for dealing with issues we have been unable to resolve together.
Concerns relating to your child's progress should be discussed initially with the class teacher and concerns relating to the curriculum or any other aspect of school life should be discussed in the first instance with the headteacher.
If, in spite of these discussions, these issues remain unresolved, the concerns may be taken to the Governing Body through the Chairman, who will make all reasonable address the issues and bring resolve the matter satisfactorily. A response from the Governors should be received within five working days of the receipt of the complaint.
Should a satisfactory conclusion still not be reached; there are procedures which can be followed and representations can be made to the Local Authority.
Information leaflets relating to the "Complaints Procedure" can be obtained from the school office.