Welcome to Hindlip C.E. First School!

Prospectus - Information - 2006 - 2007

When your child is absent from school for whatever reason, we ask you to phone school before 9.15am. Please follow this up with a note of explanation addressed to the class teacher, on your child?s return to school. The LEA requires us to keep written records of all absences from school. Absences fall into two categories - those authorised by the LEA and those unauthorised by the LEA. ?Authorised? absences include sickness, visits to the doctor/dentist, compassionate leave and a maximum of ten school days holiday per academic year. Please note that you must fill in a holiday form to cover family holidays during school time. These are available from the school office. However, it is always best for your child?s education to avoid taking holidays during term time if at all possible. Your child?s absence has to be recorded as ?unauthorised? if it does not fall into one of the categories authorised by the LEA.
Parents are requested to ensure that pupils are punctual and regular in attendance. Should your child be absent we need a note on the returning day: failure to do this will result in this being recorded as an unauthorised absence. Absences are not authorised for children to accompany parents, for example, on shopping excursions, to shows etc. If a child has an appointment during school hours he/she must be collected by arrangement with the school. Back to top

ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN SCHOOLS

DATA PROTECTION ACT

Schools, local education authorities and the Department for Education and Skills (the government department which deals with education) all hold information on pupils in order to run the education system, and in doing so have to follow the Data Protection Act 1998. This means, among other things, that the data held about pupils must only be used for specific purposes allowed by law. We are therefore writing to tell you about the types of data held, why that data is held, and to whom it may be passed on.

The school holds information on pupils in order to support their teaching and learning, to monitor and report on their progress, to provide appropriate pastoral care, and to assess how well the school as whole is doing. This information includes contact details, National Curriculum assessment results, attendance information, characteristics such as ethnic group, special educational needs and any relevant medical information.

From time to time we are required to pass on some of this data to the Local Education Authority (LEA), to another school to which the pupil is transferring, to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), and to Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) which is responsible for the National Curriculum and associated assessment arrangements.

The Local Education Authority uses information about pupils to carry out specific functions for which it is responsible, such as the assessment of any special educational needs the pupil may have. It also uses the information to derive statistics to inform decisions on (for example) the funding of schools, and to assess the performance of schools and set targets for them. The statistics are used in such a way that individual pupils cannot be identified from them.

No personal information provided to the Council will be passed on to third parties for commercial purposes. Information, however, will be shared within the council and with other agencies where the legal framework allows and requires it. This will help the Council to improve and to develop services.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority uses information about pupils to administer the National Curriculum tests and assessments for Key Stages 1 to 3. The results of these are passed on to DfES in order for it to compile statistics on trends and patterns in levels of achievement. The QCA uses the information to evaluate the effectiveness of the National Curriculum and the associated assessment arrangements, and to ensure that these are continually improved.

The Department for Education and Skills uses information about pupils for statistical purposes, to evaluate and develop education policy and to monitor the performance of the education service as a whole. The statistics (including those based on information provided by the QCA) are used in such a way that individual pupils cannot be identified from them. The DfES will feed back to LEAs and schools information about their pupils where they are lacking this information because it was not passed on by a former school. On occasion information may be shared with other Government departments or agencies strictly for statistical or research purposes only.

Pupils, as data subjects, have certain rights under the Data Protection Act, including a general right of access to personal data held on them, with parents exercising this right on their behalf if they are too young to do so themselves. If you wish to access the personal data held about your child, then please contact the relevant organisation in writing:
- the school: Hindlip CE First School, Droitwich Road, Fernhill Heath, Worcester WR3 8RJ
- the LEA?s Data Protection Officer at County Hall, Worcester WR5 2NP;
- the QCA?s Data Protection Officer at QCA, 83 Piccadilly, LONDON, W1J 8QA;
- the DfES?s Data Protection Officer at DfES, Caxton House, Tothill Street, LONDON, SW1H 9NA.

Separately from the Data Protection Act, DfES regulations provide a pupil?s parent (regardless of the age of the pupil) with the right to view, or to have a copy of, their child?s educational record at the school. If you wish to exercise this right you should write to the school. A charge will be made for any photo -copying. Back to top

ACCIDENTS

All accidents which come to the attention of staff are recorded in the Accident Book where they are signed and dated. Minor cuts, bumps and grazes will be attended to by a member of staff. At the time of writing two of our staff are qualified First Aiders.
If urgent medical attention is required an ambulance will be called and the child's day time contact informed immediately. It is therefore essential that you keep us up to date with any changes or additions to your contact information. If it isn't possible to contact the child's parents the Headteacher or a member of staff will take the child to receive treatment while someone continues to reach the parents. It is, therefore, vital that you keep your contact details up to date, and inform us of any changes, especially to mobile ?phone numbers.
If your child has had a minor accident at school, he or she will be given a sticker to wear, alerting you to the fact that they will have a letter with them detailing the incident for your information. Back to top

CHARGING and REMISSIONS POLICY

Governors are required by the Education Reform Act (1988) to agree a policy on charging for some school activities. We ask for voluntary contributions from parents in order to make some activities possible.

VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS are sought from parents for:
 transport for swimming lessons, cost of pool hire and lifeguard
 transport and entry fees on educational visits
 children?s Christmas Party activities
These voluntary contributions will be kept to a reasonable minimum.
No child will be excluded from a visit or activity if the parents feel unable, for whatever reason, to make a voluntary contribution. School Fund may be used to top up a small shortfall. However, if there are insufficient voluntary contributions to cover our costs the visit or activity may have to be cancelled. In any case where a trip has to be cancelled, the percentage shortfall will be conveyed to parents in order to clarify the reason for cancellation.

CHARGES ARE MADE FOR:

? Residential Visit in Year 4
? After School Clubs, where run by outside agencies Back to top

ADMISSION OF PUPILS WITH DISABILITIES

We have suitable entrances and facilities to enable us to admit pupils with a range of disabilities. Most of the building is accessible to wheelchairs.
We have an Accessibility Plan which sets out aims for improving the accessibility of our school over the short, medium and long term.
Our behaviour and discipline procedures ensure that pupils with disabilities are not treated any less favourably than able bodied pupils. Back to top

COMMUNICATION

Parents are always welcome to talk informally with teaching staff either at the beginning or the end of the school day. Parents? Evenings are organised during the year giving you the opportunity to discuss your child?s progress in more detail.

At the beginning of each term we send home Curriculum Information which lets you know what sorts of things your child will be doing in school during that term. We also send ?Maths Targets? for you to support your child with, each half term. At the beginning of each school year we send home the Key Words your child will be expected to be able to read / spell by the end of that school year.

Newsletters are sent home from school EVERY FRIDAY to keep you informed of school activities and dates. All newsletters are also available on our school website:
www.hindlipcefirstschool.ik.org. (On the Latest News page.)
In the event of severe weather it may not be possible to open the school. When this happens always try to contact the school before your child leaves home. If possible advance warning of school closure will be announced on Radio Wyvern (102.8FM or 1530MW) and on BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester (104FM), so try to tune in! Back to top

COMPLAINTS

As with all institutions it is inevitable that complaints will arise from time to time. Our policy for dealing with complaints is set out in general terms below:

 Firstly the complaint should be discussed at the most immediate level by the parents with the member of staff concerned.
 Secondly, if the matter is not satisfactorily resolved or if it is more serious it will be referred to the Headteacher.
 Thirdly, again if the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, it will be discussed by a Committee of the Governing Body.
 If the matter remains unresolved, or if it involves a complaint about the Governing Body appeals may be made to the LEA

It is our intention the all matters of complaint are dealt with fairly and quickly to the satisfaction of all concerned. We keep a written record of all complaints.

A copy of our full complaints policy is available in school. Back to top

DISCIPLINE

The Headteacher and staff work together to create an atmosphere based on consideration for others and respect for self. Persistent misbehaviour will be brought to the attention of the parents. Your support in dealing with such matters is obviously very important.

At Hindlip CE First School we take every opportunity to praise loudly and to commend good, thoughtful and considerate behaviour. We believe in stressing the positive and letting the children enjoy the pride that comes from being praised.
School rules are based upon the simple principle of ?consideration for others and respect for self?. The children are encouraged to behave in a polite, considerate and responsible manner. Correction of behaviour or attitude is usually achieved by reprimand, discussion or temporary removal of privileges by the class teacher. Parents will be notified if their child presents any serious or prolonged discipline problems. Back to top

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

At the time of writing, extra curricular activities currently offered include Sports Club, Gardening Club, Art and Craft Club, Table Tennis Club, Cooking Club, Recorder Clubs, Dance and Drama Club and Maypole Club. These vary slightly each term, depending on the weather, and in order to allow a wider range of pupils to participate. Back to top

FRIENDS OF HINDLIP SCHOOL

We have an active Friends Association, working hard to raise funds for extra resources at the school. This enables us to broaden the range of learning experiences for all our children and we are immensely grateful for their support.

All parents are automatically members of the Friends Association. You may wish to become a member of the committee for which elections are held annually, or just offer your support and join in with the events.

A list of current committee members is displayed on the Parent?s Noticeboard in the entrance to the school.

The aims of the Association, as written in the constitution, are to:

[a] Foster more extended relationship between the staff, parents and others associated with the school.

[b] Engage in activities, which support the school and advance the education of the pupils attending it.

Our Friends Association has recently provided playground markings for us, enabled us to improve our library, helped to fund an ?Arts Week? in the Summer , improved our adventure playground, purchased a maypole / quadball post and 2 laptop computers. Back to top

GOVERNORS

Governors are the group of people who are given the job of making decisions about how the school is run. They meet at least once a term and have responsibility for such things as:
 Promoting high standards of educational achievement
 Managing the budget
 Staffing
The Governing Body is made up of Governors appointed by the Local Education Authority to represent the County and District Councils, some are co-opted from industry and commerce and the community, whilst others represent the Church and the Parents. There is also a teacher Governor.

Our Parent Governors visit the school regularly and are always willing to listen to any concerns, compliments or suggestions that you may have.

The minutes of the Governors? Meetings are displayed in school as soon as they are available.

Membership of the Governing Body:

Mrs A Weston Diocesan Education Committee (CHAIR)
Mrs R Taylor Diocesan Education Committee (VICE CHAIRMAN)
Mr E Sheldon Local Education Authority
Mr J Jeffrey Local Education Authority
Mrs J King Headteacher
Mrs J Holmes Community Governor
Mr S Dorans Community Governor
Mrs L Thomas Teacher Governor
Mrs W Browning Parent Governor
Mr M Asplen Parent Governor
Mrs J Morris Parent Governor
Mrs N Whiteley Parent Governor
Mr D Wotherspoon Clerk to Governors Back to top

HOLIDAYS

Although it is undesirable, after application to the Headteacher, children may be permitted up to TWO WEEKS PER ACADEMIC YEAR to accompany their parents on holiday. (i.e. 10 school days. ) Please obtain form A/H from school, which must be completed before the absence. We would urge the parents of children in Year 2, 3 and 4 to be aware that SAT?s and other school tests take place during May. Back to top

HOMEWORK

The philosophy of the school is that education is a partnership between parents, pupils and the school. Homework can help in creating and maintaining this partnership between parents and teachers in relation to each child?s learning. Homework encourages parents to spend time with their children and can allow for more individual attention than is possible in school. This is particularly helpful with activities involving practice and learning by heart such as reading, multiplication tables and spellings.

All children are encouraged to take a book home to read and enjoy. Along with this reading book will be a Reading Record which acts as a channel of communication between home and school. Parents are asked to sign and make positive comments when they have read with their child.

From Year 1 children will also be expected to learn a list of spellings each week. Normally there will be a short test the following week to check on progress. Older children may be asked to learn multiplication tables at home.

From part way through year 1 children also have Maths homework on a weekly basis. Year 4 children will have 2 lots of maths homework each week. Year 4 children also have written work on a fortnightly basis.

Occasionally we may ask the children to find out about a subject or invite them to bring objects to school as part of their work. We hope that you will support us in this, but remember, if learning is enjoyable, it will be more effective. It will not help to push your child if he / she is feeling tired after a busy day at school.

Sometimes parents have to take holidays during school time and ask for homework to cover the missing school period. Unfortunately this is not possible but the class teacher will be able to advise on class work currently being undertaken. We also suggest that your child keeps a diary of their holiday to bring back to school on their return. Back to top

LOST PROPERTY

We have a lost property box in the children?s cloakroom. It is checked regularly and named items are returned to their owners. Un-named items are displayed in assembly each half term. Un-named items that are unclaimed after a term are given to charity. Obviously it is a great help if ALL your child?s clothing is named. Back to top

LUNCH TIME

There are no facilities at the school to provide a cooked meal at lunchtime. Your child should therefore bring a packed lunch. We ask you to think carefully about providing your child with a nourishing and well balanced lunchtime meal. Canned drinks may not be brought to school. If your child brings a yoghurt to school, please ensure they also have a spoon! Parents are asked, on safety grounds, not to send hot drinks or breakable containers.

During the lunch period, children are under the supervision of Lunchtime Superintendents. The Superintendents supervise hygiene, lining up, dining hall duties and playground activities.

Please note that free lunches can be provided as part of the Family Support Benefit Scheme. An application form is available from the school office. All such applications are treated in the strictest confidence. Back to top

MEDICAL

A routine Health Interview will be arranged for your child sometime during his / her first two terms at school. This will include a vision and hearing test. You will be informed in advance and invited to attend. Audio and visual testing of children also takes place in school. The school dentist holds a clinic in school annually.

It is vital that you inform the Headteacher of any medical condition or history of illness which could affect your child?s general development at school. This information is, of course, treated confidentially.

Our School Nurse, Sophie Ballard is based at Henwick Holt Health Centre and can be contacted on Tel. 01905 681725.

Prescribed Medicines

School staff are not legally required to administer prescribed medication. However, we try to do our best to help. Parents wishing prescribed medicines to be administered by staff during school hours must make the request in writing, confirming the type of medication, dosage and timing. (We have a form in school you could use if you prefer.) The medication must be clearly labelled with the child?s name and handed to a member of staff for safe keeping. We cannot guarantee that we will remember to administer the medicine but we will do our best. If it is vital that the medication is given at a precise time, we suggest you come into school to do this.

We are advised by the LEA not to administer proprietary medicines of any sort.

Asthma

We recognise that asthma is a condition affecting many school children. We encourage and help children with asthma to participate fully in school life. We realise that immediate access to inhalers is vital. It is essential that you inform us if your child suffers with asthma and we will discuss with you whether you wish your child to carry his/her inhaler or whether you would prefer staff to look after it. All staff are aware of the procedure in the event of a child having an asthma attack.

Epipens
The majority of school staff is trained in the use of Epipens to treat cases of anaphylactic shock, and this training is renewed on an annual basis. If your child needs an Epipen in school, please talk to the Headteacher.

Communicable Diseases

Our policy is strictly in line with the advice issued to all LEAs.

If a child is to be away for more than a few days or has an infectious illness please contact the school as soon as you know.

Children to be kept at home

Chicken Pox 6 days from the onset of the rash

Mumps 7 days or until the swelling disappears

Measles 7 days from the onset of the rash

German Measles 4 days from the onset of the rash

The above is intended to show the minimum amount of time children are to be kept away - sometimes it can take longer.

?Unwelcome Visitors!?

Information about controlling headlice is available in school, or by contacting our School Nurse. We recommend that parents check their child?s hair on a regular basis in order that any head lice problems are kept to a minimum. It is only if all parents are vigilant in checking regularly that we can keep this problem at bay. Back to top

SUN PROTECTION

At Hindlip School we follow LEA guidelines, and suggest the following to protect your children from the sun if you so wish:

 Ensure your child has a hat in school. Our baseball caps are available from the office at a cost of £4.00 if you wish.
 Provide loose, long sleeved clothing for your child to slip on at playtimes.
 If you want your child to wear sun protection cream, this should be put on before your child comes to school, or, alternatively, you are welcome to come into school to apply this at breaktimes. We are also happy for the child to have the cream in school to apply themselves, but they may not share it with others. School staff will not apply sun cream on your behalf. Back to top

MONEY

All money for school purposes should be sent in a sealed envelope marked with your child's name and the purpose for which it is intended i.e. milk, swimming etc and given immediately to the class teacher or directly to Mrs Holmes in the office. Back to top

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

We value the help and support offered by parents in whatever capacity. We have parent volunteers in school who help us with maths, spelling, art, cookery, reading, school trips and swimming. If you have a skill that you would like to share with the children or just want to lend a hand, then please contact any member of staff. Your help is always greatly appreciated.
In common with all other schools in the county we do have a ?police screening process? for all employees and voluntary helpers, ensuring that all people with access to your children are properly ?vetted?. Back to top

PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS

taken by the school, the LEA or the press with official school permission. The purposes of this may vary. Examples are:
 for use in promotional material about the school
 for internal school notice boards
 for photographic records of work and events
 for official videos of school events
 for newspaper, TV or radio coverage of school events / achievement
 for use on the school website
 for the purposes of the standard school photographs of pupils / classes.

In the case of all of the above intended for external use, i.e. newspaper, TV, Radio no child?s name is used, or displayed alongside their photo, unless consent has been sought from their parents. Christian names only, if at all, will be used for internal displays and records and for any work published on our website. No names at all are displayed alongside photographs published on our website.

Where children would be identifiable from the images, parents have the right to request that their child is not so recorded.

At the start of each school year a letter is sent to parents explaining this and giving them the opportunity to express or deny their consent. Non-return of the slip is taken to assume that parents are happy for such photography / filming to take place. Back to top

PLAYTIMES

We are able to provide milk at school for morning playtime. This is full cream milk, in a third of a pint carton. This is paid for in advance on a termly basis. It currently costs 11p per day. We regret that we cannot refund for absence. If you don?t want your child to have milk, please send in a drink in a labelled carton or plastic bottle for playtime.

We are part of the National Fruit Scheme which provides free fruit for breaktime for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. This is not compulsory. If you don?t want your child to have free fruit, plain biscuits are a suitable alternative for you to send for your child. We do not permit the children to take crisps / chocolate bars / cake etc out for snacks. Back to top

PRE-SCHOOL - CHATTERBOX

We are fortunate to have close links with Chatterbox pre-school, which is a community group based at the War Memorial Hall in Fernhill Heath. They are open every day from 9.00am ? 3.00pm. Chatterbox is OFSTED accredited and all staff are trained in the Foundation Stage of learning. Each session is run by a qualified supervisor with a trained First Aider and a SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator).

Chatterbox offers a safe, caring and educational environment for children aged two years and six months to five years. The emphasis is on having fun and learning through play.

The pre-school is run by a committee made up of parents.

Chatterbox staff work closely with local schools to try to make a trouble free move on to school. Children have an induction period, making sure they are familiar with their new teachers and classroom.

If you would like any more information, please feel free to drop in to Chatterbox or phone Maria Jackson on 01905 756920.
We must point out that attendance at Chatterbox does not guarantee a place at Hindlip First School. Back to top

STARTING SCHOOL

Children starting school for the first time will be accepted at the beginning of the school year in which they are five years old. It is helpful to us if you register your child as early as possible. We are required to comply with the Local Education Authority?s procedure for the allocation of places, which is copied overleaf. Their publication ?Information for Parents?, may be obtained from school.

Parents living outside the school ?catchment? area as defined by the LEA are very welcome to apply for admission to our school. Application forms and information about the procedure can be obtained from the school office.

We aim to give your child the best possible start to their school life. In the half term prior to each child starting school there is a series of ?pre-school? visits. By coming into school on these occasions your child gets to know the school building, class mates and staff, so that when they start school they already feel part of our school family. We have a special booklet about our school which we give to each new Reception pupil for them to share with a parent.

There is also an informal meeting for parents of new children when, over a cup of coffee, we can discuss any queries or concerns you may have prior to your child starting school. Back to top

TOYS AND PENCIL CASES

We ask that children do not bring toys to school unless specifically asked to do so by a teacher, as part of topic work. This avoids the unnecessary worry and upset if things are lost or broken. Similarly with pencil cases ? these are not required as everything necessary is provided by school. Back to top

TRAVELLING TO SCHOOL/ UNIFORM/ABSENCE RECORDS/ SCHOOL RESULTS

We recognise that many of our children live too far away from school to be able to walk, however, we do ask that you consider walking to and from school if at all possible as it helps to alleviate parking problems. If you wish to cycle with your child, or accompany your child on a push scooter, we do have storage facilities where you may leave bikes / scooters safely during the school day.
We have an arrangement with the Memorial Hall Committee whereby parents may park whilst dropping off and collecting their children. The car parking spaces at the side of the hall are reserved for staff. In the interests of the safety of our children we ask that you drive down the drive and park in the main car park, not at the front of the Memorial Hall. We ask also that you respect the parking at the side of the Hairdresser?s. Parents should understand that the Memorial Hall Committee accepts no liability for any persons or property on the car park.

PLEASE NOTE:
ATTACHED BELOW ARE FILES RELATING TO
AUTHORISED AND UNAUTHORISED PUPIL ABSENCES
SCHOOL RESULTS
UNIFORM

The uniform list is also available to be read on the Prospectus General page Back to top