School Times 2011 - 2012
RECEPTION 8.50am – 12.15pm / 1.15pm – 3.20pm
YEARS 1 AND 2 8.50am – 12.25pm / 1.25pm – 3.20pm
YEARS 3 AND 4 8.50am – 12.35pm / 1.35pm – 3.20pm
YEARS 5 AND 6 8.50am – 12.45pm / 1.45pm – 3.20pm

Primary
Attendance
Behavior
Lunch Time
School Uniform
Curriculum

Primary

The aims at Ferndale Primary School are the same
for all pupils.
Within a caring, positive, disciplined and safe environment and in partnership
 with parents and governors, the school seeks:

To be aware that each child is unique and as such has individual needs.

To promote and encourage a positive self image, confidence and zest for life in
all children.

To ensure that quality of opportunity is available to all children irrespective of gender, religion, ethnic origin, family circumstances and differing physical abilities.

To involve all children in developing understanding, co-operation and cultural
awareness and to instill a sense of justice and fair play in the minds of all pupils.

To provide a quality of education which encourages all children to reach the highest possible standards.

To provide opportunities for the intellectual, moral, spiritual, physical,
creative and social development to the highest level possible for all children.

In meeting the needs of the National Curriculum, to provide a broad, balanced
and relevant education, suited to the needs of individual children.

To develop and extend the concepts, skills, attitudes and knowledge necessary for children’s transition to secondary school and the adult world.

To encourage and active partnership between the school and parents and to promote a dialogue between school and parents concerning all aspects of children’s educational wellbeing.

Attendance

Lateness
We would rather your child was in late rather than not at all. However, we do not like children to be late too often. It is essential that your child reports to the office if they are late so that they can be marked in the register.

Accidents and Sickness
Your child may be involved in an accident or fall ill. We will contact you if we think it necessary. Therefore, you are asked to fill in a contact form each year.

Medical Arrangements
Parents are requested to inform the school of any relevant medical history which
may affect the child in school. Parents should be aware that the school cannot
administer any medicines. Parents need to make alternative arrangements for the administration of them.

Absence and Attendance
If your child is absent we ask that you inform the school. If the absence is lengthy
we can arrange for your child to have some work to do at home. If you have to
take a holiday during term time please fill in a form from the school office.
There is a legal limit of two weeks only per year.

School Discipline and Pastoral Care

Through a pupil development programme the school encourages children to have
a positive image of themselves and to have respect, sensitivity and thoughtfulness
 towards others in school and in the community. This is supported by our rewards system.

The school tries to foster self-discipline and parents co-operation in working
towards this is greatly appreciated.

Opportunities are made throughout the year, e.g. assemblies and New Parents Evening
 to share with parents the school’s approach to discipline.

The class teachers have responsibility for the day to day welfare of the children not
only their educational progress.

If an aspect of a child’s behaviour causes concern parents are contacted so that
home and school may work together to benefit the child.

It is helpful if parents inform the school of any home circumstances e.g. separation, bereavement or anything else, which may affect the child in school.

A selection of books dealing with these situations is available for parents to borrow.

The school has four general rules which all members of the school community
(staff, pupils and visitors) must adhere to.

They are :

We shall look after ourselves.
We shall look after other people.
We shall look after our school.
We shall look after our property.

Behaviour and Discipline Policy

Introduction
At Ferndale Primary School we aim to encourage a caring a caring attitude towards ourselves and our environment. This will be achieved by promoting and developing
positive attitudes within everyone.

Purposes
1. To give a model to and inform parents, all staff and the children of our expectations.

2. To promote harmony and tolerance of others by each of us.

3. To develop self esteem.

4. To develop an atmosphere and ambience in which quality learning can take place.

Guidelines
1. Children and adults must know what our expectations are.

2. Children should be continually encouraged that acceptable behaviour will be
rewarded and will contribute to the positive ethos / atmosphere of the school.

3. All sanctions should be consistent, fair and appropriate to the offence, frequency,
the child and the situation.

4. Children should not be humiliated as part as the sanction.

5. It is statutory that children should not be excluded from any part of the curriculum as punishment or particular aspects of the curriculum used as punishment.

Review
This policy is to be reviewed annually.

Lunchtime Questions and Answers

Are children encouraged to eat their dinner? Yes, but no one is made to.

Are they expected to use a knife and fork? Yes.

Does someone notice if a child leaves his/her lunch several days running? Yes.

Are parents told about it? Yes.

Do children have to eat their lunch in a set time? Yes.

The Principal Dinner Supervisor and her staff look after the children at lunchtime.

Forms for free school meals are available from the school office.

School Uniform

Children are encouraged to wear the school colours of burgundy and grey. The school uniform helps children to look neat and tidy and is well supported by the parents.
A secretary organises a popular scheme for the sale of sweatshirts with the
school logo at a reasonable cost :

School sweatshirt - Up to size 32 - £ 10.00 Size 34+ - £11.00
White polo shirt - £ 6.00
Fleece - £14.00
Shower proof jacket - £15.00
Caps - £4.00
Reading Bags - £4.00
School coat - £17.00
 

The wearing of jewellery is not advised in the interests of safety and security

Please ensure clothing, bags etc. are marked with the child’s name.
School cannot accept responsibility for loss of personal possessions,
however, items marked with a child’s name are usually able to be returned to
the rightful owner if mislaid.

Art and Craft
An old shirt or overall is advisable for these activities so that some protection is
provided during painting and gluing activities. In the event of children getting glue or
paint onto their clothes we have found that an overnight soak in cold water before
washing as normal has been particularly effective.

Physical Education
A change of clothing e.g. shorts, shirt and pumps is necessary for P.E. All children
need to have a swimming kit, including a swimming hat. We advise all children to avoid wearing any form of jewellery on days when they have a P.E. lesson or are going to be involved in physical activities such as sports days or swimming sessions.

The School Curriculum.

National Curriculum:

English
Mathematics
Science
Information Technology
Design and Technology
History
Geography
Art
Music
Physical Education
In addition your child will study Religious Education.

Curriculum Information
It is the aim of Ferndale Primary School, with the support of parents, governors and
other agencies, to provide for all pupils the best possible education. The curriculum is constantly revised and amended so that it is appropriate to the needs and abilities of
all pupils, and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Aims:
Children’s progress is monitored carefully and individual records are kept for all National Curriculum subjects. A portfolio of assessed work is kept for each child. It is regularly updated to show progress, attainment and continuity. A written report is sent to parents during the Summer Term.

The curriculum for each year group is planned and delivered in the following manner:

Programmes of study are laid down (by statute) in each National Curriculum subject
 and are used by staff as a basis for the development of our scheme of work.

Our schemes of work have been developed using the Q.C.A./ D.F.E.S. guideline
documents.

Each year group will study its topic for half a term or a term.

Our topics are chosen carefully to ensure progressive development throughout each
key stage of the curriculum.

Using this approach does help children to understand the relevance of subject areas.
Some time will be allocated to single subject teaching in order to develop knowledge,
skills, and combine a particular area.

English:
It is an aim at Ferndale to develop children’s command of the essential skills of :

• Speaking and listening.
• Reading and Comprehension
• Writing including spelling and grammar.
• Handwriting and presentation.
• This area of the curriculum is undertaken through the Literacy Hour.

Our teaching seeks to develop children’s understanding of the spoken word and the capacity to express themselves effectively in a variety of speaking and listening
activities which would include:

Speaking with confidence, fluency and clarity.

Listening with attention and understanding.

The ability to give and respond to information and instruction.

All to be set against a background of enjoyment and pleasure.

Our teaching seeks to provide experiences which:

Develop the ability to read, understand and respond to all types of writing, as well as develop information retrieval strategies for the purpose of study.

Develop the ability to construct and convey meaning in written language, matching style and purpose.

Develop the conventional ways of forming letter shapes to foster a comfortable,
fluent and legible handwriting style.

Teach children how to spell words that occur frequently in their own writing and those which exemplify spelling patterns.

Encourage children to use a dictionary for checking their own work and a thesaurus to enrich vocabulary.

Reading:
Throughout the school reading is given a high priority. In early years children are encouraged in pre-reading activities, an enjoyment of books and in visits to the library.
As children develop they are given every opportunity to establish and improve reading strategies and skills. A careful check is made on children’s progress.

Parents are encouraged to hear children read and to share books with them

and this supports the regular supervised reading tuition in school.

Besides a wide range of books available in all classrooms there is a well stocked library.

Mathematics
Mathematics teaching follows the Numeracy Strategy . We aim to fulfil the requirements
of National Curriculum in order to help equip children with the skills needed for living in
an ever-changing society.

Children are provided with wide and varied experiences of number work, measuring activities, shape and space, algebra and data-handling. The use of calculators and computers is also encouraged.

Great emphasis is put upon problem solving and investigative work which gives children
 an opportunity to put their mathematical skills into practice and to develop an enquiring mind. Above all children are encouraged to enjoy maths.

Science
Science has an important place in the Curriculum and the school has developed a policy
 to ensure that the requirements of the National Curriculum are met. Our scheme, based
on the Q.C.A. guidelines, and is designed to allow each child to reach his/her
own level of attainment.

Breadth of learning is ensured by cross-curricular links to our topics for both key stages.
An active learning approach is fostered to ensure the vitality and excitement in our approach towards science.

Assembly and R.E.
An act of worship is observed every day, which is broadly Christian.
The school assembly is seen as important in engendering a community spirit amongst children, staff and visitors. Parents and friends are invited regularly.

R.E. lessons are also provided every week and reflect the multicultural society in which
we live. If parents wish their child to be excluded from all or part of assembly or R.E. lessons they should make a written request to the Head Teacher. Parents should provide appropriate materials for their child if removed from assembly. A member of staff would monitor them to ensure they are safe during R.E. lessons, the child would be placed in another class with other work.

Arrangements are made to accommodate children not taking part in R.E. lessons or in assembly due to parents exercising their right to withdraw their children.

Children with Special Needs
The school complies with the Code of Practice, in which the Department for Education outlines the responsibilities of the Local Education Authority and the school for children with special educational needs. Ferndale is an Enhanced Learning Provision school
and has 9 designated places for children with moderate learning difficulties and 4 Autistic places.

Each child’s progress is monitored carefully and programmes of work or behavioural
support are prepared to meet the needs of individual children. Parents are involved in regular discussions regarding the support and together a positive attitude is fostered
within the classroom.

Help and advice is available from the designated teacher for Special Needs and also the Sandwell Advisory and Support Service.

The school has a wide range of resources that are available for staff use.
These resources enable support to be given to individual children within the classroom situation.

Last year the school fully met the expectation of the Governors regarding Special Needs
and continues to be an Extended Learning Provision School.

Sex Education
The Governors have adopted the Local Education Authority’s policy on sex education.
The policy statement states that sex education should be given in such a manner as to encourage pupils to have close regards to moral considerations and the value of family life. It is started informally with the younger children but more formal talks take place with
the older pupils, especially regarding health and hygiene.
For this purpose close links with the school nurse have been formed.

If parents wish their child to be withdrawn from all or part of the sex education provided they should make a written request to the Head Teacher and alternative arrangements would be negotiated.

Homework
There is a Homework Policy. The work load varies for different age groups, although children are encouraged to learn spellings and tables and to read regularly and widely
at home.

Sporting Aims
At Ferndale children are encouraged to develop an interest in sporting activities.

We aim to :

• develop an interest in sport amongst the children.
• provide children with a variety of sporting activities.
• introduce children to team activities.
• Introduce children to co-operative games.

Sporting Extra-Curricular Activities
There are basketball and netball clubs for KS2 children.

• Key Stage 1 children receive on site swimming instruction.
• A football club takes place on a Saturday Morning.
• Cross Country, Athletics.
  
  Extra-Curricular Activities
  Several clubs are run by the staff and parents to further enhance the children’s learning. Information on these are sent out to parents . There are also visiting peripatetic teachers to teach the flute, clarinet, violin and steel pans.

Off-Site Education
Of-site Education in Ferndale is used to enrich the curriculum in a variety of ways.
It may be a walk or study in the immediate neighbourhood or the Sandwell Valley or
a stay away from home at one of the Sandwell Residential Centres.

The Local Education Authority safety guidelines are carefully observed and insurance
cover is acquired where necessary.
Parents may take out additional insurance cover if they wish.