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Bere Alston Primary School Station Road

Bere Alston

Yelverton

Devon

PL20 7AU

Tel 01822 840410

Dear Parents

Welcome to our school.

At Bere Alston the Headteacher, staff and governors aim to provide a warm, friendly atmosphere in a safe, caring environment where children will be happy and successful.

We value children as individuals and encourage them to become independent, achieving their full potential as learners and realising their responsibilities as members of a community.

To achieve this, it is important that the school and home work together in partnership. This partnership is built through a regular dialogue between parents, child and school and we hope that you find us a friendly, approachable and open staff.

Yours sincerely

Melanie Cripps Headteacher

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HHiissttoorryy

Bere Alston is one of the oldest village primary schools in Devon.

In 1665 Sir John Maynard opened a school for boys. This building now houses our staffroom, Year 6 classroom and the Special Needs Room.

In 1912 a further building was added to the school.

In 1995/96 a new extension was added to the existing building which provides the school with 6 classrooms and a Community Sports Hall. One of the classrooms is now an I.T. suite.

We also have very good outdoor facilities. These include a large playing field, two large playgrounds, environmental / pond area and a quiet area for children to sit.

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Teachers SSttaaffff LLiisstt

Executive head teacher Mrs M Cripps Year 6 Mrs L Wright Year 5 Mr M Warren Year 4 Mrs J Warren Year 3 Mr M Best Year 2 Mrs V Gray /Miss G Harris Year 1 Mrs B M Birchall / Mrs J Brown Reception Mrs J Atkinson / Mrs T Harris

Learning Support Assistants

Mrs Jane Page Miss Sarah Weston Mrs Di Daymond Mrs Pauline Kingwell Mrs Dilly Hanson Miss C Eick Mrs Sue Greenslade Mrs Jo Watson Mrs Dee Paddon-Hall Mrs Tanya Argue Mrs Tash Daniel Miss Natasha Hingston

Administrator: Mrs Marianne Shirlow

Head teachers Assistant: Mrs Maria Outram

Clerk to governors: Mrs Maria Outram

Mealtime assistants:

Mrs Y Howard Mrs C Davis Mrs J Page Mrs S Murrin Mrs E Arnold Mrs T Argue Mrs K Dent Miss N Hingston Mrs J Clayton

Caretaker: Suppied by Norse

Caretakers assistants:

Mrs L Dawson Mrs Y Howard

Kitchen staff:

Miss Mel Hicks Kitchen Manager Mrs S Blakison Kitchen Assistant Mrs A Hosking Kitchen Assistant

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AAddmmiissssiioonn ppoolliiccyy -- ccrriitteerriiaa

New entrants - admissions

Parents are welcome to visit the school before enrolling their children and need only call in person or by telephone to make an appointment.

Parents are encouraged to register an interest in their child attending Bere Alston Primary School at least a year in advance as this helps the school in its organisation. Parents are then legally responsible for applying directly to the LEA for a place at the school. This can be done on line.

Children usually join our Reception Class in September (birth dates between 1st September to 31st August)

We feel that starting school is a major step for both child and parents and we aim to make the transition from home to school as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

We have an induction programme for all new entrants that you should receive along with this School Prospectus.

For details of the School’s Admission Policy see school’s website www.berealston.devon.sch.uk

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School organisation

School Hours

Morning: 8:50 am – 12:15 pm (Infants) 8:50 am – 12:30 pm (Juniors)

Afternoon: 1:15 pm – 3:20 pm (Infants) 1:30 pm – 3:20 pm (Juniors)

Morning Break: 10:30 am – 10:50 am Afternoon Break: 2:35 pm – 2:50 pm (Infants only)

Children are not allowed on the school premises before 8:45 am unless taking part in a supervised activity. Formal supervision begins at 8:45 am.

KS1 (Infants) 4 years – 7 years The total amount of time allocated for teaching KS1 (excluding assembly) is 21 hours per week.

KS2 (Juniors) The total amount of time allocated for teaching KS2 (excluding assembly) is 23 hours 45 minutes per week.

The school day Many activities begin immediately on entering the classroom. Latecomers may not only miss out on vital information and instructions, but may also disrupt the teacher and class. Punctuality is a sign of good manners. Children arriving late on a regular basis will be monitored by the Education Welfare Officer with the aid of the electronic register system at school that has the facility to record arrival times.

We do appreciate that on some occasions lateness is unavoidable, but the school day follows a disciplined routine. Children are made aware that hard work, care of personal possessions and school property, a commitment to punctuality, a pride in their appearance, politeness and consideration for others will be expected of them.

Teaching groups Bere Alston is a primary school, admitting boys and girls in the age range 4 – 11 years.

All classes are mixed ability and, where possible, are organised in single year groups. However, there may be times when, for organisational reasons, classes will contain children from two year groups.

For National Curriculum purposes, the children in the school are referred to as belonging to Foundation, Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) or Key Stage 2 (Years 3 – 6).

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We use a variety of different teaching strategies within the classroom and children will be taught as part of a whole class, in small groups or individually, as appropriate.

Our Policy for Learning at Bere Alston The following strategies and teaching techniques help to ensure successful learning:

Carefully planned and appropriate groupings of pupils for tasks;

A mixture of individual, group and whole-class teaching; etc.

Carefully planned use of the teacher’s time to instruct, question, explain and assess

Planned use of the pupil’s time including the setting of realistic deadlines for the

completion of work

Clearly established classroom routines and systems

A readiness to listen and raise questions about tasks and activities on both the part of

the teacher and the children

Continuous assessment as an aid to the learning process and future differentiation

Criteria for assessing work made explicit to the children

Teaching targeted whenever possible to specific individuals or groups

Use of modelling by teacher, both from published and other pupils’ work

Use of praise and encouragement whenever there is an opportunity, to build

confidence

Curriculum The Governors have formally adopted the Devon Curriculum Statement which offers guidance on providing for the whole curriculum (available at the school on request).

The school’s curriculum is a wide-ranging one but must, by law, encompass the National Curriculum of core, foundation subjects and religious education. These include the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies.

Core: Maths; English; Science; Information Communications Technology (ICT)

Foundation subjects: Technology; History; Geography; Music;

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Art; Physical Education; Personal Health and Social Education (PHSE) (including Citizenship)

Religious Education (RE) is legally required as part of the basic curriculum in the school.

The underlying philosophy is to produce a broad, balanced programme of learning that ensures continuity and progression and enables children to achieve their full potential across the whole curriculum.

Policies for curriculum areas are continually being updated in the light of new initiatives and development within the school.

The National Curriculum Statements of Attainment, Programmes of Study and National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are available for inspection at the school, as are the school’s own curriculum policies.

Maths Children will work on the objectives identified in the 2014 National Curriculum, now including the Primary Strategy. We believe that children learn best from first hand and practical experience.

Number skills are important in their own right, as they are vital tools for all areas of mathematics. We encourage children to learn such skills as quick recall of number bonds and multiplication facts.

Throughout each school year children will also be working on other mathematical attainment targets such as algebra, data handling, shape and space and measures (time, money, capacity, volume, length, weight and area).

They will also be using their mathematical knowledge and understanding in investigation and problem solving activities.

Work throughout the school is augmented and extended by a variety of published mathematical material. Computers are regularly used by the children in their mathematical work.

Language

As a school, we follow the New English Curriculum which clearly identifies a progression of objectives in speaking & listening, reading and writing for KS1 and KS2.

Speaking and Listening

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The development of children’s spoken English is important as it enables them to participate fully in all aspects of school life. Discussion is important in developing their speech. We encourage children to respect the views of others, while also asserting their own ideas. Also, it is through listening that children can learn how written language is used, and use it to rehearse ideas for their own writing.

Reading

The ability to read is vital to all aspects of a child’s learning. We adopt an individual approach to the teaching of reading, based on our assessment of each child’s need. Each classroom has its own selection of reading materials – fiction and non-fiction appropriate to the age of the children.

We also use small sets of books to meet the needs of children who learn best through a highly structured approach. (More information about early reading is available in our booklet given to parents of all new entrants).

All children participate in daily guided reading sessions and associated activities, in addition to daily literacy sessions.

We also have a well resourced school library where all children can choose books regularly.

Writing

We want to help our children become confident, independent writers.

We want them to develop an ability to use writing to express their feelings, demonstrate their knowledge, organise their thoughts and express their creativity.

We believe that it is important that children are given a range of meaningful writing tasks related, where possible, to their own first-hand experiences – and we try to provide a variety of audiences for their work.

Our aim is that they should have knowledge about grammar, spelling rules and presentation, to enable them to write accurately and neatly, but also to write with enjoyment, enthusiasm and confidence.

Information Communications Technology (ICT) We have 20 computers in our suite and some others available around the school. Every class visits the computer suite on a weekly basis for computing lessons and for other subject areas. Computing is based around computer science and through there time the

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children will learn about programming, algorithms and ways of communicating using programmes such as Scratch. Interactive whiteboards are used in all the classrooms.

Science We follow the 2014 National Curriculum. We aim to teach children the science skills of observation, questioning, fair testing and interpreting results, as well as an awareness of safety. Children are also taught how to record and communicate their discoveries in meaningful ways.

Through science, we try to show children some of the wonders of the world about them. Where possible we teach science as a practical “hands on” subject. We try to develop qualities of co-operation, perseverance and enquiry. It is our aim that children should develop and progress smoothly from Reception right up to Year 6 and that the transition to Key Stage 3 should be equally smooth.

Geography Much of the physical geography is naturally incorporated into the science units children follow. Where possible, human geography is addressed by the study of local areas, where it provides relevance and first hand experience for the children.

Other locations in Britain and around the world are also studied.

Geographical skills, such as map reading, are taught in a systematic way which allows for progression and continuity.

History Where possible, we make use of the rich historical environment that surrounds the Bere Peninsula and Dartmoor to teach our history curriculum. We encourage children to make use of historical resources such as grandparents and senior members of our community, artefacts and photographs.

Aspects of world history are studied and children are encouraged to consider causes and consequences of events and also be aware of the various interpretations of historical events.

Sex education The Governors have decided that sex education (beyond that necessary under National Curriculum Science) should be included in the school’s curriculum. It is part of the Science Policy of the school. Parents will be fully informed about the content and teaching of any sex education planned for their children.

Every 2 years there is an opportunity to view the Living and Growing videos the school uses. A reminder note will be sent home. Parents can also come into school to view the CDs/videos if required. Please contact the child’s class teacher. Parents do have a right to withdraw their child from these sessions.

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Music Every week the children in Years 3-6 have a 45 minute music lesson with our music specialist, Mrs Wright. The children in Years 1 and 2 have a weekly music session.

Throughout KS2 children have the opportunity to play and learn, drumming, ocarina, ukulele and hand chimes.

There is also the opportunity for parents to buy into a private music tuition package, for trumpet, flute, clarinet, guitar, violins and cornet. Further information is available from the school. There is also a thriving and highly successful school choir and drumming group who perform at school events throughout the year at no cost.

Religious Education (RE). The aims of religious education at Bere Alston are to contribute to the development of pupils’ own beliefs and values and an awareness of their moral responsibilities. We also aim to develop an understanding of Christianity and knowledge of other world religions. Religious Education is planned using Devon’s Agreed Syllabus (S.A.C.R.E.)

Acts of Worship

In accordance with law, most acts of worship are of a Christian nature. Our assemblies provide opportunities for gathering together to sing and share religious experiences. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from an act of worship.

Art & craft / technology / cookery Both are central to many aspects of the children’s learning. We aim, through the exploration of a variety of different media, to develop the children’s imagination and originality.

Display is seen as an important factor in providing a stimulating environment in which the children can learn. Having their own artwork on display is an important feature of school life.

We have a variety of workshops led by local artists and experts. All children have opportunities to develop cookery skills as they progress through the school.

Physical Education (PE). We aim to teach the children a wide range of skills so that they may participate in individual sports and team games. Self-esteem, positive attitudes and sportsmanship are important elements of the children’s physical education, as is basic fitness.

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We are fortunate to have such a splendid Sports Hall which enables physical education and games sessions to take place all year, regardless of the weather. Our outside games facilities are equally as good and we make full use of them when the weather permits.

Swimming Every year the KS2 children have a series of 6 x 1 hour swimming lessons at Tavistock Meadowlands. KS1 Children have 5 x 1hour sessions. This activity is subsidised by Friends of School and the School Budget, but we do have to ask for a parental contribution of £2.75 per session. This helps to pay for transport, the entry fee and badges. Parents help with this activity but we also employ a swimming instructor. We start in September with Year 6 and work our way through each year group, ending with Year 1 children. Our aim is that every child will leave our school being able to swim!

Assessment The progress of your child will be monitored in all subjects by a process of

continual assessment by the class teacher.

At the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 there will be National Standardised Tasks set and you will be informed of your child’s results in their annual report.

Annual aggregated results for Key Stage Tests can be seen on the School Profile.

The most relevant form of assessment is on-going and evidence of progress will be collected in Writing Files and School Diaries that will accompany your child throughout his/her time at Bere Alston.

Annual report and parents’ evenings are opportunities to discuss the progress of your children, and individual targets that will have been set for them.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities(SEND) At Bere Alston all children should have equal opportunities to achieve success. Some children have particular strengths that need developing, while others have difficulties that may need support. This is provided in a variety of different ways depending on needs and resources available. The school has a SEN Policy & Able and Talented Policy. These are available on request.

Home practice The school has a Home Practice Policy that clearly lays out what we believe home practice to be. Home practice is a chance for children to share with you some of the things they have learnt at school. It is not meant to be a laborious, tantrum-inducing activity for either the children or parents!

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We believe that education continues after school hours and that parents, as partners, can make a valuable and necessary contribution to their child’s education.

For the youngest children the school day is quite long enough and imposing on them additional “work” at home can promote negative attitudes towards school and schoolwork. However, regular reading-together sessions and simple number and practical maths activities can be made into games which are fun to do. Remember, do not force the pace too hard and always stop before the child has had enough.

Older children are expected to read regularly, learn number bonds and learn specific multiplication tables. Children we judge could benefit from extra practice at home will be given activities they can share with you.

In Years 5 and 6 specific home practice tasks will be set on a regular basis, and your support in encouraging your child to complete these tasks on time would be greatly appreciated.

If home practice is causing concern please consult the class teacher.

Home / School relationships Education is likely to be more successful if there is mutual respect, support and agreement on basic values between home and school. We aim to foster and maintain a co-operative relationship between home and school and, to this end, we place a high priority on contact with parents.

Parent-Teacher consultations and appointments

Informal

Should parents have any concerns at all, we aim to make ourselves available at the earliest opportunity to speedily resolve any upsets.

Teachers are available to discuss any concerns after school on Mondays from 3:20 – 3:45 pm or any other afternoon with an appointment.

If there is an urgent problem that may affect your child’s performance that day, then the teacher should be contacted before the beginning of the school day, at the staff room.

Communication between teacher and parent is aided in our school by the use of Elly Books for all children. These should travel between home and school on a daily basis and can be used by both staff and parents as another means of communication.

Formal

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At the beginning of each Autumn Term parents will be invited by the class teacher to attend an Information Evening. At this meeting routines and procedures for that particular class will be discussed, as will the programme of work to be covered.

We believe that this is an important opportunity for parents and staff to introduce themselves and establish what we hope will be a friendly, supportive partnership. Later in the term parents will be offered individual appointments with class teachers to discuss their child’s progress and individual targets.

In the Spring Term parents of children in Years 1 – 6 will receive their child’s Annual School Report and there will be an opportunity for individual appointments with class teachers for all children.

In the Summer Term, parents of Reception children will receive their child’s Annual School Report and all parents will have a further individual appointment with the class teacher for all children.

In this way, the staff hope to keep parents fully informed as to their child’s progress, both academically and socially. We hope that parents will also feel that they have an equal opportunity to keep staff informed.

How can we help your child at school? Home / School agreement When children join the school we ask you to sign the agreement. This is a government initiative. We appreciate the help and support parents give the school and their children. The agreement is two-way – it states some of the things parents can expect of the school and conversely, what the school may expect from the parents and children.

We want there to be a true partnership between home and school. There are many ways in which we can work with you to aid your child’s development and learning.

It is most helpful if we can demonstrate to all children that parents and teachers are working together to help them achieve their full potential – and that we are all setting the same standards for behaviour and achievement.

We welcome the help of parents in our classrooms. Everyone has abilities and skills that can support the teacher in helping children.

When your child begins school, establish certain routines that will become a permanent feature of their school life:

be an interested listener to their news;

talk to them about school life and their interests;

share books – let your child retell stories and read to you; read to your child;

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draw and write with your child;

ensure that your child arrives at school on time;

make sure your child has the necessary P.E. kit and painting shirt;

label your child’s clothing;

always inform the school of reasons for any absence;

pay dinner money at the beginning of the week in a marked envelope;

check for any letters that may be sent home and respond to them when appropriate;

check Elly Books for home practice tasks and messages.

Get to know the class teachers:

come and see your child’s work at Parents’ Evenings opportunities;

and other appropriate

come and work in the classroom; help in the school library;

become an active member of the Friends of School;

tell us of any incidents or events at home that may affect

your child’s behaviour or work.

We need your help to do the best for your child.

Extra-curricular activities

We are very fortunate to have staff who are prepared to offer opportunities for extra- curricular activities for the children outside their statutory hours of work. These may take place before morning school, during lunchtimes or after school. Depending upon the time of year, activities may include:

Country Dancing Netball Tag Rugby Cross Country Dodge Ball Chess

Football Choir Cricket Drumming Knitting Multi Skills Zumba

Your written permission is required for children to attend after-school clubs. If children have to miss a session, your written permission is requested also. This ensures that both parties know the child’s whereabouts and saves unnecessary concern. Once they have

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signed up for a club, children are expected to support it regularly and conscientiously. If they do not do so without good reason, they may be excluded.

An updated list of clubs and times is issued each September.

Discos are organised throughout the year by Friends of School for Infant and Junior children.

In addition to the voluntary-run school clubs there are private users who provide after school activities such as Gymnastics, table tennis and badminton. The school can provide details of these clubs upon request.

The Sports Hall is used after school hours from 6pm by the community. Clubs such as Brownies, Karate, badminton and table tennis run during the evenings.

School trips Children may have the opportunity to take part in educational trips that relate to their current topics. These trips rely on voluntary parental contributions.

Discipline We believe that your child’s education and discipline is a shared responsibility between parents, children and the school.

An ordered and disciplined atmosphere is maintained throughout the school by an insistence on courtesy, consideration for others and general social responsibility.

The discipline at Bere Alston is firm but fair. Formal rules are kept to a minimum and framed with a view to safety and the general well-being of the school community.

Each new school year every class decides on its own positive codes of behaviour within the class.

We try to take a positive approach and recognise and reward sensible and thoughtful behaviour. There are occasions when some children break the codes of behaviour but these are normally dealt with promptly by a member of staff. We place great emphasis on the importance of children understanding the consequences of their actions.

In cases of repeated or serious offences parents are informed and invited to co-operate with school to address the particular problems. We rely on close contact with parents. Home and school should be seen to be on the same side. The long-term consequences of an ill-disciplined child are far more serious for the parents than for the school.

Bullying

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Unfortunately, on rare occasions, children are bullied either verbally, physically or on the internet. These incidents need to be reported to a member of staff/adult and are always taken seriously. Cases are dealt with on an individual basis. If, at any time, you are concerned about your child being bullied please contact the teacher or Melanie Cripps immediately.

DDaaiillyy oorrggaanniissaattiioonn aanndd wweellffaarree The Mid-Day Break

Nearly every child stays at school during the lunch break.

They are supervised by staff specifically employed for this purpose, working under the direction of the Headteacher and the senior staff.

The mealtime assistants are part of the staff and children are expected to respond to them as they would to any member of the teaching staff.

Mealtime assistants have regular meetings with the Management Team to review lunchtime routines and identify any area of concern. Any parents with concerns over the mid-day break are asked to contact the Headteacher so they may be resolved quickly.

School Meals

Some children bring packed lunches, others have a school meal.

All food is cooked on the premises and children are offered a choice.

Mealtime Assistants encourage children to eat their meals or packed lunch, but no child will be forced to eat their meal unless directed by their parent.

If a Mealtime Assistant has any concerns about the eating habits of any child they will inform the class teacher who will, in turn, inform the parents.

Payment for school meals should be made on a Monday. The Local Authority does not allow the school to provide meals without payment.

It is helpful to the school administrator if payment is sent in a named, sealed envelope and cheques should be made payable to Devon County Council. Payment can be made for the whole or half term if you choose. Details of charges are available from school. If your child has any special dietary needs, please contact the school. Free meals are available for those on Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers’ Allowance, Guarantee Element of Pension Credit and Child Tax Credit (if you have an

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annual income of less than £16,190). People receiving Working Tax Credit are not eligible for free school meals.

If you are claiming because you are in receipt of Child Tax Credit, please provide a copy of the Inland Revenue Credit Award Notice (Form TC602). Failure to submit evidence will mean that your application cannot be processed. We cannot guarantee to return original documents, therefore please provide copies.

Please Note: Contributions Based Jobseekers Allowance, Working Tax Credit and Invalidity Benefit do not qualify; also being in receipt of Child Tax Credit AND Working Tax Credit does not qualify.

Forms are available from the Administrator. Applications are dealt with in a confidential way.

Home Dinners

Children who go home for lunch are not normally expected back in school before 1:00 pm. If, under any circumstances, your child needs to return before this time, they must report to the office so we are able to account for them in the event of a fire or such emergency.

Water Bottles

Children are encouraged to drink water regularly to prevent dehydration – and to help keep them alert during lessons! They are given a named water bottle which they keep on their desks during lessons. This is taken home daily to be washed and refilled. New bottles can be purchased at the school office at a cost of £1.30 each, or if a replacement top is needed these are 50 pence.

Playtime Snacks Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive a free piece of fruit / vegetable daily. This is part of a national scheme.

All snacks that children have at playtime must be healthy – fresh or dried fruit, vegetables, fruit bars and oat based cereal bars are allowed as snacks. We encourage parents to look at the salt/sugar/fat content of the cereal bars and make an informed choice on the healthiest.

Milk is available daily and can be purchased on a termly basis – see the school administrator for details. This is distributed to the children ready for morning playtime.

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The children can also purchase healthy snacks at playtime provided by the school canteen. The items available are as follows – snack size bag of yoghurt raisins all weekdays and Flapjacks on Fridays priced at 30p each

Lost Property

Most schools accumulate a considerable amount of “lost” property. This is partly because children of this age aren’t very good at looking after things, or finding them if they are not immediately to hand, and partly because much that is misplaced is not marked with the owner’s identity. Please mark all personal property with your child’s name, especially clothing and bags. The school can order woven name tapes to assist you. Order forms are available from the school office. Check, occasionally, that your child’s belongings really are your child’s! They do sometimes come home with someone else’s by accident.

Medicines Children who are taking medicines should not normally be in school. In exceptional circumstances prescribed medicines will be dispensed, but only after parents have completed a consent form, available from the school administrator. This is a County directive.

Health Care We would appreciate it if you could establish a regular routine of checking your child’s hair for head lice. Unfortunately, this problem seems to recur in every school. If you do find lice or eggs, please treat their hair before sending them to school.

Nit Combs are available from the School Office for 50 pence each.

Absenses Attendance at school is a legal requirement (unless you have satisfied the authorities that you have made other, acceptable arrangements for your child’s education) and in cases of persistent, unauthorised absences the Education Welfare Officer will investigate. (Happily, in this school, such cases are rare.) If a child has more than 10 unauthorised sessions, i.e. 5 days, the school has to inform the Educational Welfare Office. If your child is absent for any reason, please telephone the school on the first morning of absence to inform them of the situation or, on your child’s return to school, send a note to the teacher explaining the absence. This can be written in your child’s Elly Book. If your child has been ill with an infectious disease you should seek your doctor’s advice about when it is safe for your child to return to school.

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Although we encourage you to minimise absences, we rely on your judgement about whether your child is fit enough to attend school. For your child’s sake, as well as ours, we do not expect children to attend school when they are ill.

Absences for reasons other than illness should be rare.

Parents / Carers are required to complete an S2 Absence Request Form when there is going to be an unavoidable absence. The absence needs to be authorised.

Holidays

The school can no longer authorise holidays unless in very exceptional circumstances.

Illness

We have to monitor the number of absences due to illness, once this hits 20 or more sessions we are required to send a letter to you requesting some medical evidence in order to authorise any further absences. The school will obviously use discretion where there are ongoing medical issues. We do understand that children pick up coughs, colds and tummy bugs from school.

Persistant absence

The persistent absence figure has now changed to 90%. If your child’s attendance drops below 94% you will receive a standard letter issued by the school along with your child’s registration certificate that identifies all absences and reasons given. If you have any concerns over absence please contact the school.

Reporting absence

If we are not informed of the reason for your child’s absence, we are legally required to record it as an “unauthorised absence” which will have a detrimental effect on our truancy record – (so please remember to send a note or phone.)

The Attendance Policy is available on the school website.

Accidents at school In case your child has an accident or is ill at school, we need to have an emergency telephone number of someone who can act on your behalf if you are not available, (a neighbour, relative or friend.) You will be asked to complete a form every September to update our records. We will also ask you to record emergency telephone numbers on a form in the Elly Book.

Should your circumstances change in the meantime, i.e. new address, telephone number, place of work etc., please inform the Administrator by letter, or in your child’s Elly Book.

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School transport Devon County council has a policy on the provision of school transport. It provides, for example, free transport where a pupil lives beyond the agreed statutory distance. The statutory distance is defined as two miles for children up to 8 years of age and three miles for those aged 8 and over.

To qualify, the statutory distance is measured by using the shortest available route between the home and the school that serves the home address.

Some pupils may be given free transport, even where they live within the distance, for special reasons, e.g. medical grounds. It is a parental responsibility to arrange for children to travel in safety between home and picking up and setting down points.

Children who travel on the school bus are registered each day. They must inform the adult on duty if they are not travelling on the bus that evening.

Walking to school Part of our commitment to promoting health is to promote walking to school. This is for fitness, safety and the environment. The less number of cars arriving at school reduces congestion and makes it safer for children using the roads and pavements around the school. Each year children will be involved in road safety education. High visibility jackets are available to purchase in school.

If you do have to drive your child to school perhaps you could share arrangements with another family.

School Car Park This is potentially a very dangerous place for children. Please do not park here or drop off your child to walk through the car park – so far it’s only been near misses! Please do not use the car park as a short cut. The pavement outside is the place to walk.

Uniform

School uniform is not compulsory but children are encouraged to wear the following:

Boys Girls

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White shirt / white polo shirt Grey / black trousers Royal blue jumper School sweatshirt

White shirt / white polo shirt Grey skirt, tunic or black trousers Royal blue jumper School sweatshirt

We prefer children NOT to wear jeans

Boys Girls

In the Summer, shorts may be worn (but must be of a dark colour – grey, black, navy, royal blue) with either a white cotton shirt or the school polo shirt

Summer dresses – blue / white check – or shorts and shirt as boys

Skirts should be of appropriate length to be comfortable and cause no offence to others. Shoes should be appropriate to enable children to enjoy/participate in a range of lunchtime activities.

Coats Children need to have a coat at school every day. In the summer they need a lightweight waterproof coat as it does sometimes rain, and the children will be outside in light rain at playtime and lunchtime.

Sunhats In the summer children need to have a sun hat or a school cap. The sun is at its highest and most intense during the children’s lunchtime. It is their safety and welfare we are considering.

Physical Education.

All children are expected to do P.E./Games unless there is some medical reason which prevents them doing so. In these cases a letter must be sent to the class teacher. All children must have a P.E. kit in school for their P.E./Games sessions.

Kit

All KS2 Only

Yellow T-shirt Navy blue shorts Trainers / plimsolls

Tracksuit (for cold weather) Spare jumper / spare socks Trainers /Football boots (boys and girls) Shin Pads(boys and girls)

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All children will be expected to change into their P.E. kit for games lessons. It is both unhygienic and uncomfortable to be wearing the same clothes for P.E. and school. The same applies to the children’s footwear. Trainers are the safest form of footwear, especially for older children who may be using hard playground surfaces. Again, children should not be wearing the same shoes for games as they do for everyday school wear.

We appreciate football boots and shin pads are expensive but both boys and girls will be playing football, rugby and unihoc on the field, so safety is an important issue.

Jewellery of any description must not be worn during games lessons.

A list of uniform which can be purchased from school is available from the office.

Complaints

We all have the right to complain if we feel we have not received the service to which we think we are entitled and, in this respect, schools are like any other service organisation.

If both sides approach an area of disagreement with a constructive attitude towards its resolution, most complaints can be dealt with quickly and informally.

We hope that you would feel comfortable enough to discuss any concerns with the class teacher in the first instance. You may, on rare occasions, be concerned about a school matter sufficiently to wish to discuss it with the Headteacher or Chair of Governors and arrangements will always be made for this if you wish. You can contact both Headteacher and Chair of Governors through the school office, or you may contact the Chair directly (See the list of governors in the appendix for addresses and telephone numbers).

Policy guidance / form for making a complaint can be found on the schools website or the school office.

And finally, the School Website The school has a website – so log on regularly to find out about any new developments. www.berealston.devon.sch.uk

Appendix I

Policies available in school for reference can bve found on the schools website for immediate access or from the school office (allowing 2 working days notice):

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Appendix II

List of governors

Chair of Governors: Mrs Helen Donnellan 25 Cornwall Street Bere Alston Yelverton PL20 7BE

Tel: 01822 841002 Email: Helen.donnellan@hotmail.com

Governing Body: Helen Donnellan (Chair) Co-Operative Governor

Chris Avent (Vice Chair) LEA Governor

Melanie Cripps Head Teacher

Rosie Hinge Foundation Governor Richard Burchall Foundation Governor Vicky Gray Staff Governor

Diane Daymond Co-Operative Governor

Paul Baker Parent Governor

Nikki Griffiths Parent Governor

Chris Avent Parent Governor

Joseph Stapleton Parent Governor

Matt Hatfield Parent Governor

Clerk to Governors: Maria Outram

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Devon County policy on admission to school

The law requires the Authority to arrange for every child to be admitted to primary school during the year in which they have their fifth birthday.

Criteria If the number of requests for places at a County or Voluntary Controlled Primary School exceeds the planned admission limit, the priority for admission will be decided using the County admission criteria, which are:

1. Children living within the school’s designated area; 2. Other children, on the basis of distance between home and school, (i.e. the shorter

the distance, the higher the priority.)

NB If it is necessary to differentiate between the children in either category, those children with a sibling attending the school at the time of admission will have priority over others in the category. Infants will have the right of admission to the linked Junior School and First School pupils to the linked Middle School. Distance between home and school is measured along the shortest available walking route. Priority may be given to the admission of pupils for whom a particular medical or social justification is demonstrated.

Appeals against allegations

Parents have the right to express a preference for a particular school. The Authority must meet such requests unless they would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the use of resources. For a variety of reasons the Authority (or the Governors in the case of an Aided School) might not be able to meet this preference. If this happens you should consult the Area Education Office who will look at the circumstances and advise you about the options which are available to you. When all other steps have been taken, a formal appeal to an independent appeal panel is available to you. Details of the appeal procedure are available from the Area Education Office.

Entry to school

There is one fixed date of entry: Autumn Term for children born between 1st September and 31st August.

Unless there is a local variation, admission earlier than point is approved only on exceptional social

or medical grounds (normally supported by a letter from Social Services or a GP.) Any agreement is

for one term only and within the academic year when the child would normally be admitted.