Live, learn and love in faith, respect and

trust

Norton St Nicholas Church of England (VA) Primary School

Foreword

We are delighted that you are looking at our school for your child. We hope that the children whoare offered places will find the years ahead at our school rewarding in both academic and socialachievement.

Although the main task of educating our children falls on our staff (both teaching and ancillary),we look on this work as very much a shared opportunity. People contribute from many parts ofthe local community, members of Norton parish, County and Diocesan education officers as wellas many experts from a variety of fields. These together all make a contribution in making ourschool the caring place it is. We also look very much to parents playing their special andessential part and hope that you will enjoy your role in this crucial partnership.

Our school is a Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary school set in the heart of ourcommunity to provide an education for our children with a Christian perspective. The Bibleteaches that honesty, integrity, hard work, faithfulness and strong family life are to beencouraged and taught. Relationships within the school and within the community arecharacterised by love and truth and show special concern for the weak and disadvantaged. Thefoundation for these relationships is our relationship with God. He is our Creator and strength,our Saviour and guide.

Jesus himself had time for children and he acknowledged the importance of this stage inpeople’s lives. Here at Norton St. Nicholas we trust all who come within the community willexperience that blessing and be prepared for a future, whatever challenges it may bring to them,so that they can have hope in this world and the next.

With best wishes for the future on behalf of all the Governors.

Keith TaylorChair of Governors

Foreword

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Welcome

Welcome to Norton St. Nicholas School. Norton St. Nicholas is a Voluntary Aided Church ofEngland School; a state-funded school in which the Diocese of St. Albans owns the schoolbuildings and the Governing Body contributes to building costs and administers the admissionspolicy. The school and the churches of St. George’s and St. Nicholas work closely together inpartnership: the school and Norton parish see themselves in active association – as anextended community – together at the heart of the Church’s mission to the community.

Norton St. Nicholas is a thriving school of about 240 children from Nursery to Year 6. In 2013the school was inspected by Ofsted and deemed to be Good; this was repeated in March 2017.Under the Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools, on behalf of the Church of England, theschool was deemed Norton St. Nicholas to be Outstanding in November 2013 and October2018..

The school is situated in the village of Norton within and forming the north east boundary ofLetchworth, the world’s first Garden City. Our children come from a wide variety of locations butmostly from our local parish of Norton. The school is a single-form entry primary school. It ishoused in modern and traditional buildings; the school is well equipped and resourced to teacha modern and creative curriculum; externally the school has an environmental study area and alarge playing space with a field and playground with an activity trail and climbing wall.

Norton St. Nicholas also boasts a wonderful Nursery School. The Nursery School andReception Class combine to form the Early Years Foundation Stage. Following the EYFS eachchild’s potential is developed through their willing participation. The stress on independence isretained throughout the main school; children are encouraged to develop basic skills while atthe same time broadening and deepening their understanding of the world around them.Children work in a purposeful and relaxed environment where the emphasis is placed upon thedevelopment of the individual; creatively, academically, physically, socially and spiritually.

Whether you are simply viewing a number of schools, or whether your child is about to start ontheir journey through the education system with us at St Nicholas, we hope that the informationin this brochure will be useful to you.

Welcome

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Vision and Values

Live, learn and love in faith, respect and trust

Norton St. Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary:

• Building a modern and creative learning environment,• Building creative, passionate and respectful learners who make good progress,• Building a well-motivated and professionally developed staff team,• Building a well-renowned community school linked to wide ranging communities, • Building Christian values.

Mission statement

• To educate and nurture our children, recognising their uniqueness, inspiring them to reach their full potential and enabling them to live a caring and successful life, guided by God’s Love.

Vision and Values

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Vision and Values

Values and virtues at Norton St Nicholas CofE (VA) P rimary School

The school, through much consultation, has developed a set of values and virtues to develop and grow at our school. The list below identifies these values and virtues.

Communication Confidence Consideration Co-operation Determination Empathy Fairness Forgiveness FriendshipGenerosity Honesty Hope Humility Justice Kindness Love Passion Peace Perseverance Respect Responsibility Service Thankfulness Trust Understanding Unity

These are developed through many aspects of school life such as through worship, PSHE, character education, etc.

As well as being recognised as widely agreeable values, these values at Norton St. Nicholas will be linked to biblical principles in order to strengthen our Christian ethos. All values are grounded in our Christian character.

In addition to the set of unique school identified values, the school recognises theimportance of celebrating, teaching and promoting British Values; these areidentified by the Department for Education as:

• democracy;

• the rule of law;

• individual liberty and mutual respect; and

• tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Vision and Values

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Governor Fund

The governors of Norton St Nicholas work with the Headteacher to continue developing theschool so that it provides a safe and modern place of learning for your children and to ensurethat they receive the very best opportunities to secure a bright future for themselves, bothacademically and spiritually.

We are a ‘Voluntary Aided’ school, which means that 10% of all capital projects (building, repairs,maintenance and other improvements) is not funded by the government. Thus for a singleproject costing £20,000, for instance, the amount given to the school is only £18,000 and thegovernors are responsible for arranging for the other £2,000 to be found before it can go ahead.

There are plans in place to undertake many worthy projects which will improve the fabric anduse of the school premises and the facilities it provides for its pupils; recently we have upgradedour electrical supply, reroofed parts of the school and developed better access to and from theschool site for pupils in all classes. Our next projects will be focussed on enhancing the outdoorarea for further learning opportunities. However, we cannot implement these plans without firstmaking governor funding available and for this we are seeking your help.

We are therefore asking you to consider making voluntary contributions in the amount of £10 perfamily, per year to the governors’ fund. In this difficult financial climate we realise that there aremany calls upon your income, but please give some thought to contributing in this way, or givinganything that you can afford. If possible, we would like you to set up a standing order for theyearly amount and we have enclosed a form for this purpose. Even better, if you are a tax-payerwe would ask you to ‘Gift Aid’ the contributions because as you know, in this way we will receivean extra 25 pence for every £1.00 donated (an additional form is enclosed for this) at noadditional cost to you. Failing this, if your preference is to make a one-off contribution then thiswould be greatly appreciated also. Either way, please complete the necessary forms confirmingyour intention and hand this into the school office.

In this way together we will be able to meet the needs of the school in the future and will be ableto continue to provide a stunning environment for your children to work and learn in.

Funding

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Admissions

The Governors of the school are responsible in law for the admission of pupils. By agreement,and in co-operation with the Local Authority, the Governors will apply their admissionsarrangements to all applications they receive. The Governors will then pass their allocation list tothe Local Authority who will allocate final places by applying the ranking system.

Please read the full policy for a clearer view of how the admissions arrangements areadministered. Also note that admission arrangements for our Nursery and Reception classes aredifferent. In the event of over-subscription the Governors apply the admissions policy brieflyrecounted below:

There are 30 places available (Admission Number 30) :

Places will be offered to children who have a Statement of Special Educational Need or EHCPwhich names the school. The school does not have any specific units or facilities for pupils withphysical disabilities. As far as possible the school will ensure that pupils with disabilities haveaccess to the same opportunities as other pupils.

Priority order:-

(1) Children in Public Care (Looked after children). All ‘looked after’ children or children whowere previously ‘looked after’ but immediately after being ‘looked after’ became subject to anadoption, residence or special guardianship order (see definitions).

(2) a) Children whose parents/ guardians are frequent* (see definitions) worshippers, who at thetime of application worship frequently and have done so for a minimum of three years at thechurches of St. Nicholas or St. George’s in the parish of Norton. Written confirmation is requiredfrom the parish priest/minister.Or

Admissions

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b) Those children whose parents or guardians have moved into the Parish of Norton within thethree years prior to application and who have attended frequently* for three years at anotherAnglican church and who are now frequent worshippers of St. Nicholas or St. George's in theparish of Norton. Written confirmation is required from the parish priest/minister.

(3) Children with a sibling* (see definitions) who will be attending the school at the time ofadmission.

(4) Children whose parents/ guardians permanently live in the Parish of Norton and who at thetime of application worship frequently and have done so for a minimum of three years at achurch belonging to the Churches Together or Evangelical Alliance. Written confirmation isrequired from the parish priest/minister.

(5) Children of staff at the school where the member of staff has been employed at the school fora minimum of two years at the time of application.

(6) Those children whose home is closest to the school as measured using the computerised,‘straight line’, mapping system operated by the LA as described in their admissions literature andwebsite.

Where the application of the above criteria results in a situation where there are more childrenwith an equal right to admission to the school than the number of available places, priority will begiven to those living closest to the school as measured using the computerised, ‘straight line’,mapping system operated by the LA as described in their admissions literature and website.Where this distance measurement results in more than one child having an identical claim to thelast available place as a result of living in flats, priority will be given to the lowest house number.

The governors cooperate with the fair access policies of HCC.

Admissions

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Uniform

The School Policy is that all children from EYFS2 should wear school uniform. Uniform in EYFS1 is optional. The uniform consists of:

Every day wear for pupils

• Red school sweatshirt/ cardigan/ fleece with school badge (available from school) or sweatshirt/ cardigan/ jumper in plain red with no hood• White polo shirt with school badge (available from school) or white polo shirt/shirt/ blouse in plain white (no logos) • Plain black or charcoal grey trousers/tailored shorts/skirts/pinafore dresses (no logos) • Plain charcoal grey/red/black/white tights/socks• Summer dresses may be worn - red /white gingham checked when the weather is appropriate • As well as the above items, children are expected to wear sensible footwear – black shoes; smart black boots are permitted in winter but no trainers.• A coat • Wellington boots are encouraged for all pupils in EYFS.

Sports/PE Kit for Pupils

• Plain white or white sports T-shirt with school logo (available from school)• Plain black shorts/cycle shorts• Charcoal grey/red/black/navy tracksuit bottoms and a plain grey/red/black/navy sweatshirt/hooded sweatshirts may be worn during winter months (school logo hooded sweatshirts are available from the school) • A pair of trainers for outdoor PE to be worn with socks (not tights) - no plimsolls are required for indoor PE as children work in bare feet• Children are permitted to wear a change of sports kit for extra curriculum sports clubs – this must be suitable for the sport club. Children without a separate kit are allowed to wear their PE kit for attendance at extra curriculum clubs• A PE kit must be available in school daily for all pupils• Children from Y1 to Y6 need to have PE kit appropriate for outdoor use at all times of the year

Uniform

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Uniform

Jewellery and Other items for pupils

• No jewellery except small stud earrings may be worn in school, which must be removed by children for all physical activities or if they cannot be removed then the child will have to temporarily tape their earrings to make safe.• No nail varnish, make-up, tattoos, hair colours or braids to be worn in school. • Long hair—on both girls and boys—should be tied and secured.• A plain red book bag (with school logo available from school)• A PE kit bag (with school logo available from school) • A simple watch may be worn

Children must wear school uniform on school trips and visits unless otherwise specified for easy identification.

The aims of a school uniform are:

• To ensure all children are dressed appropriately for school and school activities• To give all children a sense of corporate identity• To standardise items of clothing worn for school • To maintain a neat and clean appearance that will hopefully be transferred to other aspects of children’s education • To ease confrontation between parent and pupil about what should be worn to school;

We feel that children should be proud to belong to Norton St Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School and that wearing uniform is an integral part of belonging to our school. We are committed to providing a teaching environment conducive to learning. Each child is valued, respected and challenged regardless of race, gender, religion, social background, culture or disability. The wearing of school uniform is not an option but an obligation. It is expected that parents and children will honour this agreement and make every effort to uphold the desired standard of dress. We hope that all those involved in the school community, staff, parents, children will share these intentions. Any parent experiencing problems in purchasing articles of uniform should initially contact the Office or arrange to meet with the Family Support Worker or Headteacher.

Uniform

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Homework

At Norton St Nicholas, we believe that there should be a positive partnership between home andschool; homework is a key part of this. It offers children the opportunity to become independentlearners, to practise and apply skills learned in the classroom, to develop attitudes that theyneed for successful lifelong learning and to prepare children for secondary school. Homework isan opportunity to extend learning beyond the classroom and make connections with ‘real life’contexts. It is also important that homework is seen as an enjoyable complement to whathappens at school. We would like to provide opportunities not only to reinforce key skills inLiteracy and Maths, but also for children to learn more across a range of subjects.

The school will endeavour to:• provide opportunities to develop skills outside of school through a range of stimulating tasks.• develop creativity in homework.

Reading at Home• We expect all children to read at home on a daily basis; this is a ‘must’ home learning activity

for all children.

Home learning timings, holidays and absence• Home learning set will, wherever possible, allow a combination of weeknights and weekend

time. Weekly tasks will usually be set from a Thursday to a Tuesday.• With the exception of SATs revision tasks in Year 6, no formal home learning will be given

out during school holidays or during Parent Consultation weeks. Informal/optional tasks maybe offered that will consolidate children’s previous learning or nurture future learning.

• If children are absent due to illness, home learning will not be sent home in their absence.• It is not possible to give home learning when parents take holidays in term time.• Home learning handed in late may not receive feedback.

Rewards for pleasing home learningWhen children complete their home learning to a good standard they will receive a stamp/pointfor each piece of work completed. In addition, extra credit can be given to children whom haveshown exceptional effort with the set home learning tasks and any further additional workcompleted. Children will collect stamps over the course of the year; for every 50 home learningstamps collected a certificate of achievement will be awarded to thechild for their home learning effort.

Homework

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Homework

Homework in Year 6Homework is a very useful tool in Year 6 to transition the children to life beyond primary school and prepare the children for the expectations of secondary school. For this reason the homework set in Year 6 may occasionally differ to the timetable above.

MarkingStaff will mark home learning in a variety of ways. Work completed at home is an opportunityto practise and apply skills learned in the classroom, home learning will always beacknowledged, and wherever possible, the focus of any feedback given will be acknowledgingthe child’s achievements. This will be done in a range of different ways, depending on the ageof children and the tasks given. There will not usually be development marking as the timebetween homework being done and feedback being given means this has limited impact.

ClassMust Do Home learning

Could Do Home learning – The Home Learning

ChallengeLiteracy Maths

‘Could do’ homelearning tasks will bemore creative, covera range of skills andlearning and be setover a prolongedperiod of time. Asthese are ‘could’tasks they are notcompulsory. Thechildren who docomplete the taskswill have theopportunity topresent their homelearning to theirclass.

Class 1 Weekly spellingsA fortnightly activity

A fortnightly activity

Class 2 Weekly spellings and spelling sentences

A weekly activity

Class 3 Weekly spellingsWeekly literacy task

A weekly activity

Class 4 Weekly spellingsWeekly literacy task

A weekly activity

Class 5 Weekly spellingsWeekly literacy task

A weekly activity

Class 6 Weekly spellingsWeekly literacy task

A weekly activity

SATs revision as appropriate

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Inclusion

We are committed to giving all our children every opportunity to achieve the highest of standardsand be fully included in all aspects of school life. This policy helps to ensure that this happensfor all the children in our school – regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, attainment orbackground.

The policy has been drawn up as a result of staff discussion and has the full agreement of theGoverning Body. The implementation of this policy is the responsibility of all the teaching staff.

Aims and General PrinciplesOur school aims to be an inclusive school. This means that equality of opportunity must be areality for our children. We pay particular attention to the provision for and the achievement ofdifferent groups of learners:

• Children Looked After (CLA);• Pupil Premium Groups;• Benefits Based Free School Meal pupils;• Girls and boys;• Minority ethnic and faith groups, travellers, asylum seekers and refugees;• Children who need support to learn English as an additional language (EAL or E2L);• Gifted and talented children;• Children who are disabled;• Any children who are at risk of disaffection or exclusion.• Children who can access Free School Meals;• Children on the Child Protection register and /or looked after by the local authority;• Others such as those who are sick; those who are young carers; those who are in families

under stress.

Inclusion

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Accessibility Plan

As an inclusive school, we respect and value the diversity of the community we serve. We arecommitted to giving all our children every opportunity to achieve the highest of standards and befully included in all aspects of school life regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, attainment orbackground. We believe in actively promoting equality of opportunity in every aspect of the life ofall pupils, parents, staff and the wider community. We are committed to providing equality ofaccess and challenging discrimination and pay particular attention to the provision for and theachievement of different groups including:

People with disabilities, male and female, minority ethnic and faith groups, travellers, asylumseekers, refugees, people with English as an additional language, gifted and talented people,children who are at risk of disaffection or exclusion, children who can access Free School Meals,children on the Child Protection register and / or looked after by the local authority, those whoare sick, those who are young carers and those who are in families under stress.

Our commitment to equality for those with disabilities and other needs will be demonstratedthrough:

Fostering respect for all groups and individuals, within the context of Human Rights (rights andfreedoms to which all humans are entitled), promoting positive non-discriminatory behaviour,ensuring appropriate support for isolated individuals with disabilities within the school, ensuringhigh expectations of all, ensuring representation of a wider range of diversity within ourcurriculum and school community and encouraging links with the wider community.

Inclusion

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Statement on the use of Pupil Premium at Norton St. Nicholas

In 2011, the Government introduced a Pupil Premium. This is in addition to Schools mainfunding and is allocated to children from low-income families who are currently known to beeligible for Free School Meals.

During the previous academic year Schools were able to spend the Pupil Premium as they sawfit, Norton St. Nicholas used the funding to update the school reading scheme to enhancereading across the school, the school provided booster classes and 1:1 revision sessions forYear 6 children, the PP child attending these classes made good progress; 14.7 points sinceKS1 and 5 points progress in Literacy during Y6. Some funding was used to subsidise schooltrips, for individual children who without the financial support would not have taken part inresidential trips and also to subsidise the overall cost of educational class visits.

During the academic year 2015/16, we used our Pupil Premium for additional educationalsupport and intervention groups to improve progress and attainment of pupils from suchbackgrounds. This included establishing pupil mentoring; funding a member of staff to meetweekly on a 1:1 basis with PP children to discuss and support their classwork particularly inLiteracy and Numeracy.

In addition the school believes it is important that all children, no matter what the financialsituation is, feel included in the corporate life of the school, for this reason a percentage of PPwill be allocated to ensure PP children can play a full and active part in the school life of NortonSt. Nicholas, attending residential visits, class trips, after school clubs and are able to purchaseschool uniform.

Inclusion

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is defined as protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment ofhealth and/or development, ensuring that children grow up in the provision of safe and effectivecare and optimising children’s life chances. The school follows the procedures established bythe Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board; a guide to procedure and practice for allagencies in Hertfordshire working with children and their families.

School staff and volunteers are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse,changes in behaviour and failure to develop because they have daily contact with children. Allschool staff and volunteers will receive Safeguarding Children training, so that they areknowledgeable and aware of their role in the early recognition of the indicators of abuse orneglect and of the appropriate procedures to follow. This training is refreshed every three years.

The Governors and staff of Norton St. Nicholas aim to:

• establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk,and are listened to when they have a worry or concern.

• establish and maintain an environment where school staff and volunteers feel safe, areencouraged to talk and are listened to when they have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a child.

• ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if theyare worried.

• ensure that children who have been abused will be supported in line with a child protectionplan, where deemed necessary.

• include opportunities in the PSHE curriculum for children to develop the skills they need torecognise and stay safe from abuse.

There are three members of staff and one Governor trained asChild Protection Officers.

Safeguarding

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Anti-Bullying

What is Bullying?

Bullying is hurtful or unkind behaviour which is deliberate and repeated. Bullying can be carried out by an individual or a group of people towards another individual or group. The STOP acronym is used with children and can be applied to define bullying – Several Times On Purpose.

The nature of bullying can be:Physical – such as hitting or physically intimidating someone, or using inappropriate or unwanted physical contact towards someoneAttacking property – such as damaging, stealing or hiding someone’s possessionsVerbal – such as name calling, spreading rumours about someone, using derogatory or offensive language or threatening someonePsychological – such as deliberately excluding or ignoring peopleCyber – such as using text, email or other social media to write or say hurtful things about someone

Bullying is not:• A one-off fight or argument• A friend sometimes being nasty• An argument with a friend• Falling out after a quarrel, disagreement or misunderstanding • Activities that all parties have consented to and enjoyed• The first hurtful incident between the children

Single incidents of verbal or physical attack and behaviour are taken seriously and dealt with according to our school’s Behaviour Policy.

Bullying takes place in many ways and in many locations – the school, once aware, will work to address any concerns regarding bullying behaviour to/from school and will work to support those affected by cyberbullying.

Anti-Bullying

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Preventing Bullying

In our school staff act firmly against bullying whenever it occurs. Children are educated aboutanti-bullying in a variety of ways including through the teaching of PSHE and assemblies. In thisway pupils are made aware of what is and is not bullying and the role of the bystander orwitness. Pupils are also taught to use mobile phones (out of school) and the internet safely andwhat to do if things go wrong or if anything makes them feel uncomfortable.

Children in our EYFS 2 class receive a buddy from Year 6 when they first join the main school.This buddy helps the child to integrate at lunchtimes and shows them how to play differentgames.

All pupils at Norton St Nicholas are consulted in the creation of the anti-bullying policy and aretherefore aware that they must report any incidences of bullying and that these will be dealt withappropriately.

The school aims to keep all staff trained in recognising and dealing appropriately with bullyingincidents.

Everyone has a role to play in the prevention of bullying.

Anti-Bullying

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Attendance

To best serve the children at Norton St. Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School the Governing andStaff Body are committed to achieving excellent levels of teaching, learning, behaviour andattendance.

Attendance Matters:

• Ofsted, DfE, the Local Authority and school regard 95% as the minimum satisfactoryattendance. However, for the best chance of success this rate should be higher still;

• Most children should routinely have attendance rates of 97% or more. This is the equivalentof6 days absence a year;

• If your child is absent for 5 days each term they would have missed ¼ of a school year bythe time they leave Norton St. Nicholas;

• 90% attendance is like having a day off every two weeks;• 90% of young people with absence rates below 85% fail to achieve five or more good

grades of GCSE and around one third achieve no GCSEs at all.

Under Section 199 of the 1993 Education Act, a pupil is required to attend regularly at the schoolwhere he/she is a registered pupil. The school is obliged by law to differentiate betweenauthorised and unauthorised absence. Only the school can authorise an absence. The fact thata parent has provided a note or other explanation (telephone call or personal contact) in relationto a particular absence does not, of itself, oblige the school to accept it if the school does notaccept the explanation offered as a valid reason for absence. If, after further investigation doubtremains about the explanation offered - or when no explanation is forthcoming at all - theabsence should be treated as unauthorised and the parent informed.

The school will notify the Local Authority of any pupil of compulsory school age who fails toattend school regularly. Absence will be unauthorised if no explanation is forthcoming from theparents or if the school is dissatisfied with the explanation. Parents/carers should expect all term time holiday to be recorded asunauthorised leave.

Attendance

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Procedures for following up absence

• If by 9.30am the school has not heard from a parent stating a reason why their child isabsent, the school secretary will contact a parent for an explanation – First Day Response.

• The school secretary will pass on messages about absence to the class teacher whoindicates on the register the reason why a child is absent.

• If a pupil returns to school after an absence without an explanation the parents will becontacted.

• If a pupil is absent for more than three consecutive days without an explanation, theHeadteacher will telephone the parents.

• If a pupil is persistently absent the Headteacher will invite the parents to the school for ameeting.

• The County will provide an Attendance Improvement Officer to examine patterns inattendance and absence on a termly basis. He/she may also contact the parents, if theschool’s initiated meetings or letters have had little impact.

Outcomes of unauthorised absence

At Norton St. Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School we expect parents to work with us to addressattendance problems. Therefore, when a child has recorded unauthorised absence thefollowing will take place:• All unauthorised absence will be monitored.• The school will send a formal warning letter to the parent/carer of any child of compulsory

school age with 10 school sessions (half day = 1 session) recorded as unauthorisedabsence (including unauthorised holidays).

• If unauthorised absence continues to be a problem and the pupil has at least 15 sessions(half day = 1 session) unauthorised absence in the current and/or previous term (includingunauthorised holidays), the Head Teacher may ask the LA to issue a Penalty Notice. Theamount payable is £60 (per parent) if paid within 21 days or £120(per parent) if paid after 21 days but within 28 days of receipt of thenotice. Separate notices are issued to each parent in respect ofeach child.

Attendance

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Registration and Lateness

The school site is open to parents to drop off children from 8.40am. A member of staff will be onthe school playground from this time. Just before 8.50am a whistle is blown and children line upon the playground. Each class is met by a member of staff from their class and enter thebuilding. This process ensures that learning starts at 8:55am.

Registers will be called as promptly as possible after 8.55am and again at 12.55pm. Theregisters remain open until 9.00am and 1:00pm respectively. After this time the registers return tothe office and attendance after this time, unless there is a satisfactory explanation, is recorded asan unauthorised absence (late after registers close).

From 8.55am all teaching staff and children should be working in the classroom. Therefore, it isneither possible nor appropriate for teaching staff to spend time opening and closing doors.Pupils arriving after 8:55am, “after doors have closed” should make their way to the school officewhere the child’s lateness will be logged and the child escorted to their classroom. Childrenarriving after 8:55am but before 9:10am are recorded as “late”. Please ensure your child arrivesat school before 8.55am.

If lateness persists, the Headteacher will contact the parents to discuss the matter.

Registration

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Curriculum

The curriculum at Norton St. Nicholas Primary School will bring memorable, innovative andrelevant experiences to children; encouraging enrichment and inspiring the acquisition of skillsand knowledge through an inclusive cross-curricular approach to learning, celebrating our corebeliefs and ethos, impacting positively on every member of our school community.

We expect the curriculum to provide a well planned and resourced journey to take children’slearning and experiences forward; providing opportunities for everyone to succeed. This isachieved through a blend of thematic work and separate subject teaching. Children are offeredlearning experiences in a stimulating, secure and caring environment where pupils and staff,often accompanied by parents, work happily together. Some specialist teaching may beprovided for specific areas of the curriculum, such as Physical Education. The children in ourNursery and Reception classes follow the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum. InEYFS 2 children continue to follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum in the same way as EYFS1. We strongly believe that children at this age learn through play, however our EYFS childrenare introduced to more formal aspects of literacy and numeracy at appropriate stages in theirlearning. Children from Years 1 to 6 are taught the National Curriculum – some discretely andsome through creative enrichment activities making links between subjects to engage andinspire the pupils.

Extra Curricular Clubs

At Norton St. Nicholas pupils can enjoy extra curricular activities during lunchtime and at the endof the school day. Many staff organise clubs; past and present activities have included art,badminton, craft, chess, choir, CodeClub, cookery, cricket, dance, football, French, gymnastics,hockey, homework, netball, rugby, football and recorders. There is a cost for some of the clubsand some are run on a voluntary basis, however children are expected to make a commitmentto the activity and attend regularly.

Curriculum

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Educational Visits

We believe that much can be gained from visits and each class teacher periodically will arrangeschool visits, which usually form an integral part of the children's work. A voluntary contribution isrequired to meet the costs. The visits vary from places in the locality, for instance visiting St.Nicholas Church, to residential trips for children in years 4, 5 and 6. Parents'/Guardians' writtenpermission is required before children are taken on any visit away from the school premises(other than short local walks when the class will be supervised by the class teacher and otherhelpers). We try to limit the number and cost of day trips; we try to ensure that day trips costs nomore than £25 per trip and that there are no more than two of these per school year. In KeyStage 2 we offer several residential visits and these operate at a significant cost to parents. Inthe academic year 2017/18 we offered:• A four night residential trip for Year 6 to the Isle of Wight at a cost of £292• A two night residential trip for Year 5 to Kingswood Outdoor Centre in Norfolk at a cost of

£190• A two night residential trip for Year 4 to Cambridge at a cost of £126

Wraparound Care Services

Drop–Off Club – This facility For children from EYFS2 to Year 6 This facility is open from8:00am and run by Norton St. Nicholas staff. There is a small charge to use this provision.30 Hours – The school operates 30 hour provision in the Nursery from 9am to 3pmNursery Lunch Club – This facility is for Nursery children. Parents supply a packed lunch andcan collect their child at 1.00pm, 2.00pm or 3.00pm. This is a charged service with the exceptionof those children receiving 30 hours of free child care.Fit for Sport – This company operates afterschool care until 6pm for children at Norton St.Nicholas on the school site. This is a charged service.

Extra Curricular

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Partnerships

The School welcomes both formal and informal contacts. A formal parent consultation evening isheld in the Spring term, when your child's progress can be confidentially discussed. A formalwritten report is sent to parents at the end of the Summer term followed by an Open Eveninggiving opportunity to discuss the report. Teachers are normally available to talk to parents onmost days. Regular weekly newsletters are sent out to parents by the Head Teacher.

Parents are encouraged to link with the school and volunteer their skills in any way they can. AtNorton St. Nicholas we believe that volunteers at our school bring with them a range of skills andexperience that can enhance the learning opportunities of our children. We welcome andencourage volunteers from the local community. The types of activities that Volunteers areengaged including; hearing children read; Working with small groups of children; Workingalongside individual children; Undertaking art & craft activities with children; Working withchildren on the computers and Accompanying school visits.

Anyone wishing to become a volunteer, either for a one off event such as a school visit or on amore regular basis, e.g. hearing children read, usually approaches the Headteacher or DeputyHeadteacher directly.

We have a thriving PTA – SNAPS (St. Nicholas Association of Parents and Staff). The grouphave provided much valuable equipment for school as well as promoting social and fundraisingevents involving the whole community.

Children are encouraged to be an active voice within the school. This is achieved through aschool council. Two representatives from each class regularly attend meetings held to discussitems on the agenda drawn up from suggestions made by the children themselves about keyissues affecting them in school.

Partnerships

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Home-school Agreement

To stress the value we place on a positive working partnership between school and families wehave a Home School Agreement and below you will find samples taken from our document.

Partnerships

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Partnerships

To educate and nurture our children, recognising their uniq ueness,inspiring them to reach their full potential and enabling th em to live acaring and successful life, guided by God’s Love.

Norton St. Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School

Norton Road

Letchworth Garden City

Hertfordshire

SG6 1AG

01462 623322

admin@stnicholas23.herts.sch.uk

www.stnicholas23.herts.sch.uk