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School Prospectus

Parent and Child Induction Information 2017-18

Reviewed October 2017

Reviewed annually

BVPS School Prospectus 2017-18 2

Contents

Welcome to our school – thoughts from our children Page 3

A message from our Headteacher – Mrs Allen 3

About our School 4

Our Vision 4

Our Aim 4

Our Ofsted Report March 2016 4

Our School Development Plan 2017-18 5

Our Staff 5

Our Governors 5

Safeguarding 5

Our Curriculum – Statement, EYFS and Reading 6-7

Assessment 8

Our Forest School Programme 8

The Environment Dimension 9

Educational Visits and Visitors 9

Homework 9

Attendance at additional activities 10

Working in Partnership with Parents 10

Communication 10

Being a Healthy School 10

All About Behaviour 11

Our Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy 12

Our Attendance Policy 12

School Times 13

Extended Schools – Clubs and Out of Hours Activities 13

School Uniform 13

Lost Property 14

Medical Matters 14

Travel Plan 15

Pupil Premium Funding 15

Sports Premium Funding 15

Starting School – Reception EYFS 15

In Year Admissions 16

What haven’t we talked about? 16

Access to Official Documents, Planning and Policies 16

Complaints Procedure 17

And finally… 17


Welcome to our School – thoughts from our children What do we like about our school? Well, where do

we start? Some of us love the playground and the

play equipment; some of us think the library is the

best thing. Lots of us like lunch and most of us think

that the colours on the walls are quite interesting.

But what do we all like? Let’s tell you.

The best thing about our school is everyone who

helps us to be a school. All the grown-ups are there

every day helping us to learn amazing things and to find things out for ourselves. They help us

when we get stuck or when we’re worried and even when we fall over and hurt our knee.

We like Going for Gold – it works because you get a golden day every day that you do the right

thing at the right time. It means we get treats and treasures and sometimes even Mrs Allen

treats! We think Core Values make all the difference to our school and really like the Value

Rewards such as Owl Day and the Celebration Disco in school time!

If we were to move our school to the moon, the most

important things to take would be all the vegetables

grown by the Gardening Club, the camp fire kettle so we

could make hot chocolate, assemblies because they’re

great and make us laugh, the microphone in case

anyone wanted to sing, our classrooms so we could

carry on learning, the football table for some of us, the

computers, Mrs Coats because someone needs to be in

charge at lunchtime, fire steels so we could light the

camp fire and probably our Forest School clothes in case

it rains. We’d also take our Core Value jars with us so we

can keep filling them up!

Our school is the best. Come and find out all about it. We’re here to show you round and tell

you more about our school. We have lots to say!

A Message from our Headteacher – Mrs Allen Every day we are delighted by what our young learners say and do. As the first

self-governing parent-promoted primary school that is at the heart of our

community, we're all working together to grow our school. We really do

believe that 'It takes a village to raise a child'.

Our Core Values are Aiming High, Working Together, Respect, Resilience and

Celebration. These are at the heart of everything we do in school. Our

children are happy, resilient, well rounded and motivated to learn.

Teaching and learning at our school fosters an inclusive, holistic approach to education that

totally engages all children and celebrates equality and diversity. We make memories for

children and learning is irresistible. Our Forest School programme balances our curriculum and

puts children back in touch with the natural world around them. We encourage children to think

beyond the possible.

You just need to look at our termly calendars and weekly newsletters to find out just how busy

and amazing our school days are. We're all about making sure our children 'skip to school' and

develop a love of learning.


About our School Bolnore Village Primary School is the first self-governing parent-promoted primary school in the

country. As a Foundation School, we deliver excellence and equality through a curriculum that

develops the talents and potential of every child through creativity and discovery.

Bolnore Village Primary School serves a new and expanding

community which is surrounded by a rich natural environment that

allows us to literally bring the outside right into the classroom! We

are very privileged that the site is in regenerating ancient

woodland within a local nature reserve.

We have been open since September 2009 and by 2018, we will

have two classes of 30 in every year group and 420 children in the School. There are currently

380 children on roll.

Our Vision We take a child-centred approach and believe strongly that all

children should succeed. For us, success means that children feel

safe, enjoy learning and achieving and make a positive contribution to

the world around them. No child is left behind and children with

special educational needs and disabilities are welcomed and their

individual needs supported as far as we can in our setting.

Our vision is for a school that brings a growing community together as

part of a wider whole.

Our Aim Our aim is to provide a happy, safe and nurturing learning

environment. We encourage independent thinking and

curiosity, foster a desire to learn and celebrate

achievement. Children are supported to lead a healthy

lifestyle, to respect and enhance their surroundings and to

work together to create a strong sense of community where

the views and feelings of others are respected.

Our Ofsted Report Highlights noted in our Ofsted inspection in March 2016 (full copy on the School website)

• This is a happy, purposeful school that seeks to develop pupils into well-rounded,

confident individuals who are interested and motivated to learn about the world

around them

• There is strong leadership and clear vision to ensure that every child has the

opportunity to do their best

• Safeguarding is effective

• School leaders and the governors are resolute in their determination to drive

continuous improvement across all areas of the School

• The quality of teaching continues to be good. Teachers plan interesting and

stimulating activities that are closely matched to pupils’ needs

• Teachers set appropriately challenging work and pupils are keen to attempt more

difficult tasks

• Teaching focuses sharply on addressing gaps in pupils’ knowledge and deepening

their understanding

• Teachers provide helpful and constructive feedback to pupils


• Pupils understand how to improve their work and are clear on their next steps

• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is actively developed

• Pupils behave well in lessons and around the School. They work hard, listen

carefully and want to do well. They treat each other and adults with respect

Key actions

• Ensure that teachers’ subject specialist knowledge develops, particularly in mathematics, in

order to fully challenge pupils to reach the highest standards

• Ensure that attendance of pupils who are regularly absent from school improves

Our School Development Plan Our current School Development Plan is around being FIT TO

LEARN. It has two main strands:

• Develop physical fitness

• Develop mental and emotional fitness through

metacognition and resilience

You can download our current School Development Plan from the School website.

Our Staff Our staff are passionate about outcomes for children and understand that we all have a key role

to play in ensuring that every child succeeds. Please contact the School Office for information on

roles and responsibilities.

Our Governors Bolnore Village Primary School has a very strong, committed Governing

Body. Governors work in partnership with the staff and it is everyone’s

responsibility to ensure our school is a happy environment in which children

can learn and play. Governors perform a vital function in developing

expectations and capabilities from the earliest age. Together we are

uncompromising in the level of ambition we have for all our pupils and for our school. A list of

current serving Governors is available on the School website and through the School Office. The

current Chair of Governors is Mrs Chris Gage.

Safeguarding

We are committed to the safeguarding of children, young

people, their families and staff. This means that everything

we do is designed to promote the safety and well-being of

the children we work with, as well as that of children and

young people in general.

We believe that safeguarding and good practice are best

promoted by staff who, after thorough selection processes, are trained, encouraged and

appropriately managed and supported in the work they do.

Bolnore Village Primary School recognises its responsibility for child protection and takes care to

protect and support all of our children. Full details are available from the Safeguarding and Child

Protection Policy which can be viewed on the School Website or in the School Office.

Mrs Allen, Miss Brumby, Mrs Moden and Mrs Coats are all Child Protection Officers and can be

contacted on 01444 456715.


Where there are concerns around safeguarding for a child, the School will contact the Multi

Agency Support Hub (MASH) and this may sometimes be without a parent’s permission if it is

perceived a child is at risk. If you feel you need support to care for your own children, or have

concerns about the welfare of a child, you are also able to contact the Multi Agency Support Hub

(MASH) on 01403 229900.

Staff and Governors make a termly inspection of the premises to ensure the children’s safety.

More immediate safety issues are dealt with promptly. Our Health and Safety Policy can be

viewed in the School Office or on the School website.

All visitors are asked to enter the building via the main entrance and to sign in at the School

Office and must wear a visitor’s lanyard.

Our playground gates are locked between 9.00 am and 3.10 pm and after 3.30 pm. Dogs are not

permitted to come into the playground at all; parents may tie dogs up in the plaza area by the

main entrance. No scooters or bikes are allowed to be ridden on school grounds. Our school

operates a ‘No Smoking’ policy throughout its buildings and grounds.

Our Curriculum In line with the New Curriculum, we have developed a high

quality, context-led, creative curriculum and we place great

emphasis on nurturing skills and attitudes such as

resourcefulness, resilience and co-operation. We recognise the

importance of making learning irresistible, meaningful and

memorable. For this reason we teach through a themed,

experience based approach to enable children to make

connections and link ideas and areas of learning. Our

curriculum is designed to ensure that children are excited, challenged and inspired by their

learning. Our curriculum is built around our five core values.

Our Curriculum Statement


In line with ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ we work hard to

draw on the resources offered by our local and wider

community. Parents, carers and friends are invited in to help

us and we take every opportunity to involve the ‘experts’

amongst us.

Our surroundings provide a unique and stimulating

environment for learning about the world around us; for

learning about the interdependence of people on nature and

on each other; and for growing physically, intellectually and

spiritually.

Children move from Reception Early Years Foundation Stage into Year 1. From Year 1 through to

the end of Year 6, we follow the new Primary Curriculum. We want the children at Bolnore

Village Primary School to be resilient thinkers who are able to use and apply a variety of learning

styles and develop key life skills. A peripatetic teacher teaches music across the School and some

year groups learn to play an instrument.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Children in Reception follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum in which learning and development

is categorised into three prime areas of learning:

• Communication and language

• Physical development

• Personal, social and emotional development

Additionally there are four specific areas of learning:

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the world

• Expressive arts and design

Achievement of these prime and specific areas of learning is by:

• Playing and exploring

• Active learning

• Creating and thinking critically

The curriculum during this vital part of your child’s early education

provides the foundation upon which all other learning is based. We

want your child to enjoy coming to school, to be enthusiastic about

learning, and develop the confidence to ask questions and find out

about the world around them.


Reading Across the School

We believe that children learn to read with greater confidence and motivation when their books

are exciting, rich and varied. We use a combination of colour banded reading schemes alongside

‘real’ books and encourage our children to read a range of fiction and non-fiction texts.

Our teachers teach a daily phonics session based on Read Write Inc.

Children enjoy regular guided reading sessions in class and teachers

foster a love of books in everything they do. Our classrooms are

language-rich environments and books are at the heart of our learning.

We encourage parents and carers to read to and with their children at

home and children are given a reading journal. We run family

workshops to support parents and carers to help their child read at

home.

Assessment Regular assessment takes place and is carried out by all teaching staff using a variety of

techniques and professional expertise. Baseline assessment takes place within the first six weeks

of a child starting school in Early Years. Teachers maintain detailed records of the progress and

achievement of all pupils and these are shared with the School Leadership Team half termly.

Teachers work closely with parents, teaching assistants and the Leadership Team to ensure that

each child succeeds.

The School uses Classroom Monitor as an assessment

package. Through careful, continuous assessment we aim

to meet the needs of all our learners. Children sometimes

work in ability groups, friendship groups, mixed ability

groups, whole class groups and occasionally different class

groups in order to challenge, support and motivate each

other in their learning. Throughout the year, we hold

parent-teacher meetings and provide a written report at

the end of the year. Please see our Principles of

Assessment on our website.

Our Forest School Programme As part of our strong environmental ethos, we have integrated a Forest School Programme into

our curriculum. A Forest School Programme is an inspirational process that offers children

regular opportunities to appreciate and enjoy their local woodlands.

Our programme nurtures an understanding of and respect for natural places. Our children

experience nature at first hand through a series of engaging and achievable tasks. The Forest

School experience brings learning to life and improves a child’s ability to work co-operatively

while offering the opportunities to take risks, make choices and initiate learning.

Forest School information leaflets are available from the School Office.


The Environmental Dimension Our children are taught about the need to look after our planet

and our school curriculum reflects this. We practise recycling of

paper, batteries and stamps. We encourage the children to

compost vegetable matter. We use our outside areas to help the

children grow their own plants. We explore the need to save

water and energy and keep records of consumption. Our Eco-

Warriors are a strong group within the School and keep us on

track to save the world.

Educational Visits and Visitors We believe that experiencing something helps our learners really

understand and make links in their learning. Trips and visitors are a

core part of our curriculum. Each class will usually go out on a key

trip once a term and a host of other visits and visitors are arranged

to support their learning. Trips are linked with the current topic.

From September 2017, Years 3 will have swimming lessons. In Key Stage 2 we also plan

residential trips for the children: Year 3 have a sleepover at school, Year 4 and 5 have a night

away at an Activity Centre and Year 6 have a longer residential trip. We ask for voluntary

contributions towards the cost of the trips and swimming. We set up instalment schemes for all

residential trips. Trips for children eligible for free school meals are paid for out of the Pupil

Premium Fund within the School budget.

Homework Year group Expected Homework – see our Homework Policy for more information

Reception

(Our 4 year

olds)

Reading at home with an adult for 10 minutes AT LEAST 5 times a week.

This can include reading comics and magazines, children’s websites.

KS1

Year 1 and 2

(Our 5 and 6

year olds)

Reading at home for 10 minutes with an adult and/or independently AT LEAST 5

times a week.

High Frequency Word spellings and topic words to learn off by heart.

Times tables to learn off by heart – Mental Maths Challenge Practice Sheets

Practise me cards – aspects of learning to work on as identified in class.

Lower KS2

Year 3 and 4

(Our 7, 8 and

9 year olds)

Reading at home for 10 minutes with an adult and/or independently AT LEAST 5

times a week.


Practise Me cards – aspects of learning to work on as identified in class.

Times tables to learn off by heart – Mental Maths Challenge Practice Sheets

Upper KS2

Year 5 and 6

(Our 10 and

11 year olds)

Reading at home for 10 minutes independently AT LEAST 5 times a week.


Practise Me cards – aspects of learning to work on as identified in class.

Times tables and inverse (division) to learn off by heart – Mental Maths

Challenge Practice Sheets

Additional homework for Year 6 to support with SATs.


Attendance at additional activities Children will sometimes be invited to attend an event or take part in an activity that is not

always open to all the children in their class or year group. This is for a wide range of reasons

but is always about meeting an individual child’s needs. Children may be asked to take part in an

event that will help them physically, socially and emotionally or an event that will enable them

to work at a very challenging level or provide them with an opportunity they might otherwise

not have access to.

Working in Partnership with Parents Bolnore Village Primary School encourages parents to participate in

pupils’ learning in many ways, particularly in sharing and enjoying books

with children as well as supporting homework. Parents are always

welcome into the School to share their knowledge and skills. We greatly

appreciate parents sharing their time, skills and talents with us. Anyone

volunteering over time in school needs to complete statutory checks.

We also provide a variety of workshops and Learning Fairs designed to support parents and

families in helping their children, e.g. reading, writing, numeracy, E-safety and computing

workshops.

Communication Teachers are always happy to speak with parents both

informally after school and at parent-teacher consultation

evenings. Our weekly school newsletters keep parents

informed of both achievements and important school events.

These are available on our website for reference. Parents are

also invited in after school on the first Friday of every month

for ‘Find Out Fridays’ to look at their child’s progress and

learning. Information is displayed on class notice boards and School notice boards. More

information on policies and School practice can be found on the School website. Parents are

asked to register with ParentMail in order to receive online correspondence from School. Parents

are also able to receive notifications about their child’s ‘real time’ learning through the School’s

use of SeeSaw. Parents need to register to receive notifications.

Being a Healthy School Through our Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) curriculum, our healthy

eating policy, our approach to physical activity and emotional health and well-being, we aim to

be a healthy school.

Healthier packed lunches: We ask that packed lunches do not contain sweets, chocolate or fizzy

drinks and that crisps are limited to once a week.

An example of a healthy packed lunch

• A good portion of starchy food, e.g. wholegrain roll, tortilla wrap, chapatti,

pitta pocket, pasta or rice salad

• A portion of lean meat, fish or alternative, e.g. chicken, ham, beef, tuna,

egg, beans or hummus

• Plenty of fruit and vegetables, e.g. an apple, satsuma, handful of cherry

tomatoes or carrot sticks, small tub of fruit salad or small box of raisins

• A portion of semi-skimmed milk or other dairy food, e.g. reduced fat

cheese, yogurt or fromage frais

• A drink, e.g. fruit juice, semi-skimmed milk, yogurt drink or a bottle of water


The British Nutrition Foundation www.nutrition.org.uk has lots of information relating to

healthier packed lunches for children (4-11 years). Their online leaflet provides practical ideas for

creating healthy lunch boxes for children. Children can either bring their own packed lunch or

parents can order hot meals online through Chartwells. All children in Reception and Key Stage 1

are eligible for universal free school meals. Some children in Key Stage 2 may be eligible for free

school meals. Please contact the School Office for details.

Other food in school

Cooking regularly takes place as part of our curriculum and the

School plans carefully to meet the dietary requirements of all

our children to ensure that these sessions are safe and tasty!

Please remember that we are a NUT FREE SCHOOL.

Cooking at Forest School is particularly popular. We have quite a

range of BVPS recipes that are regularly enjoyed.

Children in Reception and Key Stage 1 are provided with free fruit every day.

Milk is also available free of charge to children under the age of 5 and at a

discounted rate thereafter. Milk can be ordered through Cool Milk

www.coolmilk.com

Being mindful of the range of allergies experienced by children, we are not able to

accept birthday cakes or sweets to share in class. Birthdays are important and we

will celebrate these in other ways in school.

All about Behaviour

Our Core Values and Gold Card system reward good behaviour and encourage all pupils to want

to go for ‘Gold’. The Gold Card system also provides a visual prompt for children who may find

managing their own behaviour difficult.

The Going for Gold Card System is displayed in every classroom. Each child has a set of cards:

gold, white, blue, yellow and red. Children start on gold every day and only change their card if

asked to do so by an adult in response to poor behaviour choices.

Children are able to select a reward ‘treat or treasure’ from their agreed reward menu when they

have achieved a certain number of Gold Cards. The class teacher tracks the card colours daily and

behaviour is regularly monitored by the Headteacher. A teacher may choose to discuss issues with

parents, at any stage, as appropriate. If a child’s behaviour continues to be unacceptable, the

involvement of a behaviour specialist may be requested. Whole class behaviour targets are also

set by the Headteacher.

We do not accept any form of bullying, racism or discrimination of any kind.

We encourage children to talk to a member of staff if they feel that they are being bullied or

experiencing any form of racism. We are aware that bullying and/or racism can take place and

We all aim high

We work together

We are resilient

We respect ourselves, others and the world

around us

We celebrate success


may go unreported. We ask parents to inform the School if they suspect their child is being bullied

or experiencing racism or discrimination in any way, including online. All allegations of bullying,

racism or discrimination are thoroughly investigated, acted upon, recorded and reported to West

Sussex County Council and the Governing Body. Parents are notified if their child is involved in any

bullying or racist incident. Victims of discrimination are re-assured, offered further support and

their parents informed and involved.

As a school, we will exclude children who compromise their own safety or the safety of others.

Behaviour that impacts on the effective running of the school, including damaging property will

also lead to exclusion. Where a child is at risk of hurting themselves or others or damaging

property, trained school staff may need to follow the School’s restraint procedures.

Our Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy Bolnore Village Primary School is committed to providing an appropriate and high quality

education to all the children at our school. We believe that all children, including those identified

as having special educational needs and disabilities have a common entitlement to a broad and

balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in

all aspects of school life.

Our policy describes the way we meet the needs of children who experience barriers to their

learning. These may relate to sensory or physical impairment, learning difficulties, mental health,

emotional or social development, or may relate to factors in their environment, including the

learning environment they experience in school. We also support parents in school for whom our

setting is not the right setting and advise on alternative placements. Our SENCO, Mrs Moden, will

be happy to help you with any questions. Please contact the School Office to make an

appointment.

Our Attendance Policy The Governors, Headteacher and Staff are keen to ensure that all our children attend school

regularly and punctually so that they receive the best education possible.

Parents are encouraged to understand the importance of good attendance

and punctuality. We are aiming for an attendance rate of 97% and above.

The School will authorise absences for

• illness

• medical appointments with an appointment card

• days of religious observance

• exceptional circumstances, e.g. bereavement, certain family circumstances

Registers close at 9 am. Children are late if they arrive after 9 am. Children are marked as absent

if they arrive after 9.15 am and may receive an unauthorised absence. Parents are asked to call

the office on 01444 456715 or inform us via ParentMail by 9 am on the morning of any absence

and thereafter ensure that the School is informed of any further absence. The School operates a

first day absence calling system and will report any children missing from education.

PLEASE NOTE: We operate a 48-hour no-school rule following sickness and diarrhoea.

Children receive half termly attendance certificates for attendance of 97%+ and 100%. The

Headteacher will write to parents of children with half termly attendance at less than 90% and

may refer to Pupil Entitlement should attendance continue to be poor. Parents may receive fixed

penalty fines as a result. Please note that our school does not authorise any holidays taken

during term time.


School Times 8.55 am until 3.20 pm (classroom doors open at 8.45 am).

Morning session 8.55 am - 12.00 noon (15 minute break – supervised play)

EYFS Lunchtime is 11.45 am – 12.45 pm. Rest of School Lunchtime is 12 noon – 1 pm

Afternoon session 1 pm - 3.20 pm (15 minute break in Reception and KS1 – led by staff)

Children should arrive at school no more than ten minutes

before the day begins and should be collected on time.

Reception and Key Stage 1 children cannot be left in the

playground on their own before school. Please advise the

School Office if you are going to be late collecting your

child. The School Office is very busy and staff are not able to

supervise children unless in an emergency.

Extended Schools - clubs and out of hours activities We run a variety of clubs before, during and after school for children in Key Stage 1 and 2. Clubs

include football, recorders, fitness, netball, French, choir, hockey and cheer leading. The School

works in partnership with Pioneer Club and Kids Hub, both are external out of hours child care

providers. All clubs will need to be paid for using ParentMail.

School Uniform All children are expected to wear the School uniform. The School colours are green and grey. The

items of clothing listed are available from most large stores. Sussex Uniforms currently stock our

uniform – please call 01444 227066 or see their website www.sussexuniforms.co.uk for details.

Further information on uniform can be found on our website.

Boys Girls Forest School Days

White polo shirt

Grey trousers or

shorts

Green sweatshirt

Grey socks

Black sensible

Velcro fastening

outdoor shoes

(not trainers)

White polo shirt

Grey trousers, skirt/tunic

Green sweatshirt or cardigan (white or

green)

White or grey socks or tights

Black sensible Velcro fastening outdoor

shoes (not trainers)

Summer:

Green and white check summer dress

Sturdy, supportive sandals (white,

brown, black)

Winter: hat, gloves, a snood, layers

of clothing, tights/football socks

(all children), waterproof jacket

and trousers, adventure boots with

two pairs of socks.

Summer: layers of clothing, sun

hat, adventure boots, socks. Not

shorts. Insect repellent and sun

cream.

On wet days and snow days we ask children to come to school in

Wellington boots with a change of shoes in a named bag.

Games kit: White t-shirt and navy shorts with black plimsolls in a clearly

named drawstring bag. Children will need a tracksuit for Autumn and

Spring to enable us to deliver PE outside.


And of course, there are plenty of dressing up days too!

Children receive a ‘Welcome to School’ book bag from the Governors when they start school.

Jewellery, Make-up and Hair

Children are allowed to wear only bar studs in their ears which have to be removed for P.E. and

games lessons or covered with a plaster (supplied from home). The children have to be able to

do this themselves. Necklaces, rings and other jewellery are not allowed. Dyed hair is not

allowed. Nail varnish and make up are not allowed (except on dressing up days!).

Please check your child's head every week for head lice. If you find any, inform the School and

check and treat everyone in your household. Children with long hair (girls and boys alike) must

have their hair tied back to reduce the likely spread of head lice and for safety reasons at Forest

School. We learn how to safely light fires using fire steels and hair can get in the way. Only small,

metal or green/white/black slides and bands should be used to tie back hair.

Lost Property All items of clothing must be named before a child starts at our school and then at the start of

each half term. The lost property box is in the main foyer. If something is lost, please check the

lost property box and school cloakrooms first. If still not found, it can then be reported to the

class teacher. Our lost property box is frequently overflowing with unnamed items, so please

name everything to help us return items to owners. After a reasonable amount of time, lost

property will be donated to charity.

Medical Matters When a child starts at our school, parents are asked to complete an admissions form which asks

for details of allergies or relevant medical conditions of which the school needs to be aware,

together with a request for the telephone number of someone who may be contacted in the

event of an emergency should parents be unavailable. Children with significant health issues will

also need to complete an Individual Healthcare Plan. All forms are regarded as confidential and

information is kept on a computer database. It is the parents’ responsibility to keep this

information up to date.

Minor accidents, e.g. bumps and grazes are treated in school and are recorded in the School’s

First Aid file. If necessary, parents are advised through a letter sent home with the child. We will

telephone you if your child has a serious bump/injury to their head and you will receive a pink

slip to let you know the details of any head bump/injury. We have nominated qualified first

aiders on the staff who have received training in first aid. Children who have bumped their head

also receive a sticker saying they have bumped their head.

The School is able to administer medication (with certain caveats) to children during the school

day. Parents are requested to complete the relevant form in the School Office.

If a child has a prescribed inhaler, the School must be informed and the medicine will be kept by

a member of staff in a safe place away from the reach of other pupils. Parents will need to

complete an Asthma Management at School Plan. It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that

all inhalers and epi pens are in date and ready for use.

We operate a 48-hour rule following sickness and diarrhoea – children must be free of symptoms

for 48 hours before returning to school.

Routine height, vision, hearing and dental inspections may occur from time to time. Parents will

be informed of these examinations and their outcome.


Emergencies

In cases where professional medical treatment is considered necessary after an incident at

school and it is not possible to contact parents, then the child may be taken directly to either the

local health centre or the hospital by a member of staff. The child’s parents will be informed of

the situation as soon as possible.

If you as a parent have a medical emergency in the playground, please let one of the staff know

immediately and one of our first aiders will help you.

All first aid incidents requiring further medical intervention are reported to the WSCC Health and

Safety department through an online reporting system.

Travel Plan Walk to school! Bolnore Village Primary School is committed to increasing

the number of children walking, scooting or cycling to school. There is

extremely limited parking around the School and, in the interests of health

and safety, we ask all our parents to walk or at the very least ‘park and

stride’ to school. Bikes and scooters can be left at school during the day.

We have a Road Crossing Patrol outside the School. Our Travel Plan is

available on our school website.

Pupil Premium Funding 7% of our children are on free school meals and are eligible for Pupil Premium (now referred to

as Disadvantaged Pupil) funding. In our school we use this funding to pay for all school visits and

visitors for eligible children. We also use some of the money to purchase resources and pay for

additional teaching assistant support for those children eligible for pupil premium funding.

Please see the School website for a detailed breakdown of expenditure.

Sports Premium Funding Last year we used our £9000 to pay for our membership

of Mid Sussex Active, a local sports network. Through

this organisation, we are able to access specialist

support and a range of organised competitions. We also

fund coaches to teach after school clubs such as netball

and hockey. We support pupils who are gifted and

talented in sport with expert coaching – swimming,

cricket and snowboarding. We have also purchased equipment to develop Tri-Golf, skipping and

boxing. Please see the School website for a detailed breakdown of current expenditure as we

expect to receive more money through the Sugar Tax.

Starting School – Reception EYFS

Our full Admissions Policy and map of the School’s

catchment area is available on the School website or from

the School Office. Children are expected to start school in

the September following their fourth birthday. Parents have

the right to choose whether they wish their child to attend

school part time or full time following a settling in period

until the term after the child’s fifth birthday. Part time hours

are negotiated with the Headteacher.


Parents may prefer to defer admission to the Spring or Summer term. In such cases, the School

can hold a place for the first two terms only (i.e. your child would have to take up their place in

Reception at the start of the summer term at the latest.)

Parents may also request to delay entry to school. Please see the Admissions Policy for further

information and contact WSCC Admissions for guidance on how to apply.

In Year Admissions Parents seeking admission for a child to our school outside of the usual admissions round should

apply for a place through West Sussex County Council on telephone 033 301 42903 or by email

[email protected]. WSCC manage our admissions and hold our waiting lists.

What haven’t we talked about? Did we mention art, music or sport? Have we talked about our

marvellous library and our amazing ICT equipment?

We’re not sure we mentioned that our school hall is enormous

and has lots of highly technical equipment to use for school

performances. Or what about our fundraising and our fabulous

Friends of Bolnore Village Primary School? Did we tell you

we’ve fostered some elephants?

What about our wilderness area on the edge of the School grounds? How about our website? Or

our amazing Junior Governors? Did we tell you that everyone who walks through the door says

how much they like our school?

Did we talk about the great team of staff and parents

who make a difference every day to our children?

There is so much more about our school that we

could include in our prospectus but sometimes you

just need to be here to really understand how we

feel about teaching and learning. If you are

interested in our school and want to find out more,

please come and visit. Call the School Office on

01444 456715 and we can arrange for a tour by our Ambassadors. Tours usually happen in the

afternoon as our children need to be in class in the morning.

Access to Documents, Planning and Policies Bolnore Village Primary School is a very open school and we welcome all our parents to take an

active interest in the content of their children’s learning. The staff and Governors have spent

many hours in planning the delivery of the curriculum and you are welcome to look at policies,

planning and other related documents.

Please contact the School Office for more information or to make an appointment. Our key

policies are available on the website or from the School Office.


Complaints Procedure

We hope to sort out any worries or concerns straight away but a copy of our

Complaints Procedure is available in the School Office and on the School

website. If for any reason you feel dissatisfied with your child’s education or any

other aspect of school practice, you should address your complaint first to the

teacher and/or Headteacher, secondly to the Chair of Governors and finally to West Sussex

County Council, County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RF.

Please give specific details and tell us how you would like us to resolve your complaint or

concern.

And finally… Staff and Governors are here to help. Please call or email us if you have a question that has not

been answered in this handbook. The Governing Body can be contacted by email on

[email protected]. The Chair of the Governing Body is Mrs Chris Gage.

Children skip to our school.

© The Governing Body of Bolnore Village Primary School