Gwyrosydd Primary School Prospectus

Gwyrosydd Primary School Prospectus

“Living to learn ... learning to live”

We believe that every child is unique and so we invest in every child in order to provide a firm foundation upon which they can build their lives.

Gwyrosydd Primary School is at the heart of the Treboeth / Penlan community and we are committed to developing a learning environment which is:-

ü  Happy

ü  Safe and caring

ü  Exciting

ü  Full of opportunities

ü  And willing to risk making mistakes in order to learn

Gwyrosydd is dedicated to pursuing and achieving excellence through:-

ü  A stimulating and well resourced environment

ü  Enthusiastic and energising staff

ü  The development and encouragement of everyone at Gwyrosydd

ü  Raising self esteem and awareness of others

ü  Encouraging respect and valuing our differences

We aim to deliver an exciting and relevant curriculum through:-

ü  Excellent and enthusiastic teaching

ü  Innovation and original thinking

ü  Encouraging reflection and thinking skills

ü  Providing opportunities to broaden creativity and self-worth

ü  Celebrating achievements with each member of our school community, every step of the way

In all aspects of school life . . . we enjoy learning

An introduction to the school

Welcome to Gwyrosydd Primary School and thank you for taking the time to find out about Gwyrosydd. Making the decision about which school is the right school for your child can be a difficult one but we hope that this prospectus will help you make that decision and give you a flavour of Gwyrosydd and the learning opportunities that we provide here.

Gwyrosydd Primary School is part of the Swansea Local Education Authority. We are a two form entry primary school. Our children usually start school after their third birthday and stay with us until they reach eleven. The school is situated on the side of a hill, in large grounds which have impressive views of Swansea Bay, the surrounding area of Treboeth and the South Wales countryside beyond. The grounds offer a wealth of learning and play experiences for the children, through the natural resources such as the sloping banks and large number of trees, as well as through the stimulating outdoor equipment provided including slides and climbing ropes in the Early Years playground, and a tyre park for the older children and a play-trail for junior aged pupils. There are three large hard surface play areas for playtime use, and during dry weather the children fully use the large grassed playing fields. We are extremely proud of our links with the local community and the after school activities that take place here.

Visiting the school

We encourage prospective parents to visit our school. If you would like to come and look around and catch a glimpse of what we get up to at Gwyrosydd Primary School, please phone the school office to make an appointment. We also organise a number of open days, parent tours and events throughout the year which we hope you will be able to attend.

Admissions

If you would like your child to be enrolled at Gwyrosydd Primary please contact the school office to ensure there is sufficient place available, and to arrange a visit to the school.

If your child is not yet three he/she will be placed on the nursery list and you will be contacted either just before his/her third birthday or when a place is available if the nursery is already full. Please contact the school if you have any queries.

Preferred placement requests from children who live outside the catchment area will be considered as long as the school has places available. Application forms can be obtained from the school office.

The Local Education Authority is responsible for admissions to County and V.A. schools. An Admissions Policy is published by the County on an annual basis. If you would like further information, please contact the school office (797117) or the County’s Pupil and Governor Unit (636551).

School Uniform

The children at Gwyrosydd chose the school uniform and we encourage and expect children to wear it. Our uniform is comprised of:

Ø  White shirt, polo T-shirt or blouse with collar

Ø  Red school sweatshirt, jumper or cardigan

Ø  Dark grey, blue or black trousers or knee length skirt (NOT Denim)

Ø  Red and white gingham or striped dresses can be worn during the summer term

Ø  Black sensible shoes (Please note open backed, high heeled and in many cases, designs of ‘fashion’ shoes are not suitable for day to day wear in school)

School shirts and sweatshirts are available from the school office between 9:30 and 3:00 Monday to Friday. We also sell P.E. kit bags and small cases suitable for carrying reading books, records, etc. to and from school.

Jewellery is not to be worn in school. The accidental pulling and catching of earrings, rings and necklaces during play can cause severe damage to fingers and ear lobes! Children will be asked to remove earrings or tape over studs during P.E./Games activities if worn to school. The school cannot accept responsibility for the loss or damage of items of jewellery and watches. Long hair must be tied back in school for reasons of health and hygiene.

We ask parents to ensure that items of value are not brought to school. This includes expensive watches, personal stereos, gameboys, mobile phones etc. It also makes life easier for everyone if all clothing including shoes and watches (if they have to be worn) are clearly marked with your child’s name. That way if items are misplaced and then found they can be quickly returned to their owner.

We also ask parents to provide a PE kit which should include:

Ø  shorts

Ø  T-shirt

Ø  Change of socks

Ø  Plimsolls/trainers for outdoor games

Ø  A track suit is useful on cold winter days.

Please note our emphasis on the need for a change of footwear from everyday use in school, to trainers for outdoor use on the playground or field. This is important for hygiene and also helps to keep the school building clean. Most P.E. work in the hall is undertaken in bare feet as recommended by the L.E.A. For games sessions in the winter, children should be equipped with an old sweater or tracksuit to keep them warm.

In addition parents are asked to remember that their children will have outdoor playtimes all through the year and should make sure that children have appropriate outer wear. During the colder months children should always have a warm coat in school, with a hat and gloves if necessary. During the summer children are likely to spend a lot of time outside and should never come to school wearing clothes that could expose delicate areas of skin to the sun, for example vest tops, strappy dresses etc. Children should also be provided with a suitable sun hat to protect their heads when it is very hot.

In Key Stage 2 we also ask parents to provide an old shirt for use as an overall during art activities.

Please make sure your child is suitably dressed and that all clothes are labelled clearly with your child’s name.

Laying firm foundations!

Early Years

At Gwyrosydd Primary we believe that good quality early childhood education is of vital importance to the development of the child and provides a solid foundation upon which future learning will be built. Our Early Years unit consists of three classes, a large Nursery class and two reception classes, all of which are housed in the infant department of the school.

All three classes are well resourced to encourage children to become independent learners and to have opportunities to learn through well structured play activities. Computer equipment and interactive whiteboards are available in each class to ensure children are introduced at an early age to ICT. In addition each class will have designated areas for literacy and numeracy activities, interest areas where they can explore scientific concepts, art and craft areas, and role play areas, where children can develop and speaking and listening skills. Children are also able to experience sand and water play and cooking activities in a purpose built ‘wet’ room.

The three Early Years classes benefit from a large separate outdoor area which provides children with lots of opportunities to develop their physical and social skills. The area has a large slide built into the slope of the hill, with ropes and steps for children to climb up. In addition a paved area gives children the opportunity to play with bikes and scooters, skipping ropes and other outdoor equipment, and there are also areas where the children enjoy gardening throughout the year.

Young children benefit from quality adult attention, and all classes have well qualified and experienced teachers, nursery nurses and learning support assistants working with the children. In addition trainee teachers and support staff may also be employed throughout the year.

Nursery

Children can enter nursery as soon as possible after their third birthday. Nursery is part time and there is usually a choice of either a morning or afternoon session, but this will depend on whether spaces are available in the preferred session.

Timings of the day:

Morning 8.50 to 11.20

Afternoon 12.45 to 3.15

Children enter the nursery through the gate into the Early Years yard, and parents are encouraged to come into the nursery and settle their child when the session starts.

When a child is due to start nursery the parent will be contacted by the school some weeks in advance of the child’s third birthday to confirm that the place is still required and to arrange a time to visit the nursery. During the visit the child will meet the nursery staff and other children, and parents will have the opportunity to talk to the teacher about the child and to ask any questions they may have. Parents may also be asked to fill in a registration form and to produce the child’s birth certificate. At the end of the visit a time will be arranged for the child to start properly.

The school holds meetings for the parents of prospective parents in order to discuss the philosophy of the school, pass on important information and to answer any questions that parents may have.

For many children starting nursery will be a big step, perhaps the first time they have been separated from their parent. In recognition of this the nursery staff will ensure that the child has time to settle properly and will recommend that a child is left for gradually increasing periods of time until it is agreed that he/she is able to cope with a full session happily. Children are recognised as individuals with varying needs, and it is important that their first experiences of school are happy ones.

Children stay in the nursery class until the September before their fifth birthday, when they will transfer to one of the two reception classes.

Reception

The two reception classes are situated next door to each other in the Early Years department. Children who have attended the nursery will already be familiar with the reception staff and probably with the classrooms, as there is good liaison between the two groups, and the children share the outdoor area.

Children start reception in the September of the school year in which they will be five. This will be the first time the children have stayed at school for the whole day and many children find the transition from nursery to reception very tiring and difficult in the early days. To ease this process the children have a staggered entry, details of which will be given in advance of the children starting.

When children join us in Nursery or Reception they follow the Desirable Outcomes curriculum which provides the foundations upon which all other learning is based. The six areas of learning are:

·  Personal, social and emotional development

·  Communication, language and literacy

·  Mathematical development

·  Knowledge and understanding of the world

·  Physical development

·  Creative development

Personal and Social Development

This perhaps is one of the most important areas of the Desirable Outcomes as it ensures children are settled, happy, able to build good relationships with other children and adults, and able to develop the ability to interact with others.

Children will take part in ‘Circle-time’ where they will be encouraged to share views and opinions, and to listen to the views and opinions of others. They will also learn to talk about how they feel, to think about the results of their actions on others, to learn to empathise and to look at ways to make friends.

Communication, Language and Literacy (including Welsh)

This area develops the children’s speaking and listening, reading and writing skills and all classrooms have defined areas where these skills can be developed, for example Book Corners, writing tables and listening stations.

All children will hear daily stories, songs and rhymes, and will be encouraged to speak aloud and listen to each other and to the whole class as appropriate.

Children will be encouraged to take home story books to share with adults on a regular basis. Activities to encourage pre reading and writing skills will be available daily.

More formal reading and writing skills will be taught throughout the reception classes, including phonics and handwriting.

Welsh will be taught throughout the Early Years, through stories and songs, and through the use of incidental phrases and words. Children will also be taught basic language patterns, including greetings and answering simple questions about the weather.

Mathematical

Children will experience a range of mathematical activities including sorting, matching, counting, learning about shapes etc. Most of the learning will take place through songs and rhymes and simple games. Children in reception will also begin to read and write numerals, put them in order and begin to understand addition and subtraction.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

This area involves learning about the world around them – the local and wider environment, past events, other cultures and the world of work. It also involves learning about scientific concepts including materials, forces, testing ideas, investigating and recording results, and early design and technology work such as how things work and how to join or cut materials.