Hamp Nursery & Infants

HAMP NURSERY & INFANTS’SCHOOL

Bridgwater

Prospectus

HAMP NURSERY & INFANTS’ SCHOOL
Rhode Lane
Bridgwater
Somerset
TA6 6JB
Telephone: 01278 422012
Fax: 01278 431264
E-mail:
Co-Headteachers:Mrs P Jordain
Mrs S Bird
Chair of Governors:Mrs S Smith

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Dear Parents

Welcome to Hamp Nursery & Infants’ School. I hope that you find this booklet useful and informative. If you have any suggestions for additional information which you think should be included, please let me know.

It is the aim of all staff to ensure that the school is happy and successful. To this end we are as supportive as possible towards the children’s needs. We aim to build a close working relationship between children, staff, parents and carers to create an environment in which your children can achieve their full potential.

You are always welcome to visit the school and please do not hesitate to contact us should you wish to discuss any aspect of your child’s schooling.

I look forward to working with you in the interests of the welfare and education of your child.

Yours sincerely

Susan Bird

Co-Headteacher

OUR SCHOOL

Hamp Nursery & Infants’ School is an integral part of an educational campus together with three other schools – Hamp Academy, Robert Blake Science College and Elmwood Special School.

Pupils are drawn largely from the housing estate on which the campus is situated, on the southern edge of Bridgwater. Development of new housing adjoining the Hamp community continues and an increasing number of children from these areas also attend the school.

Bridgwater is a rapidly expanding town, as a result of which pupil numbers have increased considerably during recent years. Consequently our school has also had to expand from 6 classes in 2012 to 10 classes in 2014 to accommodate increased pupil numbers.

We currently have 270 children on roll with an additional 46 children in our LA Nursery where children attend morning and afternoon sessions with the option for parents to book additional sessions.

We also manage the provision of childcare within the onsite Children’s Centre thus providing 0 – 7 education. Whilst this is a challenging venture it provides us with the opportunity of building important relationships from the earliest stage in the educational partnership and facilitates smooth transition through pre-school and on into school.

The Children’s Centre Nursery accommodates over 85 Children, the majority of whom also attend morning and afternoon sessions.

The concept of provision for 0 – 7 year olds meets many of the desired cohesive approaches, offering flexibility to parents, striving for quality education which is accessible to all.

Staffing Levels and Organisation

Our staffing structure consists of Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, 2 senior teachers, 7 full time teachers, 0.6 SENCO, 0.2 music and 0.4 PE teachers.

Our team of 35 Teaching Assistants, employed throughout the school and LA Nursery, make a valuable contribution to the children’s education, planning and working closely with class teachers and attending all inhouse training.

Appropriate special needs assistance is employed for those children having additional/special needs.

The school is well supported by our School Business Manager and 2 Administrators.

The Children’s Centre Nursery is staffed by a Manager, Deputy, 6 Early Years Practitioners and an Administrator.

Buildings and Grounds

The main school building which houses 7 classes also contains an entrance hall, dining/general purpose hall, staffroom, offices, group rooms, cloakrooms and a storage/resource area. A further 3 classes are housed in Elliott Buildings adjacent to the main building. We are hoping to extend the main school so that all classes will once again be accommodated within the main building.

Our school environment is a high priority and is equipped and maintained to a high standard.

We have recently extended our outdoor spaces to include a separate, enclosed Early Years Play Area with a range of equipment, an outdoor classroom, a free flow activity area adjacent to our reception classes, which includes a lovely ‘Hobbit’ House, and redesignednursery play area.

The front of the school has been remodelled to provide an updated, welcoming entrance to children, parents and visitors.

Ofsted

In March 2013, Ofstedinspected the school and made the following judgements:

Achievement of Pupils:Good

Quality of Teaching:Good

Behaviour of Pupils:Good

Leadership & Management:Good

The aim of our Senior Leadership Team is to facilitate school improvement in all areas with a focus on raising standards for all, thus ensuring that children achieve their full potential. This aim is supported by our staff team who have worked closely together developing both the curriculum and the general ethos of the school.

All staff contribute to the school’s positive attitude towards pupils and the whole school approach to policy-making in an atmosphere where good relationships are highly valued and where high expectations of behaviour and achievement are implicit for all.

We belong to the Compass Group, a collaborative group of local schools working together to address common problems, share knowledge, expertise and best practice

Personnel

Teaching Staff

Co-Headteacher:Mrs S Bird

Co-HeadteacherMrs P Jordain

Deputy Headteacher:Mrs Weatherburn

Staff Members:Mrs W Bryant

Mrs B Dennis (0.5)

Miss K Hague

Miss C Holder

Miss L Lane

Miss C Munro

Mrs E Pople

Mrs S Seago

SENCOMrs B White (0.6)

Mrs S Williams

Mrs E Dutfield

Mr M Wright (0.4)

Non-Teaching Staff

Business Manager:Mrs K Gascoigne

Clerical Assistants:Mrs C Cowen Mrs H Jennings

Mrs L Rigby

Teaching Assistants:Miss R AnholtMr G Newman

Miss S Ashby Miss E Peach

Miss SBalmforth Mrs D Perrott

Mrs S Bonas Mrs E Richards

Mrs J Chalmers Miss R Riley

Miss chilcottH H Chilcott Mrs J Rogers

Mrs K Criddle Mrs L Rogers

Miss T Elliott Mrs L Savage

Miss E Gregory Mrs B Stewart

Mrs C Guest Mrs E Taylor

Miss E Hadlington Miss A Tissington

Miss J Huxtable Mrs H Trunks

Miss H Kitchker Mrs L Wass

Mrs M Krzyzak Mrs F Wheeler

Mr N Kunc

Mrs H Laird

Miss B Mason

Miss T Miller

Home School Liaison Worker:Mrs Jo Newcombe

Children’s Centre Nursery Staff

Manager:Miss T Miller

Manager/Deputy:Mrs J Dyte

Deputy/Supervisor:Mrs A Hall

Deputy/Supervisor:Vacancy

Supervisor:Miss J Davey

Miss F Clark

Miss S Degen

Ms S Ellis

Miss V Keal

Mrs K Vearncombe

Administrator:Mrs L Rigby

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Caretaker:Mr A Close

School Cleaners:Mrs K Krivane, Miss G Kalnina

Mrs J Grzimolovska

Lunchtime Supervisors:Mrs A Bull

Mrs A Kingston

Mrs M Morgan

School Crossing Patrol:Mr A Close

School Gates:Mr P Baker

From time to time, usually due to illness or in-service training, it is necessary to employ supply teaching staff. The school always tries to ensure that temporary staff are those who know the children and the school.

School Governors

The Governors maintain a general oversight of the school which necessarily includes financial management, building and facilities, teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as the curriculum and overall policies of the school.

Governors meet at least twice a term to discuss a variety of issues concerning the school, and support us in providing the best education possible for the children in our care.

At this time the Governing Body is as follows:

Mrs S SmithChair of Governors

Mrs M BalmforthVice Chair of Governors

Mrs S Bird

Mrs J Cunningham

Mrs M Lambert

Miss H Kitchker

Mrs M Krzyazk

Mrs M Williams

Mrs K GascoigneClerk to Governors

Governors’ Aims and Objectives

for the School

Education is essentially a partnership between teachers and pupils, but also involves other employees of the school - parents, governors, the Local Authority (LA) and other members of the community.

The philosophy of the school should be regarded as the shared responsibility of all those concerned with the school.

The school should be a warm, caring and purposeful community concerned with the needs, welfare and value of each individual. These high standards should be reflected in all the actions, statements and general behaviour of all of its members.

The Governors have agreed the following objectives which they believe the school should set out to achieve:

• To create, maintain and support effective partnership between school staff, governors, parents and the community through which all the needs of the children can be met.
  
• To provide a stimulating and caring environment where children feel happy, secure and have a sense of purpose and high expectations.
  
• To provide a broad, balanced, challenging curriculum appropriate to each child, enabling the development of skills, knowledge, aptitudes and values, so that each can achieve his or her full potential.
  
• To develop individual self-awareness and self-discipline, self-motivation and confidence.
  
• To develop co-operation and trust, a respect of religious, moral and ethical values, and an understanding and tolerance of other individuals, groups, races, religions and ways of life.

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Curriculum Aims and Objectives of

the School

In broad terms, the School Curriculum is concerned with the development of children intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically and morally so that they may lead full and useful lives now and in the future. It is therefore the aim of this school to develop each child’s potential and provide the basic skills needed for life. It is important that such learning takes place in a caring and secure atmosphere.

In particular, the curriculum is intended to:

1. Encourage children to widen their use of language in its written and spoken form

1. Help children to develop their mathematical skills and to apply these skills effectively

1. Develop an interest in science, technology and the natural world

1. Encourage children to express themselves through music, drama, a variety of arts and crafts and to develop their ideas and skills

1. Enable children to understand the history and geography of the environment in which they live

1. Help children develop their physical co-ordination and confidence

1. Help children develop a respect for religious and moral values, as well as an understanding and appreciation of other races, religions and ways of life

Curriculum Statement

Hamp Nursery and Infants’ School is committed to meeting the requirements of the new Curriculum 2014.

The curriculumwill continue to be taught with the consideration of all learners, will continue to be exciting and inspirational in order to nurture, within children, a passion for learning.

Meeting the requirements of the new curriculum:

Teachers will maintain the high expectations for every pupil whose progress will be monitored through ongoing tracking and assessment.

Cross-curricular learning will continue as currently planned by teachers and be further extended by a programme of ‘Curriculum Days’, Themed Weeks and local visits, etc, arranged by Curriculum Co-ordinators

Our Themed Weeks – scheduled throughout the year, eg. Carnival / Space / Worldwide Art and Cultural / Healthy Eating & Living, and visiting performers such as West End Theatre, Drum Crazy, Pied Piper and Gloria Lawrence – ‘Storytree’ all provide cross curricular, cultural activities to ensure a broad range of creative experiences for our pupils.

The ‘Talk 4 Writing’ initiative is now entering its third year and positively supports pupils’ development of spoken language, reading and writing across all subjects.

Maths resources have been extended to include: Numicon package and materials for all classes, number lines, use of number and symbols in displays and Somerset Total Communication (STC). A new Senior Teacher to lead Maths has been appointed with effect from September 2015.

A series of whole school workshops ensure that all staff are kept up to date with ongoing development and share ideas with colleagues.

In addition, key stage meetings every two weeks provide opportunities for Teachers and Teaching Assistants (TAs) to discuss what works well and what does not, planning, targets, monitoring and assessment as well as best practice.

Monitoring

Curriculum co-ordinators monitor the delivery of their subject area in each year group on a termly basis and provide feedback. Any common issues or concerns arising may be discussed via the Key Stage Meetings.

Co-ordinators’ portfolios are being developed/updated to ensure that they contain current and relevant materials, providing a valuable resource/point of reference for colleagues.

Through the Appraisal Process for Teachers and an established programme of observations of both Teachers and TAs, the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) will continue to monitor the delivery of the new curriculum, to identify training needs of individuals or groups of staff and to plan/address ongoing developmental needs to ensure pupil progress.

Resources

Our school is well resourced in terms of staffing; our support staff are considered to be a vital and valuable integral element in respect of the teaching and learning. Both indoor and outdoor learning environments and equipment/teaching materials are of a high standard.

Co-ordinators have undertaken an inventory of central equipment to identify any shortages.

Content and Organisation ofthe Curriculum

Each child has a full entitlement to all areas of the National Curriculum. This provides a framework to ensure appropriate development of each child through the school.

The National Curriculum includes three core subjects:

LITERACY (incorporating Reading, Writing, Spelling, Handwriting, Speaking and Listening)

NUMERACY

SCIENCE

Computing, History, Geography, Art, Music,Physical Education

In addition the school curriculum includes Religious Education, Personal and Social Education, Health Education, Equal Opportunities and Multi-Cultural Education. Sex Education is part of our teaching within Health Education. The content is in accordance with the LA’s guidelines and approved by the School Governors.

The school’s Religious Education Policy has been drawn up in accordance with the LA’sdenominational Agreed Syllabus, and the daily Act of Worship is intended to reflect our Christian traditions. It is, however, intended that our pupils should also gain some awareness and understanding of other world religions. The arrangements for daily worship are varied: some days classes will worship as a group and on others the whole school will worship together.

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Provision for Withdrawalfrom Collective Worship

Under the provision of the Education Reform Act 1988, all parents have a right to withdraw their child from the school’s daily act of Collective worship, or from Religious Education. (The School’s Religious Education curriculum is in accordance with the non-denominational Agreed Syllabus). Any parent wishing to withdraw a child from these elements of the curriculum should make a written request to the Headteacher.

Although the Curriculum describes subject areas, it may also be taught in a more integrated and thematic way. The majority of teaching time is given to the three core subjects with appropriate emphasis on the foundation subjects. Teaching in the Reception classes follows Early Years Guidelines (Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum) which prepares the children for the New Curriculum 2014.

In an infant school, there is the Early Years Foundation Stage (for children in nursery and reception classes) followed by Key Stage 1.

Assessment

Children are assessed throughout their school life and at the end of Year 2 they take Standard Assessment Tasks and Tests (SATs). The results of these assessments are communicated to parents with each child’s end-of-year report.

Assessments are used to identify strengths and areas for development which give staff indicators and allow them to plan for the children’s future work.

Statement on Homework

At Key Stage 1 we do not prescribe formal homework for our children, however, in addition to regular reading to and with parents or carers which is vitally important, we do recommend a short time each day, approximately one hour each week for Year 1 & 2, is spent on different kinds of activities, e.g. simple games, learning spellings, other literacy work, number facts, games and activities.

Aims and Provision for Sport

At Key Stage 1 we endeavour to encourage enjoyment of all PE and games activities so that children may begin to acquire the skills necessary to participate fully in team sports at Key Stage 2 and beyond.

To achieve this all children have opportunities timetabled (1.5 hours per week) to develop skills in gymnastic activity, games and dance.

In April 2013 the Department for Education, Health & Culture, Media & Sport announced new funding to support the delivery of PE and school sport. Funding is being allocated to all state-maintained secondary, primary, middle and special schools (including non-maintained special schools), academies and pupil referral units with primary aged pupils. For 2014/15 our school received approximately £9,000.

Hamp Nursery & Infants’ School used the Sports Premium to support and enhance the play area for children working within the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage. The school has placed an emphasis on outdoor learning and being involved in physical activity throughout the school day as well as giving the children dedicated PE lessons. Morning break times have been replaced by outdoor sessions which the teachers plan at appropriate times for the children in their classes. These may be in a whole class or in smaller groups supported by TAs. Equipment has also been purchased to support these sessions and promote more self-initiated physical activity.

The schoolwill continue to improve the quality of PE and sport provision during 2015-2016 in the following ways:

•Providing after school sports clubs available for Year 1 and Year 2 pupils

•Promoting children’s well-being through an active life style providing weekly sessions in our After-School Club

•Providing opportunities for the PE co-ordinator to monitor and assess the PE curriculum and purchase the resources necessary to enhance provision

Ongoing funding for 2015/2016 will ensure that we can continue to employ a PE specialist to support the provision of PE and Sport.

The PE and sport provision will be monitored by the SLT, PE and outdoor learning co-ordinators to assess impact and success.