Welcome to Warren Wood
New Intake Information
2015-16
Dear Parent/Carer(s),
Welcome to Warren Wood!
We are thrilled to be a part of your child’s first days at school and look forward to sharing the journey with you, your child and your family.
Whilst this is an exciting and memorable time, it can also be a time that is filled full of questions and some anxieties for you. Let us reassure you that this is completely normal and we are here to help you through the process.
The aim of this booklet is to provide you with a handy reference guide to all of those questions that you will be faced with as parents who are new to our school. This involves and includes routines, expectations and general information that will be of use to you on a daily or weekly basis. Please keep the booklet somewhere safe to use as and when you need to.
Contact Details
These can be found at the top of this page. Please feel free to contact the Headteacher or School Office at any time on the details above. All e mails are checked daily if it is a particular issue you wish to discuss and the website is a constant source of information which is updated regularly. If it is a message you wish to get to your child or their class teacher, please ring the school office directly on the number above and the office staff will be more than happy to help you with your query.
Staff – Office
The office staff are usually the first people you will see in school after your child’s own class teacher. They are always available to listen to any questions or concerns that you may have. Please telephone the office or pop in or if you require a more formal appointment with the Headteacher, please make an appointment.
Mrs Erica Reyes Mrs Hayley Yates Mrs Lisa Brealey
Headteacher School Business Manager Pastoral Manager
Staff – Teaching Staff
The teaching staff are your first port of call with any day to day issues that may occur. All teachers are more than happy to see you at the end of a school day, to chat with informally or to answer any questions you may have. We appreciate that on some mornings, things may occur that you wish to tell the teachers, but this may not always be possible as teaching time may have already begun or there may be other people at the door, rather than the teacher you wish to speak to. If this is the case, please do not hesitate to come to the school office and leave a message. The office staff will ensure that the message gets through to the correct member of staff and if necessary, the class teacher can telephone you at a later and more convenient time.
Reception Teaching Staff Key Stage 1 Teaching Staff
Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs Mrs. Mr. Mrs
Helena Hill Deena Prior Shona Mason Annie Whittle Alison Cowie Philip Boardman Sophie Taylor
Lower Key Stage 2 Teaching Staff Upper Key Stage 2 Teaching Staff
Mrs. Mrs. Miss Miss Ms. Mrs.
Anita Craig Jayne Byers Megan Cope Rebecca McCabe Kate Entwistle Karen Eastham
Support staff play a crucial part of the work that we do in school and are highly valued for their contributions. They support teachers in crucial preparation work and play a central part in supporting the learning of the children by working with small groups or on a one-to-one basis to suit the needs of the children.
Teaching Assistants also support classes or part classes when teaching staff have P.P.A time. This stands for Planning, Preparation and Assessment time which each member of teaching staff is legally entitled to each week. Teaching Assistants work closely with their teachers to ensure that a high quality curriculum is delivered to children at all times.
Mrs. Miss Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs.
Kay Wallis Nina Stevens Louise Findlow Margaret Nelson Jean Alderson Karen Cross
Mrs. Mrs. Miss Mrs. Mrs. Mrs.
Shantil Vaughn Sara Danby Hilary Parker Gail Mitchell Fiona Renwick Priscilla Koffler
Governors
All schools in England and Wales have a collective group of people who make major decisions on behalf of the school. These people are collectively known as the Governing Body of the school. This group is made up of the Headteacher, elected members of staff, parents, the local community and Local Authority Representatives. They meet to discuss and review and pass policies three times a year as well as meeting to interview new staff and support school leaders in making key decisions about the running of the school. They are also of vital support during Ofsted inspections, which can happen every 3 years and are at short notice. In the eventuality that your questions are not answered by school staff, the Governors would be happy to answer questions where appropriate. Our current governors are listed below.
Chair of Governors Mr. David Grundy
Vice Chair Mr. Scott Rowbotham
Parent Governors Mr Martin Starkie
Local Authority Governors Cllr Wendy Meikle
Mr. Guy Otten
Mr. Charles Stewart
Community Governors Mr. Philip Clarke
Staff Governors Mrs. Erica Reyes
Mr Philip Boardman
Mrs Helena Hill
Mrs. Hayley Yates
Associate Governors Mrs Alison Cowie
Mrs. Karen Eastham
Miss Nina Stevens
Clerk to Governors Mr. Andrew Lane
Parent Teacher Association
Please be prepared to help your school. We do need you!
Despite reports to the contrary, Government allocations to schools has diminished, Stockport is one of the lowest funded Local Education Authorities in England, so help with fund raising is appreciated and beneficial to your child.
Parents have a role to play in running the school. Warren Wood is designated a ‘Community School’. Parents are part of this community and your expertise/thoughts/suggestions are always valued. Please consider becoming a School Governor or an active member of the PTA. This can be a worthwhile and valuable experience and is worth considering.
Can you help out in class? We need help with things like sewing, art and craft activities and small group work, playing educational games with the children or helping on educational visits. Just let the class teacher know if you are able to help. This can be as little or often as you are able to and is truly appreciated.
Attendance
School works proactively to ensure that attendance at school is taken seriously by all children and families. Attendance at the school continues to be good. Absences are usually the result of illness or family holidays.
School opens at 8.50 a.m. and closes as 3.15 p.m. If children are dropped off or picked up between these times Parents are asked to sign the children in or out at the main reception. We also require a phone call or written message to inform school when a child is off through illness.
As part of the government’s ‘Leave of Absence’ policy, no child is allowed to be withdrawn from school during term time for holidays. We appreciate that this may cause your family problems due to exceptional circumstances such as family weddings or bereavements. In such circumstances, we will work closely with you to explain your options, but under no circumstances are school allowed to ‘authorise’ a holiday. If you choose to take a holiday during term time, this may result in a fine, issued by the local authority, and an ‘unauthorised mark’ on the register for your child. Further details of this can be found within the enclosed ‘Leave of Absence’ leaflet in the welcome pack.
Recent attendance figures for school are as follows:
2012/13 / 2013/14 / 2014/15Unauthorised Absences / 0.1% / 0.5% / 0.3%
Authorised Absences / 4.1% / 2.9% / 3.7%
Total Attendance / 95.8% / 96.6% / 96%
Assessment
Children are assessed informally throughout their school careers. According to statutory assessments, pupils in Key Stage 1 take tests in Years 1 and 2. Year 1 currently undertake a phonics screening test. Pupils in Year 2 take tests and tasks in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Pupils in Key Stage 2 (Year 6) undertake tests in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. The results from these tests are formally moderated, assessed and collated by school, the local authority and then compared to national results. These results can be seen in the following tables.
WARREN WOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL - END OF KEY STAGE 1 ASSESSMENTS – 2015Percentage at each level (National Percentages for 2014 in red)
1* / 2 / 2C / 2B / 2A / 3 / % at level 2 or above
Reading / 6% 10% / 10% 9% / 23% 29% / 21%27% / 35% 30% / 95% 89%
Writing / 6% 13% / 17% 16% / 40% 30% / 27% 23% / 10% 16% / 94% 85%
Mathematics / 4% 7% / 15% 12% / 31% 27% / 29% 29% / 21% 24% / 96% 92%
Science / 4% 10% / 67% 68% / 29% 22% / 96% 90%
*includes percentage below Level 1
WARREN WOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL - END OF KEY STAGE 2 / ASSESSMENTS – 2014SATs Results
Key Stage 2 May 2014 / Level 4 or above / Level 4b or above / Level 5 or above
Percentage at each level
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling / 90% / 76% / 64%
Reading / 100% / 98% / 67%
Writing (Teacher Assessment) / 98% / N/A / 60%
Maths / 93% / 90% / 50%
Student Migration
Below is a percentage summary of where year 6 pupils moved to at the end of the last three academic years.
School Year2012/13 / 2013/14 / 2014/15
% moved / % moved / % moved
Marple Hall / 64.4% / 57.8% / 59.5%
Hazel Grove High School / 20% / 28.9% / 23.8%
Stockport School / 4.4% / 0% / 2.38%
Harrytown / 2.2% / 5.2% / 4.76%
Priestnall / 0% / 2.6% / 0%
Poynton High school / 2.2% / 2.6% / 0%
Independent / 4.4% / 0% / 7.14%
Lymm High School / 0% / 0% / 2.38%
Altrincham Grammar School / 2.2% / 0% / 0%
Bramhall High School / 0% / 2.6% / 0%
Home Education / 0% / 2.6% / 0%
Home/School Agreement
It a statutory requirement that all schools ask parents to sign a Home/School Agreement when children start school. Our agreement contains nothing that most responsible parents wouldn’t agree to and most good schools do already.
Medical Needs
If your child has to take any medicine/tablets etc. in school, then we need you to fill in a form. These are available from Mrs. Brealey orMrs. Yates in the school office. If your child has any other medical conditions e.g. anaphylaxis, diabetes, etc. please ensure we know as soon as possible, as a special medical form needs completing.
Before you send a child to school with medicine, please ask yourself the question, "Is my child really well enough to be at school and could they infect other children/staff?" If they are well enough and need medicine for a simple headache or hayfeveretc, then all medicines need to be clearly marked with your child’s name and taken to the school office and if necessary, collected at the end of each day.
Children suffering with severe asthma may bring in "Blue" inhalers (and a spacer), and provided these are clearly named, they can be handed to the class teacher while in Reception classes. (No medicine form need be filled in for these but please note we cannot accept responsibility if a child loses their inhaler.) Children needing "Brown" steroid containing inhalers must pass these over to the school office for safe keeping and parents need to complete the appropriate medicine form. Parents must also remember to ensure that these medicines remain within their ‘use by’ date for the same administration and use of medicines for their child. Staff cannot be held responsible for medicines which fall outside of their ‘use-by’ date.
Head-lice can often present themselves as a problem throughout your child’s school career. They are easily treated but also easily avoided. Should your child suffer with the problem of head-lice whilst in school, we ask that you take the treatment of it seriously. Treatments can be obtained from chemists and it is the advice of health professionals that all the family are treated with shampoos to eradicate head-lice so that they do not become a threat to others. Understandably, parents of other children can become distressed at having to repeatedly treat their child if someone in their class has not, so please be responsible and sensitive to the needs of others.
If you are struggling with any health issues for your child, we also have access to a school nurse. They are not based at school, but locally, usually at a medical centre. If you require further information, support or advice, we can put into contact with them. Please ask at the school office for further information.
School Uniform
School uniform gives children a sense of identity and belonging. Uniform details are provided on a separate letter provided in your welcome pack. Please ask for another or look on the school website if you have mislaid yours. Throughout the year, school do hold a stock of uniform, but on occasions this needs ordering in. We will endeavour to make sure that your child has their order as quickly as possible.
If you haven't already ordered sweatshirts/polo shirts/bags etc. please do so as soon as possible. Those ordered by the deadline should arrive before the end of the school term. Orders for further sweatshirts, polo shirts, school ties, nylon pump bags, and heavy-duty nylon book bags can be placed at the school office. An order form is on the school website in addition one in the pack you have received.
Please don't forget to label all of your child's things clearly with their name. It makes things a lot easier, especially when getting changed after PE when 30 shirts, skirts or trousers, not to mention 60 shoes can all look very similar or the same!
For those of you who may lose a random item, be it a shoe, coat, vest or tie, please remember to check our ‘Lost Property’ basket which can be found in the Lower Junior Cloakroom.
School Dinners
School Dinners offer good value for money and are prepared fresh each day on the school premises by our school meals provider, Taylor Shaw. These currently cost £2.10 per day, £10.50 per week. As of September 2014, all infant children (those in Reception, Years 1 and 2) will be entitled to a free school meal every day as part of a new government initiative. We will ask you to make a decision about school meals during the first week in September, although you will be able to change your decision throughout your child’s time at school, serving the office with a week’s notice for any change of lunchtime arrangement. Parents deciding upon school dinners should enclose their child's dinner money or cheque, payable to Warren Wood Primary School in an envelope with their child's name and class on and pass this on to their child's teacher on Monday mornings.
If parents wish, children may bring their own sandwiches and a drink in a carton or unbreakable flask for their mid-day break. Children can also return home at mid-day if parents prefer. Again, these decisions can be changed, subject to giving a week’s notice.
Did you know that if you are currently claiming either Income Support / Income Based Job Seekers Allowance or Child Tax Credit, your child may be eligible for Free School Meals?
Did you know that the school receives extra funding, dependent upon the number of children who claim for Free School Meals?
It is important that all parents claim for Free School Meals if they are eligible, even if your child does not actually have school dinners and prefers to bring sandwiches.
Application Forms and further information is available from Stockport Authority Welfare Benefits Team – Telephone Number 0845 644 4303 or call in to school to find our more information.
Any information given to the school and Local Education Division is strictly confidential.
Children are supervised at lunchtimes by our team of dedicated midday assistants. Some of whom are also teaching assistants within the school. We also have a Midday Supervisor who co-ordinates the midday assistants and works closely to ensure that the children are safe, can have fun through a variety of energetic lunchtime activities and traditional playground games. All staff at lunchtime are trained in the same way as other school staff to support children to ensure that they feel safe and are able to share any concerns openly with any adults.
Miss. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Miss Mrs.
Hilary Parker Victoria Cocker Janice Cunningham Sara Danby Rachel Kershaw Gail Mitchell
Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs.
Eve Smith Julie Redshaw Lorraine Thomason Alison Taylor Shantil Vaughn Lyn Worthington
Playtimes
Children may bring a mid-morning snack, although as a school who likes to promote the eating of healthy snacks we ask you to think about the effects of sugar, sweeteners, additives and fats in biscuits & crisp type snacks! – Definitely no crisps,sweets, or chewing gum please. All infant children receive a piece of free fruit every day at morning playtime, and parents can also order chilled fresh milk at a subsidised cost when the children start full-time. Parents have to pay a subsidised price. It is in cartons, or plastic bottles. Parents have to register, on line at :- if their children would like it. (Please note that your child is eligible for free milk until they are 5 years old)
Water Bottles
Research has shown that insufficient drinking waterduring the day can cause:
- A lack of attention
- Dehydration
- Tiredness and headaches
- Bed and daytime wetting
- Constipation
Drinking water regularly however will help:
- Improve mental performance
- Increase concentration and attention span
- Reduce tiredness and irritability
- Improve general health
- Promote hygiene, healthy skin and fresh breath
During the hot weather, or just generally throughout the day, children benefit from being able to consume regular amounts of water.