Shade Primary School Information Booklet

General Information

Curriculum and Class Organisation

Teaching and the Curriculum

School Uniform and P.E. Kit

School Discipline

Extra-Curricular Activities, Music Lessons, Sports and Links

Complaints Procedure

School Documents

Charging, Remissions and Transport

School Performance

General Information

This electronic booklet is intended to give you information about Shade Primary School. If you have any questions about the contents, if you would like to receive more information about the school, or you would like to arrange a visit, please contact the Headteacher. The 'Contact Us' button on this website enables you to make an immediate enquiry.

Mr. S. Harbrow
Headteacher

Shade Primary School is a co-educational Community School for day pupils.

The Chairman of the Governing Body is Mrs S Driver, whose address is: Swineshead Cottage, Todmorden. West Yorkshire.

Other Governors at the present time are:
Mr R Bell, Mrs A Ward, Mrs J Rogers, Mr Rebecchi, Mrs S Ratcliffe and Mrs K Aspin.

Parent Governors are:
Mrs S Driver. Mrs S McHugh, Mrs P Atrill, Mrs C Horton

The number of children on roll in each year group as in September 2003 was:
Nursery 45 part-time
Reception 30
Y1 25
Y2 28
Y3 29
Y4 29
Y5 28
Y6 2
TOTAL 197 + Nursery

The Governing Body of Shade Primary School is active in promoting standards, efficiency and effectiveness. They attach particular importance to ethos. Their vision of the school states:

Shade Primary School will fully develop the potential of all pupils.

The aims of the Governing Body are:

To ensure that every child feels a valued and cared-for member of the school community.
To create a secure, positive and purposeful learning environment.
To encourage every child to develop a positive self-image, with a good attitude towards learning and behaviour.
To ensure that the school provides a balanced, broad curriculum in order to raise standards.
To meet the learning and development needs of individual pupils.
To provide for the spiritual needs of all pupils and to develop moral awareness.
To engage in an active partnership with all parents in order to promote the highest possible standards.
To encourage links between Shade Primary School and the local community.
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Curriculum and Class Organisation

The curriculum outlined below applies to pupils throughout the school. The staff use a variety of teaching methods, choosing the most appropriate to the class or subject that thay are teaching. Therefore, class teaching, group work and individual tasks are used, depending upon which is the most beneficial. The emphasis is on class teaching with planned provision for more able and less able pupils. Subject teaching occurs in all Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 classes.

Planning has taken place to ensure the continuity of the curriculum and teachers endeavour to build on and to extend each child's existing knowledge and experiences.

The school curriculum includes:
English
Mathematics
Science
these subjects form the core of what is taught and learnt.

Design and Technology
History
Geography
Music
Art
Physical Education
Health Education

Computers are available in every classroom with additional machines used to support programmes of study in each subject.
From September 2000, a new computer suite, comprising 15 networked computers that are linked to the Internet became operational. Each pupil is programmed to use the facility for two lessons a week.

Coverage across the curriculum of gender, multi-cultural issues and social and personal development is encouraged. Pupils are helped to develop skills which will aid future learning in all aspects of the curriculum.

Policies and Schemes of Work are available for inspection in all aspects of teaching and learning.

The school aims to provide an attractive and stimulating environment, within a caring community.

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Teaching and the Curriculum

Teaching time, excluding the daily act of collective worship, pupil registration time and breaks is as follows:

Infants
9.20am - 10.30 am
10.45am - 12.00am
1.00 pm - 2.30 pm
2.50 pm - 3.25 pm

Juniors
9.20 am - 10.30 am
10.45 am - 12.15 pm
1.15 pm - 2.17 pm
2.30 pm - 3.30 pm

Assemblies are of 15 minutes duration, not always at the beginning of the school day.

Arrangements for pupils with Special Needs
Children with learning difficulties are given special help within their own class by their class teacher, and teaching assistant. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator provides further support for the children.
Other specialists such as the Educational Psychologist, Speech Therapist and Hearing Impaired Service are contacted when required. Their assistance for both pupils and teachers is most beneficial.
Funding has been spent on non-teaching support and extra resources for pupils with special educational needs. All classes receive generous non-teaching help.
Every effort is made to extend the intelligent child and to cater for his/her special needs within the classroom.
The school's SEN policy, copies of which are available from the headteacher, is being successfully implemented, with all pupils on the special needs register making significant progress.

Pupil Progress and Attainment
Close teacher/parent contact is always present. Three parents' evenings/afternoons are provided during the year when parents may discuss their child's progress with the class teacher. There is also one open morning. Any concerns can be discussed with class teachers or the Headteacher at any time during the year.
Written reports are supplied yearly for comment and return. There is ongoing teacher assessment made on every child, with standard assessment tests and tasks for all Y2 and Y6 children in Maths, English and Science. Very careful monitoring of each pupil's progress is maintained throughout the school. During the Summer Term, all junior pupils do tests in Maths and English and reading tests are carried out twice a year.

Religious Education
A daily short assembly of a broadly Christian nature is conducted by various members of staff. Each fortnight there is a class assembly, when classes have the opportunity of producing an assembly for the rest of the school. Parents and friends are invited to attend. A "Shield Assembly" is held once per fortnight when class school shields are awarded for special achievements in work or behaviour.
The assemblies are often of a thematic nature and cover aspects of honesty, friendship, forgiveness, helping etc.
A C of E vicar and a Baptist minister each lead assemblies once per term.
Each class is taught Religious Education in accordance with the Calderdale's Agreed Syllabus.
The school will make arrangements for parents to exercise their right of withdrawal from religious worship and instruction under Section 25 of the 1944 Education Act.

Sex Education
Sex education will be given in a manner such as to encourage pupils to have due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life.
It will be treated as an integral part of health education which is a cross-curricular theme of the National Curriculum, and is perceived as part of personal and social development. The approach will be through considerations for the care of oneself and the promotion of self-esteem, feelings and emotions, the value of family life and inter-personal relationships, and facts appropriate to the age of the child.
The policy is available for parents to read at school and they will be given the opportunity to see and discuss any specific resource, such as videos, prior to their use.

Homework
A homework policy, which varies according to the age of the child, encourages cooperation between home and school to aid pupils' learning. We encourage daily reading at home and children from the top infant class to the top junior class are expected to learn tables and spellings weekly. Homework diaries are used throughout the juniors.

Organistaion of Education within the School
The nursery is organised on a part-time basis with children coming to school either mornings only or afternoons only. Children are admitted in the year in which they are four. After a discussion meeting between parents, nursery teachers and Headteacher, parents and children are offered a visit to the nursery before the child starts, so that teachers and parents can discuss the pupil, as an aid to baseline assessment, and an exchange of information can be achieved.
The new nursery begin in small groups during the first few weeks of the school year.
Nursery pupils who have been offered a place at the school move to reception at the beginning of the Autumn term and attend part-time for two weeks and then full-time.
A place in nursery does not automatically ensure a place in the Reception Class. The Authority allocate Reception places with regard to admission numbers, and their admission policy (see Appendix).
The remainder of the school is organised into seven classes, three Infant classes and four Junior classes. There is some specialist teaching in IT, otherwise children are with their own class teacher.
All classes are single age classes.
Pastoral, Social and Welfare Needs of Pupils
Each teacher is directly responsible for the welfare of children in his/her class. The Headteacher regards himself 'in loco parentis' and will do all that a reasonable caring parent would for the children, and guarantees each parent care and consideration of their children. Non-teaching staff respond to the varied needs of pupils, four of them being trained in first-aid (plus one teacher).
If parents are concerned in any way about their child, they are encouraged to contact the school and arrange to see the class teacher, deputy head or head teacher.
Each child has an emergency contact card, which gives details of their address, telephone number, doctor and a person or persons to contact. When an emergency occurs, every effort is made to contact the person or persons mentioned above, usually the parents. When necessary, the parents or guardian then escorts the child to the hospital, or takes other action. If contact is unable to be made, the Headteacher takes the necessary decision and action. The Todmorden Health Centre is one mile from school, and the Head will transport children there in the event of an emergency. A telephone contact is essential for every child. It is helpful for parents to inform school if there are any changes to addresses or telephone numbers.
Parents who wish prescribed medicines to be given to their child are requested to give them to the Headteacher in person or give a written request to the Headteacher.
The Governors have adopted a Child Protection Policy and Procedures. If any parent has a concern about the welfare of any child in the school, s/he should speak to the Designated Teacher - Mr. S. Harbrow. Staff are alert to any signs of possible abuse and have a duty to pass on concerns to the Designated Teacher, whose response will be dictated by circumstances.

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School Uniform and P.E. Kit

Uniform
Uniform is encouraged and consists of:
Grey Trousers/skirt/pinafore dress.
Red (Pillar Box Red) Jumper/cardigan/sweat shirt/T/Shirt or white T/Shirt.
Sweat Shirts and T/Shirts are on sale in school.

In the interests of safety, shoes with heels in excess of 2.5 cm should not be worn. Sensible lace-up or sandal type shoes are preferable. Pupils are not allowed to wear jewellery at school except watches and earrings. If earrings must be worn the sleeper type are preferred.

P.E. Kit
In the interests of safety and hygiene, we request that pupils adhere to the following for P.E. lessons.
1. All jewellery must be removed - earrings should be removed or covered with a plaster.
2. Long hair should be tied back.
3. A change of clothing is necessary for PE ie T/shirt and dark shorts or leotard or
bare tops and underwear for younger children (indoors).
4. For indoor lessons, bare feet are the norm.

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School Discipline

Children are expected to be thoughtful to each other, care for school property, work hard and obey the few rules regarding safety at school. High standards of behaviour are expected and a positive behaviour policy is operated in school. The Headteacher will contact parents of any child whose behaviour is causing concern to discuss ways of achieving more acceptable behaviour. High standards of behaviour and achievement are encouraged through the use of praise, stickers, shield awards, house points, You're Extra Special Certificates and Headteacher involvement. School rules are displayed in every classroom and a system of rewards and sanctions is in place. Detentions will be used for repeated breaking of rules.

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Extra-Curricular Activities, Music Lessons, Sports and Links

Extra-Curricular Activities
Extra-curricular activities take place at Shade Primary School. These vary each year according to the interests of staff and of the pupils. Recently, IT, recorder, chess, sports clubs, a walking club and choir have been held. Football and netball training sessions for boys and girls have been followed by inter-school matches and participation in the local carnival football competition. The school choir, which comprises Y5 and Y6 plus staff practises weekly and has recently performed a very successful concert for parents and friends at the local theatre.
Facilities are provided by Calderdale for individual tuition in dance, judo, gymnastics and swimming, after school or at weekends.
All Junior and top infant children have swimming lessons during school time.

Instrument Lessons
Instrument lessons are given during school time for Juniors. These include guitar, flute, piano, violin and cello. Weekly recorder lessons have been arranged, taught by a musician from the Music Centre. A total of 30 pupils are learning the recorder at present and 17 children learn other instruments.

Sport
Our aims are:
a. to develop, practise and extend physical skills through a range of activities and games;
b. to develop ideas of fair play and positive attitudes to sporting behaviour;
c. to develop an awareness of artistic and aesthetic qualities in movement;
d. experience success and establish a good self-image;
e. develop an understanding of the important contribution which physical activity can make to a healthy lifestyle.

Provision for sport, in class, covers a variety of games, gymnastics, dance and swimming from Year 2. Extra-curricular activities include football, various small games and skills teaching, cricket and netball. Swimming lessons are organised at the Shade Primary School pool, after school and on Saturdays, by PE School.
Cycling proficiency training is available for older Juniors.
Schools visits are arranged to enhance learning when appropriate. A residential visit for three nights is organised for Y6.
Last year we had input from the Cricket Development Officer and this year Burnley Football Club and Halifax Blue Sox Rugby League Club have worked with teachers.

Links
There is a well established Parents' Group which is eager to welcome new members. The group meets regularly to arrange fund raising and social events.
Visitors from and visits to a local elderly people's home are a regular feature.

Todmorden Regeneration Initiative, various local businesses and organisations have made donations to school.
We have regular contact with the Police, library, health visitor, dentist, Learning Support Service, educational psychologist, education welfare officer, and speech therapist.

Charity Week
A Charity Week is held annually when all pupils help to raise money for a charity and learn about its aims. A different charity is chosen each year.
We are keen to develop links with industry and have recently taken part in the Calderdale Business/Education Initiative, technology and maths challenges.

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Complaints Procedure

Calderdale Local Authority has established a complaints procedure concerning the curricular responsibilities of the Local Authority and/or the Governing Body of the school. The areas covered by the complaints procedure include matters relating to the implementation and delivery of the National Curriculum. The Local Authority does not have the authority to investigate any other complaints.
Where a parent has a complaint which is covered by the complaints procedure, he or she should discuss the matter informally with the Headteacher. If the matter is not resolved, the parent should notify the Group Director of Schools and Children's Services, Northgate House. Northgate, Halifax, in writing, giving details of the complaint. The procedures then provide for the complaint to be considered formally by the school governors and/or the Local Authority, as appropriate. Copies of the complaints procedure can be obtained from any school maintained by the Calderdale Authority, the central and area offices of the Council and all public libraries in Calderdale. All other complaints should be directed to the school. Governing Bodies have a legal responsibility to investigate all such complaints.

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School Documents

The documents indicated below are available for inspection. Any person wishing to inspect one or more of the documents is asked to contact the Headteacher who will arrange a mutually convenient date and time when the required documents will be made available at the school. It is regretted that the documents may not be taken off the school premises. Some of the documents can be made available to you if you so wish but a charge may be made to cover the costs of production.
The documents available for inspection are:
1. Statutory instruments, circulars and administration memoranda issued by the Department for Education and Employment concerning the curriculum.
2. Schemes of work and policies used in school.
3. The Local Authority's complaints procedures.
4. The agreed syllabus for religious education adopted by the Authority and which applies in this school (Calderdale's Agreed Syllabus).
5. National Curriculum documents.

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Charging, Remissions and Transport

It is the Governors policy not to charge for any school activity which takes place in school time, although parents may be requested to make a voluntary donation towards the cost of visits.
In the event of residential visits taking place, charges are made for board and lodgings.

Meals at School
Meals are in two sittings in the Junior Hall - Infants from 12.00 -12.30 and Juniors from 12.30 -1.00 on a cafeteria system. Full facilities are available for children who wish to eat packed lunches in the same hall. We ask pupils to bring exact dinner money, currently £7.50 per week, in an envelope with their name on it, on Monday mornings.
The following rules apply:
1. All lunches must be eaten in the dining room.
2. All sandwiches etc. should be brought in a plastic container or bag. The school will provide a plate if needed.
3. Drinking water will be provided as it is for school meals, but if children bring drinks, the drinks must be of a reasonable amount and brought in a carefully sealed plastic container from which the child can drink without any pouring being necessary.
4. Children are not permitted to bring cans or bottles because of danger of spilling, breaking or cutting.

Applications for Free School Meals may be made direct to the Benefits Assessment Unit of the Corporate Services Directorate, Princess Buildings, Halifax. The secretarial staff at the school can advise about procedure in case of difficulty.

Transport
The Local Authority provide a regular minibus from Mankinholes via Lumbutts at 8.30 am to school and return. It arrives at 8.45 am. It returns at 3.30 pm from school.

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School Performance

Rates of Authorised and Unauthorised Absence
We are very pleased about the punctual, regular attendance of our pupils and request that parents send a written or telephone message to explain all absences, as we are required to keep records of them.

The Parents' Charter: Publication of Information About Primary Schools in 1994 requires schools to publish information about rates of absences, as follows:-
Rates of Authorised and Unauthorised Absence 2000/2001 (in the period up to 25 May 2001).
1. The total number of registered pupils = 193 (statutory school age).
2. The percentage of half days, (sessions), missed through authorised absence = 5.6%
3. The percentage of half days, (sessions), missed through unauthorised absence = 0.20%

Unauthorised absences are followed up initially by class teachers, then by the Headteacher and by the Education Welfare Officer for repeated absences. We are pleased to report that all absences have decreased since the previous year and are well below the average figure for Calderdale.

Results of National Curriculum Assessments of 7 and 11 year-olds indicate that Shade Primary School pupils exceed the national average in all aspects of assessed work. Please refer to the School Performance summaries attached to this document.

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