1. family and parenting
2. children

Larkrise Primary School
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Dear Parents and Friends
Welcome to our prospectus. I hope that you will find it useful and informative before and after your child has started school. Please do not hesitate
to contact us if you need to know more or to give us feedback on how the
prospectus could be improved by adding further information. I hope that you
and your children will enjoy your time at Larkrise and look forward to seeing
you in the future.
Peter Anderson
Admission Arrangements
Parents of prospective pupils are welcome to visit the school on set dates usually
during the months of September, October and November, with or without their
children and appointments can be made through the office.
Children start at Larkrise in the September after their fourth birthday and will be
part-time or full-time depending on your choice. Further admission dates
throughout the year are the start of January and the term after the Easter.
We strongly recommend that you talk to your pre-school provider if you have any
concerns about whether your child is ‘ready’ for school. We will be happy to help
with any worries you might have about your child’s maturity.
Admission Criteria
There is no guarantee of a place for children living in the priority admission area. In
the event of oversubscription places will be allocated using the following
criteria in the order given:
1.
Looked After Children
2.
Children living in the priority admission area with a sibling attending the
school;
3.
Other children living in the priority admission area;
4.
Children living outside the priority admission area with a sibling attending the
school;
5.
Remaining applications.
In the event of oversubscription within any of the above criteria, priority will be
determined by straight line distance from home to school, those living closest
being given the highest priority. Exceptional medical circumstances (supported by
medical evidence) may override the above criteria (other than Looked After
Children).
Application for places
All admissions are handled by Essex County Council Planning and Admissions
Department, including those for children with disabilities. An application form is
available from the county Admissions Office on 0845 603 2200 or via
www.essex.gov.uk/admissions.
Appointments
We hope that parents will contact us whenever they need to. Appointments can be
made through the office.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Contents & Pages
Welcome
Admissions/Applications
Appointments
1
Homework
Curriculum Aims
Home/School Partnership
Reading
2
Sport and Clubs
Race Equality
Religious Education
Gifted & Talented
Special Educational Needs
3
Disabled Pupils
4
Sex Education
Attendance
Sickness
Letters to School
5
Medication
Playground
Child Protection
Charging
Secondary Schools
Pastoral Care/Behaviour
6
Behaviour Continued
Bullying
Session Times
Lunch, and Water
7
Snacks
FOLS
Jewellery
Uniform
8
PE Clothes
Swimming
Car Park/Smoking/Dogs
Complaints
Freedom of Information
Photography
School Council
Social Networking
9
Page 1
Homework
It is worth remembering that ‘little and often’ is
always better than one long and intensive session, and
that reading is counted as homework. The government
recommends the following times for each year group:
Year Group
Homework Time
Years 1 & 2
One hour per week
Years 3 & 4
One and a half hours per
week
Years 5 & 6
One & a half hours including
additional reading and SATS
preparation
Foundation Stage children will have books to read and
words to learn. This will be explained fully at
Induction Meetings and through visits and information
sent out nearer the time.
•
•
Social—We want Larkrise children to be able to
work and play with others, regardless of similarities
or differences. We focus on group work, empathy,
communication, and positive relationships;
Physical and Health—We want our children to be fit
and healthy. We focus on exercise and sport,
nutrition, and healthy living.
Home-School Partnership
We believe that education is a partnership between home
and school and that a good relationship with parents will
help us to make our school better. The support and
encouragement of parents helps us to raise standards of
achievement and promote positive attitudes and
behaviour. Parents are invited to sign our Home-School
Agreement, which sets out our commitment to Larkrise
children and parents and what they can do to help their
children while they are part of the Larkrise community.
We hope that Larkrise children will read regularly at
home; every day if at all possible. We know that they
learn a lot about reading from the interest and
encouragement of their parents and carers; 5-10
minutes a day can make all the difference!
Reading
Reading is a high priority for all our children,
whatever their age or ability. We want our children to
develop a love of reading that will sustain them for a
lifetime in their learning and work, and in their leisure
It is very helpful if children are helped and encouraged time. We encourage parents and carers to read to
children as often as possible because this will help
with other homework and with their spellings as this
them nurture a love and understanding of reading.
helps their understanding and tells them that their
efforts are worthwhile. We feel that it is important
that children do not spend excessive amounts of time
on homework as this can be tiring and stressful for the
whole family.
Curriculum Aims
• Intellectual—We want all children to become
lifelong learners so that they will be able to make
informed decisions about what they need to learn
throughout their lives.
• We focus on academic skills, flexible and logical
thinking, interpreting information, and adapting
to changing environments;
• Emotional—We want Larkrise children to be
confident in their ability to face the challenges
of school and home, and the wider world. We
focus on self-esteem and self-confidence,
strategies for managing emotions, and
acceptance of others;
• Moral—We want children to make responsible
decisions based on their own interests and the
collective good. We focus on the highest
standards of behaviour through an understanding
of the three R’s:
•
Respect for self;
•
Respect for others;
•
Responsibility for actions.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Did you know that you are your
child’s first and most influential
teacher?
We encourage an appreciation of different kinds of
stories and poems from many countries and cultures.
We encourage children to read non-fiction of all kinds
for information and research.
Teachers continuously assess the children’s progress in
reading, often through ‘guided’ reading in small groups.
Our books are colour coded according to difficulty and
the teacher will tell children which colour band they
should choose from. We also have a large stock of
ungraded books that children bring home to share with
parents rather than read to parents. We also have Bug
Club, a home reading scheme accessible by computer.
This year the year 3 class will bring home a book in a
pack as part of our Better Reading Scheme and this is
for parents to spend quality time every evening
modelling reading to their children. The pack also
contains a set of questions for parents to ask their
children to aid development of comprehension skills.
Page 2
Sport
We like to do as much sport and PE as possible and
are always looking for ways to extend what we do in
this area. We use our extensive grounds to develop
skills and techniques, and a positive attitude to sport.
We have sporting links with:
•
Great Baddow High School Sports College;
•
Chelmsford Rugby Club;
•
Essex County Cricket Club;
•
And, many other sporting organisations.
We offer a range of team sports such as cross country, football, netball, cricket, and rugby, and take
part in local athletics events.
Clubs
We run clubs before and after school, and at
lunchtime. Through the year, we have clubs such as
football, choir, running, dance, art, gymnastics,
athletics, guitar, gardening, and Lego amongst others.
The majority of clubs are free as they are run by
school staff however where we use external
providers, a fee is charged.
Race Equality
We support the Local Education Authority's antiracism policy and actively promote race equality. We
learn about and celebrate cultures from around the
world and those that share our multicultural society.
Special Educational Needs
All children, including those with special needs, learn
best in a supportive environment where their
self-confidence, independence, and talents are
encouraged. Teachers plan to meet the needs of
pupils of all abilities. Where necessary, they will
work with the Special Educational Needs
Co-ordinator (SENCO) to plan individual
programmes for those with specific learning
difficulties. Specialist advice will be sought when
needed and regular meetings are held with
teachers and other professionals; parents are
included wherever possible. We plan small,
measurable, achievable, realistic targets (SMART) to
help children to progress.
Gifted and Talented
We are constantly looking at ways we can meet the
needs of the more able as well. This might mean that
a group of children from across the school work
together on a long-term cross-curricular
project. Sometimes this requires an individual
programme and the involvement of the SENCO.
On other occasions this could mean children having 1:1
tutoring for a set period of time.
Religious Education
RE is based on the Essex scheme of work. RE teaching
is mainly Christian but children learn about most of
the world’s major religions. This helps Larkrise
children to develop tolerance and respect for all
people. There is also an emphasis on
developing children’s spirituality.
Parents are entitled to withdraw their
children from daily acts of collective worship
(usually hymns and prayers in assemblies) and
religious education in the classroom where
this conflicts with their own values and
beliefs. Please discuss this with us if this is
an issue for you. Pupils withdrawn from RE
engage in individual work outside the
classroom.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Page 3
Admissions for Disabled Pupils
All admissions are handled by Essex County Council
Planning and Admissions Department, including those
for children with disabilities. The Admissions
Office can be contacted on 0845 6032200. For our
own records, we will ask all new parents to complete
a form of basic information.
Disability Access Plan
An Accessibility Plan is available from the school,
which includes medium and long term targets.
Improvements include such items as ramps and
handrails to the main entrance and the hall, a chair
life to the junior corridor, designated disabled
parking and improvements to signage.
Policy for Special Educational Needs
Our Special Educational Needs Policy is reviewed
Equity of Access for Disabled Pupils
We believe in equity of access for all pupils and will annually and can be obtained from the school as can
take all reasonable steps to ensure that no person is the contact name of the Special Educational Needs
unfavourably treated because of disability. If such Coordinator (SENCO) and the responsible governor.
There are no changes to the policy to report this
an instance is brought to our attention, we will act
year.
quickly to rectify the situation. If any person has a
concern about the treatment of a disabled pupil,
Our SENCO this academic year is Mrs Fiona
they should contact the Headteacher in the first
Griffiths and the responsible Governor is Mrs
instance. They could also contact the Governing
Brett.
Body through the school.
Facilities for Disabled Pupils
At this time, we have no specialised facilities for
disabled pupils. However, through enhanced
accommodation and improved resources, we have
made extensive provision for the high proportion of
Larkrise children that have Special Educational
Needs . With the support of the Local Authority,
any necessary provision for disabled pupils would be
made as and when needed. We have a close working
relationship with Thriftwood Special School and
have made use of their facilities and taken
advantage of their ‘outreach’ work to help our pupils
and develop our staff. We regard ourselves as an
inclusive school and take this commitment extremely
seriously.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Page 4
Sex Education
Parents and carers are the key figures in helping
children to cope with the physical and emotional
demands of growing up. They take the lead in
preparing their children for the challenges and
responsibilities of sexual maturity. Sex Education
will be handled with the utmost sensitivity and will
usually be supported by the school nurse.
We emphasise that teaching about the physical
aspects of sex will be set within a clear moral
framework and will be entirely appropriate to the
age and maturity of the pupils concerned. There
is no formal sex education for infant children but
questions will be dealt with sensitively and
honestly as they arise. More formal learning on
growing and changing is introduced in Years 5 and
6. Health videos are shown and teaching about
puberty and reproduction takes place.
Parents are entitled to approve the content of sex
education lessons. They are also entitled to
withdraw their children from sex education if this
is likely to conflict with their own values and
beliefs; please discuss this with the headteacher
and confirm your decision in writing.
Attendance, Registration and Absence
We take attendance very seriously as we know
that children are disadvantaged by irregular
attendance and lateness. We regularly reward
improved attendance, punctuality, and perfect
attendance with certificates and prizes.
Parents need to know that all registers
close at 9.30 and that arrival after that
time will be recorded as unauthorised unless written notification of a satisfactory
reason is given. We remind parents that
the school opens at 8.45 for registration
at 8.55 and that lessons start at 9.00.
Arrival between 8.55 and 9.30 is still
recorded as late.
Sickness
Parents should let the school know if their child is
away because of illness. Please contact the school
each morning of absence and follow this up with a
letter when your child returns. Where no such information is given, the school contacts
parents on the first morning of absence and
follows this with a letter if necessary.
Attendance at Larkrise is monitored by our office
staff regularly and for those who we have concerns
about are referred to the Education Welfare Office
(EWO) .
Absence is only permitted for illness or medical and
educational appointments.
In summary, as of September (2013) Head Teachers
may not grant any leave of absence during term
time—except for exceptional circumstances. There is
no longer any entitlement to apply for ten days in term
time. The new regulations remove any previous
reference to family holidays, extended leave and the
statutory threshold of 10 school days. Parents
wishing a leave of absence request due to exceptional
circumstances (such as bereavement) must now put
this in writing to the Headteacher. The school will no
longer operate a blue request form.
Sickness
Please keep your child at home if they have been
obviously sick or unwell in the morning or during the
night. Twenty-four hours should pass before children
return to school after sickness to avoid the spreading
of viruses.
Letters to School
Please send a letter to your child’s teacher for the
following reasons:
•
If your child has been ill;
•
If they are returning to school after illness;
•
You need to excuse your child from an activity;
please explain why;
•
You need to collect your child during school
hours; please explain why;
•
Your child has headlice.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any other
reason.
Should you need to speak to teachers,
please make an appointment through the
office.
Unexplained absences will always be recorded as
unauthorised.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Page 5
Medication
Medicines can only be administered by staff if your
child needs regular medication because of long-term
conditions such as asthma or ADHD. You will need to
send a duplicate of the medication for us to keep at
school with detailed instructions for using it. Please
let us know in writing if the medication or dosage
changes. We are trained in the use of Epipens; the
school nurse will help the school and parents write a
Health Plan for children with extreme allergies or
other health issues where necessary.
Pastoral care and behaviour
The
1.
2.
3.
Three R’s:
Respect for self;
Respect for others;
Responsibility for our actions.
The values of the school community are set out in
our mission and aims on page 1. We make these clear
to the pupils by example and through discussion and
specific activities within the curriculum. For
example, there is whole-school PSHE time every
week. Our approach helps the children to
All other medicines, including antibiotics
internalise Larkrise values and make them their own.
should be given at home or administered by
These ‘internalised’ values govern the children’s
a parent or carer at lunchtime.
behaviour and attitudes to all aspects of school life.
There are ‘rules’ that describe desirable behaviour
for the site and these represent the children’s
Playground equipment
exemplification of The Three R’s. These are
The outside playground equipment is for the use of
displayed throughout the school to ensure that
school pupils during school time only. The Essex
Health and Safety Team have advised that children children become familiar with the consistent
should not use the equipment before or after school. expectations of the school.
Child protection
Larkrise Primary School has a child protection policy
that is reviewed annually. All staff are regularly
updated on current guidelines and receive training as
required. The school follows the Essex Child
Protection guidelines, which are available for you to
look at upon request. The school is committed to
safeguarding all children.
Charging and remissions policy
Parents are sometimes asked for a voluntary
contribution towards the cost of some items or
trips. No child is ever excluded from an activity if a
parent decides not to contribute but without such
contributions these activities will not take place.
Links with secondary schools
Nearly all of our children go to Great Baddow High
School (GBHS) in Duffield Road when they leave
Larkrise. There are good links between the schools
and every effort is made to ensure that the
transfer to secondary school is as smooth as
possible. GBHS can be contacted on 01245 265821.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Larkrise Indoor Rules
Walk
Indoor voices
Do everything on first ask
Look after people and property
Use 5 signs of listening
Larkrise Outdoor Rules
Have fun – be safe
Hands & feet to ourselves
Look after people & property
1st whistle stop
2nd whistle walk
Children are grouped by colour and credits are
awarded for following the rules, appropriate, kind or
helpful behaviour, good work and effort. Minor
misbehaviour is often ignored so that attention
seeking behaviour is not rewarded.
Page 6
At the same time, staff teach the desired behaviour
by rewarding those nearby that provide a good model;
this is know as ‘proximate praise.’ Children get
rewarded with a range of ‘well done’ notes and
certificates for accumulating credits. Children in
Years 1 and 2 are rewarded with “bees” and Years3
and upwards have credit cards that are stamped with
credits through the day. The group that has got the
most credits at the end of the week has the first
choice of the weekly Golden Time activities on Friday.
Persistent or more serious behaviour can result in a
staged withdrawal of privileges so that they lose up
to 15 minutes of Golden Time. In cases of persistent
anti-social behaviour, we work with children and
parents so that unacceptable behaviour can be
stopped. In the very rare cases of serious and
persistent misbehaviour, exclusion from school is
considered. The Local Education Authority (LA) has a
detailed policy on exclusion and this is available at
the school, together with the school’s Good Behaviour
Policy.
We work with staff, pupils and parents to make
Larkrise a bully-free school.
Our school:
☺ Talks about and checks on anti-bullying work all
the time;
☺ Helps staff to look out for bullying and helps them
to deal with it in the right way;
☺ Listens to what children say and always does
something about it;
☺ Listens to what parents say and always does
something about it;
☺ Listens to what staff say and always does
something about it.
Morning playtime starts at 10.30 and ends at 10.50
for infant children while junior children return to
class five minutes earlier at 10.45.
Lunchtime starts at 12.00 and runs until 1.00pm for
juniors while infants get ten minutes longer and come
in at 1.10pm.
The school day ends at 3.15 with Year 2 children
leaving through the front entrance and juniors leaving
through the doors onto the upper playground.
Foundation and Year 1 children should be collected
from their outdoor class where they will be passed
over by a member of staff.
School Meals
There are three options at lunchtime:
•
Children can go home for lunch; infant aged
children must be collected;
•
Many children bring a packed lunch (no glass
bottles or fizzy drinks thanks);
•
We have our own kitchen and school dinners are
very popular. From September 2014 all KS1
children are entitled to a free meal. This is
currently £1.90 in KS2. Dinner money is paid on
Monday for all the meals you intend to buy that
week. Please send money in a sealed envelope
with the child’s name and class on it as well as
the days when they are staying for a school dinner. The correct money is very much appreciated and guaranteed cheques should be made payable to Essex County Council for a week, a half
term or a whole term.
Water through the Day
Dehydration puts children’s health and learning at
Session Times
risk. We encourage children to bring transparent
The doors open at 8.45 and children go straight to
labelled bottles of water to sip through the day.
their classrooms for registration at 8.55. Junior
They can keep these on their desks so that there is
aged children come in through the doors near the top little disruption to learning. No other drinks are
playground and infant children come in through the
allowed for drinking in class as they are far harder to
main entrance.
clear up in case of spillage.
Foundation Stage children should be taken
along the path and handed over to a
member of staff at the outdoor class next
to their classroom.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Page 7
Snack
Research has shown that brain activity levels rise
and fall throughout the day. Many children begin to
tire at mid-morning and their brain activity levels
fall. Children learn better when they are able to
actively engage with their learning. A healthy
mid-morning snack can help keep the brain active.
All infant children are provided with a piece of
fruit each morning. We strongly recommend that
you send junior child in with a fruit snack to
further their learning and to keep the hunger pangs
at bay.
Junior parents please remember: fruit only
for morning snacks as this fits with our
policy of promoting healthy eating.
Parents Association—Friends of Larkrise School
(FOLS)
FOLS work tirelessly to support Larkrise through
fundraising social events for children, parents and
the wider community. All parents are members of
FOLS so please do get involved in making a
difference for Larkrise children.
Over the past four years, FOLS have given the
School Council an annual budget, taken the whole
school to the pantomime at Christmas and bought
new staging as well as many other items.
Jewellery
We strongly discourage the wearing of any
jewellery. Experience has shown that children’s
safety is seriously compromised by jewellery such
as rings, earrings, and necklaces. We also want our
policy to reflect the expectations of Great Baddow
High School as this will help children with the
transition from primary school. Our policy
permits one pair of spherical ear studs.
Jewellery in PE
Parents need to know that the Local Authority
(LA) has prohibited the wearing of earrings
during PE except:
•
When there are religious reasons;
•
When the piercing is new. Children with
newly pierced ears cannot participate.
Please take children’s earrings out on PE
days if they can’t do it themselves.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
School Uniform
We greatly appreciate the support of parents in
maintaining the smart appearance and the sense of
belonging the Larkrise uniform creates.
Boys
Trousers or shorts
Polo shirts
Shirts
Sweatshirts
Socks
Shoes
Grey or black school trousers
Blue—plain or with school logo
Blue—short or long sleeves with
pointed collar
Blue with school logo
Grey
Black or brown—no trainers
thank you
Girls
Skirts or pinafores
Trousers
Dresses
Polo shirts
Shirts
Sweatshirts or
cardigans
Tights or socks
Shoes
Grey
Grey or black school trousers
Blue and white check or stripes
Blue—plain or with school logo
Blue—short or long sleeves with
pointed collar
Blue with school logo
White or blue
Black or brown—no trainers,
high heels, or backless shoes
thank you
For health and safety reasons, long hair should be
tied back at all times and hair bands should be royal
blue or white. It is extremely helpful if all clothing
and personal property is labelled. Coats need loops
for hanging on pegs.
School Uniform
Uniform can be purchased online or in store from
One Stop School Gear which is located at Beehive
Lane, Chelmsford or online
www.onestopschoolgear.com
They sell:
•
Water bottles;
•
Sun hats;
•
Woolly hats;
•
Cardigans and sweatshirts with the school
logo;
•
Polo shirts with the school logo;
•
PE shirt with the school logo;
•
Book bags;
•
PE bags.
Page 8
PE Clothing
Children should have clearly named navy/black
shorts and white T-shirts printed with the school
logo for PE. A warm jumper or tracksuit is advisable for junior children so that they can do outdoor
PE all year round. Children have bare feet for
indoor PE and wear black plimsolls outdoors.
Trainers may be worn for clubs and coaching held
outdoors. All PE clothing should be stored in the
bags available from One Stop. PE kit should be
brought to school on the first day of term and taken home to be washed over half-term or at the end
of term.
Swimming
Children have swimming lessons at Great Baddow
High School. This is usually when they are in Year
3. They need a costume, a towel, and a swimming
hat. They must remove earrings. We recommend
that parents provide swimming lessons before and
after Year 3, not least because of all the rivers in
the Chelmsford area.
Availability of information and the Freedom of
Information Act
Parents are entitled to see a wide variety of school
documentation upon request:
•
School Prospectus (this document);
•
Instrument of Government (a document that
describes the constitution of the Governing
Body amongst other things);
•
Minutes of Governing Body Meetings (agreed
minutes from current and last full academic
year);
•
Pupil and Curriculum Policies;
•
OFSTED Reports;
•
Other policies and information related to the
school.
We are working towards making this information
more accessible to parents. Parents requesting
copies may incur a charge for some documents as
set out in our Freedom of Information Policy. Many
policies are available on the School Website.
Photography at School Events
Our policy reflects the guidelines issued by Essex
County Council. We allow photography at school
events but always seek parental permission to take
and publish photographs in the public domain such
as in newspapers.
Car Parking
We actively encourage our children and parents to
avoid using their cars wherever possible. Larkrise
children are taught road safety by Essex County
Council Road Safety Officers. We have a bike
shelter and provide Bikeability lessons for our older School Council
children whenever possible.
Each class elects two children for the School
Council who gather the ideas and opinions of their
In the interest of the children’s safety and
classmates through regular meetings or ‘circle
because of the lack of space, parents are not
times’. The council meets regularly and discusses
allowed to use the car park at any time.
issues raised by those they represent. Our aim is
that the council become far more involved in the
Smoking
strategic direction of the school. For the past six
All schools abide by the council's no smoking policy. years, the council has had its own budget, which
Parents are asked to kindly refrain from smoking
they have used to renew and improve playtime
equipment amongst other things.
anywhere within the school grounds.
Social Networking
Social media websites are being used increasingly
to fuel campaigns/complaints against schools. The
school considers the use of these websites being
used in this way as unacceptable. Any concerns you
may have must be made through the appropriate
Complaints
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any channels by speaking to a member of staff. In the
event that any person is found to be posting libelconcerns about your child or the school. Please
lous or defamatory comments on social network
speak to the class teacher or to the headteacher
as we can usually work together to resolve problems sites, they will be reported to the appropriate
‘report abuse’ section of the network site. In seriin this way. Please ask if you would like to see our
ous cases the school will consider its legal options.
Complaints Policy.
Dogs
Dogs should not be brought onto any part of the
school grounds in the interests of health and
safety.
Prospectus: 2014-2015
Page 9