Anlaby Acre Heads Primary School
School Prospectus
and
Information for Parents

General Information

Welbourn Walk
Norland Avenue
Hull
HU4 7ST

01482 562250
Fax available on request

Email - AcreHeads@bigfoot.com
School Website - http://members.aol.com/AcreHeads/

Classification of School: Primary co-educational day school
Number on Roll: 277

Aims
The school will
· develop children educationally to maximise their individual potential, ensuring that they have equal access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum matched to their abilities, aptitudes and aspirations;
· encourage children to take increasing responsibility for their own learning and conduct and become caring and thoughtful people;
· endeavour to ensure that the children are happy, fulfilled and secure, with a positive self image
· continue to provide the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children by ensuring that these are considered in all aspects of planning and school life;
· continue to provide a stimulating environment in which effective learning of all areas of the curriculum will be achieved.


School Session Times
Mornings: 8.55 a.m. - 11.55 a.m. Afternoons: 1.15 p.m. - 3.30 p.m.
A 15 minute break is given in the morning and the afternoon. Time is also allowed for collective worship and registration, leaving 22 hours of curriculum time.

Arrival
Infant children are allowed in school 10 minutes before the start of the morning and afternoon sessions.
Junior children arrive up to 10 minutes before the start of the morning and afternoon sessions and wait in the junior playground until the bell or whistle goes before lining up.
Please ensure children do not arrive before these times on any day as supervision is not available. However children should not be later than 8.55 a.m. or 1.15 p.m.

Absences
Please send a note (or telephone) to explain all absences, including lateness and arrangements for medical or dental appointments etc. Children must be collected from school for all appointments. They must be ‘signed out’ in the signing out book in the school office.
All absences for the purpose of a holiday must be requested on a Holiday Form available from the school. 10 school days is the maximum allowed off school in any one school year for non-sickness reasons. Parents should be aware that taking children out of school for holidays can disrupt the learning and assessment processes.

Dinners
Dinner money is collected on Monday mornings for the whole week. Please place money in a sealed envelope or purse with name, amount, and days staying.
Children bringing a packed lunch to school should also bring a note on Monday mornings with name and days staying for the week. Please place packed lunches in one strong, rigid box with a name on the bottom and lid. Water is available at school. Drinks brought from home must not be hot or in a glass container. Straws and spoons should be sent when necessary.

School Office
The school administrative assistant is Mrs.Ringrose and the office is open from 8:45am to 12:15pm.

Admissions
Children are normally admitted in September. All children will reach 5 years during the school year following admission. The Reception Year is an Early Admission Class with an admission limit is 50. The admission arrangements adhere to the Authority's published criteria. Parents considering sending their children to the school should ring to make an appointment to see the Headteacher and view the school.

Early Years
The policy for the Early Years class is available to parents before children start school and is
normally given out at the first meeting for new parents.

Secondary School
Most children normally transfer to Wolfreton School. National and local admission procedures are followed.

Meetings with Teachers/Headteacher
Parents are welcome in school at any time but please bear in mind the best time to see your child's teacher is immediately after school or 5 minutes before morning school starts. The Headteacher is normally available, but does have teaching commitments. It would be appreciated if an appointment is made for any lengthy consultations with teachers or the
Headteacher. During the year there are formal invitations to parents to meet with teachers to discuss children’s progress.

Reports to Parents
Parents receive ‘end of year’ written reports in July and verbal reports at parent/teacher meetings. If a parent has any concerns or queries regarding his or her child the class teacher should be contacted.

Notification of Events and Newsletters
Important school information is always notified in writing - usually by ‘pupil post’. There is at least one newsletter sent to parents each term. It is suggested that parents add these newsletters to this information pack as they may contain updated procedures from time to time. The oldest child in every family at the school will usually receive copies of information to be
given to parents.

School Dress
The wearing of school dress is supported by the governors of the school and helps to foster a sense of pride and belonging in the children. It also avoids the upset and cost of trying to keep up with the latest fashion! Fashion ‘fads’ are not expected to be reflected in the children’s appearance at school.

ALL CLOTHING SHOULD BE CLEARLY LABELLED WITH THE CHILD’S NAME

BOYS Grey trousers, white or grey shirt with plain dark green *tie, dark green pullover or school sweatshirt, grey socks (plain or with green pattern round top).
GIRLS Dark green or grey pinafore dress or skirt, white blouse with dark green *tie, dark green
jumper or school sweatshirt, white socks. Tights should be white, black, green or flesh coloured.

*Ties for Infants preferably on elastic.
Sandshoes or soft shoes must be worn inside and sandshoes are essential for P.E. lessons.
Fashion garments and jewellery should not be worn by boys or girls.
Green sweatshirts and white 'T' shirts with the school logo are available from the school office.
Acre Heads baseball caps can be worn outside during the summer months and are available from the school office.

Jewellery
No jewellery should be worn by any pupils whilst at school. This is for safety reasons and parents are requested to support the school in this to avoid the chance of injury.

Sandshoes
Since much of the school is carpeted and also to help keep the school as clean as possible sandshoes should be worn in classrooms. All children should have a pair of sandshoes (or suitable soft shoes) for indoor use which are usually kept in a bag in the cloakroom.

Lost Property
All clothing should be labelled so any that is ‘lost’ can be quickly returned. The school office should be contacted if an item cannot be found. Items ‘lost’ and not claimed within a month will be disposed of, or used within the school. There is no space to store ‘lost property’.

Medical Attention/First Aid
Basic first aid will always be administered when necessary from the medical room. When further attention is needed, parents or ‘emergency’ contacts will be informed.

Medication in School
Apart from in specific cases, such as asthma and diabetes, no medication will be given to children or will be self-administered by the children. If a child requires any kind of medication during normal school times then arrangements should be made for the medication to be brought to school and administered by a parent or parent’s representative. The school will make every
effort to assist in such arrangements, but no school staff are available to administer medication themselves and should not be asked to. Cough sweets, ‘Tunes’, ‘Lockets’ etc. should not be brought to school. If a parent feels they are necessary then the procedure above should be followed.

Child Protection Statement
Parents need to be aware that in the event of a member of staff suspecting that a pupil may have been deliberately harmed or neglected by his or her parents or carers, the Headteacher has a duty to inform the local Social Services Team Manager. If the Team Manager shares the school's concern, he or she will contact the Police to agree the best way of carrying out an investigation.

The decision about when and how the child's parents or carers are informed of any investigation is made by Social Services and the Police, not by the school.

These procedures, which take account of guidance issued by Central Government, are described in detail in the Area Child Protection Committee's Guidelines and Procedures, a copy of which you are welcome to look at in school.

We feel sure you will realise that these safeguards are necessary to ensure the welfare of all children, and that referrals have to be made in all cases where harm to a child is suspected.

Politeness and Behaviour
Good manners and high standards of behaviour are encouraged in all pupils. Excellent classroom behaviour is a particular strength of the school and is supported by a well-defined and effective discipline system. Any instances of bad behaviour will always be dealt with according to the situation and children involved. Bullying will not be tolerated and the school operates an
anti-bullying policy. If a parent feels that a child is being bullied in any way he or she should report it immediately, as should the children.

School Rules
The following simple school rules help to make the school a safer and happier place to be.
Parents are expected to help the school by reminding the children of these rules when necessary.

· Enter and leave the school premises by the gates leading to the footpaths - NOT THE SCHOOL DRIVE
· WALK at all times on the footpaths
· WALK at all times when inside school
· BEHAVE in a friendly manner towards each other and visitors in order to create a happy and safe school environment
· PLAY SAFELY - i.e. NO FIGHTING, BULLYING OR ROUGH GAMES. .
· If a child is hurt by another child or feels that they are being bullied in any way then the child must report it immediately to a member of staff. It is much easier to act on such allegations when the event has only just happened.
· Sweets and toys must not be brought to school unless permission is given by a member of staff.

PARENTS ARE REQUESTED TO ENSURE THAT THEIR CHILD IS FAMILIAR WITH THESE RULES

Organisation of Education
Whenever possible children are taught in single age mixed ability classes, but due to changes in the school intake at times children may be in class groups with slightly younger or older children.

The School Curriculum
The school provides a broad, balanced, relevant curriculum with due regard to the ability of each pupil. At all times pupils are encouraged and expected to produce their best efforts. The curriculum is meticulously planned by the whole staff and is consistently monitored and improved. The National Curriculum provides the basis of our school curriculum in accordance
with legal requirements. The three ‘core’ subjects of English, mathematics and science are given prominence. History, geography, design and technology, information technology, art, music, physical education, religious education and a variety of cross-curricular themes make up the rest of the school curriculum and are taught separately or as part of carefully constructed ‘topic work’. Recent changes regarding the National Curriculum in primary schools will result in some
changes at Anlaby Acre Heads over the next few years. Aspects of literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology (ICT) will be developed.

Special Educational Needs (SEN) Policy
The long term aims of education for all children and young people include the achievement of responsible personal autonomy and full participation in the communities in which they live. The aims for children and young people with disabilities and significant difficulties are the same as those for all children and young people. The school enables each child to participate in the normal curriculum where possible, by the adaptation of learning materials and methods and
teaching support. If necessary the school provides a modified curriculum with realistic and relevant objectives and the additional teaching of basic skills, when this is required. The school engages in whole school response and shared responsibility to the teaching situation and learning experiences of children with special needs.

Education Act 1991 - Special Educational Needs
· A governor is designated to have oversight of S.E.N.. (Mrs H.Connington)
· A senior member of staff has responsibility for the school’s arrangements for identifying and meeting the special needs of pupils. (Miss M.Hind)
The full S.E.N. policy for the school and parent information booklet are available on request.

Physical Education
All children must wear suitable kit for physical education (P.E.). Tops (T-shirts) should be white or green, shorts should be white, green or black. A jogger suit is useful for Junior games. Sandshoes are essential for all pupils for indoor P.E.. P.E. dress should be in school colours and not the latest fashion garment. All clothes should be named. Children need a P.E. bag.
This should be named and kept at school during the week. Jewellery should not be brought to school and most certainly must not be worn for P.E.. If a child is well enough to be at school, he or she will normally be well enough to take part in P.E.,
however if for any reason a child cannot take part a note should be sent to school.

Health and Sex Education Policy
Anlaby Acre Heads is working towards being a health promoting school. Health Education is part of the preparation of the individual for personal, social and family responsibilities. Therefore Health Education should be a continuous experience fostering self-esteem and giving each child those skills, concepts and attitudes which promote the continuous development of personal and social responsibility. Sex education is part of the Health Education programme and is taught
with the aim of encouraging due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life. In Year 5 and Year 6 boys and girls are given separate talks on sex education and this is a component of the topic work of the school. Parents have free access to the content of all curriculum areas in the school including health education and sex education. Parents are invited
to accompany their children at the talks on sex education for Y5 and Y6 classes. The school takes the problem of drug misuse seriously and has adopted policies for drug education in the school which are in line with national and local guidelines.

Religious Education
Religious education is taught in accordance with the Humberside Agreed Syllabus of Religious Education. In accordance with the law the school will make arrangements for parents to exercise the statutory right of withdrawal of their children from religious education.

Collective Worship
Collective worship takes places every day and is sometimes known as ‘assembly’. Themes for collective worship are selected which reflect many aspects of life in the world today, but focus on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children. Children’s achievements are celebrated in ‘good work’ assemblies and classes present their own assemblies during the year. Parents are invited to these ‘class’ assemblies. In accordance with the law the school will make
arrangements for parents to exercise the right of withdrawal of their children from collective worship.

Religious Affiliations
The school is not affiliated to a particular religious denomination.

Sport
The school aims to promote sport and sporting achievement through the provision of the national curriculum requirements for physical education (within the time allocated in the local education authority guidance) and through activities after school including an athletics club and short tennis club, both of which are linked to award schemes. Football, netball, hockey and rounders are integral parts of the curriculum, as are swimming sessions provided by the local authority for
8-9 year olds which aim to teach all children how to swim and which are almost always successful, leading to the children gaining certificates of achievement. Children take part in a yearly inter-school athletics meeting at Costello Stadium and there are two school sports’ days each year. Facilities for sport include the school hall and a large school field which is marked
with football and rounders pitches at different times of the year, as well as a running track. The large school playground is marked with a netball court. The school grounds are used by a local football team and the hall by a local karate club. The school on occasions will liaise with other local sporting groups to provide coaching and visits to talk to the children.

Complaints(curriculum) handling
The school supports the policy for parental complaints operated by the L.E.A. and a booklet is available on request.

Extra-Curricular Activities
There are a variety of clubs which regularly meet at either lunchtime or after school. These include the choir, athletics club, recorder club, short tennis club and school magazine editorial team.

Charging for School Activities
Parents will usually be asked to donate part of the cost of any visits or special activities to offset the costs to the school. If there is ever any problem with this parents should contact the teacher organising the visit or activity. Unfortunately, without parental contributions many important visits and activities would be beyond the budget of the school.

Parent Helpers
Education is a partnership between the school and the home and as such there are many benefits to both sides when parents offer to help with school activities or help in the classroom on a regular
basis. If a parent feels that he or she would like to be a ‘parent helper’ the relevant class teacher or the Headteacher should be contacted for further details.

Friends of Acre Heads
The Friends of Acre Heads is the school’s Home School association and regularly holds meetings and events for all ‘friends’ of the school. Proceeds from such events are used to further the aims of the school and the association. The association maintains a noticeboard to the rear of the school which has further information, outlines events and also has the dates of future meetings - most of which are open to all ‘friends’ of the school.

School Holiday Dates

Security
Parents visiting the school at times other than the start and end of lunchtime or the school day must report to the school office. All visitors to the school during lesson times must be given a visitor’s badge. Access to classrooms is restricted for the safety of the children and others at the school. No money is kept on the school premises.

School Rewards Systems
Good work, special achievements, good manners and good behaviour are regularly rewarded through the use of a house point system and a series of awards and certificates which the children can gain. The school houses are Rowan (red), Beech (blue), Yew (yellow) and Lime (green). A special assembly is held each week to present the children with their awards.

Disclaimer
The information given in this leaflet was valid in the Spring of 1998. It is possible that there
could be changes affecting either the arrangements generally described in this leaflet or in any
particular part of them before the start of the school year 1998/99 or in the subsequent years.

A full printed copy of the prospectus is available on request. This is free to local parents, but a small charge will be made for others.