Information Page - PLEASE GO TO THE SCHOOL'S NEW WEB SITE

Type of School : Church of England Primary School

Type of Control: LEA Voluntary Controlled

Age Range of Pupils: 5 to 11 years (co-educational)
Number on roll: 120-140 (increases during academic year)
School Address: South Street
Great Waltham,
Essex, CM3 1DF

Telephone: 01245 360395
Fax: 01245 362890
E-Mail: admin@greatwaltham.essex.sch.uk

Appropriate Authority: Governing Body

Headteacher: Mrs Diane Wilson

Chair of Governors: Mr David Moncaster

Local Education Authority: Essex County Council
Education Department
County Hall
Chelmsford, Essex Back to top

Applying for a Place

· Parents are invited to register their child at the school between the ages of three and four.
· Parents considering registering are encouraged to make an appointment to visit the school when in session.
. The academic year for your child?s admission commences in the September before their 5th birthday. Applications for admission must be made to Essex County Council by the February preceding that September.
· All applications for admission must be made through Essex County Council including those for children living in the catchment area. The relevant form, which can be obtained from the school office, should be completed and returned to:

Planning and Admissions Department
P O Box 4261, County Hall
Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1GS TEL: 01245 492211 Back to top

Aims

To ensure a safe and secure environment where all will feel happy and confident to learn and experience success by providing:

* provide a broad, balanced curriculum which enables every individual to achieve his/her highest possible standard;

* deliver a curriculum which is well planned, challenging and creative;

* promote the partnership between the school and home for its positive impact on the children's learning;

* provide pupils with the skills to work independently and take responsibility for themselves and others;

* promote strong links with the local church and vibrant community;

* continue building on our academic successes which have been recognised by the Department for Education and Skills;

* develop pupils? appreciation of human achievements through the curriculum and encourage them to be confident about their own potential;

* provide a safe and exciting environment in which the children can learn and experience success;

* develop pupils? self-respect and respect for others whatever their ability, race, religion or culture;

* provide equal opportunities for all, and measure success in individual terms. Back to top

Assessment

As well as regular teacher assessments and classroom tests, standardised tests are also used. In Key Stage 1 standardised reading tests are used termly. In addition to this, at Key Stage 2, standardised spelling, mathematics, and English tests are administered annually. These guide decisions regarding any additional support that may be needed and allow the development of appropriate challenging targets.

Good behaviour, attitude and academic work are all regularly recognised and celebrated. Each child belongs to a school team, Lions, Tigers or Leopards. Team points are awarded for effort and personal achievement, acts of particular kindness etc. At the end of each week the points are totalled and the house cup is presented to the winning team captains during Celebration assembly. Trophies are given for sporting achievement at the end of the year.

At the Celebration assembly children are invited to share good news of their achievements outside school. Back to top

Attendance

Pupils attendance at school is carefully monitored. The following figures relate to pupils of compulsory school age during the academic year: 2006/2007

Number of day pupils of compulsory school age on roll for at least one session 121

Percentage of sessions missed through Overall absence 4.7%

Percentage of sessions missed through Unauthorised absence 0.1%

*Includes all unexplained or unjustified absences including lateness or holidays above ten working school days (unless approved by the Governing Body.)

As a minimum requirement you should:-

* Inform the school between 8.30 and 9.30 a.m. on the first day of absence and if possible give the expected day of return. The school office will contact parents if this notification has not been received on the first day of the child's absence.
* Keep school informed especially if the return day alters.
* Send a note with the child when he or she goes back to school giving full details of the reason for absence.

If your child has a medical appointment, requests for your child to be allowed out of school should be sent prior to the date. He or she will be released from school in sufficient time to attend the appointment and should return to school if the time allows. If your child will be arriving late because of a medical appointment or any other reason, the office staff should be advised of meal requirements beforehand. However every attempt should be made to arrange such appointments outside of school hours, where possible. A child arriving after the 9.00 a.m. registration should go to the school office so that the registers can be up dated and the child signed in for security and safety reasons.

Other absences may be authorised in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Headteacher:

· Acceptable medical reasons or an unavoidable cause
· Religious observances
· With permission (e.g. holidays)*
· Entitled transport not provided

*Note: Parents can request permission to take their children on annual holiday in term time for up to 10 days in any one academic year. Requests should be made in advance of the holiday. Permission may be given by the Headteacher, but consideration will be given to the effect such absence might have on the child's education, taking into account the child's attendance record to date.

No parent can demand the right for their child to have leave of absence for the purposes of a holiday of any length. This means that if you want to take a short break away in term time - even for just two or three days - you must receive approval beforehand from the school.

It is generally not acceptable for your child to be absent for reasons such as:-

* Minding the house
* Looking after younger children
* Going shopping during school hours
* Celebrating his or her birthday

A child's late arrival and holidays during term time cause disruption to their education and that of the whole class.

Admissions

Policy

Our published number intended to admit (NIA) is 20. Fiften pupils are expected during the academic year 2005/2006. Priority for admission to the school is based on the following criteria:
. Looked after children
· Living in the catchment area a place is guaranteed regardless of the NIA for the year group.
· Siblings in the school
· Proximity to the school

School Arrangements

Children are legally entitled to a place in school at the beginning of the term after their fifth birthday. At Great Waltham the governing body has improved on this basic entitlement and admits children as follows:
· children born between 1st September and 31st December are admitted in the September
· those born between 1st January and 30th April are admitted in January
· those born between 1st May and 31st August are admitted in January, for mornings only until after the Easter break.

Any requests for earlier admissions because of exceptional social or medical reasons are dealt with by the Planning and Admissions Department. Back to top

Extra Curricular Activities

Many clubs are offered according to the expertise of staff, parents and friends who run activities out of school hours, i.e. before school, at lunchtime and after school.

Music

Children are offered violin, keyboard, guitar and woodwind tuition. Recorder lessons are given, free of charge, by the school staff. The school choir performs at Chelmsford Cathedral, The Royal Albert Hall, and other venues throughout the year. Choirs from the school also take part in the Chelmsford Schools' Music Festivals each year. The school holds a musical soiree every summer to celebrate the musical achievements of our pupils.

Sport

Competition is encouraged within and beyond the school curriculum. The sports available for extra curricular activity rely on community and local initiatives and the interest shown by the children. Recently these have been netball, tennis, rounders, cross-country, hockey, cricket and football. Back to top

Homework

We believe that playing games and helping with activities at home are some of the best ways to learn and parents can be the best teachers.

Ideas for guided activities with parents:-
· cooking
· planning a trip
· organising a cupboard or a room
· writing a shopping list
· checking the bills
· puzzles and board games

Beginning in Reception, children bring reading and number tasks home to share with parents, including their ERR word strings to practise daily. As they progress through the years and gain in ability, spellings and tables are added. They may also be asked to complete simple topic related activities that can be done at home with parental support.

Homework for Foundation pupils and years 1 and 2 is given each week via a reading record book and the weekly newsletter. From year 3 the children use a reading diary and a homework diary to record their own more formalised homework. This involves considerable effort by children, parents and teachers and the school appreciates the vital role that parents take in the education of the children.

The homework policy is available from the school office and specific information for each class is given at the beginning of the academic year. Back to top

Links with the Community

The school plays an active part in the village community and friends of the school help in many ways.

· A regular programme of activities is arranged with the local pre-school.
· There is a comprehensive liaison programme with Chelmer Valley High School, to which most of our Year 6 pupils transfer.
· Children who wish to sit the exam for the selective schools in the area (11+) receive information from The Consortium for Selective Schools at the beginning of year 6.
· The major Christian festivals are celebrated in the village church.
· There are regular visitors to the school, including assembly leaders, the school nurse, governors and parents.
· Our Rural Community Police Office visits the school on a regular basis to chat informally to the children and staff
· Community road safety officers have regular contact with the school to give talks and advice. They also do a road safety walk with Reception pupils and their parents and a follow up walk with pupils in years 3 and 6.
· To add breadth to the children?s learning experiences they are often taken to places of interest and perform at village and county functions. Back to top

Location

Great Waltham School has provided a Christian-based education for over 150 years. We serve the villages of Great Waltham and Pleshey and their surrounding communities. Children from Pleshey are transported to and from school by contract bus paid for by the Local Education Authority. However children from a wider area, whose parents wish them to be educated in a church school, are welcomed.

The school occupies a spacious site in the attractive village of Great Waltham, near Chelmsford. The building, part of which dates back to 1847, has excellent modern facilities. In 1981, a large multipurpose hall was built. The remaining accommodation comprises five classrooms, a music room, two libraries, administrative rooms and a kitchen. Adjacent to the school is a large landscaped playing field with adventure trail, play equipment, an all weather pathway to learning and hard play areas. As part of our continuous building and facilities improvement plan, we have recently completed a major extension to one classroom, enlarged a cloakroom and completed work from our rolling programme of maintenance and redecoration.

The school can be reached:
By publicTransport The nearest railway station is in the centre of Chelmsford. Eastern National buses.33, 351 and 52 serve Great Waltham.

By car From the centre of Chelmsford travel north along the B1008 for about 3.5 miles. Turn left at Ash Tree Corner for 1 mile. Turn left into South Street. The school is about 200 yards on the right. There is no on-site parking. There are parking spaces available opposite in the village hall car park.

All who visit are requested to observe the 'NO PARKING' zone in front of the school.

Location of our school

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National Curriculum Attainment Results

Our school believes that how it performs is not just about the absolute results in SATS, but is more about what we can give to a child overall. However we cannot ignore the results so if you click on the link below it should take you to the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) web site for our school, which shows our attainment for 2005.

The Government also recognise this fact and have introduced a new measure called Added Value. The following statement is from the same DFES web site.

'We have developed a way of measuring the progress that individual pupils have made between taking assessment tests when they are generally aged 7 and in Year 2 (KS1) and assessment tests when they are generally aged 11 and in Year 6 (KS2). We call this the value added measure. Value added measures are intended to allow fairer comparisons between schools with different pupil intakes.'

From the DFES web page for our school you can find the above statement and more information about attainment by clicking on HOME

After reading the DFES web page, click on INFORMATION on the left of this page to get back to our web site or the BACK button.

DFES attainment for our school

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Friends of Great Waltham School (FOGWS)

The Parent Teachers Association at Great Waltham School was formed in 1976 and renamed the Friends of Great Waltham School (FOGWS) in September 1997. It is affiliated to the National Confederation of Parent Teachers Association and all school staff and parents of children at the school are members. There is no membership fee. The object of the FOGWS is to help provide facilities that will enhance the education of the pupils at the school. Further to this the association aims to foster more effective relationships between the staff, parents, and others connected with the school and also to engage in activities which support the school and advance the education of its pupils.

The FOGWS is run by a small committee, consisting of eight parent members and one member of the teaching staff, chaired by the headteacher. The committee is elected at the association's AGM held at the beginning of each school year. The events which have been organised include: fetes, bazaars, the Summer Ball, Line Dancing, Quiz nights and many other activities, which are enjoyable social events, as well as fund raising. Donations from FOGWS enable the school to bid for additional Government funding towards certain building and refurbishment projects.

FOGWS donated a large sum of money towards the installation of new outdoor play equipment and our hugely popular 'pathway to learning'. They have also contributed towards materials for the new arbour, fencing to the pond area and grassed enclosure at the front of the school, and alterations to Class 5. Most recently they have contributed to the cost of the all weather safety matting under the wooden climbing trail and are now raising funds to contribute to the cost of interactive white boards in all classrooms.

The school has enjoyed the benefit of a covered swimming pool for forty years but sadly the pool and the cover, which had been expected to last for about ten years, were both declared damaged and unsafe last year. Earlier this year the FOGWS announced their intention to raise the money to replace the pool and the roof ready for the Summer of 2006, and eventually to raise enough to provide toilets and heating so that the whole village can enjoy the pool. Thanks to their efforts and excellent support from parents and the local community, their initial target of £10,000 by Christmas 2005 has been reached

The association also runs a 200 Club which all parents, relatives, staff and friends are encouraged to join to provide a regular monthly income.

The FOGWS are extremely grateful for the support given by parents in the past. They look forward to receiving parents' continued support, which will enable them to enhance both the teaching and the learning that takes place.

If you have any enquiries regarding the FOGWS please contact the school office. Back to top

Parents and the School

Two way communication is seen as vitally important. This is achieved in a number of different ways:

Through personal contact
· meet the teacher afternoons at the start of the year
· new parent induction meetings
· parent / teacher consultations
· meetings of the Friends of Great Waltham School
· half-termly 'Tea and Chat' sessions with the head teacher these sessions are an open discussion forum and an opportunity for parents to influence policy as well as have a friendly chat.

Class teachers are always willing to discuss matters of concern to parents at a mutually convenient time, always remembering that it is difficult for staff to be available just before the start of school. Each class has a parent representative who can often answer questions for you or if not help you to find the answers.

Written Information sent home with your child* -· weekly newsletter· governors annual report· termly events diary· home / school reading record· homework diary (KS2)· letters from class teachers· other communications regarding your child· annual pupil progress report (Summer)

Displayed Information in the School foyer.· minutes of governors meetings· School Development Plan· inspectors most recent report· minutes of 'Friends of Great Waltham School' meetings· notes from Tea and Chat· letters/information that may be of interest· good news, newspaper cuttings, letters of thanks, awards etc.· copies of all letters/newsletters sent home during the current school year

School website - www.greatwalthamschool.ik.org
Many of the items mentioned above including the weekly newsletter and the monthly menues are posted on our website

Volunteer Helpers
Parents and friends are welcome to help in the school under the guidance of staff. The school warmly appreciates the opportunity to develop further the valuable partnership between parents and the school community. Regular helpers would be subject to criminal record checks, which are the same as those for all school staff and governors. Back to top

School Day

Teaching hours excluding registration and collective worship
Infant Key Stage 1: 22 hours 30 minutes
Junior Key Stage 2: 23 hours 45 minutes

Morning Session: 9.00a.m-12.15p.m. Afternoon Session: 1.15pm-3.15p.m.

It is our aim to start lessons promptly in the morning and class registers are taken at 9.00 a.m. The pupil entrance doors are unlocked at 8.45 so that pupils can come straight in to hang up their coats and bags and deliver any messages to their teacher, prior to registration and then settle quietly to work.

Children should not arrive on site any earlier than 8.45 unless notification of a 'special arrangement' has been given (i.e. a before school club), as the Local Education Authority accepts no responsibility for their safety before this time.

Parents are expected to say goodbye to their children at the gate or pupil entrances and not accompany them into school (except for Class 1 who have different arrangements). For the safety of pupils and staff, all adults are required to enter the school via the office entrance only. Parents may leave messages for the teachers with the office staff. The pupil doors are locked at 9.00 a.m. and children arriving after this time must go to the main (office) entrance to be signed in to ensure attendance records are accurate in the event of a fire or other emergency

Morning Break: Whole School 10.50 - 11.05. (10.30 on Wednesday)
Infants (Key Stage 1) also have a short break at approximately 10 a.m.
Afternoon break : Infants only have a 15 minute break at about 2.30 p.m.

Pupils are invited to bring in a healthy snack for morning break. This may consist of fresh fruit, sultanas, raisins or vegetables. Preserved, sugar coated, fruits or fruit flavoured biscuits are not acceptable. All Key Stage 1 children are offered a piece of fruit every day, which is paid for by the Government.

Unless the weather is extreme, the children are encouraged to make full use of the opportunities for outdoor play at break and lunch times and should always have a coat with them. Back to top

Security

The school is aware of the need for, and maintenance of, security measures to ensure the safety of its community. The main school building entrance is controlled by the administration staff who ensure that visitors are identified and given a visitor badge prior to entry through the coded keypad door. The unattended entrance door also has a coded keypad. There is a burglar alarm to protect the buildings and contents from out of hours intrusion. The school is fenced on all sides and every effort is made to keep the gates closed during school hours. Adult supervision is provided whenever children are in the playground during school hours. More improvements are planned and the situation is constantly kept under review.

A new Fire Alarm System has recently been installed which connects directly to the emergency services when smoke is detected. There is a new siren which replaces the continuous bell.
It should be recognised that a school can never be totally secure and that vigilance is of utmost importance. Back to top

Special Needs

Details of arrangements for co-ordinating the day to day provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) can be found in the SEN policy document (2003). Information about this policy and the Special Needs 'Code of Practice' (CoP) can be obtained from the school by arrangement. The ?responsible person? is the Headteacher (see CoP 1:19) and there is a nominated governor with oversight of SEN.

The part-time Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) co-ordinates the SEN provision and supports individual children and small groups through pupil withdrawal for teaching of Individual Education Plan (IEP) targets. Four Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) are employed to support these pupils through individual and small group teaching, and general in-class support.

Pupils' progress is reviewed through ongoing assessment, termly reviews of progress towards IEP targets and specific termly assessments.

Review meetings with parents of children on the SEN register are held to discuss progress and set new targets, twice yearly for those on School Action and termly for those on School Action Plus or with a Statement of Special Educational Need. Targets are also discussed with pupils and their views noted, as they like to know their targets and are able to see their progress.

Information is shared with the Assistant SENCO at Chelmer Valley prior to the Year 6 visit.

The Educational Psychologist and the Speech and Language Therapist visit three times a year to advise on pupils' needs. Members of other outside agencies attend as required. Back to top

Starting School

Prior to entry:
In order that parents and children can become part of the school community at the earliest opportunity, occasional newsletters and information about school events may be sent out up to 2 years before the children start at the school. During the half-term preceding entry the newsletters are sent weekly. Parents are invited to an afternoon to learn more about the school?s policies and procedures.

The four year olds from the Up, Up and Away pre-school, normally held in the village hall, have one session each month in the school which helps to familiarise them with the surroundings.

Children who start school in September or in January on a full time basis, are invited to three afternoon sessions and one morning and lunchtime session with their teacher during the term prior to entry. Children who will be attending for the mornings only during the Spring term are invited for one afternoon and two morning sessions, without lunch, during the Autumn term.

Children bring to school a diversity of skills and experiences but it is helpful if they have some independence with the following:-

* dressing and undressing (buttons/laces/zips, etc)
· tidying up (pack away toys/hang up coats)
* seeing to personal needs (blow nose/go to the toilet/wash hands)
* listening to, and following simple instructions
* co-operating in small groups
* listening to and talking about stories, pointing out the words from left to right

First term:
For the first five days children come for a morning and lunchtime session only. We find that starting school is a very tiring process and a whole day is often too much to start with.

Children whose birthdays fall between 1 May and 31 August come to school for the mornings only for the whole of the Spring Term, commencing one week after the full-time intake. They join the other Key Stage 1 children for a short outside play at 10 o'clock but during the whole school break at 10.50 they remain in the classroom for a supervised snack and milk break. For the last week of that term they are invited to join the rest of the school at playtime and lunchtime.

Play and investigation are used as a basis for learning.

Emphasis is put on developing:-

* reading, spelling, writing and phonic skills (using the Early Reading Research approach)

* early mathematical concepts of number, length, weight, time, shape and money, through practical activities

* scientific, technological, artistic, musical and physical skills

* personal, social and health education Back to top

The Governing Body

The school governing body consists of representatives from the Parish Council, Great Waltham Church and the County Council. The Headteacher and Vicar are ex officio members and there are also four elected parent governors, a teacher governor and a staff governor.

The governing body works closely with the school staff and the Local Education Authority. Primarily its role is to set the aims and determine the character of the school. It also assists in the appointment of staff, is responsible for delivery of the National Curriculum, manages the school?s budget and develops links with the community. It has legal duties, powers and responsibilities.

The present members of the Governing Body are:

David Moncaster Foundation Governor Chair of Governors
Diane Wilson Ex-Officio Headteacher

Liz Eccles-Williams Co-opted Governor
Steve Huggins Parent Governor Chair of Curriculum
Alicia Burton Parent Governor
Christopher Willis Parent Governor Chair of Finance/Premises
Jo Palmer Parent Governor
Wayne Bishop Parent Governor
Andrew Fitzwater County Council
Robert Brewster County Council Chair of Personnel
Helen Mallender Community
Liz Meader Community
Lori Teal Staff Link Governor
Elizabeth Allen Staff

The governors are represented at the parent/teacher consultation evenings, open and exhibition evenings and wherever possible at other functions to which parents are invited. They are always ready to discuss any matters concerning the school with parents, either in person or by letter or can be contacted via the School Office. Governors are no longer required to hold an annual meeting with parents or produce the ?governors? annual report to parents?, these now being replaced by the 'School Profile', an on-line document which parents can access via the internet by clicking below

School Profile

Parents who feel they might be interested in becoming a governor should contact Lori Teal, via the School Office, for further information. Back to top

Uniform

BOYS
White shirt
Grey trousers/shorts
Maroon tie*
Navy sweatshirt with school logo*
Black shoes (not trainers)

GIRLS
White shirt
Navy trousers/skirt/shorts (not leggings)
Maroon tie*
Navy sweatshirt/cardigan with school logo*
Black shoes (low heeled, not open toe/sling back)

Alternative Summer Uniform (may be worn from Easter until Autumn Half Term)
A pale blue polo shirt with white embroidered logo* (boys or girls)
Pale blue checked dress. Navy blue sun cap with white logo*.

PE Kit
Parents should ensure that all children have the appropriate kit for PE and games T Shirt with school logo* - according to house colour
Navy shorts*
Black Plimsolls

Lions Green
Tigers Red
Lepoards Blue

During very cold weather it is advisable for pupils to have a warm jumper, tracksuit and trainers. A school strip is provided for inter-school competition in netball, football and rounders.

All PE clothing should be kept at school in a named drawstring bag. It should be taken home each half term so that size etc. can be checked.

*Available to purchase in school
We have some very good 2nd hand uniform at reasonable prices.

N.B. Jewellery should not be worn at school. Children who have recently pierced ears should bring tape to cover their studs/small sleepers during physical education lessons and swimming. It should not be necessary to wear earrings to school after the healing period. Children who do will be asked to remove them for physical education and swimming as directed by County Advisors. A small container should be kept at school to keep removed jewellery safe.

ALL CLOTHING WORN FOR SCHOOL SHOULD BE NAMED Back to top

Academic Year Dates

School Terms 2006-2007

Autumn: Monday 4 September 2006 - Wednesday 20 December 2006
Half term holiday: 23 - 27 October 2006
Non-pupil days: Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 September 2006

Spring: Wednesday 3 January 2007 - Friday 30 March 2007
Half term holiday: 12 - 16 February 2007
Non-pupil day: Wednesday 3 January 2007

Summer: Monday 16 April 2007 - Friday 20 July 2007
Half term holiday: 28 May - 1 June 2007
May Bank Holiday: 7 May 2007

Non-pupil days: Monday 16 April and Monday 4 June 2007 Back to top

Absence

Pupils attendance at school is carefully monitored. The following figures relate to pupils of compulsory school age during the academic year: 2005/2006

Number of pupil sessions 380 (1 day = 2 sessions a.m. / p.m.)
% Of authorised absences 4.1%
% Of unauthorised absences* 0.1%

*Includes all unexplained or unjustified absences including lateness or holidays above ten working school days (unless approved by the Governing Body.)

As a minimum requirement you should:-

* Inform the school between 8.30 and 9.30 a.m. on the first day of absence and if possible give the expected day of return. The school office will contact parents if this notification has not been received on the first day of the child's absence.
* Keep school informed especially if the return day alters.
* Send a note with the child when he or she goes back to school giving full details of the reason for absence.

If your child has a medical appointment, requests for your child to be allowed out of school should be sent prior to the date. He or she will be released from school in sufficient time to attend the appointment and should return to school if the time allows. If your child will be arriving late because of a medical appointment or any other reason, the office staff should be advised of meal requirements beforehand. However every attempt should be made to arrange such appointments outside of school hours, where possible. A child arriving after the 9.00 a.m. registration should go to the school office so that the registers can be up dated and the child signed in for security and safety reasons.

Other absences may be authorised in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Headteacher:

· Acceptable medical reasons or an unavoidable cause
· Religious observances
· With permission (e.g. holidays)*
· Entitled transport not provided

*Note: Parents can request permission to take their children on annual holiday in term time for up to 10 days in any one academic year. Requests should be made in advance of the holiday. Permission may be given by the Headteacher, but consideration will be given to the effect such absence might have on the child's education, taking into account the child's attendance record to date.

No parent can demand the right for their child to have leave of absence for the purposes of a holiday of any length. This means that if you want to take a short break away in term time - even for just two or three days - you must receive approval beforehand from the school.

It is generally not acceptable for your child to be absent for reasons such as:-

* Minding the house
* Looking after younger children
* Going shopping during school hours
* Celebrating his or her birthday

A child's late arrival and holidays during term time cause disruption to their education and that of the whole class. Back to top

School Meals

At Great Waltham we are delighted to be able to offer children ?home cooked food? prepared and cooked on the premises by our professional cook using fresh produce from local suppliers.

The meals, which cost £1.80 per day, have to be ordered and paid for in advance.
However, free meals are available for children whose parents receive income support, income-based job seekers? allowance or child tax credit (not working tax credit). Information is available at the school or from Pupil Services Department at County Hall. The provision of free school meals is entirely confidential to the parent. Parents are urged to apply if they are eligible.

Children may bring a packed lunch, which should reflect our Healthy School Status. This must not include fizzy drinks or sweets and chocolate, although one chocolate covered biscuit or cake is allowed. We do request that you refrain from giving your child peanut butter or any other product containing nuts as we do have at least two children with a severe nut allergy and any contact with another child who has handled nuts could prove to be a serious risk to their health.

All lunches are eaten in the school hall during the winter. During the summer the children are able to eat packed lunches at the picnic benches outside. Back to top

Class Organisation

Pupils are organised into five classes, each of mixed age and ability:

Academic Year 2006-07

Class 1 Foundation and Year 1 23 rising to 29 by January 2007
Class 2 Years 1 and 2 21 rising to 30 by January 2007
Class 3 Year 3 23
Class 4 Years 4 and 5 29
Class 5 Years 5 and 6 28

In a school of this size it is often necessary for a child to spend more than one year in a particular class. If this is the case the teachers ensure, through our very comprehensive record keeping and assessment procedures, that children do not cover the same work and that they are challenged and extended according to their age group and ability. Back to top

Curriculum

All teaching follows the frameworks of the National Curriculum and the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Assemblies, morning and afternoon breaks and the lunchtime, are used to reinforce the values of living and playing together as a community.

The National Curriculum consists of the following:
English, Maths and Science ? the core subjects
Information and Communication Technology, Religious Education (RE), History, Geography, Design Technology, Music, Art and Design, Physical Education (PE) and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education (SMSC).

Each subject is guided by a clearly defined Programme of Study, which has a detailed scheme of work to ensure continuity and progression.

Being a Church School our assemblies and R.E. are predominately Christian and have a daily act of worship. However we teach to an Essex agreed scheme ?Open World? at KS2, which includes many faiths, and the QCA scheme at KS1. We welcome people of all denominations and faiths. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from the Daily Act of Worship. Alternative provision is made for these pupils in their classrooms. There are strong links with our Church, St Mary and St Lawrence, in Great Waltham, where school services are held for festivals such as Christmas, Easter and Harvest.

ENGLISH

English is organised into three sections in the National Curriculum:

* Speaking and Listening
* Reading
* Writing (which includes Handwriting and Spelling).

Speaking and listening
We encourage children to engage in purposeful talk and time is given so that each child feels the audience values his/her contribution.

Children are encouraged to:

* introduce and discuss topics from their own experiences, with other individuals and in groups
* express themselves through drama
* listen to each other, to their teacher and other adults
* listen and respond to instructions, stories, poetry and music

All these activities will develop and extend understanding and use of spoken language.

Reading
This is a vitally important skill and we give every support to your child.

Reading is taught carefully and systematically using reading schemes supported by other books. At Great Waltham we use a colour banding system. Your child will be given a reading scheme book of the appropriate level and will be asked to chose one or more books from the same colour band. They may complete a level of the reading scheme but not be ready to move on, in which case they will continue reading other books from that colour band. This system ensures that children experience a broad range of texts including non-fiction, poetry and play scripts. Our aim is to teach the children a variety of skills to enable them to read with fluency and understanding. We do this using a system known as Early Reading Research which was developed at Warwick University, in conjunction with the National Literacy Strategy. Progress is closely monitored so that we can build on the children's achievements. At all times we strive to develop an enjoyment of reading and a love and respect for books.

Sharing books with children is more than just hearing them read. We therefore try to ensure that these times are undisturbed and enjoyable. We positively encourage parents to take part in this process and to aid communication we have a home/school partnership book in which both parents and teachers can comment. Parents of children in the Reception class are invited to accompany their child into school at 8.45 to read with them prior to registration at 9.00 a.m. Every child has a reading partner from another year group within the school and once a week we have a paired reading session during which these partners read a book together. Book backpacks are available from the office to keep our reading books clean and protected. Parents will be asked to make a donation of £2 to replace books that are returned damaged.

We urge parents to continue to read to their children, even when they have begun reading for themselves, and introduce them to the huge variety of printed materials such as: leaflets, magazines, recipes and instruction booklets. Books are shown to be important and valued in the class book-corners, the library, and in displays around the school and are an integral part of the literacy hour. As children progress, the study skills of skimming, scanning, note taking and use of indexes are introduced.

Writing
Most of the writing in the early stages arises from children's own language experiences. They are encouraged to write about life outside school and shared experiences in school. They write for a wide range of purposes and a variety of audiences. Flow of writing is encouraged through discussion and attention is drawn to language structure, spelling, grammar and presentation.

MATHEMATICS

All children have a daily numeracy lesson and mathematical skills are developed through:-

* oral work, in the form of songs, rhymes, stories, discussions and descriptions of objects and investigations in mathematical terms, all of which help the child to develop mathematical language, understanding and concepts
* practical activities which are important at every stage of primary maths
* carefully matched work from books, worksheets and games to reinforce practical experience
* investigations which encourage children to use and apply their mathematical knowledge

Children are not encouraged to become reliant on calculators for number work. However, calculator skills are taught in order to:-

* increase speed in number investigations
* allow children to use larger numbers
* make sensible estimates and understand which process is required
* understand place value
* check mental computation
* play games

SCIENCE

Science is essentially a practical subject with the children learning through first-hand experiences. It is planned to give opportunities for critical reflection, perseverance, creativity and inventiveness. Sensitivity to the living and the non-living environment and co-operation with others are encouraged.

Concepts and skills are taught using a variety of approaches, which include whole class, year group and individual teaching, topic-related activities and investigations.

Science work is recorded, progressing from pictorial representation to written accounts with appropriate use of graphs and diagrams. As they mature, children are expected to extend what can be learned from first-hand experiences to include ideas from secondary sources such as books, television and videos.

As part of the science curriculum sex education is given in such a manner as to encourage children to have due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life. In years 5 and 6 the physical and emotional aspects of growing up are dealt with in the context of caring, loving, responsible relationships, family life and respect for others. The school nurse and other professionals are invited to support and answer their questions. Parents are invited to view resources used and withdraw their children from the programme if that is their wish, except for those aspects that are part of the National Curriculum for Science.

The school environment is used to extend and develop mathematical experience and awareness. Cross-curricular links are made but not contrived.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY

This subject teaches how modern technology is used to gather and process information with computers and software, to appreciate how things like the internet help to improve communications and to control a variety of equipment such as computers, fax machines, video/sound recorders and projectors. It is used to support every other area of the curriculum and leads the children from first introduction to full use and an understanding of equipment, software and applications.

We are connected to the National Grid for Learning and committed to keeping abreast of technological changes to enhance our pupils? learning and provide the skills needed for the demands of this new century. Each classroom has its own computer and there is a networked computer suite which has access to a printer, scanner, digital camera and the Internet. At Great Waltham we also have laptop computers for whole class sessions and every class has an interactive white board.

SPIRITUAL, MORAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EDUCATION

SMSC and citizenship help to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active and responsible. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of our school community. The children learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. They also find out about their responsibilities, rights and duties as individuals and members of communities. Pupils learn to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning. Each class elects representatives to the School Forum, which meets several times each term. Back to top

Pastoral Care and Discipline

The safety of the pupils in our care is paramount. We maintain a high level of welfare and care for all the members of our community. We expect every pupil and adult to treat each other with respect for their feelings and their safety. All the adults in the school are actively engaged in promoting courteous, polite and responsible behaviour by example. Copies of our child protection and behaviour policies are available for inspection.

We have a list of school ?golden? rules and codes of classroom conduct identified by the children themselves in order to foster individual responsibility, self-discipline and an understanding of consequence.

We have a series of procedures to deal with serious matters of discipline, which include early parental involvement. In such cases, it is the class teacher who will have the primary responsibility for pastoral care and who will refer particular problems to the Headteacher or deputy Headteacher. If unacceptable behaviour persists, there is consultation with the parents so that the problem can be addressed and corrected within the resources available to the school. In rare cases of serious and persistent indiscipline, exclusion from the school remains an option. A detailed statement of county policy in this respect is available at the school.

The school aim is to provide a safe and secure environment where all will feel happy and confident. Bullying is not tolerated and there are procedures in place to prevent it occurring and to deal with it if it should occur. All involved will be given support and guidance.

All visitors are asked to report to the School Office to collect a security badge and to sign in and out. This enables us to give due care to the safety and well being of pupils in the school and meet Health and Safety regulations.

Parents should ensure that they, or a suitable adult, can be contacted during school hours. If your child is ill or has a serious accident during the school day we will telephone you immediately.

If a child has to take medicine throughout the day, we would prefer them to remain at home. Alternatively, if the child is well enough to attend for a whole school day, parents are encouraged to come in and give the medication themselves. Except for inhalers, children must not administer their own or anyone else's medicine.

We have identified areas in front of the school where parking is dangerous and inconvenient to pedestrians and other road users. This includes the recently narrowed corner of Hatchfields and parents should not park between the lay-by and the junction with South Street. We must have the co-operation of parents to ensure the safety of all children. There is no on-site parking during school hours but parking is freely available in the village hall car park. Back to top