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devonshire primary school a vibrant learning community ofsted

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welcome to our school at devonshire primary school we regard each of the children in our care as special and unique individuals we recognise the entitlement of every child to have full access to a broad balanced and differentiated curriculum irrespective of gender race colour religion or particular needs we aim to provide quality learning experiences within a happy purposeful stimulating environment where each child is encouraged and inspired to fulfil his or her potential our aim is to develop the whole child intellectually physically emotionally socially and spiritually we strive to foster a caring family atmosphere where each child s needs are taken into consideration we encourage the development of self-esteem and self-discipline where children take responsibility for their actions and we expect high standards of behaviour and respect for other people and their possessions we have an extremely caring and committed staff our teachers have strengths and expertise across all subjects of the national curriculum and children are given the experience of different teaching styles working sometimes as a whole class sometimes in smaller groups and sometimes as individuals to create maximum opportunities for learning we aim to develop children by building on their strengths helping them to overcome their weaknesses and making allowances for individual interests and rates of learning we acknowledge the important and vital role of parents in their children s education and hope for a productive partnership that puts children first indeed we place a great deal of emphasis on a three-way relationship children parents school staff we all need to relate positively with one another and work together to achieve the very best results through annual reports open evenings and regular communications parents are kept fully informed of their children s progress and of school events we welcome frequent and regular involvement of parents in the life and activities of the school the information in this prospectus is designed to give as much information as possible on our school s aims its work and its organisation if after reading it you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact me at school if you are a prospective parent and would like to visit the school then please contact us to arrange a mutually convenient time i look forward to meeting you neil hodgkins headteacher 2

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blackpool borough council devonshire primary school devonshire road blackpool lancashire fy3 8af telephone 01253 478271 fax 01253 392596 e mail admin@devonshire.blackpool.sch.uk website www.devonshire.blackpool.sch.uk vle www.fronter.com/blackpool headteacher mr n hodgkins chair of governing body cllr mrs s taylor our school is a local authority primary school which offers primary and nursery education to boys and girls aged 3 to11 years children s services authority offices pupil welfare whitegate manor whitegate drive blackpool tel 01253 476572 pupil welfare officer school medical officer school nurse mr jeff chandler dr wheatley mrs b wilson tel 651980 administration progress house clifton road blackpool fy4 4us tel 01253 476509 3

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devonshire primary school governing body authority representatives cllr mr g coleman mr t dagnall mrs m mcqueen councillor mrs s taylor mrs s hornby mrs s penfold mrs k sharp ms s taylor mr a brannigan mr n hodgkins mrs r thomas mrs j wall mrs j barber mrs b houghton mr m kilshaw mrs j mildren parent representatives staff representatives community representatives any of the governors can be contacted via the school office 4

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devonshire primary school ­ staff list 2010/2011 senior leadership team headteacher deputy headteacher assistant headteacher senco assistant headteacher fs manager teaching staff foundation stage nursery reception key stage 1 year 1 year 2 key stage 2 year 3 year 4 year 5 year 6 mr n hodgkins miss s bowker mrs d nixon mrs j smith n mrs c scott 0.6 f.t.e n mrs s hodgkins 0.6 f.t.e rg mrs a guest rw miss f weszka 1s miss c stackhouse 1m mrs v millerick 0.8 f.t.e 2f ms a fitzpatrick tlr 2d ms a daynes 3b mrs s brady 3e ms d elliott tlr 4c mrs k connolly 0.8 f.t.e 4h ms h hardcastle 5b mr a brannigan tlr ms l jackson 0.4 f.t.e 5m ms l muckle mr d parker phase leader years 4 5 6 6t mrs r thomas tlr 0.8 f.t.e ms l jackson 0.6 f.t.e 6p mrs c pike mrs a ainsley 0.5 f.t.e miss c gillin phase leader years 1 2 3 ecar ms c langley currently on maternity leave mr p mcdonald 0.6 f.t.e ms t mcmurray 0.4 f.t.e mrs a pawson 0.6 f.t.e ecc mrs j thorpe 0.5 f.t.e mrs l wakefield non class based 5

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support staff administration manager attendance officer receptionists learning mentors ms s drummond mrs l graham mrs g gascoigne morning mrs a goulding afternoon mrs m bell mrs j adams mrs j white mrs j wall mrs c brownlie mrs s coultas miss k fairclough mrs m fielden miss s giblin ms t manders mrs g parkinson mrs n warham mrs s bailey mrs m barker mr m darlington mrs p davies mrs b farnworth miss j faulkner mrs a goulding mrs d hazlehurst mrs e heaney mrs d hughes mrs p jordan mrs d kearns ms k keightley mrs s kirk ms t knowles mrs j mahoney miss d nicholson mrs e perry mrs l pierce mrs a rayner mrs d bainbridge mrs e edwards mrs k fellows miss l gregory mrs d hughes mrs j stoddard mrs e heaney mr i rawat mr p dodd mrs t o carroll mrs j clarke mrs c mackenzie mrs d hazlehurst mrs s snape 6 senior teaching assistants nursery nurses teaching/support assistants welfare assistants librarian ict technician site supervisor cleaning staff

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devonshire primary school starting the day the school day starts at 8.55a.m but children should not arrive at school before 8.45am as the staff are committed to other duties until that time and cannot guarantee the necessary supervision we ask parents to help their children to get to school on time as arriving late can cause upset and disrupt the class the school is committed to improving punctuality and school attendance and has an attendance officer who monitors and responds to this issue absences we ask parents either to ring in to say their child is absent and send a note on their child s return school will contact parents on the first day of absence by text or telephone if no contact has been made if a child returns without an explanation of absence a letter is sent by the class teacher requesting information in the event of prolonged or frequent absences the pupil welfare officer may visit the home at school we have to record unexplained absences as unauthorised for the year 2010/2011 unauthorised absences amounted to 2.7 the total number of pupils on roll during the report period was 480 appointments if a child has an appointment during school time it is helpful if we know in advance children are not allowed out of school without expressed permission from parents or accompanied by a responsible adult holidays where it is not possible to avoid taking children on holiday during school time parents are asked to complete a holiday form unless there are exceptional circumstances this category of absence will be classified as unauthorised a holiday pattern giving the term dates for this school year is included in this prospectus so that you can plan accordingly we also ask parents not to take children out of school during sats exam periods exam dates are supplied to parents at the start of each academic year 7

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accidents and emergencies when we suspect illness or there is an emergency parents are contacted at once usually by telephone in case of emergency it is absolutely vital that we have a contact number hospitals are reluctant to treat children without a parent present please keep addresses and telephone numbers up to date during the first year at school parents are often invited to attend a child health interview with the school nurse children may be examined by the school doctor we have a school nurse mrs barbara wilson who comes into school regularly she may be contacted at the school clinic on 01253 651980 she also operates a drop-in surgery most tuesday mornings between 8.30 and 10.30 ­ no appointment is needed check at the reception for details illness/medicines unfortunately there is no completely quiet place for children to be if they are ill at school so we will contact parents and ask them to collect their child if he/she is unwell medicines in school can be a source of potential danger and generally staff cannot take responsibility for administering them usual dosage is three times a day and can be given before and after school and at bedtime if necessary parents can come into school to give medicine but the best place for children who are ill is at home we have published a table of reference of the more common communicable diseases in the appendix at the end of this prospectus asthma policy if your child is asthmatic please let us know and we will explain our school policy to you you will be required to complete an asthma form which is held in school please ensure your child knows when and how to use the inhaler inhalers need to be labelled with your child s name and class 8

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head lice suffering from head lice can be unpleasant but quite normal in childhood these creatures find children s heads very attractive please do not be upset if you suspect your child has head lice simply report the matter to school and obtain treatment from the clinic or chemist as soon as possible or contact the school nurse at the number given on page 2 of this prospectus for advice road safety there is a crossing patrol on caunce street at the start and end of each day it is obviously essential that children should cross busy roads at the designated crossings all children in school have recently been involved in road safety training for safety and security there is a cycle path into the school grounds and sheltered bicycle racks 9

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devonshire primary school uniform our school uniform is designed so that pupils are comfortably dressed for all activities and at the same time look smart and take pride in belonging to the school we ask for parents/carers support in this girls navy blue skirt or pinafore dress or navy blue trousers gold polo shirt school sweatshirt black shoes optional summer uniform ­ navy blue white checked dress boys navy blue or black trousers short or long gold polo shirt school sweatshirt black shoes p.e kit essential for safety and hygiene girls boys pumps plain white tee shirt blue shorts swimming costume towel waterproof bag years 5 6 in school we sell:blue sweatshirts and gold polo shirts both embroidered with the school logo fleece jackets in electric blue embroidered with the school logo white t-shirts embroidered with the school logo we also sell and a range of school bags also with the school logo on for reasons of safety no jewellery may be worn when children are taking part in physical activities stud earrings must be removed for all p.e lessons or covered with plasters supplied from home children s property although we try to safeguard children s property we cannot accept responsibility for lost articles so we ask parents to mark everything clearly with their child s name a lost property basket is kept and children can look there for anything that has been mislaid unclaimed property is disposed of at the end of each term children s personal private property including jewellery should not be brought to school as we cannot accept responsibility for safe custody if there is a reason to confiscate a child s property e.g for health and safety reasons or because it is causing a nuisance then the item will be returned as soon as the reason for confiscation has passed usually at the end of the school day parents may be asked to collect unsuitable items or items deemed to be unsafe 10

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lunch time we hope your child will want to stay for a hot meal cooked in our kitchen if your child has to have a special diet the school cook can arrange to cater for this some children bring a packed lunch to school your child will need to have a lunch box with his/her name on it cold drinks should be in a sealed plastic container no sweets hot or fizzy drinks or bottles please as a healthy school we aim to promote a healthy lunch box dinner money please send your child s dinner money in a sealed envelope with your child s name and class clearly printed dinner money envelopes can be obtained from the school office school meals currently cost £2 per day £10 per week and should be paid for in advance on a monday morning we also now operate the `parent pay system by which you can pay for your child s meals on-line please ask at the school office for details milk money milk is provided for all infant children milk money should be paid at the beginning of each term break times infant children are provided with a piece of fruit each day for key stage 2 there is a fruit shop each morning break with pieces of fruit for sale at cost price 11

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admissions the governing body has agreed with the csa that our school admissions number will be 60 in all year groups if we are unable to offer a place to a child because the appropriate year group is full parents have the right of appeal to the csa admission to reception class during the first weeks of september reception teachers will visit parents/carers at home together they will fill in an admission form and arrange the starting date all children attend school on a part-time basis for the first few weeks of the reception year breakfast and after-school clubs sessions run from monday to friday during term-time breakfast club is from 8.00 to 8.45a.m at a daily cost of £2.00 or £8 for 5 days after-school club is from 3.15 to 5.15p.m at a daily cost of £5 per session or £20 for 5 days children attending extra-curricular activities may also attend after-school club when their activity has finished at a reduced rate of £3.00 per session school organisation classes are organised according to age there are two mixed ability classes in each year group by careful structuring we keep class size as small as possible so that children can benefit from favourable learning conditions in year 6 the pupils are grouped into 3 sets for english and 3 sets for maths and benefit from extra support the curriculum we believe that all the children in our school have a right to access the whole curriculum in a full and meaningful way work is planned for the children according to their age ability and level of attainment each year group studies the national curriculum subjects plus religious education and cross-curricular topics form a part of the work in all year groups individual group and class teaching methods are used to deliver the curriculum as effectively and efficiently as possible the school has adopted the government s literacy and numeracy strategies and has implemented them accordingly and also makes reference to the csa s school curriculum policy statement 12

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religious education and collective worship religious education is delivered according to the statutory orders laid down by the government and consistent with the children s services authority s recommendations although our approach is broadly christian in nature it embraces other religions and seeks to foster tolerance and understanding of different faiths and beliefs each school day an assembly is held which may comprise a short act of worship plus a story talk or presentation by a teacher the children or a visitor our assemblies usually involve infant and junior children meeting together at different times parents who do not wish their children to participate in r.e or the short acts of worship should inform the headteacher in writing and their children will be supervised in another part of the school on these occasions personal social and health education in keeping with the school s ethos and values we actively seek to promote children s spiritual moral cultural and social development and prepare pupils for the opportunities responsibilities and experiences of life this may take place in a direct way such as in circle time when children are encouraged to discuss their feelings and empathise with others or as part of other curricular work health education follows a programme based on the national curriculum guidelines and includes consideration of hygiene physical health personal development and sex education which is taught in a manner appropriate to the age of the children and emphasises the importance of family life and personal relationships older juniors years 5 and 6 are given talks and shown videos about growing-up by the school nurse parents are informed in advance and are welcome to attend these talks and/or preview the videos/materials used special educational needs the school implements the special educational needs code of practice november 2001 the special educational needs co-ordinator is mrs nixon mrs houghton is the governor responsible for sen the governors are committed to the principle of inclusion consequently extra help is given to children through a system of in-class provision there are occasions when it is better for children to have individual or small group support the senco works closely with parents to discuss children s needs and progress individual education plans are prepared and reviewed for children at school action plus of the code of practice children with additional needs receive targeted support through the use of provision maps the educational psychologist supports the school to assess children s needs and provide advice the emotional well-being in school team can offer support and advice for children with emotional or behaviour difficulties there are close links with health services the school and nursery make every effort to welcome and accommodate disabled pupils and to provide appropriate facilities all pupils are treated equally regardless of disability race gender or religion 13

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homework children are encouraged to take home reading and library books so that parents can support and help in addition children may be asked to learn spellings and tables or asked to complete unfinished work at home they may also be given a research task or set a challenge that could involve their families we ask parents to support their children s education by taking an interest in anything they bring home and ensuring that it is brought back on the following school day the school has developed a homework policy according to government guidelines and a copy is available on request records of progress records of achievement are kept to chart landmarks of success in learning and development we also like to share children s pleasure of achievement in activities outside school and encourage them to bring in certificates badges and information connected with clubs or events in which they participate teachers keep confidential records of children s progress and aptitude in different areas of the curriculum parents have the right of access to their children s records and may arrange to discuss them by appointment reporting to parents we have two formal open evenings each year when parents are invited to share information about children s progress in school and to view their work these are held in the autumn and spring terms towards the end of each academic year we report to parents on their children s attainment across all the subjects of the national curriculum and in february parents are sent a mid-year progress report which can be discussed at parents night however our working together philosophy means that we welcome parents interest in their children s work at any time parental involvement as mentioned frequently in this prospectus we believe parents have a vital role to play in the education of their children and we look forward to working in partnership with them we keep parents informed about events in school through newsletters verbal communication and notices placed on notice boards and on entrance doors of the school we are also seeking to encourage parents to help in school in a variety of ways talking to and listening to children to support their learning listening to children reading and assisting in their other work contributing to extra-curricular activities;accompanying school visits exploring the local environment gardening cooking and baking repairing and maintaining equipment covering books helping to mount pictures and work for display working with small groups of children on various activities including computer work fund raising parents may have other skills or expertise that they could offer and we would be pleased to discuss any potential means of support we have an informal parents and friends group who 14

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organise fund raising activities and are known as fods friends of devonshire school any parents who would like to help in school should see mr hodgkins or miss bowker behaviour policy at devonshire primary school we present discipline in a positive manner by setting high expectations of behaviour for all our children and encouraging a code of conduct that reflects care concern and respect for staff and others we have a few basic rules to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone in the school but we place great emphasis on self-discipline and self-control we strive to influence children to make morally sound decisions to behave in a way that is socially acceptable and to take responsibility for their actions we need parental support to maintain high standards of discipline in our school we believe that we can achieve our aims by working in partnership with parents to develop the whole child a copy of the school s behaviour policy is available on request rewards and sanctions success is important to all learners and rewards have a very positive influence on behaviour children need praise and encouragement to foster a sense of achievement we recognise and reward effort and achievement in work and behaviour in a variety of ways participation in individual or team events is celebrated in whole-school assemblies certificates and stickers are used to mark achievements and evidence of achievement is displayed in photographs and examples of work around the school once a week in a special assembly a child from each class is acknowledged as star of the week to recognise an effort of achievement in work attitude or behaviour merit awards are also awarded to well-behaved and helpful children identified by staff at lunch time and in other parts of school life there are also special half term and end of term assemblies when good attendance and other achievements are recognised there are opportunities for all children to succeed on a regular basis but when they do not meet acceptable standards in work attitude or behaviour privileges may be withdrawn and children asked to account for their actions if the situation does not improve we will seek parental co-operation which may involve meetings and/or a report system in exceptional cases of serious misconduct or dangerous behaviour it may be necessary to exclude a child according to the agreed procedure of the c.s.a we hope children will always respect all people who work in or visit school be encouraged to be well mannered please thank you not interrupt adults talking not use bad language respect each others property and that of the school act with kindness and consideration leave jewellery at home dress sensibly wear school uniform and have clothing clearly marked 15

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