Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Chapel Street, Ryhill, Nr. Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF4 2AD

Telephone: 01226 722530 

Fax: 01226 727969

Email: headteacher@ryhill.wakefield.sch.uk

HEADTEACHER

Mrs Emma Jones

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School.  We hope your child will be happy and enjoy the time they are with us in our school.

We welcome your co-operation and believe that together we can achieve your child’s potential within school and truly value your support.

If you have any cause for concern about your child’s welfare or progress, please inform school as soon as possible in order that the matter can be dealt with promptly.

Yours sincerely

Mrs. E. Jones  Headteacher

GOVERNING BODY

Headteacher – Mrs Emma Jones

Chair of Governors - Mr Michael Fealy

Vice Chair of Governors - Mrs Lynn Fisher

All Governors can be contacted via the school

SCHOOL AIMS

Our school aims to provide a happy and secure environment for all those who work in, or visit, it.  We believe that we should:

Develop inquiring minds, with the ability to question, think rationally and independently creating self-motivated learners.

Promote excellence, equality and high expectations for everyone. Standards will be high in all areas of the school’s work and there will be an atmosphere of challenge and support at all levels.

Establish learning environments that will be exciting and rewarding.

Provide a curriculum that is a broad range of creative, stimulating, sporting and artistic opportunities through which the children will experience discovery and success.

Enable our children to keep safe and adopt healthy lifestyles in order for our children to be emotionally and physically healthy.

Establish an ethos where everyone is included, valued and respected. Everyone will be given the opportunity to fulfil their potential and become the best that they can possibly be.

              Be positive role models, we will encourage open-mindedness and respect for others.

Enable the pupils to take responsibility for their own learning, to use and apply their developing skills and to work collaboratively.

Place the school at the centre of the community by working closely with parents and local groups, and to strive to make a positive contribution towards that community.

We will never be complacent and strive for continuous improvement through effective consultation and rigorous self-evaluation.

“Together we can achieve!

PARENTAL INFORMATION

MODE OF DRESS

 At Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School we do have a school uniform which we encourage children to wear which consists of:-

                        Winter             Grey skirt / pinafore dress / Grey trousers.

                                                White blouse / white shirt

                                                Red cardigan / jumper / sweatshirt

   Summer            Red and white checked dress

                                                Grey shorts

                                                White Polo Shirt

                                                Red cardigan / jumper or top.

Items of school uniform can be ordered from the school office from Mrs Stephenson who will willingly provide you with an item / price list. Please mark clothes with your child’s name. This makes problems with lost property easier to deal with.

Children are expected to dress themselves after P.E. so it is essential they wear clothing / shoes that they can deal with.

JEWELLERY

 Children are requested NOT to wear jewellery eg. rings, bracelets, necklaces for their own safety, this is also due to the fact that school cannot be held responsible for such items.  One pair of ear studs can be worn, but must be removed at home on P.E. days and not covered by tape.  Staff are not allowed to remove earrings.

INFORMATION TO PARENTS

We endeavour to keep parents informed about events / visits etc. by sending home letters via the children. Please contact us if you change your personal details e.g.

Ø       Change of address.

Ø       Change of telephone number (including mobile numbers).

Ø       Change of emergency contact numbers.

Ø       Place of work - we may need to contact you in cases of emergency.

Ø       Intention of leaving the area - so that your child's new school can be informed and details of work covered sent.

Ø       Holidays which involve absence from school.

Ø       Any personal problems which may affect your child’s happiness and work.  We may be able to help!

Parents are welcome to come into school to help in the classrooms, if you feel you could help within school please contact your child’s class teacher who would be happy of your support.

We always appreciate any feedback / ideas which parents may wish to make to improve any aspect of school life so please contact us!

OUR EXTENDED COMMUNITY

We strive for a close relationship with the local community and see ourselves as being a central cog in the community wheel, encouraging parents to visit school and become involved in the various activities we facilitate.  We pride ourselves on the caring atmosphere within our centre which provides a secure place for children to learn.  We set high standards for academic achievement and behaviour encouraging the whole community to take an active part in the education of their children.

OUR LEARNING

At Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School we believe that the process of education should be a partnership between all members of the school community.  We aim to foster close links between home, school and the wider community.  We encourage parents to work in partnership with the school providing the best education possible for your child.  Parents are invited into school to work with their children.

Education should be exciting and enjoyable and whenever possible exploiting the experiences of each child.  We aim to develop each child academically, physically, socially, emotionally and morally.  We believe in each child working to the level of his/her ability yet still with a degree of challenge and stimulation.

We aim to provide a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated creative curriculum allowing for appropriate continuity, progression and change, to help each child gain the skills that they will undoubtedly need in later life.

The school curriculum is approached in a creative way through carefully constructed work that covers the broad areas of learning which take place across the school which are:-

       communication skills – literacy - speaking, listening, writing, reading, information handling

       mathematical skills – numeracy - number , shape and space, measures, investigation

       environmental enquiry – historical, geographical and scientific study

       physical skills – gymnastics, games, swimming, athletics, dance

       creative arts – music, art, design, dance, drama

       attitudes and values – religious education, personal, social and health education issues

ENGLISH 

We concentrate on the basic skills of literacy.  This includes reading, writing, speaking and listening. All children undertake guided reading and shared reading with their teacher weekly.  Home reading books are sent home daily and changed in school when appropriate. Parents are requested to write in their child’s reading record when they have read at home.  We also encourage parents to take an active role in hearing their child read regularly both at home and within our school. We try to encourage creativity in written work alongside support to use correct spellings and clear legible handwriting. Oral skills are developed by individual/group/class discusssions.  Drama, role play and poetry also give further opportunity to develop listening skills as well as the spoken word.

MATHEMATICS

The teaching of mathematics is approached in a variety of ways.  Children are taught the basic skills of numeracy i.e. number, shape and space, data handling and problem solving etc. through a variety of practical activities.  Children then reinforce these skills working at a level that suits their ability whilst still giving them challenge. The children are encouraged to be as independent as possible and select the appropriate mathematical equipment for a specific task themselves.

SCIENCE

The teaching of science in our school is carried out in a variety of ways including practical investigations, knowledge based research and independent activities. The children are encouraged to think “outside the box” using their scientific knowledge to make predictions, analysis and conclusions. Where possible the science curriculum is linked with the overall topic / theme for that year group hence consolidating the children’s learning further. 

OTHER CURRICULUM AREAS

This broad heading includes history, geography, music, PE, Art, Design Technology, ICT etc.  These subjects are treated as a class topic / theme and the work is approached at a level in keeping with the ages and abilities of the children. The delivery of these subjects is made as creative as possible within a structured environment, hence allowing the children to be secure in the knowledge that if they make a mistake they are simply encouraged to learn from it.

SOCIAL, MORAL, PERSONAL EDUCATION

We feel that the development of personal qualities are very important and that by forming relationships and by encouraging the children to work together and to help others we hope to encourage such characteristics as honesty, truthfulness, tolerance, consideration etc.  We try to build an awareness of living and working together and how to behave so as not to create difficulties and unpleasantness. In addition to this we try to encourage self confidence and independence so that the children are able to tackle problems and find solutions in a mature way.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND ASSEMBLIES

Religious Education is non-denominational as are school assemblies.  The Religious Education Curriculum encompasses a variety of different religions from around the world, encouraging the children to treat other faiths and cultures with a respect and maturity. If parents wish to excercise their right to withdraw their children from acts of worship and religious education lessons please contact the Headteacher so that alternative educational arrangements can be made for the children concerned.

SEX / DRUGS EDUCATION

Throughout their time in our school your child will be taught the importance of keeping healthy both in terms of their physical and mental health. Sex education and health education are taught in ways appropriate to the age and maturity of the children.
The questions that they ask as a natural consequence of their curiosity will be answered appropriately and in the context in which they arise.  This aspect of the curriculum is very much a shared responsibility between parents and teachers.  All parents will be informed before the teaching takes place and will have an opportunity to view the materials used, so that they can be prepared for any questions or issues that arise afterwards at home.

The sex education programme will reflect the schools ethos and demonstrate the following values:

• to respect yourself
• to respect others
• to take responsibility for our own actions
• to share a responsibilitiy for our friends, family and the wider community

The sex education programme will:

• provide information that is easy to understand and that is relevant and appropriate to the age and maturity of our pupils
• Include the development of communication skills
• Encouage the exploration and clarification of values and attitudes

Sex education will be taught in the context of a loving relationship.

PLAY

A child’s play is one activity to be encourage and respected because of its importance in the educational process. It is a vehicle for all aspects of young people’s learning, development and motivation. We aim to make child play a way of exploring and experimenting. We hope that through play they will become more experienced with the world around them and cope better with everyday tasks. In particular we aim to give the child confidence through specific play situations.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

At Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School we believe that your child’s education should not just be within the traditional working school day, therefore we strive to offer a range of extra curricular activities that encompass a wide variety of interests. These include breakfast clubs, after school clubs and Educational Visits to places of interest, theatre visits, sports afternoons, church festivals, christmas parties and the choir.  All these activities are an important part of your child's school life and we would like everyone to take part if possible.

EDUCATIONAL VISITS AND JOURNEYS

Regular outside visits are organised throughout the year and we also aim to provide all children with the opportunity to take part in an extended residential visit during their years at Ryhill. Other activities such as swimming, visiting musicians and theatre groups, cooking, etc. all help to develop and enrich the school curriculum.  With the exception of board and lodging, payment for all these activities is voluntary and no child may be excluded. However, if voluntary contributions are not sufficient to cover the cost of the event and the school is unable to fund the difference, the activity may need to be cancelled.

We are confident that parents recognise the value of these activities and with their full co-operation hope to continue to provide a varied and interesting programme of events. The Governors agree that the school may charge for activities which take place outside the school day, up to the actual cost of the activity.

ACCELERATED LEARNING

At Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School we are continually looking at ways in which we can raise pupil motivation and achievement. Training is constantly taking place to support this whether it is for specific areas of the curriculum or larger whole school issues. We feel very strongly about ensuring that the children at Ryhill have every opportunity to learn to their full potential, that their learning is fun and that they feel secure enough to take risks. All staff have been involved in training which focused on raising pupil achievement called Accelerated Learning. Children learn in many different ways and it is important their learning environment supports this. Some children are visual learners and need to see information to support their learning. Some learn by listening and use their auditory skills to help them understand and some children are kinaesthetic learners and need to learn by "doing". The best way to learn something is to see it, hear it and do it.

It is important to create a supportive learning environment and connect this to the learning that takes place. Having informative and interactive displays in classrooms gives the children a big picture to their learning. Hence positive messages around the school help to raise the children's self-esteem. They need to feel part of a group and that their contribution, whatever its nature, is valued. They need to have a sense of belonging. Pupils need to be encouraged to set their own goals and reflect on their own progress so that they become learners with aspirations.

The school and the classrooms within it should be safe havens for learning where there is consistency in expectations and standards enabling the children to learn in safety. They need to be encouraged to have their own identity, to catch them being successful and let them know it. The children also need to know that mistakes are valuable learning tools in an environment where they can take risks and achievement is valued, we need to reinforce success.

Aspects from the school’s recent training which we felt would support our aim of motivating pupil achievement were as follows:

Bedtime - statistics show that good sleeping habits are important to the process of children's learning. Tired children do not learn effectively.

Breakfast - children need fuel to learn. Having a good breakfast means that the children are ready to learn at the beginning of the day. This is very important as the timetable now in our school covers the core subjects of literacy and numeracy in the mornings.

Bottles - children are encouraged to bring bottles of water to sip during the day. Research has shown that children's learning improves if they are hydrated.

Fruit - the children have a long time to work between breakfast and lunch so a fruit break at playtime helps to re-fuel them ready for the second session, fruit is a good source of energy.

Brain gym - this is a range of exercises that develop and stimulate different sides of the brain. Often during a long lesson the children get tired and lose their concentration. These five minute exercises give them a chance to have a break and move about so that they can settle and re-focus on their task.

Music - music is known to have a calming effect and stimulates learning. Music is played at different times of the day to match certain activities.

High expectations shape performance. We need to continually encourage the children to be positive about themselves and believe that they can achieve.

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't you are probably right"

Our children definitely CAN!

EXPECTATIONS OF BEHAVIOUR

At Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery School we aim to create a secure and happy environment in which children will learn to co-operate with each other in their work and play.  We encourage them to learn self-discipline and ask them to respect and follow our code of conduct.

¶         ALWAYS BE SAFE

¶         ALWAYS BE KIND AND SENSIBLE

¶         ALWAYS TRY YOUR BEST

¶         ALWAYS RESPECT OTHERS AND THEIR PROPERTY

¶         ALWAYS BE POLITE AND HONEST

These rules are part of our positive behaviour policy and if children persistantly break these rules they will lose privileges e.g. loss of play time. Ongoing problems will be initially discussed informally between parents and class teacher. If there are any serious problems concerning a child’s work or behaviour parents will be notified in writing by the Head teacher and invited to discuss the problems and possible remedies.

ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

NURSERY ADMISSIONS

Children are admitted into the nursery as soon as possible after their third birthday.  We usually admit children at the start of each term.  If you wish your child to attend our nursery it is advisable to register your child’s details with us as soon as possible.  Children are admitted in catchment area and chronological order.  As soon as you are notified of a place please contact the school nursery to confirm your acceptance of the place.  (Nursery teacher, Mrs. O’Brien 01226 722530).

Admission to a nursery does not automatically guarantee a place in our school, and parents should ensure that they have approached us with a request that their child's name is registered with us. We will then make every effort to make sure your child goes through to school with their peer group.

SCHOOL ADMISSIONS

Applications for admission into school should be made through the central school admissions office in Wakefield. All classes are mixed ability and a combination of class, group or individual teaching is used.  Therefore the placement of a child in a particular class is at the discretion of the Headteacher.

THE SCHOOL DAY

Start                8.55 a.m.

Finish          3.00 p.m

Lunchtime      12 noon – 12.30 p.m (Key Stage 2)

                12.30 p.m – 1.15pm (Key Stage 1)

Parents and adults collecting children should wait in the playground at hometime to ensure that exits do not become crowded or blocked. Children are told to return into school if the person they are expecting to collect them has not arrived and will then be collected from school.  This is to ensure their safety.

ATTENDANCE

It is your responsibility as a parent to ensure regular and punctual attendance. Therefore we would ask you to please send a note in to explain absences. If no explanation is received the absence will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Should there be a number of absences the Education Welfare Officer is required to visit the home. The Education Welfare Officer works very closely with school monitoring attendance and will visit homes when a child’s attendance falls below 90%. We also have a learning mentor in school who will ring you in the event of an absence, this is to ensure that your child is safe and that you are aware of their absence, she is also available to discuss problems of attendance and discipline. In addition to this the Governors closely monitor attendance. Our attendance figures for last year were as follows:

Overall Attendance: 93.07%

Authorised Attendance: 5.37%

Unauthorised Attendance: 1.56%

ILLNESS IN SCHOOL

If your child is ill or has an accident in school then we will make every effort to contact parents. Therefore, it is important that we have a telephone number where you can normally be contacted during school hours or where another responsible adult may be contacted on your behalf.

ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

Regular attendance is obviously very important, but if your child is ill or unable to attend school, please inform us by telephoning school as soon as possible, otherwise the absence will be categorised as unauthorised. A note should be sent to school confirming the reason for the absence. It is an important part of our caring partnership to know where children are. Like regular attendance, punctuality is also important. Please do try to get your child to school on time.

HOLIDAYS

We do not encourage holidays to be taken during term time. Only under exceptional circumstances will we authorise such requests and these should be supported by a letter from parents’ line manager confirming their holiday allocation. If no such letter is received then the absence will be unauthorised. Under NO circumstances will holidays be authorised during SATs week. Please refer to our school calendar for the dates.

MEDICINES IN SCHOOL

We need to know of any regular medicines (e.g. asthma inhalers) which your child may require. Only prescribed medicines should be sent to school if absolutley necessary and should be handed to the school office with clear, written instructions as to their administration. All medicine should be provided in the original packaging. Children are not allowed to keep their own medication.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

We believe that each child is equal, with equal rights to access and advancement within our school. We will create an environment where all pupils have the opportunity to study a broad and balanced curriculum relevant to their needs and abilities. We aim to ensure the provision of high quality education appropriate to the needs of all children, ensuring those with special needs have equal access to the whole school curriculum. We endeavour to develop individual learning programmes and to structure support for class teachers which enhance the school’s role in meeting pupils’ special educational needs. We make teachers aware of the full range of special educational needs and through shared practice and effective training we develop their skills of diagnosis and response. We try to develop empathic teaching strategies which promote self-esteem and are sensitive and responsive to children’s special educational needs and develop accurate proceedures for the assessment, recording and monitoring of those needs. If a problem is identified then discussions are arranged with parents. We should then consult with whichever agencies it is considered may help in developing further strategies.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

All children in school, irrespective of race, culture or gender, will have equal access to all areas of the curriculum and extra-curricular activities. Teacher assessment and end of Key Stage assessment tests will be used to monitor any differences that may exist in the performance of boys and girls in curriculum areas. Bearing in mind these aims and the requirements of the National Curriculum, policies have been drawn up as guidelines for the staff covering a wide variety of subjects.

COMPLAINTS

If any parents have cause for complaint they should be addressed to the Headteacher.  If still dissatisfied a formal complaint in writing should be addressed to the Chair of Governors, Mrs M Fealy who can be contacted through school. The LA has a responsibility to ensure that complaints are fairly dealt with by the school although there is no further right to the LA about the substance of the complaint. In some cases the complainant may have the right to complain to the DCSF.

SATS RESULTS 2009