let your light shine - st matthew's primary · let your light shine 2 headteacher’s welcome...

Let Your Light Shine


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Headteacher’s Welcome

Hello,

I'm Tom Johnson, the Headteacher of St. Matthew's CE Primary. I am delighted you have

taken the time to learn more about our wonderful school.

St. Matthew’s is a thriving family of children, parents, staff and governors who work

together to create a fantastic school for our community. Our school’s vison is taken from

Matthew 5:16. ‘Let your light shine’

We believe all children can shine at St Matthew’s and we strive for every member of our

school family to succeed and flourish with us. This was recognised in our January 2016

church school inspection which judged St Matthew’s to be outstanding in all areas and a

school that enables all children to shine.

This commitment to our children’s education helped St Matthew’s be recognised by UNICEF

as a school where children’s rights are valued and promoted. We are now proud to be the

first school in Trafford to be a UNICEF Rights Respecting School.

As a church school, we embody our values of compassion, respect and peace in all we do.

Therefore every family from across our community is welcomed at St. Matthew’s and we

are proud of our diversity.

Our children love their school and thrive. They enjoy roasting marshmallows over a fire in

the outdoor classroom, performing Shakespeare at the Royal Exchange Theatre and

spending time reading to our school dog, Iris.

This prospectus provides all the key information about St

Matthew’s but to get a real feel for who we are and what we do

then please contact school to arrange a tour; our children are

always happy to show off our school!

Tom Johnson


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Our School Vision and Aims

Our School Vision

Children thrive at St. Matthew’s. We believe this is because we have a clear vision for our school.

Let Your Light Shine Matthew 5:16

Our School Aims

'Let Your Light Shine'

Matthew 5:16

We believe all children can shine at St

Matthew’s and we strive for every member of our school family to succeed

and flourish with us

To have happy,

confident & caring

children

Every child to achieve academic success

Embody our Christian values of

compassion, respect &

peace

Provide our children with

a primary education to remember

Build strong partnerships with families

and our community

Nurture and celebrate the whole child


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“A school where everyone

feels proud to belong”

OFSTED 2017

Our Staff

Senior Leaders Mr T Johnson Headteacher Mr P Langridge Deputy Headteacher

Teachers Miss A Charles Nursery Miss J Webber Reception Miss R Simester Year 1 (Infants Lead) Miss S Griffiths Year 2 Mr A Hughes Year 3 (Juniors Lead) Miss K O’Donnell Year 4 Miss J Lee Year 5 (SENCO) Miss E Tyrer Year 6

Specialists Mrs S Cavanagh Pastoral and Safeguarding Lead Mr L Snell Sports Coach/Forest School Leader

Classroom Support Mrs E Brindley Teaching Assistant Miss J Collins Teaching Assistant / Cover Supervisor Mr A Glinka Teaching Assistant / Cover Supervisor Ms J Richardson Teaching Assistant Mrs J Hope Teaching Assistant Mrs R Kaur-Swalley Teaching Assistant Mrs H Bickmore Teaching Assistant Mrs J Price Teaching Assistant/Cover supervisor Ms E Shorrocks Teaching Assistant Support Staff Mrs S Bates Finance & Office Manager Mrs N Thompson Administration Assistant Mr L Walker Site Manager

Lunchtime Staff Mrs S Wilson School Cook Mrs Y Barrow Lunchtime Organiser Mrs N Grieg Midday Assistant Mrs M Harper Midday Assistant Mrs J Kavanagh Midday Assistant/teaching assistant Miss B Winn Midday Assistant Mrs K But Midday Assistant Ms D Weston Midday Assistant Ms Engrid Smith Midday Assistant


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A message from the Chair of Governors

Dear Parents, On behalf of the whole Governing Body I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to you at this crucial stage in your child’s life as they begin school. I am incredibly proud of what is achieved at St Matthew’s. We have here a small, nurturing school, and staff work hard to make every child feel safe and valued. We are convinced that a young child will only find their own path in life if they have a solid bedrock start. Mr Johnson and all the staff have created an atmosphere of warmth and welcome. I am in school often, and it is a joy to be there. Come and visit our school, and see for yourself. It would be lovely to see you. With good wishes, Mrs Bernice Garlick Chair of Governors

Our Governors

Mrs B Garlick (Chair) Co-opted Mr T Johnson Headteacher Rev Kate Burgess Foundation Mr A Preston Trafford Mrs S Toor Parent Mrs E Entwistle Foundation

Mrs A Randal Parent Miss E Tyrer Staff Mr M Flatman (Vice Chair) Co-opted Mrs E Nichol Parent Mrs L Jones Parent

Mrs J Crump Co-opted

Our Staff

*Governors have responsibility for the effective management of the school, working within the frameworks set out by Trafford Local Authority, Manchester Diocese and National Legislation. Governors have a key role to play in helping our school to provide the best possible education for all our children. With their help we can all raise standards and ensure that every child in our school achieves their full potential. The governing body consists of the Headteacher, a teacher, a member of the non teaching staff, LA representatives, members co-opted from the local community, representatives from St. Matthew’s Church and parent governors. Each governor serves a four year term. School governors need no special qualifications – just common sense and an interest in school life.


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“The distinctiveness and effectiveness of

St Matthew’s as a Church of England

school are outstanding.”

SIAMS church school

inspection 2016

Admission Arrangements

Nursery The Nursery unit is able to offer 52 part-time places consisting of 26 morning places and 26 afternoon places. We are usually able to offer some places as full time places if parents are eligible for a funded 30 hour place. Offers of places in the Nursery are in line with our admissions policy. Parents who wish to apply for a place in the Nursery should contact school for an application form. The children’s names are placed onto the Nursery waiting list as soon as we receive the completed application form. Due to the demand for places, parents are advised to apply as early as possible. Nursery places may be offered earlier if there are vacancies. School Children starting school at St Matthew’s are admitted following the Trafford Policy for School Admissions. Details of admission arrangements are available from the Trafford website www.trafford.gov.uk/educationandlearning/schooladmissions or contact Trafford Admissions Department on 0161 912 5007. Parents will be asked to fill in a form stating their preferred choice of school for their child. This form will need to be completed by a set date and submitted online or returned to School Admissions Team, 4th Floor, Waterside House, Waterside, Sale, M33 7ZF. Prospective parents are always welcome and are shown around school by the Headteacher or in his absence a member of the school’s leadership team.

http://www.trafford.gov.uk/educationandlearning/schooladmissions


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The Curriculum

At St. Matthew’s we provide an exciting and rigorous curriculum based upon the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and National Curriculum frameworks. Our curriculum is organised into the following phases: Early Years Foundation Stage is from ages 3-5 (Nursery and Reception) Key Stage 1 is from age 5 to 7 (Years 1 and 2) Key Stage 2 is from age 7 to 11 (Years 3 to 6) Our teachers deliver the curriculum in a variety of ways to excite, challenge and support the children. The school has many resources to support our curriculum such as iPads and our outdoor classroom. Early Years Foundation Stage There are seven areas of learning and development and all areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive. The prime areas are:

communication and language

physical development

personal, social and emotional development.


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There are four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are

Literacy

Mathematics

understanding the world

expressive arts and design Key Stage 1 and 2 The Core subjects taught are:

English Maths Science Religious Education

Foundation Curriculum Other subjects taught to provide a balanced curriculum are:- Geography, History, Art and Design, Music, Design and Technology, PE, PSHE, Computing, Spanish and outdoor learning. In today's changing world, we feel children need a knowledge and understanding of themselves, of others and of the world in which they live. We seek to develop these areas of knowledge and understanding by valuing each child and encouraging each one to achieve the highest standards in personal development and academic performance of which he or she is capable. Religious Education St. Matthew’s is a Church of England controlled school and functions in partnership with Trafford Education Authority. Religious Education is taught in accordance with the Trafford Agreed Syllabus. As a church school, we value the close links with St. Matthew’s Church and the Christian faith underpins the ethos of our school. We welcome children from other faith communities, valuing and respecting the faiths of others. We believe this is strength of our school. Parents wishing their child to be excluded from RE and/or Collective Worship should arrange this in consultation with the Headteacher. Outdoor Learning St. Matthew’s is surrounded by woodland, meadows, rivers and ponds. Our incredible outdoor space means we love to learn outdoors. Outdoor learning helps to build confidence, resilience and problem solving skills. We value these skills and the team spirit that is created when we work together outdoors. Every child will work outdoors each week and each term a class will be chosen to be our school gardeners. Our Stars of the Week are rewarded with a full morning outside with Mr Snell.


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Sex and Relationship Education Sex and Relationship Education forms part of our curriculum framework in school and has been developed to comply with legislation and the guidance from the Department for Education. The governing body has formulated a policy for understanding relationships, personal responsibility and safety, respect for self and others. The children will be encouraged to have due regard for moral considerations and the value of family life. The programme of teaching and learning is based on national examples of good practice. It is developmental and age appropriate, beginning at the earliest stage in concepts and understanding about self, family and friendships. Extra-Curricular Activities We are proud of the range of activities on offer at St Matthew’s. Children can take advantage of the many after school activities which have recently included:

Cookery

Sports

Football team

Dance

Craft

iPad

School choir

Newspaper *Clubs vary each year Other activities on offer include

School productions

Year 6 Residential Trip

Community projects

Theatre in school

Educational Visits

Children’s Shakespeare Festival

Community Fun Day

Sports Day

Family Picnic

Special days to bring family members into school School Council At St Matthew’s we give our children a voice in school life. It is important that their thoughts and opinions are valued. One way of facilitating this is through our School Council that is made up of representatives from Key Stage 1 and 2 and last year they were awarded the Speakers School Council Award from Parliament. The council meet regularly:

to discuss ways of improving the school

to maintain the school’s good reputation and standards

to share ideas

to express concerns


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“The school’s values

of ‘compassion,

respect and peace’

permeate all aspects

of school life.”

OFSTED 2017

Assessment

Teachers carefully monitor each child’s progress through

assessments each half term in English and Maths to track the progress made and to identify how each child is

developing with their skills. Standard Attainment Tests (SATs) are carried out in Year 2 and Year 6, as well as

a phonics screening check in Year 1. Children also sit termly tests in Years 1-5, with varying degrees of support dependant on age. We collect a variety of results to decide how each child is progressing compared with children of a similar age. This information helps teachers to plan appropriate learning activities for the children.

It is important to remember that tests give a

‘snapshot’ of a child’s achievements on a particular day, the teacher assessment gives the overall picture of

your child’s achievements throughout the year. The class teachers are monitoring your child’s progress on a daily basis

through discussions, observations and the marking of work.

Inclusion and Equal Opportunities We encourage all children to develop their skills and interests to the full, whilst presenting them with opportunities to engage in activities which they might not have perhaps considered. We aim to avoid stereotyped perceptions to ensure that all pupils are achieving as much as they can, deriving the maximum benefit according to their individual needs.


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Special Educational Needs It is important that school identifies those children who may have specific learning needs as early as possible. These may include gifted children, those with general and specific learning difficulties, children with physical disabilities and children with emotional and behavioural problems. We work in partnership with parents and other agencies to enable each child to achieve their full potential. Some children may require an education support plan; this is always discussed with the parents and reviewed on a regular basis. At St. Matthew’s, our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) is Miss Lee. Further information about our SEND offer can be found on our website.

Communication At the start of each year we produce a calendar of school activities which is placed on our school website. We also produce a weekly school Newsletter to inform parents of school activities, upcoming events and other key information. This is sent home every week and is always available from our school website. We use Teachers2Parents to send most letters and reminders to parents/carers via e-mail. Teachers2Parents can also be used to text parents with updates and reminders; this is very popular with our families! We take your number automatically from your school admission form and add you to the list. Our website www.stmatthews.trafford.sch.uk is regularly updated and includes class pages, latest newsletters, links to other useful websites and forms that can be downloaded for parents to complete. The school also uses twitter @StMatthewsPri

http://www.stmatthews.trafford.sch.uk/


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Worship

As a Church of England school, our Christian values of compassion, peace and respect underpin everything that we do and are inclusive for all members of our school family. Worship is central to school life and we believe it is important to encourage our children’s spiritual development. At St. Matthew’s we have a school prayer and each class has their own class prayer and area for worship or reflection. Our worship leaders are actively involved in leading worship at St. Matthew’s and organise our Monday affirmation in the school courtyard.

Our School Prayer

Dear God,

May our school be welcoming, May our school be encouraging,

Let friendship flourish here, Let learning fill our day,

Give us the strength to do our best, Give us the hope to carry on,

Be our guide in all that we do, Lord, make this school your home too,

Amen


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UNICEF Rights Respecting School

The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) is based on principles of equality,

dignity, respect, non-discrimination and participation. The RRSA seeks to put the UN

Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s ethos and culture to improve

well-being and develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential. A rights-

respecting school is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised,

respected, protected and promoted. Young people and the school community learn about

children’s rights by putting them into practice every day.

St Matthew’s is a UNICEF Rights Respecting School; the very first school in Trafford to earn

this award. We are proud to have children’s rights shining out across our community. Our school charter identifies four core rights that underpin our school’s vision and values. These rights form the basis for our school rules.


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Celebrating Success

Our children are fantastic and we love to reward their outstanding behaviour and inspire them to be the best that they can be! These rewards include:

Team points with a special reward for the winning team; this year this included a trip to the park, learning magic and an ice cream van!

Weekly ‘Star of the Week’ award for children who have worked exceptionally hard and achieved something new during the week.

Individual merits given for exceptional work and/or achievement

Attendance Awards

Headteacher awards for exceptional achievement in any area

Every Friday we hold our ‘Star of the Week’ assembly where each class teacher chooses one child from their class for something special that they have done that week. We also recognise any other achievements from the week and we encourage children to bring in any achievements from outside school, such as swimming certificates. At the end of each half term we hold our ‘Celebration Assembly’ and parents are invited and encouraged to join us to celebrate all the achievements from over the half term. This assembly is an important event in our school and one which parents and children enjoy. Further details of our approach to behaviour can be found in our behaviour policy in our website.

Keeping Safe and Happy St. Matthew’s is committed to valuing and respecting everybody in our school family equally. Our school is a place of compassion, respect and peace. We support our children in many ways and have a clear Anti Bullying Policy. We show ZERO TOLERANCE to any form of bullying. We are proud to have a happy, inclusive and diverse school family who are all welcomed and treated with dignity and respect.


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Attendance and Punctuality Attendance At St. Matthew’s we believe that high attendance is very important and set a target of 96% for every child. All children must attend school regularly and it is the parents’ legal responsibility to ensure this happens. High attendance:

Helps a child settle at school and make friends.

Ensures that each child has the opportunity to develop their full potential.

If a child is absent from school, we ask parents to contact us on the first day of absence so that we can keep our records up-to-date. Punctuality We ask that parents support our school policy and ensure that children are waiting in the school playground for 8.45am ready for lessons to start at 8.55am. We believe that a punctual start to the school day is essential to ensure lessons start promptly.

Safeguarding St Matthew’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children. For further information about the safeguarding work we do at St. Matthew’s, or to share a concern, please contact our Child and Family Development Officer, Mrs Cavanagh.


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“Children love going to school at St.

Matthew’s and they have great

relationships with parents.”

Year 1 parent

School Meals At St Matthew’s we offer a superb selection of meals prepared on the premises. The daily choice always includes a meat dish, a vegetarian dish and/or salads. These are accompanied by a selection of fresh vegetables and a choice of mouth-watering desserts. All children are supervised whilst eating their lunches. If parents wish, they can provide a packed lunch from home or arrange for their child/children to go home for lunch. One full week’s notice is needed for changing arrangements. Payment for dinners is made on at least a weekly basis and must be received in advance. Payments should be made online, using our online payment system “ParentPay”. Contact the school office if you have not received your activation letter. Payments can be made through the school office in exceptional circumstances. Advice on applications for Free School Meals is available from the school office staff, who will support you with online applications.

School life

We believe that our prospectus is an important way to introduce new parents to the life of our school. The following information is a collection of useful things to know about day to day life at St. Matthew’s. Child Care St. Matthew’s has fantastic out of hours child care on site. We think this is important as it supports so many of our families and children. Therefore we are open from 8am until 6.20pm every day and run holiday clubs during school holidays. Breakfast club runs in the community hub from 8am until the start of school and costs £2 per child. After school care runs in the community hub from 3.30 until 6.20. These services are provided by our partners, Kick-Start. They also run our holiday club. You can find more about them by looking at their website: wearekickstart.com Snacks Infants All children from our Nursery to Year 2 enjoy a free piece of fruit, each morning, for their morning snack. This snack is provided through the National Fruit Scheme, which is a scheme to ensure every young child eats a piece of fruit each day. Your child may bring a drink of water only in a plastic bottle and chilled water is available in each class. Juniors We also have a ‘healthy’ policy in Key Stage 2. For


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example, your child may bring a piece of fresh fruit, some raw vegetables or cheese for their morning snack. Your child may bring a drink of water only in a plastic bottle chilled water is available in each class. Homework Learning at home is an important part of your child’s education. All children are expected to take learning home as this encourages a love of learning and has a huge impact on your child’s progress. The amount of homework varies depending on the phase and class. A copy of our homework policy with full details is available on our website. Health If your child needs medication which has been prescribed by a doctor, but is well enough to attend school you should bring the medicine to school. It should be clearly labelled with your child’s name and class, to the school office at the beginning of the day. You will be asked to complete an ‘Administration of Medication’ form. Staff are trained in first aid and will respond to accidents quickly. In more serious circumstances the appropriate hospital/doctor will be contacted and we will inform you as quickly as possible. Please make sure we have an emergency contact telephone number for you. Car Parking and Road Safety In the interests of all the children please do not park, turn your car or set down children in the area in front of school which is marked by zig zag yellow lines. May we also remind you to consider the neighbours of school and to not block their access to their drives. The small car park inside the school gates is for staff, visitors and emergency access.

Educational Visits Educational visits are made throughout the year to support work undertaken in the classroom. Permission will be requested from parents before children are taken out of school for trips. For small local walks (to Church for example) we do not require specific permission, instead we ask parents to sign an agreement when they join the school permitting this activity. A copy of our Educational Visits policy is available from our school website or can be requested from the school office.

Charging Policy Under the terms of the Education Act, we may ask parents for voluntary contributions for an educational visit or activity. Parents must be aware that a visit may not be able to take place without adequate support. Full charges may be asked for visits / activities occurring out of school hours or for any residential activity.


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School Photographs You will be able to purchase a record of your child as he / she goes through the school. This is usually taken in the Autumn Term. Class photos are also taken in the summer term. Reporting to parents Keeping parents informed about how their children are doing at school is very important. Autumn term (November) Parents’ Evening Spring term (March) Parents’ Evening Summer term (July) Parents are provided with a detailed written report If you have any questions, worries or concerns at any time of the year please do not feel you have to wait for a Parents’ Evening to speak with a teacher. Teachers are only too willing to speak with parents but first thing in the morning is not a good time. Please try to speak with the teacher at the end of the day when they will have more time to deal with your concern. If you wish to speak with the Headteacher, please make an appointment. He is outside of school every morning and afternoon and will make every effort to speak with parents. Parental Involvement We welcome the involvement of parents in school in a variety of ways:

attending class assemblies and concerts

hearing children read

accompanying children on school trips

organising resources

stay and play sessions St. Matthew’s Friends and Family Our school is incredibly lucky to be supported by our parents and friends group: St Matthew’s Friends and Family (FAF). They run activities, coffee mornings, and raise money for projects around school. In the recent years they have provided the school with new benches, our new stage, a path to our outdoor classroom and funds for school trips. If you are interested in becoming part of FAF then please stop by the school office for more details.


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School Uniform Clothing

Red sweatshirts or cardigans with school logo

White polo shirt –with or without school logo

Grey trousers/shorts/skirt/pinafore dresses

Preferably grey or white socks or tights

Red summer dresses

Black sensible shoes only – no trainers or boots

White or black sensible sandals with ankle straps may be worn in warm weather with socks

A warm and waterproof coat *Our uniform suppliers, John McHugh in the Stretford Mall, stock all branded uniform items. Accessories

Hair should be of its natural colour with no extreme hair styles

Long hair should be tied up with small plain bobbles, in school colours of red or blue

No makeup / nail varnish / tattoos are allowed

No jewellery, except watches and one pair of small, plain stud earrings

Only plain or school caps and hats may be worn during the warm weather Outdoor Learning

Wellies

Outdoor learning can be messy so we ask the children to bring old clothes that can easily be cleaned. These should also be warm for the colder weather.

PE Kit

Indoors o Plain White T-Shirt o Plain black shorts o Black pumps

Outdoors o As above with the addition of trainers and jogging bottoms for cold days.

Children can wear school sweaters/cardigans with PE kit on cold days. *Please ensure that all clothing is clearly marked with your child’s name to help them keep track of their belongings


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St. Matthew’s CE Primary School Poplar Road, Stretford, M32 9AN

0161 865 1284 [email protected]

www.stmatthews.trafford.sch.uk

TWITTER @StMatthewsPri

let your light shine - st matthew's primary · let your light shine 2 headteacher’s welcome...

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