prospectus jan 15
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Geoffrey Field Infant Community School
(READING Local Authority)
Exbourne Road
Reading
RG2 8RH
Telephone: 0118 937 5473
Parent Prospectus 2014
www.geoffreyfieldinfant.co.uk
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Welcome to Geoffrey Field Infant School We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Geoffrey Field Infant School. It may be
that you already have or have had children at the school, in which case you will be familiar with
our routines and organisation. However, if you are a new parent, we hope that you will find thisprospectus very helpful.
We are a large infant school, with 10 classes, including a Nurseryclass. The school is set in extensive and attractive grounds, givingchildren plenty of space to learn and play. In fact each year grouphas its own dedicated outdoor learning area. The school opened in1949 and was later officially opened by Alderman Geoffrey Field,who had served as Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee.
Our commitment at Geoffrey Field Infant is to ensure that your child:
Feels safe whilst at schoolEnjoys learning
Makes excellent progress and learns as well as s/he can
We provide a broad curriculum whilst maintaining a particular focus on reading. This we believe is
important both for its own sake and in terms of enjoyment and developing imagination but also
in accessing all subjects.
The breadth of opportunity is seen in a wide variety of visitors who
are invited into school to work with the children e.g. musicians,
actors, artists, the mobile farm. The children really enjoy thesesessions and learn a great deal from them.
We also have our annual Arts Week with professional artists, dancers and musicians
working with the children plus Sports Day and Fun Day as well as after school clubs such as foot-
ball and basketball for both girls and boys.
Our aim is to support children to become confident, independent learners who gain
enjoyment from and have pride in their achievement at each stage of their education.
We hope you enjoy finding out about the school.
S E Farrow
Headteacher
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School InformationParents are a very important part of the school and we aim to work closely with you to support
your child during his/her time with us.
You can help us by:
Supporting your child with homework
Sharing reading books with your child
Supervising a group of children on trips
Supporting curriculum workshops (e.g.reading, maths, phonics, SATs etc.)
Ensuring your child comes to school every day
and on time (unless ill)
A highly trained Teaching and LearningAssistant supports each class and there is
an Early Years Practitioner in Nursery.
We received anOutstandingOfsted grade in:
2007/2008
2012/2013
We have close links with
Voluntary Reading Help volunteerscome into school weekly
All Whitley Schools and Nurseries andespecially with Geoffrey Field JuniorSchool
Reading University
The schools is part of the WhitleyExcellence Cluster (WEC) and supports thecharity ASPIRE2.
For more information on WEC/Aspire2 visitwww. whitleyaspire2.btck.co.uk
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School Staff and Governors (updated January 2015)
Headteacher: Miss S E Farrow Deputy Headteacher: Miss Z Dean
Finance Manager: Mrs H Mason Admin Assistant: Mrs S Clark
Intervention Manager: Mrs A Whyatt Family Support Worker: Miss S King
Governors
Community Governor: Ms L Wakelin (Chair)
Parent Governors: Dr N Toomey, Mrs C Herriott
Staff Governors: Miss Z Dean, Mrs E Clements, Mrs S Hanton
Headteacher: Miss S E Farrow
Senior Leadership Team
Mrs H Underwood Foundation Stage Team Leader
Mrs E Clements Year 1 Team Leader
Mrs A Whyatt & Mrs A Chapman Year 2 Team Leaders
Miss S E Farrow Headteacher
Miss Z Dean Deputy Headteacher
Class Teachers
Mrs H Underwood Miss K Louis Miss J Stuart
Miss E Parker Miss A Brown Mrs E Clements
Miss A Knight Mrs A Whyatt Mrs A Chapman
Mrs J Arnold Miss A Hunka Mr M Hall
Teaching and Learning Assistants (class based)
Mrs T Austin Mrs T King Mrs B Holmes
Mrs C Jarvis Ms D Dymond Mrs V Wicks
Mrs S Hanton Mrs J Sheppard Mrs L Quirke
Early Years Practitioner: Mrs K Snarey
Teaching and Learning Assistants (Literacy and individual support)
Mrs T Wright Mrs J Baker Mrs R Lewington
Miss S Geary Mrs S Allen Mrs S Chowdhury
Mrs T Shepherd Mrs C Statham Mrs M Harkin
Miss F Holcombe Mrs C McManus
Lunchtime supervisors
Mrs T Wright Mrs J Baker Mrs D Ferguson
Miss S Geary Miss M Norgate Mrs S AllenMrs R Lewington Mrs T Shepherd Mrs C McManus
Site Controller: Mr D Batson
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Admissions InformationThe school has a morning and afternoon Nursery class and three year groups:
Reception Year 1 Year 2
Nursery Admissions
Nursery admissions are handled internally by the Nursery Admissions
Panel consisting of school staff and Governors.
Children can be registered onto the waiting list from the age of 2 years.
Application forms and admissions policies are available from the school office or from the
school website. Completed forms should be handed into the school office during school hours
with the childs original birth certificate or passport to verify their date of birth.
Children are eligible for placement in Nursery the term after their third birthday, however, the
majority of places are filled in September due to the admission of children into the Reception
year. Parents are contacted as soon as a place is available .
If the waiting list is oversubscribed the oversubscription criteria is clearly marked in theAdmissions Policy. Nursery transfers are only accepted in exceptional circumstances.
School Admissions (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2)The School Admissions Team at Reading Borough Council coordinate the school places in all
Reading schools.
For admission to any of the above years please contact the Admissions Team:
Telephone 0118 9373777 or visit www.reading.gov.uk
Registration
Once your child has been allocated a place we will ask you to complete the registration forms. It
is important that all the information requested is completed to enable the school to safeguardyour child. Please list the contact details of all adults that have permission to collect your child.
We will also require your childs NHS number available from your GP in case of emergencies and
school trips.
Admission to Year 3
School Admissions coordinate the places for children finishing Year 2. Application forms are
sent to parents through the Infant School in the autumn term whilst the child is in Year 2.Reading Borough Council allocate the places and contact parents directly to offer places.
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The School DayNURSERY
Morning Nursery starts at 8.50am and finishes at 11.50am
Afternoon Nursery starts at 12.15pm and finishes at 3.15pm
Children are expected to be in the class ready for the register before registration time and are
expected to attend every day and on time unless ill. Parents are requested to contact the
school office before 9.30am in the event of an absence. There is an answer phone available formessages during out of school hours.
THE SCHOOL DAY
8.50am Doors open
9.00am Registration
10.15am Reception playtime begins
10.30am Year 1 and 2 playtime begins
11.45am Reception Lunchtime begins
12.00pm Year 1 and 2 lunchtime begins
1.10pm Afternoon registration
3.05pm School finishes
Teaching time
In a normal week we spend 21 hours and 40 minutes on actual teaching. This does not include
time spent on the following:
Registration (approximately 50 minutes per week)
Morning Break (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes per week)
Collective Worship (approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes per week)
Security
Security is taken very seriously and all visitors are required to report to the office.
If a child arrives after 9am a member of staff will take him/her to the classroom as the days
teaching will already have started.
A door phone system is in operation and staff are required to be vigilant at all times.
Lunchtime Support Staff supervise the children during lunchtimes and are fully aware of
procedures to be followed with regards to security and pupil welfare.
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Day to Day InformationPupil Safety and Welfare
First aid will be administered if your child has a minor cut or bruise while in school.
If a more serious accident occurs, every effort will be made to contact you. It is therefore es-
sential that we have at least one telephone number on which we can contact you.If your child bumps his/her head you will be called and advised to monitor your child at home
as bumps can lead to concussion in young children.
Significant injuries are recorded and reported to the Local Authority.
Illness
If your child has been sick or had diarrhoea, please keep him/her at home for 48 hours after this
stops.
Inhalers
If your child has asthma and needs an inhaler during the day please complete an asthma card at theschool office and leave the inhaler, marked with your child's name , with the classroom staff.
Medicine in School
Pupils in school with medical conditions will be properly supported so they have full access to educa-
tion, including school trips and physical education. Any medication given in school must be pre-scribed by a doctor . Parents must fill in the relevant form and all medicines must be clearly marked
with your child's name .
Hazards : Please note that buggies shouldnot be brought into the classrooms as theywould create a hazard if there was a fire.You may leave your buggies in the entrancehall or on the patios but this is entirely atyour own risk. It is recommended that you
take your child out of the buggy and carryhim/her with you down to the classroom asthe supervision of your child cannot beprovided.
Hazards: Exbourne Road is subject toparking restrictions:
Parking on the yellow lines willresult in a 60 fine.
There should be no parking aroundthe roundabout.
The spe ed limit is 20mph.
Milk
The school offers a milk scheme for children to have a carton of milk after break.
Parents are required to register with the milk provider (Cool Milk) either by completing the
registration form available at the school office (can take approximately 2 weeks to register and
receive an invoice) or by completing the application and payment online at www.coolmilk.com
or by telephone 0800 854 2913 .
Milk is free for children entitled to free school meals i.e. benefits based free school meals.
Please complete a form at the school office.
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Parent/School RelationshipsThis school has always had good relationships with the parents and all parents are treated
with courtesy and respect by staff. It is expected that all staff will be treated in the same
manner by parents. Any parent with a concern or complaint must raise the issue in a calmnon-aggressive manner the school will listen and act upon issues raised. However, if a
parent is abusive or threatening in any way then the matter will be dealt with through the
Local Authority legal department. In extreme circumstances this can lead to banning fromthe school site.
This school recognises that staff and parents working together enables children to learn aswell as they can.
Parent Board
There is an information board in the main corridor near the entrance hall and outside the main
entrance. Various notices are pinned up advertising events or giving information on services available.
Newsletters
Each year group sends out a termly curriculum newsletter. Other letters are also sent home givinginformation about dates, forthcoming events or school procedures. Copies of all newsletters are
available to download from the website.
Text Messages
The school uses a text messaging system to contact parents. If you do not receive any texts over a
period of time it could be an indicator that the school does not have your current telephone numbers.
Please contact the school office to update information.
Lunches
All pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are offered a free school meal. Meals are offered at lunchtime
and include a dinner and a pudding. Water is provided on the dining tables. Copies of the menus are
given to parents and children can order one of three dinner options during morning registration.
The school meal provider is Chartwells and more information about school meals, nutrition and
sustainable sourcing please visit the website www.dineatschool.co.uk .
If your child/ren are eligible for benefits based free school meals please complete an application form and provide current
evidence of the benefit being received. A full list of eligible benefits are on the back of the form. This is checked each term,
September, January and April and you will be required to provide current evidence of entitlement.
Alternatively children can bring their own packed lunch from home.
Lunchtime support staff supervise the children during this period.
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UniformThe school colours are blue and grey and we arepleased to see that so many parents support thewearing of school uniform.
Uniform items with the school logo are availablefrom the school office, during the school day, size
3/4 years, 5/6 years and 7/8 years. Larger sizes can be purchased from the Juniorschool.
Prices (January 2015)
Royal blue sweatshirt 7.15
Royal blue cardigan 8.50
Royal blue polo shirt 6.00
P.E. t-shirt 4.00
P.E. royal blue shorts 3.50
Royal blue book bag 3.00
Royal blue P.E. rucksack 3.50
Baseball caps from 2.60 Water bottles 0.75
P.E. Kits
Please ensure your child has a P.E. t-shirt, shorts and pumps in school each Monday, these are
taken home on a Friday for washing.
Footwear
Young children are very active and need to run and enjoy themselves at playtime; it is advisable
that children wear appropriate - i.e. safe footwear. Shoes with high-heels are not considered
appropriate for young children.
Please ensure that all items of clothing, including P.E. kits are named.
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Attendance and PunctualityRegular attendance makes a great deal of difference to your child's achievements, and the
school welcomes your support with this matter.
Schools are required to publish rates of attendance annually. If children regularly miss school
then this is time that is lost forever, which clearly has an effect upon levels of attainment.
Please ensure:
your child comes to school every day unless ill
the school is informed of the reason for absence
*If a notification is not received by 9.30 a.m. you will be called by a member ofthe admin team.
your child arrives on time every day
Attendance reports are given to parents each term during Parents Week. The report showsyour childs attendance as a percentage and this will include the number of authorised and un-authorised absences. The Education Welfare Officer from the Local Authority monitors chil-drens attendance and where there are concerns will work with the family to increase atten-dance and/or punctuality.
Requests for leave from school
The current situation, from 1 st September 2013, is that Headteachers may not grant any leaveof absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances . Please note a familyholiday does not meet the criteria for exceptional circumstances.
The Headteacher must be satisfied that the circumstances warrant the granting of leave. TheHeadteacher will determine the number of days a child can be away from school if the leave isgranted.
For further information on these changes please see:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/a00223868/regulations-amendments
A Holidays in Term Time leaflet can be requested from the school office.
Attendance Rates for the Year
2013/14
95.12%
The Local Authority expects all primary schoolchildren to have a minimum of 95% attendance.
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Curriculum ContentThis school provides education for children from 3-7 years old. This means that there are two phases: the
Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) and Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) . The following is a briefdescription of what is covered in the curriculum during these stages.
The year groups covered are:
Nursery (3/4 year olds)
Reception (4/5 year olds)
Year 1 (5/6 year olds)
Year 2 (6/7 year olds)
The Nursery and Reception curriculum is called the Early Years Foundation Stage and covers the following areas
of learning and development:
Prime Areas
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language
Specific Areas
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design
The Year 1 and Year 2 curriculum is called The National Curriculum and covers the following areas of learning:
Literacy (reading, writing, speaking and listening)
MathematicsScience
Religious Education (RE)
Physical Education (PE)
Computing
History
Geography
Music
Art and Design
Design and Technology (DT)
The Phonics Scheme used by the school is Read Write Inc. Please note the school does not use the reading orwriting programmes within this scheme.
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For further information please visit the school website:
www.geoffreyfieldinfant.co.uk
Or contact the school office on:
0118 937 5473
Geoffrey Field Infant SchoolExbourne Road
Reading
RG2 8RH