Astley CE Primary School

An Outstanding Church School located in an idyllic, rural setting Astley C.E. Primary School A Small School with a BIG Heart

Our Vision is to provide a happy, secure and friendly school that, through high quality provision, enthuses and excites children to learn to their full potential. This combined with the development of self- esteem, independence and consideration for others, prepares our children to lead fulfilled lives now and in the future. Astley School is Special because it is small enough that every child is valued and accepted for the personality that they are Thank you for reading our brochure that is designed to give you a brief overview of our and individual needs are embraced and school. We hope that it will whet your appetite catered for. This means that the school has a warm, loving family atmosphere that to find out more. Every day is an open day at allows all of our children to grow and Astley, and we would be delighted to give you an flourish in an idyllic setting. individual school tour that can be booked through the school office. Our Aims are: Being a Church School  To respect ourselves and others as individuals  To be happy, friendly, safe and secure The school’s ethos is based on Christian  To be challenged in our learning principles, namely that we believe that  To develop spiritual and moral awareness every child is unique and is given their own  To develop a sense of teamwork and partnership set of gifts and talents. It is our job to  To respect the environment identify, celebrate, nurture and use these  To enjoy and develop lifelong learning skills talents. We believe that our mission is to  To embrace a healthy lifestyle encourage a love of learning and to help  To be responsible and caring citizens children to be and achieve the best that they  To be positive members of the community can. We also believe that it is important to teach our children how to learn to develop as individuals and how to relate positively to one another. We give children a wide experience of different world religions alongside developing a knowledge and understanding of Christianity so that that they can form their own views about the world and how they connect to it.

The School Day begins at 8.45am when the doors open. Our Admissions are determined by the Registration is at 8.55am by which time all the children governing body in line with legal are expected to be present. The morning session runs requirements. from 9am until 12.10pm with a morning break at 10 o’clock. The afternoon session runs from 1.05pm until Children can be admitted into Astley as 3.15pm. long as the number of children in the class does not exceed 13. In this case, the following criteria will be applied in the Wraparound Care is available from 7.45am in the order outlined below: morning and runs until 5.30pm each evening. It is a very flexible service that aims to support working 1. Children who are in local authority care families. The children are looked after by school staff and can choose from a range of activities. The service 2. Children who reside within the civil operates at a cost to parents equivalent to £4 an hour. parish – a catchment area map can be viewed in the school 3. Children who have a sibling including half sibling and legally adopted children living at the same address, currently attending Astley School 4. Pupils whose parents worship, or are active in Christian Churches within the Stourport and Kidderminster Deaneries together with a supportive letter from their local minister. 5. The active involvement of parent and/or child in the work and worship of a community of any other established religious faith. A leader or representative Hot Lunches are available to purchase from the school of the religious community should provide at a cost of £2.20 per meal. These are pre-ordered a written confirmation. week at a time and children may choose from three main options. All meals conform to the Government’s 6. Children who have a significant reason, healthy food standard. Children may also choose to which may include social, educational or bring a packed lunch. Free school meals are available religious grounds. to families who receive Income support, Child tax credit or other allowances. 7. Children who reside outside the Civil Universal Infant Free School Meals are currently Parish, who live nearest to the school by available to every child in Reception, Year 1 and the shortest straight line distance. This Year 2. distance is determined using the LA software package called Arcview GIS. Extra-Curricular Clubs are organised after school 8. In the event of two or more applicants and during lunch breaks to allow the children to extend being equal distance, the places will be their learning in areas that interest them including allocated by random lottery which will be sports, choir, ballet and others. Individual instrumental independently supervised. music lessons are also available on request.

Giving our children the best start in life is our prime objective. Whether this is learning how to develop positive and supportive relationships, or building a foundation of skills and concepts, Astley School is committed to providing a broad and rich experience. It is in this way that we aspire to equip our children to lead fulfilled and happy lives. We follow the Foundation Stage and National Curriculums presented in a creative and engaging way. This involves using our stunning grounds to engage in outdoor education, using drama and performance as well as going on visits. The children learn modern foreign languages including French and Spanish. The school also has an extremely well-equipped computer suite as well as a set of laptop computers. This means that the children can learn how to use computers effectively, but also use them as a tool to enhance their learning. Personal, Social and Health Education is an important part of our curriculum. It helps our children to learn how to lead healthy lives and how to relate positively with others. As part of PSHE, children will learn about Sex Education at a level appropriate for their age. Every Child Matters at Astley School and we have well developed systems for monitoring and tracking each pupil’s progress. Every term, the head and class teacher will discuss each pupil and plan the next steps and support appropriate for their learning. We work hard to ensure that all children achieve their full academic potential. Where a pupil is identified as having special needs, class teachers with the help of the Special Educational Needs & Disability coordinator will provide extra help, tailored support or more detailed assessments to enable the pupil to be successful in every area of learning.

Keeping Children Safe is a high priority and the building has security locks to ensure that access to the school can be controlled. All staff have been vetted to ensure that they are entitled to work with young people. We have a Designated Safeguarding Officer in the school whose duty it is to follow up any concerns regarding child protection. Communications between school and home take many forms. A newsletter is published once a fortnight and a texting service is available for more immediate communication. However, the most effective communication is the informal sort that takes place on a daily basis. We encourage full and frequent dialogue with parents. Strong Partnership with Parents is vital if we are to succeed in providing the very best for our children. Parents play a particularly important role at Astley School and are exceptionally supportive. There is a very active Parents and Friends Association that organises an impressive range of events that contributes to the social cohesion of the school as well as providing extra fundraising. Parents can attend Celebration Assembly once a week and many other opportunities exist for parents to be involved.

How is the school organised? The school is organised into four classes as follows: Ash Class – Reception & Year 1 Children are aged 4-6 years and follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum & the Lower Key Stage 1 Curriculum. Willow Class – Year 2 Children are aged 6-7 years and follow the Key Stage 1 curriculum. Elm Class - Years 3 & 4 Children are aged 7-9 years and follow the Lower Key Stage 2 curriculum. Oak Class - Years 5 & 6 Children are aged 9-11 years and follow the Upper Key Stage 2 curriculum. How well does the school do? Ofsted inspected the school in March 2017. They judged Astley to be a good school where pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to their learning. It stated that the school had won the hearts and minds of its parents. It stated that children made above average rates of progress as well as appreciating a wide curriculum including music, art and science, a wide range of religions studied and ethical topics such as fair trade. In June 2017 the school was subject to a Church School inspection where we were judged to be outstanding. It stated that: the Christian ethos of the school is deeply embedded and significantly impacts upon the lives and achievement of pupils. The teaching of RE is highly effective, enabling pupils to apply what they learn to their own lives.

Our Staff Headteacher: Mrs Alison Reakes-Williams Office Manager: Mrs Ann Bromage Cleaner-in-charge: Mrs Jenny Parker Chair of Governors: Mr Peter Archer Our Teachers Year R/1: Mrs Kate Kneale Year 2: Mrs Rachel Austin & Mrs Alison Reakes-Williams Years 3/4: Mrs Bronwen Wilcox & Mrs Helen Shearn Years 5/6: Mrs Julie Turbutt Our Support Staff Mrs Jen Ablett Miss Jade Gourley Mrs Michelle Hale Mrs Hollie Kilgour Mrs Alex Linney Mrs Natasha Mallen-Freeman Mrs Lauren Martin Mrs Tracey North Mrs Mandy Payton Mrs Katie Smith Term Dates Autumn Term 2018 Spring Term 2019 Summer Term 2019 3 September – 21 December 7 January – 12 April 29 April – 22 July rd th th nd st th Autumn Half Term Holiday Spring Half Term Holiday Summer Half Term Holiday th st th nd nd th 29 October – 2 November 18 – 22 February 27 May – 31 May

Where are we? As you can see on the map, Astley School is within easy reach of Stourport. Children from Astley School transfer to either The Chantry School, Martley or Stourport High School. Contact us: Astley CE Primary School, School Lane, Astley, Stourport-on-Severn. Worcestershire. DY13 0RH 01299 822002 [email protected] www.astley.worcs.sch.uk