School Prospectus

SOMERVILLE FEDERATION SOMERVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOLYour Guide to Starting School Taking Safeguarding Seriously

Your child is in ______________ class. Your child’s teacher is _______________. Your child’s key worker is____________. The dates of our stay and play sessions are____________________ The School Day School starts at… School starts at 8.55 am, please arrive at 8.50am. (Be on time for five to nine!) Late arrivals interrupt the smooth running of the classroom and your child will miss the start of a session. Children struggle if a routine is not set and it is stressful for them missing part of a lesson. School finishes at… School finishes at 3.15 pm, please be on time. It is distressing for a young child when they are picked up late. Lunchtime is at 11.45 - 12.45Aiming High Together

A Welcome Note from the Executive Headteacher Dear Parents and Carers, Firstly, may I take this opportunity to thank you for choosing Somerville Primary School. I would like to offer you and your child a warm welcome at the start of your child’s school journey with us and the beginning of a strong partnership between home and school. Starting school is a very important time for both child and family and a happy successful start lays the foundation stone for a successful school career. Here at Somerville we care deeply about the children in our care and are passionate in our endeavours in providing a well rounded education for your child. We provide a warm and caring environment within our safe and secure Foundation Stage setting. We believe the education a child receives in their early years sets them up for success throughout their schooling and helps them develop a love for learning. Our early years team are all highly skilled and dedicated practitioners who put their heart into ensuring your child has the best possible experience during their first year at primary school. We look forward to working with you and ‘aiming high together’. Michael Forber Executive HeadteacherAiming High Together

Aiming High Together

How does Somerville help my What advice can you give me onchild prepare to start school? how I can support my child starting school?In the summer term we will STARTING SCHOOLwrite to you with a date for our‘New Parents’ meeting. At this There are lots of ways you can support your child inmeeting you will be given lots being ‘ready’ to start school. Little tips that can helpof important information that take the anxiety away from them and you. It iswill help your child settle into important that your child's start to school is asschool. You will have the smooth and happy as we both can possibly make it.chance to put faces to namesand meet the Headteacher and Get your child into the routine of attending F1 andyour child’s class teacher. nursery regularly so they are used to having to go somewhere at the same time and same place andAt this meeting you will be that they are used to leaving you.given dates for some stay andplay sessions. In these We will hold an information meeting in the summersessions your child will term before your child is due to start and some staybecome familiar with their new and play sessions to allow children to be familiarclassroom, teacher and with their new classroom and teacher before theyteaching assistant. start on their first day. Please do your best to attend these.We will give you a pack ofactivities to do with your child, There are also other activities you can do with yourat home, during the summer. child to help with their development.In September we phase every Personal Skillschild into school over a twoweek period. Your child will • Encourage your child to dress and undressattend either mornings orafternoons. themselves, practicing fastening and undoing buttons and zips. •Encourage your child to wipe their own nose, go to the toilet independently and to wash their hands. •Practise using a knife and fork. •Encourage your child to help tidy up their toys. •Practise applying suncream. We spend a lot of time outside so ideally they need all day sun protection on before coming to school. See www.sunsmart.org.uk for more information.
Aiming High Together

Baseline Assessment English SkillsDuring the first few weeks of • Sing nursery rhymes together and read lots ofterm we assess all Foundation2 children to find out what they stories.already know to determinewhat we need to teach them. • Recognise and practice writing their name using theWe use a range of ongoing name card given by their new class teacher.assessments, includingteacher observations and a • Play I spy, memory games and matching games.program on the computer to • Share books together and find time to talk andmake a decision on where onthe Foundation Stage Profile listen to each other.your child currently sits. Mathematics SkillsWe will share with you atparents’ evening (or before) • Count together frequently, for example: count theour judgements and see if weare in agreement. This will stairs up to bed, the number of sweets in a packet.help us work together tosupport your child. • Let them lay the table for dinner, get the right number of forks, knives, cups etc. • Do some baking together, weigh the ingredients count the spoonfuls, mix and pour. • Play lots of games like snap, dominoes and board games. • Practice with money, involve your child at the check out in the shops. • Talk about the time e.g. it is three o’clock, we need to go and pick your brother up from school. Physical Skills Encourage your child to do some of the following:- • Tracing and colouring - hold a pencil, crayon, felt tip properly. • Playdough and plasticine modelling. • Doing up fastenings on coats and shoes. • Hopping, jumping, climbing. • Cut up their own food. Finally… Don’t worry! Children are very quick to pick up on how you are feeling. They are most likely to come happily into school and settle, if you give them a kiss and wave them goodbye with a smile on your face.Aiming High Together

How do I get in Who’s Who? touch if I need to speak to someone or pass a We are a large school and have a large workforce. message to my child’s The main people who can help you or you may need to speak to in your child’s first year at Somerville are:- teacher? Foundation 2 Team You can ring the school office Mrs F. Morris - Foundation 2 Leader Mr M. Williams - Foundation 2 Senior Teacher Telephone: 638 5074 Mrs L. Delisle, Mrs S, Evans and Mrs L. Muspratt - Option 1 - Use this to tell Foundation 2 Teachers school if your child is absent. Mrs A. Quest, Mrs J. Giles and Miss K. Fanning - Option 2 - To speak to Foundation Stage 2 Teaching Assistants someone in the office. ————————————————— You can leave a message on Mr M. J.Forber - Executive Headteacher the answerphone, if the line is Mrs N. Parry - Deputy Headteacher busy. This is checked School Leaders - Please make an appointment with regularly throughout the day. the school office if you wish to speak to either the Headteacher or his deputy. E mail: Miss C. Higby - Assistant Headteacher for KS1schooloffi[email protected] Mrs C. Speight - Assistant Headteacher for KS2 Your e mail will be forwarded Mrs S. Holland - SENDCO on to the most appropriate If your child has additional needs and you need member of staff. advice or clarification then you can book an appointment through the school office. You can have a chat with your child’s teacher or teaching Miss A Crampton - Social Inclusion Manager assistant at the end of the Miss Crampton is a wonderful listener and can often school day. support families with a wide range of personal needs. Please do not hesitate to contact her if you need any support, advice or guidance. Mrs M. Smith - Medical Needs Assistant Please contact Mrs Smith if your child has any medical or health needs school needs to be aware of. Mrs Smith ensures school meets the medical needs of all children and liaises with local health services. Miss K. Lewis - School Secretary Miss O. Canning - School Administrator If you have any queries that need to go through the school office, they will be your first point of contact.Aiming High Together

Aiming High Together

So what facilities do you have at Somerville that will support my child’s learning and well being? Our Facilities Over the past four years we have heavily invested improving our school building and the surrounding grounds. We have knocked down three sets of double mobile classrooms and have built modern, purpose built classrooms suitable for 21st century learning in their place. We have a large, modern and attractive school hall where we have our assemblies, indoor PE, parent workshops, shows and performances and our lunch. The kitchen attached to the hall is now stocked with the latest equipment helping our catering team cook healthy and nutritious meals. Our three Foundation 2 classes share a large outdoor learning space that is well equipped, attractive and a fantastic environment in which to explore a wide range of curriculum areas outside of the traditional classroom spaces. We are a federation with Somerville Nursery School in Brentwood Street. Our nursery school has a fabulous outdoor ‘Forest School’ area which we visit regularly and make good use of making dens, cooking on camp fires and exploring the wildlife.Aiming High Together

Our Facilities Continued Our Foundation 2 classrooms are extremely well resourced. Our Foundation 2 lead has spent a lot of time researching, sourcing and purchasing resources and equipment to ensure that every curriculum area can be fully explored by the children keeping up their interest levels across the school year. Our IT facilities are extensive. We have a dedicated computing suite with desk top computers where we learn our computing skills, a range of laptop trolleys and i-Pad trolleys allowing mobile computing keeping up with technologies that motivate and interest learners of all ages. We have a well stocked school library from which pupils can borrow books and take home. Each classroom also has its own well stocked library area with reading corners designed by the class teachers. Our science garden has tables and benches allowing aspects of science to be taught and explored in the outdoors. This allows our children to gain experience in the hands on element of learning about mini- beasts, habitats and plants etc. We have an outdoor classroom with whiteboard facilities that will house a large class of children.Aiming High Together

Our Facilities Continued The adventure playground is enjoyed immensely by the children. It allows them to to develop their agility and physicality as they travel through school. Our muga pitch can house a football match or a basket ball match. The children appreciate the soft surface. Rainbow Wood is our nurture room. An artist hand painted the beautiful scenery. It is equipped with relaxed lighting schemes on the floor and ceiling and also has aromatherapy and sound facilities. We are proud of our facilities here and our pupils make very good use of them.Aiming High Together

Aiming High Together

The ‘Early Years Foundation CURRICULUMStage’ is organised into sevenareas of learning and Communication and Language Developmentdevelopment, of which three We will be providing lots of opportunities forare “prime areas,” and four children to speak and to listen. This might be in“specific areas.” partner work, listening to rhymes and then stories that require more concentration. Children will beThe prime areas are: encouraged to say why they think something is happening and to predict what may happen next.• Communication and We will do activities and play games that require Language the child to follow sets of instructions. We will encourage children to share their news and• Physical Development describe what they have made. We will be providing many opportunities for imaginative play.• Personal, Social and Emotional Development. Physical Development Children will have the opportunity to use differentThe specific areas are: tools e.g. pencils, pens, scissors, paintbrushes and experiment with different materials e.g.• Literacy plasticine, gloop, salt dough, clay and mud. They will do activities that develop their fine motor skills• Mathematics that help them develop as writers, such as using tweezers and creating patterns on peg boards.• Understanding of The World Children will have the opportunity to develop skills through games and such as running, jumping,• Expressive Arts and Design balancing and ball skills.These are the threecharacteristics of learning wetake into account whenplanning our curriculum; playand exploring, active learningand creating and thinkingcritically.Aiming High Together

Personal, Social and Emotional Development Independence will be developed by encouraging them to put on their own coats, choose which materials they would like to write / draw with. Understanding of boundaries will be talked about and discussed and children will be given the time to discuss their own feelings. Sharing and turn taking will be encouraged. Through discussion about story, in role play and situations that arise in class children will be developing their empathy skills. Literacy Children will be given opportunities to experiment with writing in the role play area and writing for reasons that interest them. They will be having daily phonics sessions in which they will follow the Government prescribed Letters and Sounds program. This will develop the child’s ability to read individual letters and then words. Pupils will have guided reading sessions with their teacher and be exposed to and have access to a wide range of books. Mathematics Children will be encouraged to use mathematical language. They will be playing maths games and working with numbers from 0-20. They will recognise the numbers, write them and use them to solve problems. Children will be working with a range of equipment including, shapes, counters and items from the natural environment.Aiming High Together

Understanding of our World Children are encouraged to use and become confident with a range of technologies. They will be encouraged to express their opinions of their environment and ask questions to find out more. Correct vocabulary will be taught so they can use it when describing things like animals and plants around them. Expressive Arts and Design Children will be given a range of materials and tools to select from to create their own imaginative models and pictures. They will be able to experiment with colour mixing and joining and combining a range of materials in different ways. Children will be given opportunities to sing, dance, act and take part in role play allowing them to express themselves in a range of exciting ways.Aiming High Together

Aiming High Together

UNIFORM As you are aware we have high expectations and standards to be maintained for all of our children. School uniform contributes to the overall ethos of Somerville Primary School. We ask all parents and carers who send their children to Somerville to support the school uniform guidelines. We have issued the guidelines and pictures below to ensure there is clarity over the expected standard. Foundation 2 and Key Stage 1 Autumn, Winter and Spring • Grey trousers or skirt • White polo shirt with or without logo • Navy neck jumper / sweatshirt (preferably round neck and preferably with logo) • Black shoes (no boots, no trainers, no sports logos or strapped or heeled sandals) Autumn, Winter and Spring • Grey shorts may be worn • Navy gingham dress Sports Kit • Every child must have a white t-shirt, navy shorts and black pumps or lightweight trainers. When buying training shoes or pumps please do not get ones with black soles as these mark the hall floor and children will not be allowed to wear them. • PE kits are brought to school at the beginning of the week and are left in school, being returned home at the end of the week. Jewellery can not be worn in school. Only small stud earring are allowed and your child MUST be able to remove these on their own before the lesson. Extreme hairstyles are discouraged . This includes shaved patterns and designs and dyed hair. Please label all uniform, including shoes.Aiming High Together

What do I do if my child is ABSENCE AND ATTENDANCE too poorly for school? Everyday in school is valuable for your child. A break from normal school routine can seriously effect a child’s ability to remember key ideas taught.You need to contact the school The school keeps thorough records of each child’soffice as early as you can on attendance and these are monitored closely. Poorthe first day of your child’s attendance can result in action being taken,absence. If you use the phone including home visits and fines being issued by theoption it is option 1 on the local authority.answerphone. You will be issued a report about your child’s What happens when my attendance several times a year. child becomes poorly in school? There are only certain illnesses that require your child stay off school. These are mainly vomiting and diarrhoea bugs.If your child can no longer Medicinesremain in school then we willcontact you to come and If your child returns to school aftercollect them. Please ensure illness however still needs tothat all contact details are up complete a course of medicine weto date with the school office. ask parents to come to school to administer this or administer Can I take my child breakfast, after school and bedtime. on holiday? School staff are not permitted to administer medicine unless it is part of a healthcare plan or travel sickness pills. With travel sickness pills the parent needs to have filled in a consent form first. Medical ConditionsHolidays should not be taken Please ensure that school is informed of all existingin term time, as it can disrupt a and newly diagnosed medical conditions to enablechild’s learning and progress. us to support your child in the best possible way.It is the Headteacher’sdecision to authorise a holiday. Long term medications such as inhalers must bePlease note this is very kept in school. Inhalers must be replaced whenunlikely and will only be given they are out of date.in exceptional circumstances.Aiming High Together

Child Protection The Somerville Federation is fully committed to promoting the health and well being of all children in its care. We are required, by law, to follow procedures set out by the DfE in the‘Keeping Children Safe’ document and by Wirral Borough Council. If we see any signs of abuse or neglect or a child discloses anything to an adult in school we must report the details in to Social Care. Use of the procedures in this way is an obligation placed on school by legislation and in no way infers any parent / carer being accused of any wrong doing. ALL staff in school are trained in safeguarding and prevent. This means we are trained to spot signs of abuse, neglect, grooming and radicalisation of children. Health and Safety School has a policy for health and safety. All staff work hard to keep the school safe for everyone. We ask parents and carers to follow the rules below to promote health and safety for all. Please do not park your cars on the yellow lines or zigzags around school. If you need to visit school please report in at the school office and sign in. You will be issued with a badge. All bikes and scooters to be pushed when within school grounds. NO dogs permitted in the school grounds. No smoking is permitted in the building or anywhere in the school grounds, including vaping. Shouting, abusive language and violence WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Please ensure all contact details are up to date in case of emergency. Please ensure your child is walked to school and picked up by an adult. We will not let any child go home with an adult we do not know.Aiming High Together

Aiming High Together

SCHOOL DINNERS AND SNACKS All children in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage One are entitled to a free school dinner. Our dinners are freshly prepared on site, by our cook and her team and contribute towards the children eating a balanced, healthy diet. The children have two courses, a main meal and a pudding. There is also fresh fruit and a salad bar available daily. We ask even though you receive these meals free, that if you are in receipt of benefits to fill in the form as school benefits in terms of more money in the budget. This is then spent on resources and extra staffing for the children. School is happy to help if you need any help filling in the forms. If you do not wish to take up the free school dinner then you can provide your child with a healthy packed lunch to include sandwiches or wraps, fruit and a non fizzy drink. We are promoting healthy living so please no chocolate. Children will receive a healthy snack throughout Foundation Stage and Key Stage One for morning break. This will consist of a piece of fruit.Aiming High Together

FOUNDATION FUN What opportunities will there be for me to come intoFoundation Fun is a aseries of workshops school to find out moredesigned and run by our about my child’s education?Foundation 2 teachers.It is a chance to spend timewith your child and see how they learn through play, games and FUN.There is a different topic each week, some of the topics are :-How we use i-Pads in the classroomCreative playHow we teach handwritingFoundation Fun allows you to spend time with your child in school andallows you time to ask the teacher questions about how you can helpyour child at home and about thecurriculum.We serve tea and biscuits to make itan inviting experience.You don’t have to sign up for everyworkshop just the ones that you aremost interested in. They take placeevery other Wednesday morning inthe school hall during the AutumnTerm. Look out for the information in your child’s book bag.and on theFoundation 2 classroom windows.Aiming High Together

Aiming High Together