West Malling C.E. Primary School - Meeting the needs of every child

<body> Content Welcome (Home page) Welcome to the Original West Malling Village School West Malling CEP School is set in the attractive countryside village of West Malling in the heart of Kent. Our school is small, caring and friendly and is an environment where it is possible to know every child and all parents It is one in which the highest priority is given to academic excellence through a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. We are all extremely proud of our school and it’s achievements and endeavour to put the needs of our children first. As a small village school we are fortunate to be supported by the local community of West Malling. As a voluntary controlled school we have strong links with St Mary’s Church in West Malling. The congregation embraces us with love and warmth and works in partnership with us to develop our children spiritually and morally within a Christian environment. We are so lucky to have such support, which enhances our sense of belonging to St Mary’s Church and the village community. [ALTERNATIVE - West Malling C.E. Primary School provides an exceptionally high level of differentiated learning meeting the needs of every child, including Gifted and Able and those with Learning Difficulties. We achieve this through integration, small group teaching, treating each child as unique and developing their individual strengths, whilst utilising state of the art resources, a stimulating environment and committed and talented teaching staff with high expectations of their pupils.] Please have a look around our website by clicking on the links on the left and right. We hope you like our school, please send us your feedback via the feedback page on the left. Urgent/Important Notices Any urgent and/or important notices will be posted here! Our School Located in the Mediaeval town of West Malling opposite the ‘Old County (Cricket) Ground’, West Malling C.E. Primary School is the original village school. We strive to meet every child’s educational needs, we pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching staff and modern resources. Set in beautiful rural surroundings, we are able to offer our pupils: – a warm and friendly learning environment; – small classes with interactive white boards; – creative foundation stage for early years development; – hi-tech, ICT suite with interactive facilities; – well resourced library; – special speech and language unit; – breakfast club and after school ‘Smilers’ club; – stimulating and fun playground facilities; – beautiful rural surroundings. Please find out more by taking a tour of our school or clicking on other links. How to Find Us We are located in the village of West Malling opposite the ‘Old County (Cricket) Ground’. Our address is: West Malling Church of England Primary School, Old Cricket Ground, Norman Road, West Malling, Kent, ME19 6RL. Our latitude and longitude are: 51.2948 degrees North, 0.4050 degrees East. See maps below: School Tour Find your way around and discover the school and it’s abundant resources by hovering your mouse over the layout and seeing a photograph of that zone in the viewing screen and a description of the resources in the dialogue box. Uniform We positively encourage our children to take responsibility for their personal appearance - which includes being clean, tidy and proud of their school uniform. Our school uniform is as follows: Royal blue fleece jacket Royal blue pullover, cardigan or school sweatshirt Royal blue jogging bottoms for KS1 pupils Grey trousers (or shorts) Grey skirts White or grey shirt, blouse Black shoes, not trainers White polo shirt Blue ski hats In Summer For girls - blue/white gingham dress For boys - blue/white T-shirt Shorts Blue baseball caps For PE White/blue shorts or leotard White/blue T-shirt Plimsolls White socks Fleece jackets with the school logo, sweatshirts with the school logo, jogging bottoms and white polo shirts with the school logo may be purchased from the school office, as well as ski hats and baseball caps. Sensible shoes are required to be worn at all times, trainers may not be worn during the day as they are not part of our school uniform. All items of clothing and equipment must be clearly named. Prospectus At West Malling CEP School we wholeheartedly embrace our school motto “Always do your best”. Our Mission Statement To make a positive difference to the lives of our children, empowering them to always do their best, be valuable citizens and come to know God. Vision and values Learning We believe in encouraging learning and the participation in new experiences, seeking to educate the whole child and creating independent learners. Success The school should be a place which encourages progress, empowering all to always do their best, seeing success in effort, as well as achievement. Celebrate The school will reward and celebrate achievement, being a valuable resource for local children, schools and staff. Respect The school will respect all points of view, valuing an individual's opinion and seeking to build self esteem. Compassion The school will seek to minister to physical, emotional and moral needs of all. Interdependence The school will contribute positively to the community and seek its support believing that the two can enrich the lives of each other. Ethos Statement Recognising its historic foundation, this Church of England Controlled Primary School will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level. West Malling CEP School aims to serve its community by providing an excellent education for pupils of all abilities and backgrounds in the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith. It promotes Christian values and spiritual development through the experience it offers to all its pupils. Policies Complaints about the National Curriculum and Religious Worship The Local Education Authority has published a leaflet explaining what parents should do if they have a complaint about the curriculum or religious worship in their child’s school. The leaflet encourages parents to discuss the complaint with the Headteacher first. It says that the great majority of complaints can be resolved in this way. However, a parent who is still dissatisfied can refer the complaint to a panel of the school’s governing body. There are also further appeal stages to a Panel of the Local Education Authority and, finally to the Secretary of State for Education. Full details are set out in the leaflet “The Curriculum and Religious Worship in Schools: Arrangements for considering complaints”. Copies are available free of charge from the school or from the West Kent Education Office. Admissions The school's admissions policy reflects priorities defined by Kent County Council 1. Parents’ wishes. 2. Parents’ who choose a Church of England School. 3. Current family association i.e. siblings currently in the school. 4. Health reasons. 5. Those living nearest to the school. Pre-school sessions At West Malling CEP School we aim to make the transition from home to school as easy as possible for both children and parents. In January the school opens its doors so that parents and children can come and see the school at work. The children are encouraged to take part in activities and parents can meet the staff. During July the school offers a weekly pre-school session and sample lunch. These sessions give the opportunity for the children to feel comfortable and familiar with our school surroundings and its staff as well as allowing the opportunity for parents to meet and offer support to each other. Parents and their children have the opportunity to visit and meet their child’s class teacher during this term. The Head teacher also spends time with the parents where our hopes and expectations for your child can be discussed. School uniform can also be purchased during these sessions. It is very helpful if your child can be independent in some areas before starting school, such as dressing and undressing, going to the toilet and washing hands unaided, using a knife and fork and putting things away after themselves! School History West Malling C.E. Primary School History West Malling C.E. Primary School was opened on the 4th January 1955 having moved from Churchfields (now called Church Rooms), which still hosts the pre-school infants today. The hall was build 18 months later and the infants were moved in 1976, together forming the original West Malling village school. The site was originally open fields and orchards being used for Host houses for drying hops. The Host houses made way for the special Language unit in 1974, which we are very proud of. A fire, started in a cupboard in 1973 destroyed a classroom but was refurbished in the same year and in 2005 the ‘Barn’ was build, which the children use for outdoor studies and play. Ada Cheney (now our special cleaner) has been with the school ever since it was moved. We have had seven heads since 1955: • Mr Rogers • Mr Swain • Mr McIntosh • Mr Adams • Mr Edwards • Mrs Farrol • Mrs Bickers - current The History of West Malling West Malling has the almost perfect layout of a Mediaeval Town, with a restored 12th century Merchant’s House. Its prosperity was based around St Mary’s Abbey, still occupied by Benedictine Nuns after more than 900 years, together with a Norman Tower and Church (containing a rare coat of arms), fine Tithe Barn and Monastery. Wealthy owners adapted the fashions and there is a range of beautiful houses – Elizabethan, Jacobean, Queen Anne, Georgian and Victorian. Set in lovely Kent countryside, with Manor Park and Lake, its thriving community is full of old pubs, good eating houses and unique shops. The Old County (Cricket) Ground is also owned by the Parish Council; in 2005 the 300th anniversary of Cricket in Kent was celebrated by the Town Malling Cricket Club, in conjunction with the Borough Council. The cricket pitch The cricket pitch in West Malling is very famous but some people will not know why... The first reason is the fact that it was once the county ground for Kent, this means that in its hey-day it had many of the most famous cricketers playing on its green sward. Town Malling Cricket Pitch With thousands of people swarming in from miles around for the big match days this little ground was incredibly busy. However, now it is home to West Malling's village cricket club that plays twice a week with everyone welcome to come and watch. But that is not the only reason for the ground's fame! It also features on the back of the old £10 note along with Charles Dickens. The match is marked in small print at the bottom of the note 'All Muggleton vs Dingley Dell'. This is thanks to a visit by Charles Dickens who came to the ground to watch the first cricket match in the UK being played. To celebrate the visit by Dickens every year there is a street market and a carnival where everyone dresses up to commemorate the visit by the much loved author. This isn't the only famous visitors that West Malling has had though. The small village has also had visits from George Orwell, the Beatles, Guy Gibson and Arthur Ransome, proving that the beautiful charm of the place attracts visitors from far and wide. The Five Pointed Star and Christmas Tree At Christmas there are lights switched on (generally by a well known person such as Chris Evans who lives near to the area) with a ceremony of carols round the Christmas tree in the high street. In the pubs the Mummers perform the Seven Champions of Christendom, a famous folk play that originated centuries ago. It's a village of mystery, myths of treasures lost and found, stories of smugglers, underground tunnels, colourful characters and strange customs. View From the top of St Mary's Church Every house has its history. Books have been written about West Malling, film crews have filmed in it many times. Full of surprise and delights, a gift for photographers, a warm welcome to visitors guaranteed and a great place to live. Athletics records This year (2006) marks the start of the Key Stage 2 children taking part in the school's first athletics championship. Below are the names of the new record holders along with their times and distances. Next year the championship will be repeated in July and we will have new year group champions and some new school records. Boys' records Girls' records BOYS Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 60m Sprint 10.03s Billy (2006) 10.54s Alex (2006) 9.59s Bradley (2006) 10.50s Tommy (2006) One lap (114m) 20.50s Billy (2006) 22.41s (2006) Alex Two laps (228m) 41.90s Bradley (2006) 46.59s Tommy (2006) Standing football throw 7.10m Mark (2006) 6.02m Ben (2006) 9.22m Jay (2006) 8.33m Tommy (2006) Standing long jump 1.82m Billy and Andres (2006) 1.76m Ben (2006) 1.86m Bradley (2006) 1.66m Troy (2006) Rounders ball throw 24.26m Ates (2006) 20.60m Alex(2006) 33.48m Arsani (2006) 29.18m Tommy (2006) Return to top GIRLS Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 60m Sprint 10.28s Mae (2006) 10.88s Georgia (2006) 10.22s Zoey (2006) 9.87s Chloe (2006) One lap (114m) 21.69s Mae (2006) 23.19s Ruth (2006) Two laps (228m) 47.47s Zoey (2006) 47.72s Rianne (2006) Standing football throw 8.12m Amber (2006) 7.20m Rachael (2006) 7.79m Zoey (2006) 12.03m India (2006) Standing long jump 1.50s Fern (2006) 1.42m Georgia (2006) 1.69m Zoey (2006) 1.73m Chloe (2006) Rounders ball throw 15.53m Nadia (2006) 16.52m Georgia (2006) 17.29m Stacey (2006) 23.83m Chloe (2006) Return to top This year (2006) marks the start of the Key Stage 2 children taking part in the school's first athletics championship. Below are the names of the new record holders along with their times and distances. Next year the championship will be repeated in July and we will have new year group champions and some new school records. Vacancies Working at West Malling C.E. Primary School West Malling CEP School is set in the attractive countryside village of West Malling in the heart of Kent. Our school is small, caring and friendly and is an environment where it is possible to know every child and all parents It is one in which the highest priority is given to academic excellence through a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. We are all extremely proud of our school and it’s achievements and endeavour to put the needs of our children first. As a small village school we are fortunate to be supported by the local community of West Malling. Our staff are talented, highly motivated and work together as a team and these are the traits we look for when recruiting to ensure that new staff will fit in well, be happy here and contribute to this progressive, caring and stimulating village school of West Malling. If this is of interest to you and you wish to apply for any of the jobs posted below please contact the Head Teacher directly on 01732 842061 or headteacher@west-malling.kent.sch.uk or via our Feedback page. If you prefer, you can contact us by post at: West Malling Church of England Primary School Old Cricket Ground Norman Road West Malling Kent ME19 6RL. Vacancies Job Vacancy 1 Sorry, we do not currently have any vacancies but please either register your interest with us or keep looking here as we will post any vacancies as they arise. Job Vacancy 2 Description All information sent to us will be kept in the strictest of confidence, and shall only be used, or referred to, for the purpose of recruitment and selection only. Learning Here at West Malling C.E. Primary school we take teaching and learning very seriously and believe that every child is unique and that it is our job to create the right learning environment to maximise their potential. Our staff, curriculum and extra curricular activities provide an ideal opportunity for children to learn and be happy. We provide specialist teaching for ‘gifted & talented’ pupils and for speech and language and operate the ‘Every Child Matters’ scheme. Read what some of our pupils and parents have to say and then explore the links to the left or right of this page to find out more. What the Kids Say… …”Mr Shields and one of the governors built the barn. I like it because it is like a tent and I like the pond it’s a nice place to relax. My best teacher is Mrs Mace because she is fun.” …”There are places you can go after school at West Malling C. f E. school. There is French on Monday run by Mrs Ollis. On Tuesday there is Homework Club… on Wednesday there is a computer club for KS2. On Thursday there is Dance and Recorder club and on Friday there is majorettes and football… West Malling C.E. Primary School is the best school in the World!” …”Every Friday about 40 children go swimming… West Malling school has a school council so the children can have their say about what they want for the school.” What the Parents Say… …”our children have been warmly welcomed and have settled in very well and are very happy. We are delighted with their progress…” …”A wonderful place for children to start their journey through school life. I found the staff and head teacher in particular, very easy to talk to, and very willing to listen to our input…” Useful Information Cold / wet Weather - Please provide your child with suitable clothing if the weather is likely to be cold or wet. We have waterproof school fleeces. Ask the office for details. Uniform - Pupils are expected to wear our school uniform. Black school shoes should be worn during the school day and trainers may not be worn. PE Kit - Children must have their PE kit in school during the week. Jewellery is not permitted. Watches may be worn but any small stud earrings must be removed for PE lessons. Stationery - The school will provide all necessary materials. If pupils do bring a pencil case to school it must be small enough to fit in their tray. School Book Bags - We sell our own bags and promote these rather than large holdalls as they can be a hazard in the cloakroom All items MUST be named! Toys - are not permitted in school. We provide playground equipment for playtimes. Snacks - As part of the healthy school project we provide all our pupils with fruit or vegetables for a mid morning snack. We encourage all pupils to bring their own water bottle or fruit drink Drinks - We provide chilled water. Pupils may buy milk, apple or orange juice at cost price. Parent helpers - We are always very grateful for any help that we are offered. If you can assist in any way please contact your child’s class teacher or Head Teacher. If you have any expertise connected to any of our school topics or fund raising projects please let us know. We are a safe school and will make a CRB check for all helpers in school. SNOW! - in the event of snow please listen to Invicta Radio or Radio Kent for information about school closures. Absence - Please telephone the school before 8.50am if your child is unexpectedly absent. If your child is late, they must report to the office to register. Please help your child to be punctual to school to avoid disruption to them and their class. If a child is absent and we have not been notified we will contact you by telephone. Unusually high absence and / or regular lateness will be investigated by the Head Teacher who may refer the matter to the Education Welfare Officer. Holidays - At the Head Teacher’s discretion up to 10 days per calendar year may be allowed for children to accompany parents on annual holidays. However, in order to ensure that children make maximum progress, we request that parents try not to take children out of school during term time. Complaints procedures - Please approach the member of staff concerned at the earliest possible opportunity. If you are not satisfied with the outcome you should make an appointment to see the Head Teacher. If you are still unhappy, you may write to the Chairman of Governors, outlining your concerns. Other members of the governing body are not authorised to deal with complaints. This procedure is followed by all LEA schools. Term Dates Term 1 Thursday 4th September 2006 - Friday 20th October 2006 Term 2 Monday 30th October 2006 - Friday 15th December 2006 Term 3 Tuesday 3rd January 2007 – Friday 9th February 2007 Term 4 Monday 19th February 2007 – Friday 30th March 2007 Term 5 Wednesday 16th April 2007 – Friday 25th May 2007 Term 6 Monday 4th June 2007 – Tuesday 25th July 2007 Special dates appear in the Diary Section INSET Days These are In Service Educational Training days, set aside for Staff training. Children are not in school. Monday 4th September 2006 Friday 20th October 2006 Wednesday 3rd January 2007 Monday 4th June 2007 Wednesday 25th July 2007 The School Day Alternative [8.45 a.m. the pedestrian gate is unlocked, parents bring their children to the edge of the playground and the children then walk sensibly to their classroom where they have 10 minutes of social time before registration at 8.55 a.m. Registration 8.55 a.m. Morning break 10.55 to 11.10 a.m. KS1 (infant) lunch 12.00 to 1.00 p.m. KS2 (junior) lunch 12.15 to 1.00 p.m. End of school 3.00 p.m. Morning Arrival As mentioned above all pupils enter the classroom between 8.45 a.m. and 8.55 a.m. when registration takes place. During this time there is the opportunity for pupils to socialise with their class teacher, learning support assistant, peers and organise and prepare themselves for the coming day. Short activities such as puzzles, games, reading and drawing may be pursued during this time. Please note At 8.55 a.m. the classroom doors are closed and all late comers must be escorted by parents to the main school office where a reason for lateness must be offered by the parent or accompanying adult and not the child.] Our School Day At 8.45am the crayon side gate is opened and children walk straight to their classrooms where their teachers will be waiting for them. Parents of Foundation Stage children (Chestnut Class) may escort their children to the classroom until they are confident enough to come in on their own. Children who come to school by taxi should not arrive until 8.45. If for any reason they are early they MUST wait in the main entrance until it is time to go to class. If your child arrives after 8.55 they must report to the office for registration. Parents MAY NOT drive on school premises at any time. Breakfast Club 8.00- 8.45 daily during term time 08.55 am Registration 09.00 am Lessons begin 10.00 am Worship 10.55 am Playtime 11.10 am Lessons resume 12.00 am KS1 Lunchtime 12.15 pm KS2 Lunchtime 01.00 pm Lessons resume 02.00 pm KS1 Playtime 03.00 pm School ends Smilers After School Club 3.00 -6.00 daily during term time Clubs 3.00 -3.45 daily during term time Playground Supervision At the start of each day all teachers are on duty from 8.45 a.m. in their classrooms. The playground is therefore unsupervised. The main pedestrian gate will be locked until 8.45 a.m. Morning break times are supervised by teachers and Teaching Assistants in both the KS1 and KS2 areas. Fresh orange juice may be purchased daily for 2Op. Milk can be ordered through the ‘Cool Milk for Schools’ scheme. Forms are available from the school office. KS1 & KS2 children will receive free fruit from the ‘School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme’. Iced water is available at all times of the day. Lunch Time We have our own kitchen and school lunches are cooked on site by Eden Catering at the cost of £8.75 per week payable on Monday of each week. KS1 children begin lunch at 12.00 p.m., KS2 at 12.15 p.m. The children may have a packed lunch instead. If you prefer your child to go home for lunch then I would urge you to return him/her at least ¼ hour before afternoon school begins so that he/she may have social playtime with friends. If you believe that your child is eligible for free meals please ask the Office Manager for an application form. All enquiries are treated in confidence. End of School Day At the end of the school day staff will bring children to the gate by the playground to meet their parents / carers. No children will be allowed to leave until staff are confident that parents / carers are waiting. Parents are asked to wait behind the gate to collect their children. If you are unable to collect your children at 3.00 pm kindly telephone the office in advance. If you are delayed your children are expected to wait quietly in the main entrance hall until collection. All children waiting for taxis MUST wait in the main entrance. Classes Chestnut class (Foundation class) Lime class (Year 1 and 2) Mulberry class (Year 3) Oak class (Year 3 and 4) Ash class (Year 5 and 6) Language Unit Beach class (Years R, 1,2 and 3) Maple class (Years 3,4,5 and 6) LIP Service Curriculum Our Educational Aims At West Mailing CEP School we will: • provide first class teaching; • create a safe, secure and stimulating environment to allow our children to achieve their potential; • develop all our children in their understanding of academic, social, moral, personal, spiritual and cultural issues; • develop lively enquiring minds; • work in partnership with parents and the community; • develop our children’s ability to question and argue rationally; • help our children acquire knowledge and skills relevant to adult life and employment in a fast changing world; • respect and understand moral and religious values of other races, religions and ways of life; • foster aspiration; • create a learning school for all. In order to pursue these aims, the curriculum provided will be: – BROAD so that there is the opportunity for pupils to achieve success in a range of knowledge and skills; – BALANCED so that each area of learning and experience is given attention in relation to others and to the curriculum; – RELEVANT to the pupils now and to adult life; – DIFFERENTIATED according to the ability and aptitude of each child; – INTERESTING to make learning exciting and fun! Stop Press From January 2007 we will employ a specialist music teacher and a specialist French teacher to teach all children within the school! Staff (Teaching, non-teaching) Main School Mrs L Bickers Headteacher Miss K Melia (Senior teacher) Chestnut class (Foundation class) Miss A Johnson Lime class (Year 1 and 2) Mulberry class (Year 3) Oak class (Year 3 and 4) Mr S Friend (Senior Teacher) Ash class (Year 5 and 6) . . Language Unit Miss K Malley (Senior Teacher) Head of Unit Mrs J McGinty Beech class (Years R, 1,2 and 3) Miss K Malley Maple class (Years 3,4,5 and 6) . . Mrs C Elliot Speech therapist Mrs C Charnock LIP Service Mrs A Stanton Speech therapist Main School Teaching Assistants Miss S Edwards Mrs J Harris Mrs S Hicks Mrs G Hobley Miss C Mace Mrs J Smart Mrs B Taylor Language Unit Teaching Assistants Mrs H Burr Mrs P Cooper Miss C Mace Mrs P Matthews Additional Needs Tutors Mrs E Sleight Mrs B Smith Non-teaching staff Mrs J Spencer Office Manager Mrs T Poile Bursar Mr M Shields Site Manager Cleaners Mrs A Cheney Mrs V Hawkes Lunchtime supervisors Mrs L Bennet Miss T Soules Mrs V Hawkes Learning Support At West Malling CofE Primary School we believe that every child matters and provide differentiated learning for all to develop their individual strengths and teach in small groups. We believe in integration and treat each child as unique. We use state of the art resources, a stimulating environment and committed and talented teaching staff with high expectations of their pupils. Gifted & Talented At West Malling CofE Primary School we hold a register of all Gifted and Talented pupils across the curriculum consisting of the top 10% in the school. We provide maths ‘extension’ classes and small group tutoring and also senior tutor groups in literacy and maths. Differentiated teaching is provided for all pupils in the school with special learning such as thinking skills and ‘brain gym’ excerecises. Language Unit The language unit comprises of two small classes of around 10 children each who have normal intelligence but who need extra help with speech and language. The children are based full time at the school and come from all over the Mid and West Kent areas. The language unit is housed in a separate building adjacent to the school and all children attending the language unit are given equal status with other pupils in the school and join in all school activities. The school operates a very successful two-way integration programme, which is now seen as a model for other schools with specialised units. Staff include; full time teachers, learning support assistants and speech therapists. The language unit pupils follow the normal curriculum and usually leave the school having attained the SATs results they are capable of. We are very proud of our language unit and its achievements. The staff in the language unit are dedicated to raising the standards of achievement for our pupils with speech and language disorders. The Unit also houses an outreach service called LIP. This service supports children in mainstream schools and provides training for the county. The pupils in the language unit all have a Statement of Additional Educational Needs and are selected to attend by a panel of professionals at the West Kent Area Office. Special Needs Mrs G Adam runs our special needs programme within the school and visits the school on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings. She has a specialist qualification in Dyslexia. Support is given to all age groups from 4 to 11 year olds and caters for; monitoring, school action, school action plus and statemented children. Our aim is to identify, as early as possible, children with special needs and address those needs, either internally or through referrals to; speech therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists or other specialists as needs determine. ciis Communication and Interaction Inclusion Service (ciis) is a consortium of teams supporting primary and secondary schools to aid the inclusion of pupils with speech, language, communication and interaction needs. Teams consist of specialist advisory teachers and speech & language therapists. Promoting seamless, collaborative working practices, which ensures a more effective service to schools, pupils and their parents. Click here for more information <more>. Homework - How you can help your child Our homework policy is inline with government guidelines that suggest the following times. – Foundation Stage Age 4-5Please contact Chestnut Class teacher for advice; – KS1 Age 5 -7 One hour each week; – KS2 Age 7 -9 children. One and a half hours each week; – KS2 Age 9 -11 children. Two hours each week. We have found that parents can really help their children by sharing books and talking to them about the school day. Try to encourage your child to do his/her best at all times and show an interest in all that he/she does. All children have targets for reading, writing and mathematics. Ask your child about their targets and find ways to help to achieve them. As children progress through the school they will be encouraged to undertake independent study at home. At first, younger children may be asked to read, learn new words, spellings and tables or find out about a topic studied in class. This may progress to learning a short script for the class assembly, preparing a short talk or write a book review. At the end of KS2 children will be expected to research a topic or complete a holiday scrapbook. At West Malling CEP School we aim to make homework assignments relevant, meaningful and appropriate. All teachers plan a homework timetable. We ask for your support by helping your child fall into positive home study habits. Avoid confrontation over homework. If there are any problems let the class teacher know so they can help. Always give positive encouragement and a quiet working place, away from TV or other distractions. We ask you to sign the appropriate diary section to show that your child has completed each task. If your child is not able to complete any homework, kindly write the reason in the comment section or speak directly to the teacher. You can read and print a copy of our guide to helping your child read by <clicking here>. Thank you for your support Helping your child to read at home Make reading a natural part of family activities. Ensure that your child sees you reading regularly. Read regularly with your child. Read slowly, pointing to the words so that your child can follow them as you read. Try to read with expression to make the story exciting! Ask your child to read aloud to you daily. Give your child time to work out new words. If your child is struggling with quite a few words, try one of the following: – Try reading the book together at a slow rate. In this way the story can be read without your child worrying about new words. – Try reading a page or a few pages ahead for your child. Then encourage him / her to have a go at the pages you have just read. – Try reading alternate sentences. You read a sentence. Then your child reads one. As they become more confident, try reading a paragraph at a time. If getting your child to read at night is a battle, try asking them to read in the morning before they go to school. Encourage your child; – to talk about books. – to retell a story in the correct sequence. – to talk about pictures, events and characters in a story. – by writing positive and constructive comments in the reading record. – by visiting the library and bookshops regularly. – to read signs and labels when out shopping. – to enjoy all types of reading material including comics, magazines and picture books. Try NOT to: – be impatient with your child’s reading ability – show your disappointment if your child has difficulty reading previously known words. – criticise your child’s choice of reading material. West Malling CEP School - Home/School Agreement The School will: – Care for your child’s safety and happiness. – Encourage your child to take care of their surroundings and others around them. – Ensure that your child achieves his/her full potential as valued member of the school community. – Provide a balanced curriculum and meet the individual needs of your child. – Achieve high standards of work and behaviour through building good relationships and developing a sense of responsibility. – Listen to and consider the opinions of your child. – Keep you informed about general school matters and about your child’s progress in particular. – Be open and welcoming at all times and offer opportunities for you to become involved in the daily life of the school. Parents / Guardians I / We will: – See that my child goes to school regularly, on time and properly equipped – Make the school aware of any concerns or problems that might affect my child’s work or behaviour. – Support the school’s policies and guidelines for behaviour. – Support my child in homework and other opportunities for home learning. – Attend parent consultation evenings and discussions about my child’s progress. – Get to know about my child’s life at school. Pupils Please discuss this with your child. I will: – Attend school regularly and on time. – Wear the correct school uniform and take pride in my appearance. – Bring all the equipment I need every day. – Respect everything and everyone in our school including our neighbours. – Choose right from wrong and be a role model to others. – Do all my class work and homework as well as I can. – Be polite and helpful to others. – Reach my targets and achieve my best. – Keep the School’s Golden Rules Together we will: – Tackle any specific needs – Encourage our children to keep our school’s Golden Rules. – Support our children’s learning to help them to achieve their best. – Make our school the happiest and best place for our children to be Download a copy of this agreement by <clicking here>. Homework Rules Homework is really serious stuff. The following rules will help you. 1. Switch off the television; 2. Wash your hands; 3. Sit at a table; 4. Use a sharp pencil; 5. Remember - a rubber and a ruler help! 6. Follow instructions carefully; 7. Check your work; 8. Remember to take your homework back to school! Clubs (Breakfast, ‘Smilers’ after school) Here are the clubs that children can attend. You can see what the children are doing by clicking on the club. Day Before school Lunchtime After School Monday Breakfast club Flower arranging Smilers after school club (3 -6pm) Cricket Football French Tuesday Breakfast club Skipping Smilers Athletics Majorettes Wednesday Breakfast club Cooking Smilers Cross stitch Engineering Dance Thursday Breakfast club Smilers Recorders Friday Breakfast club Smilers Majorettes Grass Roots Football Comments by Ofsted Here are a few comments made by Ofsted following their last inspection: …“The school is now fully staffed and provides a sound education for it’s pupils. The headteacher and the staff have worked hard to raise standards.” …”The recent opening of a new school building has resulted in a much better environment for learning and has released space for the establishment of a successful breakfast club and a specific area for teaching small groups of pupils. …” …”There has been good progress in relation to leadership and management and improving the curriculum, and reasonable progress elsewhere, although raising standards remains a priority. …” …”The school has identified groups of pupils that are underachieving and has implemented suitable programmes to boost their attainment. …” Feedback If you have any questions, or would like to organise a visit to look around our school, please don't hesitate to contact us by any of the methods below. Your feedback is always welcome: Write to us at: West Malling Church of England Primary School Old Cricket Ground Norman Road West Malling Kent ME19 6RL Telephone: 01732 842061 Facsimile: 01732 842267 Email: headteacher@west-malling.kent.sch.uk What’s On Here are some important dates for the rest of the year. These are a guide only and subject to change. You should always check with the school to confirm activities. Details of trips will not be published on the website. Date Time Activity 10-11/01/07 10.00am-11.30am Open day for reception children entering the school in September 2007. tbc Yr 5/6 Activity Discovery - School journey to Norfolk. 12/01/07 1.00pm-3.00pm Helping your child with Maths. Resource room - FREE 26/01/07 9.30am Kinetic Theatre - Forces in Science 29/01/07 1.30pm Yr 5/6 Trip to the Opera - back 5pm. 7/02/07 1.30pm Parent Conference - communication, healthy school, curriculum provision. 5-9/03/07 Book week - a range of activities including a story teller. 15/03/07 2.00pm Nutritionist from Eden Foods to talk to parents and children about healthy eating. 22/03/07 3.15pm Yr 5/6 parent consultation evening after school. 3/05/07 SCHOOL CLOSED FOR LOCAL ELECTIONS 14-18/05/07 Yr 6 SATs week - Yr 6 MUST be in school! 11-15/06/07 World week - activities from around the world. 21/06/07 3.15pm Parents consultation evening. 28/06/07 Sports Day 9-13/07/07 Key Stage 2 drama production See ‘Term Dates’ for other important dates. Weekly News Letter Mrs. Bickers writes a weekly newsletter. If you missed one you can click the links to catch up with what is happening in the school. If you would like any information added to forthcoming newsletters please contact Mrs. Bickers. (e-mail) Please note, for the electronic version of the newsletter only children's first names will be used and any notices about planned trips will not be notified through the web site. Notices 8th December 2006 Lost Property We have a very large collection of fleeces, some brand new, in our Lost Property box. We have returned some to their owners when we found their names, but there are still several without names which we cannot return. If you think your child has lost clothing, we have lots here! Come in after school to look. In the Press Awards Department of Education and Skills. The Secretary of State for Education and Skills congratulates the staff of West Malling CofE Primary School Language unit. Visitors On Thursday 8th June 2006 the Redtail Falconry Display team came to the school. Sue and Alan talked to the children about all the birds and then the children and the birds went outside. The children and teachers were able to fly the birds, demonstrating the silent flight of the Barn Owl. Harriet the hawk and the Eagle Owl flew over the children’s heads, demonstrating the amazing agility of the bird. During May and June the oldest children in the school have benefited from the skills of Sam and Ben, two cricket coaches from Australia. For five Tuesdays the children enjoyed one hour coaching sessions. Starting with a warm up, then onto specific cricket skills practice delivered in fun activities. Bowling, fielding, throwing, catching and batting practice were all skills practiced over the five weeks - and finishing with a game. Putting together all the skills the children had been practicing. All the children were fully involved and all have enjoyed the sessions. One girl saying, 'I don't like PE but I like cricket.' As well as the children enjoying the fun activities developing their cricket skills the teachers have also benefited by learning the activities to take into their own PE lessons. As part of the Arts week in June the children decided to create a cricketer and named him 'Bam' in honour of the two coaches 'B'en and S'am'. Author and illustrator, Charlotte Firmin visited our school on Tuesday 22nd February 2005. She worked with all of the children in the school and with their help she wrote and illustrated three books. Charlotte began the session with a blank book and asked the children about their classroom. 'Does it have a door?' she asked. She drew a door and asked them to imagine a new teacher coming into the room. Their new teacher was Mrs. Miaow. Charlotte got the children to think about how they felt when she came into the room. She then drew the children while they acted out the emotions. The children were really excited about the story adding ideas all of the time. The story took the children through a day with Mrs Miaow as their class teacher. As the story continued you can see that it really fired the children’s imagination. Instead of PE they had climbing and pouncing and for lunch they had fish and milk. On Tuesday 2nd May 2006 the school was visited by the Puppeteers' Company and their production of Peter and the Wolf. Within the production they used various types of puppet which they showed the children after the performance. Peter is a body puppet and the Wolf is a rod puppet. They also had Grandpa - a string puppet (or marionette), the Duck - a hand shadow puppet, the hunters - shadow puppets and the Cat - a rod puppet. Cool Milk Our School Code Number is 1360 Cool Milk at School Ltd. have come up with a revolutionary way of funding schools. By encouraging parents to register and pay online reduces the price of providing milk to our school by eliminating some of the administrative costs. Through this the company will be able to pay us a percentage of all income received via the Internet straight back to the school, money which could be spent on books and equipment. Above is a direct link to the official COOL MILK AT SCHOOL LTD web site. If you do decide to make use of the online payment facility please quote our code number shown above. Governors Our Governing Body is responsible for the well being of the school in all its aspects. It includes parents, the headteacher, a teacher representative, representatives from the LEA, the church and other members of the local community with a special interest in our school. The Governors are closely involved in matters relating to the general running of the school, the curriculum, the selection of staff, discipline, marketing and finance. The committees handle specific areas of the school organisation. An annual Governors and Parents meeting gives everyone the opportunity to keep in touch and the chance to discuss matters of mutual interest. Governors normally serve for a period of 4 years. The Chairman of Governors is Mr Graham Hall The Governing Body of West Malling CEP School: Name Position Responsibilities Mrs L Bickers Headteacher Mr G Hall LEA Governor (Chairman) School Improvement & Personnel Mrs D Green LEA Governor Early Years & Training & Curriculum Mrs J Read Parent Governor Personnel, school & Communitiy Canon B Stevenson Ex Officio Governor Premises Mrs J Gosney Personnel Mrs L Beard Co-opted Governor Curriculum & Personnel Mrs H Burr Parent Governor Curriculum Mr R Thornhill Co-opted Governor Premises & Finance Mrs Bentley Finance & Curriculum Mrs Crutchfield Curriculum & Finance Mrs V Shield Clerk to Governors Teaching staff Governor: Teachers will take it in rotation to participate in Governors meetings. We are privileged at West Malling CEP School to have a motivated and dedicated Governing Body who offers valuable support in all respects of our school life. Community West Malling CEP School enjoys good relations and interaction with the community. Here are some of the activities we are involved in: • Ball Park - we share the ball park with the community and have access during the school day. • Christmas lights - the school takes part in the towns Christmas fare at the end of November and usually has a stall with mulled wine. • Town Malling Day - during the May Bank holiday West Malling has a celebration and the school run a stall on the cricket field. • Planting Flower Bulbs - we plant flower bulbs in Macey’s Meadow to help regenerate the local area. • MAP (Malling Action Partnership) - we are members of MAP which aims to tap in to Government allocated money for projects to benefit the local community. • St Mary’s - we are active members of St Mary’s Church in the town, taking part and leading services and activities such as a sponsored Bible reading in aid of the Church Spire rebuilding project. We also let our facilities out to the public and organisations and have a number of long standing relationships: • Five caravan clubs use our grounds and kitchen facilities at weekends and holidays. • Slimming World rent our hall on Monday evenings. • West Malling Art club meet once per month and are our longest running club. • We also rent out our hall and kitchen for birthday parties - so if you want to organise a party for your child and need lots of space and good facilities, why not give us a ring. • PTA ‘The Friends’ The Friends of the School is open to anyone who is interested in the school and the community - parents, grandparents, relations and carers. We aim to improve the school profile within the community and raise funds for the school. Here are a number of ways we raise money. • Non-uniform days • Mad hair days • Summer fun days with bouncy castles, tombolas etc • Bonfire night • Christmas lights stall selling cakes and refreshments. • Christmas raffle where local businesses provide the prizes • Christmas present ‘shop’ at the end of November If you would like to help please contact the school and ask about ‘The Friends’. Kid’s Zone Our Stuff Jokes Puzzles Cool Link’s Games School Council The School Council is here so that us children can have our say in things that are important to us. If you have something to say then tell your class representative and they will bring it up at our meetings. Class Representatives Lime Kaylum and Georgia Mulberry Jack and Lauren Beech Shaun and Linus Oak Mae and Joshua Maple Warren and Ben Ash Victoria and Kai The School council’s anti-bullying policy is: • we will be a happy school • we do not like people bullying us • we will tell if someone is unkind • we will not accept bullying in our school Mrs Smart is our ‘Listening Ear’ The NSPCC Child Protection Helpline is 0808 800 5000 http://www.nspcc.org.uk/ http://www.nspcc.org.uk/kidszone/ </body>