ST OSWALD’S CATHOLIC
PRIMARY SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS
2013-2014
With Christ at the centre of our community,
our mission is to live, love and learn
as Jesus taught us.
This booklet is designed to help you find out about our school. It contains all the “statutory” information you may require as well as some extra details which, we hope, reflect the positive atmosphere here at St Oswald’s.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you require further information or wish to visit the school.
Mrs B Wood
Headteacher
June 2013
St Oswald’s Catholic Primary School
Chapel Lane
Longton
Preston
PR4 5EB
Tel: 01772 613402
Fax: 01772 613440
E:mail
E:mail
Web site:
Welcome to St Oswald’s
A very warm welcome to the Catholic community of St Oswald’s. I hope that you will gain an insight into the life of our school through this prospectus. If you wish to find out more about our school, please do not hesitate to contact me to arrange a visit.
At St Oswald’s, we aim to provide a secure, caring and stimulating environment in which children are encouraged to reach their potential in all aspects of their development. We believe that courtesy, respect and concern for others are as important as high standards of achievement in academic work. To this end, we strive to meet the needs of every child, recognising that each child is unique and deserves to be treated as such.
Our school is much more than just a building where young children are taught. We are a warm, welcoming and flourishing family community of children and adults. We actively encourage parents to become involved in their children’s education and firmly believe that home and school need to work in partnership for the benefit of the children.
As a Catholic school, we believe that the Christian faith underpins all that we do in school and permeates all aspects of school life. We have very close links with the parish of St Oswald’s and are grateful to the church community for their prayers and support in all that we do.
At St Oswald’s, we are constantly striving to improve standards for our children. I invite you to join us, in partnership, to secure the very best that we can offer for our children.
Bernadette Wood
Headteacher
“This is a good school which strongly develops pupils’
personal skills and self-confidence”. OFSTED 2009
ST OSWALD’S CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
MISSION STATEMENT
With Christ at the centre of our community,
our mission is to live, love and learn as Jesus taught us.
Aims:
To share our Catholic faith and show by the way we treat others that we are followers of Jesus.
To create a happy, secure and caring environment.
To place Religious Education at the heart of our curriculum.
To support the faith development of everyone in our school community.
To welcome parents and the community into school and continue to build upon the strong links between home, school and parish.
To show our appreciation of the beliefs and values of other cultures.
To help everyone achieve the very best they can.
To encourage all children to participate in the life of the school to the best of their abilities.
THE ST OSWALD’S TEAM:
Headteacher
Mrs B Wood
Deputy Headteacher
Mrs A Rich
Class Teachers
Mr J Campbell
Mrs J Corbett
Miss M Gravili
Mr A Heller
Mrs D Johnston
Mrs A Maguire-Dorr
Mr J Mears
Mrs S Quilliam
Mrs B Sullivan
Mrs C Winter
Teaching Support Staff:
Mrs J Anderson
Mrs A Briggs
Mrs H Cookson
Mrs L Little
Mrs J Murphy
Mrs A Powell
Mrs A Tipping
Mrs J Wilson
Mrs G Woof
Welfare Assistants (Lunchtime team):
Mrs J Anderson
Mrs W Deighton
Mrs L Little
Mrs J Murphy
Mrs S Park
Mrs G Woof
Kitchen Staff:
Mrs B Parker – Unit Catering Manager
Mrs J Soothill – Catering Assistant
Mrs M Tinsley- Catering Assistant
Site Supervisor/Cleaner:
Mr B Tindsley – Site Supervisor/Cleaner
Kapital Cleaning provide KS1 cleaning
School Administrator/Secretary:
Mrs K F Bowe
PTFA (Parent, Teacher & Friends Association):
Mr M Laraway – Chairperson
Mr D Redding– Treasurer
Mrs C Neville - Secretary
SCHOOL GOVERNORS
The Governors of our school are:
Chair:
Dr P Dineen
Vice-Chair:
Mr B Hopewell
Headteacher:
Mrs B Wood
Foundation Governors:
Mr M Preston
Mrs J Wilson
Mr R Varey
Mrs C Blackburn
Mr G Higginson
Mr A Tipping
Mrs C Wiggins
Staff Governors:
Mrs J Corbett - Teacher
Mrs L Little–Non-teaching staff
Parent Governors:
Mrs J Power
Mrs G Unsworth
LA Governor
Dr P Dineen
Clerk to Governors:
Mr M Clarkson
The school is fortunate to have a Governing Body that gives a considerable amount of time, energy and expertise to the school. The Governing Body manages the school in partnership with the Headteacher. This includes setting aims and objectives and monitoring progress.
The Governors:
- Maintain the Catholic ethos of the school.
- Appoint teaching and support staff.
- Promote good relationships with parents and the local community.
- Set and monitor the school budget.
- Work with the Education Authority and Diocese to maintain and improve the school buildings.
- Ensure that the National Curriculum is provided to all children in the school.
- Decide certain school policies, e.g. behaviour, sex education.
The Headteacher of the school, in consultation with the Governors, is responsible for the internal organisation, management and discipline of the school. The Governors meet as a whole Governing Body once a term.
ADMISSIONS
The official admission procedure begins in the Autumn term of the school year prior to that in which a child is five. (The school year runs from 1 September to 31 August). During this term, parents should apply on-line on A“St Oswald’s faith request form” must also be completed and returned to St Oswald’s together with a copy of the pupil’s baptismal certificate. The faith form is available from school or the school website. If you do not wish to apply on-line, however, you may collect an admission pack from school. Enclosed within the pack is an admission form which is common to Lancashire LEA schools. This form should be completed and returned to the LEA by the stated date. Places are then allocated and parents are notified in the Spring term by Lancashire County Council Admissions Office if their child has a place. Our Admissions Policy and over-subscription criteria is in Appendix A.
It is hoped that your child will be happy and successful at school. In order to make admission as smooth as possible for parents and children, we offer:
- Staff visits to the main feeder nurseries.
- A meeting for all new parents during the summer term prior to admission. This is a chance to meet the staff and ask any questions you may have and for all the necessary documentation to be issued, i.e induction dates.
- Pre-school sessions; so the child gets to know the school and their teacher. Our pre-school group is called “Little Owls”.
- Individual consultation sessions for parents with the Reception class teacher.
- Information Evenings during the Autumn and Spring terms are held to familiarise parents with the curriculum and school systems.
UNIFORM AND APPEARANCE (See Appendix B for full uniform list)
We believe that a school uniform is important:
- It looks smart.
- Wears well.
- Contributes to a sense of belonging.
- Gives a common purpose.
- Fosters a feeling of pride and equality.
All children are expected to wear full uniform and we encourage them to maintain a good standard of clean and tidy dress in school.
It is essential that children’s clothes are clearly marked with a sew-on name tape (the iron-on tapes soon become detached). In order to avoid the frustration and expense of losing a sweatshirt or tie, we cannot emphasise enough the importance of name marking. Please show your Reception child where their names are in their items of uniform.
Jewellery must not be worn at school and no type of facial piercing is permitted. It is recommended that ear-piercing is ONLY carried out in the summer holidays as earrings are not permitted to be worn at school.Equally, children are not allowed to wear make-up of any sort to school and nail varnish must be removed. The school encourages pupils to have a smart overall appearance.
Additionally, for very clear Health and Safety reasons, pupils are not allowed to wear shoes with a heel height greater than 60 mm. Children who attend school with unacceptable shoes will be required to change into safer footwear (provided by the school) and replace the shoes as soon as possible.
Hair must be left its natural colour and severe haircuts are not allowed. Hair ornaments are not considered uniform, e.g. large clips, ornamental headbands, etc. and children will be asked to move them.
PE Kit
For Health and Safety reasons, it is important that children are properly dressed for any physical activity. Our uniform for PE is as follows:
Yellow T shirt with school logo, green shorts and pumps (available from Delta Wool Shop)
Y5 and Y6 may wear trainers (see Appendix B).
PE kits should be kept in a named bag in school and returned home for washing every half-term holiday. Pupils will require swimming trunks (not shorts) or swimsuit and a named swimming cap in Y3.
Lost Property
Lost property will be placed in the “lost property” containerssituated in the main corridor of the Junior building and the in the Y1/Y2 corridor of the Infant building. During the last week of each half-term, any remaining lost property will be displayed outside for final collection. Any items remaining after this time will be kept for one month and then disposed of.
SCHOOL ROUTINES & SAFEGUARDING
Morning Routine
A “Drop and Go” system operates in the school car park. This means that parents may drop off their child without needing to park in the car park or on Chapel Lane. A member of staff is present at the “drop and go” point, which is at the side of church Please note, however, that parents may, if they wish, still park their cars and escort their child to the main gate by using the pedestrian walkway. Children should then go straight to class where staff will be present at the classroom doors from 8.40 am. Please do not let your child arrive at school before 8.40 am. The main gate will be locked from 8.50 am, therefore, anyone arriving after this time must report to the school office and a late mark will be given.
The School Day
School starts at 8.50 am promptly – the gate is locked at 8.50 am!
Lunch 12.00 noon-1.10 pm KS1
Lunch 12.10-1.10 pm KS2
School ends at 3.15 pm – the gate is locked as soon as everyone has left the playground!
There is a morning break of 15 minutes for all the children.
Teaching hours per week: (these hours exclude breaks, registration and assemblies)
Infants: 23 h 10 min
Juniors: 24 h 10 min
At hometime, the school gate will open at 3.10 pm. Children are dismissed at 3.15 pm. The Infant children can only leave their classrooms when a parent is visible. Please note that the children are not to use the school grounds as a park after school, so the wildlife area, etc. are not for general use. Children MUST NOT enter the car park to wait for parents to collect them; children must be collected from the playground. If there are any changes to the “normal” collection routines for your child, please let us know in writing on our “end of day arrangements” form which is available from the office or the school website. We cannot allow a child to leave school with another adult unless we have had prior notification. We take our duty of care and safeguarding procedures very seriously.
Lunch
Cooked dinners are provided on the premises at the current of price of £2.20/day. One week’s notice is required to place your child on school meals or to return to packed lunches. Please call in or send a letter to the school office regarding this matter so that the necessary changes can be made. Failure to inform the office may result in a charge for school meals being made.
- Lunch money is collected on the first day of each school week, in advance of meals taken. Please send a cheque (preferably) made payable to LCC in an envelope with your child’s name and class and amount enclosed clearly written on it. If payment is not received on time each week, you will be requested to provide packed lunches for your child until full payment has been received. A more convenient method, however, is to pay for meals on a half-termly basis. In this instance, invoices are issued to parents in the first or second week of each half-term and full payment must then be made within 5 days. Please contact the school office for more information. If your child is absent from school, no payment is required. Please note that if your child is absent at registration and school has NOT been informed of, for example, a medical appointment, etc., a school meal will not be ordered. Parents will, therefore, have to provide a packed lunch in these circumstances.
Free school meals/milk can be provided if you receive any of the following:
- INCOME RELATED EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCEOR CHILD TAX CREDIT (BUT NOT ENTITLED TO WORKING TAX CREDIT AND YOUR ANNUAL INCOME DOES NOT EXCEED £16,190)
- INCOME SUPPORT
- INCOME BASED JOBSEEKER’S ALLOWANCE
- SUPPORT UNDER PART VI OF THE IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM ACT 1999
- GUARANTEE ELEMENT OF STATE PENSION CREDIT
- WORKING TAX CREDIT DURING THE FOUR WEEK PERIOD IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR EMPLOYMENT CEASES OR AFTER YOU TO START TO WORK LESS THAN SIXTEEN HOURS PER WEEK
To apply, simply ring the Area Education Office on 01772 533608. All that is required is your name, DOB and NI no., and they will be able to confirm your entitlement immediately. Alternatively, please call into the school office for an application form. Once you have applied and been granted free school meals for your child, you do not need to reapply. Your child will continue to receive meals until you cease to be entitled. The council will contact you should this arise.
If you do not wish your child to have a cooked meal, he/she may bring a packed lunch. This should be brought in a lunch box, which must be clearly named. Please make sure that all containers are unbreakable. Please do not send glass bottles, cans, fizzy drinks or flasks as hot food is not permitted. Please also ensure that the appropriate cutlery is provided, e.g. a spoon for yoghurt, but note that items such as skewers must not be sent.
Milk
Some pupils in Reception class, depending on their age, will be entitled to free milk for 1 or 2 terms.
Pupils with a birthday between 6 January-4 April 2014 inclusive are entitled to 1 term’s free milk
Pupils with a birthday between 5 April-31 August 2014 inclusive are entitled to 2 term’s free milk
If your child has an entitlement and would like a daily milk carton, please inform the school office ASAP or no later than Friday 7 September 2013. If we do not hear from you by this date, it will be assumed that you do not wish your child to receive milk.
Fruit
Fruit is provided for all Infant aged pupils free of charge as part of the Government’s Healthy Schools Initiative.
Water
All children are asked to bring in a fresh bottle of drinking water every day. This can be in a sports bottle. The research very clearly shows that a major cause of lack of concentration is dehydration. Filtered water is available in school for pupils to refill their bottles when necessary.
Coats
Your child MUST bring a coat to school whatever the weather! Please ensure name labels are clearly visible.
Administration - Money & Letters
If you need to send any money into school for lunches, trips, activities, etc., please make sure that it is sent in a sealed down envelope with your child’s name, class, amount enclosed and what it is for clearly marked on it (cheques are preferable). If cash, please ensure that the correct amount is sent as change cannot be immediately provided from the school office. All envelopes are then collected in a class box each morning and delivered to the school office. It is therefore not necessary to deliver envelopes yourself to the school office unless you feel it is absolutely necessary or there is a large amount of cash involved. This will encourage pupils to be responsible for letters to and from home. Unless stated otherwise, all cheques should be payable to “LCC” for lunches and “St Oswald’s school” for all other activities and events.
Attendance
Pupils are expected to attend school for 190 days during the academic year. Attendance is considered the direct responsibility of the parents or carers. If your child’s attendance drops below 90%, you will receive a letter of concern from the Headteacher. Should attendance continue to be a cause for concern, a meeting between the parents and the Headteacher will be required to discuss the matter further. Poor attendancemay alsobe referred to the School Nurse. Good attendance is considered to be 95% and above.