A primary school

is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization In some countries, and especially in North America, the term elementary school is preferred. Children generally attend primary school from around the age of four or five until the age of eleven or twelve.

In areas that adopted a three-tier system, the term primary school is often used as an alternative to First School, taking in ages up to 9 or 10 years old, although for education planning purposes, the term "primary education" in these areas will still cover the age groups as in a two-tier system.

In the private sector, fee-paying schools which provide primary education are known as preparatory schools, and they often cater for children up to the age of thirteen. As their name suggests, preparatory schools are designed to prepare pupils for entrance examinations for fee-paying independent schools.

Primary school students in England sit standardised tests 'SATs' in Year 6 and in Year 2. These tests are used to provide individual student results and to rank schools according to their performance. Tests include Numeracy, Mental Maths, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Spelling and Science. A final level is awarded for Maths, English and Science. Wales and Northern Ireland abolished the tests quite some time ago, whilst Scotland never implemented the SATs. There were plans to boycott the tests in 2010.

For each child to have the self belief and resilience to become successful life long

learners

• To create a safe, happy and inclusive environment where everyone is valued, respected, fairly treated and successes are celebrated

• To nurture and develop positive relationships by encouraging active involvement and effective communication with parents and the community

• To engage children in high quality learning and teaching which is fun, interactive, motivating and offers real life experiences

• For each child to have a strong sense of pride in themselves, their school and to be active contributors in the wider community

• To consider relevant and current local and national priorities and implement asappropriate

Preparation for School

To reduce the disruption to lessons, we ask that every child comes to school fully equipped and prepared for the day ahead with 2 sharp pencils and a rubber, and colour pencils if possible. The school will provide rulers.

Support for children

The school is well suited for access for children with a physical disability. All floors used by pupils are served by a lift. There are two equipped disabled toilets. All staff have been trained on the use of the ‘Evac Chair’ – which enables the disabled to be taken down stairs in the event of an emergency

Homework

Homework is not an ‘add on’ to the work done in classes that has no purpose or benefit. It is an essential part of a child’s learning and is directly related to work carried out in class or is in preparation for a learning episode. Therefore it is very important that children and parents understand the importance of the homework set by teachers and the value it has for the children - developing them as Successful Learners, Effective Contributors and

Confident Individuals.

Homework is a very good way for parents to know exactly what their child is learning on a day to day basis and allows for real discussion and collaborative working within families. It also helps to build our community as we forge the interdependent partnership between school, child and parents.