The school is situated in a very pleasant, quiet location, within walking distance of the church and village.
The grounds of the school, including two hard play areas, are extensive and this gives plenty of space for sports and play. There is also a quiet garden, that was built by some of the parents and there is the intention to have a wildlife area and a vegetable garden to be tended by the children. Low level climbing equipment was installed during Spring holiday 2005.
The single storey school was built in 1973 and has six teaching areas, a library, an ITC suite and a kitchen. In addition there is a well maintained relocatable classroom used by the children in Class 6. The Hall is used for many activities; PE, drama performances, music, assemblies, and at 12 o'clock it becomes a dining hall. Work on building a new classroom and remodelling another was completed during the Autumn term 2004.
A close association between our village Church and the school is encouraged. The Vicar, Rev. G. Moate is invited to the school to take the Wednesday morning assembly.
The children attend Church for special services, and the school decorates a Church window at Harvest and at Christmas time. |
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Please visit the Website of Dedham Parish Church (this will open a new window). |
Our Christmas church window— We Saw Three Ships |
SCHOOL COUNCIL
The school council came in to being during the academic year 2002/03. Two members from each class are elected annually to sit on the council. The members meet every fortnight to discuss relevant issues, following this meeting the Chairman then meets with the Headmistress.
HOMEWORK
From Reception onwards, children are encouraged to take home books to read, new words to learn and later, spellings and multiplication tables, further maths, English and science reinforcement activities. We also encourage children to undertake research at home in connection with school projects.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
It is the policy of the school to encourage the wearing of school uniform. Please Note: Body jewellery is forbidden, however a pair of small stud type earrings is permitted, but the child must be able to take them out themselves, for PE and Games. For Health and Safety reasons no child should have their ears pierced during term time. The taping of earrings is not permitted.
SCHOOL SECURITY and FENCING
The school is totally enclosed by fencing. The two gates are opened at quarter to nine and then closed shortly after nine o’clock; they are then re-opened at three o’clock. Parents are invited to wait on the patio area inside the main gate and the children exit their classrooms via their patio doors. There is a buzzer entry system at the front entrance to admit parents and visitors. The external handles of all classroom doors have been removed to ensure extra safety for the children. The parents have organised a morning rota for the gate, so as to ensure we have no escapees!
The childrens' safety is a priority and for this reason the School has a policy of not placing any photos of children on its website.
SCHOOL DINNERS
Please see our school dinner menu. This rotates every four weeks and there are also special dinners occasionally, where the children can sample new dishes.
PARENTS
Parents can provide invaluable support and extra adult help for the school. Parents are also very welcome to attend school assemblies at 2.40 p.m. every Friday afternoon and a creche is available for pre-school children of 3 years and over. After Friday assembly parents are very welcome to visit their child’s class to view their work. Once a month there is a parent’s surgery, when the Headmistress will be available to answer any queries.
PARENTS' GROUP Visit the Parents' Group page
Dedham Parents Group has now been in existence since March 2000. Every parent or guardian of a child at Dedham School automatically becomes a member of the group and can become involved as much or as little as they wish. The group generally meets once a month; alternating between an evening and an afternoon meeting.
THE CRAFTY SEW 'n' SEWS Visit the Crafty Sew 'n' Sews page
The Crafty Sew ‘n’ Sews was formed in 2003 and supports the many creative activities carried out within the school, both on a curricular basis and at the two major annual fundraising events which the school and Parents' Group organize: the Strawberry Fayre and “The Dedham Dickensian Market”.
They meet every two or three months and are always looking for more fun people to join them. There are absolutely no qualifications required to join The Crafty Sew ‘n’ Sews, simply keenness to have a go and support Dedham Primary School. |