The school is a community co-educational school, catering for boys and girls in the age range of 3 years to 7 years. It is situated in rural surroundings near the head of the Colne Valley, about 7 miles Southwest of Huddersfield town centre. The children come from a variety of social backgrounds but all are part of a close-knit, well-established community.
The main school building was built in 1870, but has interesting features and extensive alterations, which were completed in 1988. Further additions and alterations have been made during 2001 to provide a Foundation Stage unit of part time and full time pupils. Four class bases are situated off the downstairs hall and an upstairs hall provides facilities for PE, Library, Baking Kitchen and Staff rooms. There are extensive outdoor play facilities for both Foundation stage and Key stage 1 children.
The school has the capacity for 156 children and a further 48 part-time places. Staffing at present consists of Head Teacher; Deputy Head Teacher plus 3 other full time teachers in Key stage 1; 2 part time teachers making one full time equivalent teacher, 1 full-time teacher,1 full time Foundation Stage co-ordinator, 1 part time teacher to support Planning, Preparation and Assessment time, 1 full time equivalent qualified nursery nurse (job share) and a full time support assistant in the Foundation Stage Unit. There is a team of support staff and additional teaching assistants to work alongside children with special educational needs and offer support in classrooms. Staffing also includes a senior administrative finance officer and a part time administrative officer. Parents and Carers are also encouraged to support children within school by offering help within the classes on a regular basis.
School meals are cooked on the premises. A healthy dinner is offered including meals for vegetarian children, all served by 2 kitchen staff. Other dietary requirements can be organised where necessary. There is also the opportunity to bring packed lunches which are eaten alongside children taking hot dinners in the hall and supervised by members of the lunch time staff. The Kirklees Gold Star Healthy Choice Award was awarded in June 2007 for the school’s commitment to high standards of food hygiene, healthy food options and a smoke free environment. The kitchen staff were awarded Kirklees Kitchen of the Year in 2007.
A breakfast club is available for children of infant and junior age in the junior school community room staffed by support workers where a healthy breakfast is provided each day. Children are brought by parents and carers to the club where a register of names is kept. The infant children are escorted to the Infant school by 2 support workers in time for the start of morning school at 8.45am. The club is run on a strictly non-profit making basis. An After School Club is offered for junior and infant children based at the Parochial Hall. Children are escorted by club staff to the hall where parents collect their children.
From September 2007 the school, in partnership with Marsden Play Group, run a Lunch Munch club which caters for part-time nursery children who also attend the play group. Children are brought from playgroup to school by playgroup staff to eat their packed lunch in our upstairs hall. They are then taken along to the afternoon session in the part-time foundation stage provision. The same happens with part-time foundation stage children attending in the morning session. They are collected by play group workers and eat their lunch in our upstairs hall. They are then escorted to play group for the afternoon session. This facility is supported by the Extended Schools project and provides ‘wrap around’ care facilities for our community.
The governors, head teacher and staff encourage parents to feel part of the school and offer an 'open-door' policy which welcomes parents and carers into the school. The head teacher is available on most days, however an appointment is advisable for prospective parents wishing to enrol their children for nursery and full time school, as a look around the school is positively encouraged.
The school was awarded National Healthy School Status and Kirklees Healthy School Gold Standard in 2006.
The Foundation Stage has achieved the Investors in Children endorsement from the Effective Early Learning Programme, run by the Centre for Research in Early Childhood, University College Worcester and continues to be quality assured annually.
The school was judged by Ofsted in May 2006 to be a good school with outstanding features. |