Welcome to Bonsall School on the web.
Dear Parents
Welcome to Bonsall School.
We hope that both you and your children will enjoy the years
you spend with us. We are, after all, partners in your
children’s education and together we can give them the best
possible start in life.
If you have any problems or queries do not hesitate to contact
us.
Yours faithfully
Lesley Ann Murhall
Headteacher
HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL
The first school in Bonsall was the Endowed School, built in 1717 by “Robert Ferne and others”. In 1849 the “Parochial School” hall was built “for the education of children and adults or children only of the labouring, manufacturing and other poorer classes in the parish of Bonsall”, with the addition of Class Two’s room in 1887.
By 1895 the two schools were able to cater for 290 children with girls and infants in the present building, and boys at the Bottom School. Class Three’s room was built in 1903 and when the new infant classroom was opened in 1960, at a cost of L7,000, the Endowed School closed and subsequently became the Village Hall.
SETTING
Bonsall Primary School is Church of England Voluntary Aided. We link with the church community through assemblies, Christian ethos, visiting speakers and input from the Diocese towards the Christian elements of our R.E. teaching. However, we welcome children of all religious persuasions into our school and value the contribution every individual makes towards broadening our
ENVIRONMENT
We see our school as being central to the life of the village and we teach the children to appreciate and have respect for their environment.
The school itself has good facilities with a playing field, a wildlife pond and nature trail.
The aims and values of our school are:-
¨ To give children a happy school experience where they can recognise their achievements and develop a love of learning that will last.
We do this by ensuring every child feels happy and safe in school, and by assessing individual needs when planning the learning objectives.
¨ To have pupils who, at the end of every day, can say, “Today I
learned ..,”
We do this by working hard at teaching and recognising that our pupils want to learn.
¨ To raise the confidence and self-esteem of all our children.
We do this by creating an atmosphere of “I can …,” and recognising and celebrating all achievements.
¨ To be an integral part of our village.
We do this by having a successful school that takes part in village activities and invites the community to take part in ours.
¨ To ensure that our children are prepared for their responsibilities as part of society.
We do this by teaching respect for others and challenging racist or sexist views.
¨ To ensure that our children maintain a sense of awe and wonder at the rich diversity of life on our planet.
We do this by teaching in a creative way a balanced curriculum that informs, raises questions, and accesses the immediate environment and beyond, and by instilling an appreciation of scientific discovery, the arts and the natural world.
Prospectus - Info
Dear Parents
Welcome to Bonsall C of E (VA) Primary School. We want your child’s first school experience to be happy and lay a firm foundation for their future learning.
We aim to:
Develop and value relationships with parents.
Develop each individual’s confidence.
Provide equal opportunities for all.
Show respect and care for others
Ensure everyone is included and welcomed into the school.
Build on each child’s current knowledge.
Provide a challenging curriculum.
Encouraging questioning and the children’s own ideas.
Provide a range of teaching approaches and tasks.
If you have any questions about school please don’t hesitate to ask.
Yours faithfully
Rachel Cass Early Years and Key Stage 1 Co-ordinator
What your child will do in school.
The Foundation Stage was introduced in September 2000 as a programme of study for children from 3 to the end of their Reception year.
This stage is a series of steps to build on what each child already knows so by the end of the Reception year they have achieved the Early Learning Goals and make a smooth transition to Key Stage 1 and National curriculum work.
Your child will learn through structured play activities, individually chosen play activities, whole class teaching, small group teaching, individual and group work. They will have the opportunity to work indoors and outdoors at a range of tasks.
The Foundation Stage is made up of 6 areas of learning.
1. Personal, social and emotional development.
2. Communication, language and literacy.
3. Mathematical development.
4. Knowledge and understanding of the world.
5. Physical development.
6. Creative development.
What these areas of learning aim to achieve.
Personal, social and emotional development
That your child is a valued member of the group (Class, school and community) and has a strong self image and good self esteem. They work harmoniously alongside each other and listen to and care for others. They have a positive attitude towards their learning and are confident in their ability to be successful. They can concentrate on play activities and in group tasks and persevere with activities.
Communication, language and literacy
Children will talk and communicate in a wide variety of situations (whole class, groups, one to one and assembly). They will respond well to adults and each other and extend their range of vocabulary and communication. They will listen carefully. They will experience a rich variety of books and learn about letters and words. As part of this your child will take part in a daily Literacy Hour. This is a four part lesson that involves whole class reading and writing, specific phonic and grammar and punctuation work, independent work and a plenary where the children share work.
Mathematical development
The children will develop their understanding of number, measurement, pattern, shape and space in a variety of contexts.
Much of this will take place as part of the Numeracy Strategy.
This is also a four part lesson that involves a mental warm up, a lesson to teach a specific maths learning objective, group work with or without a teacher and a plenary to draw the lesson together.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World.
This is a combination of these subjects: Science, History, Geography, Design & Technology and ICT.
Children will solve problems, make decisions, experiment, predict, plan and question in a variety of contexts. They will explore and find out about their environment and people and places that have significance in their lives.
Physical development
Children will develop gross and fine motor skills and increase understanding about how their bodies work and what they need to do to keep healthy and safe. This often takes place as part of P.E. or construction activities.
Creative development
Children will explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of art, design and technology, music, movement and dance and imaginative and role play activities.
Assessment and Special Needs
When your child comes into school we make an informal assessment to see what they already know and to identify their strengths. This will help me to plan specific activities to ensure your child is appropriately challenged. This will begin the profile of your child’s progress in each area of learning. At the end of the Foundation Stage your child will be assessed again to help us build on their progress.
If your child has Special Needs of any kind please share any information with me so that we can ensure your child’s needs are catered for.
Outdoor Play
Outdoor play plays an important part in each area of learning to extend physical, personal and social, creative, scientific, numeracy and literacy skills. There is a specific time for outdoor play in class 1 each afternoon. It is also incorporated into the rest of the curriculum where possible.
How you can help your child prepare for school.
Here are some suggestions of activities you could do with your child.
¨ Encourage and praise your child for their efforts.
¨ Make sure they can dress and undress for P.E.
¨ They can go to the toilet on their own and wash their hands.
¨ They can recognise their own name.
¨ Share books, let your children turn the pages.
¨ Talk about what you can see in the pictures of a book, what the characters are doing.
¨ Ask them to predict the story.
¨ Ask them what they like and dislike about the book.
¨ Encourage them to draw pictures.
¨ Encourage them to ‘mark make’ write in their own way.
¨ Show them how to hold a pencil properly.
¨ Use positional language when playing games e.g. under, above, over, in from, behind, inside, next to.
¨ Sing songs.
¨ Play games.
¨ Do jigsaws.
¨ Talk about things in the garden.
¨ Talk about different animals, plants and the differences in people.
¨ Copy shapes and letters using correct letter formation from the attached sheet.
¨ Learn letter sounds and names.
¨ Colour in pictures.
¨ Learn Nursery Rhymes.
¨ Generate words that rhyme (silly ones too).
¨ Compare objects to see which is tallest, thickest, thinnest.
¨ Talk about a set of objects, eg. Which is longest?
¨ Predict weights when shopping, which is heaviest.
¨ Predict how many cups of water will fill a bucket or big cup (in the bath or garden).Count anything, stairs, chairs, buttons, pencils etc.
¨ Know that each number represents an amount.
¨ Talk about shapes around them.
¨ Use positional language when playing games e.g. under, above, over, in front, behind, inside, next to.
¨ Decide how to sort something into different groups, perhaps by colour or size.
BEFORE YOUR CHILD STARTS
The Early Years Co-ordinator will visit you at home. In the term prior to starting, there is a programme of visits to school, including days for you to come in and work with your child.
KS1 & KS2
Your child’s time in Year 1 and Year 2 is called Key Stage 1 and years 3-6 are known as Key Stage 2.
Core subjects are:
¨ Literacy / Numeracy / Science / Religious Education (R.E.) / Information Communication Technology (I.C.T.)
Foundation subjects are:
¨ History / Art / Geography / Design and Technology /
Physical Education / Personal Social Health Education and Citizenship (P.S.H.E.)
Here is a typical plan sent home to inform parents.
After School
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