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Admissions The majority of our children come from the area close to school but we do have a number of families who live in other areas of Macclesfield and who choose to send their children to Hurdsfield.
The school caters for the full Primary age range of 4 to 11 years and the privately run Paint Pots Play Group, situated in the building, provides early years experience for the pre-school child. Many of our children start their schooling in the Play Group, which caters for a maximum of 20 children with two/three leaders per session. We also have contact with the Busy Bees Play group and our Reception Class teacher Miss Alston makes regular visits to get to know the children who will be joining Hurdsfield.
For the parents of 4+ aged children who are due to start in our Reception Class, we arrange an informal evening to give parents and children the opportunity to meet the Infant staff and Headteacher and to look round the school. During this visit families are given our Reception Class Information Pack and shown the classroom where their child will be based. On display will be a range of equipment and books the Reception children use, together with examples of work completed by children of similar ages. We find this early visit helps parents to feel at home within the school and gives them the opportunity to discuss any queries they may have before their child starts school. For the children themselves we arrange a series of morning or afternoon "taster sessions" in the term before they are due to start and we find this an ideal introduction to school life. If requested, we will happily arrange a home visit. Many of the children who attend Paint Pots will have already met Miss Alston, our Reception teacher, through their regular weekly story sessions with the Reception Class. We encourage parents to come into school with their children, especially over the first few weeks when everything must seem very strange and rather hectic for the new children. We try to keep our Infant Classes small, as we believe that it is vital that the children have the best possible start to their formal education. If your child is older and you are considering Hurdsfield as a possible school we are always delighted to see parents before their children start, so please feel free to contact school at any time. We will then arrange for you and your child to have a look round, meet their future teacher and decide if this is the right school for you and your child. We find these early visits are an ideal way of cementing the home/school partnership and providing a firm basis for future meetings, both formal and informal. It is a legal requirement that the parents of all children entering formal education for the first time present the child's birth certificate to the school before the child is enrolled. It is therefore essential for you to bring this on the first preliminary visit. There is a Reception/Y1 class and a Y1/2 class in the infants. We find this works well as it provides stability for the children over a two-year period and allows them to build on the skills learnt. Because of the uneven numbers of our year groups the Key Stage 1 classes are mixed age groups. When this happens we take great care with the arrangements to make sure it is in the best interests of all the children. Overall we aim to keep classes to approximately 30 children, but this is not always possible. Parents are always informed in advance of any proposed changes to year group organisation. Teachers responsible for mixed age classes work closely together to ensure no child is disadvantaged.
Follow Up Parents' Meetings The school welcomes parents to see either their child's teacher or the Head. However, it is easier for everyone if you leave seeing your child's teacher until the end of the day when life is usually less rushed!
In addition to these informal meetings we hold three formal parents' evenings each year. Our first, gives you the opportunity to make sure that your child has settled in their new school or class, and takes the form of an informal evening when you may meet your child's new teacher in their classroom to make sure the year has begun successfully. Our second evening, in the Spring Term, gives you the opportunity to see how your child is progressing at the half way point of the year and takes the form of 5 minute private interviews in your child's classroom. The last evening, at the end of the Summer Term, takes the form of an open evening where you have the opportunity to look round the whole school; look once again at your child's work and, of course, meet you child's teacher to discuss the end of year written report which you will have received earlier in the term
Newsletters We regularly issue newsletters to keep you informed as to what is happening in school. School newsletters are sent out weekly and Key Stage newsletters every term.
Parent Helpers and the Friends of Hurdsfield Association School welcomes parents into the classrooms on a regular basis to share their skills with the children and the teaching staff. For example, many parents come to take cookery groups, sewing, hear individual children read, help with design technology activities or games. If you feel you could help us in any way please contact your child's teacher. In addition there are always lots of other tasks just waiting to be completed such as repairing or recovering reading books, cutting paper or preparing display areas. A few minutes of your time could be worth a great deal to us in school.
All parents automatically become members of the Friends Association as their children join school. Our parents regularly organise events for the children and themselves and provide essential and valuable help in many different ways. The money raised from these events is a much- appreciated addition to our schools finances.
Secondary School Liaison We place great importance on our friendly and on-going links with Tytherington High School our partner secondary school. During Year 6 children have the opportunity to meet various members of staff from Tytherington who visit us here at Hurdsfield, either to take classes or to teach alongside the class teacher. The children also have the opportunity to visit Tytherington for the day and to take part in a typical school day. We find this a wonderful way of preparing the children for the next part of their education. Again before your child leaves you will have the opportunity to meet the Head of Year 7 and to discuss any concerns you may have with the pastoral team. In addition we will have outlined to the Head of Year the work your child has completed here at Hurdsfield, to ensure the change over is as smooth as possible.
School Organisation Each member of staff has overall responsibility for the welfare and progress of the children in their class for that year and as such is responsible for ensuring that appropriate National Curriculum schemes of work are followed at a level suitable for your child. Another member of staff may teach your child for a set period each week, particularly for some specialist subjects, such as music.
At present our class organisation is as follows:-
Reception/Year 1 Sally Alston Year 1/2 Lorraine Tolley Year 3/4 Jane Gascoigne Year 4/5 Sinead Slattery Year 6 Nikki Greep
The School Day The school day begins at 8.55 am but the children are welcome into school from 8.45 am. Registers are marked at 9.00am and children arriving after this time will be marked as late arrivals.
Playtime and Lunchtime arrangements During morning and afternoon breaks supervision is undertaken by teaching staff. The lunchtime period is supervised by Midday Assistants. They may have - a cooked school meal, bring a packed lunch or go home. Parents who wish their children to go home must let us know in writing. The school lunch is charged at £1.45 per day.
Families who think they might be entitled to free school meals should complete the for available from the school office. When completed it can either be taken to DSS for stamping or returned to school along with proof of receipt of the allowance. School will then forward your claim to the Area Education Office.
Dinner money is collected each morning at registration and passed to the office or direct payment can be made at the school office.
The National Curriculum The school follows an academic framework as laid down by the National Curriculum and all children are encouraged to progress at a speed suitable to their ability. Different approaches are used depending on the age and development of the child. We follow the National Strategies in English and Maths; DfEE schemes of work for Science, Information and Communications Technology, History, Geography; Cheshire Advisory and Inspection Service guide lines for Art, Music and Physical Education and a purchased scheme of work for Design Technology.
The School Development Plan is supported by Key Stage Development plans and Action Plans for English and Maths, which are reviewed annually.
To ensure an even balance throughout the Infant Years (Reception and Key Stage 1) and four Junior Years (Key Stage 2) the Curriculum is delivered in half termly or termly topics. This means that over the seven years the children are with us, we are able to offer the full range of National Curriculum subjects to the correct age group at the appropriate time. Details of the school's Curriculum policies are available on request. Hurdsfield Community Primary School is well equipped with modern technology and each class has at least one computer and additional equipment which is shared between classes. We also have an Acorn and Gateway computers with CD-ROM, which are used for research purposes and a number of PCs. All children therefore have the opportunity to learn and develop their keyboard skills with word processing, databases, and logic games and even voice synthesising! In addition to this core academic curriculum the children will have ample opportunity to explore music, games and numerous other activities to widen their experiences and interests. We are able to offer external tuition in woodwind and brass to any number of children and have some school instruments available for free loan. As this is in addition to our normal curriculum we do have to charge for these lessons but manage to keep the costs down by organising suitable groups of children for lessons.
Religious Education and Collective Worship The school holds a daily act of collective worship. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday the whole school joins together. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 1 hold separate assemblies. These assemblies follow a broadly Christian theme, with multi-faith stories on occasions. Any parent wishing to withdraw their child from these acts of worship or all or any part of RE is free to do so but must notify the school in writing. Children who are withdrawn are offered alternative activities during these times and any parent wishing to arrange alternative religious instruction is welcome to do so. Although the basis of the RE taught is broadly Christian the school aims to teach the basic beliefs of other world religions and cultures. The school is not affiliated to any particular religion or denomination and invites speakers from a variety of faiths.
Learning Support Individual programmes of work are provided for those children in need of extra support. Initially Mrs J Gascoigne will provide this in school, our Special needs Co-ordinator, liaising with the class teachers. In addition, we are fortunate enough to receive several hours of additional specialist help each week. This is funded jointly by Cheshire Education Services and ourselves and is used to help those children who are experiencing significant difficulties with their basic language work and is aimed at diagnosing specific problems, devising appropriate schemes of work and, of course, providing one to one or small group help as appropriate. If the above support is found to be insufficient to meet the needs of specific children they are then referred to the Educational Psychologist for more detailed screening. A copy of the school's Special Needs Policy is available from Mrs J Gascoigne who will be very willing to explain how it works.
Homework We expect and hope that parents will hear their children read regularly. (Please see our Reading Advice Booklets.) In addition your child will be asked from time to time to undertake a variety of tasks at home. This will range from learning spellings; tables and number bonds to undertaking background work in support of ongoing topic work.
Assessment and Reports In line with Cheshire and the recommendations of QCA each child has a portfolio which contains significant examples of their work, some of which will show the National Curriculum Attainment Targets they have reached. In addition, their personal folder will contain other relevant information about their school life such as duplicate copies of their reports and details of successes gained in such areas as games, swimming and music. At the end of the summer term each child will receive a formal written report.
Educational Visits and Additional Activities. We organise regular educational visits and events such as theatre performances for our children and these are usually linked to class work being undertaken at the time. These experiences help to enrich the education your child receives at Hurdsfield. In addition we provide specialist music sessions for all children and swimming lessons for the older K.S. 2 children. As we receive no funding for this type of activity we ask for voluntary contributions to cover the costs. We always keep this to a minimum but unfortunately without your financial support these activities may have to be cancelled. We are also able to provide specialist recorder and brass tuition, using school or privately purchased instruments, for a small group of children. These activities are voluntary and need to be funded by parents.
Sporting Activities We aim to encourage all our children to enjoy and participate confidently and competently in a wide variety of physical activities. The range of the activities offered increases, as the children grow older.
The school holds an annual sports day for all children.
During their time at Hurdsfield the children have the opportunity to take part in a variety of competitive and non-competitive games and sports, as well as to take part in residential visits in Years 2 and 6. The School participates in many of the Macclesfield inter- primary school events including the swimming gala, annual athletics meeting and various football, netball and rounders competitions. All team practices take place after school hours.
The school is able to provide qualified coaching in swimming together with expertise in football, and athletics. Parental involvement is encouraged whenever possible.
The school is able to offer the following facilities: -
Indoor Hall with appropriate flooring and equipment to provide opportunities for a wide variety of activities. Outdoor All year 2 netball courts, a basket ball board, a mini football pitch Summer 2 rounders pitches, an athletic track Winter 2 football pitches
Support has been received from numerous outside agencies such as the Macclesfield Borough Council, the Sports Development Council, Cheshire Dance Workshop and Macclesfield Town Football Club.
The Governors of the school encourage the use of the school's facilities for sport. The hall is used by Adult Education for Yoga and the outside facilities by the local community.
Additional Activities In addition the school offers a variety of after school Clubs for all the children. These range from a Story Club for the very youngest to Gym and Art Clubs for the older children. Key Stage 2 children can take part in the Macclesfield Primary Schools Music Festival. In conjunction with the Friends Association we hold regular children's events after school, such as Discos and Bingo Evenings.
Celebrating Success We feel it is important to encourage children by a system of rewards. We find that all our children from Reception to Year 6 respond positively to rewards of this type. In addition, any child who has had an exceptional week in their class, academic or otherwise, will be awarded a range of stickers or other rewards for their efforts and have this success recognised at a school assembly. In the same way, good behaviour and courtesy is also rewarded. Our Friday Assembly is a time when we celebrate the successes of the week and the school shares several of its ongoing class activities. Parents are very welcome to join us on this occasion but we do ask that if you bring young children, and they become restless, that you take them out in fairness to the children taking part!
In the same way, success at Swimming, Games or Out of School Activities is celebrated and encouraged with the award of certificates.
Ethos, Values, Behaviour and Dress All our children are given clear ideas of what is expected of them and we place care, courtesy and consideration and respect for others and their property high amongst our aims. We encourage a caring and secure environment within our school community. The school operates a positive behaviour policy and further details are available from school. Parents are asked to sign a behaviour contract upon starting school (Please see Behaviour Policy). For safety reasons and the smooth running of the school, we offer the following advice to parents and children Shoes: Children love to run about at playtime, so flat soft soled, low-heeled shoes are really essential. Jewellery: All too often jewellery can be broken or misplaced, so we ask that no child wears any jewellery. For safety reasons we also strongly discourage the wearing of ear studs and especially ear rings - hit by a ball or caught by a passing hand, serious injury can result. Please note the school will not accept any responsibility for injury or loss arising from the wearing of any type of jewellery. Uniform Guidelines Boys Girls Light Blue Standard Shirt Light Blue Blouse (plain or checked) or Light Blue Polo Shirt or Light Blue Polo Shirt (available with logo on left front) (available with logo on left front) Navy Pullover or Sweatshirt Navy Pullover, Cardigan or Sweatshirt (available with logo) (available with logo) Charcoal or Dark Grey Trousers Navy Blue Skirt or Pinafore Dress Grey Socks Grey, Navy Blue or White Socks or Red Tie (optional) Tights in Winter Light Blue Checked Summer Dress
School Uniform with Logo The Friends Association is able to supply a special range of school uniform. These maybe ordered regularly throughout the year and the tops carry the school logo in white on either a dark or light blue background. Prior to an order being placed the school notifies parents of sizes and prices and invites orders.
Protective Clothing for Art We ask that all children have an apron of some sort to protect their school clothing during art/craft lessons. (A shirt with the collar cut off and the sleeves shortened are ideal as it can be worn back to front to give good protection.) These can be kept in your child's PE bag.
PE Requirements PE bag - small, with name clearly printed on the outside PE shorts and T-shirt or leotard for indoor PE. A separate kit for the weekly games lessons. Sports skirts may be worn by the girls if preferred and pumps or trainers. Football boots may also be required! An old pullover or tracksuit is ideal for outside activities during colder weather as game lessons can be held outside.
NB ALL ITEMS OF CLOTHING; FOOTWEAR AND OTHER EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH YOUR CHILD'S NAME.
**Space in the cloakroom areas is very limited. Please help by making sure your child only brings essential items to school and these should be in a small bag which can be hung on his or her peg.
Lost Property All unnamed property found in classrooms, corridors or cloakrooms will be put into the Lost Property bins. These are located for your convenience in the infant and junior cloakroom areas. While we take every effort to return lost items to their owners we cannot accept responsibility for any losses. Please note any unclaimed property will be disposed of at the end of each term.
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