Dear Parents,
Our website is intended to help you know more about the life
and work of Norris Bank Primary School, where we strive to
provide a caring and stimulating learning environment for your
child.
We believe that we can only achieve the best for your child by
close co-operation between home and school.  We try to
provide a wide range of balanced learning opportunities for all
the children in our care, to enable them to grow into
independent and responsible people.  Throughout their time
with us, there will be many opportunities for you to share in
your child’s education and my staff and myself will always be
available to talk to you about any aspect of their development.
We are concerned about every aspect of your child’s
development, and we hope that you will share with us in making
this a successful and rewarding period in their life.
Yours sincerely
H Bousfield
Head Teacher

NORRIS BANK PRIMARY SCHOOL
HOLIDAY LIST 2007/2008
Close p.m. Re-open
Summer 2007 Fri. July 27 th 2007 Weds 5 th Sept. 2007
Autumn Half Term 2007 Thurs Oct 18 th 2007 Mon. Oct 29 th 2007
Christmas 2007 Fri Dec 21 st 2007 Thurs Jan 3 rd 2008
Spring Half Term 2008 Fri. Feb 8 th 2008 Mon. Feb 18 th 2008
Easter 2008 Thurs March 20 th 2008 Mon April 7 th 2008
Spring Bank Holiday
2008 Fri. May 23 rd 2008 Tues. June 10 th 2008
Summer 2008 Fri. July 25 th 2008
These dates include In-service days on
Monday September 3 rd 2007
Tuesday September 4 th 2007
Friday October 19 th 2007
Thursday May 8 th 2008
Monday June 9 th 2008
Updated on Friday April 20 th 2007
Public Holidays
Good Friday March 21 st 2008
Easter Monday March 24 th 2008
May Day May 5 th 2008
Spring Bank May 26 th 2008

The bell rings at 8.55 a.m. and School begins at 9.00 a.m. and for Key Stage 1
children, it ends at 3.15 p.m. The Key Stage 2 children finish school five minutes
later, at 3.20 p.m. During a normal week, the infant children are taught for 21.5
hours and the junior children for 23.5 hours. These times exclude registration,
the Collective Act of Worship and playtime and lunchtime breaks.

We feel that a school uniform encourages children to identify with, and have a
pride in, their school. It also helps to ensure that children are suitably dressed
to enable them to focus on their work. Parents are therefore requested to
send their children to school in uniform consisting of:-

Boys:
Long or short grey trousers

Green or grey pullover or sweatshirt

White or grey shirt or polo shirt

School tie (optional)

School shoes (not trainers)

Girls:

Grey skirt, pinafore dress or school trousers
Green or grey pullover or cardigan
White blouse or polo shirt
School tie (optional)
School shoes (not trainers)

In addition, for art and technology, the children need a shirt (preferably a
large one) to protect their clothes. Please mark all items of clothing with
your child’s name.

All these items are available from the popular chain stores. School ties are
available for those who choose to have them. Sweatshirts printed with the
school name are available from the Parents’ Assocation and order forms can be
obtained from school.

Clothing for Physical Education and Games

All children will need a white tee shirt and black shorts of the P.E. style with an
elasticated waist for indoor lessons. In addition, a pair of black plimsolls are
required and these can also be used when a change of shoes is necessary due to
very wet weather. For general games lessons taken outdoors, children from
Year 1 onwards need a warm change of clothes, e.g. a tracksuit top and
bottoms, and a pair of strong trainers. Black tracksuits are preferable and are
available from school.

All P.E. clothing and shoes should be kept in a bag with the child’s name clearly
marked. When games kit is forgotten, children will be asked to wear a coat and
go outside to watch the activities. As a general rule, if children are fit to
attend school, they should take part in all activities. On the rare occasions
when a child is not fit for P.E. or games, or swimming, a note should be sent
from home to this effect. Jewellery and watches should not be worn in school.
We accept no responsibility if these items are broken or lost.

Pupil Absence from School, and Authorised and Unauthorised Absences from School

The majority of absences from school fall into the category of “authorised”. These are:-

• Medical and dental appointments and illness
• Other exceptional circumstances (e.g. bereavement) authorized by the
  Headteacher
• Day of religious observance in the religious body to which parents belong
• A performance for which an entertainment licence has been issued.

During the school year 2005/6 there was a 95.6% attendance at 110,554 pupil sessions, with 4.4% authorised absences and 0.1% unauthorised absences. The figure for authorised absences now includes those sessions that part-time pupils miss when they enter the Reception Class.

Parents are urged to take family holidays during school vacations in order to gain the maximum benefit from the education system. Where this is not possible, such absences must be discussed with the Headteacher. It is particularly important to avoid absence during certain periods of the school year, such as early in September and the weeks leading up to and during tests and examinations.

Please ensure that the class teacher or Headteacher are informed of the reason for all absences as they must be counted as unauthorized if no explanation is given. The registration period each morning ends at 9.10 a.m. Pupils arriving after that time are marked late and added to the unauthorized absences statistics. Parents are reminded, however, that school starts at 8.55 a.m. and they are required to help us to establish good habits of punctuality for their children.