Aims of our School

“May their lives be filled with creativity, spirituality, excitement and a love of learning.”

In our school “Every Child Matters”

 As a Christian School we are committed to promoting values of tolerance, compassion, personal responsibility, honesty and morality.

Our vision is that all children in our care are taught these values and have an entitlement to a learning environment and curriculum which ensures;

            Enjoyment

A safe and secure environment

Opportunities to make a positive contribution

Knowledge of the importance of a healthy lifestyle

Provision of life skills to achieve economic well-being.

Our vision is to encourage creative, critical and reflective thinking,

to produce excited, enthusiastic enquiry-driven learners - children who know their worth and the contribution they can make to their community.

Our School

The main building of Cuckney Primary School is uniquely housed in a converted mill which dates from the last century. It stands in a highly attractive rural setting including woodland, the mill dam a garden area and extensive playing fields bordered by the River Poulter.

The school has had a rich and well-chronicled history since its formation in the first half of the last century, and normally has a roll of approximately 150 children by the summer term each year. These pupils are organised in five classes and in addition Pre School Education is available each morning for part – time children.

Cuckney School has an excellent reputation within the area for its family atmosphere, its community awareness and its concern to develop each child's potential to the full.

In 2003 the school was awarded a “School Achievement Award” for its SATs results, in 2004 it was awarded FA Charter Status and Activemark Gold for its Physical Education provision and in 2007 it received the Healthy Schools Gold award.

School Organisation

Most children enter the school initially on a part-time basis at the beginning of the term after their fourth birthday. This part-time provision is in our Holbeck Early Years Unit which runs each morning from 8.45 am to midday.Pre school children may stay for lunchtime if they wish. Admission to the Early Years Unit does not guarantee that a place will be available for full-time education, but, for those children who do receive a full-time place, the entry to school is at the beginning of the term in which their fifth birthday falls.

There are five classes in the school, each named after a place in Nottinghamshire. Children spend between one and two years in each class.

We aim to promote independence as soon as possible and in all the classes, children learn to operate as individuals and as members of both small and large groups, as we believe that all three types of groupings can make a contribution to learning efficiently.

The Curriculum

Each class works on a number of topics each year. These are part of a whole school curriculum plan designed to give enjoyment, breadth, continuity and progression throughout the curriculum. Teachers work within this general plan and in consultation with the rest of the staff to plan in detail for their individual classes.  This enables both the skill and subject area demands of the National Curriculum to be met and revised regularly.

These topics help us to show the relevance of what we are teaching to real life. Mathematics can be focused in part, for example, on the calculations, measurements and data handling involved in a particular topic giving it relevance to the child.

Similarly we can show how geography has affected the decisions and lifestyles in history and how our work in technology can be used to solve relevant problems in history or in the present day.

The teaching of English         

The skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are developed as soon as possible and are constantly practised throughout the school’s curriculum as children listen, discuss, research and record their work.

In recent years there has been a change in the way in which we, and most other schools, teach reading. Each child reads from a wide variety of books which are suitable for the child’s individual ability and interest, and the children take their books home to develop a reading habit which it is hoped their parents will encourage by both listening to and reading with their child. At school the children are taught the skills of reading as opposed to simply being heard to read on a daily basis. We have guided reading sessions daily.The practising of these skills is essential and it is hoped that the involvement of parents will enable children to do this at home.

Imaginative, descriptive and factual writing are all practised thoroughly in many forms throughout the school. At the very earliest stage independent writing is promoted and this is gradually formalised as the child develops, with regular spelling instruction being given. Sometimes the words introduced at school will be sent home in the form of a list or a game for the children to continue practising.

Children are encouraged to speak and perform confidently in front of an audience through reporting their work to the class and through various dramatic activities performed for the school and parents.

The teaching of Mathematics

Mathematics is taught in a daily session during which there is a mixture of oral and written work. With the introduction of the renewed Numeracy strategy, there is a greater emphasis placed upon mental and speaking and listening activities, particularly in the early years. In this way, children are encouraged to become confident with numbers and experiment with methods for calculating and recording. Children are taught to be flexible in their thinking and not necessarily to rely upon one particular method. Maths is also used as a practical tool to solve problems in science, technology and environmental studies.

The teaching of Science

Primary School Science in the National Curriculum covers a very wide area of natural science, physics and chemistry. Much of this can be done as part of a class topic linked with other subjects but the requirements of the subject are so broad yet so specific that it would be impossible to cover them all in this way and still enable the necessary focused teaching of the various scientific areas to take place. Because of this, science is also taught in the form of mini topics.

Our science teaching is based on developing a scientific approach to problem-solving and investigation and the child is involved in planning; hypothesising and predicting; designing and carrying out experiments; interpreting results; drawing inferences; and communicating findings in a variety of ways.

The teaching of Modern Foreign Languages

Children in KS2 are learning Spanish. They are encouraged to develop their speaking and listening skills through regular sessions.  Furthermore, the cultural aspect of these languages is enhanced through learning more about the people who speak them in different countries around the world.

The teaching of Information and Communication Technology

I    ICT is becoming increasingly important in the school curriculum. Computers are now used in all subject areas and each classroom has access to an interactive whiteboard. We currently have 20 pupil laptops in use within classrooms and we have excellent supportive software which can engage pupils and facilitate their learning.  The school also has available a number of digital cameras to support learning in areas such as speaking and listening.

In ICT the skills taught are word processing; computer control; use of spreadsheets and databases; desk top publishing; multimedia; using the internet to obtain information and communicate; and the skills necessary to enter, edit, save and retrieve data.

The teaching of History, Geography, Design and Technology and Art

The government has recently given the “green light” to schools to return to a more integrated, creative and topic-based curriculum and it is in these areas of the curriculum that we have chosen to do this. While still ensuring that the appropriate amount of time is devoted to the learning of the skills which are important to each of these subjects, we now look for links to create meaningful topics which show how the subjects and the skills involved are relevant to life and the growth of knowledge.

The teaching of Music

Music takes the form of singing and instrumental work and this is enhanced through recorder groups which are held at playtimes and lunchtimes together with instrumental tuition from the school and peripatetic staff. At present this enables children to learn violin, recorder, guitar, clarinet, percussion, woodwind and brass.  There is also a school choir which sings for enjoyment and which is also used in whole school and Key Stage productions.

The school's sporting aims and provision of sport

       Our general aim in sport is to give each individual child the opportunity to become involved in a  

       range of physical activities which will;

§         give them enjoyment and interest them;

§         increase their fitness, flexibility, strength, endurance, physical and expressive skills;

§         help them to develop positive attitudes to physical activity and competition by being aware of - the health benefits of exercise; the importance of fair play, sporting behaviour and honest competition - and the need to be able to react appropriately to both success and failure;

§         to become aware of the strengths and weaknesses of both themselves and others in relation to different activities and thus develop the concepts of co-operation and teamwork;

§         to recognise the importance of personal and group safety and hygiene in all activities undertaken through responding appropriately to instructions, signals, established routines, rules and codes.

To achieve these aims we teach a range of sports as part of the curriculum. These comprise of seasonal sports which occur each year and “taster” sports, which are introduced on a rotational basis for a few weeks of each year. Currently the seasonal sports are Soccer (autumn & spring term); Cricket (summer); Athletics (summer).  Golf (autumn & spring) Hockey (spring), Tag rugby (spring) and Tennis (summer) Swimming is held for most of the year but is restricted to certain year groups because of budgetary considerations and timetabling restrictions. Indoor PE is also held during the winter months for all classes including the Pre-school Unit.

In addition, out of school sports clubs are currently held in Soccer, Gymnastics, Netball, Cricket, Activity/Multi skills and Tennis. The school has Boys' and Girls' Soccer, Cricket, Tennis, Badminton, Tag Rugby, Hockey and Gymnastics teams. For swimming we travel by coach to the Meden Leisure Centre Pool at Warsop each week. We now have a new hall opened in January 2006.  This is used for indoor PE/Drama, Indoor Athletics and Gymnastic Club.  We also have a visiting Dance Teacher using this facility.  Extra Curricular Activities in the Hall include an “Activity Club,” after school care and Gymnastics.

The school has extensive playing fields for outdoor sports and has a close relationship with Cuckney Cricket Club, making full use of its facilities in the Summer term for Cricket.

The school is one of only 324 in the country to be awarded the Activemark Gold accreditation for “outstanding commitment to physical activity.”  We also have achieved the FA Charter Standard, Healthy Eating and Healthy Schools “Gold” accreditation.

Religious Education

Cuckney Primary School is a Church of England controlled Primary School and Religious Education is based around a framework of Christian Teaching.  To this end we have solid links with the parish church.The school acknowledges, in its teaching, that the world is made up of people of many creeds, colours and cultures, and that the knowledge of these leads to greater tolerance and understanding. Thus other faiths are studied as is moral education and the need for responsible behaviour. The school also recognises the rights of parents under Section 9 of the 1988 Education Act to have their children withdrawn from attendance at religious worship or instruction and should any parent wish to exercise that right the appropriate arrangements will be made.

Children with Special Needs

The school has a special needs policy which is available for parents to inspect upon request. Through following this policy we aim to;

·         give pupils with a special need access to the full range of curriculum;

·         give all teachers the responsibility for the education of pupils with special needs;

·         identify and assess the special needs of pupils;

·         provide support and help for children with special needs;

·         make use of external support services in providing extra provision for pupils with special needs:

·         gain the involvement of parents/guardians in meeting the special needs of their children.

In all of our OFSTED Inspections our provision for Special Needs children has been praised and we are recognised as being a highly inclusive school.

Sex education

Sex education is taught in accordance with guidelines issued by the Nottinghamshire Education Authority and initially takes the form of learning about animal reproduction as met in Science and Topic work. This is followed with work about the human body in science in the later stages of schooling, together with the sensitive answering of questions by staff. Finally talks on puberty, menstruation, and health education are held for the older children by the school nurse.

The Environmental Dimension

The school has a wonderful setting, rich in history and in environmental variety. We try to use this environment in many aspects of the children’s learning.  Maths, science and art can all be enhanced by practical work in the outdoor environment such as the garden, orchard or sculpture grove; and the Peaceful Place is inspiration for drama and creative writing.  The garden area needs to be redesigned in the future because the building work undertaken to build our hall made it unusable for two years but we hope to gradually restore it now that the work is complete.

We have just installed a water-turbine which should produce the majority of our electricity over the coming years and this is an example of how we also encourage an understanding of the wider environment and address issues such as energy conservation; pollution; recycling and care for the environment.

Music

We teach music throughout the school. In addition to this we have individual instrument teaching in guitar, brass, woodwind, recorder, drums, violins and keyboard.

The administration of Medication at School

In line with Teacher Union and LEA advice, it is the school’s policy that staff will not administer medication to children at the school. Parents who decide that medication such as tablets and other medicines are needed by the child should either keep that child at home or make arrangements for the medicine to be administered at school by themselves or by their appointed representative.  If medication is prescribed by a doctor the same applies, but in exceptional circumstances, such as the need for long term medication, this may be negotiable.

Extra Curricular Clubs.

Because most children at the school travel to school on the school bus, most clubs take place at lunchtimes. The activities vary from term to term, year to year, but in the past have included Computer, Netball, Gymnastics, Small Balls, Choir, Board games, Art and Orchestra. The school also has girls' and boys' Football teams which play other local schools in matches, girls' and boys' cricket teams which play in the Bassetlaw, Mansfield county and national competitions together with Tag Rugby, Indoor and Outdoor Athletics, Tennis, Badminton and Hockey teams which take part in various tournaments and festivals.

The Healthy Schools Initiative

The school is part of the Healthy Schools Project which is aimed at improving the children’s ability to make healthy lifestyle choices. This was begun in 2003 and we received accreditation for our first unit of work - the development of a school Healthy Eating Policy and its implementation. Healthy diet and its beneficial effects are taught as part of the Science curriculum and the school provides constant chilled, filtered water in class as well as making healthy snacks available at morning break and free fruit during the afternoon for KS1 children.  We have now achieved accreditation in all modules and SEAL ( Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) now forms part of our planning and permeates through the curriculum.

Parental Links and Involvement

Cuckney Church of England School is a friendly, caring school with good links with parents, most of who visit regularly at Parents' Evenings to discuss their children's progress. Parents are also encouraged to help in the classroom, on the sports field and at the swimming pool if they wish.

The recent innovations in education, particularly those in Numeracy and Literacy, emphasise the importance of work at home encouraged and supported by parents.

At the termly Parent Consultation Evenings and through class newsletters, staff members inform parents of the content of the next few week’s curriculum for the class and discuss the individual learning targets for the child with them to enable them to contribute as fully as possible to the learning experience at home.

Parents may also wish to discuss particular problems concerning their children occasionally and members of staff will make every effort to be available when required. An appointment to do this can be made by telephone through the Head Teacher or by note to the teacher concerned.

An active Parent-Staff Association, “The Friends of Cuckney School”, is in operation and always welcomes new members.  The association's functions provide many opportunities for parents, children and staff to meet in a relaxed atmosphere.

How to make a complaint about the school curriculum

There is a procedure agreed by the Local Education Authority for dealing with any complaints about the school curriculum and other related issues. A copy of the school’s complaints procedure is available for reference in school, but in short the procedure provides:

1)       that there should normally be a preliminary informal discussion with the Head Teacher or other appropriate staff to see if the complaint can be resolved without recourse to formal procedures.

2)   If a formal complaint is to be lodged the Head Teacher will be able to provide the complainant with     copies of the relevant documents explaining the arrangements for considering the complaint in detail.

School Discipline

Self discipline is encouraged throughout school life. Children who misbehave are firmly warned about their conduct. If this has no effect, privileges such as playtimes are withdrawn. Where necessary the Head Teacher will contact the parents of a child who misbehaves seriously and/or persistently. The school has a Behaviour Policy which is included as an appendix to this prospectus.

School Dress

There is a compulsory school uniform. This is;

Winter

·       White shirt or blouse, red jumper, sweatshirt or cardigan with school badge, grey trousers or pinafore dress.

Summer

·       As above with red and white gingham summer dress replacing the pinafore dress and with a red or white polo shirt with school badge.  There is also a red school fleece available as an optional extra.

·       All other items of clothing can be obtained from “School Wear” based in Worksop or via the school office at the beginning of each half term from “School Trends”.

·       As stated above the school uniform is compulsory, the Governors of the school feel that the wearing of uniform demonstrates pride in the school.

·       Shoes with raised heels are not permitted as they are dangerous in the playground. Jewellery is discouraged for the same reason and must not be worn for sporting activities.

·       For indoor PE children require black shorts and white T-shirt or vest, or a leotard. The same clothing can be worn for games with the addition of suitable footwear, but in cold weather blue or black tracksuits may be worn.

·       For swimming, a one-piece costume should be worn by girls, and trunks - rather than shorts - by boys. A swimming cap should be worn by children whose hair is long enough to reach their eyes and goggles can be worn, but only by children whose parents have filled in the correct permission slip which is available from the school office.

Session Times

Morning school begins at 8.45am and ends at 12 noon with break being from 10.15am to 10.30am for Early Years and  Key Stage 1 pupils and from 10.40am to 10.55am for Key Stage 2.

It is important that children arrive promptly in the mornings as late arrivals disrupt lessons.

The school provides excellent meals which are freshly cooked on the premises These are served during the lunch break which lasts from 12 noon until 1.15 pm. Alternatively children can bring their own sandwiches to eat on the premises.

The afternoon session begins at 1.15 pm and continues until 3.30 pm with a break from 2.30 pm until 2.45 pm for Foundation and Key Stage 1 only.

Children are encouraged to eat lunch at school rather than at home since many of the extra-curricular activities occur during the lunch break.

School Holidays

Full details of School Sessions and Holiday dates can be found at the back of this document. Parents will be notified of in-service training closure days through the school newsletter as soon as these dates have been set.  

Admission Arrangements

Parents considering applying to the school for the admission of children should contact the Head Teacher who will arrange a visit.

Children born between 1^st September and 31^st March will be admitted at the start of the Autumn Term in September and children born between 1^st April and 31^st August will be admitted at the start of the Spring Term in January.

In the event of over-subscription, the following criteria will be applied in priority order:

1)       Children in public care.

2)       Applicants who live in the catchment area at the time of admission have a brother or sister attending the school.

3)       Other children who live in the catchment area.

4)       Applicants who live outside the catchment but who, at the time of admission will have a brother or sister attending the school.  Preference will be given to applicants who live nearest to the school by the shortest distance as the crow flies.

5)       Consideration will be given to applicants who live outside the designated catchment area where parents are involved with either St Mary's Church, Cuckney, or St. Winifred's Church, Holbeck. Supporting information from the appropriate minister will be required. Preference will be given to applicants who live nearest the school by the shortest distance as the crow flies.

6)       Places will then be given to other applicants who live outside the catchment area. Preference will first be given to applicants who live nearest to the school, as the crow flies.

7)       Consideration will be given to applicants who can establish particular medical, special educational need or social grounds relating to their child with supporting written evidence from a doctor, social worker, or other relevant professional. Each case will be determined by the Director of Education according to the merits of the case in consultation with the chair and vice chair of governors. Following consultation, the Director of Education may agree in particular cases to accord a higher priority to an individual. All decisions will be reported to the Governing Body as soon as possible.

Authorised & Unauthorised Absences

Attendance figures for the 2006/2007 academic year are shown below with the national average following in brackets. Total attendance for the year was 95.4% (National 94.8%).The percentage of sessions missed in the academic year 2006/2007 through authorised absence was 4.4% (National 4.7%) and the percentage missed through unauthorised absence was 0.2% (National 0.5%) .For 2207 /2008 authorised absence was 5.1% (National 4.9) unathorised 0.2% (National 0.6%)

Disclaimer

The information given in this brochure, which relates to the school year 2008/2009, was valid at the time of printing. It should not be assumed that there will be no changes affecting either the arrangements generally described in this brochure or in any particular part of them before the start of the school year 2009/2010 or in subsequent years. Any anticipated changes have been included as part of the text.

Date of publication – November  2008