Welcome to our online prospectus where you will also find our admissions policy and school visit arrangements.
If you would like any further information please contact us
At the bottom of this document you will also find our South Benfleet handy
A-Z reference guide for parents giving lots of important day to day information. This can be printed or downloaded from the site by clicking here
Contents Please click on the titles below to go straight to the chosen section The dedicated team at South Benfleet Primary School aims to provide a happy, caring, community of learners where all are welcomed and valued and where learning is fun, real, relevant and memorable. We strive to ensure that our children acquire responsibility, tolerance and understanding and develop respect for themselves, each other, their families, our local community and the environment. We want our pupils to be co operative and have high self esteem and develop the motivation, knowledge and skills to prepare them for the world of tomorrow -------------------------------------------- Welcome letter from the Headteacher Dear Parents, Welcome to South Benfleet Foundation Primary School which is now over 80 years old. Many of our parents and grandparents were educated here and although teaching methods and curriculum content may have changed over the years, our ethos hasn't. We take great pride in our reputation for being ‘a friendly, caring, family school’. Parents are encouraged to help in the school and to take an active part in their child's education. We aim to keep you informed and involved in a variety of ways- twice yearly open evenings, annual reports, class assemblies, invites to productions, harvest festival etc. We have an open door policy and would encourage you to speak to us about any concerns you may have and also share good news. Our most recent Ofsted* inspection in March 2007 provided us with a very positive report and overall we were judged to be a good school. Comments from the report include:- ‘Teaching is good and teachers make lessons interesting’ One pupil said to the inspectors ‘Even a normal school day is fun.’ ‘Excitement, achievement and enjoyment are features of the school curriculum’ ‘Pupils’ behaviour is very good’ We are actively engaged in providing teachers for the future as founder members of a locally based Teacher Training Consortium- The Thames Primary Consortium. In this prospectus we hope to inform you of the ethos, philosophies and priorities of our school. If you would like the opportunity to discuss anything with us, or to look around the school, please contact us so that the appropriate arrangements can be made. *Full Ofsted report is available online from Ofsted.co.uk and from the school office We look forward to meeting you. Yours sincerely Mr D Carver ( Headteacher) -------------------------------------------- South Benfleet Primary School: A Brief History South Benfleet Primary School was opened on this site in 1926 to replace a much smaller school in School Lane -near the station. The school originally catered for pupils up to 14, the building has been extended and improved many times since. Recent highlights:- The School Buildings The school is now over 80 years old, but has been regularly updated, improved and added to! -------------------------------------------- Admissions policy for children starting school for the first time ( 4 and 5 years old) Pupils are admitted to the school in the September after their fourth birthday without reference to ability or aptitude. All these admissions are handled by Essex Local Authority. A common admission form needs to be completed and should automatically be sent to all children nearing school age. The form can also be accessed online at www.essexcc.gov.uk. This should be completed when the admissions process opens which is approximately 9/ 10 months before admission. Please check the closing date for application with Essex LA or the school office. Please note the school cannot accept any first admission forms. Priority (not a guarantee) will be given to children from within the school's designated catchment area, at the age of four. The maximum number of admissions per year group is 60. ( Legislation sets a maximum class size for children under 7 to a maximum of 30 in a class) Over subscription Where applications for admission exceed the number of places available then the following criteria will be applied, in order set out below, to decide which children to admit- 1. Residence in the school's priority admission area ( catchment area ). 2. Where the child has, at time of application, a brother or sister currently attending the school. 3. Where there are medical grounds (supported by a doctor's certificate) for admitting the child. 4. Proximity of the child's home, with those living nearest to the school being accorded the highest priority. Admissions for all other children- Please contact the school office to enquire as to whether we have any spaces Appeals In the event of an appeal an independent appeal panel will be convened. -------------------------------------------- Arrangements for parents to visit the school We warmly welcome and encourage parents to visit and look around the school. Appointments need to be made by telephoning or visiting the school office. A mutually agreeable time will be arranged for a tour of the school. This will give an important opportunity to see the school community at work and allow questions to be asked. For children that are transferring into the school, a visit may allow them to meet their new teacher and familiarise them with the school layout. -------------------------------------------- Induction Procedures for the new intake (4 and 5 year olds) We have only one new intake a year- in September, when we take all our children into school for that year. We usually divide the children into two age related classes . Usually the oldest children who are five in the term before Christmas will start full time, in the September, the younger children with birthdays during the remainder of the school year will only be offered a part time place- mornings only, for the first term until Christmas, they will then become full time in January. Induction meetings – Summer term We hold three induction meetings which allow children to meet and spend time with their new teacher and become familiar with their classroom and classmates. While children are in classrooms we hold parents meetings in the hall. Parents are given helpful information about a variety of matters- uniform, the curriculum, assessment, The Parent Teacher Association, The Governing Body, school meals, School Nursing Service and health, and arrangements for their child’s first day in school. We hope all parents will be able to attend all three of these important meetings -------------------------------------------- We ask that no one arrives on site before 8.40. Children come straight into the building at 8.45 and go to their classrooms. We also ask that parents help their children to arrive on time, late entrants are noted in the registers. The Early Years children for their first year at school will work these hours - Morning Session: 8.55 - 11.55 Afternoon Session: 1.05 - 3.10 The youngest children receive priority in the dinner hall at lunchtime and have their own play sessions for much of the year. Infants ( Key Stage 1) -years 1 and 2 Morning Session : 8.55 - 12.00 (with a morning play of 15 minutes) Afternoon Session : 1.10 - 3.15 (with an afternoon play of 10 minutes) Juniors ( Key Stage 2) -years 3,4,5 and 6 Morning Session : 8.55 - 12.10 (with a morning play of 15 minutes) Afternoon Session : 1.10 - 3.15 -------------------------------------------- Children are initially placed in their classes on an age basis and each class will contain children of a wide ability range. During their time at school classes may be mixed in order to rebalance gender, age, ability ( not streaming) and also to help deal with change and encourage broadening of social, friendship and learning groups. At present we have no ‘mixed aged’ range classes and hope to avoid this in the future. Children are taught a broad, balanced curriculum which reflects the National Curriculum. English ( Literacy)_ When children first enter the school they are encouraged to make an early start on the skills of reading writing listening and talking. A breadth of literature and reference material is made available to the children for their interest and enjoyment. Children are encouraged to discuss ideas and communicate clearly with others both in speech and writing. A large proportion of our English is taught in our daily Literacy Lesson. The children are regularly assessed using a variety of methods. A book fair is held in school twice a year. Mathematics (Numeracy) Mathematics is structured to ensure that from an early stage, children acquire an understanding of the basic concepts of number and computation. We use a published scheme- Abacus Evolve Maths, in conjunction with a variety of teaching methods, according to the needs of the individual children and the requirements of the National Curriculum. There is an emphasis on whole class lessons and mental maths as part of our numeracy strategy. Science Children experience science through a range of problem solving and experimental activities. They are encouraged to develop a systematic approach to the ‘method’ and recording of science. Children as part of their science studies will cover life and living processes, materials and their properties and physical processes. Design and Technology The children are given the opportunity to design and make and through evaluation learn to constructively criticise and improve designs. They learn to use a variety of materials such as textiles, food, wood, paper, plastic and clay. Information Technology Every class has a networked computer and timetabled access to a fully networked, 32 workstation, air conditioned computer suite. History The children will gain knowledge and understanding of their own personal history, British history and the history of other cultures including the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Geography Through their work in geography children will develop skills, knowledge and understanding of their own environment and the wider world. Learning will be based on direct experience, practical activities and the use of secondary source materials. Physical Education We aim to develop co ordination and mobility through a structured and developmental programme and increase children’s awareness of their own capabilities. It is important also to develop co-operation and creativity through structured and progressive problem solving situations. PE should foster an understanding of health and fitness and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Art and craft Through their work in art children develop an range of skills and an ability to express themselves through a variety of media. Music Music is part of everyday life and children are encouraged not only to listen to and enjoy a wide variety of music presented to them, but to participate in group singing, to compose and to play various instruments. Religious Education We make use of the Essex Agreed Syllabus. The syllabus reflects the school’s ethos of encouraging moral attitudes to develop a child’s self esteem and ability to relate to and understand people. It provides information about key beliefs of the major faiths, Christianity in particular. Parents who wish to exclude their children from acts of collective worship may do so, but need to speak to the Headteacher. PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) / Citizenship We aim to encourage pupils to lead confident, healthy and responsible lives as individuals and members of society. Through work in lesson time and a wide range of activities across and beyond the curriculum, pupils gain practical knowledge and skills to help them live healthily and deal with spiritual, moral, social and cultural issue Visits and Visitors We aim to bring the curriculum alive by inviting visitors, workshops, theatre groups etc into the school and also taking the children out on educational trips and visits. Reading, Writing and Home Learning At South Benfleet Primary School we are proud of our academic standards but we recognise that it is by parents, teachers and children working together that the best results will be achieved, so we ask for your help and support with learning so that the best possible outcomes can be achieved for all children. Reading We use a variety of reading books in school and encourage all children to take a book home daily, which we hope they will read with an adult. ( we also hope that all parents will regularly read a range of books and other materials with their children) We also provide home school liaison books for parental comments on reading and other issues. In the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 ( Infants) we make use of a daily structured phonics programme called ERR (Early Reading Research) for which the staff have had training and support. Daily bursts of ERR activity help the children to know letter sounds and build common words. We want our children to develop a love of reading and develop their tastes and enthusiasm for reading throughout their life. Writing More detailed information about reading writing and how you can help your child is given a is given at parents, meeting for new entrants to the school and staff are always willing to discuss progress and any anxieties you may have -------------------------------------------- Special Educational Needs / Equal Opportunities The Governors recognise the important part Special Needs staff play in a school and have allocated funds to employ a full time Special Needs Co- ordinator. At the close of each academic year, in liaison with class teachers children with Special Needs are assessed or reassessed. A plan of action for the new academic year is the drawn up. This involves allocating the time of the Special Educational Needs teacher and Learning Support assistants in the most effective way. It is our policy to continually identify, support and review and assess the progress of the children with special educational needs. Continuous monitoring of children's progress is achieved through frequent discussions between staff, parents and outside agencies as appropriate. E.g. Educational Psychologist, School nurse, Speech Therapist. During the last few years the Government introduced a new Code of Practice for Special needs, doing away with the 5 levels of assessment. The new framework is known as School Action and School Action Plus. A formal statement of Special Educational Need may be necessary in a very small number of cases - but only with the agreement of the LEA. Parents close involvement is ensured by frequent review meetings, held with Special Needs support teacher and class teacher. Advice is given on how best to support and help their own child. Children who receive additional support from a Special Needs support teacher do so either in their own classroom, or in the quiet undisturbed atmosphere of the Special Needs room. At all times of the school day children with learning difficulties have their needs met by their class teachers who plan the curriculum accordingly by drawing on their own expertise. In order to achieve success, all pupils with special educational needs require time, specific forms of support and carefully structured teaching programmes. The majority of pupils who have learning difficulties, simply require work to be suitably presented and differentiated to match their needs. This can apply to the whole school curriculum. At South Benfleet Primary School we are aware of the fact that a child's Special Needs can be educational, emotional or physical. A school register is kept listing all physical needs/difficulties. These include such things as: hearing problems, visual impairment, asthma, allergies etc. Class teachers and other relevant staff have access to the list. The Special Needs Co - ordinator teacher is available to discuss Special Needs. A full copy of our latest Special Needs policy and plan is available on request. Equal Opportunities Discrimination on the basis of colour, culture, origin, gender or ability or disability is totally unacceptable in this school. Our objective is to educate, develop and prepare all our children for life in an ever changing world. As a school we welcome a person from any aspect of society. We try to encourage a positive self-image, to foster tolerance and respect for others together with an understanding that individual and group differences are something to be valued. We are committed to promoting equality and a regard for all members of our school community. -------------------------------------------- Ofsted quote – ‘Pupils’ behaviour is very good’ ( March 2007) We Promote good behaviour by: We also have a set of Golden Rules written by the school council- We always keep our Golden Rules We use a range of rewards for good behaviour which include- Occasionally children misbehave and depending on the situation various strategies are employed such as - In rare cases it may be necessary to exclude a child from school, but this will only be considered after all other avenues have been explored. Bullying We have an anti bullying policy, however like all schools, at some time may have a problem with 'bullying' in one form or another whether it be taunting, physically threatening, psychological or cyber. We believe that bullying is totally unacceptable and our message is 'Say NO to bullying' Any incidents of bullying are treated seriously and action taken quickly. Most classrooms possess a 'Problem Box' which enables them to write down any fears or difficulties anonymously. If there is a problem- -------------------------------------------- The Governors are the body responsible for the school. Many powers are delegated to the Headteacher, himself a member of the Governors, but the finance, admissions policy premises and curriculum of the school are overseen by the Governing body. The Governors ‘own’ the school building and its contents. The Governors are local people, six of these are elected by all of the parents at the school. One teacher is elected by the teaching staff as their representative and one staff Governor is elected by the non-teaching staff as their representative. Two Governors are classed as Community Governors and two Governors represent the LEA. The remaining Governors are called Partnership Governors and are local people who are interested in supporting our school. All Governors are members of the various committees- Finance, Premises, Curriculum, Staff and Admissions, which meet regularly and report to the main governors' meetings held at least once a term. The Governors will also hear any complaints and decide what action to take. If you would like to contact a Governor or the Governing Body please do so via the school office. -------------------------------------------- We are delighted to be able to offer cooked meals to all the children. For some years we have directly employed our own meals staff which means that we can control meal costs and can offer a wide and varied menu . We have worked hard to try and ensure that we meet food guidelines and aim to offer healthy and where possible home cooked meals to the children. Vegetarian and other special dietary requirements can usually be catered for after prior consultation with the school cook. Regular themed lunch days are arranged by the kitchen and a special menu is served on those days. These often include Valentines Day, Bonfire Night, Halloween, Book Week, Easter and, of course, the extremely popular Christmas Dinner. SWEETS In the interest of health no sweets/ may be consumed in school. All infants receive free fruit or veg daily and we ask Juniors to bring in their own fruit and for years 1 to 6 to bring in fresh drinking water daily A Sample Menu- menus are displayed in the school office and change weekly
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Homemade Chicken Pie Jacket Potatoes with fillings Homemade cheesy topped cottage pie Cheese flan Roast Chicken and Stuffing Macaroni cheese Home made pizza selection Cod Fish Fingers Cheese triangles Bread rolls Boiled Potatoes Roast Potatoes Creamed potatoes Bread Rolls Potato wedges Chunky Chips Bread roll Carrots Peas Salad Bar Green beans Peas Salad Bar Carrots Peas Salad Bar Baked Beans Sweet Corn Salad Bar Mixed Veg Spaghetti Salad Homemade cookies Cheese + biscuits Fresh fruit Fruit crumble and custard Cheese + biscuits Fresh fruit Homemade Bakewell Tart and custard Fresh fruit Ice Cream and Fruit Salad Fresh Fruit Homemade Cake Selection Cheese + biscuits Fresh fruit Fruit juice / milk Fruit juice/ milk Fruit juice/ milk Fruit juice/ milk Fruit juice/ milk -------------------------------------------- At South Benfleet we believe that wearing school uniform is an important part of belonging to the school community. It helps to create an important feeling of equality amongst all children. The uniform consists of: Green sweatshirt / cardigan with school logo White polo shirt with school name Grey trousers Green / white check dresses in summer Shoes (not trainers!) The sweatshirts and polo shirts are on sale at the office after school. We also have green baseball style hats with the school logo on. Trainers are not allowed to be worn during the school day. Boots ( particularly long, just above or below knee styles) are not considered suitable for all day school use. The school is usually very warm, making the wearing of boots indoors unnecessary, uncomfortable and probably unhealthy. They also making sitting on the floor, running or free movement difficult. Jewellery, other than watches and 'stud' earrings is not allowed for safety reasons. All clothing must be named. We have drawn up a recommended list of kit for P.E. lessons, because an increasing number of children are wearing clothing that could be dangerous in apparatus lessons. Again, all clothing must be named. For reasons of safety, and hygiene, children must change into PE clothing. Therefore please ensure that your child has the correct kit available for all lessons. KIT FOR BOYS AND GIRLS KEY STAGES 1 AND 2 INDOOR OUTDOOR Plain white T shirt Plain white T shirt Black shorts Black shorts Plimsolls* - black or white Plimsolls* - black or white (School sweatshirt/jumper/cardigan to be worn if cold) *Or Trainers ( PE use only) If the weather is cold, the following may be worn in addition to the basic kit: Jogging bottoms / top, or Tracksuit bottoms / top or, Shellsuit bottoms / top. Please remember that all children need to remove any permitted jewellery before a PE lesson. Please note also, that if tights are worn to school, socks must be provided for the PE lesson. Uniform prices are in the Annual Update section at the back of this prospectus and also available on the web site For many years the school has offered the chance for the Year 6 children to take part in a school journey during the summer term. In 2006 and 2007 we went to Valkenburg in Southern Holland, for an experience that combined education and fun!(A charge is made for the School Journey.) South Benfleet School Association (PTA) The Parent Teacher Association ( PTA) is very active and organises a number of events throughout the school year. The main aim of these events is to raise funds for the benefit of the children, but they are also a valuable opportunity for staff, parents, and children to meet together and have a good time and reinforce our sense of being a close caring and friendly community. Some events such as Quiz Nights are aimed at the parents. Others such as the Discos and Roller Skating are for the children. The PTA is run totally by volunteers for the benefit of the children so please support them by attending events, sending in requested items or volunteering to help run an event. The money raised by the PTA is crucial to provide extra experiences and equipment and to help us undertake projects which would otherwise be hard or impossible to fund. In recent years the PTA has made it possible to build our ICT suite and our new library, to refurbish our cookery room and to continue to provide treats such as a magician for the Early Years and an outdoor adventure day for Year 6.- plus much more! Key Events run by the PTA are -The Christmas Bazaar and Summer Fayre , The Easter Fayre, 100 Club, Selling Bulbs, book sales, art and craft afternoons and discos…. And much more! Please remember if you would like a printed version of this prospectus or any information then please contact us
Admissions Policy
We aim to start to develop a cursive (joined) style of writing as quickly as possible so that the children’s writing is flowing and helps develop good spelling. Set out below is our school handwriting style.
Grey skirt or pinafore dress