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WEL C O M E T O S T . C O LU M B A S This prospectus provides information about our school, its aims, curriculum and activities. We hope you will find it useful if you have children with us already or if you are thinking of sending your child to St. Columba's. If you have any further ueries, do please come and ask. The information is correct at the time of printing but we are always looking for ways to improve, and so changes may occur during the year.

Mr s K Ba k e r Hea d t e a c h e r

MISSION STATEMENT

We are co mpanions on a journey Living Learning Loving Laughing In the footsteps of Our Lord

OUR SCHOOL St. Columba's is a Catholic !rimary School including a "ursery. !re#school visits for the "ursery and $eception children are arranged prior to their starting. %ll parents considering sending their children should please phone for an appointment to speak to the &eadteacher and to view the school. %dmission forms sent out by the authority for $eception must be filled in and submitted by the deadline. "'. % place in the nursery does not guarantee a place in the main school. %()ISSI*" !*+IC, The responsibility for admissions rests with the -overnors of St. Columba.s. The si/e of the admission group is 01 in reception and we have a 23 place nursery with some part time and some full time children. SCHOOL TIMES School opens at 4.56 am Children enter the school from the playground. In the unusual event that your child is late, school can only be entered via the *ffice )ain (oor. There is a )id )orning 'reak and the 7S8 children have an afternoon break. +unch is served in the hall and all meals are freshly cooked in line with nutritional guidelines. )ost of our children take the school meal. Those who prefer packed lunch, ,ear 8 upwards only, also eat in the hall. School finishes at 0.86 pm %t home time children leave the school by the nearest door to their classroom onto the playground. 7S8 children wait with their teacher until their parent9carer claims them in person. 7S2 children are allowed to wait on the playground. If their parent is late they know to come back into school and wait at the front office. Some of the older children who live in the vicinity of the school are allowed to walk home provided the school has been informed. If there is a change in the person picking up your child you must inform the school
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hat is the Learner !rofile" The +earner !rofile provides a list of the ualities which we want to develop in our children. In uirer Critical Thinker Communicator $isk#Taker 7nowledgeable !rincipled Caring *pen#)inded $eflective

hat does this mean for your child" Children work on in uiry units. They study one unit per half term e:cept in "ursery and $eception where they study four units a year. The children study history, geography, science etc. within a unit covering a range of skills and knowledge from several areas. The children find in uiry units more interesting, are more engaged, have more independence and en;oy learning as it allows them to achieve. )any children become so interested in their unit that they continue their research at home giving parents the opportunity to become more involved in their child.s learning.

SCHOOL U#I$ORM 'ags and coats with the school logo may be bought from the school office. The school has a uniform, which every child is happy to wear, and is as follows< -rey school trousers or grey skirt9pinafore White polo shirt with or without logo =logo polo shirts available from school> "avy sweatshirt with school logo =available form school> School shoes not trainers "o ear rings Summer

Short grey school trousers may be worn +emon and white gingham dress

!.?.

It is e:tremely important that children have !.?. kit = year 8 onwards> in school at all times. The !.?. kit is <# "avy shorts =available from school> +ight 'lue T#shirt with logo =available from school> Slip on pumps = available from school> Short socks for children who may wear tights in the winter 7it bag available from school

The kit should be kept in a separate bag hanging on the coat peg or in a designated bo: in class during term time. !lease ensure that all uniform and !%E% kit is clearly la&elled 'ith your child(s name% THE RELI)IOUS LI$E O$ OUR SCHOOL

The Word of -od is central to all that we do at St Columba.s. We teach pupils about the Catholic $eligion and the influence that the practice of this religion has on our lives. We work closely with our !arish priest and the !arish community some of whom are also governors. We go to Church regularly and say prayers in class and in assembly. $? teaching is not only evident in religion lessons and in prayer and liturgy, but it underpins all we teach, across the whole curriculum. )ore importantly, we believe it is also evident each day in the classroom in the attitudes, responsibilities and skills we try to develop in our children, in
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the e:ample of the staff and in the way we treat all with whom we come into contact. Spiritual, moral, cultural and social education is inherent in each area of our curriculum and in all areas of school life inside and outside the classroom. !*RE#T*L E#)*)EME#T %t St Columba.s we are committed to building a relationship with parents that improves the education of their children. $esearch has shown that when parents, teachers and children work together the end results of a child.s education are greater than if this was not present. We also have an open door policy@ if parents have any problems or do not understand what their child is doing in school please do not hesitate to come in and speak to the staff. We work closely with parents and carers to help them engage in their child.s education, this can be working through home learning with their child. In school we hold sessions where parents are invited into school and learn how they can help their child in different areas of the curriculum. We also hold termly parent9child sessions where parents come into school to work alongside their child this gives parents a greater understand of what their child is actually covering in school . St Columba.s have been awarded the +!!% A +eading !arental !artnership %ward which is beneficial to the ethos and vision of parental engagement at St Columba.s. SE+ E,UC*TIO# We teach se: education in the belief that<
se: education should be taught in the conte:t of marriage and family life@ children should be taught to have respect for their own bodies@ children should learn about their responsibilities to others. it is important to build positive loving relationships with others, involving trust and respect@

We use a scheme in school that has the approval of the 'ishop.s Council.

THE #*TIO#*L CURRICULUM %ll teachers teach in line with national re uirements "ational Tests are undertaken near the end of ,ears 2 and 3. Children in years 0, 5 and 6 take interim national tests in )ay, to aid school target setting and tracking progress. !olicies and guidelines for all sub;ects may be viewed on re uest.
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There are two !arents' ?venings each school year, when parents can meet the teachers of their child. % written report will be distributed to parents in the Summer Term. I#CLUSIO# - E.ER/ CHIL, M*TTERS %ll special educational needs are catered for in class. *ur teachers take our schemes of work and modify activities according to ability and need. Class teachers keep records of their children's progress. Special needs Where children are on School %ction or above, parents are invited each term to discuss their child's Individual ?ducation !lan. )odifications to the school building in recent years have made our facilities more suitable and more welcoming for children with mobility difficulties and more improvements are planned. Children who are vulnerable are targeted, monitored and work on programmes with our !astoral Support )entor. They have access to our BChill room. where they can receive further support. *ur !astoral Support )entor also works with families who need e:tra help. HOME OR0 $ight from the start we ask that parents involve their children in activities at home such as weighing, measuring and counting out of ob;ects@ that they talk to them about clock times, ;ourney distances, visits, shopping, TC programmes and picture books@ that they sing, talk and story#tell with them as much as possible and that they play games with them # sound games, ball games, card games, dominoes, etc. # at every opportunity. Throughout the school, we ask for more specific homework on a regular basis. In "ursery, tasks are often set and books are sent home for sharing and discussion@ in $eception Class, reading books and 'words' are sent home for sharing. ?ach class has a homework timetable appropriate to their age and ability. RE*,I#) *T HOME E.ER/ ,*/ IS .ER/ IM!ORT*#T ,our child will be given a reading record book for you to sign every day when you have heard them read. Studies show that this kind of parental help, particularly in the early stages, is vital for the development of reading. .ISITS In order to enhance the children.s e:periences, visits to places of interest are planned for each class. ,ou will be asked to sign a parental consent form at the beginning of the year to allow your child to go out of school.
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%ll visits are subsidised by the school and donations received from the !T% and parent9carers. OTHER *S!ECTS O$ SCHOOL LI$E )any areas of study, not referred to as separate sub;ects, are nevertheless built into the curriculum. %reas such as health education, environmental education and international links often form the content of sub;ects already listed. The school has a well stocked library used by everyone. % number of clubs are available<# There are many activities, which go beyond the classroom. Some of these are listed here< 'ook Club Children are encouraged to buy their own books through the School 'ook Club and through school 'ook Dairs. The school has teams for football, netball, athletics and cross#country. There is a school choir, which the children are encouraged to ;oin. The children take part in the 'olton Schools' )usic Destival or Singing Dor !leasure 'Sing#In' days. 1EH*.IOUR We create a positive atmosphere based on a sense of community and shared values and base discipline upon good relationships and mutual respect. We recogni/e and praise good behaviour. &igh standards are e:pected at all times in school, on the playground and on the way to and from school. To discourage inappropriate behaviour, a staged warning system is used throughout the school. !arents are invited into school to discuss their child's behaviour to work with the school in solving any problems. THE !T* %ll parent9carers are automatically a member of the !T%. We meet regularly and as well as socialising, we have raised e:tra funds for the school. HE*LTH *#, S*$ET/ 2E ELLER/ Children should not wear ;ewellery including earrings as it is not allowed during swimming or !? lessons and can be lost easily.
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Sport )usic

H*IR It is important that children have their own natural hair colour and have no e:treme hair cuts for e:ample tramlines or patterns shaved into their hair. It has to be noted that no high school will accept dyed or inappropriate hair styles either. )L*SSES -lasses are very important. If your child needs to wear glasses they should bring then to school every day. %t play time if they do not need them they should be placed in a safe place such as your child.s tray, or given to the teacher or staff on duty to mind, if they do not need them all the time. SHOES Sensible school shoes for both boys and girls. -irls should not have high heels on their shoes as these can be dangerous and they restrict play. ME,ICI#E I# SCHOOL Children should "*T bring medicines to school including cough sweets, creams, nasal sprays etc. !arents must fill in a form for newly admitted children, giving details of their child's known allergies or any special dietary re uirements. School will only administer medicine that has been prescribed by a doctor. !arents must come into school and complete a permission form for all medicines. HE*LTH/ SCHOOLS We are an accredited &ealthy School. Children should to bring a bottle to hold water to have on their desk in the classroom. Sweets are not allowed in school at any time including chocolate bars for lunch but a chocolate biscuit is acceptable. SCHOOL ME*LS )ost children and staff take the meals cooked in the school kitchen because they are so good. Some bring a packed lunch. 'ecause of concern for safety, hot li uids or hot food, glass containers or metal cans must not be included in packed lunches. Water is freely available at all times. % senior member of staff supervises lunch in the hall with the S)%s. The children are taught to use their knife and fork and to e:ercise good table manners. The school meals provide e:cellent value and variety. Dree school meals are available. =See the *ffice staff> %ll school meals payments must be made in advance. If you wish to change from packed lunch to school meal, please give at least two weeks notice as the food is ordered in advance.
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!L*/TIME !laytime is an important part of school life. Children have en;oyable and safe playtimes. Crisps are not allowed in the interests of healthy eating. The infants are given a piece of fruit. !lay e uipment is provided at lunchtime. Trained lunchtime supervisors who work hard to run a safe and happy playtime supervise the children. Children who are unable to play safely are kept off the play ground and may be sent home for their lunch. CHIL, !ROTECTIO# The designated person is the &eadteacher. She is obliged by law to report any concerns about a child.s physical or emotional well being to social services. !arents should be aware, therefore, that the school will take any reasonable action to ensure the safety of its pupils. In cases where the school has reason to be concerned that a child may be sub;ect to ill# treatment, neglect or other forms of abuse, staff have no alternative but to follow borough Child !rotection procedures and inform Social Services of their concern. !arents will not always be fully informed of concerns unless staff are certain that the safety of the child will not be pre;udiced by their doing so. SECURIT/ %ll outside doors have one#way locks so that access is available through the )ain ?ntrance only. Cisitors are re uested to sign in on arrival and to wear a badge during their time in school. !arents are asked see the *ffice staff if they call during the day to bring a child in late or collect a child for an appointment. !arents must ring the office if their child is going to be absent. &olidays in term time will not be authorised and should be avoided. $I#*LL/ We provide a lively, caring and happy learning environment in all that we do at St. Columba's. If problems arise which may affect a child's education, we ask parents to discuss them with the class teacher at an early stage. +ikewise, we may sometimes wish to talk over particular problems with parents. !arents are asked not to approach the class teachers before school as this is an important preparation time for them. %fter school is better. The &eadteacher is always available to discuss any urgent concerns.
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&owever, for non#urgent matters please arrange an appointment via the school office. !lease see the office staff about absence and appointments, not the teacher. If your child is off for any reason please inform the school. E3ery $riday there is a $amily *ssem&ly at 4%56pm where children are praised to the delight of their friends and families, achievements are recognised, and we sing and pray together. %ll parents and friends are invited so come early to secure a seatE +ooking forward to seeing you soon, Mr s Ba k e r a n d all th e st a ff

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