Pride in Achieving and Caring Together

Our School Prospectus

Welcome to Countess Gytha Primary School

Governors' Statement of Curriculum Aims

Welcome to Countess Gytha Primary School

Welcome to Countess Gytha Primary School. We are very proud of our school which has served the local community and neighbouring villages since 1872. We cater for pupils from the age of four to eleven years.

The staff and governors of the school aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which is appropriate and relevant to the children. We provide a caring, happy and positive atmosphere in which children can fulfil their potential and grow in self confidence and respect for the people and environment around them.

We are committed to developing a strong partnership in education between home and school. Prospective parents are invited to visit the school, meet the staff and children and see the school in action. Back to top

The Aims of the School

The staff and governors of Countess Gytha Primary School aim to provide a safe, caring, happy and well-organised learning environment, in which children can acquire knowledge, develop skills and form positive attitudes while embracing the spirit of our school motto:

Pride in Achieving and Caring Together

The school aims to help children to:

· achieve their full potential
· enjoy learning
· develop independence, confidence and self-esteem
· develop their own thoughts and feelings
· respect the views of others
· understand and appreciate the world in which they live
· develop positive relationships with other children
and adults
· achieve high standards of behaviour Back to top

Governors' Statement of Curriculum Aims

We will works towards:

· developing children's language skills of
reading, writing, speaking and listening.

· enabling children to acquire basic mathematical
concepts and skills and developing the ability to
apply mathematical principles and techniques to
real life situations.

· enabling children to use drama, music, movement
and other forms of art and literature as means of expression and imagination. In doing so we will encourage the growth of aesthetic appreciation.

· introducing children, through enquiry and
discovery, to an understanding of the world about them, from the immediate environment towards the far distant, both in time and space.

· making children aware of and helping them to
understand environmental issues and encouraging a sense of personal responsibility for environmental concerns on a local and global scale.

· fostering an enjoyment and understanding of
science and modern technology, developing skills and confidence to tackle problems with an open mind and the ability to evaluate their findings.

· developing knowledge of, and respect for, a
tolerance of other races, religions and cultures while maintaining a knowledge and understanding of the mainly Christian religious traditions of this country.

· promoting equal opportunities for all children

· promoting children's responsibility for their own
good health and physical development Back to top

The Curriculum

We have high expectations of all the children and encourage them to reach their highest standards in both their work and its presentation.

We use a variety of teaching strategies to enable children to enjoy and make the most of their learning experiences. Children are taught in a variety of groupings, either as a whole class, small group or individuals.

We try to provide children with the skills they will need for life and work. Emphasis is placed on the basic skills of Literacy and Numeracy upon which much other learning depends.
As children progress through the school, they will use these skills in a variety of subjects which help them to become independent in their learning. Back to top

Foundation Stage Curriculum

Children from the age of three to five years will follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum which is based on six areas of learning:

· Personal and Social Development
· Language and Literacy
· Mathematics
· Knowledge and Understanding of the World
· Physical Development
· Creativity

Reception children will continue to follow this curriculum throughout their first year in school, building on what has been learnt in pre-school settings.
At the end of the Reception Year the teacher will complete a Foundation Stage Profile to assess what the children know and can do. Back to top

National Curriculum

National Curriculum

From the age of five, in Year 1, the children will begin to follow the National Curriculum.
Nationally agreed programmes of study will be taught in a variety of subjects:

o Maths,
o English,
o Science,
o Geography,
o History,
o Physical Education (P.E.),
o Design and Technology,
o Art and Design,
o Music,
o Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Mathematics
We want children to enjoy maths at school. Through the National Numeracy Strategy children are taught the basic skills of calculation and are encouraged to use a range of strategies to solve mathematical problems.
There is a strong emphasis on developing mental abilities. Tasks that involve mathematical investigations encourage the children to use and apply the maths they have been learning.

English
Language, whether spoken or written, is the key to all learning. We give priority to the acquisition of skills which will enable children to use English with confidence. These skills include speaking and listening, reading, writing, spelling and handwriting.

The National Literacy Strategy which is taught daily supports the teaching of these English skills:

· speaking and listening.
We encourage fluency and clarity in speech so
that children are able to express themselves, discuss issues and appreciate other people's points of view with growing maturity.

· reading.
We encourage reading for both enjoyment and information. We teach word-building skills, including phonics, to support the development of reading and spelling. Both individual and group 'guided' reading will take place at school and to support their learning children are expected to read at home with family and friends. They will be encouraged to read a range of texts, both fiction and non-fiction.

· writing
Children are encouraged to write in both a creative and factual way at school for a variety of audiences. Through the Literacy Strategy we teach spelling, punctuation and grammar at an appropriate level for the child's development. Children are taught how to write in a fluent, joined handwriting style from Year 2 onwards.

Science
The science curriculum includes work on the environment; materials and their properties; life processes of plants and animals; sound, light, magnetism, electricity and forces.
The children are encouraged to learn more about the world about them through first-hand experiences of observing and experimenting as well as through books and ICT sources.

Music
Children are taught how to compose and perform simple pieces of music. They listen to a wide variety of music and learn to play a range of percussion instruments. Some children also have music tuition to play a specific instrument such as a violin.

Design and Technology
Children are taught to develop their knowledge and understanding of materials and structures, to use their skills to design and make products and evaluate them.

Art and Design
Children are encouraged to develop their skills using a variety of media in both 2D eg. drawing, painting, print-making and 3D sculpture. We introduce the children to the work of artists.

Geography
The emphasis in the teaching of geography is on developing geographical skills through map work and the study of our local area in relation to other areas of Britain, Europe an the world. The children learn how to interpret and make maps and investigate their surroundings as they find out about the locality and contrasting places. The children learn about settlements, rivers, climate and changes in the environment.

History
The emphasis in the teaching of history is on developing historical skills by providing children with opportunities to learn about the past by using pictures, writing and artefacts from the past as historical evidence, as well as books and video. Children are encouraged to look at this evidence in a critical way, to determine its reliability and to distinguish between fact and opinion. They compare what life was like at different times.

Information and Communications Technology
Children throughout the school are taught to use computers and other digital technology eg. cameras to support their learning across the curriculum.
They are taught the skills of word processing and how to organise information and present it in a variety of ways. We help them to be aware of how ICT is used in the every day world, to use the Internet wisely to access information and communicate through e-mail.

Physical Education
Children are taught to use their bodies more skilfully in gymnastics, games, swimming, dance and athletics, and to develop their ability to put movements together to create sequences to perform. Sports such as football, rugby, tennis. netball and hockey are played both in P.E. lessons as well as after-school clubs. Sports specialists also come to school to teach the children specific skills etc.
The school is very lucky to have its own swimming pool and children are taught how to swim and also improve their style.

Countess Gytha Sporting aims are to:

· Promote enjoyment in sport
· Develop skills
· Teach children that sport contributes towards good health and physical development
· Develop an understanding of safe practice
· Provide opportunities for children to participate in a range of games
· Develop a sense of fair play and team spirit
· Provide opportunities for children to represent the school in one of our sports teams

Religious Education
The school has adopted Somerset's non-denominational Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education, which develops a knowledge of Christianity whilst raising awareness of other religions.

The children come together for the daily act of collective worship as a whole school on four days of the week and as key Stages on one day a week. Parents are invited to class assemblies, held twice a year for each class and 'Worker of the Week' achievement assemblies held each week.
Parents have the right to withdraw their child from the act of collective worship and elements of the R.E. curriculum if they so wish.

Cross-curricular issues
In addition to the subjects specified in the National Curriculum, the school curriculum also includes cross- curricular issues such as:
o Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship,
o Multi-cultural education.
o Environmental Education,
o Equal opportunities

Personal, Social and Health Education is concerned with the development of the whole child. We aim to provide children with the knowledge and understanding necessary for them to make informed choices about their own lives. PSHE should not be seen in isolation from the rest of the curriculum, but rather as sharing links with other subject areas.

Sex education will be taught as part of the Health education programme. In the Summer term in Year 6 human development and reproduction are taught within a context which promotes the values of family life. Specific questions asked by children are answered sensitively and with regard to their maturity. The school nurse and advisory teachers for Health Education work with us at appropriate times. Parents are given the opportunity to discuss with the teacher about the sex education programme of work.

Citizenship
We seek to encourage children to develop an awareness of how to be good citizens, appreciate other people's points of view and grow up to be caring, responsible adults.
Global citizenship is a strong feature of our school.

Zambia Link
We have a well-established link with Mufilira Basic school in Zambia with regular teacher exchanges.
With funding from the British Council we are now fortunate to be able to welcome two teachers from Zambia and send two of our teachers out there each year rather than alternate years as before.
We are working towards the International School Award and should be accredited in 2004.

Multi-cultural Education
We believe it is essential that children should develop an understanding of a variety of cultures. We aim to help children to grow into people who respect and care for all people.

Environmental Education
We seek to encourage children to be aware of environmental issues and how to care for their local environment.

Equal Opportunities
We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone. We believe that every child, regardless of gender, religion, ethnic origin, social circumstance or disability, should have equal access to the whole curriculum and to the opportunities available in our school. Back to top

Assessment of Progress

The National Curriculum sets out attainment targets in each subject which provide standards against which children's progress can be assessed.

There are National Curriculum Assessment tests (SATs) in Maths and English for children in Year 2 at the end of Key Stage One and tests in Maths, English and Science in Year 6 at the end of Key Stage Two, the final year of Primary School.
Optional SATs also take place in Years 3, 4 and 5, while teacher assessments take place in every year in school.

The school will inform parents of the results of Year 2 and Year 6 SATs and teacher assessments in the end of year reports. They will also receive the national results for the previous year.

The annual reports for all children will be based on the results of teacher assessments and overall progress throughout the year in each subject.
The purpose of the assessment procedure is to monitor progress, diagnose strengths and weaknesses and to assist staff in planning future work for the children and to set targets for improvement. Back to top

Special Educational Needs

All children in the school have access to the National Curriculum with work differentiated to match individual children's needs and abilities.

Where appropriate the school provides additional support for children with particular learning difficulties under the guidance of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).
Much of the support work takes place within the classroom where staff can help children with their everyday work or special tasks. We also run Literacy and Numeracy support programmes for some children which take place in small group withdrawal sessions several times a week.

Those children with more severe learning difficulties will receive intensive small group or individual tuition and follow specific support programmes. There are a number of LEA support services available to the school, including the Educational Psychologist and Behaviour Support team, which the school uses to plan support work for specific children.

Parents of children with special needs will be kept closely informed of the strategies that are being used to help their child and of the progress being made.

Very able children are also provided with appropriate extension activities which are thought-provoking, stimulating and challenging.
Extension groups for Literacy or Numeracy are offered to children from Year 1 upwards. The progress of very able children is monitored by the school's Gifted and Talented Coordinator. Back to top

Homework

Homework

The children will regularly be asked to undertake a range of additional activities which will support their school work. The role of parents in promoting effective learning must never be underestimated.
The following suggestions will help you enrich your child's education.

· read regularly to your child throughout the primary years
· listen to your child read, ideally on a daily basis
· help your child to learn new words, number facts, complete work set etc.
· seek opportunities to enrich project work
· develop your knowledge of our teaching methods etc by attending parents' meetings and curriculum evenings
· praise your child for his/her efforts.
· Be positive and support the school. Back to top

Home/School Links

We welcome the interest and support of parents in all aspects of school life. We aim to keep parents well informed about their children's education so that they can see it as a partnership between home and school. Parents are encouraged to keep in regular contact with their child's class teacher and to 'pop in' for a quick word now and again at the end of school. Teachers will always be pleased to spare a few moments, unless they have other engagements, but if a lengthy discussion is needed, it would be appreciated if an appointment was made.

Formal consultations with parents are arranged twice a year when children's progress is discussed and parents are invited to view their child's work. At the start of the new school year parents are invited to an initial meeting to find out how the year will be planned in their child's class and the work that will be covered.

Parents and children are expected to sign the school's Home-School Agreement which sets out each person's responsibilities and helps home and school to work in partnership.

We are always pleased to accept parental help in school with such things as hearing children read, overseeing group activities and supervising on school trips etc.
Parental help is always needed in the swimming season and requests will be made for this periodically. Parents are also called on to help with transport to other schools, for sporting and musical activities. Back to top