Information For Parents 1

HISTORICAL NOTES.

ACCOMMODATION.

FOUNDATION.

VISITS:

ADMISSION.

CURRICULUM.

SPECIAL NEEDS.

GENERAL INFORMATION.

ABSENCES.

ILLNESS.

SEX EDUCATION.

CHARGING POLICY.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE.

SCHOOL RULES/CODE OF CONDUCT.

COMMUNITY.

HOMEWORK.

HISTORICAL NOTES.

Situated in the beautiful countryside of the Weald of Kent, Colliers Green School was built in 1908. This followed a long running battle in the late 19th Century between Cranbrook Parish Council and the trustees of the will of a local philanthropist, Clement Cramp, who left a sizeable sum on his death in 1888 for the benefit of the people of the parish.

The Parish Council was keen to see part of it used for a cottage hospital outside the town, but the trustees pressed for a school at Colliers Green. Thirty years passed, during which time the matter went to the Attorney General, Sir Robert Finlay, and the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, before the school was finally opened. Back to top

ACCOMMODATION.

Originally the buildings comprised the school room and a house for the Headteacher. Today, the accommodation has been extended with four new mobile classrooms, hall, library, office, stores together with a learner swimming pool and refurbished Air-Raid Shelter used for Technology, funded by the school's active P.T.F.A.

The school enjoys extensive grounds, providing a multisurface playing area, pitches for football, rounders and running tracks, herb gardens and a small vegetable patch. Our beautiful grounds are used to the full for recreation and educational purposes. Back to top

FOUNDATION.

Colliers Green Primary School is Church of England Voluntary Aided and Religious Education is an important part of our curriculum. As well as Religious Education in class, there is an act of corporate worship each day, which follows a Christian theme. At the Friday services we are often joined by parents as we celebrate children?s? successes during that week.

The school is in the Parish of Cranbrook and an end of year service is held in St. Dunstan's Church.

Parents have the legal right to withdraw pupils from worship. However, we are a Church Aided School where worship is often a spontaneous part of our everyday life and Collective Worship sometimes links with other activities. Therefore, we hope that no parent would exercise their right of withdrawal without prior consultation with the Headteacher. Back to top

Colliers Green is a Church of England School fostering a Christian ethos.
This is our School.
Let peace dwell here;
Let the rooms be full of contentment;
Let love abide here:
Love of one another,
Love of mankind,
Love of life itself,
And love of God;
Let us remember,
That, as many hands make a house,
So, many hearts make a school. Back to top

Our aim is to support every child to enable each one to develop their full potential. We strive to develop the intellectual, spiritual, moral, social and cultural needs of each child through continual assessment. We value the support of the parents to achieve this.

At Colliers Green we aim to develop a sense of self respect, respect for peers, children and adults in school. We also develop the child's respect for his own possessions, and those of others. This enables the school to develop a corporate feeling that every one and every thing is valued.

Children do learn from what they see - from other children and importantly from adults at school and at home. It is important that a good rôle model is observed.

Every one in our school is important - children, parents, governors, staff. All are consulted in the child's education. Governors and staff maximise on training programmes to enable us to give the best possible education. Back to top

O Lord, bless our school,
That working together,
And playing together,
We may learn to serve you,
And to serve one another. Back to top

VISITS:

Any prospective parents wishing to visit the school should contact the office in order to make an appointment. Back to top

ADMISSION.

The governors have stated that admissions should be made in accordance with the following policy: (in order of priority)

1. Children in Local Authority Care.

2. All children for whom Colliers Green is the nearest school.

3. Children with brothers or sisters, or other close family members, already attending the school.

4. Children living in the Parish of St. Dunstan's with church affiliation wishing to attend an Anglican School
(Supported by their minister's confirmation.) Back to top

5. Children living in the Parish of St. Dunstan's.

6. Children living outside the Parish of St. Dunstan's with church affiliation wishing to attend
an Anglican School (Supported by their minister?s confirmation.)

7. Children with medical and compassionate needs.

8. Dependent on any remaining vacancies, children from outside the area are also
considered.

(Where more children than there are places satisfy any one criterion, distance from the school by the most appropriate route will be the deciding factor.) Back to top

Colliers Green follows the procedures outlined in Kent's Admission to Primary School booklet which is distributed in the autumn term. The booklet states that parents must complete and return a supplementary information form, available from us, in addition to naming Colliers Green CEP School on the Common Application Form.

 

 

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In accordance with the requirements of the Education Act 2002, the Governors will make arrangements for parents to appeal against the refusal of the Governors to offer a place for their child in the school. Details of the procedure will be supplied by the Headteacher on request.

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During the half term before admission, new entrants are invited into school for a morning session from 9.15 am until 12 noon to become familiar with the school environment. Parents are notified of the dates and times in advance. A New Parent's evening is held in the summer term preceding the child's entry into school. The children visit at the same time.

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CURRICULUM.

Much thought has been given to the organisation of the school curriculum with the emphasis on both values and key skills to support the whole child. Our aim is to combine the best of traditional and contemporary methods of teaching, with a flexibility to meet the varying needs of each child. Much time is spent planning the teaching of the core subjects of the National Curriculum (English, Mathematics, I.T. and Science). We implement the Literacy Hour and the Numeracy Hour and are connected to the Internet through the National Grid for Learning initiative. We recognise the importance of the other foundation subjects (Technology, History, Geography, Music, Art and Physical Education) and link these whenever possible with a variety of learning opportunities. Religious Education is taught as a statutory subject. At the moment older children follow The Kent Primary French Project but we are developing a modern languages scheme for all ages. Back to top

These subject areas cover the range of knowledge, skills and understanding commonly accepted as necessary for a broad and balanced curriculum for the individual pupil, following the directives of the New National Curriculum.

Reception Year work is based on the directives of the New Foundation Stage.
Staff and Governors attend relevant training courses offered by the Local Authority, Diocesan Board of Education and other providers.

Full curriculum statements are available from the Headteacher who can also provide copies of the National Curriculum Documents and associated schemes of work; D.F.E.E. Circulars, the Diocesan syllabus for Religious Education 2000, OFSTED reports and school policies. Back to top

SPECIAL NEEDS.

The Headteacher is the Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) with Mrs Manwaring. The School has a Special Educational Needs Policy based on the recommendations of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. A copy of the policy is available on request. Class Teachers, Teaching Assistants and a Learning Support Assistant work with children with special needs in order that they have access to the whole curriculum. Our greatest desire is that the children achieve their maximum potential and their parents are seen as partners working with us to bring about this aim.

We aim to support our more able children by offering extension activities where appropriate. Back to top

GENERAL INFORMATION.

School Sessions: School commences at 9.00 am. Play time is of 15 minutes duration from
10.55 - 11.10 am. Morning session closes at 12.15 pm.
Afternoon school commences at 1.15p.m. with a break of 15 minutes in the afternoon for Classes 1 and 2. The afternoon lessons end at 3.30 p.m.

School meals are served in the hall. Many children bring a packed lunch from home. When the weather permits, packed lunches are taken in our school grounds. The children then play in the school grounds in the charge of a team of experienced mid-day supervisors. Children may change lunch arrangements only at half-terms, to avoid administrative problems! Back to top

Parents are welcome in school by arrangement to discuss their childs needs, to observe, or to assist with the various activities which take place.
Please let us know if you are able to offer assistance during the school day or at home. Parents also frequently assist with school journeys, sports activities and other events outside the normal school routine. Active and committed parents play a vital part in life at Colliers Green C. E. Primary School. Back to top

ABSENCES.

3.9 % (this is shown as % of half days missed through authorised absence). There were no unauthorised absences during the last academic year. Back to top

ILLNESS.

Should your child be absent from school, we appreciate your letting us know, by message or telephone. All absences need to be accounted for. Please also try to ensure that your child is fit to return to school - we are unable to supervise children needing to be indoors at breaktime.

Staff are willing to administer a dose of medicine during the day providing it is given to a member of staff in a clearly labelled one dose container before the start of the teaching day. There is a form to be completed if your child has an on-going medical condition. Back to top

SEX EDUCATION.

After careful consideration, the Governors of the school have decided that the school should offer a programme of sex education. It will be appropriate to the pupil's age and experience and will be presented within a moral, family orientated and Christian framework. The full policy statement is available from the School Office. Back to top

CHARGING POLICY.

It is sometimes necessary to charge for school activities - parents are invited to make voluntary contributions from time to time. The full Charging Policy statement is available from the School Office. Back to top

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE.

It is very rare for a matter not to be resolved with the Class Teacher and/or Headteacher but details of more formal complaints procedure may be seen in the Office. Back to top

SCHOOL RULES/CODE OF CONDUCT.

These are few and have been developed to ensure children's safety and the efficient running of the school. Children are reminded of rules in class, school assembly and as and when the need arises. All staff are responsible for the welfare and behaviour of pupils and close contact is maintained with parents.

We have an important rule for parents! Please park sensibly, well away from the road junction outside school. Children may not use the vehicle gate to enter school. After 9a.m. entry to school is via the office in the school house. All other gates are locked until 3:25 p.m. Back to top

COMMUNITY.

During the children's time in school, links are forged with elderly friends in the community. The children visit at Harvest time, and also in Springtime on 'Posy Day'. The children and elderly friends look forward to, and enjoy these meetings. We enjoy strong links with our local secondary schools - Angley and Cranbrook Schools. Back to top

HOMEWORK.

There is a policy of homework throughout the school starting with very simple tasks such as "What was Gran's school like?" to more formal work set in Class 4 in preparation for transfer to secondary school. Back to top