St. John’s C.E.
Primary School
St. John’s C.E.
Primary School
ST.JOHN’S C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL
Mr D. Rowley – Headteacher
Weston Road,
Stafford,
Staffordshire
ST16 3RL
Tel: 01785 251960
Fax: 01785 225095
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.st-johns-stafford.staffs.sch.uk
Dear Parent/Carer,
Welcome to St John’s C.E. Primary School.
Choosing a school is one of the most important
decisions to make as a parent.
At St John’s Primary School we offer your child the
opportunity to be part of a happy and successful
school. There is a strong sense of community in
the school with good links between parents and
carers, the local community and the church.
We provide education for children from Reception
to Year 6 with our independent partner Smileys
Nursery offering school site nursery provision.
Our aim is for all our children to leave the school
happy and successful with memories they will
want to keep and skills that they can use for future
learning.
We look forward to meeting you and invite you
to visit us. Come and see us and take a tour of
the school, just call the school office on 01785
251960 to arrange an appointment.
Yours sincerely,
Mr D. Rowley
Headteacher
Our History
St John’s School has a long history of providing education in Stafford. The original school
was founded in Victorian Times as a church school and stood next to St John’s Church
in Littleworth. The present school site and building was first established in the 1960’s,
with the whole school finally moving to this site in 1989. Throughout the history of the
school there have been strong links with the church and the Christian ethos and tradition
remains a prominent feature of the present school.
Our School Day
The school day begins at 8.50am for all the children.
The school building is opened to the children at
8.45am so that they can go to their classrooms ready
to start on time.
Our school hours are:
Foundation to Year 2 8.50 to 12.00 and 1.00 to 3.20
Year 3 to Year 6
8.50 to 12.15 and 1.10 to 3.25
The children all have a lunch break and appropriate
breaks are taken at other points during the day.
Attending School
We want all the children to get the best they can
from school. Being in school every day and on time
is a great way to start. We ask you to help them to
do this by making sure they are always punctual on
arrival to school and that they attend regularly. A
good level of attendance is around 95% every term.
School operates a first day contact system and so
you need to call school by 9.30am if your child is
absent for any reason. On their return to school,
we ask you to provide a written note confirming the
absence.
Smileys Nursery
at St John’s School
Smileys nursery operates a nursery at the school
from 8.50-11.50 Monday to Friday in school term
time.
Smileys is a private provider with over twenty five
years of experience of providing nursery care in the
local area and we have developed our partnership
with them over a number of years.
Their nursery in the school works in partnership
with us to provide nursery care for children who
are in their last year of nursery and are intending to
move on to attend our school in Reception.
The children in the nursery join in with some
activities with the Reception children and are able
to get used to being in the school.
For working parents, Smileys also offers nursery
provision from 6.45am to 6.00pm on their other
site in the hospital grounds, which is conveniently
located next to the school.
For more information about Smileys Nursery and
availability of places for your child, please contact
them directly on 01785 220720.
The Curriculum
Enjoyment and achievement are at the heart of our
curriculum. Our mission statement is “Welcoming
All, Learning Together” and it is upon this that we
base all we do in the school. We are an inclusive
school and reflect this in our curriculum.
We teach a creative curriculum which links the
subjects of the national curriculum with a theme
and enables us to take a holistic approach to
learning. This approach is stimulating and motivates
the children to learn and have fun in the process. It
provides the opportunity to develop new skills and
to use them to solve problems and generate new
lines to investigate further.
Each theme is different and flexible. A theme can
last from a week to a full term and is built up around
the educational needs of the children and the
learning they need.
In addition to this, some subjects are taught as
separate lessons if they do not naturally fit within
the theme or need an additional focus to teach new
skills or knowledge.
Keeping Track
Regular assessments of the children’s learning are
used to inform teachers planning and the next steps
for the children. This ensures that the learning can
be matched to what the children need.
We hold consultation meetings for parents and
carers during the Autumn and Spring terms.
Parents are also sent a written report about their
child’s progress at the end of each academic year.
Monthly newsletters and letters are sent home to
keep you up to date on events in school. There are
many opportunities for parents and carers to come
into school to find out more about what goes on.
These are advertised on newsletters.
Information is also available on the school web site.
Home Learning
We believe that learning happens everywhere and
in lots of different situations. The best “homework”
children can have is the opportunity to enjoy shared
experiences with family and friends.
Outings, talking together, sharing books, playing
games, writing a letter are all important home
learning activities. Sharing books and listening to
your child read on a regular basis is really important
in helping to support and develop their learning.
Learning number facts and playing games with your
child will also help their learning in school.
In addition we have a homework programme for
each year group. Parents and carers are given
details of the programme at the start of each
school year. Parents are also updated on what their
child has been learning during the week and what
they will be covering next.
Special Needs (SEND)
The school makes provision for children with a wide
range of need including learning, health, emotional and
behavioural. We aim to meet the needs of these pupils
through planning learning carefully, providing specific
resources and using the skills of our teachers and
teaching assistants. Our Special Needs Co-ordinator
(SEND) works with parents, staff and pupils as well as
other agencies, such as the Educational Psychology
Service, to ensure that the best possible opportunities
are provided for every child with special needs.
We try to do all that we can to ensure that all pupils,
regardless of any special need, are involved in school
life. Key to this is having a good professional relationship
with parents and professionals who support the child
both in and out of school.
The school has accreditation for Full Dyslexia Friendly
Status.
School Uniform
We encourage the children to be smart and well
presented. Part of this is encouraging all pupils to wear
school uniform. The school uniform is:
Girls
Grey skirt/pinafore
Grey/Black tailored trousers
White blouse/polo shirt
Grey/red cardigan or jumper
Red School Sweatshirt
Summer dress (red/white)
Sensible black/brown shoes for
girls and boys
Boys
Grey/Black Trousers
White/Grey shirt/Polo shirt
Red/Grey pullover
Red School Sweatshirt
Sensible black/brown shoes for
girls and boys
The red school sweatshirt, cardigan and white polo
shirt is available to buy from the school office, other
items of uniform can be purchased locally. Shorts for
PE, bags for PE kit, sun hats and reading book bags
can also be purchased from school.
Indoor PE:
Plain red/black shorts
Plain White T shirt
Black Pumps
Outdoor PE:
Plain T shirt
Jog Pants and Jumper
Training Shoes
Please make sure all items of uniform are clearly
named. Jewellery other than watches, is not
encouraged in school. Only studs are to be worn in
pierced ears. For safety reasons, earrings must be
removed for PE. Staff are not able to remove them
for your child.
Sun Protection
School Food
During warm summer months all children should
have a named sun hat in school which they will be
encouraged to wear when outside. School staff are
not able to apply sun cream to pupils, but we would
encourage you to apply a long lasting sunscreen
before school in hot weather.
Tasty cooked meals are prepared by our catering
team each day. Menu sheets are sent home so
parents know what is being offered. Snacks are also
available for the children to purchase at morning
break.
Water Bottles
Research has shown that our brains stay more active
and alert when we drink enough water. All the children
are encouraged to bring in a named 500ml sports
bottle of water each day to drink in class. We have
facilities for the pupils to refill the bottle if needed
during the day.
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are
entitled to a free lunch time meal each day.
In addition a free piece of fruit is available at morning
break time for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
Medicines in School
Occasionally your child may need to have prescribed
medicine administered in school. It is always
preferable if parents can administer this at home,
but if the medicine is prescribed for 4 daily doses
one of these can be administered by school staff.
Details about these arrangements are available
from the school office.
Sex Education
The governors have an agreed policy on sex
education, which may be viewed on request and is
available from the school office.
Behaviour
Good behaviour is expected and promoted in our
school. The children are encouraged to be polite,
kind and thoughtful to one another, to staff and to
visitors.
The school follows a Positive Behaviour Policy
which includes rules, rewards and consequences.
We involve parents if a child’s behaviour becomes
a concern, so that we can work together towards a
positive outcome. Parents are made aware of the
policy at new parent’s meetings.
We hope that you will become involved by
encouraging your child to behave in appropriate
ways and possibly adopting some of our approaches
at home.
Home School
Partnership
Pupil Voice
- School Council
We believe that every child should have a voice in our
school. Pupils from Year 1 upwards can be elected to
the school council and everyone through this process
has an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.
School council make some important decisions and
take charge of special projects involving making
spending decisions within an agreed budget.
A good education for your child is based on an
effective relationship between home and school. It
values the work of both partners to work together to
support the child. We encourage parents to take a full
and active part in their child’s schooling.
One way in which parents can be involved is by joining
the Parent, Teacher and Friends Association. The
committee is always ready to welcome new members.
They hold a range of events throughout the year and
raise additional money which is spent on resources
and experiences for the children. Please contact the
school office if you feel like getting involved.
We also welcome parents coming into to school to
help. Being a parent volunteer helps the children in
their learning. Parents who volunteer are involved in
a variety of roles. If you feel like becoming a parent
volunteer please let the school office know so that
we can make the necessary arrangements for you to
join us.
Before and After School Care
Smileys Nursery can provide on site before and after school care for school
age children. Details about this private provider service can be obtained by
calling them on 01785 220720.
Compliments, Comments
and Complaints
We would like to hear from you if you:
are happy with the service we provide and would like to
compliment pupils, staff and governors
have any suggestions about how we can improve the
quality of the service we provide
have a concern or complaint
Governors
The governors meet regularly to ensure that the
school’s vision and aims to provide for all the children
is being met. Governors bring a range of skills to
this role and are drawn from many groups including
parents, church and local authority.
ST.JOHN’S C.E. PRIMARY SCHOOL
Mr D. Rowley – Headteacher
Weston Road,
Stafford,
Staffordshire
ST16 3RL
Tel: 01785 251960
Fax: 01785 225095
Email: [email protected]
WEB : www.st-johns-stafford.staffs.sch.uk
Designed and Printed by Staffordshire County Council, Print Commissioning Services. 01785 276051
78076/3/15