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Admissions

The admissions arrangements for the school are controlled by the Education Service of Coventry City Council. To apply for a place at Hill Farm Primary School you will need to contact Primary Admissions at Civic Centre 1, Little Park Street, Coventry, CV1 5RS or by telephoning (024) 7683 1623. You are more than welcome to come and look round the school before your child starts or if you have recently moved into the area. Please contact the school to arrange a mutually convenient time.

Assemblies

Collective acts of worship are held every day. Assemblies are organised during the week to take account of the differing age groups in the school. We have:

Key Stage Assemblies.
Phase Group Assemblies.
Whole School Assemblies, where possible.

There are weekly awards assemblies on Friday morning in Key Stage 1 and Monday morning in Key Stage 2, where children‟s achievements are acknowledged. Stickers and certificates are awarded for academic achievement, good behaviour and effort.

Music forms an integral part of assembly, both singing and listening. Children have the opportunity to perform and to choose music to listen to.

In assembly we encourage children to think about their own feelings and the feelings of others and to take an interest in the school and its community and the world about them.

Assemblies are broadly Christian but we take opportunities, within chosen themes, to explore other faiths and share celebrations.

We like all children to take part in these activities, but if parents have strong reasons for wishing their children to be withdrawn they should get in touch with the Headteacher, who will discuss acceptable alternative arrangements.

Attendance/Absence

Regular attendance at school is important if your child is to make progress. We promote good attendance habits and encourage pupils to belong to the 95 percenters group, that is pupils who have over 95% attendance.

An Education Welfare Officer is attached to the school and she works closely with school and parents to encourage good attendance. Parents are contacted and visited in cases of poor attendance and persistent lateness.

There are times however, when your child may not be able to attend school due to illness. We ask that parents inform school as soon as possible. A telephone call on the first day of absence is required followed by a written letter on your child‟s return to school.

If your child needs to leave school during the day for any reason, a note or telephone call is essential stating the reasons why and who will be collecting the child from school. Parents are advised not to take children on holiday during school term time unless this is unavoidable as it can have an adverse affect on their child‟s education.

Attendance Data

The figures below are published to conform with the Education (Schools Information: England) Regulations 1994 and are intended to show the level of unauthorised absence
recorded for pupils.

School Year 2010/11

1. Total number of registered pupils of compulsory school age on roll
   for at least one session during the reporting period to May 2011. 466
2. The percentage of half days (sessions) missed through authorised
   absence. 4.7%
3. The percentage of half days (sessions) missed through unauthorised
   absence. 1.7%

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Behaviour and Discipline

We want all children to achieve their full potential in a happy, safe and co-operative working atmosphere.

We expect everyone to behave in a manner, which shows care and respect for others and the environment.

We aim to prepare our children for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

We expect everyone in the school to follow the 4 school rules:

Do as they are told straight away.
Show respect for adults and one another.
Play without hurting others, either physically or verbally.
Look after our school

The class teacher has a key role in the discipline of pupils, supported by the Senior Management Team and the Headteacher. There are few simple rules to support the Code of Conduct. These are in use throughout the school, in the classroom, dining room and the playground.

We want children to develop self-reliance and therefore give them as much independence as possible within the framework of the school‟s organisation.

We base our discipline on the belief that encouragement is more effective than sanctions. Therefore good behaviour is positively reinforced and acknowledged with rewards at both class and whole school level.

When there are problems with pupils in school, most are quickly dealt with by the class teacher. However, serious problems may occur which may need to be dealt with by a member of the Senior Management Team. Persistent misbehaviour is reported to parents and we like to embark on a behaviour management programme. We have contact with outside agencies who can help if needed; these include Child Guidance, Social Services, and the Behaviour Support Service.

We do not have a list of punishments for particular types of misbehaviour as so much depends on the circumstances and the individual concerned. Sanctions which may be used include: detention in school time; loss of break time, privileges or Golden Time; removal from class to work elsewhere; being “on report” or extra work. In extreme cases there may be a need for a temporary or permanent exclusion.

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Charging and Remissions Policy

On April 1st 1989 the charging provisions of the 1988 Education Reform Act became law. One of the main principles of the Act is that education should be free of charge if it takes place mainly or wholly within school hours and that pupils should not be debarred from any aspect of education because of parents‟ unwillingness or inability to make a voluntary contribution towards the cost.

During the year many trips are arranged. They are usually linked to the curriculum and parents are asked for a voluntary contribution towards the costs, including transport, insurance, entrance fees, etc. Examples of such trips are Coombe Park, Lunt Fort, Farm Parks, Theatre and Museums etc. Without the voluntary contributions these trips will not be able to go ahead. We do use part of our school budget to support the cost of educational visits.

Occasionally, voluntary contributions are sought to cover the cost of materials used in technology.

The school‟s Charging and Remission Policy is reviewed regularly, particularly in respect of charges for Music Tuition and Swimming. Please ask for the current charging arrangements should you need more information about this.

Community Education

A range of Adult Education Classes may be offered each year. These are usually run by outside agencies. The school will have the current programme on request.

Pre-school Activities include a Playgroup on the school site. For details contact Mrs Helen Wooldridge at the school.

The school tries to involve itself in the local community. There is representation by the school on local community action groups.

Children take part in community events. There is close liaison between the school and local services, the police, churches and social services.

Curriculum

The school follows the National Curriculum and the Coventry Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education. We also follow the revised National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies introduced in 2007.

English

Communication through speech and writing is an essential skill. We aim to lay firm foundations in the basic skills e.g. grammar, punctuation, spelling, comprehension and handwriting. Children begin to use a pen from year 5 if their handwriting shows a good joined script. Spellings are tested on a weekly basis and are sent home for children to learn. Literacy lessons take follow the guidelines in the National Literacy Strategy.

Reading

We place a great emphasis on the teaching of reading. We use a wide range of reading materials to encourage each child to become fluent, accurate readers who read with expression and enjoyment. In some way children will read everyday. As part of the literacy lesson children may read a shared text or read individually within a small group. Children, especially in the younger groups, need to practise their reading almost every day. Please help your child‟s reading development by listening to them regularly at home and filling in their reading diary, your support is very valuable to the progress they make.

Mathematics

Our aim in teaching mathematics is to help children analyse and communicate information and ideas. We want our children to become confident mathematicians who can use a range of computational skills and who have a ready recall of number facts and tables. We will introduce the children to a variety of methods and strategies to help them in problem solving situations. Mathematics lessons follow the National Numeracy Strategy.

Science

The school aims to encourage its pupils to explore and learn more about their environment through activities which will develop their ability to observe, question, investigate and record discoveries. We aim to develop an enquiring mind and a scientific approach to problem solving. Much of our science is taught in half termly blocks with the range of subject areas such as Living Things, Electricity and Materials being spread throughout the year and across each year group.

Information Communication Technology

Laptop Buses enable us to make computers available in all classrooms so that they can be used across the curriculum. Each computer is linked to the Internet. Access to this facility is strictly controlled and monitored by the teacher. All classrooms are equipped with Interactive Whiteboards. We also have 3 laptop buses with 30 computers linked to the Internet.

Geography

We want our pupils to have an understanding of their surroundings and the wider world. Our Geography curriculum covers the study of places and the people who inhabit them and the human and physical processes which shape them. We look at both local and distant places and try wherever possible to give children first hand experience of the locality they are studying. We also teach a range of skills including map work.

History

The aims in teaching History are to enable children to develop an interest in the past, to learn about major events in the history of their own country and the world. We build upon children‟s natural curiosity and use stories, photographs and objects so that children can begin to appreciate times and places which are not their own. Many school visits help pupils to get a real sense of the past.

Music

All pupils take part in group singing and are introduced to a variety of music making activities. Instrumental tuition is at the moment provided by the Performing Arts Service and pupils may have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument.

Art/Design and Technology

Children are introduced to a wide range of experiences, techniques and materials intended to help them develop their creative and artistic skills and abilities. 2 and 3 dimensional work is used throughout the school. Cookery and sewing techniques are also taught. This work is taught both in isolation and also as part of other curriculum areas and is integrated into school displays.

Physical Education

It is important that we provide our pupils with an active session on a regular basis so that they can develop their stamina and levels of fitness. Skills in gymnastics, dance, swimming and games such as football, basketball, rounders and cricket are taught. Working co-operatively and developing team spirit and good sportsmanship like qualities are important features of our PE curriculum.

Cross Curricular Work

Whenever possible we combine subjects in a topic theme to make learning more meaningful. This way of working is very much enjoyed by the pupils. We call the combined curriculum CLIC (Creative Learning in an Integrated Curriculum)

Curriculum information outlining what your children will be learning in each subject area is given out termly, more often in the case of the younger children.

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Discrimination

Hill Farm Primary School seeks to promote equality of opportunity for all pupils and to develop attitudes and conduct that are appropriate to living in a multi-cultural society.

We are unreservedly opposed to discrimination of any kind. Such discrimination will be challenged and treated seriously.

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Extra-Curricular Activities

Free extra curricular activities are organised by staff on a voluntary basis, other opportunities are organised by outside providers for which pupils pay a contribution. The range of activities on offer depends upon the season and the members of staff willing to offer up an activity.

They may include:

choir tag
rugby
dancing
ICT club
drama
basketball
netball
pottery
circus skills
football
short-tennis
art
recorder
cheer leading
cross-country running

Activities may take place during the lunch-break or after school. When these groups are held after school, parents are always asked to sign a permission slip in advance.
We can arrange instrumental tuition in instruments such as cello, violin guitar and recorder. This is by specialist teachers mainly from the Performing Arts Service (PAS)
This is mainly for children in Key Stage 2 but on request younger children may be considered for tuition. The lessons usually take place during school time in groups of 3 or 4. All children in Year 3 will learn how to play the recorder.

Charges may be made for music tuition, but these are heavily subsidised by the school. The current charging policy may be obtained from the school.

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Fund Raising

Events and activities are sometimes arranged to raise money either for a chosen charity or for school fund.  These may be sponsored events, raffles or an evening event such as a quiz night.  The main events are our Harvest, Christmas and Easter celebrations and the Coventry Fun Run in June.

The school has an established Parent-Teacher-Friends Association (PTFA) to try and promote social activities at the school. The group meet monthly to plan events and would welcome your support either on the committee or at the events they organise.

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Governors

The Governing Body provides a link between the school and the community it serves. Governors bring expertise from industry, finance and other professions to help the school‟s development. Parent Governors are able to give advice and to raise questions on
behalf of parents at Governors Meetings. Our Governing Body meets as a whole group at least three times a year.

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Health

We work closely with the School Nursing Service, who are always prepared to meet with parents. If you have any urgent problems they can be contacted on (024) 7670 8172.

Reception children are offered various health screening checks. These checks take place at the school and parents are invited to be present.

Other non-routine checks are sometimes arranged, e.g. for Special Educational Needs assessments and at the request of either teachers or parents. In such cases the school‟s Medical Officer will also be present.

We aim to encourage all aspects of healthy living throughout the school and we promote good personal hygiene, healthy eating and sensible exercise. The dangers of smoking, alcohol and drug abuse are contained within the science and PHSE schemes of work.

Homework

We believe that children make most progress when parents and teachers work happily together. To achieve this, we encourage parents to be involved with their children‟s work at home and at school and value the part played by parents in their children‟s education.

The Government have prescribed the amount of time that children should spend on homework each week and we work to this in providing homework to pupils.

Children are encouraged to practise reading at home and to use the local library. Parents support for the reading programme is vital and books are allowed to be taken home. Children should also learn spellings and tables at home on a weekly basis. Children are occasionally asked to undertake other tasks such as collecting information, researching a particular topic or finishing off work started at school. Please support your child in completing this work by providing them with the time, space, and peace and quiet in which to work.

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Lost Property and Personal Items

All types of lost property found in school are collected in each Key Stage. Pupils have access to this at break times and at the end of school if they need to look for anything they have misplaced. You are welcome to look through it after notifying a member of staff. The box is emptied at the end of each half term.

Items which should not be brought into school include: personal stereos, gameboys, penknives or other sharp implements and any other items which the school considers to be either dangerous or of an anti-social nature. Items like these found in school will be kept by a member of staff and will need to be collected by a parent. Under normal circumstances mobile phones should not be brought into school. We do appreciate that on certain occasions, for reasons of safety, parents may wish their child to bring their mobile phone to school. In these circumstances, and with permission from the Headteacher, children may bring a phone to school however it must be clearly labelled with their name and class, and handed in to the main office first thing in the morning.

Jewellery, apart from a wristwatch and small stud earrings, must not be worn. We accept no responsibility for watches or other valuables lost or stolen at school.

It is important that you clearly name all your child’s belongings.

Lunchtimes

Children who wish to have school meals may choose from a varied menu each day including a vegetarian option and a drink is also available. Children with dietary restrictions can be catered for. Dinner money is collected on a Monday morning and should be sent to school in a sealed envelope with your child‟s name and class on it.

Those who prefer can bring their own packed lunch. We have worked hard to gain „Healthy School Status‟, part of this award was given for our commitment to healthy eating. Sweets, chocolate bars and fizzy drinks should not be part of your child‟s packed lunch. Containers must be secure and clearly marked with the child‟s name and class. Plastic flasks may be brought in for drinks but no hot liquids for health and safety reasons.

Mrs Gittins is our lunchtime manager who organises a variety of play activities for children at dinnertimes run by our lunchtime supervisors. Children are expected to behave properly during the lunch break showing respect for all staff.

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Medicines and First Aid

Our teachers and support staff are not allowed to administer any medicines, (children using spin inhalers and nebulisers excepted). Should your child require medication of any kind it is important that you speak to the Headteacher who may administer medicines in certain circumstances provided an official disclaimer form is signed by the parent. Penicillin and anti-biotics can not be administered.

Children should not be sent back to school after an illness unless they are fully fit to do so. As a general rule if they are not well enough to participate fully in school life (i.e. swimming or games) then they should be at home. In the case of sickness and/or diarrhoea children should not return to school until completely clear of all symptoms for at least 24 hours.

In the case of accident or illness we may need to contact you quickly. Please help keep our records up to date by informing us of changes of address, telephone number or place of work.

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Newsletter

We send out a school newsletter on the last Friday in every month during term time to all parents. Watch out for your copy as it will tell you all about the things happening in school and may contain important dates for your diary and details of letters recently sent home.

Nursery

The school has a 78 part-time place nursery. Places are offered either:

5 mornings
or
5 afternoons

Children may be admitted to the Nursery in the school year in which they are 4 years old.

The Nursery is well established within the local community and first opened when the school was built in 1940. It has enjoyed an excellent reputation for many years. It was extended in 1995 to accommodate an extra 26 children. The Nursery is attractive, well resourced and provides a stimulating, caring environment for the children in their first experience of a school setting.

Children already attending Nursery Classes will normally be allocated places at the primary school serving their address (that is, their catchment area school). The City Council cannot guarantee that a pupil who is admitted to a school‟s nursery class and who lives outside that school‟s catchment area will be admitted to the Infant Department of that school.

ADMISSIONS TO THE NURSERY

The Education Service of Coventry City Council has an admissions policy for Nursery places. The criteria are outlined below in priority order:

The child has special needs.
The parent or main daytime carer lives in the designated area.

In the event of the school‟s nursery being over-subscribed, additional criteria for the allocation of nursery places are applied.

The school‟s policy on nursery admissions is available at the school.

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Open Evenings/Parental Consultations

We aim to keep parents fully informed about the work of the school and their children. We write to parents regularly with information about events and activities and arrange additional meetings to explain curriculum matters. Documents relating to the curriculum, including schemes of work may be made available to parents by arrangement with the Headteacher.

Parents are invited to contact the school at any time if they are worried about the progress or welfare of their child or require further information. It is best to call at the Main Reception Desk or phone for an appointment.

There are regular occasions when parents are invited to school to discuss their children‟s progress with staff:

1. During the Autumn Term, to enable parents to meet teachers and see how children have settled in their new classes, and exchange information. Appointments are made with the child‟s class teacher.
2. During the Spring Term when appointments are made, work is shown and progress is discussed.
3. During the Summer Term there is a „Celebration of Work‟ Open Evening, where children are invited to act as „guides‟ for their parents by showing and discussing the work they have done throughout the year. If there is a particular concern parents may make an appointment to see the class teacher.

Organisation

Hill Farm is a large Primary School formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of separate Infant and Junior schools on the same site. There are 4 Phases, to facilitate the planning and delivery of the curriculum.

The children are grouped in single aged classes of mixed ability. Although the class teacher is responsible for the main academic progress of each child, groups of children or classes may be taken by another member of staff so that the best use may be made of staff skills. Sometimes children are taught in ability groups so that work can be tailored more closely to meet their needs.

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Parent Helpers

We welcome parents helping in school in any way they feel able. There are all kinds of opportunities for parents to help, from accompanying children on trips to helping with sport and fund-raising events. Parents are also welcome to help in classrooms. Please contact your child‟s class teacher if you wish to help. All parent helpers will be required to undertake police clearance before they are able to help in school.

Personal and Social Education

All pupils are encouraged to participate in our Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme. This aims to develop their understanding of themselves and each other and to learn to value those around them and to recognise their achievements. Citizenship, current affairs, spiritual, moral and health issues are just some of the areas which we cover.

Playgroup

A pre school playgroup is run on our school site. It takes children from the age of 2years 6 months and provides them with a range of activities and gives them the chance to develop those all-important social skills ready for when they start Nursery or school.

Please contact Mrs Helen Wooldridge, Playgroup Leader, at the school for further details.

Punctuality

It is important that children arrive at school on time. The main school gates are opened at 8:40am to enable children to come onto the playground ready for when the whistle is blown at 8:50am. Parents are not allowed onto the playground after 8:55 a.m. and children arriving after this time will need to come into school independently. The gates are locked promptly at 8:55 a.m. and children arriving after this time will need to come into school through the main entrance and they will be recorded as late. We do write to parents of children who are consistently late and may refer them to the Education Welfare Service.

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Reception

The Reception Year sets the foundations for your child‟s whole school career. Everything that is done in the first few weeks at school is aimed at giving your child a happy and secure start to school life. You will be invited to a special information meeting when the teacher in charge of the Reception Year will tell you all you will need to know.

Religious Education

Religious Education forms part of the work in each class and the Coventry Agreed Syllabus is followed, designed to develop children‟s understanding of spiritual and moral issues. We aim to give pupils a sensitive understanding of the religious ideas, feelings and beliefs in our community. All pupils take part in studying Religious Education unless their parents ask for them to be withdrawn, if this is the case then alternative arrangements will be made for the pupil.

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School Council

Our School Council is made up of pupils from Years 1 to 6, a teacher and a member of the Senior Management Team. The council meets regularly to discuss issues which concern pupils across the school. They also nominate chosen charities for the year.

Secondary Schools

We have strong links with the secondary schools to which our pupils transfer. The main schools are Barrs Hill, President Kennedy and Coundon Court. Staff from these secondary schools come to Hill Farm on various occasions; sometimes to take an assembly, to teach a lesson or to prepare pupils for the transfer to secondary school. Pupils from our school also have the opportunity to visit the secondary schools during Year 6.

Sex Education

The Governors have decided that Hill Farm should offer a programme of Sex Education.
The programme followed will be appropriate to the pupils‟ age and experience and will be presented in a moral, family-orientated framework.

In the Early Years there will be no formal approach but children‟s questions will be answered honestly, in a caring manner, taking into consideration their age and individual needs.

From Year 4 a formal programme of Sex Education is followed which is supported by educational videos. Members of staff work with the children to ensure that they have a clear understanding of puberty, human reproduction and relationships. Very often the School Nurse is involved at this stage.

Parents have the right to see in advance any of the materials being used and should notify the Headteacher in writing if they wish to withdraw their child from these lessons.

Special Educational Needs

The school‟s Special Needs Policy has been designed to implement the Special Needs Code of Practice. There is a 3 Stage system of assessment, ranging from in-class monitoring to assessment by an Educational Psychologist. This may lead to a formal assessment of Special Educational Need under the Education Reform Act. When a child does not appear to be making the progress expected of him/her, the school‟s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will advise the class-teacher of suitable resources to help the child and may assist in devising individual educational programmes (I.E.P.s)

The school maintains a register of pupils requiring extra support and each pupil is carefully monitored. Review meetings are held between the class teacher and the parent for children on the „School Action‟ stage. These are arranged to coincide with the usual Parents‟ Evenings. For children on the „School Action Plus‟ stage the SENCO will also be involved. Review meetings for these children take place as and when necessary. The object of the review meetings is to share information about progress and any further action, which the school may need to take.

Appropriate support may be available such as:

Physiotherapy for children with co-ordination problems
Specialist tuition for Specific Learning Difficulty
Tuition from the Sensory Support Service
Support from a Special Needs Education Assistant
Involvement of the Behaviour Support Team
Language Support (for children for whom English is an additional language)
Speech Therapy at a local clinic

Every effort is made to support a child‟s needs at the school. Usually extra help is given in the child‟s own class with the support assistant working alongside the child‟s own class teacher. Occasionally children may be withdrawn to work in a small group. A copy of the school‟s Special Educational Needs Policy may be made available on request.

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Teaching Time

It is important that children arrive for lessons on time. Morning lessons begin promptly at 8.55am and afternoon lessons begin at 1.00pm, after a short registration period.

The total number of hours spent on teaching in a normal week are:

Key Stage 1 - 21 hours 40 minutes

Key Stage 2 - 23 hours 45 minutes

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Transfer to Secondary School

Parents/Carers will receive a booklet explaining the process for the transfer of children from primary to secondary education in the summer term, when their child is in Year 5.

The Government requires every Local Authority to draw up a scheme for admissions to secondary schools. Coventry‟s scheme covers every maintained school in the Coventry area (Local Authority, Catholic and Church of England Schools). The regulations also require Local Authorities to exchange information with their neighbouring authorities, in our case, Warwickshire and Solihull. Coventry therefore consults with other Local Authorities, Catholic and Church of England Admission Authorities within its area and annually agrees a scheme for the co-ordination of admissions to secondary schools. The main aim of the scheme is to ensure each child receives the best possible single offer of a place at a secondary school based on the choices made by parents/carers.

Parents/carers of children living in Coventry will be able o apply for schools in Coventry and outside of Coventry on the application form supplied by Coventry Local Authority.

Parents/carers of children who live outside Coventry may apply for a place at a Coventry Secondary School on the application form supplied by their „home Authority‟ (the Authority in which they reside). Their application will be considered alongside those from Coventry residents.

The scheme does not cover Independent Schools.

Detailed information will be forwarded to parents/carers at the relevant time. In the meantime if you have enquiries regarding admissions to Secondary Schools please contact the Children, Learning and Young People‟s Directorate, Admissions Team, New Council Offices, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RS, Telephone (024) 7683 1613

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Uniform

All children are expected to wear the school colours. The uniform available with a school logo consists of a choice of fleece, sweatshirt, polo shirt and tee shirt in royal blue. The uniform for boys and girls is a royal blue sweatshirt/cardigan, royal blue or white polo shirt, dark grey or black trousers. In addition girls may wear a black or dark grey skirt and in the warmer weather a blue and white school style dress. Boys can wear black or dark grey school shorts (not sports style). The uniform with the school logo can be purchased from the PTA, who are in their room just off the main KS1 playground on a Monday and Wednesday before and after school. Outside of these times, uniform order forms are available from the school office. The Headteacher has the discretion to ban any items of clothing deemed to be inappropriate.

It is important that children have suitable footwear for school. Black, flat shoes are part of our uniform. Boots can be hot and uncomfortable for indoor wear so children should change into shoes once inside the school building.

The only jewellery permitted in school are watches and stud earrings and these must be removed or covered over with tape when taking part in P.E. Children must be responsible for looking after their own items and must be able to remove earrings themselves.

It is essential to have a change of clothing for PE.  The following basic kit is recommended:

swim wear for Years 4 and 5
leotard, vest or tee shirt, shorts, sweatshirt for outdoors
pumps for indoors (no trainers)
pumps or trainers for outdoors

Replacing clothing can be very expensive for parents and we ask that all belongings are clearly named. There are so many items of uniform, PE kit, etc. in school that look the same and children need to be able to identify their own clothing, an easy way to do this is a name label. It also means that if an item ends up in the lost property it is very easy to return.

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