PROSPECTUS

INTRODUCTION

INSPECTION REPORT MAY 2003

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

SCHOOL SPORTS

PUPIL EMPOWERMENT

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES

IF YOUR CHILD IS ILL AT SCHOOL

SCHOOL ORGANISATION AND PASTORAL CARE

DISCIPLINE

INTRODUCTION

Dear Parent(s),

Choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make and I hope that this prospectus will answer most of the questions you have?if not all, feel free to contact me for the answers!

Here at Sketty Primary we firmly believe that school should be an exciting place to learn. We offer a broad curriculum and value the contribution of the Arts and sports in providing the opportunities to develop rounded individuals who can experience success in a variety of areas.

Our academic results at both Key Stage 1 and 2 reflect the hard work of staff, children and parents and are consistently above National averages. Your support is seen as an important element in helping your child make progress and your involvement is not only welcomed but also actively encouraged.

You join us at an exciting period with our new building, offering more internal space as well as an external environment which includes grassed areas.

We value our pupils and believe that as a school we work hard to achieve a family feeling with a discipline code which empowers the children. Should you choose this school I look forward to meeting you soon and to offering your child a warm welcome.

Remember if you have any queries or concerns please contact me.

Yours sincerely


Roger S. Rees
Headteacher Back to top

INSPECTION REPORT MAY 2003

?This is a good school with many very good aspects?



?The school?s aims, as identified in the school prospectus, are to develop confident pupils with a positive self-image, self-disciplined and a respect for each other, and this is apparent in all aspects of the work of the school. In this, the school is outstandingly successful.?

Estyn Inspection Report 8 July 2003?Part 2 , Section6.1 Quality of Self-Evaluation and Planning for Improvement Back to top

STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Standards Achieved in Early Years


Desirable Outcomes for Children?s Learning Standards
Language, literacy and communication skills Very good
Mathematical development Very good
Knowledge and understanding of the world Very good
Creative development Very good
Personal and social development Good
Physical development Satisfactory


Standards achieved in NC Subjects and RE

Subjects Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2

English Very good Very good
Mathematics Good Good
Science Good Good
Welsh Good Good
Information Technology Very good Very good
Design & Technology Very good Good
History Good Good
Art Very good Very good
Music Very good Very good
Physical Education Good Very good
Religious Education Very good Very good


o The quality of leadership is very good and the school is very efficiently managed. The headteacher has a clear vision for developing and improving the school and is actively involved in all aspects of school life.
o Pupils? standards of behaviour and their attitudes to learning are very good.
o The school has very good procedures for handling any instances of bullying or racism, none of which was seen during the inspection.
o The quality of teaching is well above the National taragets set for 2002. Back to top

SCHOOL SPORTS

We have playing fields on campus and also use off-site facilities such as the tennis centre, athletics field or the indoor football pitches.

This hard work was recognised when we gained the Sportsmark award in July 2001. We continue to develop this area as was recognised in July ?02 when we were one of only fourteen schools in Wales to be awarded the National Playing Fields Award.


Our aim is to achieve the Sportsmark again in 2005 as well as to ensure we maintain the breath of experiences when we move to our new site which has a playing field. We are taking part in the Dragon sports initiative 2003?05.

Access to sport is for all and starts with our youngest children being challenged to gain new and refine old skills.



?Pupils also demonstrate and develop further their skills through very good extra curricular activities, external awards and competitive sport. Opportunities are equally available for both boys and girls, most notably in dance and soccer.?

Estyn Inspection Report 8 July 2003?Part 2 , Section7 Subjects & Areas of Learning Back to top

PUPIL EMPOWERMENT

We actively seek the views of the children. There are weekly class meetings at which issues are brought up by the children or by the school for discussion. It may then be necessary to take the debate to one of the four termly meetings of the School Council.

School Council have resolved a number of issues such as the school approach to bullying, interviewing prospective deputy headteachers and the introduction last year of school yard agreed rules.

They are now seeking advice from the school about how we use the yard before they spend their budget.

All junior children have now had playground training to reintroduce some of the older games which seem to have been forgotten. Our mediator support team has been increased with the children taking more responsibility for starting games rather than helping to solve problems.

Our Eco School group of children have just had their efforts recognised by the award of the Silver Badge and are now planning improvement to gain the gold award.

The children have introduced paper recycling and are now challenging the school to reduce the level of energy and water use in our new building.

Our work in PSE has been recognised by the award of a national certificate. A group of children were invited to London to make a presentation of how we work. The award has enabled Y6to produce sculptures that reflect their perception of life in our school.

In October ?04 we were invited to Cardiff to open the National conference on Anti-Bullying policies. The children expressed the misery that bullying causes.

All our children receive advice on how to deal with situations but are told they must tell an adult if they feel upset by any on-going pressure of any kind. Back to top

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES

Staff do not administer medication, but, after discussion with parents and upon completion of the necessary forms, may agree to supervise self administration if this is appropriate for the condition and age of the child. Our medical advice is that treatments such as antibiotics can be managed out of school hours.

Please remember that no medicines should be present on school site unless an agreement has been made. Any medication should be clearly labelled with the correct dosage and the child?s name. Storage of such containers will need to be recorded.

Asthmatic children need to keep a pump with them in school. This needs to be discussed with your child?s class teacher and inhalers clearly labelled.

When your child joins us you will be asked to complete a Pupil Admission form and medical needs form part of the information requested. Any existing provision can be discussed on entry but please remember to make us aware of any changes.

As parents or guardians you are responsible for keeping your child?s classteacher informed. We are always readily available to discuss this issue. Back to top

IF YOUR CHILD IS ILL AT SCHOOL

If your child is taken ill at school you will be contacted to collect him/her. School is too busy an environment when you are not well! In the ROPA1 form you will be asked to provide alternative names & numbers, these are very important because, if we are unable to contact you, i.e. you are giving us permission for the named person to take your child off site. They then take the responsibility for contacting you and dealing with the problem. You have a legal requirement to provide this information.

Occasionally some parents have found that their child?s illness has improved when they get home and feel the school has responded too quickly when contacting home. Our policy is to err on the side of caution. Don?t forget you could always bring your child back to school if you feel there has been a false alarm.

Any absence from school should be explained in person or by telephone early on the first day and by letter on return. Back to top

SCHOOL ORGANISATION AND PASTORAL CARE

Classes are organised in single age classes at present although the requirement to keep classes to thirty or under may require mixed age classes in the future.

We are very proud of the strong, positive relationships that exist between staff, children , parents and governors which enables us to consider ourselves to be ?one happy family.?

This is a large school and in order to manage it effectively it is divided into four sections or phases. These are:

Early years: Nursery & Reception

Infant: Years 1 & 2

Lower Junior: Years 3 & 4

Upper Junior: Years 5 & 6

Each phase has a co-ordinator (see staff list) who leads this group of classes and oversees the delegation of pastoral care, discipline and curriculum to the classteachers under the direction of the Head.

A caring, supportive and compassionate attitude is taken towards the general well-being and development of the children.

?The provision for pupils? spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good?
Estyn Inspection Report 8 July 2003?Eifion R Morgan Part 4 Ethos of the School Section 4.1 Back to top

DISCIPLINE

The children, parents, governors and staff are proud of the high standards of behaviour and courtesy maintained in school and during activities off site.

Our aim is to help the children develop a self discipline which will better equip them to cope with the demands they will meet in life.

We are all motivated by success and interest and every effort is made to use these tools to engage the children. By minimising failure and using our positive approach that rewards good behaviour we feel that we have created a family feel to the school that is reflected in our main rule:

?In Sketty Primary we care for each other because we are one big family and no-one should do anything to upset a member of our family.?

All communities require a system of rules and consequences to operate. Sanctions we use are loss of playtimes and or lunch hours. Most cases are resolved between the classteacher and the child but parents will be invited to discuss repetitive or more serious misdemeanours.

The headteacher does have the power to exclude a pupil for a fixed period and ultimately to permanently exclude.

In response to good behaviour children are given stickers and in the upper juniors dragon tokens to earn certificates.

We also have trained playground monitors to help initiate games as well as being available to discuss and help resolves quarrels between children.


?The school has very good strategies for behaviour management.?

Estyn Inspection Report 8 July 2003?Eifion R Morgan, Part 2, Section 4.2 Back to top