Welcome to Ainthorpe Primary School

 

There are many things we could tell you about our school, but we feel that the most important thing for you to know right now is that we are, above all else, a happy school.

We believe that children can only do their best when they are in a secure, relaxed and happy atmosphere and we do our utmost to achieve this.

We believe too, that all children can succeed at school. Whatever your child’s talents, abilities and particular gifts, we will try to ensure that they reach their fullest potential. We expect - and get – the highest standards of work from our children.

We are essentially a school where each child is treated as a special individual and yet at the same time is expected to behave as a responsible member of a group.

We are a school where there is space and time for your child to grow. All children learn and develop at different rates and it is our job to meet your child at his or her own level.

To help you understand more about how children learn, we will hold meetings at school to show you how we work and what we teach.

We hope to get to know you as well as we know your child, and that over the years we build a lasting friendship and your child benefits from our partnership.

Organisation of the School

 

Because we are a primary school, our children range across seven years in ages which have been given nationally recognised year group numbers:

E/Y )

R ) = 4 – 5 year olds Y4 = 8 – 9 year olds

Y1 = 5 – 6 year olds Y5 = 9 - 10 year olds

Y2 = 6 – 7 year olds Y6 = 10 – 11 year olds

Y3 = 7 – 8 year olds

These year groups are organised into four units:

Orange Unit = Early Years/Reception

Green Unit = Y1 and Y2

Red Unit = Y3 and Y4

Blue Unit = Y5 and Y6

Generally your child will be in a class with children who are from the same year group and very close to his/her age, (within six months).

Sometimes it is necessary to organise classes which contain children from two year groups (eg Y1 and Y2) but these will still be within six months of each other.

Years 1 and 2 are collectively known as Key Stage 1 and the children take national tests at the end of this stage of their education.

Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 are known as Key Stage 2 and, again, your child will be tested at the end of this stage.

Our School

Our school, though built in the 1930s, offers plenty of space and lots of facilities.

These include 2 Halls, 2 Libraries, a TV/Music Room, a Learning Support Room, a Technology Room and a Computer Suite as well as 18 classrooms.

 

Changing Schools

If your child is joining us from another school you are welcome to come and spend some time with us to meet the teachers and see how the school works. Whatever your needs, we will do our best to make you and your child as welcome as possible.

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School Session Times

 

School starts at 8.55 am

Dinner time is 12.00 – 1.00 pm

School ends at 3.10 pm

 

Lunch Times

Our lunchtime is from 12.00 – 1.00 pm. If you wish your child to stay for lunch at school they may have either a cooked school dinner or bring sandwiches.

Our school dinners are reasonably priced for a cooked meal and a pudding. The weekly menu is displayed outside our main office.

Those children who prefer to bring packed lunch need something they can manage as independently as possible, including a drink in an unbreakable container. A serviette which can be used as a plate would be very useful. It would be helpful if you could put your child’s packed lunch into a lunch-box and not a bag.

If you would prefer your child to take lunch at home they should return for the start of school not before 12.55 pm.

 

Playtime Snacks

We sell fruit, biscuits and drinks during the mid-morning break at the Tuck Shop.

School Uniform

The school has traditionally had a school uniform and this is supported and welcomed by the vast majority of parents. We are keen to encourage all children to wear uniform – it does give a sense of belonging and helps Mums and Dads with the thorny problem of what the children should put on in the morning. The following is a list of the recommended options:

Girls Boys

Navy and White Navy and White

School T-shirt School T-shirt

School sweat-shirt School sweat-shirt

Navy skirt/pinafore dress Navy/Grey trousers

White blouse White shirt

Navy/White socks/tights Navy/White socks

Navy pullover/cardigan Navy pullover

Sensible shoes Sensible shoes

Our Governors expect all children to wear school uniform.

As all items of clothing are essentially identical it is vital that you label everything with your child’s name.

 

Additional Needs

An apron for those messy activities (older children will need one of Dad’s old shirts)

Rainy day things for lunch times and breaks.

Plimsolls/Trainers/Shorts/T-shirts/Track Suits for outdoor games.

A bag to put it all in.

A separate book bag.

All children are asked to do indoor PE in bare feet.

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Special Clothing

 

It helps young children if they can have clothes and shoes that they can manage easily, especially as PE is a regular activity.

Our younger children in school just wear a vest and pants for PE.

We recommend that children do not wear any jewellery to school as it can be a danger to the child and others during PE lessons.

Sometimes, however, if your child has just had his/her ears pierced, we realise it is not possible for you to take the ear rings out. Don’t worry – this can be overcome by sending your child with a good supply of sticking plasters which will hold the ear rings safely in place during PE!

 

Religious Education

 

In addition to the moral education which is part of the daily life of the school and present in the way we work, children also attend a daily assembly. This is broadly Christian in character and aims to develop the spiritual understanding of each child.

 

Sex Education

Sex Education is given as a normal part of everyday classroom work being tackled as and when questions arise. However, specific instruction appropriate to the ages of children concerned, is given in each year, as part of a planned Health Education Policy through the School’s Health for Life Programme.

 

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Parents in School

As parents you have a vital role to play in school and our parents involve themselves in many areas of school life. It is very important for children to know that parents and teachers are working in harmony. We like to think that we are partners with you in continuing your child’s education and we hope to share with you the lovely things that children do in school. If you have some spare time and would like to offer your help in the school, please have a word with your child’s teacher. We need help with baking, sporting activities, sewing, painting, reading or just to be there to talk and listen to the children. Grandparents are equally welcome to play a full part in school life. Their memories are precious and a great learning resource for children. Their kindness and patience makes every child feel special.

All parents are welcome to come along to our school Parents Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA) meetings. This involves parents and teachers coming together and working for the good of the school and its children. The Association interests itself in a wide range of activities – fund-raising, social events and various aspects of the curriculum, but it does rely on you to tell us what you would like too!

Our school hall is available for you to hire for parties or other special occasions. A charge is made but we think this is reasonable to cover Caretaking costs, heating and lighting.

 

School Bank

We operate a savings scheme, on behalf of the Yorkshire Bank, so that children can open a savings account of their own. Deposit and pass books are brought to school early in the week, when books are completed and returned to the children.

Withdrawals are made from the Yorkshire Bank on Princes Avenue.

 

Extra Curricular Activities

These vary from term to term depending on availability of staff. Children are expected to tell their parents when they are attending clubs and that they will be late home.

 

Medicals

The School Nurse makes regular check-up visits.

During your child’s first year, he/she will have vision and hearing tests to check if there are any problems. This is nothing to worry about but is to make sure at an early age, that any problems can be treated.

He/she will also have a medical with the School Doctor. We will send you a letter about this and hope you will do your best to come.

If, during your child’s time at school, you are worried about any aspect of his/her health, please let us know. We can arrange a special medical, if necessary.

If your child needs to bring medicine to school, this should be clearly labelled and left with Mrs Skelton, whose office is near the main entrance.

 

Class Assemblies

Once a year each class prepares an assembly which is presented on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 10.10 am.

The children taking part will invite parents and friends to join us on these occasions.

 

Visits and Outings

First hand experience is invaluable to children and we are always eager to take advantage of every opportunity:

a) to invite interesting people and events into school and

    1. to take children out of school to visit people and places in the neighbourhood or further afield.

Parents are always informed of these excursions and may be asked to help sometimes by accompanying the children to help staff.

 

Absences from School

When your child is absent from school we would appreciate a ‘phone call’ on the first day as all unexplained absences have to be investigated by the Educational Welfare Officer.

If this is not possible, a note must be sent to the class teacher on the day the child returns to school.

 

 

 

General Safety

 

Please make arrangements to pick up your child from school if they have an appointment during school time.

No child will be released from school on their own to attend such appointments as a responsible adult must sign them out of school. Please report to the main office when collecting your child.

For reasons of safety, please do not send children to school before 8.40 am or 12.55 pm unless they are asked to come early for a club/practice etc.

Try to make sure that you or a well-known adult brings and fetches young children.

We always tell older children to go straight home when they leave school if no-one is meeting them. Younger children are told to come to the Main Office if a parent fails to arrive.

Parking within the school grounds during school time is prohibited for safety reasons. The school gates are locked between 8.45 am – 9.15 am and 3.00 pm – 3.30 pm to prevent unauthorised entry at these busy times.

All our entrances are now fitted with security doors which stop intruders getting into our building. These will be closed at 8.55 am after which parents should bring children to the Main Entrance to gain access to the school.

 

What to do if there is a problem

When your child starts a new school we know you will have many questions about what he/she is doing, how you can help and are they happy?

Do not hesitate to take the opportunity to chat to your child’s class teacher at the beginning or end of the school day and set your mind at rest.

From time to time children can be affected by many things, for example, changes in family pattern or routine can sometimes upset children. Letting us know about these events helps us to help your child.

A Classroom Clinic has been established in the Learning Support Room. The clinic is held each morning from 9.00 am – 9.30 am. Parents are invited to come into school to speak with a SEN Co-ordinator in a relaxed atmosphere. No appointment is necessary.

NB This facility is for ALL parents/pupils.

Occasional playground disputes may also be a source of worry. It will help your child to know that we have clear rules of conduct to follow. These are:

  1. Stand back

2 Apologise if it was your fault

3 Don’t under any circumstances hit back

  1. If all fails, go quickly and find an adult to help sort out the problem.

Do not let either educational or behavioural worries linger with you and your child. Come and see your child’s teacher straight away. The Headteacher, or one of our Deputy Heads are always available for an informal chat.

Behaviour

We believe that good behaviour is essential:

  1. to facilitate learning and
  2. for the personal and social development of the children.

We apply a detailed behaviour policy which trains and encourages the children to develop self-discipline and our expectations of the children are high.

Essentially, we expect our children to be well-mannered, courteous and helpful at all times and we know that, as parents, you will support us in our efforts to achieve this aim.

 

Bullying

Thankfully serious instances of bullying are rare at Ainthorpe but most parents worry about the problem.

We treat cases of bullying very seriously and our anti-bullying policy, which is applied by all staff, ensures that bullies are dealt with consistently and quickly, in a manner which also supports the victim.

Full copies of both policies are available from school on request.

 

Contact in an Emergency

We may, on occasion, need to contact you if your child has had an accident or becomes ill. It is most important that we have on record telephone numbers where you, a relative or friend, may be reached. If there are any changes to these numbers, or if you or your family are likely to be unavailable at a specified time, it is essential that the school is informed.

 

Special Needs

 

Any child may at some point during their school life require extra help and support.

This may be of an academic nature (eg the exceptionally able child or the child who needs help with reading or spelling) or it may be more specific such as support for physical or emotional needs.

Whatever your child’s needs they can be met within our school, by the staff or by the staff and outside agencies working together with you.

If you think your child may have a special need or if your child’s teachers feel support may be appropriate, the first step is always consultation with you.

We have a special Needs Co-ordinator, Mrs Anita Beer, who will help organise provision for your child if it is required.

They will work with the class teacher, your child and yourself to make an individual education plan. Sometimes outside agencies such as the Psychological Service and the Dyslexia Institute are involved as well.

A specialist room (the Learning Support Room), has been set up in school as a resource/teaching unit.

Starting School

 

This section of the booklet has been prepared with the intention of helping parents and children in taking the big step of starting school for the first time as comfortably and happily as possible. It is an enormous change for a child to be separated from the home, probably for the first time, and also to become used to a communal way of living and to sharing the teacher with a large group of other children.

Parents can help to prepare their children for this experience by building up the child’s self-confidence. Independence may be encouraged particularly in the following ways:

  1. In knowing how to put on outdoor clothes tidily and being able to fasten buttons and zips.
  2. In knowing how to hang outdoor clothes tidily on a peg.
  3. In knowing how to get dressed and undressed as independently as possible.
  4. In being able to wash and dry hands properly.
  5. In being able to use the toilet properly.
  6. In knowing how to use a small knife and fork and also a spoon for pudding – if you intend your child to stay for school meals.

The Curriculum

Your child’s first year in school will be spent developing the basic skills which are essential to learning. They will continue to be taught these skills all through their school life. These fall into the following areas of learning:

 

Personal and Social Development

All children need to be able to get on with each other in the classroom. Much of today’s schoolwork depends on groups working together on a problem, so that children learn from the very start how the world outside operates.

All children need to learn to care for each other, their own and other people’s property and for their working environment. Their future will depend on them shouldering this wider social responsibility.

To get on with other people you need to feel good about yourself and be proud of what you do. You do not get on very well with other people if you do not feel you are worth much yourself.

Each child also needs to begin to learn the self-discipline that will ultimately be required of them in their adult life and chosen career. The teacher will not always be there to tell them to get on with their work. Being proud of what you do helps you to stick at it even when no-one’s watching.

Intellectual Development (including Language and Literacy, Mathematics, Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Creative Development)

All work in the basic subjects of English, Maths and Science starts with playing and talking. A morning making sandpies is a lesson in volume and capacity; a splash at the water tray – a science investigation into floating and sinking; time in the house corner develops spoken language and imagination; a tracing game prepares tiny muscles to write and improves concentration. Sharing stories and songs play an important part in preparation for reading, spelling and writing.

Technology, history and geography are learned in this way from your child’s very first day in school.

 

Physical Development

These skills are many but mainly focus on controlling large body movements and the fine control of hand and eye. Both are important in the development of reading and writing skills.

By the end of the first year the teacher and yourself will have a good idea of how your child is doing in relation to the National Curriculum. Detailed records of your child’s performance are, however, available at any time for you to discuss together with your child’s teacher. You will be invited to a parents’ evening twice during a school year. You will also receive a school report at the end of the year.

 

Beginning to Read and Write

Reading

We want your child to develop a love of books from the very start of their school lives. Sharing all sorts of books and TALKING about them together is one of the most important ways you can help your child to begin to be ready for reading.

We will be sending home picture books for you to share with your child. Gradually you will notice your child’s reading skills develop.

In school we introduce words in context, using pictures as clues and discussion to predict. Gradually your child will build up a basic sight vocabulary. Alongside this we introduce letter names and letter sounds.

Writing

Children love to draw and make marks on paper. Please encourage your child to use pencils, crayons and scissors. If your child wants to write his/her own name, please use the following letter shapes, following the dots and arrows. Capital letters should only be used to start your child’s name.

Number/Maths

There are lots of ways to help your child get ready for using numbers:

Numbers and counting can be introduced through lots of everyday activities.

A knowledge of basic colours and shapes would also be useful.

This is how we write the numbers 1 – 10 at school

Parent Helpers

One of the most important ways you can help your child to achieve at school, is to show them that you are interested in and value their activities in the classroom.

This will help to build up their self-confidence and lead to a positive attitude to learning.

We actively encourage parents to help in the classroom. There are lots of activities which could be enriched by an extra adult being there to share things with: eg On the computer

Sharing a book

Playing a lotto game

Please come and join our sessions whenever you can.

 

 

Breaktime Snacks

There is free milk available at morning break-time and your child will be able to buy half an apple if you wish. When your child reaches the term of his/her fifth birthday, the free milk will stop and a variety of sugar-free juices may be purchased instead.

 

 

Collection of children

If you cannot collect your child at the end of the day, please let us know the name of an ADULT who will be collecting your child instead.

Early Years Unit

 

Ainthorpe Early Years Unit opened in September 1990. During that year constructional alterations were made to create lovely, spacious, light areas, full of equipment to delight any child and help improve their gross and fine motor skills.

Leading from the rooms is a large, enclosed quadrangle with lawns, flowerbeds, smooth footpaths and a hard play area. It is equipped with a climbing frame, bicycles, scooters, cars, see-saw, crawling tube and other out-door toys.

We are a cheerful, caring staff who will help your child to settle down very quickly in their new surroundings. We are aware of the wrench some of you suffer when parted from your little one. We do sympathize, but please try not to communicate your worries to your child. If only you could see them ten minutes after you have left …..you would know that you had done the right thing.

During the summer term, children starting school for the first time in September, are invited in with their parents to meet their new teacher and have a go at some activities.

The very youngest come into school for the first two or three weeks on a part-time basis with their parents. This is so they settle in without being frightened.

Those first steps into school life are very important and if we work together as parents and teachers we can provide a happy and secure atmosphere in which children can begin their school life.

 

Finally, we all hope you and your child will be happy and will learn a great deal at our school. We are proud of our school and our wish is that you will be able to share this with us.

 

Ainthorpe Primary School

Ainthorpe Grove

Willerby Road

HULL

HU5 5EB

Telephone No: (01482) 353963

 

"Ainthorpe is a happy and caring school which has many strengths."

Ofsted Inspection Report 1996

Holiday Dates

 

The School Year 1999/2000

 

 

 

Autumn Term

School opens: Wednesday 8 September 1999

Half Term – school closes: Thursday 21 October

Half Term – school re-opens: Monday 1 November

School closes: Wednesday 22nd December

 

Spring Term

School opens: Tuesday 11 January 2000

Half Term – school closes: Friday 25 February

Half Term – school re-opens: Monday 6 March

School closes: Tuesday 18 April

 

Summer Term

School opens: Wednesday 3 May

Half Term – school closes: Friday 26 May

Half Term – school re-opens Monday 5 June

Staff Training Day Friday 16 June

School closes: Tuesday 25 July

 

Our current staff:

Mr Kent Dewar Headteacher

Mrs B Gordon Deputy Head

Mrs S Moore Deputy Head

Teaching Staff:

Mrs A Beer

Mrs R Chapman

Mrs H Clayton

Mr T Collis

Mr S Corp

Mrs D deLancey

Mr P Dixon

Mrs J Fielder

Mrs C Hamlyn

Mrs P Jacques

Mrs K Latham

Mrs K McCaffrey

Mrs S McTeare

Mrs W Meadows

Miss R Shaw

Mrs D Sheppard

Mrs J Variava

Mrs P Warren

Mrs C Woolston

 

Nursery Nurses

Mrs E Conman

Mrs B Johnson

Ms J Nolan

Admin Staff:

Mrs D Davis

Mrs E Brown

Mrs A Hill

Mrs M Skelton

 

Support Staff:

Mrs K Ball

Mrs L Clarke

Mr M Cooling

Mrs E Lawman

Mrs L Mould

Mrs A Stockton

Mrs T Tock

Caretaker

Mr B Bell

Senior Midday Supervisor

Mrs J Briggs

Chair of Governors

Mr M Young

 

Notes:

 

 

Tuck Shop Prices:

All fruit 20p

Biscuits 15p per packet

Pure fruit juice 30p per carton

 

 

 

Uniform Prices:

School Sweatshirts £8.00

T-shirts (navy or white) £3.00

Polo Shirts (navy or white) £6.50

Summer Dresses £8.00

Caps £2.50

 

 

 

I like coming to Ainthorpe because……

 

 

 

"I like coming to Ainthorpe because the teachers make the subjects exciting and you don’t get bored in lessons."

Claire Jackson

Aged 9

 

"The great thing about Ainthorpe is that whatever your problems, teachers help you to sort them out."

Jennifer Barker

Aged 11

 

"I like the discipline."

Ali Ucan

Aged 10

 

"I like learning how to read."

Samuel Kavanagh

Aged 4