St. Silas’ CEPSProspectus

Aim HighDream Big

Welcome

On behalf of the staff, governors, children and parents I would like towarmly welcome you and your family to St Silas’ Church of England Primary School. We hope you will enjoy reading our school prospectus andthat it gives you a glimpse of what our school is about. We wouldencourage you to come and visit us to see the quality of education and caregiven to our children within our award-winning school building. We wouldlove to show you around our school and answer any questions. Please ringus and make an appointment.

At St Silas we place great emphasis upon the well-being and personaldevelopment of every child, basing everything we do on our faith values.Loving God and each other is at the heart of our school. In our school wecelebrate the diversity of our local community and work with our parents toensure we meet the needs of each child.

We provide a well-resourced, broad and balanced curriculum with lots ofopportunities to widen your child’s experiences through an extensive rangeof trips, visitors and extra activities. We have strong links with The Children’sUniversity. All this enables us to develop your child’s individual talents.

As our vision states we have high expectations in work and behaviour and believe all can achieve when wework together.

We are looking forward to welcoming you and yourchild to St Silas’ CE Primary School family.

Michele BattersbyHeadteacher

St. Silas CEPSSt. Silas RoadBlackburnBB2 6JP

Telephone: 01254 698447Email: office@stsilas.blackburn.sch.ukWebsite: www.stsilasprimary.co.uk

“A key aspect of

positive practice is the

attention being paid

to develop the

foundations of

language with a

strong emphasis on

developing children’s

speaking and listening

skills. The school has a

high regard for the

continual professional

learning of its

teachers and

teaching assistants

and is nurturing

positive relationships

with parents and the

community.”

Literacy Quality Mark

Institute of Education

2014

Aim HighDream Big

ST SILAS’ C.E.P. SCHOOL

St Silas Star Learners Are ...

love

thankfulness

belonging

compassion

friendship

responsibilities

courage

perseverance

“The culture, vision,

values and ethos of

St. Silas are very

positive. The school’s

mission statement of

‘Aim High, Dream Big’

is embedded every

day in the

commitment , energy

and enthusiasm of all

staff. The aspiration

is that 100% of

children will make

good, very good or

outstanding progress

as the school

continues on the

learning journey.”

Pupil Premium

Practice Review

Achievement for

All 2015

Admission procedures

Our current arrangements for admission have been agreed followingconsultation between the Governing Body, the Diocesan Board ofEducation, Local Authority and other admission authorities in the area.

The current criteria is:

1. (a) Children in Care

(b) Children with special medical or social circumstances affecting the child where these needs can only be met at this school

2. Children who have a sibling attending the school on the date of application and on the date of admission

3. Children whose parents live within the ecclesiastical parish of St. Silas’

4. Other children

Rights to Appeal

Parents who have not been successful ingaining admission at St Silas’ CE Primary

School have the right of appealagainst the decision. An appealform needs to be collected from theschool, completed and returned to the school.

Induction procedures

We hold new parent meetings, parent andchild workshops and home visits in theSummer Term.

ST SILAS’ C.E.P. SCHOOL

The school day

Registration: 8.40am

School Finishes: 3.05pm

The school has a breakfast club that starts at 8.00am each morning in thedining hall. Please see the office for details.

Lunchtimes

At St. Silas the range of food on offer is excellent, nutritional and healthy.The Meat and Chicken we use are Halal (HMC approved).

Children eat their dinner in three sittings in the dining hall. Children can alsobring a packed lunch, or go home for dinner if this is your preference.

You can select your child’s meals from our wide menus. All our meals arecooked in our school kitchen by our Healthy School Manager.

If you are entitled to free school meals, please claim them as it alsoentitles your child to further benefits and provides school withadditional funding.

All KS1 children will be provided with a free school meal andfruit snack. Children in Foundation Stage and Year 1 have freemilk. Year 2 may have milk but there is a charge.

“The parents of the

school gave an

overall excellent

performance score.”

Kirkland Rowell

Parent Survey 2016

“Parents considered

developing moral

values to be

outstanding.”

Kirkland Rowell

Parent Survey 2016

Attendance

Punctuality

School starts at 8.40am, so childrenshould arrive at school ready tobe in class for that time.Please encourage yourchild to be on time forschool as punctualityis important toeveryone. However,please note childrenshould not arrive atschool before8.30am.

They should becollected promptly at3.05pm unless they areinvolved in some pre-arranged after schoolactivity.

Attendance

It is important that children come to school everyday to make the best of their educationalopportunities. But, if your child is poorly, pleasecould you inform us before 9.00am.

If your child has frequent unexplained absencesthe Headteacher and the Educational Welfare

Officer may contact you to discuss the problem.

ST SILAS’ C.E.P. SCHOOL

Important issues!

Child Protection

It is strongly recommended that all parents should be informed of theSchool’s duties and responsibilities under the local Child ProtectionProcedures. Because of day to day contact with children, schools areparticularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, changesin behaviour or failure to develop. Parents should be aware,therefore, that where it appears to a member of staff that a childmay have been abused, the school is required, as part of theLocal Child Protection Procedures, to report their concern tothe Social Services Department immediately.

The Headteacher and Inclusion Manager have specificresponsibility for child protection and the school’s policy isavailable for inspection by parents.

Online Safety

This school has made significant investment in ICT to support teaching andlearning and to give learners the opportunity to seek information and carryout research. Learners and staff will be able to enjoy and use thetechnology to enhance teaching, learning and the curriculum and to accessuseful educational information and materials, without risk of harm or upset.We have a policy that seeks to ensure that the internet is used appropriatelyfor learning but with safeguards to protect learners.

Equal Opportunities

In recognising that society comprises people from a wide varietyof cultural backgrounds and ethnic origins, this school activelyseeks to promote equality of opportunity for all pupils regardless oftheir sex, race, colour, sexuality or religious beliefs. We arecommitted to providing a safe and supportiveenvironment, which supports the wellbeing andvery best outcome for children. The schoolfollows the guidelines issued by the LA inpromoting equal opportunities for all.

Disability Discrimination Act

We are committed to providing anaccessible environment and have facilitiesto meet the needs of all people withdisabilities.

“I think this is a

brilliant school.”

Parent quote from

Kirkland Rowell

Parent Survey 2016

Important issues!

Partnership with Parents

In March 2015 the school received the Achievementfor All Quality Mark reflecting the quality of ourpartnerships with parents. We have an open doorpolicy, and we aim to keep parents regularlyinformed about events, activities and the curriculumthrough text messages, our website and Facebook.There are also regular year group letters and meetings.

Reporting to parents

All parents have access to our online reporting system giving instant accessto up to date assessment and attendance data. Parents can also view theirchild’s learning journey. Parents are invited to attend parent teachermeetings twice a year. An annual report is produced at the end of theSummer Term.

School test results

Nationally there are standardised tasks and tests for children at the end ofY2 and Y6. Year 1 children take a phonics test. Summaries of the schools’results can be found at: www.education.gov.uk/performancetables.

Requests for holiday during term time

The school has a strict policy on extended leave that has beendiscussed and agreed with parents.

The school does not authorise any leave during term time, otherthan for exceptional circumstances. Please arrange anappointment to see the Headteacher before making any

arrangements.

Any unauthorised absence could resultin a fixed penalty notice orultimately, your child could betaken off role and lose theirplace in the school.

ST SILAS’ C.E.P. SCHOOL

School Uniform

We encourage all children to wear our uniform, which has theschool name and badge on it. All items which are listed belowcan be obtained from “Whittakers” at competitive rates,however apart from the polo or sweatshirt all otherclothes can be purchased elsewhere. Wherereligious beliefs decree that female pupils shouldcover their legs, we would ask that grey tights orgrey trousers are worn.

Boys

Trousers greyPolo shirt goldSweatshirt blueSocks grey

Girls

Skirt/Trousers greyPolo shirt goldSweatshirt blueSocks/Tights white or grey

White leggings may be worn under the summer dress.

In Summer boys are also allowed to wear grey shorts and girls areallowed to wear blue or yellow checked summer dress.

PE kit is a pair of plimsolls, a blue tee shirt with the school’s logo,and blue shorts/tracksuit bottoms, again available from“Whittakers”.

Footwear

Please ensure that your childis able to spend the day incomfortable and practicalshoes. Trainers, boots andfashion sandals or shoes arenot suitable for school use.

Please ensure that your child’sname is written into every item ofclothing.

Important issues!

Extra curricular activities

Our school is part of an extremely active ExtendedSchools Cluster with three neighbouring PrimarySchools and a Children’s Centre. We are part of theNational Children’s University which has validatedall of our many and varied After School Clubs.

Health, welfare and medicines

Parents of any child who becomes ill during the day will be contacted if it isthought necessary. Therefore, it is important that your emergency contactand home address are accurate in our records. Any change must benotified to school as soon as possible. Occasionally, it might be necessaryfor medicine, which has been prescribed by a doctor, to be administered atschool. It will be necessary for a parent to fill in a consent form which canbe obtained from the school office. If your child requires an inhaler pleaseensure you order a spare from your doctors to be kept in school. These willbe stored safely in the classroom for quick and easy access.

Policy on charging

The education we provide wholly or mainly duringschool hours will be free but a voluntarycontribution towards the cost of an activity maybe requested by the school. Parents are free todecide whether or not to contribute. Thepolicy that sets out the principles upon whichthe school will operate charges andremissions can be found on our schoolwebsite. If sufficient funds are not collected wemay have to cancel any activity.

Freedom of information act

The school complies fully with the Freedomof Information act. Parents may request tosee a copy of the policy. Please see theschool office if you require any further details.

Complaints

Parents have the rights to raise complaints. The Headteacher is available todiscuss any concerns. Written complaints may be sent to the Chair ofGovernors c/o St Silas CE Primary School.

Further information can be found on the school website at:www.stsilasprimary.co.uk

ST SILAS’ C.E.P. SCHOOL

“The school is very

good and has

supported me and

my child thrugh

difficult times.”

“The school has a

caring attitude and

has enabled my child

to grow both

academically and

socially.”

Parent quotes from

Kirkland Rowell

Parent Survey 2016

Chair of Governors

Malcolm Munro

I am a semi-retired engineer.

Currently Chair of Governorsand previously Vice Chair.

Member of the Governing Bodyfor over fifteen years.

Member of the congregation at St. Silas Church for nearly forty years.

I have a long connection with the school. My eldest daughter and son bothhaving attended St Silas, Primary and Junior Schools, as it wasthen, in the seventies and early eighties.

Aim HighDream Big

St. Silas CEPS, St. Silas Road, Blackburn BB2 6JP.Telephone: 01254 698447 Email: office@stsilas.blackburn.sch.uk Website: www.stsilasprimary.co.uk

ST SILAS’ C.E.P. SCHOOL