The School

Benedict Biscop Primary School is a Church of England school within the Diocese of Durham and serves the Wearmouth (Sunderland) Deanery. The school is an average size primary school with 210 full time pupils and 26 nursery part-time pupils on roll. We provide education for children from 3 to 11 years. The school's standard number is 30. The number of places available in the nursery is 13 full time equivalents.

The school was built in 1972 and was extended to include a Nursery in 2000, creating a Foundation Stage. Recent building work has included computer suites, a disabled toilet, new library, medical room and increased the size of 3 classrooms. Our new entrance is very safe and welcoming.
Benedict Biscop C.E. Primary School was awarded Beacon Status in 2001 and we are currently working with a Primary Learning Network with 5 other schools - sharing good practice. We have Basic Skills Award [2006], several Achievement Awards, Investors in People Award [2006], Healthy School Award [2005], Quality in Study Awards [2006] and Every School Day Counts Award - for highest attendance throughout the City 2004-05 and received the Active Mark for physical education.

The school building is designed in three blocks of teaching areas separated by a central hall. The areas of the school are very closely linked and the staff know all the children quite well through daily contact.

The policy of the school is to register the children wherever possible, in mixed ability classes within each year group. Each class has its own teacher who is responsible for general progress across the curriculum and for pastoral care. There are full time teaching assistants in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. There are full time teaching assistants who support each class in Key Stage 2 for some of the weekly timetable. In addition we have an ICT technician who works throughout the school.

The School Day

The school day for pupils is slightly different for different age groups. Full details are given below.

Lunch Time Arrangements

Our new kitchen opened in 2005. The balanced, healthy meals are cooked on the premises and the majority of our children now stay for a cooked meal. Children are encouraged to try a range of foods with salad and fresh fruit being available every day.

The children are cared for by a team of mid-day supervisory assistants under the responsibility of a mid-day supervisor. They socialise and play together on the playgrounds, fields on the play areas. There is plenty of practical equipment provided to encourage the children to be active.

Dinner money should be sent to school on Monday morning in an envelope clearly marked with your child's name, class and the amount of money enclosed.

If you feel that your child may be entitled to a free schoo lmeal, you can obtain further information from the schools administration office.

Out of Hours Care

The school opened its Out of School facilities with a very popular Breakfast Club in 2005. This was followed by the registration and opening of our Out of School Hours Club from 3.15pm - 5.45pm each day and during some school holidays. We recognise and value the opportunities this presents to support children and extended families. Children develop social skills and have opportunities to take part in different activities which encourage independence and build confidence.

Please ask at the School Administration Office for further details.

Healthy Living

At Benedict Biscop Church of England Primary School we strongly believe that children need to be safe and healthy. We provide the children in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 with fruit each day to promote a healthy diet.
Children in Key Stage 2 are encouraged to bring fruit into school to be eaten during morning breaktime. We provide water bottles and water coolers. Research has indicated that water does have a positive effect on children’s behaviour and learning ability.

Travel to School

A group of parents and members of the Moorside Area Residents Group [MARG] are working closely with the school to ensure that our children are safe on their route to school.

Recent research and action has ensured that school signs have been erected, line markings outside the main gate have been painted, trees which were blocking footpaths have been removed and our new coats have reflector strips sewn into their material. We have recently sited the front gate away from the main road and there is an area where children can wait safely for parents. Fencing has been erected to prevent visitors from parking on the main footpath.

The school was connected to SUSTRANS cycle route in 2005 to encourage children in Year 5 and 6 to cycle to school. We actively encourage our children to walk and discourage parents from parking close to the school. If possible we ask that parents park away from the school gates and walk the last distance to school. Our school parking facilities are small and access is through one gate only, therefore parents are not allowed to drive through the school gates to park or drop off any children.

We ask parents/carers to bring and collect children in the Foundation Stage from the Foundation Stage entrance. All children in Key Stage 1 are supervised to the gates where they can be collected by an adult. Children in Key Stage 2 who live close to the school, may go home unaccompanied by prior arrangement with the school.

Contact Names & Telephone Numbers

All parents will be asked to give their daytime telephone contact numbers where appropriate. All parents will be asked for the names of other people who can take responsibility for their child when they are not available or in the case of an emergency. Only these people will be contacted in such circumstances. It is very important that parents let us know of any change of address or new telephone number.

Medication

Several staff are able to administer medication under very strict guidelines. This is to protect pupils but also means that all children can be included in activities where medication is necessary.

Please ask for a medication leaflet from the School Administration Office.

First Aid

First Aid will be administered to all minor injuries such as cuts and bruises. The school has several qualified first aiders. We give all children a bump sticker and a short note to take home to alert parents that minor first aid has been administered. In cases of more serious illness or accident at school, parents will be informed as soon as possible.

It is vital that parents provide us with emergency telephone numbers for this purpose.

It is also crucial that parents provide information about specific medical conditions that may affect the child whilst in school.

Taking Children Out of School during the Day

If children are to be taken out of school during the school day, parents/carers are asked to call at the school administration office, the School Administrator will bring your child from the classroom.

You will be asked to sign your child out of school, stating the time and reason. If the child is to be collected by an adult other than the parent, the school must be given the name of the person in advance.

Visitors to School

All visitors are asked to report to the School Administration Office. If parents would like to speak to class teachers please go to the School Administration Office first. The school administrator will inform the class teacher of your arrival.

Please do not enter the school through the children’s entrances. This protects your children whilst in school and yourselves in the event of a fire. Visitors other than parents collecting children will be asked to sign the visitor’s book and wear an identification badge for the duration of their visit.

Friends of Benedict Biscop Primary School

The school is very proud of this association which not only raises money to enable us to enhance the education of the children at Benedict Biscop Church of England Primary School but also provides social events for children and parents. The committee is always eager to recruit new members and it hopes you will support them in the events they organise.

Charging Policy

By law, no school can make a charge for:

· Education wholly or mainly within school hours.

· Materials and ingredients for things made in school which pupils or parents do not want to keep.

· Visits in or outside school hours which are necessary for an examination

Charges may be made for the following:

· Individual music tuition which is not part of the syllabus for an examination.

· Certain excursions where a third party is involved.

· Board and lodging where a school activity involves a residential element.

· The exact cost of "optional extras" ie things not connected directly with the national curriculum.

The school governors have decided that, in general, charges will only ever be made for a school activity if this is the only way to guarantee the event takes place. This is most likely to apply to some trips and excursions. Voluntary contributions will be requested for such events. We will always inform parents at the outset, and assist parents who would have genuine difficulty in paying.

This is a brief summary of a complex area. A full copy of the school’s charging policy is available from the school office.

Complaints

We hope to be able to resolve any complaints that parents may have. In the first instance complaints should normally be made to the headteacher, and in most cases we find that complaints can be dealt with successfully at this informal level. A copy of the complaints procedure is available from the school administration office.

Our policy on making information available to parents and others.

· By law schools must make certain information available for viewing by parents or members of the public. All the documents listed below are available for viewing at the school.

· Any statutory instruments [ including those for national curriculum subjects], circulars and administrative memoranda relating to powers and duties under the "Curriculum" Section of the Education Reform Act.

· Any published HMI OR Ofsted reports on the school.

· Any schemes of work and syllabuses currently used by teachers in the school.

· A full copy of the curriculum complaints procedure.

· The Durham Diocese Scheme for Religious Education.

We send out an annual questionnaire to all parents/carers in the Spring term. The information provided helps us to make decisions about future developments. Parents are actively encouraged to share their views with the school. The results are made known to parents following analysis of the data. School Uniform and P.E. Kit

We believe that uniform plays an important role in the school ethos. Children need to be suitably dressed for the working day. A smart appearance helps to maintain high esteem and a sense of pride in the school community.

Our school uniform is blue and grey and is strongly recommended.
We recognise that children need comfortable hard-wearing clothes for school, which are easy to wash. Our parents have opted for the following as being practical.

· Dark grey skirt /tunic [no more than 5 cm above or below the knee]

· Dark grey or black tailored trousers [not fashion trousers]

· School sweatshirt or sweat cardigan [with embroidered school badge]

· White school polo shirt

· In Summer a blue gingham dress may be worn.

· School fleeces and warm coats with reflector strips are available from the school office.

High quality school sweatshirts, cardigans, cotton polo shirts, fleeces and coats with the school badge are available for you to order in the School Administration. Office. Please see the School Administrator for current prices and order forms.

For Health and Safety reasons we ask that children wear plain, dark, sensible, flat heeled shoes for school, trainers and boots are not suitable for wearing throughout the school day. In wet weather children need indoor and outdoor shoes.

School P.E. Uniform

Indoor - blue shorts and blue school [with badge] T-shirt, gym shoes must be worn for indoor PE.

Outdoor - track suit, football kit, trainers or football boots. Suitable footwear ie trainers or football boots.

It is essential that all children bring their PE clothes. All children are expected to join in the PE lesson. Exceptions are only made when a medical certificate or note is provided.

The Headteacher has the right to prohibit the wearing of certain types of clothing or particular items which are deemed on safety or other grounds, to be unsuitable for wear in school.

Denim jeans or chino trousers are not suitable clothing and should not be worn.

Children are allowed to wear a sensible watch which encourages them to learn to read the time. The wearing of any other jewellery is forbidden.

Personal Belongings

Your child is encouraged to take responsibility for their personal belongings. Everything your child brings into school e.g. bags, clothes, books, should be clearly marked with your child's name. If you forget to label a child's possessions then we reserve the right to write a child's name on their property, to avoid spending unnecessary time, sorting out personal belongings during valuable school time.

We operate a lost property system which you are encouraged to call in and check.