Welcome to our school
Paul Harris EXECUTIVE HEAD TEACHER 02 Curwen Primary and Nursery School is a highly successful school, based in Plaistow within the London Borough of Newham. We provide an excellent education for children from the ages of 3 to 11 and our end of key stage results are consistently amongst the top 10% of schools in the country. We are very proud of our school and its many achievements and awards and believe that this is because we work in partnership with our pupils, families, staff and the local and wider communities. Your child’s time at Curwen Primary School is very precious and we are pleased that we are able to share this with you. We provide a curriculum that acknowledges the importance of the basic skills, but endeavours to teach these in an exciting way, as well as making time to focus on creative and artistic skills. We engage our pupils in an exciting and enriching curriculum that draws from our local and wider environments. We offer our pupils the best start in life and ensure that they are ready for the next steps in their education. Please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone 0208 472 0290 or by email info@curwen.ttlt.academy if there is anything you need to ask. Our office staff will always give you a warm welcome and offer a wealth of information. Kate Mansfield HEAD OF SCHOOL VISION Supporting and promoting the development of the whole child with a learning journey that leads every child to be the best they can be, from all starting points, and ready for the next phase in their education. ETHOS In order to achieve our aims, we strongly believe in working together as a TEAM... Together Everyone Achieves More AIMS UCCESSFUL EALTHY AND SAFE DENTITY URTURED NGAGED 03 WELCOME TO CURWEN PRIMARY SCHOOL S H I N E The school displays a restless ambition to do the best for its pupils and everyone who works there is determined that no one should be left behind.
05 04 OUR CURRICULUM STATEMENT Our intention at Curwen Primary School is to support and promote the development of the whole child with a learning journey that leads every child to be the best they can be from all starting points, and ready for the next phase in their education. In order to do this, we have developed the mnemonic SHINE: Successful; Healthy and Safe; develop a sense of Identity; feel supported and Nurtured; are Engaged in an exciting curriculum. ASSESSMENT At Curwen Primary School, carefully considered assessment ensures all of our pupils make good progress and helps to inform teachers in driving pupils forward towards their next steps in learning. We have adapted statutory curriculum requirements to fit the needs of our school, pupils and community. Each year group assesses children using 3 ‘levels’ that a child can achieve: Working Towards (WT), Expected/Working At (WA) and Greater Depth (GD). The majority of pupils should be working within the ‘Expected level’ as this means that they have a secure knowledge and understanding of the curriculum of the year group they are in. Reception also has three levels, which are Emerging, Expected and Exceeding. As with the rest of the school, the majority of pupils should be working at the ‘Expected level’ by the end of Reception. PHONICS At Curwen, we view reading as a fundamental building block to learning and have therefore spent a lot of time developing our reading curriculum. To support the development of important strategies such as blending and decoding, we use the Read Write Inc. (RML) system for the teaching of Reading and Phonics across Early Years and Key Stage 1. Where appropriate, some children continue to use phonics in KS2. We believe that in order for children to make the best possible progress we need to create a positive and secure environment in which all children can learn. We place great emphasis on good manners, respect and considration for others, through formal teaching in lessons, such as RE and PSHE, as well as throughout the school day and in assemblies. We encourage children to become self-confident, resilient, mature and independent. We also support them to celebrate diversity within our school and our local area, and to recognise the importance of making a positive contribution to the life of the school and the wider community. We also focus on our eight Curwen Core Skils: Strive for success; Innovation; Communication; Reflection; Empathy; Resilience; Teamwork; Leadership; skills that can be taken into adult life. We recognise the limited experiences that our children often have outside of school, and therefore build in many opportunities for this within school. This includes: carefully planned educational visits in each year group, including residential visits; visits to the theatre, art galleries, live music performances and places of worship for every child in their time at the school; regular visitors into school, to provide positive role models who share experiences and career aspirations; opportunities to both watch and take part in competitive sports; a huge range of extra-curricular activities to supplement our curriculum and ensure pupils are able to further develop individual interests and talents, and develop a lifelong love of learning. In order to achieve our vision, we ensure that we implement an exciting curriculum which is relevant, balanced and carefully designed to help pupils develop key knowledge and skills. Sequenced progression and high expectations ensure children are ready for the next stage in their learning. Throughout the school we cover all areas of the national currciulum: English, Maths, Science, Information and Communication Technology, History, Geography, Physical Education, Music, Art, Design Technology, Religious Education, RSHE (Relationship, Sex and Health Education) and PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education). In KS2 children are also taught Spanish as part of our languages programme, which is enhanced by strong links and joint projects with a school in Spain. Our Curriculum is further enriched in a number of ways such as the promotion of Performing Arts, Pupil Voice, Curwen Core Skills and our Extended Provision offer. We aim to ensure that each child achieves personal success, and develops the skills and confidence necessary for the next stage of their learning.
ENGLISH The aim of our English Curriculum is to ensure that all children SHINE. We want children from an early age to develop a love of reading and gain the basic skills to be able to decode words to enable them to access reading, and set the foundations for them to become lifelong readers and access the world around them. We encourage them to understand the purpose of writing and give them the opportunity to write for a wide range of purposes. We are committed to supporting our children to develop effective communications skills, whether that be orally or in writing. As part of this, we have a strong emphasis on collaborative learning. We have a progressive English curriculum which ensures that knowledge and skills are taught and refined as children move through the school. CREATIVE ARTS We see Creativity as a fantastic opportunity for children to explore the world around them as well as their own identity. As well as having timetabled opportunities for the arts, we also ensure that pupils have the opportunity to take part in Drama, Music, Dance and Art & Design throughout the curriculum as well as in a range of after school clubs. 07 06 FOREST SCHOOL AND SCIENCE Our vision in Science is to encourage curiosity in children so that they ask questions that fuel explorations and investigations about the universe we live in. In our school, it is about developing children’s ideas and ways of working that enable them to make sense of the world through investigation. We have carefully planned themes and topics, including lots of opportunities for practical exploration as well as outdoor learning with our Forest Schools provision. Forest School is run by qualified Forest School practitioners and involves child-led sessions in a woodland or natural environment, primarily using natural resources. It aims to promote resilient, confident, independent and creative learners. MATHS The intent of the Curwen Maths Curriculum is to ensure our children SHINE- for them to be the best mathematicians they can be, be ready for the next stages in their educational journeys and fundementally develop a genuine love for Maths. We have developed our Curwen Curriculum which places an emphasis on using concrete resources to understand key ideas and concepts. We ensure that our progressive curriculum supports children to develop the key building blocks of Maths and to understand the importance of Maths in the real world. We build pupils’ resilience and confidence through an engaging curriculum which challenges pupils appropriately and gives them the skills to problem solve.
08 PE Why is Physical Education important? A high-quality Physical Education curriculum inspires all pupils to succeed and excel in competitive sport and other physical activities. It provides opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. Opportunities to compete in sport and other activities build character and help to embed values, such as fairness and respect. At Curwen, children from EYFS onwards learn to: • Master basic physical skills, such as coordination, flexibility and balance • Play team sports • Compete in sporting events • Develop water confidence and attend swimming lessons • Participate in outdoor pursuits We will tRy our best We will bE kind and helpful We will be Sensible and polite at all times We will look after Property We will listEn to others We will be Caring and gentle We will be honesT RULES/BEHAVIOUR At Curwen we have a firmly embedded behaviour policy. This is central to our belief that Together Everyone Achieves More. Our school rules are:- This is supported by our traffic light system for behaviour. We are committed to celebrating positive behaviour in a variety of ways. For example, house points, team points, Star badges, gold tokens, sharing of work and weekly ‘Stars that SHINE’ We place a strong emphasis on children taking responsibility for themselves and supporting each other. This is achieved through: • A buddy system • Peer mentors and Student Leaders • Circle time • Chill and Chat SAFEGUARDING Curwen Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its pupils. We believe that: • All children have the right to be protected from harm; • Children need to be safe and to feel safe in school; • Children need support which matches their individual needs, including those who may have experienced abuse; • All children have the right to speak freely and voice their values and beliefs; • All children must be encouraged to respect each other’s values and support each other; • All children have the right to be supported to meet their emotional, and social needs as well as their educational needs – a happy healthy sociable child will achieve better educationally; • Schools contribute to the prevention of abuse, victimisation, bullying, exploitation, radicalisation, extreme behaviours, discriminatory views and risk taking behaviours; • All staff and visitors have an important role to play in safeguarding children and protecting them from abuse. 09
11 10 STAFF Our Senior Management Team Mr. Paul Harris Executive Headteacher Mrs Kate Mansfield Head of School Ms. Emma White Deputy Headteacher - Curriculum & Standards Ms. Mandy Sandhu AHT - Designated Safeguarding Lead Ms Kate Sawyer AHT - EYFS (Nursery/Reception), ITT & NQTs Mr John Potter AHT - KS1 (Y1/Y2) - Community Lead Mr Mark North AHT - Lower KS2 (Y3/4) - PSHE & ECTs Mr Mark Smale AHT - Upper KS2 (5/6) - English Lead Miss Kate Miles AHT - SENDCO Mrs Lisa Miles School Business Manager WELL-BEING We are very proud to have been awarded the Gold School Mental Health Award in recognition of the importance we place on this vital area. We recognise that in order for children to achieve their potential, and for staff to work most effectively that it is hugely important that they feel happy and supported. Within our curriculum we ensure that there are opportunities for children to learn about their feelings and emotions, and that they learn the skills they need to be able to ask for help and to support each other. We are fortunate to have well-trained staff as well as support from specialists and external agencies if children are experiencing specific difficulties. THE EQUALITY POLICY Curwen Primary School is dedicated to ensuring that all members of the school community and the wider community are treated equally, fairly and with respect by the school and by each other. Prejudice, discrimination and victimisation are not tolerated and we work hard to instil in our pupils a strong understanding of right and wrong, including the importance of inclusion, acceptance, and compassion towards others. For further information, you can find our Full Equality Policy on our website. INCLUSION At Curwen Primary School, we fully support the Newham Education Authority policy of inclusive education which aims to provide the opportunity for all children to work together in their local mainstream school. Curwen has been awarded Flagship Status. This accolade is awarded yearly by IQM, a body which recognises schools who demonstrate outstanding inclusion, promoting equal opportunities for all pupils, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, attainment and background. They said of the school: ‘Staff at Curwen Primary school demonstrate an unwavering commitment to inclusion in its broadest sense as well as a very clear focus on the individual needs of every child in the school.’ February 2020. Inclusion covers a wide range of areas including Special Educational Needs (physical, medical, learning and behavioural), English as an Additional Language, Gifted and Talented and Pastoral Support. Inclusion at Curwen is set out in our policies and accessibility plan, which can be found on our website. THE SCHOOL DAY START OF SCHOOL 8.45 am MORNING BREAK 10.45- 11.00 am LUNCHTIME 12.00 - 1.00 pm START OF AFTERNOON 1.00 pm END OF SCHOOL 3.15 pm Nursery A.M. 8.45-11.45 am Nursery P.M. 12.15-3.15 pm The school gates open at 8:35am, however, the children are not supervised until 8.45am. At 8.45am, the children should line up outside the classroom door and they will be taken into the classroom by their teacher. Children are to arrive at school before the first bell at 8.45am. A second bell will sound at 8.55am. The doors will close promptly at this time.
13 12 NURSERY Children are admitted to the nursery, the term after their 3rd birthday. The admission criteria are laid down by the Borough of Newham. They are as follows:- In catchment area, with brothers or sisters in the school. In catchment area, without brothers or sisters in the school. Out of catchment area, with brothers and sisters in the school. Out of catchment area. All other children Children are admitted for either a morning or afternoon session. However, priority is given to all 4 year olds first. All parents should note that a place in the nursery does not guarantee a school place. 01 03 05 02 04 LATENESS For your child to make the best of their day, it is important that they arrive on time by 8.45am. If you are late, please take your child to the office where they will be given a late mark and book their lunch. School ends at 3.15pm and all children should be collected at that time by a responsible adult who is known to the class teacher. If there are pupils who continue to be late arriving or being picked up, the Attendance Manager will be informed. TERM TIME LEAVE As stated in the guidance from the Department for Education, the headteacher no longer has the right to authorise holidays or leave, except in exceptional circumstances. This is a change to the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 2006. All requests must be made in writing to our Attendance Manager, Ms. Welch. ATTENDANCE Regular attendance is crucial to each child’s educational development. As a school, we do all we can to support our pupils in attending school every day so that they can reach their full potential. If your child is unable to attend school because of ill health, medical or any other reason, please contact us via Studybugs or telephone the school on the first day of absence giving the nature of the illness or reason for absence. When your child returns to school, a letter or proof of illness explaining the absence should be sent to the School Office. If you do not inform the school of your child’s absence, or if your child does not attend school on a regular basis, it is the statutory duty of the school to inform the Attendance Manager who will then investigate the absence. If your child has a medical appointment or needs to leave school early for any reason, you must inform the school office not the class teacher. Proof must be provided. ADMISSIONS Curwen follows the London Borough of Newham Admissions Policy. Details of this can be found on our school website: https://www.curwen.newham.sch.uk/ page/?title=Admissions&pid=65
15 14 MEDICAL INFORMATION/MEDICINES If your child has a known illness or allergy which we need to know about e.g. fainting attacks, epileptic fits, then you must inform us and provide all medical paperwork. In the case of asthma pumps, children should be taught how to use it and should have it in school with them at all times. Occasionally, a child may be well enough to return to school after an illness but may not have finished a course of medicine or antibiotics. In these circumstances, parents should bring the medicine to the school office, medicine must be prescribed. Parents will need to complete a ’medicines in schools’ form. The medicine will be administered by a member of the Senior Management Team. If children have sustained injuries which mean that special care must be taken in school (e.g. broken bones), then they should come to school via the main office to complete a form and speak to a member of staff about daily procedures. Children should not bring medicine to school themselves and medicine cannot be given to the class teacher to be kept in the classroom. Only medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor can be administered. EMERGENCY CONTACTS Occasionally a child may be involved in an accident at school or they may start to feel unwell. In these circumstances we telephone the parent and ask them to come to school to collect their child. It is important that we hold contact details to use in these circumstances and that parents keep us informed of any changes to address or phone number. Please inform the office of any changes immediately. We also need to have the telephone numbers of other friends or relatives who can be contacted in an emergency if we are unable to contact a parent. School hotline number: 08447 707 576 – ID 51871 CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS From time to time parents and others connected with the school may become aware of matters which cause them concern. To encourage resolution of such situations, The Tapscott Learning Trust has adopted a Concerns and Complaints Policy & Procedure. You can find this policy on our website. The school will deal with all concerns or complaints in a sensitive, impartial and confidential manner and ask that any complainant do the same. Members of staff are available on the playground every day before and after school to discuss any concerns you may have. We will be happy to listen and do our utmost to ensure that our parents and children are cared for in the best way possible. WALK ON WEDNESDAY At Curwen we have an emphasis on walking to school. Staff and children alike are encouraged to walk to school for health and environmental reasons. We participate in WOW (Walk On Wednesday) where pupils who regularly walk are rewarded with a class cup. We have a cycle shelter for people who wish to cycle to school. Cycling is taught and developed through our family cycling club and cycling proficiency classes. Road safety, health, environmental and traffic issues are taught through a cross curricular approach throughout the school. All these are planned for in our School Travel Plan which is kept in our school office. PARKING Unfortunately, there are no spaces available for visitors to the school at present as the car park is too small. Parents should not park within the school grounds or on the approach way and should not drive through the car park when bringing or collecting the children from school. Access must be maintained at all times for emergency services. Please also take into consideration our local residents.
17 16 LUNCHTIMES Healthy schools At Curwen we are very proud to be an accredited Healthy School. This is in recognition of the work we do to promote healthy lifestyles. This includes the provision of fruit snacks at morning playtime for Key stage 1 and encouraging children to bring in drinking water (in plastic bottles not glass) for use throughout the day. We have also worked closely with Newham Catering Services to ensure a healthy and balanced meal is provided. For more information regarding the menus please see our website. We provide a large number of opportunities for extra sporting activities at the school during lunch times and at the end of the day. Please see our notice boards or speak to a member of staff if you are interested in sending your child. At lunch time, children may have a packed lunch or school dinner. PUPIL PREMIUM Some children are eligible for Pupil Premium funding. This enables the school to provide additional opportunities and support their learning. Our Pupil Premium Plan can be found on our website. To see if your child is eligible to receive additional funding, please complete this online form. https://newham-self. achieveservice.com/service/Application_for_ Free_School_Meals If you require any support in completing these forms, please feel free to drop into the school office where one of our office staff will be happy to help. SCHOOL LUNCH Free School Meals Every primary child in Newham receives a free meal at lunchtime. Although all pupils receive a free meal, it is essential that parents continue to update their eligibility for Free School Meals entitlement, as this may affect other things such as when children go on educational visits. All families should complete the ‘Eat For Free’ form on the Newham Website at: http://www.newham.gov.uk/Pages/Services/Freeschool-meals.asp The meals are provided by Juniper and Halal meat is used at all times. If your child has special dietary requirements please inform us and we will pass the details to our cook. Healthy Packed Lunch Your child may bring a healthy packed lunch. Please ensure that the meal is in a packed lunch box, which is clearly labelled with your child’s name and class.
19 18 SCHOOL CHARGING POLICY Curwen Primary School recognises the valuable contribution that the wide range of additional activities, including clubs, practical activities, trips and residential experiences, can make towards pupils’ personal and social education. We aim to promote and provide such activities both as part of a broad and balanced curriculum for the pupils of the school and as additional optional activities. We believe that no child should have their access to the curriculum limited by charges. Therefore, pupils will not be charged for activities that support the broad and balanced curriculum provided by the school. The school, from time to time, will ask parents to make a voluntary contribution to activities or school trips. This will only happen if the school has itself incurred a charge. Pupils will not be discriminated against if they do not contribute. However, if enough contributions are not received, this may result in the activity or trip being cancelled. Our full charging policy can be found on our website. BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE Clubs We run over sixty weekly clubs including before and after school sessions, lunchtime groups and family learning sessions. The children are given the choice of breakfast club, sports clubs, performing arts groups, study support sessions and family groups where the entire family are welcome to attend together. Along with this expansion we have witnessed a significant improvement in our end of Key Stage 2 results, a decrease in incidents of unacceptable behaviour (within the classroom and in the playground) and an increase in parental involvement within our school. There is a charge for some clubs Breakfast Club We also provide a successful Breakfast Club which runs from 7:45am. Your child can have toast with jam, baked beans, cereal and/ or fruit. We are continuing to monitor our extended schools provision to ensure it fully meets the needs of our whole school learning community. 6 O’Clock Club Curwen offers an after school club that is run by members of our staff. This runs from 3:15pm to 6pm and offers a wide range of activities for your child to take part in. It also includes a tasty, healthy snack. This involves a charge and must be booked in advance
21 20 HOME LEARNING We provide opportunities for pupils to continue their learning at home through weekly homework and reading, online games, websites and activities and regular projects and competitions which we encourage pupils to participate in alongside their families. We recognise the importance of parental support at home, and therefore offer numerous opportunities for parents and carers to come into school and learn more about our curriculum. PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS We believe that developing positive relationships with parents and carers is vital in all that we do. We work hard through parent meetings, open sessions, workshops and events, such as International Week and Family Week, to include families in the life of the school. ‘Proud to be part of it.’
23 22 Winter • Dark Grey or Navy trousers Dark Grey or Navy pinafore or skirts • White shirt or polo shirt • Navy sweatshirt or Navy fleece Summer • Dark Grey or Navy shorts or trousers Dark Grey or Navy pinafore or skirts • White shirt or polo shirt/ Blue gingham dress • For religious purposes, a plain white, navy or black Hijab can be worn, but please ensure these do not have pins. • Plain hair bands and clips are allowed in navy, black, grey or white. • Wellington boots are allowed for wet days, but please bring a pair of shoes/ trainers to change into. • Please ensure all items are clearly labelled with children’s names. SCHOOL UNIFORM At Curwen we have a Dress Code that we expect all children from Reception age to follow. This is based on our school colours. Uniform is sold via School Money. JEWELLERY Due to Health and Safety reasons, the school enforces a strict jewellery code. The only items of jewellery that are accepted are small studs or small sleepers and watches. No hoops are allowed. If children are wearing inappropriate jewellery, they will be asked to remove it. PE KITS PE Kit should be worn for all PE Lessons or sports clubs/activities. The PE Kit consists of a blue Curwen t-shirt, a pair of shorts, which are not too long, or a leotard. For indoor PE, children will need plimsolls. For outdoor PE children will need trainers and, in the winter months, jogging bottoms. Some of our pupils have requested that they wear a headscarf during PE. This is allowed, however parents must write a letter of consent.
Head of School Kate Mansfield Curwen Primary School Atlas Road Plaistow London E13 0AG T. 020 8472 0290 E. info@curwen.ttlt.academy www.curwen.newham.sch.uk The Tapscott Learning Trust Atlas Road, London E13 0AG T. 020 3108 0326 E. info@ttlt.academy
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