St Matthew’s Church of England (Aided)Primary School

Prospectus

Welcome

On behalf of all the children, staff and Governors I’d like to warmly welcome you to St Matthew’s C.E(Aided) Primary School. We are a very special school that likes to celebrate success – at every level.The life of the school is driven by enthusiasm and a desire to achieve. We aim to bring learning alive,making it exciting and stimulating. Although SAT results are often used as an indicator of success wewould like to think that we have many strengths, not just academic ones. We want to give our childrena thirst for learning that continues with them throughout their future school experiences and lives.

An essential ingredient for this to happen is teamwork. We view education as a joint venture, involvingeveryone – children, parents, staff, Governors and the wider community. We hope that we will be ableto depend on your co-operation and support in this partnership, hoping that together we can providethe best for every child.

We are proud to be an inclusive Christian school, bringing together children from a wide range ofeconomic, social and ethnic backgrounds; creating an exciting and diverse learning community.We have strong links to St Matthew’s church and the Vicar is a member of our Governing Body.

In the context of this, all children will receive teaching in Religious Education which, whilst having amulti-cultural element, will be based on the beliefs of the Church of England. We will tell them thedifference between right and wrong, how to sort out problems and that everybody is deserving of respect.

We are confident that with a talented team of both teaching and non-teaching staff we can provide asmooth transition for any child joining the school and strive to meet the needs of all.

If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I look forward to meeting you!

Mrs Heather Lacey Headteacher

“Children are explorers,

starting a journey of learning”

Our Aims

to assist each child to become a whole person; developing body, mind and spirit. to help children to understand that there is a spiritual dimension to life and to develop a respect for

religious beliefs.

to enable all children to achieve their full potential to develop a love of learning. to encourage lively, enquiring minds and independent thought. to enable children to acquire skills that will help them to play their part in a harmonious, multicultural

society.

to show consideration and both respect for others and for differing points of view. to enable each child to develop a positive self-image and control over their own behaviour.

We will seek to achieve our aims by …………

providing a happy, well-structured, Christian environment. integrating with the life of St. Matthew’s Church and teaching the value of prayer and worship. providing an education to suit differing needs and aptitudes. using a variety of teaching methods. promoting equal opportunities for all pupils whatever their race, religion, gender or ability. Working co-operatively with the parents and fostering their support in the education of their children. providing a broad, varied, relevant and rich curriculum that supports a wide range of activities and

educational visits.

providing a stimulating environment with quality, colourful and exciting resources. providing a caring, non-judgemental and listening environment.

Ethos Statement

In common with other Church of England Schools throughout England and Wales we have adopted the following EthosStatement: -

Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with theprinciples of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level.

The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian beliefand practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith, and promotes Christian valuesthrough the experience it offers to all its pupils.

The BibleThe BOOK represents knowledge

and learning.It shows a passage from St. Matthew’s

gospel.

The Yorkshire RoseThe white ROSE of Yorkshire

represents PRIDE in our school,our heritage and ourdiverse community.

The CrossThe CROSS represents St. Matthew’sChurch and the way we CARE for thechildren.

The QuillThe QUILL represents industryand hard work.

School Organisation

This is a Church aided primary school, catering for children between the ages of 4 and 11.

The children who enter our school at age 4 will be classed as Reception children. All children start school in September andwill very quickly attend full-time, subject to discussion with the parents.

Pupils are graded in mixed ability classes according to age. The school has a capacity for 420 pupils. This is an annual intakeof 60, giving two classes per year group when fully subscribed. The school has a policy that the maximum class size is 30.

We organise classes to reflect a mixture of gender, ethnic backgrounds, social and academic abilities. As children come andgo from school, as children develop at different rates and because the social structure of the classes may alter, theconstitution of each class is reviewed annually and changes may be made in September to keep the balance. There are alsooccasions when staff members may need to move year groups as part of their professional development; this will also bereviewed at the same time.

The hours of the school day are as follows:

8.55am – 10.40am 10.55am – 12.15pm 1.15pm – 3.15pm

(Children in Reception, and Key Stage 1 have a break between 2.30pm and 2.45pm)These arrangements take into account advice from the DfES that children aged below 7 should have lessons for 21 hours a week and those aged 8 – 11,lessons for 23.5 hours per week. These times do not include registration, assemblies, playtimes and the lunch break.

The Badge of St. Matthew’s SchoolOur badge binds together the aims of the people who work in partnership to give our pupils the best

education that we can offer.---

St. Matthew’s Associates, Parents And Teachers ( SMART )

We have a long tradition of parental support and we look forward to the continuation of this important aspect of school life.Parents with children at the school are automatically members of the Association – which is open to all parents of pupils,past and present, and to members of the community who may wish to help us. The Association meets regularly throughoutthe year; organises social functions and fund-raising events; and is involved with the development of the school.

The CurriculumOverview

For the children at St Matthew’s, their education lasts from the age of 4 to 11 years. It is within this time that we see the most rapid development in anindividual. This is brought about by a large number of interwoven experiences. The two major sources of these experiences will be the home and schoolworking in partnership and understanding.

The aims and objectives of the Governors and Staff at St. Matthew's School are to provide a whole range of interesting experiences and learningopportunities which will enable a child to learn and grow, acquire skills and knowledge, find fulfilment and pleasure in the things he/she thinks and achievesand then eventually to be able to play his/her part in the adult world, having an embedded desire for life long learning.

The school places great emphasis on fostering the personal and social development of each child. As each child develops, greater responsibility, maturityand self-reliance will be encouraged. The curriculum at St Matthew’s provides each child with broad, balanced and differentiated learning experiences, withinthe National and wider curriculum. RE, English, Mathematics, Science and Information and Communication Technology are the core of this curriculum.

The philosophy of the school is based on our belief that each child is an individual. Therefore, the teacher approaches the teaching and learning in a varietyof ways, ranging from class lessons to small groups or individual work, using appropriate materials. A Cross Curricular approach to our skills basedcurriculum is used throughout school as exciting topics provide many opportunities to meet all the requirements of the National Curriculum. We havere-designed our curriculum to ensure it is creative, meaningful and relevant to our children in preparing them for life as 21st Century citizens. Children will

access experiences that ensure progression and continuity in knowledge and skills.

Foundation Stage

In the Reception classes we aim to create a stimulating environment where all the children can develop warm and secure relationships with adults andpeers. This is achieved by providing a place where the children can explore, experiment, observe and discover the world around them. We want them todevelop confidence, independence and an awareness and respect of themselves and others. We hope, within this secure environment, to help the childrento become independent learners capable of making choices and decisions for themselves. We shall provide opportunities for challenge; to be creative; to beimaginative; and to be able to explore the new and the familiar with equal confidence.

Many of you will know that reception year is part of the Foundation Stage. The Foundation Stage is a distinct period of education with its own “early learninggoals”. Most children should be able to reach these by the end of this stage. Foundation prepares children for the work of the National Curriculum inkey stage 1.

Childhood is important and here at St. Matthew’s we want all our children to have enjoyable and satisfying childhood experiences. It is these important early

experiences that affect our children’s attitudes to learning and create the foundations for their later learning in school and beyond.

Religious EducationAt St. Matthew’s our aim is to provide an atmosphere in which the children can extend their understanding of themselves and the world in which they live sothat they can develop both spiritually and morally. In R.E. we shall explore religious beliefs, values and practices of World Religions as well as Christianity toenable our pupils to make their own personal response to life whilst respecting the beliefs and practices of other people. Parents do have a right to withdrawtheir children from R.E. after discussion with the headteacher.

Collective Worship

Collective Worship is seen as a natural part of school life. Iit is a time within the day that provides for an opportunity to reflectupon the realities of life and of the spiritual truths proclaimed by the world’s major faiths. Moral Issues can be raised andfeelings sensitively explored.

The acts of worship are planned on a half termly basis and are often related to the topics that the children are covering intheir classroom activities; to significant occasions in the religious calendar; to locally raised issues and to national or international issues that may be relevant to the children. We also deal with matters that relate to the whole school.

Collective worship has an important role in the process of spiritual and moral development. Parents do have a right towithdraw their children from assembly after discussion with the headteacher.

As a voluntary aided church school our acts of worship also reflect the practice and traditions of the Church of England,however, respect is shown to other religious beliefs and practices. We see the shared values, beliefs and commitmentswithin our multicultural mix as strengths of our school community.

“The school's ethos underpins the good behaviour and

relationships between pupils and adults which make

the pupils act with kindness to others and to have a

clear respect for cultures other than their own. Their

positive attitudes and good behaviour contribute

strongly to their good progress.”

Pastoral Care

The most important part of a child’s social and emotional development is to give every child a positive self image. We try to achieve this through giving thechildren plenty of praise for things they do well and by giving children the opportunity to contribute to the life of the school.

We have a caring and considerate staff who do their utmost to ensure fairness at all times. In return we expect the children to show courtesy andconsideration to friends, peers and adults and to display pride in the school by always giving of their best. We rely on an atmosphere of co-operation andmutual respect.

The class teacher is concerned not only for the education of the child but also for their personal and social development. We try to combine high expectationswith a sympathetic approach, however, sometimes problems do arise in which case we try to involve parents at an early stage. We hope that as parents youwill do the same, informing us early of problems that may effect your child’s time in school.

School rules are important and are incorporated into the general ethos of the school. We expect high standards of behaviour from the children, this means;

Encouraging pupils to see other people’s points of view. Moving calmly and quietly about the school. Speaking politely to everyone. Being quiet at the appropriate moments. Keeping the school clean and tidy. Being in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. Up holding the school’s code of behaviour even when outside of school.

Promoting Positive Behaviour

At St Matthew’s School we believe that every child has the right to learn and every teacher the right to teach. Therefore our behaviour and discipline policyhas four main aims:-

1 To foster good behaviour within the school;2 To promote self discipline amongst pupils;3 To create a system that reflects staff consistency in the treatment of pupils;4 To make children, parents and all relevant personnel aware of shared expectations.

Good behaviour will be rewarded with praise, with a smile or by more formal reward systems. We have a high expectation of good behaviour and so wereinforce what we expect by pointing out good examples of children behaving well.

Inappropriate behaviour in school is dealt with quickly with little fuss, fairly and consistently. If school considers the behaviour to be more serious or persistentthan we would expect of our children the parents will be informed.

After parental consultation we have put together a school statement on behaviour and discipline in which full details of the school’s discipline policy can beexamined. If you would like to see the full policy then please ask at school.

Healthy SchoolThe school has worked hard to achieve healthy School Status. We try to look after the physical and emotional health of all pupils and staff, and promote

healthy lifestyles. We have many ways in school that we do this, from health education to sports clubs.

International LinksWe have a number of links with schools in India and Africa, areas of the world that best reflect our diverse community. We are developing a global dimension

to all that we teach in school, preparing the children as citizens of the world. We have an International Schools Award.

School CouncilOur ‘School Council’ is made up of sixteen children from across Key Stage 2. These children are elected to be representatives for their class and attend

weekly meetings to discuss relevant matters of interest concerning school organisation and development. The School Council is actively involved in decision

making within the school and regularly conducts surveys to gather views and opinions from their peers.

Any child in the school may put forward a suggestion to the School Council via their class representatives. These ideas are then discussed at School Council

meetings and feedback is given to classes. The aim of the School Council is to develop an awareness of citizenship and involve all our children, to some

extent, in the running of the school. The ideas from the children have helped develop the school. For example the mural in the playground was an idea from

a school councillor.

Out of School ActivitiesWe have a number of sporting activities that take place at various times of the year. Some of these activities are incorporated into the curriculum, others are

offered as extra-curricular activities. For example football, running club, netball and tennis.

We also have Global Gang, which is an environmental after school club for Year 5 pupils. We pride ourselves on ensuring the school is run in an

environmentally friendly way, and maintaining our Eco School status.

The school is widely used by the community and St. Matthew’s Church. Beavers, Brownies, Guides, Scouts, and Junior church are activities that take place

after school.

Special Educational NeedsAt St Matthew’s we believe that all children are entitled to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum, we also know that for a variety of reasons some find itdifficult to do well without extra help. These children are known as children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). This is not a bad thing, it means thatthese children will be able to make progress in smaller steps, and with more help.

We have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), who will also liaise with external Agencies e.g. Social Services, Medical Departments etc. We

also have a governor who works with school to make sure all children get a fair chance to do as well as they possibly can. The school works hard to give all

children as much help as possible. We train teaching assistants and Special Needs helpers to be able to be of assistance to the children in smaller groups.

InclusionWe are a fully inclusive school. As a Church of England School the Christian faith underpins the work that we do at St. Matthew’s. As a result of our

convictions we want a school that reflect the whole community and one that is open to all – regardless of colour, culture, gender, ability, or faith. We will

endeavour to help all children to achieve their full potential and will not use academic prowess as a factor within our admission policy.

DisabilityThe Disability Discrimination Act 1995 applies to school – and we have made a number of changes so we can be more accommodating to children, parents,

staff or visitors that may have a disability. We are very willing to give any assistance we can to anybody who wishes to use the building. If you have a

problem then please ask – we will try to sort it out.

DiversityThe school enjoys being a Church School for the Whole Community. We deliberately try to create a school community that reflects the population of inner

North East Leeds.

We are proud to be holders of the level 3 Stephen Lawrence Standard, reflecting the work we do to promote equality and racial harmony.

The school does not tolerate any racist harassment or abuse.

“This is a remarkably caring school. Pupils are

supported and nurtured extremely well

throughout their time in school.”OFSTED 2012

Thank you for considering St. Matthew’s a suitable place for your child’seducation. If you have not already done so, please take up theopportunity to look around our school. We are sure that yourchild will be happy here and we will do all we can to supportand nurture them through their childhood years.

Mrs Heather LaceyHeadteacher

St Matthew’s Church of England

(Aided) Primary School

Wood Lane

Chapel Allerton

Leeds

LS7 3QF

Tel: 0113 268 1489

Email: headteacher@st-matthews.leeds.sch.uk

Website: www.st-matthews.leeds.sch.uk