Schools Litter Charter

VISIT OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE:

www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

2

If you have a problem reading this Prospectus please

contact one of the school office staff. They will be

pleased to arrange translation and any additional

help.

Hadii aad dhib ku qabtid akhriska buugan fadlan la

xiriir xafiiska iskuulka. Waxaad halkaas la kulmi doon-

ta soo dhoweyn wanaagsan iyo in laguu fadudee yo

turjumaad iyo wixii kale oo saacidaad ah.

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Welcome to Birchfield Community School. We are an exceptionally large school

with culturally diverse families whose passion for excellence in school is

shared by the staff. We work together to provide the best possible education

for our children.

“Together our mission, vision, values and school delivery/improvement plan,

strengthen the leadership ethos of respect for every individual in the school.

These are at the heart of the school’s strategy and govern the way it oper-

ates. Staff strongly believe in and share the vision and values of the school.”

Social responsibility is a significant part of the school’s ethos and culture.

Parent and community partnerships are intrinsically linked to school improve-

ment. We have received many awards in recognition of our achievements

across the school.

We are an inclusive school that welcomes all children and we thrive on chal-

lenging inequality and disadvantage. Our curriculum is a powerful tool that

takes children on exciting and enjoyable learning journeys, during and outside

of, the school day.

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LOCATION & LAYOUT GENERAL INFORMATION

Where to find us 28 5 Information for Parents

School Map 30 6 School Uniform

31 School Dinners

REPORTS & AWARDS 33 Charging & Remission

Investors in People Gold 7

OFSTED 2012 34 8 PARENT PARTNERSHIP

Quality Mark 2012 13

OUR CURRICULUM

RESULTS 36 14 Early Years

37 Primary

SCHOOL STRUCTURE

Staffing Structure 16 TEN TO NINE, BE ON

Governing Body 57 20 Attendance & Punctuality

Dates for the School Year 62 21 Pastoral Care & Discipline

Our School Rules 22

School Vision Summary 23 POLICY SUMMARIES

School Delivery Plan 63 24 Internet Usage

School Aims 63 25 Freedom of Information

64 Child Protection

ADMISSIONS 64 Privacy Notice

Primary 65 26 Special Education Needs

Early Years 67 26 Complaints Procedure

68 SEND—Green Paper

Table of Contents

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CONTACT NUMBERS

Main School 0121 464 5661 Website: www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

Nursery Unit 0121 464 5300 Email: enquiry@birchfld.bham.sch.uk

School Kitchen 0121 464 5308

TRINITY HOUSE

Pre-school Academy 0121 464 5304

Handsworth Association of Schools (A Harding & T Sneary) 0121 464 7770

Public Transportation

Bus routes to

Birchfield Community School from Birmingham

City Centre:

7, 33, 46, 51, 52, 91, 107,

113

We are here

Birchfield Community School

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Main Building

KS2 Playground /

Sports Area

KS1 Playground/Sports Area

New Block

Eco-Hub

Quad/School Garden

Our School

Trinity House: Pre-School Academy/

Handsworth

Association

Library

Nursery

Assembly/Dinner Halls

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Investors in People: Gold Award Assessment Report

In February 2012, we were awarded the prestigious Investors in People Gold Award. Below you can read an excerpt of the assessment

report:

THE ORGANISATION: Birchfield Community School is a primary school based in Aston in Birmingham. The School’s 3 year School

Delivery Plan sets out four strategic aims:

To provide social and educational benefits to the local community and other schools, whilst creating the necessary conditions for

development.

Promote community cohesion/inclusion/empowerment for pupils and parents through teaching and learning.

Develop a business and community long term strategy which reflects the needs of the school and the potential to create further

change in the future.

To acquire strategic funding – local, national and international.

158 people are supporting Birchfield Community School in achieving these aims in teaching and support roles. Of these: 79 are full-time

staff; 36 part-time staff; 17 agency workers; and 26 are volunteers. This is the first time the School has been assessed against the

Investors in People Framework.

During our planning meeting, the Head teacher presented a simple model to us:

If people are striving to achieve the best standards and quality, and see that they are able to make a valued contribution to change

within the School; this should result in job satisfaction for all, leading to sustainable improvements and positive attitudes at both a

School and individual level.

This assessment was designed to test whether this model is working at Birchfield Community School.

OUTCOME: Having concluded that the Standard is met, the Assessor recommends that the Investors in People Quality Board formally

recognises Birchfield Community School as an Investor in People.

Following the in-depth assessment against the Extended Framework, G4S Assessment Services is delighted to confirm that organisa-

tion is recognised as INVESTORS IN PEOPLE GOLD STATUS.

Birchfield Community School has provided evidence that it satisfies at least 165 Evidence Requirements of the Framework.

Provisional date for next visit: In line with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills’ requirements Birchfield Community

School will be due to have their progress reviewed in September 2013. The exact timing of this activity will be confirmed when

the Continuous Improvement Plan is agreed.

STRENGTHS AND GOOD PRACTICE: The drive and determination within the School to bring about change and improvement is al-

most tangible.

Innovation in practice, activities and events is encouraged and celebrated; this is a School that is constantly striving to find new

approaches to bring out the best in its pupils and staff.

Diversity is seen as a strength.

The School has a forward thinking strategy, incorporating a range of developments.

The ability of the Head teacher to recognise people’s potential and talent and encourage them to pursue their dreams is quite

remarkable; this was often prior to individuals recognising their own strengths.

People speak with genuine passion about their work with the School.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed both their time and views to this assessment: arrangements

worked like clockwork; people were open and honest in our conversations; and, everyone we met made us feel truly welcomed within the

School.

Meeting the Investors in People National Standard is an achievement; exceeding it and being recognised at Gold Status is a significant

accomplishment and something to which everyone at the School should feel justifiably proud.

Estelle Warwick & Vicci Allen

Investors in People Assessors

24th February 2012

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OFSTED Inspection Report 2012

Inspection number: 376875 Inspection dates: 14–15 March 2012 Lead inspector: Kathy Hooper

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare provision, managed by the govern-

ing body, was inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006.

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3–11

Gender of pupils: Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll : 708 Appropriate authority: The governing body

Chair: Joe Cahill Headteacher: Moira Foster-Brown

Date of previous school inspection: 13 January 2009 School address : Trinity Road, Aston, Birmingham, B6 6AJ

Telephone number: 0121 464 5661 Fax number: 0121 464 5294 Email address: enquiry@birchfld.bham.sch.uk

Registered childcare provision: EY332142 Birchfield Pre-School Academy

Number of children on roll in the registered childcare provision: 48

Date of last inspection of registered childcare provision: 14 January 2009

Introduction

Inspection team: Kathy Hooper Additional inspector Anthony Green Additional inspector

Jenny Edginton Additional inspector Edgar Hastings Additional inspector

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Nineteen teachers were observed teaching 21 lessons over a period of nearly 10 hours. The

inspectors carried out surveys of lessons, spoke to groups of pupils, staff, governors and senior managers. They looked at pupils’ work, heard them

read, and analysed the school’s data on their progress. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning

the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s monitoring records, policies and other documents, including the minutes of

meetings of the governing body. Inspectors analysed 237 questionnaires from parents and carers, 47 from staff and 150 from pupils.

Information about the school

This is a very large school with a very high proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. All pupils have minority ethnic her-

itage, from 26 different minority groups, mainly Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi. The number of pupils whose first language is not English is much

higher than average, and 28 different languages/dialects are spoken. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs

is similar to that of other schools nationally. The school meets the current government floor standards for attainment and progress in both English

and mathematics. The school has separate provision for children from 2-4 years old in the Pre-School Academy in addition to the Nursery and

Reception classes. It has gained a number of awards: Healthy Schools; Quality Mark; Early Effective Learning; Leading Parent Partnership; Arts Mark

Silver; Investors in People Leadership Gold; and International Schools Award, Intermediate.

Inspect ion grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the

grades and inspection terms

Key findings

This is a good school because pupils make good progress, within an environment that makes excellent provision for their spiritual, moral, social and

cultural development. It is not outstanding because pupils’ achievement is not as strong in mathematics as it is in English.

The majority of children achieve their Early Learning Goals in Early Years Foundation Stage giving them a firm basis for their future education.

Pupils from all ethnic groups, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make particularly good progress in English.

The progress of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is close to that of other pupils.

Pupils persevere well and enjoy school. Teaching is good; teachers have good subject knowledge and manage behaviour well. Occasionally, the

amount of time in lessons for pupils to engage with activities for themselves is limited by whole-class discussion and too much focus on those with

their hands up. In those lessons, while the majority make satisfactory progress, the individual needs of all pupils are not always fully addressed.

The school operates within an orderly environment because pupils understand the schools’ routines and conventions well. There is an exceptionally

warm community ethos. Pupils have a strong moral ethic and respect differences. Attendance has improved. Rare incidents of bullying are sensi-

tively handled. Pupils generally feel safe and understand risks. However, there are limited opportunities in lessons for pupils to question, take the

initiative, and take responsibility for events.

INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall effectiveness 2

Achievement of pupils 2

Quality of teaching 2

Behaviour and safety of pupils 2

Leadership and management 2

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Good leadership provides a clear sense of purpose. Performance management is well used to improve the quality of teaching. However,

occasional inconsistencies in practice are not always fully addressed by senior and middle leaders. The curriculum has been developed and

enriched through extensive local and international links. The outside play area for the Early Years Foundation Stage is limited.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Raise the achievement of pupils in mathematics by:

promptly identifying and addressing gaps in pupils’ understanding before moving on to new learning;

developing the confidence of girls in numeracy.

Raise all teaching to that of the best by:

ensuring that whole-class teaching is accompanied by appropriate support for individual pupils.

ensuring teachers plan questions appropriate for all abilities to extend and check pupils’ understanding.

Develop the monitoring role of middle and senior managers to ensure all teachers follow agreed practice with respect to classroom man-

agement.

Enhance the outdoor play area for the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Pre-school Academy.

MAIN REPORT

Achievement of pupils

From extremely low starting points when they enter school, pupils make good progress to achieve standards comparable with the national

average. The vast majority of parents and carers report that their children make good progress. One commented that: ‘Staff are always

very supportive and we also have a lot of support from the head. I have two older children who left with excellent results and are still doing

well.’ Pupils achieve particularly well in English and there is little difference in the achievement of those known to be eligible for free school

meals compared with others. Teachers and support staff use a good range of interventions and resources to target individuals and groups.

As a result, pupils from different ethnic groups, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and recently arrived pupils,

achieve as well as others. Nevertheless, progress in mathematics is not as good as that in English, and girls are less confident in this area.

By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, the majority of children have achieved their Early Learning Goals. Children in the Nursery

often make outstanding progress. More-able children write simple sentences, add numbers up to 10, and order numbers to 35. By the end of

Key Stage 1, achievement is good and improving. Pupils’ attainment in mathematics is well above that achieved nationally and in writing it is

above. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are achieving at levels similar to other pupils nationally due to strong teaching and a rich curriculum.

Year 6 high-ability pupils used a range of information and communication technology equipment, such as robot cars, to solve problems relat-

ed to area and perimeter. All were totally engrossed in their work, knew their levels and what they had to do to improve. Pupils read at lev-

els similar to others of the same age by the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 because they have good opportunities to read a range of books at

home and at school.

Quality of teaching

The best lessons are lively and pupils are very well engaged, particularly in practical problem-solving activities. In English, the use of targets

and well-focused feedback through marking helps pupils to understand how to improve. However, in mathematics there are occasions when

learning moves on even when pupils have gaps in their understanding. Teaching assistants are well deployed and provide valuable feedback to

pupils on their learning. Tasks are generally well tailored to individual needs. The range of ethnicity within the staff enables adults to com-

municate with pupils in their first language when necessary.

The majority of parents, carers and pupils believe that the teaching is good. Teachers are knowledgeable and often provide exciting activi-

ties. The recent introduction of the use of film to promote pupils’ literacy is effective and very popular. Pupils’ attention was totally

gripped while watching a film made by Year 6 girls. Integrated opportunities to learn outside the classroom make the learning relevant and

stimulating while powerfully promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils’ understanding of the focus of lessons

is encapsulated in the use of ‘class greeters’ who explain to visitors what is happening in the lesson; this also develops their confidence in

addressing strangers.

Staffing difficulties lead to some inconsistent practice between classes. Occasionally, teachers limit the progress of individuals by over-

directing, rather than providing the resources pupils need to complete tasks for themselves. In some whole-class discussions, not all pupils

are equally well engaged because teachers do not check their understanding rigorously enough. On such occasions, some pupils’ attention

wanders.

Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school’s diverse population operates as a strong and enabling community. Pupils are well-motivated by school. Although a small minority

of parents and carers do not believe that behaviour in the school is good, the overwhelming majority believe that their children enjoy school

and make good progress. Several parents and carers said: ‘Teachers want the best for all children and make the environment a friendly one,

where children feel secure. They enjoy school so much they want to go to school even when they are ill.’ There is a well-understood system

of rewards to encourage good behaviour and to ensure that all pupils know the rules and expectations.

Learning mentors support those pupils who have the greatest difficulties in controlling their behaviour. Pupils have high levels of under-

standing of different kinds of bullying and report that bullying is rare and promptly addressed. Any cyber bullying is picked up through a

sophisticated school system for monitoring. Parents and pupils believe the safety of pupils is given the highest priority. Pupils have high

levels of understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe and know how to avoid unsafe situations. Younger pupils say that they

sometimes do not feel comfortable in the playground before and after school when there are large numbers of older pupils and adults

around.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management, supported by a well-informed governing body, are good and ensure continuous improvement in pupils’ achievement, teach-

ing and the curriculum. As a result, standards show an upward trend. Governors have a good range of experience, a high profile within the school, and

an accurate view of the school’s achievements and successes. Professional development has been effective in promoting good practice throughout the

governing body and the staff. Staff confirm the good leadership and management.

Systems for monitoring are strong and evaluations of performance are accurate. There is a coherent approach to monitoring different aspects of the

Early Years Foundation Stage, ensuring collaborative planning and evaluation of outcomes. There is high morale among the staff and a tangible drive

to improve pupils’ achievement. However, the pursuit of excellence is compromised by inconsistencies in practice that are not addressed quickly

enough through monitoring by senior and middle leaders. The curriculum provides memorable experiences for pupils, putting their learning into con-

text and promoting their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is acknowledged by parents and carers, one saying: ‘Both of my

daughters never want to stay home and enjoy every aspect of the school day from assembly, play, lessons, dinner, physical education, swimming etc.’

The system for monitoring pupils’ progress enables staff to identify and promptly address any underperformance. As a result, gaps between differ-

ent groups of pupils, those known to be eligible for free school meals, boys and girls, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, are

diminishing. Safeguarding arrangements meet the government’s current requirements. The high quality of safeguarding procedures is founded on

detailed oversight of each pupil’s particular circumstances and is acknowledged by parents and carers and their children. The school is well supported

by pupils’ families. The website is excellent and parents have frequent opportunities to engage in family workshops and communicate with staff. The

school has been instrumental in enabling families to have access to information and communication technology in all the pupils’ homes. The school has a

good capacity to improve.

The Early Years Foundation Stage delivered in the registered childcare provision

The Pre-school Academy operates as a separate provision, managed by the governors, for children aged two to four years old. Children’s attainment

on entry is very low and many speak little English. Children’s starting points are rigorously assessed and they make good progress by the time they

transfer either to Reception or to another school. Disabled children and those who have special educational needs make good progress because they

are well supported by outside agencies. Parents and carers are generally pleased with their children’s progress. Children establish good relationships

with all adults and respond well to them, sharing with them in their play. Children learn to cooperate well with each other and with adults, and to work

independently. Three children interacted well while playing in a ‘shop’, writing out bills, using the till, and stocking the cupboards. Children’s literacy,

numeracy and social skills develop well because adults consistently reinforce their skills throughout all activities.

Adults working with children are knowledgeable and have skilfully created a stimulating learning environment despite the constraints imposed by the

building. They provide a well-considered range of activities that effectively engage children in both group and individual activities. Nevertheless, the

outdoor area lacks stimulation. Children’s progress is well monitored through observations, and used to plan appropriate activities.

Leadership and management ensure close cooperation with the Nursery and Reception staff to provide consistently good provision. Heritage language

is effectively used to guide and support children. Self-evaluation is well used to ensure continuous improvement in provision. Safety and security are

given high priority. There are good relationships with parents and carers.

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage of the registered childcare provision, inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Child-

care Act 2006

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Taking into account:

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early

Years Foundation Stage for the registered provision

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2

2

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Glossary: What inspection judgements mean

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs.

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order

to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

Grade descriptors : achievement of pupils at the school

Good Pupils are making better progress than all pupils nationally given their starting points. Groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with

special educational needs, are also making better progress than similar groups of pupils nationally. Performance will exceed floor standards.

Pupils acquire knowledge quickly and are secure in their understanding in different subjects. They develop and apply a range of skills well, in-

cluding reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills, across the curriculum that will ensure they are well prepared for the next

stage in their education, training or employment. The standards of attainment of the large majority of groups of pupils are likely to be at least

in line with national averages for all pupils. Where standards of any group of pupils are below those of all pupils nationally, the gaps are closing.

In exceptional circumstances, where attainment, including attainment in reading in primary schools, is low overall, it is improving at a faster

rate than nationally over a sustained period.

Grade descriptors : quality of teaching in the school

Good As a result of teaching that is mainly good, with examples of outstanding teaching, most pupils and groups of pupils, including disabled pupils

and those who have special educational needs, are achieving well over time. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils. Teachers in most

subjects and key stages use their well developed subject knowledge and their accurate assessment of pupils’ prior skills, knowledge and under-

standing to plan effectively and set challenging tasks. They use effective teaching strategies that, together with appropriately targeted sup-

port and intervention, match most pupils’ individual needs so that pupils learn well across the curriculum. The teaching of reading, writing, com-

munication and mathematics is very efficient. Teachers and other adults enthuse and motivate most pupils to participate. Teaching generally

promotes pupils’ resilience, confidence and independence when tackling challenging activities. Teachers regularly listen astutely to, carefully

observe and skilfully question groups of pupils and individuals during lessons in order to reshape tasks and explanations to improve learning.

Teaching consistently deepens pupils’ knowledge and understanding and allows them to develop a range of skills, including communication, read-

ing and writing and mathematics, across the curriculum. Appropriate and regular homework contributes well to pupils’ learning. Teachers assess

pupils’ progress regularly and accurately and discuss assessments with them so that pupils know how well they have done and what they need to

do to improve.

Grade descriptors: behaviour and safety of pupils at the school

Good There are few well founded concerns expressed by parents, carers, staff and pupils about behaviour and safety. Pupils are typically consider-

ate, respectful and courteous to staff and each other and consistently meet the school’s expectations. This makes a very positive contribution

to a well ordered, safe school. The very large majority of pupils are consistently punctual to school and to lessons. In lessons, pupils demon-

strate positive attitudes towards the teacher, their learning and each other. Their good levels of engagement allow lessons to flow smoothly

throughout so that disruption is unusual. Pupils, including those with identified behavioural difficulties, respond very well to the school’s strat-

egies for managing and improving behaviour, which are applied consistently. Disruptive incidents seldom occur. There are marked improvements

in behaviour over time for individuals or groups with particular needs. Instances of bullying, including for example, cyber-bullying and prejudice

-based bullying related to special educational need, sexual orientation, sex, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment or disability, are

rare. Pupils have a good awareness of different forms of bullying and take active steps to prevent it from occurring. The school swiftly and

successfully addresses any incidents of bullying that do occur, thus gaining the full confidence of pupils, parents and carers. Pupils feel safe at

school. They understand clearly what constitutes unsafe situations and how to keep themselves safe. Where pupils are able to influence their

own attendance, it is likely that attendance will be above average for all sizeable groups of pupils, or showing sustained and convincing improve-

ment over time.

Grade descriptors: quality of leadership in and management of the school

Good Key leaders and managers, including the governing body, consistently communicate high expectations and ambition. They model good practice

and demonstrably work to monitor, improve and support teaching, encouraging the enthusiasm of staff and channelling their efforts and skills

to good effect. As a result, teaching is improving and is at least satisfactory, with much that is good. Planned actions based on accurate self-

evaluation to overcome weaknesses have been concerted and effective. As a result, achievement has improved or consolidated previous good

performance. The school’s curriculum provides well organised, imaginative and effective opportunities for learning for all groups of pupils in-

cluding disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, promotes positive behaviour and safety and provides a broad range of experi-

ences that contribute well to the pupils’ achievement and to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school usually works

well with parents and carers, including those who might traditionally find working with the school difficult, to achieve positive benefits for

pupils. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements and give no cause for concern.

Grade descriptors: overall effectiveness

Good The school takes effective action to enable most pupils to reach their potential. Pupils benefit from teaching that is at least good. This promotes very positive

attitudes to learning and ensures that achievement is at least good. Leadership and management play a significant role in this and are good overall. Behaviour and

safety are strong features. Deliberate and effective action is taken to create a cohesive learning community by promoting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and

cultural development. A positive climate for learning exists and pupils and groups of pupils have highly positive experiences at school so that they are well prepared

for the next stage in their education, training or employment.

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Overall effectiveness of schools

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made

previously.

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school in-

spection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about main-

tained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk).

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently

than good or outstanding schools.

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city tech-

nology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

For a full glossary of terms, please read the online version of this report on the school website: www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

This letter was provided for the school, parents and carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s main findings from the inspection of

their school.

16 March 2012

Dear Pupils Inspection of Birchfield Community School, Birmingham, B6 6AJ

Thank you so much for a very enjoyable visit to your school last week. We were very interested to talk to you about your school, to see your lessons,

to listen to you reading, and to look at your work.

Yours is a good school because progress in the school is good, especially in reading and writing. We were delighted to see some of you are helping

younger children by listening to them read. We agree with you that you learn a lot in lessons. We were so pleased to see your respectful attention

during the film that had been made by the Year 6 pupils. We really enjoyed hearing about the work you do out of school that puts learning in

mathematics, science, personal, social and health education into a real life context. You are becoming mature and sociable young people through bet-

ter understanding of yourselves and others. You are polite, well-behaved, and learning to keep yourselves and others safe. Your school is a strong

multi-cultural community that helps you to value differences and respect the needs of others.

All the good things about your school are because of the energy and imagination of the headteacher and the great care and commitment of all the

staff in the school. In order to make your school even better, I have asked your teachers to do the following.

Help you achieve as well in mathematics as you do in English.

Give you as much time as possible in lessons to work on activities that you can do yourselves, and to check your understanding more frequently.

Ensure that all staff have the same high expectations of your learning and your behaviour.

Make the outdoor space for the Early Years Foundation Stage children more exciting.

You can help your teachers by asking questions in lessons and telling your teacher when you do not understand, particularly in mathematics.

Yours sincerely

Kathy Hooper

Lead inspector

Overall effectiveness judgement (percentage of schools)

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0

Primary schools 8 47 40 5

Secondary schools 14 38 40 8

Special schools 28 48 20 4

Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5

All schools 11 46 38 6

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In May 2012, we achieved the Quality Mark standard for the 4th time in a row! Below you can read the

feedback report from the Basic Skills Agency:

‘Good practice’ identified in relation to the 10 Elements of the Quality Mark:

The school has a 3 year development plan which focuses on raising standards.

The self-evaluation processes and analyses of all aspects of the school are rigorous, robust and accurate.

Pupil tracking and assessment procedures are well-structured to gain maximum information to further develop pupils’ learning;

the trackers show predictions for pupils from Y3 to Y6 outcomes.

The tracking data is analysed across all groups within the school to ensure that all groups of pupils are achieving and attaining

success.

Assessment sheets and examples of work are moderated by the Leadership Team to ensure consistency across the school.

Setting takes place in some year groups but the membership of each set is flexible to enable movement in and out of sets after

close monitoring of pupil progress.

Parents are kept well-informed of pupil targets and children have ready access to their targets through displays and personal

bookmarks.

Assessment procedures in Early Years are very strong with a comprehensive range of planned opportunities undertaken by all

relevant staff.

Holistic books; Portfolios; Learning Journals are used across the phases to record assessed progress.

APP strategies are used across the school; these are most secure in Writing and Maths.

Pupil progress meetings are held each half-term; these provide opportunities for class teachers and members of the Leadership

team to discuss the progress of each individual pupil and plan any necessary interventions to support and develop their learning.

The children show high levels of involvement and engagement in their lessons and in the extensive range of extra-curricular op-

portunities.

Children with SEN receive their full entitlement and all reviews and meetings are conducted appropriately and documented well.

Pupils are involved in the setting and reviewing of their targets.

Staff are highly motivated, working well together alongside the outstanding drive of the Headteacher and the Leadership Team.

Staff development is a high focus in the school with all staff involved in high quality CPD. The Headteacher includes the school

in as many new and appropriate initiatives as possible as long as they are of benefit to the development of stakeholders.

Training days are used for a range of opportunities including moderating, marking and self-evaluation. Additional weekly meetings

include Faculty meetings and Professional Development meetings.

A wealth of rich and fulfilling extra-curricular activities and events are available for the pupils to enjoy. School staff give their

time freely and there is an excellent level of pupil participation in these opportunities.

Many learning opportunities are offered during the pupils’ lunch break.

Parents are closely involved with their child’s progress at school and are given strategies to support their child’s learning at

home.

School staff provide many levels of communication to support parents in the development of their own skills through workshops,

classroom-based activities and other varied learning opportunities.

The school is involved in extensive global links with other learning environments. Pupils and staff have made numerous visits

abroad and have entertained many children and teachers from other countries.

The school is a vibrant learning community where the acquisition of basic skills is a priority.

Suggested areas for development in preparation for the next Quality Mark visit:

To ensure that the pupil outcomes for Maths and English are consistently above the national averages.

To further develop and sustain the local, national and international partnerships in which the school is currently involved.

To sustain the positive and inclusive learning ethos and environment of the school.

Basic Skills Quality Mark Programme—Visit Feedback Report

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Pupils total

A D 0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 Wt Wa %Wt %Wa

All 89 0 0 5 5 6 73 16 73 18% 82%

Boys 47 0 0 2 4 3 39 9 38 10% 90%

Girls 42 0 0 3 1 3 34 7 35 8% 92%

Wa Grade Met expected phonic decoding standard for pupil at end of Y1

Wt Grade Did not meet expected phonic decoding standard for pupil at end of Y1

Year 1 Phonic Results 2013 (unverified)

Year 6 SATs Results 2013 (unverified)

* The English level is a combined level of speaking and listening, writing and reading.

*

BIRMINGHAM LA

Statutory National Curriculum Assessment—End of Key Stage One 2013

Comparative Information Sheet—(UNVERIFIED)

School: Birchfield Community School 2297

Number of Year 2 Pupils: 90

Your child has recently been involved in National Curriculum assessments for year 2 children. The school is

required to report the outcomes. Below you will see the teacher assessment results for your child’s

school. The teacher assessments for reading, writing and mathematics have been informed by some use of

the national tasks and tests. Information is also provided for the national results from 2012.

SCHOOL RESULTS (2013)

ENGLISH D A W 1 2 3 4+

En1 Speaking & Listening 0% 0% 1% 12% 53% 33% 0%

En2 Reading 0% 0% 1% 12% 54% 31% 0%

En3 Writing 0% 0% 3% 10% 61% 24% 0%

MATHEMATICS D A W 1 2 3 4+

0% 0% 0% 10% 60% 29% 0%

SCIENCE U W 1 2 3 4+

0% 0% 16% 47% 37% 0%

Figures may not total 100% due to rounding

NATIONAL RESULTS (2012)

ENGLISH D A W 1 2 3 APS 4+

En1 Speaking & Listening 0% 0% 2% 10% 66% 22% N/A 0%

En2 Reading 0% 0% 3% 11% 60% 27% 16 0%

En3 Writing 0% 0% 3% 14% 69% 14% 14.7 0%

MATHEMATICS D A W 1 2 3 APS 4+

0% 0% 2% 8% 69% 22% 15.9 0%

SCIENCE D A W 1 2 3 APS 4+

2% 9% 68% 22% 15.5 0%

Key

D - Children who have been exempted or not assessed for various reasons

A - Children who were absent for the assessments

W - Working within Level 1

1 - Level 1

2 - Level 2

3 - Level 3

4+ - Level 4 or above

U - Unable to reach an assessment due to absence or disapplication

Levels of attainment within the National Curriculum

15

16

Ms M K Foster-Brown Head Teacher

Curriculum Management Leader

Health & Safety

School Standards

Community/Parental Engagement

Strategic Planning/School Budget

Personnel/Employment Law

Social Investment/Regeneration

Handsworth Association

Race Equality/Community Cohesion

Governing Body

Mrs M Mason Deputy Head Teacher Lead School Day to Day Management

Lead Behaviour Professional

Teaching & Learning/Assessment

Curriculum Leader/Maths

Staff Professional Development

School Standards/Attendance

School Self-Evaluation

Staffing Structure

Ms N Foster-Brown Strategic Business

Manager Financial Management

Facilities Management

Governing Body

Health & Safety

Risk Management

Attendance/MIS Administration

Information/ICT Management

Human Resources

Mrs J Kaur Business Manager -

Human Resources Human Resources

Head Teacher’s PA

Employment Law

Staff Professional Development

Safeguarding

Recruitment

Performance Management

Clerk to the Governors

Mrs Y Malik Assistant Head

Teacher Transition Faculty

Lead Curriculum Development

Curriculum Leader/English

Bilingual Development

Modern Foreign Languages

School Delivery Planning

Teaching & Learning Standards

Newly Qualified Teachers/Mentor (Deputy Head Teacher Responsibilities)

Mrs G Priest Assistant Head

Teacher Special Needs/Pupil Welfare

Looked After Children

Senior Leader—Child Protection

Educational Visits

Newly Qualified Teachers/Mentor

Gifted & Talented

Teaching & learning Standards (Deputy Head Teacher Responsibilities)

Mr J Aldred Assistant Head

Teacher Upper Key Stage 2 Faculty

School Delivery Planning

Curriculum Leader/Science

Assessment/Pupil Targeting

Newly Qualified Teachers/Mentor Teacher Training Student Placements

Teaching & learning Standards (Deputy Head Teacher Responsibilities)

Vacancy Assistant Head

Teacher Foundation Stage Faculty

Safeguarding

School Delivery Planning

Assessment/Pupil Targeting Teacher Training Student Placements

Teaching & learning Standards (Deputy Head Teacher Responsibilities)

17

Teachers with Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) undertake additional

responsibilities. They lead, manage and develop a subject or curriculum area, or

lead and manage pupil development across the curriculum. A TLR impacts on the

educational progress of pupils beyond their assigned classes/groups.

Mr M Abbott Ms M Dhadley Ms N Lagah

Mr G Bal Ms A Fowler Mrs C McCrossan

Mrs S Beckford Miss N Fox Ms C Rhodes

Miss J Brierley Ms M Grannell Ms L Spittle

Mrs J Grewal Mr D Tooze Mrs J Cohen-Dunkley

Miss H Commander Mrs S Hussain Ms J Wilkes

Ms S James Mr G Winfield

Ms D Littley Project Manager

Humanities History, Geography & RE

Worship)

Mr P Wallace Project Manager P.E./Sports/Health

Extended Activities

Vacancy * Project Manager Citizenship/Equalities

Library

Mr S Brown

Project Manager Creative Curriculum

Cross-Curricular

Planning

* Role and responsibility - internal vacancy review

Mrs A Saghir Faculty Leader Foundation Stage (Pre-School Academy,

Nursery & Reception)

Curriculum/Project

Leader

Mr P Burford Faculty Leader

Transition (Year 1, 2 & 3)

Curriculum/Project

Leader

Mrs G Begum Faculty Leader

Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 4, 5 & 6)

Curriculum/Project

Leader

Mr S Khan Project Manager

ICT / Technology (Whole School)

Curriculum/Project

Leader

Teaching & Learning Responsibilities (TLR)

18

Vacancy Higher Level Teaching Assistant

Mrs T Aftab Ms A Kumari Mrs R Sayed*

Mrs S Begum Mrs M Mattu *School Advisor for Worship

Mrs S Sethi Mrs F Patel Mrs A Shamari- Agency

Ms L Brown Mrs J Paul Mrs S West

Mrs B Cheema Mrs S Ravat Ms J Wilson

Miss A Kauser Mrs H Saiyed Mrs V Williams Agency

Mrs R Solanki Parent Support Advisor

Mr T Sheikh Learning Mentor/Educational Visits/

First Aid/Sports

Mr H Ali Learning Mentor/Sports

Ms V Evans Learning Mentor

Mr A Ayaanle Learning Mentor

Mr J Rose Evolve Mentor

Mrs T Sneary HAS* Coordinator

Mrs M Teladia Collective Worship/Support Worker

Mr L Chardin Cover Supervisor/French Tuition *Handsworth Association of Schools

Ms C Mendez

Office Manager Pupil Data

Admissions/Attendance

Miss Z Andrews

School Administrator Marketing Manager

International Coordinator

Eco Coordinator

Educational Visits

Mrs R Ali

Clerical Assistant School Meals

Reception

Mrs J Townsend

Clerical Assistant Reception

Clubs - Netball

Miss N Martin

Clerical Assistant Reception/Stock Management/

First Aid

Mr L Schofield

Finance Consultant

Mrs S Rose

Finance Officer

Mr P Whearty

ICT Technician

Mrs J Marlow HR Advisor

School Nurse Kingsnorth—Kingstanding

Mr N Kennard Behaviour Support

Ms N Chowdhury Speech Therapist

Mr R Gilbert External Advisor

Ms S Hassett Pupil Support Service

Ms M Hudson Hearing Impairment

Ms I Mason Educational Psychologist

MUSIC SERVICE INSTRUMENTAL TEACHING

Mr A Jennings Brass

Mr C Loane Woodwind

Ms L Mattison Violin

Mr J Saini Tabla

Mr G S Dharni Sitar

Miss L Howy Keyboards

Mr D Leeper Keyboards

Mr J Silk Drums

Mr B Hollingworth Guitar

Mrs S Ali (Manager pm) Mrs R Malik (Manager am)

Mrs B Parmer (Deputy) Mrs K Zafar (Deputy)

Mrs A Shaikh Mrs R Sheikh

Mrs S Shaikh Mrs M Vorajee

Mr D Keelay

ICT Technician

Support Staff

19

Mrs P Flynn Chef

Mrs M Idrissi Deputy Chef

Mrs A Kauser Ms F Parveen

Mrs Z Khalfe Mrs G Kaur

Mrs N Rahman Ms L Davis

Ms R Begum + agency staff

Mr A Townsend Site Manager

Mr D Forysth Building Services Supervisor

Mr D Sidwell Assistant Building Services Supervisor

Mr I Noor Cleaning Supervisor

Ms S Bhayat Ms T Bhayat

Mz Z Bhayat Mrs Z Dhudha

Mrs N Jabbal Agency

Mr I Noor

Mrs F Saiyed Senior Supervisor

Mrs S Khan Senior Supervisor

Mrs R Adam Mrs N Chauhan Mrs N P Khalfey Mrs M Thakor

Mrs R Akhmat Ms S Delair Mrs S Parmar Mrs R Zaman

Mrs B Akhtar Mrs C Finn Mrs A Ravat + agency staff

Mrs Z Akooji Mrs F Ghumra Mrs R Rehman

Mrs F Arif Mrs Y Johnson Mrs S Shaikh

Ms H Bhamji Ms F Khalfey

20

LIST OF GOVERNORS + TERMS OF OFFICE

LOCAL AUTHORITY REPS

Mr G Rees From 9/5/12 to 8/5/16

Chair of Governors Mr W Holmes

From 11/08/2013 to 10/08/2017 ** Child Protection/SEN/Looked After

Children/Attendance Mr D Guest

From 03/05/2010 to 03/05/2014

STAFF GOVERNORS

Miss M K Foster-Brown (Head Teacher) ** Race Equality/Community Cohesion

Mr P Burford From 18/10/2009 to 17/10/2013

Mr A Townsend From 13/09/2010 to 14/09/2014

Ms Y Malik—Early Years From 28/06/2012 to 27/06/2016

COMMUNITY GOVERNORS

Mrs A Harding From 23/06/2011 to 22/06/2015

Mr A Hussain (VICE CHAIR) From 22/09/2010 to 21/09/2014

Mr R Russell From 16/05/2013 to 15/05/2017

Mr J Whelton From 16/05/2013 to 15/05/2017

PARENT GOVERNORS

Mrs A Ali From 06/05/2011 to 05/05/2015

Mr A Hannan From 25/01/2010 to 24/01/2014

Mr S Uddin From 25/01/2010 to 24/01/2014

Three vacancies

CLERK to the GOVERNING BODY Mrs J Kaur

THE WORK OF THE GOVERNING BODY

Our Governing Body is made up of parents, staff, community members and Birmingham City Council representatives. The Head Teacher is a member by choice and is counted as a Staff Governor. Parent representatives are elected by parents or in certain circumstances appointed by the Governing Body. The Governing Body is legally responsible for the general oversight of the conduct and curriculum of the school, that is, for managing policy. Each governor other than the Head Teacher holds office for a term of four years. There a number of Governing Body committees. Each committee has a different func-tion and oversees specific areas of school policy.

„The head teacher has

responsibility for the

internal organization,

management and control

of the school and for

implementation of the

strategic framework

established by the

governing body. Governors

are not expected to be

involved in the detail of

the day-to-day

management of the

school... Acting as a

“critical friend”,

governing bodies should

offer support and

constructive advice to the

headteacher.

Guide to the Law Governors

„Leadership and management, supported by a

well-informed governing body, are good and

ensure continuous improvement in pupils‟

achievement, teaching and the curriculum‟

OFSTED Inspection Report, March 2012

Our Governing Body

21

Monday—Thursday Infants: 8.50 a.m. — 12.15 p.m. 1.25 p.m. — 3.30 p.m. Juniors: 8.50 a.m. — 12.15 p.m. 1.15 p.m. — 3.30 p.m. Friday School closes for all children at 1.15 p.m. except children attending clubs.

Registration and assembly/collective worship take place each day.

Nursery/Pre-school Academy: 8.50 a.m. — 11.50 a.m.12.25p.m. — 3.25 p.m.

PLANNED SCHOOL CLOSURES Training Days

Monday 2nd September 2013 Tuesday 3rd September 2013

(SCHOOL WILL REOPEN ON WEDNESDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER 2013)

Friday 18th October 2013

TERMS OPEN (8.50 a.m.) CLOSE (3.30 p.m.)

Autumn term

2013

Monday 2 September Friday 25 October

Monday 4 November Friday 20 December

Spring term

2014

Monday 6 January Friday 14 February

Monday 24 February Friday 11 April

Summer term

2014

Monday 28 April Friday 23 May

Monday 2 June Tuesday 21 July

TERMS OPEN (8.50 a.m.) CLOSE (3.30 p.m.)

Autumn term

2014

Monday 1 September Friday 24 October

Monday 3 November Friday 19 December

Spring term

2015

Monday 5 January Friday 13 February

Monday 23 February Friday 23 March

Summer term

2015

Monday 13 April Friday 22 May

Monday 1 June Monday 20 July

Dates for the School Year

22

CLASSROOM RULES

In addition to the School rules teachers may agree some classroom rules with their children at the start of school year.

These rules are: CLEAR AND ACHIEVABLE and are PHRASED IN INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

23

To help you understand Birchfield School and to show you what a truly special place it is - we would liken our

school to the globe itself. There are three key factors that make up our school that can be likened to the

three layers of the Earth. Imagine the globe in cross section and look at its layers – the core, the mantle and

the crust.

Firstly, there’s the molten iron core, this foundation represents the quality of learning and teaching in a

school and it is the school’s greatest strength. The school’s constant focus upon delivering high quality per-

sonalised learning to all our pupils depending upon their levels of ability and achievement is our primary pur-

pose. We have a talented and committed staff team who are supported through a generous training budget,

non-contact time for marking and preparation – that all adds strength to the school’s academic life. A good

lesson is one in which ideas are expressed and challenged; children learn to use language with accuracy and

purpose. Our teachers encourage our children to use higher-order thinking skills by asking open-ended ques-

tions utilising the global dimension to extend their learning.

The Earth’s mantle feeds from the molten core and this layer represents the cross-curricular programmes

we offer in school time and as an extended curriculum after school: music, art, sport, drama, visual literacy,

family learning, growing gains, emotional intelligence, Comenius, technology and healthy eating. This broad

curriculum allows our children to have a wide range of experiences and to find where their passions in life lie.

All our children have the opportunity to be exposed to these activities and are encouraged to develop talents

they may never have thought they had.

The crust of the Earth holds the whole together- this represents pastoral care, a sense of community and

the involvement of parents. Above all, children should be happy and safe at school. It is our aim at Birchfield

to ensure we take the time to show and prove to our children and their families, that they are valued and

understood as individuals, socially, emotionally and as a spiritual being. They are integral parts of our school

and are seen as partners in a great education.

Birchfield Community School encourages our whole community to look outside of Aston, beyond Birmingham,

outside our region or even nationally to study the major issues affect our global community. We have a com-

mitment to providing our children with a world-class education and the opportunity to find out about the di-

versity of the world and the ways in which people differ but are intrinsically the same. The families we serve

come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds and speak many different home languages – so the school

draws upon our own community to support our curriculum. We also supplement this by carrying out visits and

exchanges with many schools from around the world –this year alone, we have linked up with schools from as

far away as Uganda, Martinique, Belgium, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Everyone who visits our school comments that our school is a magical place and that we have something spe-

cial that other schools struggle to attain. Birchfield Community School is a wonderful place and it is the

launch pad for us all to explore the world together.

Summary of Our School Vision

24

3 Year School Delivery Plan Summary

DEVELOP A MARKETING STRATEGY Key Strengths at Birchfield

We have the capacity to extend

our neighbourhood centre status.

Ofsted inspection of the school in

March 2012 determined the school to be ‘Good with outstanding features’.

Our family learning programmes and Handsworth Association membership enhance lifelong learning and community partnership

Partnership work with Local

Authority Integrated Services

We have the potential to create and run new activities and attract investment.

Initiatives enhance pupil and adult learning and well-being.

Vision & Strategy

To provide social and

educational benefits to the local community and other schools, whilst creating the necessary conditions for development

Promote community cohesion/inclusion/empowerment for pupils and parents through teaching and learning.

Develop a business and community long term strategy which reflects the needs of the school and the potential to create further change in the future.

To acquire strategic

funding - local, national and international.

Market and

appraisal

Survey parent/pupil/staff opinion

Explore local and other business

services/support and potential for wider exposure

Work with focus groups to

improve practice

Identify the school’s marketing strategy

Set out key strategic

and specific initiatives that will unlock the school’s potential

Highlight LA funding

options and other funding available at a strategic level, to help to deliver key actions identified.

Strategic & Specific objectives

Strategic actions

Site Audit Improve school infrastructure/

buildings, signage, Trinity House, and disabled facilities.

Further develop leadership and management

across the school

Raise standards of Key Stage 1 and 2 English,

Maths & Science

Extend Lifelong Learning Opportunities Develop creative, international curriculum/personalised learning/extended provision/parental engagement/family access to services and build on existing community programmes and facilities, integrated family teams, increasing Out-of-Hours opportunities for adults and pupils.

Self review/evaluation: using data and audit documentation

Evaluation of outcomes and

impact. Celebrate successes.

IMPLEMENTATION

Priorities for Improvement and Development Using effective strategies and lifelong learning programmes/schemes e.g. family

learning and other parent partnership projects. Improve writing across the whole school

Achieve economic wellbeing for families

Raise achievement in English, Science, Maths, PE and ICT

Enable pupils to reach their targets

Encourage professional development for staff and parents

Raise attendance levels

Develop and maintain community projects

Maintain high level of early years provision

Improve assessment procedures and pupil tracking

TARGET SETTING

ACTION PLANNING

The following diagrams summarise key aspects of our school delivery plan. The plan sets out

planned development and improvement over the course of three years, from 2013 until 2016.

International Links Comenius

Connecting Classrooms

Birchfield Community School

25

At Birchfield we aim to:

Create a positive learning environment that recognises the effects of racism, sexism, pov-erty and social deprivation. In doing so we hope to combat the effects of prejudice, re-sponding positively to children’s perceptions and understanding of stereotypes relating to gender, race, religion, class and disability.

Promote social inclusion and demonstrate enjoyable, enriching and effective strategies for

social investment. Promote community cohesion through teaching and learning so that all stakeholders are

empowered to achieve their aspirations. Develop imaginative and sustainable multi-agency activities that widen participation and

embrace other community members of all ages and heritages. Be aware that children are richly different through circumstances of birth, language, her-

itage and environment and to make full provision responding to those differences through personalised learning.

Develop, as fully as possible, basic learning competency so that each child can maximise

his/her potential contribution in our fast-changing society. Provide a learning environment that recognises the full potential of each child and allows

them to achieve. Provide a broad, deep and relevant curriculum which progresses across the years and is

responsive to the needs of the individual. Allow each child to develop self-awareness, understanding of others and the skills neces-

sary to enable individuals to take part in building a more just and equal society. Promote children’s awareness of local, national and global issues which have an impact on

all of us. Continually monitor children’s development and progress throughout the school experience

in order to identify and meet individual needs. Respond to and deal with the needs of both teaching and non-teaching staff in terms of

their professional development and the development of the school. Provide a curriculum which promotes children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural develop-

ment and prepares all children for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

Ensure that the head teacher, staff, governors and parents work together in a dynamic

process - re-examining issues, determining more effective processes, recognising priori-ties and developing new strategies to determine relevant school policies and curriculum.

26

SCHOOL ADMISSIONS SERVICE

Tel no: 0121 675 0555 Email: admissions@birmingham.gov.uk

Website: www.birmingham.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Office opening hours: Monday - Thursday: 8.45am - 5.15pm Friday: 8.45pm—4.15pm CLOSED: Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays

Address: School Admissions & Pupil Placement Service Birmingham City Council P.O. Box 16513, B2 2FF

Due to Government legislation admissions for children age 4 and over are handled by the Local Authority. Please apply online or send applications to:

NURSERY & PRE-SCHOOL ACADEMY ADMISSIONS

In Birmingham, admissions to a nursery or pre-school is not managed by the Local Au-thority. You will need to contact us directly and complete an application form. You will be required to produce your child’s birth certificate and a copy of a recent utili-ty bill (i.e. gas, electric or poll tax). As a Local Authority school we must offer places to all children on a part-time basis first. If capacity exists after all children have been offered a place, the children identified as meeting the Council’s criteria for a full time place will be offered a place on a full-time basis in either Pre-School or Nursery. The Coun-cil’s criteria is on the next page. There is limited funding available for two year-olds that have severe needs. Referrals are made by the school on an individual basis.

TAKE A TOUR

Parents and children are invited to visit the school on an

informal basis to look around and meet staff.

Admissions

27

PRIORITY ONE (Children need to meet one of the following criteria to be offered a full-time place)

Children with a Child Protection Plan or are subject to a section 47 Child Protection in-vestigation, or a section 17 Children in Need plan.

Children in Local Authority Care. Children subject to Common Assessment Framework – Engaged in family support plans or

Integrated support plans or the Yearly Support process. Children with diagnosed Disabilities who have a statement of Educational Need or en-

gaged in that process and/or are in receipt of Disability benefit, or children who have been referred to or by a Child Development Centre.

OR

PRIORITY TWO (Children need to meet two of the following criteria to be offered a full-time place)

Children whose behaviour/development/health gives serious cause for concern – referral from any appropriate agency e.g. Health Visitor.

Children from families who are homeless, living in poor housing or temporary accommoda-tion – referral from any appropriate agency.

Children referred by the Family Nurse Partnership or Health Visitor, from isolated first time parents or parents who are teenagers.

Families who have 3 or more children under five years of age. Children who speak no English or are in the very first stages of language development. Children whose parents/carers need support as a result of their physical disability, learn-

ing disability, mental health problem or illness. Parent/carer in prison. Children from asylum seeking, refugee families and travellers community. Children from families experiencing domestic violence, drug/alcohol abuse. Children whose home postcode is in the top 10% most deprived SOA according to IMD or

are entitled to a free school meal.

All other conditions remain the same for allocation of free entitlement places.

Where we have more applications for free entitlement places than there are places availa-

ble, the following criteria shall apply: -

Children meeting the criteria for the allocation of a full-time place

Children (siblings) with an older brother or sister already at the school (or at a linked

school on the same or nearby site) who will be in attendance at the time the sibling en-

ters the school. Siblings are considered to be those children who live at the same ad-

dress and either:

Have one or both natural parents in common

Are related by a parent’s marriage

Are adopted or fostered by a common parent

Children who live nearest to the school.

Within each of these categories, priority is given to those who live nearest to the school, by straight-line measurement to one fixed point in the school.

28

School Fund and Fund-raising As far as possible, all children should contribute to the weekly collection of school fund. This money is used to purchase items that the Local Authority are unable to provide. Parents are asked to contribute 30p per week per child attending the school. Various fund-raising activities take place throughout the year to raise additional monies for this fund.

Emergency Information All parents are expected to complete emergency information forms so that we may contact them at home or at work if their child falls ill at school or has an accident. Please notify the school immediate-ly if you change your address, telephone number or if any other circumstances change. If you have an email address, please include this on the emergency form.

Forms of Consent Parents are asked to complete a form of consent if they wish their children to take part in local out-ings, e.g. educational visits. Letters will be sent to parents when classes are invited to take part in such outings. On these occasions children and adults are insured by the school. If forms of consent are not signed and returned to the school then children will not be allowed to go on the trips.

Day to Day School Diary Parents are usually informed of all school matters by letter or through our Press Club newsletter. Dates can also be found on our website.

School Security and Site Development Our school site has a CCTV system that maintains a high level of security for children, staff and par-ents. We have direct links to the local police station. All parents and other visitors must report to the main reception on arrival.

Media/Photograph Permission Form Under the Data Protection Act. Strict rules govern the filming or photographing or recording of chil-dren and we never take or use images without parental permission. From time to time, in order to publi-cise what we do in school we may wish to release pictures or to invite reporters to film or to interview pupils. Only children whose parents have signed a permission form will be included.

No Smoking Policy Smoking is not permitted on school premises. Parents and visitors are expected to support our policy. This policy applies to EVERYONE using the school at any time of the day or evening.

Parents’ Evenings We hold termly Parent’s Evenings to enable parents to discuss their children’s progress. All parents and carers are invited to attend.

Sports

The school has cricket and football teams that play in local and national leagues / competitions. Parents are welcome to come along and support their child(ren).

Information for Parents

29

Library/Electronic Scanner Consent Form Every child becomes a member of our school library when they start school. School library books must be returned regularly so other children can use them. Your child will access our school library computer-ised system by placing his or her thumb on a scanner, which will convert the thumb print into a unique bar code number (the image itself is not stored). The bar code number cannot be used to recreate/reconstruct the thumbprint. School data protection and registration ensures any data on our computer is for educational use only. The benefits are: fast and easy access by pupils to the library system and a more complete record of all books a child has borrows throughout the school year. If you decide not to give your child permission to use the computerised system, your child will still be able to use the li-brary.

Medicines

Please inform us about the medication(s) your child is taking and complete the relevant forms at the office. Some medicines may be given in school. Please see the Head Teacher if you have any queries. We have special registration cards for children who suffer from asthma. Please complete one if this affects your child. Provision can be made to store inhalers safely inside school. All staff have received epipen training and class teachers have been given relevant information about children in their class who suffer from allergies.

Swimming The National Curriculum includes swimming lessons for children in schools. Reception, Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will attend Great Barr or Newtown Swimming Baths. Classes will travel to the baths by coach with a teacher and assistants during the week. Separate changing rooms are available for girls and boys. Birchfield pool times coincide with those of boys and girls from other local schools.

Litter Free Zone Everyone is expected to follow the schools anti-litter/graffiti policy which is monitored by the Prefects’ ‘Green & Clean’ committee. Litter DOES include chewing gum!

Recycling

We recycle all paper & cardboard, also some ICT products in partnership with the City Council as part of our commitment to becoming an eco-friendly school.

Medical Inspection The school nurse medically examines children at regular intervals. Examinations take place in school or at Aston Health Centre, Trinity Rd. Parents should attend these examinations. It is hoped that every child will have had a medical examination before they leave the school. Hearing, sight, weight, height and dental checks are carried out in these examinations.

Jewellery and Valuables Children should not bringing valuables items or mobile phones into school as they will not be insured if lost or broken. Studs for pierced ears are acceptable at school as other types of ear rings may cause damage to ears. Children are not allowed to wear jewellery or watches during physical education or swimming sessions. We are sensitive to the fact that certain items have religious significance.

School Family Survey We carry out a survey each year to help us to learn more about the community and the children in our school. Questions include information about languages, religions and traditions. Parents are requested to help by providing information which will enable us to provide a more relevant curriculum.

30

In accordance with government guidelines,

the school has written a Home School

Agreement for parents/carers to sign con-

firming their support for the school.

What do you expect from the school?

What do we expect from you as parents/carers?

What do we all expect from our children?

Red or Black Sweatshirt Embroidered logo

Red or Black Knitted V-neck Sweater Embroidered logo only

Red or Black Cardigan (sweatshirt material) Embroidered logo

Red or Black Knitted Cardigan Embroidered logo only

Red Tie Elasticised tie back + other

Black Trousers

Black Skirt or Pinafore

Black or White Head Scarf

Sensible Shoes—not train-ers

Wellington Boots

P.E. KIT Shorts, T-shirt Appropriate footwear

ALL CHILDREN ARE EXPECTED TO WEAR SCHOOL UNIFORM / SCHOOL COLOURS

The following embroidered school uniform is available from the school of-fice. School uniform can also be obtained from our recommended stockist Gogna, 67/69 Rookery Road, Birmingham, B21 9QU.

Home School Agreement

31

School Dinners

We provide a full range of managed catering across the school day including HMC certified Halal and Vegetari-an options. Our diverse menus provide the recommended nutritional standards for all our children and we pro-vide fresh and exciting foods to ensure their health and well-being. We provide a selection of 4 weekly menus offering a variety of dishes each day for your child to choose from. The menus include many favourites for example, fish, curry, pasta, pizza, fresh fruit, burgers and traditional puddings. Children may also select salad from our salad carts. Drinking water is always available and fresh bread is free to accompany your child’s meal.

There are also theme days and weeks where the lunch is linked to our school’s curriculum and events. These special dinners give our pupils new taste experiences. Over the last few years we have had meals inspired by Japanese, Chinese, Indian, American, Russian, French, Spanish, East African, Polish and Italian cuisine.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS We are hoping that more parents take up their rights and apply for free meals. If you are on an income below £16,190 or are in receipt of benefits, such as, Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance or Child Tax Credit, you are eligible for free school meals. (as of June 2013)

Children whose parents receive the following support payments are entitled to receive free school meals:

Income Support (IS); Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA); An income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA ir) (this benefit was introduced on 27

October 2008) See below; Support under part VI of the immigration and Asylum Act 1999; or Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income

(as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs0 that, as of 6 April 2013 does not exceed £16,190.

Children who receive IS or IBJSA in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals.

PAID DINNERS: How to Pay Parents who pay for school meals will be allocated swipe cards to enable them to pay at convenient times dur-ing the school day using the IMPACT machines on the exterior of the school building. Our computerised dinner system allows us to recognise each individual pupil using their fingerprint, holds individual cash balances and records what children choose to eat each day. This enables us to monitor children’s diets. It is particularly important to know what children choose because we try to ensure that children have a well-balanced diet in school and that our dinners appeal to children.

For the price of £1.70 per meal for nursery children and £2.00 per meal for primary children, our school din-ners provide pupils with a well balanced nutritional meal.

32

Pupils learn about the importance of a balanced diet as part of the curriculum. They are encouraged throughout their time at our school to eat healthily. This area of the curriculum and school policy is currently under development.

We encourage children who bring packed lunches not to bring crisps, chocolate, biscuits, sweets, sugary drinks or other unhealthy foods to school if it means that they will not maintain a balanced diet. Our school dinners include a second course, such as, fruit and yoghurt as part of a well-balanced nutritional meal. At the end of the year, health awareness trophies and certificates are present-ed to individual children.

There is a school health bar for the junior children at playtime in the morning— a maximum of £1 is suitable to buy a range of healthy snacks—please ensure your child keeps their money safe in a named purse, wallet or envelope. Nursery, Pre-school Academy and Reception children receive free milk and fruit daily. Years 1 and 2 receive free fruit daily.

Healthy Eating

33

The Education Reform Act, 1988 introduced new provisions dealing with school activities

which came into force in 1989.

1. The governing body make a charge for all activities for which charging is permissible.

2. Voluntary contributions may be sought from time to time to support the school or school

activities. Parents are asked to pay voluntary contributions towards the cost of

educational activities during the year. Requested contributions may vary and will depend

on the full costs of such visits. Such contributions are purely voluntary and requests will

make it clear that:

There is no obligation to contribute

No child is treated differently according to whether or not their parents have

contributed in response to the request.

3. In exceptional circumstances we hire rooms for educational purposes only at the following

rates and usually during the school term and opening times. These rates are reviewed an-

nually. CHARGES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Eco-Hub Conference Room—£TBA

Classroom and Trinity House Hire - £14.50 per hour per room

Halls mid week - £15.05 per hall per hour

Halls weekend - £46.30 per hall per hour

NB: Our facilities for lettings are limited because our pupils are involved in many out of hours activities in rooms and halls.

We aim to provide a safe and healthy working environment for everyone in the school.

The governing body, the Head Teacher and Birmingham City Council have worked together to

ensure that the school premises meet the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work

Act as well as other relevant health and safety legislation codes of practice. These include

the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1992, and any relevant policies

adopted by the European Commission.

The Head Teacher and the Site Manager monitor the implementation of the school’s Health &

Safety policy, to assess whether it is being pursued effectively and safety standards are

satisfactory. Risk assessments and reports are undertaken appropriately.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

CHARGING & REMISSION

34

In 2010 we were awarded the Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA). The awarding body identified the following strengths of the school and parent partnership:

The commitment, leadership and drive of the Head Teacher and all the staff to work with parents is exceptional.

The school demonstrates a real partnership with parents, which is exemplary. This is achieved through the enrichment programme, family learning and open door poli-cy, all of which significantly benefit both pupils’ and parents’ development.

Parents feel valued and recognise that they have a role in developing the learning process: they find the school to be a listening and responsive community.

The school is at the heart of the community and has positively impacted on commu-nity relationships.

Systems of communication are excellent: there is an effective flow of information between school and home with the school being individually responsive and supportive of parents’ and carers’ circumstances.

There is an outstanding provision of courses for parents enabling them to develop their own skills, abilities and greater opportunities to apply for paid work.

The significant support and development of parents’ own learning skills and subse-quently their ability to apply it to their children’s learning is impressive.

The high quality environment and facilities for parents, which are a clear indication that parents are valued by the school.

Pupils were very enthusiastic about their parent’s involvement and understood the important role they played in supporting their learning.

Ms Foster Brown, the Head Teacher, said, “The LPPA comments above capture the es-sence of Birchfield. We are extremely proud of the fact that they clearly demon-strate genuine commitment to every single family in our school community. We passion-ately believe in our school aims that drive forward our vision, and have been recognised as translating our vision together as a family”.

We began running a successful netball club for female parents. We will continue hold-

ing the club every week if parents are interested. All are welcome to attend, regard-

less of experience or ability.

Parents at Birchfield

35

In September 2011, our new PTA, Friends of Birchfield, was formed. ALL parents of pupils at Birch-field are automatically members of Friends of Birchfield.

The Friends of Birchfield Committee is made up of caring parents, staff and community members who give their time to help raise money for the school in order to improve resources and opportuni-ties for our pupils.

In 2012/13, the committee have held numerous fundraising events for the school, with the support of Mrs Flynn and the brilliant catering team, including themed cake sales, the Family Learning team and Cinema Clubs.

Our committee have also been working hard to raise money for charity. Events have included MacMillan Coffee Morning for Cancer Relief, BBC Children in Need, Day for Change Cake Sales for UNICEF, Comic Relief and a cake sale in aid of the Syrian Appeal.

The committee have had a very successful year and have raised funds for the school and numerous charities.

The committee will be holding numerous events this academic year. We will inform pupils and parents of events throughout the year.

We are always looking for new members to join the committee. If you are interested in joining please contact Mrs Solanki in the main office or send an email to: enquiry@birchfld.bham.sch.uk.

Friends Of Birchfield PTA

36

Nursery - full time and part time children - situated on the main drive into school

Pre-School Academy - full and part-time nursery-aged children - based in Trinity House

Reception Classes - 3 classes (R1, R2, R3) each with 30 children - within new block main school

Our Nursery and Pre-School Academy form one part of the Foundation Stage (Foundation Stage 1). Children in

Nursery and Pre-School share a curriculum and facilities. Reception classes form the second part of the Foundation

Stage (Foundation Stage 2). These three settings constitute the ‘Early Years.’

At Birchfield Community School we are committed to providing a dynamic and creative Learning Journey through fun

and exciting learning opportunities.

AREAS OF LEARNING

There are seven areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS):

PRIME AREAS

Personal, Social & Emotional Development

Physical Development

Communication & Language

SPECIFIC AREAS

Literacy

Mathematics

Understanding the World

Expressive Art and Design These areas are rigorously planned for and are delivered both indoors and outdoors on a

daily basis. Children learn and explore through focused as well as child-initiated activities.

We differentiate the learning according to the individual needs of the child and adopt a holistic approach where each child is valued and respected. The child’s attitude to learning - the choosing to be a part of our ‘Great Learning Journey’ is fostered and nurtured in each of our settings. Developing the child’s attitude to learning is a crucial part of the Early Years Learning Journey, and is one that will affect them throughout their ‘Lifelong Learning.’ Familiar and established routines and procedures support the learning environment as we aim for our children to de-velop as confident, enthusiastic and effective learners. The practitioners (teachers and assistants) recognise the individual child’s learning strengths and areas for development - assessment of the individual child is part of daily planning. Having embedded flexibility in our learning experiences, the curriculum programme aims to challenge our children’s thinking and range of experience.

Our nursery gained an award for the quality of our provision and we have completed the third year of the Effective Early Learning (EEL) programme—maintining our green rating—which is the highest rating possible.

Early Years at Birchfield

37

The Government has launched a new National Curriculum for England. While it is being introduced to

schools and the staff are being trained, the existing National Curriculum requirements for primary

schools remain until September 2014.

The National Curriculum includes the following statutory subjects in key stages 1 and 2 which all

pupils must study:

Art and Design

Design and Technology

English

Geography

History

Information, Communication and Technology

Mathematics

Music

Physical Education

Science

Modern Foreign Languages

Religious education must also be provided at key stages 1 and 2.

In addition to the National Curriculum, our school curriculum

incorporates key focuses, issues and themes which are detailed on

the next few pages.

‘The curriculum

provides memorable

experiences for

pupils, putting their

learning into context

and promoting their

spiritual, moral,

social and cultural

development.’

OFSTED Inspection

Report, March 2012

Our Curriculum (for KS1 and KS2)

38

Our two ICT suites enable us to continually develop and extend the use of ICT in our curric-

ulum. Classes use the upstairs suite for ICT lessons, family learning and community based

projects. The downstairs suite is used for group work and adult/family learning. Additional

technology in the suites, halls and classrooms enable us to enhance school events and assem-

blies.

Peer to Peer Links Our ICT facilities are utilised in making and maintaining links with schools and school chil-

dren in the UK and abroad. Pupils connect to peers in other schools via video conferences.

We began using video conferencing to communicate with children in Russia and our class

teacher, Ms Littley, during her visit to the school. Class 17 began a video conferencing pro-

ject with a school in Marseille, France, using a French educational platform. In 2012, our

video conferencing links with Russia have expanded to years 2 and 3. In 2013, we began to

regularly Skype our children visiting our partner schools in Hungary and Belgium. We have

also written and received Christmas and New Year cards from our partner schools in Uganda

and Martinique. We have also begun creating blogs and using shared platforms to support

our international projects.

Moodle Our Moodle or VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) has been launched in selected year

groups and will expand to the rest of the school and parents this academic year. It provides

a central platform where pupils can access class work and homework online.

Mathletics and Education City All children in years 3 to 6 have access through individual usernames and passwords to both

Education City and Mathletics. Both are websites that offer our children a range of engag-

ing and challenging activities linked to their class lessons. Their class teachers have access

to the websites and can allocate appropriate work to each child. If a child doesn’t have in-

ternet access then booklets of appropriate work can be printed off and given to the child to

complete by the class teacher.

Pupil Progress & Tracking At Birchfield we constantly strive to improve the way in which we record our pupils’

achievements, progress and academic targets, as well as other important information.

CMIS enables teachers to record and track pupil progress. Targets are set using the

teacher’s knowledge of their pupils. To ensure that our pupils receive the highest standards

of education, these targets are reviewed throughout the year.

The E-Portal system enables teachers to record attendance automatically on a computer at

the click of a button! Using this facility, we are also able to produce individual pupil pro-

gress reports for parents. Soon, parents will be able to view their child’s attendance record

and report online using E-Portal. Parents will be given individual usernames and passwords

which will allow them to access their child’s details.

Information & Communication Technology (ICT)

39

The Growing Gains project promotes healthy eating to our pupils through food growing activities.

This project gives pupils a chance to learn about where food comes from and teaches them about

eating a healthy balanced diet, both at home and at school.

Through their involvement in this project pupils gain:

experience of growing their own food

the opportunity to design and develop a school allotment

an understanding of where food comes from and how it is grown

information about healthier lifestyles

Throughout the school year, pupils receive eighteen lessons over three terms which cover the plan-

ning, development and care of a vegetable garden:

Autumn term: pupils are given a variety of fruits and vegetables to taste in order to help them

decide which foods they want to grow.

Spring term: pupils learn about the life cycles of plants, the effects of other plants and animals

on the school garden, the importance of soil and how to look after the garden.

Summer term: pupils take part in activities based around growing and harvesting crops and the

project ends in the creation of a delicious meal prepared from school-grown crops.

Growing Gains is a practical school gardens project, exploring healthy food

and the environment

We are committed to making our school more environmentally friendly and educating our pupils

about sustainable development and their impact on the environment.

We have registered with the Eco Schools programme and have joined the Co-operative’s Green

Schools Revolution. We will be introducing more and more green issues, such as, climate change,

globalisation, sustainable energy, biodiversity and conservation, into our curriculum. In 2013, pupils

have planted trees in local nature reserves, launched school campaigns about protecting the envi-

ronment and more.

Our Eco Action Force and Green & Clean Committee meet regularly to ensure that the school envi-

ronment remains clean and that appropriate school waste is recycled.

As a school we are continually look for ways to reduce the school’s environmental impact through

initiatives concerning recycling greater amounts of school waste, LED lighting, biomass and solar

panels.

We will keep parents and pupils updated on our efforts in school newsletters and on the school

website.

If you would like help improve our school by joining a committee or if you have any suggestions for

how we can make the school greener you can let us know by sending an email to:

enquiry@birchfld.bham.sch.uk. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of staff at the main

reception.

Sustainable Development

Growing Gains

41

In September 2011, we began our first two-year Comenius School Partnerships with schools in Poland,

Turkey, Belgium, Romania, Czech Republic, France and Hungary. So far we have focused these partner-

ships in years 4 and 5. These initial projects have now finished and we have to produce a final report for

submission to the British Council. As the children and staff have benefited so much from these projects

we have applied for two further projects. We have recently found out that we have been successful and

we have funding to run both Comenius projects. One is called „Forgotten Values—open your arms to

change, but don‟t let go of your values‟ and is based upon families working together to remember the

way in communities were in the past. The other is called „War and Peace‟ and focuses upon the „Making of

Europe‟ as an inter-related, democratically accountable continent. From September 2013, we will ensure

curriculum delivery of these projects in all age groups but we will only be taking older children on

residential visits.

Comenius school partnerships enable pupils and staff from across Europe to work together on joint

curriculum projects. As part of these projects a small number of pupils and staff have the opportunity

to take part in exciting visits to our partner schools around Eu-

rope. In 2012/2013 we have undertaken seven visits to other

European countries, three of which included children—Romania,

Hungary and Belgium.

“As a school that acts and works globally, we have embraced the

opportunity to work with our European partner schools on the Comenius projects. The projects

give our children real understanding of people‟s lives and show how we are all the same and yet different. Our children have truly benefited from learning in this interactive, challenging and

exciting way.”

Mr. J Aldred

Assistant Head Teacher

COMENIUS ASSISTANT In 2012/13, we hosted our second Comenius Assistant Mr

Chardin and he was from the South of France. He taught

French in years 3 to 6, assisted in Reception and organised

cultural events including Mardi Gras and French breakfasts.

We are delighted to announce that this academic year Mr

Chardin will return to teach from September 2013 until July

2014. We will announce French cultural events very soon.

The International Dimension—Comenius

42

In order to encourage our pupils to gain a greater understanding of the world and its many cultures, we have

made links with schools in countries around the world. Communication with children overseas gives our pupils

real access to other cultures and compliments their learning.

BELGIUM: In June Mrs Mason, Mr Burford and Mrs Khan went to Belgium as part of our Comenius cultural

project. They were joined by four children—Ikhlas, Sarha, Maaz and Alisha went by train to Belgium. They

visited Bruges, Rosalares and visited Rollegem Kappelle School. They learnt a great deal about life in Belgium

and they were really surprised that the school was so different from our school. All the children and staff in

Belgium welcomed them so kindly that they felt like star guests for the whole week.

HUNGARY: Mrs Begum, Mrs Solanki and Mr Chardin took a group of children to Hungary to visit a school in a

city called Debrecen. The children were from year 6 and they were Zoiya, Sana, Arbarb, Harfiza and Aneesa.

The group spent time at the school and were warmly welcomed in the traditional way with bread and salt. The

children really enjoyed the talent show and were amazed at the quality of the acts and their costumes. Hun-

gary proved to be a friendly, clean and welcoming place and everyone had a marvellous time.

ROMANIA:

In October Mr Aldred, Mrs Grewal, Miss Andrews, Iqra, Sadhika and Misbah from year 5 all flew to Bucha-

rest in Romania. The purpose of the visit was to meet up with children and teachers involved in the European

Cultural and Historical Heritage Comenius project. The children gave a wonderful presentation at the Roma-

nian National Library on Traditional and Contemporary British Dances. They also visited the host school and

spent time working on art and dance related projects. They spent time in Transylvania visiting King Carlos’s

castle and Dracula’s Castle. The visit was a wonderful opportunity for them all to spend time in a beautiful

country with fantastic teachers and children from all over Europe.

UGANDA: In 2011 we established a Global School Partnership with Namagunga Primary Boarding School in

Kampala, Uganda. Reciprocal visits were carried out in 2011/2012, with two of our staff visiting Uganda in

November 2011 and the head teacher and deputy from Uganda visiting our school in March 2012. During the-

se visits, joint curriculum work was planned for the next two academic years. Funding for this partnership

temporarily ceased in March 2012, however the British Council, UK Aid and the Department for International

Development have launched a new programme of funding, Connecting Classrooms, which may help us continue

to further this partnership link. On the next page, you can see our joint sustainability charter.

FRANCE: In January 2011, we began a video conferencing project with Lapin Blanc Primary School in Mar-

seille, France. This project continued in 2012 and has gone from strength to strength. Pupils exchange cultur-

al information in both English and French through videoconferencing sessions. These sessions greatly enhance

our modern foreign language teaching in the participating class. We hope to expand this partnership this aca-

demic year.

MARTINIQUE: In March 2012 and again in June 2013, teachers from Birchfield School visited Martinique as

part of the Comenius project. The objective was to plan future projects and share ideas on sustainability and

community cohesion.

Comenius Visits

43

44

Literacy is central to our curriculum in every year group, from pre-school academy to year 6. Reading and

writing skills are promoted across the curriculum though all subjects.

In order to nurture a love of reading and writing in our children, we have had a brand new library specially

built next to reception which houses over 20,000 books. The new library was opened last year and has won-

derful facitilites including: new interactive computerised 60 inch screen, new furniture and self contained toi-

lets. The library provides a stimulating environment and an exciting collection of fiction and non-fiction titles

to suit all ages and abilities, including numerous classics by celebrated authors. Books are chosen to be rele-

vant to the curriculum and to reflect positive images in terms of race, gender and disability whenever possi-

ble. We also try to provide a wide range of dual language books including books written in Gujerati, Bengali,

Hindi, Spanish, Punjabi, French,

Chinese, Polish, and Somali.

Every class visits the Library on a weekly basis and children may take up to two books from the Library. Our

Library is computerised so that children may borrow independently, as well as during their class visits.

In May 2007, our wonderful teacher, librarian and Citizenship Coordinator, Mrs Jacqui Westlake (1949 -

2007) sadly passed away. She had dedicated her life to our library for seven years and helped to shape it into

the

plentiful resource that it is today. As well as spending much of her time in the library, she was also responsi-

ble for holding many of the special events that have taken place in the school such as, Red Nose Day, the Lord

Mayor’s visit, the Young People’s Parliament, non-uniform day and meetings of School Councillors and Prefects.

She also maintained our School House system. In light of this great loss, we at Birchfield renamed our school

library ‘The Jacqui Westlake Library’ and we feel it is appropriate to retain her name for our new library.

There will be an after-school library club one night a week (date TBC). This is not intended to be a formal

teaching club but one where children can freely avail themselves of the facilities. They may pop in for a quick

visit to change books or they may stay for an hour to participate in various activities, such as, internet re-

search, help with homework or simply play suitable games. All family members will be welcome and may also

borrow books if they wish.

You are the blossom in my tree,

You were always sweet as honey to me.

You were always kind and gentle,

You were an inspiration to everyone,

Although she has gone she still lives in our hearts

and in our lives,

She still is a big part of all of us.

Mrs Westlake - I mean our Super

Westlake,

You were one of a kind.

By Ansar

Literacy & Our Jacqui Westlake Library

Our New Library

45

Creative Arts Policy Summary Visionary Aims

To develop children’s imagination and intellect in the creative pursuit of social justice, artistic freedom and the pro-

motion of community cohesion.

Through the learning, teaching and practice of art, to promote inspiration and creative self-expression of the individ-

ual and school community.

To enable children to experience the arts from vision to action, from artist to audience, from generation to genera-

tion across time, barriers and cultures.

Our core beliefs and practice

The creative and expressive arts curriculum at Birchfield aims to provide learners (both children and adults) with rich

opportunities to engage, explore, participate and experience a wide range of artistic forms, including all forms of visual

performing arts such as dance, drama and music.

Our curriculum draws upon a wealth of stimulating resources, from a variety of artistic, historical and cultural contexts.

This is intended to expose our learners to a range of media in the endeavour to ignite their creative flair. We see the

arts as integral to the growth of the whole individual and indeed as a fundamental entitlement. Given the multicultural

environment and demography of the school and the community it serves, there is a strong emphasis on learning about the

richness and diversity of different cultural traditions that exist in and beyond our community.

For a full copy of our Creative Arts Policy please visit our school website at www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

Creative Arts Developments

The school thrives on creative arts initiatives which all help raise standards across the curriculum.

Peripatetic tuition is provided by specialists from Birmingham Music Services. We have expanded the use of instruments

in school and from September 2013, all pupils in year 3, and their teachers, will have class tuition in guitar, African drums

or keyboards. Tuition in clarinet, flute, violin, cornet, euphonium, tuba, tenor horn, sitar and tabla will continue as usual.

We were awarded the ArtsMark Gold for our creative arts curriculum work in 2012.

The Creative Arts

46

All pupils have access to a balanced programme of physical education. They are taught

to work together safely to develop coordination, communication and body management.

Pupils gain understanding by participating in a variety of enjoyable activities. We play

rugby, hockey, netball, cricket, rounders, basketball, and football.

Children also take part in gymnastics, dance, athletic activities, exercise classes,

swimming, archery and adventurous outdoor activities.

We encourage children to:

be physically active and appreciate the value of a healthy lifestyle

demonstrate knowledge and understanding

develop positive attitudes towards physical education

exercise good sporting behaviour

Physical Education (P.E.)

47

Educational visits are part of our curriculum and enhance class work. Outings and residential visits

are a chance to give children valuable first-hand experiences which can bring a class topic to life.

These visits stimulate pupils’ interests and help them to develop their understanding of different

environments and acquire the ability to be independent in a variety of surroundings.

The school ensures that all children and adults, including parents, take part in school outings, as ap-

propriate. We are aware that parent contributions for some trips can be particularly large and our

educational outings policy is continually under review.

Pupils currently visit a variety of places in England, these include:

The ThinkTank Science Museum & Giant Screen

Weston Park

Sutton Park

Cannock Chase Nature Reserve

Coventry Transport Museum

Drayton Manor Theme Park

The Habitat Survival Trust

West Midlands Safari Park

Twycross Zoo

Sandwell Valley Nature Centre & Farm

Middleton Lakes Nature Reserve

The National Space Centre

Kingswood—Residential Visit

The Black Country Living Museum

Conkers

TOAD and many more!

Educational Visits

48

he

utdoors

gainst

rugs

We believe that it is important for pupils to

take part in adventurous educational visits.

TOAD gives year 6 pupils the

opportunity to take part in an exciting

programme of high quality outdoor

Education, linked to their curriculum planning,

throughout the academic year.

Pupils take part in various activities including:

o High and low rope courses

o Rock climbing

o Canoeing & kayaking

o Problem solving & team building games

o Dry skiing

o Long distance walking

These activities are suitable for a range of ages and abilities.

They provide a broad range of challenges and are designed to be

fun as well as educational!

Pupils:

o enjoy participating in outdoor activities and adopt positive attitudes to

challenges and adventures.

o gain personal confidence and self-esteem through taking on challenges

and achieving success.

o become alive to the natural environment and understand the importance

of conservation and sustainable development.

o acquire and develop a range of skills in outdoor activities, exploration,

problem solving, leadership and teamwork.

o demonstrate increased initiative, self-reliance and commitment.

o learn to appreciate the benefits of physical fitness and the lifelong

value of participation in healthy leisure activities.

49

We believe that our of hours activities enrich the curriculum and aid learning through improved con-

centration skills, team spirit and self-discipline. Our dedicated support staff and teaching staff run

a number of school clubs during and after school.

CRICKET

Our most popular club is Cricket Club. We run daily cricket clubs for different year groups due to

the amount of interest from pupils and parents. Cricket at Birchfield is led by Mr Sheikh, who is our

Cricket Coach, has led our Year 4/5 team to become County Kwik Cricket Champions! Match results

can be found on the school website.

NETBALL

We have two netball clubs for pupils after school and one club for adults. This club is led by Ms

Rhodes.

PRESS CLUB

Our Press Club is led by our pupils and budding reporters produce the school newsletter.

There are a number of other popular clubs which are led by Mr Sheikh,

Mr Ali, Mr Rose, Ms Dillon, Mrs Cheema, Mrs Wilkes, Mr Bal,

Miss Andrews, Miss James, Mr Wallace, Mrs Sethi, Mrs Ravat,

Mr Burford and many more of our staff.

These include football, art, heath and fitness, emotional intelligence,

computer club, archery, badminton, library, homework, booster classes

and more!

This academic year, we are also hoping to introduce new clubs including

archery, French and Arabic, depending on interest from pupils and

parents.

Clubs and Activities

50

Our school and the surrounding community is a melting pot of cultures and we feel that cul-

tural understanding on all levels - local, national and global - is essential for all young people

today. Our Citizenship/Community Cohesion agenda is multifaceted. There are a number of

positions and leadership roles that have been created for pupils as part of this agenda:

School Councillors - influence decision-making about aspects of school life

Prefects (led by our head boy & head girl) - lead in the organisation of the school day

Peer mediators & Young Play Leaders - prevent playground conflict

Zoneparc leaders - support social play and sports in the playgrounds

Librarians - maintain the school library and encourage children to write book reviews

ICT Technicians - use computers, cameras and other audio equipment to support school

events

Young Peoples’ Parliament delegates and Handsworth Parliament delegates - promote

global and local citizenship work in school

Houses/House Captains - staff and pupils belong to houses named after people who have

changed the world, thus promoting global citizenship

Eco Action Force, Eco Champions & Green and Clean Committee - manage and develop

the school’s commitment to sustainable development

Classroom Greeters - are responsible for welcoming visitors to their classrooms

Singing in the Playground - children have been trained to lea d singing in the playground.

They work in teams to encourage other children to sing at playtimes and lunchtimes.

In our School House System every child is allocated to one of six School Houses, named after outstanding citizens of the world, who each made significant contributions to society by fighting for freedom and liberty against injustice. The six heroes and heroines we have chosen to represent our school houses are Nelson Mandela, Razia Sultana, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Emmeline Pankhurst.

House points may be awarded for academic achievement, good behaviour, sporting prowess, good attendance and punctuality, healthy eating at dinner time and any other positive aspect of a pupil’s school life. House point results are announced at our weekly Merit Assemblies and the winning House Captains collect a silver cup with their House name engraved on the cup. Inter-house football tournaments are held as well as inter-house general knowledge quizzes. Prizes are large quantities of house points! Additionally, the children in each Key Stage with the most house points in each house are awarded a trophy at the end of the year.

Citizenship/Community Cohesion

School House System

51

We are committed to directly involving children in the ethos of the school. To do this effectively we be-

lieve that children must be given responsibility and, to an extent, be involved in decision making.

Our School Council is a constituted body of elected and co-opted children from Years 2, 5 and 6. The staff

members are chosen by the School Councillors. The councillors represent year groups from pre-school acade-

my to Year 6. All prospective councillors have to present an election address to their peers and then there is a

vote and 30 councillors were elected. Classes elect representatives, who liaise with council members, who they

can pass on their ideas for school improvement too. Council committees usually include finance, newspaper,

school meals/health bar and Green & Clean.

The council is a forum for children to voice and discuss their opinions and interests regarding matters that

affect the school. It meets on a regular basis. Minutes of meetings are taken by the Council Secretary and

are displayed in the main entrance and on the Council Notice Board on the first floor of the main building along

with other records of school meetings.

The School Council vote on what projects they want to put forward for consideration to the governors.

Four councillors are nominated to be delegates to our Handsworth Young People’s Parliament (see page 55) .

This is an annual event which involves year 6 pupils taking over a staff role for one morning. Each child has to

apply for a particular staff role and write a letter of application to Ms Foster- Brown. The children are then

informed of their roles and they receive training from that member of staff. They then deliver that role for

the entire morning. It is a very exciting, enjoyable and tiring day and it gives each child a window in to the

world of work.

The School Council

Pupils as Leaders Day

52

We have created opportunities for the study of citizenship throughout the curriculum. Every year group creates stunning visual displays across the school which illustrate the rich cultural diversity of the school population and promote a respect for the values incorporated in the Human Rights Act. Each year, themes are chosen which reflect these values and our citizenship philosophy. Our corridors often reflect global issues and concerns which are covered throughout the curriculum in order to encourage our pupils to become responsible world citizens. Issues which have been covered over the years include, the envi-ronment, religious tolerance, demographic world changes, fair trade, children's definition of terrorism, the global effects of recycling, child poverty and children’s homes around the world. Every class is in-volved in researching and making our displays appropriate to their age group.

Parents, staff and pupils created a magnificent patchwork mural that now hangs in pride of place in our school’s main entrance. Another mural was created depicting the legacy of Nelson Mandela. This was tak-en to Nelson Mandela’s family in South Africa by the Head Teacher of one of our partner schools, New-lands Primary. Above is a picture of Mandela’s family in South Africa holding the mural made by our staff and pupils. In 2012, we also made themed murals to share with our partner schools in Uganda, Poland and Russia. In spring 2012, the whole school learnt about the Queen and held a street party to commem-orate her Diamond Jubilee.

In 2013 we also celebrated Mardi Gras as part of the Comenius project as well as raising money for Chil-dren in Need and children in Syria.

Following debates about human rights, the School Council made the decision to rent water cooling ma-chines for the classrooms from AquAid. Following their ‘wheeling and dealing’ with the company, AquAid built four water wells in Africa. Villagers work in partnership with Christian Aid to provide year round clean water supplies within their rural communities. Pupils, parents governors and staff can see how the Council’s decision positively affects the quality of life of communities who have been traumatised by war, poverty, famine and political discord. The water pumps/wells are inscribed with our school name in villag-es in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

In February 2013 we began celebrating UNICEF’s Day for Change. This is now an annual event which we will continue supporting for years to come!

Due to the support and immense generosity of parents, pupils and staff, we are also able to support Com-ic Relief’s work in the UK and Africa, emergency disaster appeals around the world and other UK charities including BBC Children in Need and the Syrian Appeal.

Citizenship in Action

Aquaid

UNICEF Day for Change

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54

Registered Charity No. 1141805 Trading Company No. 07381665

Our school leads, with trustees and a management group, the Handsworth Association of Schools/Consortium/Trading

Company and Charity. The Association aims to promote and develop community activities that meet the educational,

religious, social health, recreational, linguistic and cultural needs of people who live and work in Lozells, Ladywood, East

Handsworth, Aston and Soho Wards. HAS staff have an office in our community house, Trinity House and Handsworth

Conference Centre at Welford Primary School.

The Local Authority are working in partnership with groups of schools (16 consortia) on a new service, Integrated Family

Support Teams are a key development within the new operating model with the bringing together of 16 multi-disciplinary

teams at local level to support children and families.

The Association runs numerous initiatives that enhance our curriculum work including Handsworth Young People’s

Parliament:

Benson Community School Mansfield Green Primary School

Birchfield Community School Prince Albert School

Broadway Academy Rookery Academy

Brookfields Primary School St. Augustine’s R.C. Primary School

Canterbury Cross Primary School St. Clare’s R.C. Primary School

Cherry Orchard Primary School St. James C.E. Primary School

Grestone Primary School St. John Wall R.C. Secondary School

Grove Primary School St. Mary’s C.E. Primary School

Hamilton Special School St. Matthew’s C.E. Primary School

Handsworth Grammar School (Boys) St. Michael’s C.E. Junior & Infant School

Handsworth Wood Girls School St. Theresa’s R.C. Primary School

Heathfield Primary School Wattville Primary School

Holyhead Academy Welford Primary School

James Watt Primary School Westminster Primary School

King Edward VI Handsworth School (Grammar) Wilkes Green Infant School

Wilkes Green Junior School

Members of our School Council have played a leading role in developing the Handsworth Young People’s Parliament, which is

affiliated with the Birmingham Young People’s Parliament. The Parliament was established in partnership with Handsworth

Association of Schools. Twenty nine schools are involved in the Parliament.

Parliament delegates meet government ministers, other members of Parliament and Councillors, and aim to influence deci-

sion making that affects their lives.

Since its beginning Handsworth YPP has gone from strength to strength. The parliament meets each half-term. There are

usually more than 100 pupil delegates in attendance.

The aims of the Handsworth Young People’s Parliament:

1. To encourage young people to become active citizens in their schools and local community through the promotion and

development of school councils.

2. To support the citizenship curriculum in schools through the teaching of government at national and local level as well

as rights, roles and responsibilities.

3. To develop a mechanism for the participation and involvement of young people within their community, enabling their

issues, concerns and opinions to be heard.

Handsworth Association of Schools/Consortium

Trading Company and Charity

Handsworth Young People’s Parliament

Schools in the Association/Consortium

55

Our programme of religious education follows the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus, which en-

courages a multi-faith approach and respect for all religions.

Our assemblies promote religious education. They make a valuable contribution to

children’s spiritual, moral and cultural development. Major festivals - Diwali, Christmas,

Easter, Vaisakhi, Chinese New Year, Eid - are covered throughout the year, drawing es-

pecially on the heritage, countries of origin, values and beliefs of our children and others.

COLLECTIVE WORSHIP ASSEMBLIES No one is ever asked to worship a different religion from his or her own and it must always be re-membered that Collective Worship in school cannot and should not be the same as the worship offered by the Mosque, the Gurdwara, Synagogue, Temple or Church. The school has Islamic collective worship assemblies two times a week. These assemblies have different themes every week, which relate to issues that may be found in our chil-dren’s lives. Values are taught to the children in these assemblies, such as humani-tarianism, being kind to your neighbours etc. On occasions, such as Mother’s Day and Fa-ther’s Day, the children are enlightened with and taught how to value and respect the-se relationships. They are taught to be cohesive within their respective communities and always be true to themselves and their faiths. Parents who wish to withdraw their children from these assemblies are free to do so, and instead, their children will participate in secular activities.’

Ramadan A compassionate and sympathetic environment exists in the school to accommodate the chil-dren that choose to fast. A high percentage of our school population is Muslim and as such we are aware of their needs and requirements during this highly spiritual month. We know that Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles on which Islam is based and the im-portance of it to Muslims worldwide is enormous. For these reasons we are aware that dur-ing Ramadan certain adaptations may need to be made to how the children’s day is spent, and may affect subjects such as Swimming, Physical Education and Music. We always make sure that the school ethos is maintained while still keeping in mind the well-being of the children while they are fasting, and we make sure to fully respect the needs of both the pupils and the staff. Ramadan is a time for brotherhood, unity and spirituality to unite Muslims around the world, and we make sure that these themes are recurring throughout our school as well.’

Mrs R Sayed Ms B Sayed

School Advisor for Collective Worship Advisor

Religious Education

56

The school has adopted APP (Assessing Pupils’ Progress). It is used by our teachers to diagnose the

strengths and areas of development for individual children in mathematics, reading and writing.

Each half term we track children’s progress. This information is used to shape planning and targeted

intervention, especially for those who are having difficulty/are falling behind in their work.

APP has an impact on the teaching and learning of all children at Birchfield. This system provides

evidence that our pupils are achieving consistent levels of attainment which compare favourably with

national expectations.

The process encourages pupils to be actively involved in their learning through peer and self assess-

ment. Pupils can understand how they are progressing and how they can improve the quality of their

work.

We carefully monitor the performance of different year groups - boys, girls, ethnic groups, age

groups and those with pre-school experience. We also monitor staff performance. Our record keep-

ing procedures are tools that enable staff to detect any problems quickly which enables them to fo-

cus on skills that individuals need to acquire as well as children's abilities. Our methods allow us to

evaluate our resources and continuity of progress.

Class teachers share information with parents at termly parents’ evenings and at other times during

the year to support and foster greater parent-school partnership.

Copies of all school policies, schemes of work, assessment procedures and records of achievements

are available in school and on the school website.

The main focus for homework is to provide children with the opportunity to practice their skills in an informal setting - at

home. In particular, we ask parents to concentrate on reading. Reading books are sent home every night and children are

expected to read for a short time every day.

Children may be given work to complete at home, such as, practising their spelling, multiplication tables or finding

information about class topics. Older children are expected to undertake more research/project work at home with the

support of parents. They are also expected to maintain comprehensive homework diaries.

We are developing online homework and interactive learning activities for children and families. Our virtual learning

environment will be active within the next academic year!

HOMEWORK PER YEAR GROUP

Pre-school—Phonics, letter and number recognition

Reception— Reading, Phonics and Number activities

Year 1— Reading, Phonics, Spellings and Number activities

Year 2—Reading, Spellings, Number activities and topic pieces

Year 3— Reading, Spellings, Number activities, Mathletics and topic pieces

Year 4—Reading, Spellings, Number activities, Mathletics and topic pieces

Year 5—Reading, Spellings, Number activities, Mathletics, Education City and topic pieces

Year 6—Reading, Spellings, Number activities, Mathletics, Education City, SATs revision and topic pieces

Assessment

Homework

57

The school has continued to give high priority to maintaining and improving pupil attendance.

In the academic year 2012-13 attendance was 93.49%, we all still need to work

hard as a community to achieve a 95% attendance rate.

During the last year there has been regular consultations with our Education

Social Worker. There has been sustained, long-term work with families where

attendance has given cause for concern as well as a series of individual visits where

pupils’ attendance has temporarily fallen below the target of 95%.

Attendance trophies are given out at the end of the year and certificates are given out

throughout the year.

Parents should not request holidays in term time as this has a severe affect on your child/

ren’s progress. They miss out on essential learning, experiences and their friends at school.

Any holidays taken without first agreeing dates with the school are Unauthorised.

Please don’t let your child miss out on the education they deserve.

Every School Day

Counts!!

Attendance and Punctuality

EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS

58

The target percent of attendance is 95%. The school and Education Welfare Service (EWS) will

continue to make every attempt to work closely with parents and families to ensure that unau-

thorised absence is avoided. However, in the case of any parent who fails to respond to personal

contact and advice and where there are no medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances

for poor attendance the Education Social Worker (ESW) is keen that legal action be instigated

in line with the Government's drive to improve school attendance figures.

WE CANNOT SUCCEED

WITHOUT THE

SUPPORT OF

PARENTS, CARERS

AND CHILDREN!

Initiative 1: Attendance Ted

We continue to announce the weekly attendance percentage for each class at merit

assemblies. The children enjoy the opportunity to win Attendance Ted for the week

and this serves as a regular reminder of the importance of good attendance.

Initiative 2: 100% Attendance Trophies

These are awarded at the end of the summer term to children who have achieved 100% attendance

percentages throughout the school year. In addition to having their name displayed on the large tro-

phy itself, each child receives an individual trophy, engraved with their name, to take home and keep.

The classes in two faculties with the best attendance record also receive a trophy.

Initiative 3: Cool Cats / Punctuality Winners

These are awarded to the classes with the best punctuality record each week.

Attendance at Birchfield is extremely important to everyone that works within the school. As

part of our ethos, we actively encourage children to come to school on time, every day. One

regular feature of our efforts to strive to improve attendance and punctuality is to hold fun

Attendance Weeks once every term.

We hold special assemblies where we discuss the importance of attendance and how we

benefit from coming to school EVERY day on time. During Attendance Weeks children pro-

duce work about attendance and take part in exciting competitions.

Workshops are held for parents to discuss the importance of attendance. Working alongside

attendance officers from the Local Authority and Mrs. Solanki, our Parent Support Advisor,

the parents are quizzed about various information with regards to attendance facts and fig-

ures.

Take a look at the posters on the next page. They outline the amount of learning lost by late-

ness and absence from school. You’ll be surprised at how missing a few minutes of school each

day can add up!!!!

Term Time Holidays and

Extended Leave

Attendance Weeks

46

60

DID YOU KNOW ……… ?

Children spend only 190 out of 365 days in school.

Children who lose time from school do not do as well as they

should.

There is never a good time to take children away from their lessons,

especially:

When children have important tests and coursework to complete

e.g. in years 2 and 6.

When children move from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2.

When children move from Primary school to Secondary school.

IT IS NOT TRUE:

That they can automatically ‘catch up’.

That by missing lessons, pupils do not fall behind.

That lessons they miss are repeated at a later date.

That for younger children, lost schooling does not matter.

EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS!

ALWAYS check school holiday dates and discuss any holiday plans or visits

abroad which do not coincide with these times with the school.

PARENTS who take their children out of school during school term-time

without the Head Teacher's authorisation or beyond an agreed date:

Risk losing their child’s place at Birchfield

Risk being taken to court and fined or being given a Fixed Penalty

Notice.

Risk their child’s future through lost learning and lowerachievement

Risk their child feeling left behind and left out

STOP AND THINK WHAT IT WILL COST YOUR CHILD PLEASE PUT

YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION

FIRST

Term Time Holidays and

Extended Leave

61

INTRODUCTION

Children of school age, by law, must attend school regularly. Regular attendance is crucial for children to

make the most of the educational opportunities available to them.

A child absent from school misses not only what has been taught that day, which can lead to gaps in their

learning, but also is less prepared for their lessons after their return.

Parents should avoid taking their children out of school during term time in order to go on holiday. Children

are in school 190 days a year leaving 175 days for taking holidays. For this reason, our Governing Body

discourages parents from arranging family holidays during term time. Leave for such holidays will not be

granted unless their are exceptional circumstances. EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS!

What are ‘exceptional circumstances’?

The Head Teacher makes the decision as to what might be considered exceptional circumstances. Each re-

quest is considered on an individual basis.

Examples of exceptionable circumstances:

A parent, grandparent or other close relative is seriously ill

When a family needs to spend time together to support each other during or after a crisis

When permission is likely to be refused

If the child has already been granted leave of absence previously

The child’s current attendance record is below 95%

The year group the child is in and proximity to exams/tests

The sole reason for requesting is that flights are less expensive during term time

We believe it will have a harmful effect on the child’s education

What the law says

The regulations make it clear that parents DO NOT have a right or entitlement to take their child

out of school for the purpose of a term-time holiday.

Issues parents need to be aware of

If the school does not grant requested leave and parents take their child on holiday regardless, this

will be counted as unauthorised absence/truancy.

The school and the Education Welfare Service may consider issuing a Fixed Penalty fine of £50 for

the period of unauthorised absence.

Should the leave be granted, in exceptional circumstances, but the child does not return on the agreed

date, extra time will be recorded as unauthorised absence.

Should a child fail to return within the agreed return date and their is no contact from the parents,

the school may take action to remove the child’s name from the school roll. We will also inform the Edu-

cation Welfare Officer. In these circumstances the parents of the child would be responsible for en-

suring that their child was registered to attend another school.

Extended visits overseas

In extreme and rare circumstances we recognise the importance and significance of a visit and we will dis-

cuss the circumstances with the parent beforehand. We will stress to parents the likely impact on their

child if extended leave is taken during term time. The school will also seek to explain what work the child

will miss at school, how this may be addressed on return and how parents can help their child.

Birmingham City Council’s full policy can be seen on request

Extended Leave & Absence Policy

62

We operate a Positive Behaviour/Discipline Policy and emphasise to our pupils that:

They have a right to learn without disruption

Teachers have a right to teach

Everybody has a right to safety (physical and psychological)

Everybody has a right to dignity and respect

We regularly praise our pupils and catch them being good, we use the language of choice, we

attempt to build every child’s self esteem and we build a rapport with children in our care. In

conjunction with children’s rights we discuss responsibilities, which lead to positive or nega-

tive choices and consequences. We incorporate our five school rules into our daily teaching

and set basic routines, all of which are designed to teach our children good citizenship skills.

Anti-social forms of behaviour are not acceptable in school, e.g. gang membership, racist

abuse, bullying and verbal and physical abuse.

We encourage children to learn to demonstrate self discipline, independence and

self-confidence. We promote good, consistent standards of behaviour. We are aware that

the social and emotional needs of individual children can have a bearing upon their behaviour.

In order to implement our behaviour policy, which is integral to our school delivery plan,

a shared understanding of the values and expectations of pupils, staff, parents, gover-

nors and the wider community must be achieved.

We build positive relationships between adults and our pupils and encourage them in the skills

which will enable them to relate well to each other is a key component of our positive Disci-

pline/Learning policy. Indeed, we believe that everything that happens in a classroom is by in-

vitation, we cannot make pupils do things in a power struggle or purely be coercive. Our staff

take primary responsibility for being proactive in ensuring the relationships we achieve in

class/school are as positive and empowering as possible.

We use SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) which offers a whole-curriculum

framework for teaching social, emotional and behavioural skills to all children and is organised

into seven themes which can be covered within a school year:

1) New beginnings

2) Getting on and falling out

3) Bullying

4) Going for goals!

5) Good to be me

6) Relationships

7) Changes

Pastoral Care and Discipline

63

We are pleased that, as part of the ongoing development programme for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), we are now able to offer all pupils’ access to the internet, providing a wealth of information to assist with their studies. With internet access comes the responsibility of the user to only access materials that are considered educational in value in the context of the school setting. Birchfield Community School we make every effort to guide pupils in the correct use of the internet. As part of our internet provision our access is filtered to exclude inappropriate material. As a further measure the school has ‘Policy Central’ monitoring software. Even with these measures it is impossible to prevent all misuse. It is imperative therefore, that users be held accountable for their use of technology.

We expect all who use the internet to:

BE POLITE Use appropriate language.

Do not send or encourage others to send rude or abusive messages.

BE SMART Do not reveal your password to anyone.

Do not give out personal details. Remember emails may be not be private.

BE CONSIDERATE

Do not do anything that could cause disruption to other users. Do not send junk or bulk emails.

BE RESPONSIBLE

For a full copy of our internet access policy please contact the school or visit our website at www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

Birchfield Community School is committed to full compliance with terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to ensure that all information held by the school is treated in a manner that is fair and lawful. For a full copy of our Freedom of Information Policy please contact the school or visit our website at www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

Further information is also available from: Birmingham Grid for Learning at www.bgfl.org

The Information Commissioner at http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Policy Summaries

1. Internet Usage Policy Summary

2. Freedom of Information Policy Summary

64

At Birchfield Community School we foster an atmosphere where our children can feel secure valued

and listened to. We recognise that the safety, welfare and care of children are paramount. We are com-

mitted to the highest standards in protecting and safeguarding the children entrusted to our care at all

times.

We ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to minimise the risks of harm to children and that all

appropriate actions are taken to address concerns about the welfare of children in our care, working to

agreed local policies and procedures in full partnership with local agencies.

Miss Priest, Assistant Headteacher, has been working with children for over thirty years and is our Desig-

nated Senior Person (DSP) for Child Protection as well as the Head of Special Educational Needs at

Birchfield.

For a full copy of our Child Protection Policy contact the school or visit our website at

www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

We at Birchfield Community School are the Data Controller for the purposes of the Data Protection

Act. We collect information from you and may receive information about you from your previous school and

the Learning Records Service. We hold this personal data and use it to:

Support your teaching and learning;

Monitor and report on your progress;

Provide appropriate pastoral care, and

Assess how well your school is doing.

This information includes your contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance in-

formation and personal characteristics such as your ethnic group, special educational needs and any rel-

evant medical information. If you are enrolling for post 14 qualifications we will be provided with your

unique learner number by the Learning Records Service and may also obtain from them details of

any learning or qualifications you have undertaken. We will not give information about you to anyone outside the school without your consent unless the law and our rules allow us to.We are required by law to pass some of your information to the Local Authority and the Department for Education (DfE)

If you want to see a copy of the information we hold and share about you then please contact the recep-

tion desk. If you require more information about how the Local Authority (LA) and/or DfE store and use

your information, then please go to the following websites:

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/cs/Satellite/privacy

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmin/ims/datamanagement

If you are unable to access these websites, please contact the LA or DfE as follows:

Birmingham City Council Public Communications Unit

Council House Department for Education

Victoria Square Sanctuary Buildings

Birmingham, England, B1 1BB Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3B

Telephone: 0121 303 1111 Telephone: 0870 000 2288

Email: contact@birmingham.gov.uk Email: info@education.gsi.gov.uk

3. Child Protection Policy Statement

4. Privacy Notice—Data Protection Act 1998

65

“Inclusion is far more than just about the location of a child’s school placement. Inclusion is about

generating a sense of community and belonging and encouraging mainstream and special schools and

others to come together to support each other and pupils with special educational needs.

Birchfield is an inclusive school with:

a. An inclusive ethos

b. A broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils

We are committed to offering an inclusive curriculum to ensure the best possible progress for all of our

pupils whatever their needs or abilities. Every child is equally valued and we strive to develop an environment

where all children can flourish and feel safe.

The SEN Code of Practice outlines that children have special educational needs if:

‘they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.’

(DfE Special Needs Code of Practice, November 2001)

This includes children who:

have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of the children of the same age;

have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind gener-

ally provided for children of the same age in school within the area of the local education authority;

have significant problems (physical, emotional, psychological, medical, etc) that hinder/prevent him/her

from learning or benefiting from the normal education or educational facilities provided for the majority of

his/her peers.

We firmly believe that in order to ensure that all children receive the best possible care and education the

school must work in collaboration with parents. The views of parents and children are actively sought so that

the school can make the best provision possible. We believe that it is vital for children, parents and the school

to work in partnership together in the development, planning and support of each child’s education.

Some of the aims and objectives from our SEN Policy & SEN: Parent’s Policy

To identify pupils with special educational needs and disabilities as early as possible and ensure that their

needs are met.

To ensure the SEN and Disability Act and relevant Codes of Practice and guidance are implemented

effectively across the school.

To ensure equality of opportunity for, and to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against, children with

‘Special Education Needs,’ ensuring that children with SEN are perceived positively by all members of the

school community, and that SEN and inclusive provision is positively valued and accessed by all staff and

parent/carers.

To continually monitor the progress of all learners, to identify needs as they arise and to provide support as

early as possible, including referring to outside agencies as appropriate.

To ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities take a full and active part in school

life.

To provide full access for pupils with Special Educational Needs to high quality education within a broad and

balanced curriculum including extra-curricular activities where appropriate and full access to the National

Curriculum and Foundation Stage Curriculum.

Through differentiated planning by class teachers, the SENCO, the Head of SEN and support staff as

appropriate, enable all pupils to reach their full potential, make effective progress and experience success

leading to the enhancement of their self-esteem.

To ensure that the school curriculum is balanced and allows for differentiation according to individual

needs. To enable children to move on from Birchfield well equipped in the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and

social independence to meet the demands of secondary school life and learning.

The government is currently reviewing Special Educational Needs provision, policy and

requirements. We will update our website with all upcoming changes once they have been final-

ised by the central government.

5. Summary of Special Educational Needs / Inclusion Code of Practice

66

To ensure that there is effective communication between parents and school in order to work to-

gether in partnership for the well-being of all pupils.

To provide parents with information on the Local Authority’s SEN Parent Partnership Services and

other useful organisations.

To have a Head of SEN and SENCO who will coordinate all SEN provision for the school in

collaboration with class teachers, the Head Teacher, pupils, parents/carers and relevant agencies;

undergo relevant training; maintain good relationships with children with SEN and their parents/

carers; and provide parents/carers with all relevant information.

Early Identification, Assessment and Provision

Provision for children with special educational needs is a matter for the whole school. All teachers

are teachers of children with special educational needs and teaching such children is, therefore, a

whole school responsibility. At the heart of each class is a continuous cycle of assessment and plan-

ning which takes account of the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of the children. The

majority of children will learn and progress within these arrangements, but those children whose at-

tainment falls significantly outside the expected range may have special educational needs.

Early identification is vital and the school uses a graduated response to children’s special educational

needs as outlined in the Code of Practice. The performance of all pupils is observed, assessed and

monitored by the class teacher, and detailed records are kept for all children. The information and

evidence gathered from the class teacher's records form the basis of an assessment of any pupil

who is exhibiting difficulties. The class teacher makes an initial identification and informs the Head

of SEN and parents at the earliest opportunity to share concerns and enlist their active support and

participation. The class teacher collates evidence (work samples, reports, test results etc) and if

lack of progress is evident, they share their concerns with the Head of SEN. The Head of SEN, to-

gether with the class teacher decides whether it is appropriate to place the child on the SEN regis-

ter.

Relevant information and contact details

for parents & carers

The Head of SEN at Birchfield is: Miss G Priest The Head Teacher is: Ms M Foster-Brown

In order to contact/arrange an appointment with Miss Priest or the Head

Teacher please ring the administrative team on 0121 464 5661.

DfE website about SEN http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/sen

For more information please read the relevant

school policies.

Our SEN policy & SEN: Parent’s policy can be found in full

on our school website:

Complaints Procedures

Our school has well defined stages:

Stage One: The complaint is heard by member of staff

Stage Two: The complaint is heard by the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher

Stage Three: The complaint is heard by the Governing Body Complaints Appeal panel.

Stage One

It is in everyone’s interest that complaints are resolved at the earliest possible stage. The experience of

the first contact between the complainant and the school can be crucial in determining whether the com-

plaint will escalate. To that end, staff at Birchfield are familiar with the complaints procedure and know

what to do when they receive a complaint.

At Birchfield we always respect the views of the complainant and accommodate those parents who indi-

cate that they would have difficulty discussing a complaint with a particular member of staff. In these

cases, the Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher can refer the complaint to another member of staff.

Where the complaints concern the Head Teacher, the complainant can be referred to the Chair of Gover-

nors.

Similarly, if the member of staff directly involved feels too compromised to deal with a complaint, the

complaint can be directed to another member of staff. The ability to consider the complaint objectively

and impartially is crucial.

Where the first approach is made to a governor, the next step would be to refer the complainant to the

appropriate person and advise them about the procedure. It is encouraged that Governors do not act

unilaterally on an individual complaint outside the formal procedure or be involved at the early stages in

case they are needed to sit on a panel at a later stage of the procedure.

Stage Two

If the complainant is dissatisfied with the way that the complaint is handled at the first stage, then they

may refer the complaint to the Head Teacher. The Head may delegate the task of collating the infor-

mation to another staff member but will not delegate the decision on the action to be taken.

Stage Three

The complainant needs to write to the Chair of the Governing Body giving details of the complaint. The

Chair, will convene a Governing Body Complaints Appeal Panel.

The panel would be able to:

Dismiss the complaint in whole or in part

Uphold the complaint in whole or in part

Decide on the appropriate action to be taken to resolve the complaint

Recommend changes to the school’s systems or procedures to ensure that problems of a similar nature

do not recur.

The Governors’ Complaints Appeal hearing is the last school-based stage of the complaints process. If

complainants remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaints appeal panel then it may be

appropriate to explain any non-school based further rights to appeal procedures.

For a full copy of our Complaints Procedures please contact the school office or visit our website at

www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

67

2

Department for Education Green Paper

Summary of progress and next steps

A new system

1. In the Green Paper the DfE have set out a vision for our system in which:

Children’s special educational needs are picked up early and support is routinely put in

place quickly;

Staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide the right support for chil-

dren and young people who have SEN or are disabled wherever they are;

Parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local au-

thority and local services to provide, without them having to fight for it and are more

closely involved in decisions about services;

Children who would currently have a statement of SEN and young people over 16 who would

have a learning difficulty assessment have an integrated assessment and a single Educa-

tion, Health and Care Plan which is completed in a shorter time and without families having

the stress of going from pillar to post to get the support they need; and,

Parents have greater control over the services they and their family use with: every family

with an Education, Health and Care plan having the right to a personal budget for their

support and

parents whose children have an Education, Health and Care Plan having the right to seek a

place at any state-funded school, whether that is a special or mainstream school, a main-

tained school, Academy or Free School.

For more information please go the DfE website:

http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/send/b0075291/green-paper

As the process continues we will keep you informed about any future changes to the school’s

policy.

68

SEND—Green Paper Update

Address: Birchfield Community School

Trinity Road

Aston

Birmingham

B6 6AJ

Tel. No. 0121 464 5661

Fax. No. 0121 464 5294

Email: enquiry@birchfld.bham.sch.uk

Website: www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk

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