Parent Prospectus 2016

Geoffrey Field Infant Community School

(READING Local Authority)
Exbourne Road
Reading
RG2 8RH
Telephone: 0118 937 5473
www. geoffreyfieldinfant.co.uk

Contents
Welcome Message

page 4

School Information

page 5

The School Day

page 6

Day to Day Information

pages 7-8

Uniform

page 9

Attendance and Punctuality

page 10

Curriculum Content

page 11

Welcome to Geoffrey Field Infant School

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Geoffrey Field Infant School. It may be
that you already have or have had children at the school, in which case you will be familiar with
our routines and organisation. However, if you are a new parent, we hope that you will find this
prospectus very helpful.
We are a large infant school, with 10 classes, including a Nursery
class. The school is set in extensive and attractive grounds, giving
children plenty of space to learn and play. In fact each year group
has its own dedicated outdoor learning area. The school opened in
1949 and was later officially opened by Alderman Geoffrey Field,
who had served as Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee.
Our commitment at Geoffrey Field Infant is to ensure that your child:

Feels safe whilst at school

Enjoys learning

Makes excellent progress and learns as well as s/he can

We provide a broad curriculum whilst maintaining a particular focus on reading. This we believe is
important both for its own sake and in terms of enjoyment and developing imagination but also
in accessing all subjects.

The breadth of opportunity is seen in a wide variety of visitors who

are invited into school to work with the children e.g. musicians,
actors, artists, the mobile farm. The children really enjoy these
sessions and learn a great deal from them.

We also have our annual Arts Week with professional artists, dancers and musicians working with
the children plus Sports Day and Fun Day as well as after school clubs, such as multiskills.
Our aim is to support children to become confident, independent learners who gain enjoyment
from and have pride in their achievement at each stage of their education.
We hope you enjoy finding out about the school.
S E Farrow
Headteacher

School Information
Parents are a very important part of the school and we aim to work closely with you to support
your child during his/her time with us.
You can help us by:

Supporting your child with homework

Sharing reading books with your child

Supervising a group of children on trips

Supporting curriculum workshops (e.g.

reading, maths, phonics etc.)

Ensuring your child comes to school every day

and on time (unless ill)

A highly trained Teaching and Learning

Assistant supports each class and there is
an Early Years Practitioner in Nursery.

We have close links with

Voluntary Reading Help volunteers

come into school weekly

All Whitley Schools and Nurseries and

especially with Geoffrey Field Junior
School

Reading University

The school is part of the Whitley

Excellence Cluster (WEC) and supports the
charity ASPIRE2.
For more information on WEC/Aspire2 visit
www.whitleyaspire2.btck.co.uk

We received an
Outstanding
Ofsted grade in:

2007/2008

2012/2013

The School Day

NURSERY
Morning Nursery starts at 8.50am and finishes at 11.50am
Afternoon Nursery starts at 12.15pm and finishes at 3.15pm
Children are expected to be in the class ready for the register before registration time and are
expected to attend every day and on time unless ill. Parents are requested to contact the
school office before 9.30am in the event of an absence. There is an answer phone available for
messages during out of school hours.

THE SCHOOL DAY

8.50am

Doors open

9.00am

Registration

10.15am

Reception playtime begins

10.30am

Year 1 and 2 playtime begins

11.45am

Reception lunchtime begins

12.00pm

Year 1 and 2 lunchtime begins

1.10pm

Afternoon registration

3.05pm

School finishes

Teaching time
In a normal week we spend 21 hours and 40 minutes on actual teaching. This does not include
time spent on the following:

Registration (approximately 50 minutes per week)

Morning Break (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes per week)

Collective Worship (approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes per week)

Security
Security is taken very seriously and all visitors are required to report to the office.
If a child arrives after 9am a member of staff will take him/her to the classroom as the days
teaching will already have started.
A door phone system is in operation and staff are required to be vigilant at all times.
Lunchtime Support Staff supervise the children during lunchtimes and are fully aware of
procedures to be followed with regards to security and pupil welfare.

Day to Day Information

Pupil Safety and Welfare
First aid will be administered if your child has a minor cut or bruise while in school.
If a more serious accident occurs, every effort will be made to contact you. It is therefore
essential that we have at least one telephone number on which we can contact you.
If your child bumps his/her head you will be informed and may be advised to monitor your
child at home as bumps can lead to concussion in young children.
Significant injuries are recorded and reported to the Local Authority.
Illness
If your child has been sick or had diarrhoea, please keep him/her at home for 48 hours after this
stops.
Inhalers
If your child has asthma and needs an inhaler during the day please take your childs inhaler to the
school office and complete an asthma card. The inhaler should be within the expiry date, marked
with your childs name and must have a prescription label on the box.
Medicine in School
Pupils in school with medical conditions will be properly supported so they have full access to education, including school trips and physical education. Any medication given in school must be prescribed by a doctor. Parents must fill in the relevant form and all medicines must be clearly marked
with your child's name.

Milk
The school offers a milk scheme for children to have a carton of milk after break.
Parents are required to register with the milk provider (Cool Milk) or by completing the application and payment online at www.coolmilk.com or by telephone 0800 854 2913 .
Milk is free for children entitled to free school meals i.e. benefits based free school meals.
Please complete a form at the school office.

Hazards: Please note that buggies should

not be brought into the classrooms as they
would create a hazard if there was a fire.
You may leave your buggy on the patios
but this is entirely at your own risk. It is
recommended that you take your child out
of the buggy and carry him/her with you to
the classroom as the supervision of your
child cannot be provided.

Hazards: Exbourne Road is subject to

parking restrictions:

Parking on the yellow lines will

result in a 60 fine.

There should be no parking around

the roundabout.

The speed limit is 20mph.

Parent/School Relationships
This school has always had good relationships with the parents and all parents are treated
with courtesy and respect by staff. It is expected that all staff will be treated in the same
manner by parents. Any parent with a concern or complaint must raise the issue in a calm
non-aggressive manner the school will listen and act upon issues raised. However, if a
parent is abusive or threatening in any way then the matter will be dealt with through the
Local Authority Legal Department. In extreme circumstances this can lead to banning from
the school site.
This school recognises that staff and parents working together enables children to learn as
well as they can.
Parent Board
There is an information board in the main corridor near the main entrance. Various notices are pinned
up advertising events or giving information on services available.
Newsletters
Each year group sends out a termly curriculum newsletter. Other letters are also sent home giving
information about dates, forthcoming events or school procedures.
Text Messages
The school uses a text messaging system to contact parents. If you do not receive any texts over a
period of time it could be an indicator that the school does not have your current telephone numbers.
Please contact the school office to update information.

Lunches
All pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are offered a free school meal at lunchtime, which consists of
a dinner and a pudding. Water is provided on the dining tables. Meals are booked online by parents;
more information will be provided when your child starts school.
The school meal provider is Chartwells and for more information about school meals, nutrition and
sustainable sourcing please visit the website www.dineatschool.co.uk.
If your child/ren are eligible for benefits based free school meals please complete an application form and provide current
evidence of the benefit being received. A full list of eligible benefits are on the back of the form. This is checked each term,
September, January and April and you will be required to provide current evidence of entitlement.

Alternatively children can bring their own packed lunch from home.

Lunchtime support staff supervise the children during this period.

Uniform
The school colours are blue and grey and we are pleased
to see that so many parents support the wearing of
school uniform.
Uniform for Geoffrey Field Infant School is available from:
Stevensons,
11-12 Market Place,
Reading,
RG1 2EG
or can be bought online at www.stevensons.co.uk.

PE Kits
Please ensure your child has a
PE t-shirt, shorts and pumps in
school each Monday, these are
taken home on a Friday for
washing.

Footwear
Young children are very active and need to run and enjoy themselves at playtime; it is advisable
that children wear appropriate - i.e. safe footwear. Shoes with high-heels are not considered
appropriate for young children.

Please ensure that all items of clothing, including PE kits are named.

Attendance and Punctuality

Regular attendance makes a great deal of difference to your child's achievements, and the
school welcomes your support with this matter.
Schools are required to publish rates of attendance annually. If children regularly miss school
then this is time that is lost forever, which clearly has an effect upon levels of attainment.
Please ensure:

your child arrives on time every day

your child comes to school every day unless ill

the school is informed of the reason for absence

*If a notification is not received by 9.30am you will be called by a member of
the admin team.

Attendance reports are given to parents each term during Parents Week. The report shows
your childs attendance as a percentage and this will include the number of authorised and
unauthorised absences. The Education Welfare Officer from the Local Authority monitors
childrens attendance and where there are concerns will work with the family to increase
attendance and/or punctuality.
Attendance Rates for the Year
2014/15
94.5%
The Local Authority expects all primary school
children to have a minimum of 95% attendance.

Requests for leave from school

The current situation, from 1st September 2013, is that Headteachers may not grant any leave
of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Please note a family
holiday does not meet the criteria for exceptional circumstances.
The Headteacher must be satisfied that the circumstances warrant the granting of leave. The
Headteacher will determine the number of days a child can be away from school if the leave is
granted.
Please be aware that if you take your child out of school for an unauthorised leave of absence during term time, you may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice by the Local Authority. A Fixed Penalty Notice is issued per parent per child.
For further information on these changes please see:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/attendance/a00223868/
regulations-amendments
A Holidays in Term Time leaflet can be requested from the school office.

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Curriculum Content
This school provides education for children from 3-7 years old. This means that there are two phases: the
Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) and Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) . The following is a brief
description of what is covered in the curriculum during these stages.

The year groups covered are:

Nursery (3/4 year olds)

Reception (4/5 year olds)
Year 1 (5/6 year olds)
Year 2 (6/7 year olds)

The Nursery and Reception curriculum is called the Early Years Foundation Stage and covers the following areas
of learning and development:

Prime Areas

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Physical Development
Communication and Language

Specific Areas

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

The Year 1 and Year 2 curriculum is called The National Curriculum and covers the following areas of learning:

Literacy (reading, writing, spoken language)

Mathematics
Science
Religious Education (RE)
Physical Education (PE)
Computing
History
Geography
Music
Art and Design
Design and Technology (DT)

The Phonics Scheme used by the school is Read Write Inc. Please note the school does not use the reading or
writing programmes within this scheme.

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For further information please visit the school website:

www.geoffreyfieldinfant.co.uk

Or contact the school office on:

0118 937 5473

Geoffrey Field Infant School

Exbourne Road
Reading
RG2 8RH

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