birchfield school 2013-14
DESCRIPTION
School ProspectusTRANSCRIPT
Schools Litter Charter
VISIT OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE:
www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk
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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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
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
2
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: [email protected]
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: [email protected].
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:
[email protected]. 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: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
Website: www.birchfld.bham.sch.uk
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