Welcome to
Please visit www.katherinesemar-jun.essex.sch.uk
Who’s Who? The Staff
Teaching Staff
Mrs. R. Callaghan - Head teacher
Mrs. Moy
Year 5
Inclusion Manager
Senior Teacher
Learning Support Assistants
Mrs. S. Howett
Mrs. C. Findlayson
Mrs. C. Savill-Owen
Mrs. N. Thilo
Office Staff
Site Manager
Mrs. U. Phillips
Mrs. K. Thomas
Mrs. L. Sandwell
Mrs. E Wright
Mrs. A.E. Long,
Mrs. S. Sault
Midday Supervisors
Mrs. S. Molloy
Mrs. K. Seymour
Mrs. D. Stearn
Mrs. R Porter,
Mrs. J. Snares
Mrs. M. Page
Mrs. L. Twemlow
Mrs. D. Pawson
Mrs. D. Cincius, Mrs. S. Howett, Mrs. A. Page, Mrs. G. Brace, Mrs. J. Clarke
Mrs. J. Banks, Mrs. E. Wright
Peripatetic Teachers
Mr. D. Ketteridge,
Ms. J. Wheeler,
Mr. T. Haralambous, Mrs. T James
Mrs. L. Chandler,
Mrs. S. Rowden
Mrs. C. Coleman,
Mrs. C Chandler
Governing Body
The Governing Body are pleased to play an
important part in the everyday life of the
School and we look forward to welcoming
you to this community.
If you are interested in becoming a Governor,
please contact the Head teacher or the Chair
of Governors.
We particularly need additional help with Health
and Safety, Premises, Human Resources and
Teaching and Learning.
Ms. Amanda Thomas Chair of Governors
School Aims
At Katherine Semar Junior School, we aim to provide a positive learning
experience for every individual. We take pride in the fact that our pupils
are nurtured in a safe, enjoyable and respectful learning environment
because everyone in our school matters.
•A school where everyone feels valued and respected
•A place with a warm, happy, calm, safe atmosphere where everyone
enjoys learning and working together
•A school, which has learning and teaching at the heart of everything that
it does
•An ethos which celebrates achievement and recognizes success
• A place which has consistently high expectations for all and where
academic achievement is not the only measure of success
• The school is an integral part of the community where parents can be
involved in school life doing the best for myself, my community and the
world community.
The Outcomes for our Children should be:
• Children that are confident and highly motivated with a good self
image who are fully involved in the life of the school
• Children who think positively, who say, “I can…”
• Fulfilling potential, rewarding success
• Children who behave well and who tolerate, care and support each
other
• Children who can think for themselves, who are open minded and
have a love of learning and show initiative
• Lessons which take account of individual learning styles
• Children who achieve to the best of their ability and fulfil their own
potential
• Children’s views represented in the organization of the school
Our Ethos
Our Ethos, Curriculum, Working Practices and Environment should achieve these
aims because:
• Our ethos will value all children as individuals, raising self esteem whenever we can
and creating a positive atmosphere through our interactions with the children and each
other
• Our curriculum will be broad, balanced and creative with many opportunities for
first-hand experience. Teaching will take account of learning styles and all abilities.
SATS will be important but so will the development of the whole child through the
arts, and subjects such as PSHE
• We will teach the children life-skills to equip them for tomorrow’s world.
•We are a performing and effective team who support each other and work for the
positive development of our children. We are open, honest and supportive of each
other, setting positive examples to the children
• Our environment will be attractive, calm, ordered, safe and stimulating. It will
celebrate the achievements of the children and stimulate and support their learning. It
will look bright, colourful and make an impact
• We will continue to develop positive relationships with parents and the wider
community
The Curriculum
The curriculum is taught through topics. The topics
vary, some are History based, some Geography and
some Literacy. In Year 3, the first topic is coasts.
The children visit Cromer for the day and links are
made across the curriculum.
Children's progress is monitored through a variety of
assessments and a progress report is sent termly to
parents. An annual report is also sent. In Year 3 this
report is sent at the end of the first half of the
summer term.
The children’s progress is carefully monitored with
each teacher meeting with Mrs. Callaghan each
term. If pupils are not making expected progress,
intervention programmes are put in place.
Ofsted praised our ‘OUTSTANDING’ curriculum.
Inclusion
•English as additional language (EAL)
•Special Educational Needs (SEN)
•Gifted and Talented
•Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM)
Music
Music is immensely popular at Katherine Semar Juniors. We believe it is a vital part of every child’s
education.
There is the opportunity for children to have group or individual lessons in a wide range of instruments
including flute, clarinet, saxophone, piano and guitar.
Mrs. Wheeler teaches singing and music theory weekly to each class. Children are encouraged to join
free clubs such as Choir, Orchestra and Recorder.
The school presents at least two major
performances every year.
The children in the upper school have the
opportunity to join the ‘Semar Players’ in their
annual pantomime, which raises funds for the
school and involves voluntary supporters
from the local community.
There are many cultural events in Saffron Walden
and we join in whenever possible. The ‘Spirit of
Christmas’ carol concert is an annual event in
which the Choir and instrumental groups take
an active part.
KSJ is very proud of its orchestra, which play during
music assemblies. If any parent plays an instrument and would like to become part of the school
orchestra, please see Mrs. Callaghan.
Swimming
At our school every child swims each term.
We believe learning to swim is an important life skill and as such the whole school gets an hour lesson in the pool
every other half term.
Year 3 will begin their swimming in September. Through the voluntary contribution of £2 per session we are able to
employ 4 highly qualified instructors thereby ensuring small groups..
Our swimming Gala Club runs on a Monday evening, which trains children for the town’s swimming competition.
P.E.
The children have the opportunities to learn may sports skills and play; Football, Netball and Tag Rugby in
the winter and Athletics, Cricket and Rounders in the summer.
Gymnastics, Dance, Net and wall games, Hockey and Fitness are also taught.
P.E. kits are kept in named, drawer string bags (not rucksacks) and are kept in the cloakroom. It should be
kept in school during term time.
We have very successful teams, winning many tournaments in the past few years.
School Houses
Children belong to one of four houses, Horse-chestnut, Oak, Beech and Sycamore. They are
encouraged to earn points for their house through good behaviour, hard work and
participating in special events.
Each child will be given a house badge in the first few days in the Junior school. If they lose
their badge a replacement needs to be purchased, from the reception desk, at a cost of 50p!
We have a weekly celebration assembly which recognises children’s achievements and the
winning house of the week!
School Council
The school has a strong school council, which is a forum for dialogue between staff and
pupils and helps foster a sense of responsibility in the children for their school.
There are three strands to the school council:
•Pupil wellbeing
•Teaching and learning
•School environment
School Clubs
Throughout the year the school runs many after
school clubs for example; football, netball,
chess, recorders and a homework club. Some
clubs are run by teachers and are free to join.
Other clubs are run by organisations such as
Saffron Hawks and a cost to parents is
involved.
A clubs letter is sent out at the beginning of
each term and the children sign up for any
clubs they would like to join.
Clubs run by teachers (the free ones) are often
oversubscribed. The teachers try to ensure
every child is placed in a club of their
choice, however, on occasions children have
been disappointed. It is essential to return
your completed form as soon as possible.
School Visits and Residentials
In each year there are several visits to a variety of educational sites. E.g. museums, to enrich
the curriculum for the children.
Parents are informed at the beginning of each term of the dates and costs of these visits.
In Year 3, the children visit Cromer and Colchester Castle in the Autumn term. They have an
Interactive History Workshop in school in the Spring term. In the Summer term, they visit St.
Mark’s College, Audley End, for outdoor pursuits. In addition to this there are local visits. E.g.
St. Mary’s church.
In Year 4 the children have a residential (3
days, 2 nights) in Norfolk. It is expected that
all children will take part in the residential.
In Year 5, the children go on a series of
extended day trips.
To complete their time in the Junior School,
the residential opportunity for Year 6 children
is changeable. This year the children took
part in the Bournemouth experience. Next
year they will be visiting York.
•
Year 3 children will enter school through the Year 3 cloakroom door (at the side of the
building) and be released to their parents/carers through this exit.
• The children are allowed pencil cases. It is useful for them to have their own
pencils/colouring pencils. Rubbers, pencil sharpeners and rulers are not allowed. These
are provided through school.
•
The children write in pen when their handwriting, spelling and presentation is at the
required standard.
•
The school does, of course, provide stationary items as above for any children who do
not bring their own.
•
Assemblies – School has daily assemblies. Each class has 2 class assemblies each year
to which parents are invited.
•
ParentMail – The school has used
ParentMail for the past 2 years. We find this is
an easy and eco-friendly way to communicate.
A school newsletter is written fortnightly and
recounts and photos of school events are put
on the website.
•
In the event of school closure due to bad
weather, information will be on the website as
early as possible.
•
If you do not have a connection to the
Internet, paper copies are provided.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club enables parents to bring their children to school from 7.45 a.m.
The children are provided with a healthy breakfast to start the day.
The cost is £3.50 a session.
Ace Club
The school has its own ‘after school club’ as a childcare service for parents.
The club is open from 3:05pm until 6 pm each day. Parents may use the club on a full-time,
part-time or occasional basis. A healthy snack is provided at 3:15pm and a meal at 4:45pm
for those children staying for the whole session. A session
The children take part in a variety of fun, educational activities each day, including; cookery,
art and IT.
They also can catch up with their homework!
We also have a Holiday Club, which runs every school holiday and INSET days. It is only
closed on Bank Holidays.
Prices:
£3.50 – Half session (after school until 4:15pm)
£7.00 – Full session (after school until 6.00pm)
Accor and Care4 vouchers now accepted.
School Uniform & Equipment
The school uniform can be purchased from Gray Palmers shop in Saffron Walden.
School Uniform
Blue sweatshirt/ cardigan with school logo
White Polo shirts with school logo
Grey Skirt / tunic / trousers
Plain socks (preferably white, black or grey) or plain woollen tights.
Black shoes – no trainers
Swimming Uniform
Plain, one-piece swimming costumes for girls.
Swimming trunks or Speedo shorts for boys. Bermuda shorts are not allowed.
Swimming hat
Other School items can also be purchased – E.g. Rucksack with school logo
School Uniform & Equipment
The school uniform can be purchased from
Gray Palmers shop in Saffron Walden.
PE Uniform
PE shorts / tracksuit bottoms – dark blue
Katherine Semar PE Sports T-shirt
Katherine Semar PE Sports Rugby Shirt
(essential for warmth in colder weather)
Please note: The children do take part in
outdoor sports all year.
The children wear trainers for outside PE
and black plimsolls in the hall.
Quotes from our latest Ofsted report (January 2009)
• The curriculum is outstanding
• Their (The children's) behaviour is outstanding in and out of lessons.
• Teamwork is strong, and staff morale high
• Pupils visibly enjoy school
• Pupils achieve well and make good progress in all year groups
• Literacy, numeracy and ICT work is very effectively linked with the wellconceived topic themes in order to make learning more interesting
• Teaching is good
• When asked what they like best about their school, they (the children) reply:
‘Having really kind and helpful teachers who ensure that no-one is left out.’
• In mathematics, standards are significantly above average. In science, standards
are exceptionally high
• The pupils’ outstanding personal development is an important contributory factor
in the school’s effectiveness
• Parents are particularly supportive
• Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding, and so is their
spiritual, moral social and cultural development
• The quality of pastoral care is excellent
• Progress is carefully tracked and the information is used well to set challenging
targets for pupils
• There are excellent links with the local community
At Katherine Semar Junior School, we
aim to provide a positive learning
experience for every individual and we
take pride in the fact that our pupils are
nurtured in a safe, enjoyable, respectful
learning environment because everyone
in our school matters.
Preparing your child for the future
Please visit www.katherinesemar-jun.essex.sch.uk