Urmston Junior School
Information for Parents
Urmston Junior School is a two-form entry Community School with 8
classes, covering Key Stage 2. The children within each age group are
organised into 2 mixed ability classes. The school is comprised of three
buildings and shares its site with both Urmston Infant School and Urmston
Grammar School. Our main building dates from the Edwardian Period and
contains large, airy classrooms.
The school benefits from a new block of classrooms over two floors. The hall
is situated in the third building and also houses our on-site catering facilities.
The children eat in the hall at lunchtimes.
Admissions to the school are operated by the Local Authority, Trafford and
parents should apply to Trafford for places at the school for any admissions
other than for those children transferring from Urmston Infant School.
Admission for these children is automatic and so applications do not need to
be made to the local authority. The standard number for each year group is
75 and so when pupils on roll reach this number in any year group, the year
group would be considered full. As a Community School, admission is open
to all pupils between the ages of 7 and 11 years, regardless of ability or
disability. It would be hoped that, for those pupils with disabilities who are
allocated places at the school, there would be some liaison with the relevant
departments within the local authority.
Existing facilities which assist access to the school by pupils with disabilities
include ramp access to all buildings and lift access to the upper floor in the
lower school building.
The school day is as follows:
8.55 a.m.
10.30 a.m.
12.05 p.m.
1.10 p.m.
2.15 p.m.
3.30 p.m.
School starts
Playtime (15 minutes)
Lunch
Afternoon sessions begins
Playtime (15 minutes)
School finishes
We encourage a prompt start to the day’s learning and so ask that the
children arrive at school ready to line up with their classes. For security
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reasons, the exterior doors are closed once the last child in the last class on
the playground has entered the building. Children arriving after the doors
have been closed should make their way to the main entrance and report to
the office in order that their arrival can be recorded. The main school gate on
Hereford Grove is locked between the hours of 9.15am and 3.15pm. There is
an intercom entry system in operation to allow authorised access to school
between these times.
We actively monitor attendance and punctuality, working closely with the
school’s Educational Welfare Officer (EWO). Where attendance falls below
90%, or when there are concerns over persistent lateness, the Headteacher
will contact parents and may request a home visit to be made by the EWO.
Uniform consists of grey or black school trousers/skirts, a white shirt or polo
shirt and a red sweatshirt. The school sweatshirts can be purchased from ‘H
M K Wools’ on Flixton Road. Black school shoes, rather than trainer-type
shoes or fashion boots (e.g. Ugg-type boots), also form part of the uniform.
Our P.E. kit consists of a white or red t-shirt, black shorts and black pumps
(trainers may be worn for outdoor P.E.) to be kept in a clearly marked pump
bag. Long hair needs to be tied back during PE lessons. Fashion
headscarves, large headbands and overly large or elaborate hairclips should
be avoided, as should nail varnish.
All items of school uniform should be clearly marked with names so that any
lost items can be returned promptly. The school does acquire a large amount
of lost property over each term and we find it difficult to return the significant
proportion that is unnamed. Periodically, we encourage parents to come in to
school to check through the lost property pile. Once this has been done, we
remove the remaining lost property from the building as we do not have the
space to store it.
For health and safety reasons, jewellery should not be worn, apart from a
watch. If earrings are worn, they should be of the stud type. Rings and
necklaces should not be worn. Children are expected to remove all jewellery
for P.E. and swimming. Staff at Urmston Junior School do not take
responsibility for looking after items that are removed or for items of jewellery
that are lost.
Extreme hairstyles, such as Mohicans or tramlines in shorter hair, are not
appropriate for school.
School meals are cooked on site and reflect the healthy menus set by the
Local Authority. Dinner money should be sent in on a Monday morning in a
sealed, named envelope. Dinner money for the half term can be paid for in
advance. The school operates within the guidelines set by the local authority,
including local authority procedures regarding any arrears. Further
information regarding these LA procedures can be obtained from Mrs
Marshall in the school office.
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We encourage those children who bring a packed lunch to try to have at least
two pieces of fruit or vegetables to eat. We discourage chocolate bars and
fizzy drinks from being included in lunchboxes.
Toast is available to the children during morning playtime as are cartons of
milk. The price of these can be obtained from the office. For those children
bringing in a snack of their own for playtime, we encourage healthy choices to
be made. Crisps and chocolate at playtimes are not permitted.
Pastoral care and discipline are important at Urmston Junior School. The
basis of the Behaviour Policy is that of encouraging and rewarding positive
behaviour and there are many procedures in place to enable us to do this.
Procedures are also in place to deal with situations where inappropriate
behaviour has occurred. A clear policy exists, as does a ‘Behaviour Guide for
Parents’ and is available on the school’s website. Staff operate a clear and
consistent approach to maintaining the good order within school. The safety
of the children attending our school is important and the children are
encouraged to work and play in safe ways. Safety training forms an integral
part of the curriculum throughout the Key Stage.
The class teachers are the first link in the chain of pastoral care. Each child
should feel confident that he or she can approach the class teacher to discuss
issues. Parents are encouraged to contact the class teacher regarding any
issues they are concerned about so that we can work together to support their
child.
Urmston Junior School is a school which has a caring, supportive ethos whilst
encouraging high expectations in all aspects of school life. We encourage
courtesy and respect and have a very simple ‘golden rule’: treat others as
you would expect to be treated.
Absences from school require a telephone call by 9.30am on the first day of
absence and a letter on return to school – the school’s answer machine is
always on before the start of the school day.
Where possible, medical appointments should be made for outside the school
day. We understand that this is not always possible and ask that a letter is
sent in prior to the date of the appointment.
Should your child need to be collected from school early, e.g. for a medical
appointment, written notification is required beforehand. Under no
circumstances is a verbal message sent in with a child sufficient. The
parent/carer collecting your child should come to the main school office where
a member of staff will arrange for your child to come to the school office.
Under no circumstances should a child be taken away from the school site
without the knowledge of a member of staff.
Children who arrive after the doors have been closed (for safeguarding
purposes) should be brought to the main school entrance in order to be let
into the building and to put their names in the late book.
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Urmston Junior School operates a system for contacting parents called
ParentMail. This enables staff to contact parents when required via text or
email. Using this system, reminders might be sent home or messages
sharing good news with parents. Staff will also contact parents via ParentMail
regarding absences for which no reason has been received either by letter
beforehand or via the school’s answer machine.
Urmston Junior School operates a cashless payment system in order to
minimise the amount of money being sent directly into school. This payment
system, ParentPay, can be accessed online or via PayPoint. Access details
will be issued by the office staff for new children. All dinner money payments
and payments for school visits, school clubs etc are made via ParentPay.
Some of the children at Urmston Junior School attend Urmston Leisure
Centre for a weekly swimming lesson. Children who are too ill to swim should
bring a letter in with them. Any child not swimming will be set work to do and
will go to another classroom until his or her class returns.
The Governors ask that holidays in term time are avoided. Absences of
this type lead to gaps in learning and can affect progress. Parents wishing to
take their child out of school during term time should apply to the Headteacher
using a ‘Leave of Absence’ form, available from the school office. The
Headteacher has the authority to give permission for absences up to ten
school days during the year. Absences which go over the ten days need to
go to the Governing Body. Both the Headteacher and the Governing Body
have the authority to refuse authorisation for the leave of absence. The
Headteacher may require an appointment to be made in order to discuss the
request for absence.
First aid supplies are kept in school and we have staff who are qualified First
Aiders. We are able to deal with minor cuts, bumps and bruises in school.
Anything of a more serious nature will be dealt with swiftly and every attempt
will be made to contact parents. We do, occasionally, need to take injured
children to hospital to receive further treatment. We will always do our best to
contact parents. In the absence of parents, we are legally entitled to act in
loco parentis until a parent arrives at the hospital. Children will never be left
by staff accompanying them until a parent arrives.
Our office staff are willing to administer simple medications, with the written
consent of parents.
Where a child requires simple medication e.g. antibiotic medicine, cough
medicine etc, we do require written authorisation containing instructions
regarding dosage. Without this written authorisation, staff will not administer
the medication. ALL medication should be sent to the school office, clearly
named. No medication, apart from asthma inhalers should be kept in
classrooms or children’s bags. Where medication is time specific, staff are
unable to collect a child and so the child needs to ensure that he/she gets to
the office at the correct time.
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Links with Urmston Infant School and Urmston Grammar School are
something that all three schools work hard to achieve. The children at
Urmston Junior School benefit greatly from these links. The Governors and
staff do ask that parents do not jeopardise these positive links by
parking within the grounds of the schools at the beginnings and ends of
the school days.
Most of the children who enter Urmston Junior School in Year 3 transfer from
Urmston Infant School. We aim to make this transition as smooth as possible.
Children in Year 2 visit Urmston Junior School at various times during the
year in order to build up familiarity with the school. Towards the end of the
school year, visits to new classes and teachers are organised.
Children in Year 6 transfer to a number of secondary schools. We foster
positive links with these schools and children in Year 6 attend a variety of
events throughout the year.
A broad and balanced curriculum is offered at Urmston Junior School. The
National Curriculum is delivered in a variety of ways, including the use of The
International Primary Curriculum (IPC), reflecting different learning and
teaching styles.
Subjects taught at Urmston Junior School are as follows:
Literacy
delivered in the format of the Literacy Hour
Numeracy
delivered during a daily maths lesson
Science
ICT
History
Geography
Art
Music
P.E.
Design Technology
French
Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE)
For these subjects, each year group has its dedicated units of study which
may be taught in discrete units or on a thematic approach, via the IPC. For
more information about the IPC, please visit the following website:
www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com
Religious Education is taught at Urmston Junior School and follows the
Local Authority agreed syllabus. Parents have the right to withdraw children
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from this aspect of the curriculum as well as from assemblies. Alternative
work will be set for these children to use their time effectively.
Relationship and Sex Education is delivered through the Science
curriculum and through the planned programme for Health Education.
Parents have the right to withdraw their children from the aspects of this area
not covered by the Science curriculum.
Extra-curricular activities are offered at Urmston Junior School. There are
thriving sports clubs, additional instrument lessons (via links with Urmston
Grammar School) and a gardening club. These clubs rely on staff being
willing to give up their time during lunchtimes or after school and the existence
of these clubs reflects the dedication of the staff at the school. The range of
clubs may change over the year or from one year to another.
The School Council at Urmston Junior School plays an important role in the
decision making process at the school, providing a voice for the children.
There is also an ‘Eco’ council which is active in making the school an
environmentally better place to be.
Urmston Junior School aims to be an inclusive school. A named member of
staff (SENCo) has responsibility for issues relating to inclusion including
supporting children with general or specific learning difficulties, supporting
‘Able, Gifted and Talented’ pupils and tracking and supporting progress of
children in minority groups. Policies are in place covering provision for special
educational needs (SEN). Staff in school work closely with this named person
to devise specific learning programmes for individual children. The school
currently has teaching assistants who often work with identified groups within
classes. We work closely with parents and the Local Authority in ensuring
that provision for pupils with SEN is appropriate and that progress is made
and monitored. Part of the role of SENCo is to monitor that pupils with
disabilities are not treated less favourably than other pupils. The school has a
Disability Equality Scheme which is available upon request.
Child protection procedures are in place at Urmston Junior School. The
school is duty bound to act when there are concerns about or disclosures
made regarding issues pertaining to child protection. The Child Protection
Officer (normally the Headteacher) will act in accordance with the Local
Authority’s guidelines. All members of staff working at Urmston Junior School
have a duty of care to safeguard pupils attending the school. This includes
external doors being closed once our pupils are inside the building. Children
who arrive after the doors have been closed (for safeguarding purposes)
should be brought to the main school entrance in order to be let into the
building and to put their names in the late book.
The Governing Body is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare
of the children attending the school and expects all staff and volunteers to
share this commitment.
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School visits are planned throughout the year. The Governors’ policy is not
to charge for visits that are part of the curriculum. However, in order to make
these visits financially viable, we ask for donations to be made to cover costs.
Every effort is made to keep costs down. No child will be excluded from visits
on financial grounds. We do, however, reserve the right to refuse
participation on the grounds of behaviour.
Currently, pupils in Year 6 have the opportunity to experience a 5 day
residential trip based just outside Keswick in Cumbria. It should be noted that
this type of trip runs thanks to the willingness of staff to not only give their own
time but also to take on the additional legal responsibilities that this type of trip
brings with it. There are no guarantees that this type of trip will run every
year.
Parental support is vital. We encourage parents to play an active role in the
education of their children and to feel that they are able to discuss issues with
their child’s class teacher. We do ask that parents do not approach the class
teacher to discuss these issues at the beginning of the day (unless the issue
is extremely urgent) but that they contact the school to make a mutually
convenient appointment. This will enable a swift start to the day’s learning
and will allow enough time for the issues to be discussed.
Every effort will be made to resolve issues raised by parents.
Urmston Junior School also has a very active PTA that works hard to
organise events to raise funds to purchase additional resources for the
children. All parents and carers (and even grandparents!) are invited to join
the PTA – if joining the committee is not something that you would like to do,
then we are always grateful for help at the events organised throughout the
year. If you are able to either join the committee or help out at events, please
contact the PTA via the school office.
Teachers also welcome parental help during the school week e.g. swimming,
hearing readers, making toast etc. If you are able to come into school to help,
even for an hour, we would be very grateful. Please contact the school office.
We aim to keep parents informed of things going on in school via our regular
newsletter and calendar as well as other types of letters which are sent home
with the pupils. All of these are also available on our school website
www.urmstonjuniorschool.org.uk
Urmston Junior School has a complaints procedure, a summary of which can
be found in Appendix A.
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The staff and children at Urmston Junior School are very proud to belong to a
happy, healthy and caring community. We welcome new arrivals and hope
that they settle in well. We work together to maintain the high standards and
expectations that help to make our school the success that it is.
The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of
children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this
commitment.
Welcome to our school!
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