PASTORAL CARE:

The ultimate responsibility for the welfare of the children whilst in school lies with the Headteacher, but all teachers are responsible for the immediate welfare of the children in their care. Problems and triumphs can be discussed with the teacher concerned, or the Headteacher, at any mutually convenient time. Any child requiring special help eg through learning difficulties, attendance, behaviour or welfare is cared for through close links between the school and the special services provided by the Local Education Authority.

In cases of illness or accident parents will be informed by telephone. In the case of serious illness or accident the child will be well looked after and will be taken to hospital by staff who will remain with himlher until the parent can be contacted to meet their child and member of staff. Two qualified First Aiders are currently available on the staff.
During the course of the year, times are set aside so that parents have the opportunity to discuss their own child’s work with their teachers and to view the school as a whole.

THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM:

The National Curriculum attempts to set out the most important knowledge and skills that every child has a right to learn. It is a framework given to teachers by Government as a way to ensure all school children are taught in a way that is balanced and manageable but hard enough to challenge them.

THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM:

Aims and Objectives:

St William’s School is a Catholic School in which each person is an individual with their own God given rights and potential. The aims of the school are:
1 To support the home and Parish in developing that potential to its full extent in a climate of Christian love, understanding and tolerance, so that all may know, through human relationships and experiences, Christ, who is our eternal destiny.
2 To develop awareness of, and respect for, self and others, acquire a set of Christian moral values and the confidence to make, and hold, to Christian moral judgements and develop habits of self discipline and acceptable behaviour.
3 To help pupils to develop more lively, enquiring minds, the ability to question and argue rationally and to apply themselves to tasks and physical skills.
4 To help pupils to acquire knowledge skills relevant to adult life and employment in a rapidly changing world.
5 To help pupils to use language and number effectively.
6 To foster respect for religious and moral values and respect of other races, religions and ways of life.
7 To help pupils to understand the world in which they live and the interdependence of individuals, groups and nations.

In the atmosphere of love and security of a Christian community, we aim to provide for children in our care a broad programme of learning which will encourage the development of each child as fully as possible. We endeavour to provide a curriculum which develops basic skills and knowledge in English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science, Art and Craft, Music, Drama, Physical Education, Technology and the Catholic Faith, in relation to the child’s own world. Learning experiences are provided across the curriculum in line with the National Curriculum.

As school is concerned with the children as they are now and as they will be in the unknown world of their future, it is our aim to help them develop their talents academically, practically, creatively and physically and to appreciate and form good relationships, so that, with a lively, enquiring mind, they will be able to fulfil their potential in a rapidly changing world.

Parents are encouraged to read at home with their children and to encourage them to make use of the library and other reference material related to school topics. We also suggest that parents encourage stimulating, and creative, story making which children can write out and illustrate.

Our Curriculum Objectives Are:

To foster throughout the curriculum the Catholic Faith in our Catholic community by word and example and thus show a way of witness to our non Catholic members of the school. Our school would, therefore, expect each child to learn:

Through Experience in Language:

1 To read fluently and accurately, with understanding, feeling and discrimination.

2 To develop a legible style of handwriting and satisfactory standards of spelling, syntax, punctuation and usage.

3 To communicate clearly and confidently, in speech and writing, in ways appropriate for various occasions and purposes.

4 Listen attentively and with understanding.

5 To learn how to acquire information from various sources, and record information and findings in various ways.

Through Experiences in Mathematics:

1 To apply computational skills with speed and accuracy.

2 To understand the application of mathematical ideas in various situations in home, school and the local area.

Through Experiences in Science, History, Geography and Information Technology:

1 To observe living and inanimate things and to recognise characteristics such as pattern and order.

2 To explore and investigate.

3 To investigate solutions and interpret evidence, to analyse and to solve problems.

4 To be aware of the geographical, historical and social aspects of the local environment and the national heritage and to be aware of other times and places.

5 To be aware of the advances being made in the world of technology and how technology may be used to advance and improve care of the world.

Through Experiences of a Creative Nature:

1 To acquire sufficient control of self and/or of tools, equipment and instruments to be able to use music, drama, dance and a variety of forms of arts and crafts as means of expression, enjoyment and communication.

Through Experiences of a Physical Nature:

1 To develop agility and physical co-ordination, confidence through physical activity and ability to express feeling through movement.

2 A wide range of sporting activities take place throughout the school year delivered mainly through a carefully planned Physical Education curriculum. In the Summer term in particular we make use of our excellent playing fields to involve children in athletics, rounders and a range of other outdoor games including football. The Year 6 children attend swimming lessons once a week from September to February.

Throughout the Curriculum:

1 To ensure that all children have access to all aspects and areas of the curriculum.
2 To encourage and foster the development of children whose social, environmental, intellectual or physical disadvantage hinder their capacity to learn, if necessary by obtaining additional resources.

Curriculum Development Plan: The main areas to be addressed in this year’s Curriculum
Development Plan are:
• Religious Education Presentation and Marking
• Information and Control Technology (ICT) Pupil Behaviour and Self Esteem
• Personal, Social and Health Education Science Investigations
• Literacy
• Performance Management
• Curriculum Balance
• Monitoring of work
• Review of Curriculum Policies and Foundation Stage

English:

In order to raise further the standards of literacy, we continue the main reading scheme and improve literacy resources. Present spending on Literacy/books is about £3,000.00 in this financial year.

The standard of reading, writing and spelling has improved significantly again over the past year judging from teacher assessments, reading tests and Key Stage 1 and 2 SATs results. For detailed information on these see SATs results 2001 at the end of the brochure. All staff continue to work hard at improving our Children’s Literacy skills even further. The Literacy Strategy continues having a positive effect on the levels of competence of our children’s English.

Mathematics:

Our Numeracy Governor is Mr John Lever who has attended training. Our Maths Coordinator is Mrs Moriarty. The SATs results for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Mathematics are at the end of the brochure. Appendix A.

Music:

Over the past year the Governors have continued to buy in the services of a specialist music teacher from the Bradford Music Service. All children now have the extra benefit of a specialist music teacher each week. Recorders are introduced as the children become ready. The recorders are subsidised by PTFA funds. About twenty five children in years 3, 4 5 and 6 attend instrumental music lessons. These include violin, clarinet, guitar and flute.

Religious Instruction

St William’s School aims to provide an environment that upholds the Gospel values of peace, love, justice and reconciliation for all. Our task is to lead the children to a living faith and to enable them to come to know Jesus as a living and loving being.
St William’s School is a Catholic School and all of its rites and practices are those of that Church.

The practice of faith is central to the whole life of the school. Priest, pupils, parents and staff gather together to celebrate Mass and other services and assemblies throughout the year.

Parents may withdraw children from the Religious Education and Collective Worship provided. However, as all the teachers are engaged in teaching which involves Catholicity at all times throughout the day, there would be no-one available to supervise a child during periods of withdrawal. Parents would be required to take on that responsibility bearing in mind that there will be both regular time-tabled lessons and additional flexible occasions depending upon the Church’s Liturgical Calendar.

We operate the ‘Here I Am’ national syllabus for Catholic schools and we aim to employ a variety of teaching and learning strategies in order to promote spiritual and moral values.

Preparation for Sacraments:

The school celebrates with, and supports, the home and Parish in the preparation of the children for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. However it will not take the place of parents, whose privilege it is as the primary educators of their children, to foster the faith life of their child. It is for parents to attend preparation meetings and discussions before their child is presented for the sacraments.
All information concerning First Confession and First Holy Communion will be made available through St William’s Church and all enquiries must be made to the Parish Priest.

Education in Personal Relationships:

This is one of the most important responsibilities of parents, priests and teachers and it needs the commitment and understanding of all three parties. We aim to help children understand themselves, so that they may have clear self images and positive feelings and attitudes towards living and loving.

Taken alongside our Religious Education programme, sex education is developed within the context of all personal relationships. Children study how the human body develops and discuss how emotional responses change. Throughout all we aim to help the children see God’s love reflected in the personal relationships that they experience in all areas of their life.

Homework:

All children in school will at some time be given school related work to carry out at home. The nature of this work will vary between year groups and may involve:
Reading/spelling
Handwriting/learning table
Collecting information
Working on a project
Completing an exercise

The task given will be selected by the teacher and will be commensurate with the ability of the pupils and should not generally exceed 30 minutes.

Homework will be directly related to work being carried out in school. If your child is doing homework, here are a few helpful pointers:
• Always encourage and be positive — give plenty of praise.
• Be patient. Give your child time to think and talk — don’t expect too much too soon.
• Little and often is the best way forward. Build on what they afready know.
• Accept that children forget things — we do.
• Use open ended questions not closed ones. Closed question usually need a right or wrong answer. It doesn’t develop the children thinking.
Useful questions include:
Tell me how...?
What is happening now
I wonder why....?
How do they do that....?
• Talk about the child’s successes.

Pupils’ Progress and Attainment:

Parents are given the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress at a private consultation twice yearly. These consultations are based on two full written reports and are held between 3.15 and 4.OOpm or 8.3Oam by special arrangement with individual members of staff lasting about 15 minutes. The consultations run from mid October to July. Parents are individually informed of their consultation date.
Parents of Year 6 and Year 2 children receive information about their own child’s results at the end of Key Stage tests in the second consultation of the year.