School Policies

Policies
School policies cover every aspect of school life and our policies describe explicitly how we do things at Primrose Lane Primary. They address the practical implications of how we achieve our school vision and ensure that our agreed values underpin day-to-day decisions and actions in school. They are concerned with key processes within school and are about the interactions between staff, pupils, parents, governors and our local community.  
Some policies are statutory and required by law, while others are discretionary and cover additional areas. Many of our policies are based on model versions provided by the Local Authority; others we build from scratch to reflect what we believe to be best practice. All of them are carefully considered and regularly reviewed by staff and governors before being adopted.
Below are some of our most important policies for your reference. Click on the links to read individual policies and as usual, if there’s anything you can't find or you have any queries about please contact the school and we’ll be happy to help.
Accessibility

At Primrose Lane Primary School we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all our pupils and staff and all those who are part of our school community or use our school facilities. This includes those who are disabled. Our accessibility plan is part of our Equalities Policy which can be found below.

Admissions

A copy of our Admissions Policy for the current academic year and future years, can be downloaded here:

Anti-bullying

Primrose Lane Primary School values all children and seeks to ensure that they learn that the challenging of hurtful behaviour and discrimination is an important part of the ethos of the school. All our pupils have the right to feel safe and secure. They need to feel free from any threat of bullying and to know where to go and to whom to speak if bullying occurs. All complaints of bullying are treated seriously and are acted upon in accordance with practice agreed by the whole school community. Our policy includes lots of useful links and supporting organisations, offering further help and support.

Attendance

At Primrose Lane we want the whole school community – governors, staff, parents and pupils to be committed to high standards of attendance and punctuality. Good attendance helps the children in our school community to maximize their learning. Attending school is a safeguarding priority: when children are in school, we know they are safe. Although we encourage good attendance, children who are too ill to come to school or may pass infection to others should not attend. When children are absent from school we ask parents to inform the school office by 9.00am on the first day of absence and every day of absence after that. We contact parents if we feel their child is too ill to stay at school. Leave of absence will be given for attendance at medical or dental appointments or for examinations in music, dance etc. However, where possible such appointments should be made outside of school hours. Our Attendance Policy supports us all to achieve high levels of attendance and punctuality.

Leave of Absence

The headteacher, supported by the Governing Board, will not, except in exceptional circumstances, give permission for leave of absence during term time for holidays or similar activities. The headteacher will grant leave of absence for exceptional circumstances, such consent not being unreasonably withheld. Parents should use the Request for Leave of Absence Form when requesting leave of absence for exceptional circumstances.

Behaviour

We want our school to be a happy and healthy place to learn. We promote good choices which lead to positive relationships so that everyone can support each other, work together, learn well and be the best they can be. Pupils at Primrose Lane are very well behaved and we believe this is as a result of positive behaviour management both in and out of the classroom. We expect everyone to behave well and to help guide our community we use three words to represent our school rules: ready, respectful, and safe. We have a strong safeguarding focus at Primrose Lane, and this means we believe ‘behaviour is communication’. We always carefully consider and investigate what may be causing concerning behaviour. Our policy explains the ways in which we positively manage and teach the children how to make good choices and behave well.

Charging & Remissions

The staff and Governors of Primrose Lane Primary School believe that all our pupils should have an equal opportunity to benefit from school activities and visits (curricular and extra curricular), independent of their parents’ financial means. Our Charging and Remissions Policy describes how we will do our best to ensure that a good range of visits and activities is offered and, at the same time, try to minimise the financial barriers which may prevent some pupils taking full advantage of the opportunities.

Child Protection

At Primrose Lane we strive to establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to when they have a worry or concern. We ensure children know that there are adults in the school whom they can approach if they are worried. We include opportunities in the PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) curriculum for children to develop the skills they need to recognise and stay safe. As a result of regular training, all members of staff are fully aware of the important role they have in the early recognition of the signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect, and the appropriate referral process.

Collective Worship

At Primrose Lane we believe that collective worship both supports and strengthens what we aim to do in every aspect of school life. Our caring ethos, and the value which we place on the development of the whole child; spiritually, morally, socially, culturally and intellectually, is reflected in our worship. We value this special time in the school day for the space it gives children to develop a reflective approach to life and the ability to express their reflections in traditionally religious ways or any other appropriate manner.

Complaints

If a parent is concerned about anything to do with the education or wellbeing of their child, they should, in the first instance, discuss the matter with their child's class teacher. Most matters of concern can be dealt with in this way. All teachers work very hard to ensure that each child is happy at school, and is making good progress; they always want to know if there is a problem, so that they can take action before the problem seriously affects the child's progress. Mrs Holmes is always happy to meet with you and help resolve any issues and if you continue to feel an issue has not been resolved then you could contact our Governing Board.

Confidentiality

Our Confidentiality Policy is designed to support the way in which all members of our school can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where everyone feels safe and secure and every individual's and family's right to privacy is respected. Confidentiality is an essential element of the success of our school. As such all of our staff, volunteer helpers and visitors are expected to work within the guidelines of our Confidentiality Policy, which conforms to recent legislation and government guidelines.

Drug Education

The staff and governors at Primrose Lane believe that the purpose of Drug Education should be to give pupils knowledge, skills and attitudes to appreciate the benefits of a healthy life-style and to relate these to their own actions, both now and in the future. Set in the broader context of our teaching in PSHE (Personal, Social & Health Education) and Science, our Drug Education Policy reflects our school aims to provide a caring community in which our children can learn to respect themselves and others, and take responsibility for their own actions. We are committed to the health and safety of all members of the school community and will take action to safeguard their well being. Fundamental to our school's values and practice is the principle of sharing the responsibility for education with parents and carers. We strive for effective communication and co-operation. Drug Education is a major component of drug prevention.

Equality and accessibility

At Primrose Lane, all children are treated equally, regardless of individual characteristics. We have an inclusive ethos – no children are treated in a disadvantaged manner. We aim to ensure all stakeholders in our school have equal chance to achieve, equal chance to participate, equal chance to fulfil their role in school and the wider community. Equality for all helps us all to develop a sense of identity and to function well in the world. We welcome our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. Our Equality Policy and Accessibility Plan outlines several objectives to make our school even more inclusive. The most important ones relating to our pupils are: more children know the protected characteristics; efficient reviews and swift identification of individuals’ core learning needs; more children can talk with understanding, confidence and positivity about different religions. Other policies and school development action plans have a statement regarding equal opportunities whenever this may be relevant and useful. You might also like to read more information about Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

Food in school

At Primrose Lane we recognise the important part that a healthy diet plays in a child’s wellbeing and the significance connection between a healthy diet and their ability to learn and achieve effectively. We believe that the school, in partnership within parents and carers, can make a major contribution to improving children’s health by increasing their knowledge and understanding of food and helping them to make healthy food choices.

Home-School Agreement

Our Home-School Agreement provides a framework that we believe will enhance the partnerships between families and teachers. It sets out the role of the school, parents and pupils in this vital partnership.

Home Learning

Parents and school working together as active partners is a central theme of our school. Having a workable, realistic and well understood Home Learning Policy is an important part of this partnership, as research has shown that home learning can make an important contribution to pupils' progress at school. Teachers provide information for children and parents at the beginning of each academic year about the types and frequency of home learning activities.

Inclusion

All children have a right to be educated with their peer group. At Primrose Lane Primary School, we are fully committed to promoting inclusion of all children, whatever their age, ability, gender, race or background. We believe that the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and well-being of every child in the school is important.

Intimate care and toileting

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We are also committed to ensuring that all staff responsible for intimate care of children will undertake their duties in a professional manner at all times. The Intimate Care and Toileting Policy has been developed to safeguard children and staff. It applies to everyone involved in the intimate care of children.

First Aid

Ensuring the safety and well-being of all children at Primrose Lane is a top priority. All staff are trained in basic First Aid with a number of other staff trained in Paediatric First Aid throughout school.

Online Safety

Our Online Safety Policy sets out best practice around online safety and draws attention to existing national guidance on this subject so that we can maintain the safest possible learning and working environments for children and staff alike. There are important appendices, that set our clear expectations around acceptable use of online activity for children and adults in school. We encourage parents/carers to read the acceptable use agreements, and to support their child at home to follow the same points to help them stay safe online. Our online safety section on the parents tab provides lots of help and support for you to use at home. Tell us if you’ve any concerns about your child’s and others’ use of technology.

Relationships and Sex Education

At Primrose Lane we aim to develop an active partnership with parents to ensure sensitive support for pupils as they mature. Most of a child's informal relationship and sex education occurs within the family and the school's programme will complement and build on this. Parents are the key figures in helping their children to cope with growing up and preparing for the responsibilities that sexual maturity brings.

Separated Parents

Schools have a legal duty to work in partnership with families and to involve all those with parental responsibility in their child’s education. This obligation on schools continues even when family circumstances change, for example, relationships between parents break down. It is generally in the best interest of children if parents and schools can work together. Research and experience have shown that separated parents can become particularly estranged, especially during the initial stages of a split. This is very often traumatic for any children concerned and unfortunately these personal family problems can have an impact on the child’s schooling. This policy is an attempt to minimise any impact and to clarify to all parties what is expected from separated parents and what can be expected from the school and its staff.

Social Media

Our Social Media Policy sets out our agreed Terms of Use based on the following principles: - Social media (such as Facebook and Twitter; messaging on MSN and on mobile phones; blogs; online discussion forums) bring opportunities for children, young people and adults to understand, engage and communicate with audiences in new and exciting ways. It is important that people are able to use these appropriately and safely. - No child at Primrose Lane Primary can access Facebook at school. We sincerely hope that no child can access Facebook outside of school, as under 13s should not be registered users. The same should be true for children under 13 accessing MSN.

Special Educational Needs

It is recognised that approximately 20% of children will have special educational needs at some time in their school careers. These can be short term but range from those who need a little additional help to those with more significant learning difficulties. Primrose Lane Primary School is committed to providing the best possible provision that resources allow. In such an environment our pupils can thrive and their confidence and self-esteem can grow.

Visitors in School

At Primrose Lane we aim to provide a range of activities which support, reinforce and enrich the learning and development of the children. We also aim to be open, welcoming and encouraging to parents and other adults who can help us in providing the best for our children. However, our overriding concern is for the safety and welfare of the children in our care. This document sets out our school's policy, which is to ensure that the children benefit from as much help and support as possible, and are provided at the same time with the best possible security.

Whistleblowing

This policy sets out the principles that enable concerns about a danger, risk, malpractice or wrongdoing that affects others, to be raised without fear of adverse consequences such as harassment or victimisation. The Governors of the school are committed to the highest standards of openness, probity and accountability. In line with that commitment, employees, who have serious and legitimate concerns about any aspect of the school’s work, are encouraged to come forward and voice those concerns through accessible channels rather than overlooking the issues or discussing them externally.

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