Covid-19 Information

 

 

 

We have now returned to school post lockdown.  We are sure many parents will have questions and concerns about how schools are operating now that we are back, so below we have tried to answer questions based on the latest government guidelines and how Woodford Valley CE Primary is operating within these.  These are accurate on the date of publishing (7^th September 2020) but are subject to change as the government updates its guidance.

 

Returning to school in September

 

School is going to look and feel a little different for the children.  Classrooms will be set out so that children are in rows, facing their teachers. Teachers will be maintaining distance from pupils and other staff as much as possible. Children will now be in class bubbles so that we can minimise the contact between the children across the school. We will be asking them to clean their hands thoroughly, more often than usual, and we will be promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach for used tissues to ensure that we prevent the transmission of the virus.

 

Each class will have their own playtime area and playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered. Children who have packed lunches will eat in their own classroom and children having hot dinners will be eat in the hall, but again they will stay in their own class bubble. PE sessions will take place outside so please ensure that your child has suitable PE kit for outdoor PE from the start of the term.

 

Please can children not bring in their own stationery from home. We are going to give each pupil their own stationery packs so that they will have everything they need to work in their classes.

 

We will send reading books home but it might be that the children do not get as many sent home as they would previously, as the books will have to be ‘isolated’ on return.   If you are able to support the staff in this and read other books that you have at home if your child finishes their school book, that would be great.

 

We will continue to have worship in school via school radio and other technology.

 

Some children may feel anxious when returning to school, and staff will work through focused activities to support their classes in settling back in.

 

For your information, here is a link to government guidance with respect to children returning to school:  What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges in the autumn term

 

Catching up with missed learning

 

The government has promised schools some money to help pupils catch up with any learning they have missed out on during the pandemic.  We have no specific details about this yet but will update you when we do.

 

When children return to school in September, their teachers will assess their learning and design the class curriculum to support any areas in which the children need extra support.

 

Drop off

 

We will continue with the drop off system that we have been using since the return to school on 1^st June. This has worked well and we thank you for all your support with this. We have now allocated time slots from September for drop offs so that the carpark does not become too congested with cars. Please keep to your slot so that we can keep a steady flow of traffic through the carpark in the mornings. Staff will be waiting for the children as they arrive and we ask that you do not get out of cars, but that the children have all their bags, coats etc with them ready so that they can jump out of the car when you arrive. The children will be guided straight to their classrooms where their teacher will be waiting for them.

 

Drop off times, based on surnames

A-G: 8.25 – 8.35am

H-O: 8.35 – 8.45am

P-Z:  8.45 – 8.55am

 

Lake Class (new reception pupils and siblings) drop off at 9am for the first two weeks and then please join the 8.45am group.

 

If you need to speak to your child’s class teacher, please send an email to Admin or Office and they will let the class teacher know that they need contact you.

 

The school bus will continue to run for those children who normally travel by bus.  Children are not expected to wear masks. When arriving at school, they will be met by a member of staff and sent to their classes like everyone else. A member of staff will also take them to the bus at the end of the day.

 

Children can wear a mask if they want to, but we are not recommending the wearing of masks in school for this age group, following government guidelines.

 

Pick-up

 

To maintain the class bubbles separation, we will dismiss the children from the top field. Key Stage 1 pupils will finish at 3pm:  Lake Class will exit from the first gate, Lower Woodford from the middle gate and Netton from the far end gate. Once you have collected your child, unless you are waiting for a sibling in KS2, we ask if you can leave promptly so that parents in KS2 can park. KS2 pupils will be dismissed at 3.15pm: Wilsford will exit from the first gate, Durnford from the middle gate and Upper Woodford and Salterton from the far end gate.

 

Any questions?

 

If you have any questions, please email the school office, and we will try to keep this webpage regularly updated with answers.

Woodpeckers After School Club

 

Woodford Woodpeckers After school club

Welcome and Thank you for your interest in our after-school club.

 

Woodpeckers is an independent business within the school. We offer childcare for all children at Woodford Valley exclusively. It is run from 3-5pm every weekday.  This is broken up into two sessions where children can join us for the whole two hours, just come 3-4 or can come to us 4-5pm if they are in another school club. We pick up direct from the classroom for KS1. The cost of the club is £5 an hour. This includes a healthy snack. Our preferred method of payment is bank transfer, but we can take cash.

The club is run in Durnford class, with pick up from the outside entrance opposite the wooden gazebo.

 

So, who are we?

Both of us work as Teaching Assistants within the school. Dawn works in Durnford (year 4) and Helen works in Netton (year 2). With us both in school all the time it really helps us get to know the children and them to get to know us. So, we are not a strange face!

 

What happens at Woodpeckers?

We start by having a snack and relax after our day at school. Snack is provided but it is up to the individual child if they would like it. We always have a few different things on offer: Cheese, ham, peppers, carrots, crackers, fruit, and toast. We can cater for any dietary requirements. We then have some free time to play lots of different toys such as Lego, cars, dolls, beads, playdoh, and board games. There is also a quiet place to sit and relax as well. We then provide some sort of craft; this is again completely up to the child if they want to join in. It could be painting, drawing, modeling our list is endless! When the weather allows, we also try to go outside for some fresh air, we are lucky to have use of all the schools outside facilities.

 

Our biggest wish at Woodpeckers is for the children to be safe, relaxed and have a lovely time.

We have had some wonderful feedback from parents “you are like a little Woodpecker family” “he asks everyday is it a Woodpecker day!” “they love coming to you”

We are not just for working parents we are here for anyone who would like to use us.

 

Booking

We send out a termly booking form if you know the dates you need. There is also a weekly one. It is also possible to have late booking for those unexpected emergencies. All you must make sure is your child is registered with us. As we are separate from the school, we must keep our own records. If you register and never use us that is fine at least you know you have that back up. For legal reasons if we do not have a registration form, we are unable to accept your child. The registration forms are never shared anywhere else.

 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us woodfordwoodpeckers@gmail.com we are always happy to help.

 

We look forward to meeting you all,

Helen Evison and Dawn Sims

 

EYFS

 

 

At Woodford Valley we believe that children learn best and thrive in a play based environment.  We celebrate how children are all unique and we work hard to ensure that children can follow their own interests in an environment that supports them to make progress and imbed new skills.  This means that children are engaged and motivated.  We use a mix of adult led and independent child led activities which are facilitated by our continuous provision.  Our provision offers children a constant environment allowing them to explore their interests and new experiences, whilst challenging their learning.  It allows children to become independent in making choices, supporting children in becoming active learners and enabling them to imbed new skills, enhancements and challenges are regularly added to complement children’s interests, next steps or Topic.  We support children’s learning and development across all seven areas of the Early Years Curriculum whilst celebrating the importance of the Characteristics of Effective Learning.

 

Planning

We have a new Topic for each full term (see below), the Topic Web acts as a general guide, although the Topic remains the same the objectives taken from the Development Matters Document and activities may change depending on the skill development and interests of the children at the time.  So when we start a new Topic we use a child initiated planner to record children’s interests that we have identified through observations, we then link this with assessment of the children’s primary needs and skill development and generate possible activities to address these needs.

Topic Autumn

Topic Spring

Topic Summer

Objective Led Planning

Focuses on one specific area of need, differentiated into levels with next steps, suggested activities or areas of provision that could be enhanced, one or more adult will use to observe, enhance or develop a skill.  It will also include an adult led input.  We introduce a new focus for literacy and maths each week but sometimes they will continue for more than a week depending on children’s progress.

Objective Led Planning Example

Lake timetable

10 things to do in Lake

EYFS Policy

Intimate Care Policy

New Entry Presentation 2020 (COVID)

Letters and Sounds Phonics Parents Presentation

Writing – Parent Workshop

British Values

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TEACHING BRITISH VALUES

At Woodford Valley Primary Academy we promote British Values through our spiritual, moral, social and cultural education which permeates through the school’s curriculum and supports the development of the ‘whole child’.

We recognise that such development is most successful when those values and attitudes are promoted by all the staff and provide a model of behaviour for our pupils.

The DfE have recently underlined the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs”

The Government set out its definition of British Values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and these values have been reiterated this year (2015).  At Woodford Valley Primary Academy these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Democracy is embedded within the school.  Pupils are listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully with concern to each other, respecting the right of every pupil to have their opinions and voice heard. We empower our pupils by giving them opportunities to make choices about the things that they believe to be important. By valuing each ‘voice’ and by listening and responding to that voice we demonstrate that we support democracy and liberty.

Each year the pupils decide upon their class behaviour rules and the rights associated with these. All the pupils contribute to the drawing up of the rules along with the staff.

We have a school council which meets regularly with a member of staff to discuss issues raised in class council meetings. The council has access to a small budget if required and is genuinely able to effect change within the school, for example requesting new playground equipment and markings.  Every pupil on the school council is voted in by their class. The Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary are voted for by every pupil. They run a campaign and the school holds a ballot.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school or the country, are consistently reinforced at Woodford Valley Primary Academy.

Pupils are taught the rules of the school from their induction visits in Reception.  These are the school and class rules. Pupils are taught the value and the reasons behind class, school and national rules and laws: that they govern and protect us, that they involve responsibilities, and that there are consequences when laws are broken. This type of environment enables pupils to feel safe and secure; this in turn, promotes the optimum conditions for learning to take place.

Individual Liberty

Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for pupils to make informed choices, through a safe environment and an empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms, and advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our E Safety and PSHE lessons.

Mutual Respect

Mutual respect is at the heart of our values. Pupils learn that their behaviours have an effect on their own rights and those of others. All members of the school community, including, staff, pupils and parents, treat each other with respect.

Tolerance of those with other Faiths and Beliefs

Children can be from different faiths and cultures. We promote diversity through our celebrations of different faiths and cultures. Each person  at Woodford Valley Primary Academy is respected and valued equally without regard to ability, gender, faith, heritage or race. RE and PSHE lessons reinforce messages of tolerance and respect for others. Members of different faiths are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school i.e. Diwali in school assembly.

Pupils are encouraged to experience British Culture through our curriculum themes. For example, pupils have visited: Salisbury Cathedral, theatre groups have performed plays and as a school, we take part in local sporting activities which helps to instil ‘fair play’ and engender a ’team spirit’.

 

 

Hello, Wilsford.

This term our topic is India. We will be exploring Indian culture, eating Indian food and researching the animals that live there. 

Our RE work will be focused on learning about the people of God in the Old Testament. We will look in detail at Noah, looking at the qualities of his personality and his adventure with God.

In our Science Lessons we will be learning about rocks and fossils, looking at the world around us.

In art we will be drawing tigers, inspired by the art of Henri Rousseau. We will research Bengal tigers using the internet and use the information we have found out to inspire our writing. After half term we will learn about Indian elephants and make sculptures of them in our art lessons.

In the week before half term we will be going on our class residential trip to Hooke Court. We are looking forward to lots of fun, friendship and learning.

 

Mrs Woodley

 

 

 

Working with our talk partners in RE discussing:

Who do you care for?

How do you show you care?

https://www.woodfordvalley.wilts.sch.uk/1551-2/

 

Sand castle building!

Music

 

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We aim to provide all the children with a wide musical experience, both in terms of listening to a varied range of music and through creating, playing, performing and enjoying music.  Music is a unique way of communicating that can inspire and motivate children and has a vital role to play in the spiritual and cultural development in children.

 

We enable children to:

• Know and understand how sounds are made and then organised into musical structures;
• Know how music is made through a variety of instruments;
• Know how music is composed and written down;
• Know how music is influenced by the time, place and purpose for which it was written;
• Develop the skill of performing, composing and appreciating music in individual, paired, small and large group activities.

In addition we offer a range of musical experiences for those who wish to take them up and to which we include as part of our music curriculum:

• Choir;
• Recorder club;
• Band;
• Dance clubs;
• The opportunity to learn to play descant recorder;
• Take up instrument tuition in strings, brass, keyboard, woodwind and vocal;
• Experience live performances;
• Music therapy;
• Worship through hymns;
• Filming and recording of performances.

 

Music Policy

Subject Planning Whole School Overview

Music – progression of skills

Assessment

 

Reception pupils are gently assessed within the first two weeks of starting school using a baseline assessment package, apart from the routine Standard Assessment Tests at age 7 and 11 and a phonic test at aged 6, no further examinations are taken. Non-Statutory tests are taken at Years 3, 4 and 5, and parents notified of their results.

Children’s progress is monitored from the moment they join school. Records are kept in all National Curriculum subjects as well as in personal and social achievements such as music or swimming. Continuous assessment is made by class teachers and careful records kept throughout the school.

Evidence if achievement is stored in personal folders within each class. At the end of each academic year parents are sent a school report and given the opportunity to view the child’s work. Regular Parents Evenings are held so that parents and teachers can discuss progress.

Children are also involved in self-assessment, and with the help of teachers, in setting targets for improvement.

 

ASSESSMENT POLICY

 

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A table describing the age of pupils and the key stage to which they refer