Please visit www.katherinesemar-jun.essex.sch.uk

1. Welcome to Please visit www.katherinesemar-jun.essex.sch.uk

2. Who’s Who? The Staff Teaching Staff Mrs. R. Callaghan - Head teacher Mrs. Moy Year 5Inclusion Manager Senior Teacher Learning Support Assistants Mrs. S. Howett Mrs. U. Phillips Mrs. S. Molloy Mrs. J. SnaresMrs. C. Findlayson Mrs. K. Thomas Mrs. K. Seymour Mrs. M. PageMrs. C. Savill-Owen Mrs. L. Sandwell Mrs. D. Stearn Mrs. L. TwemlowMrs. N. Thilo Mrs. E Wright Office Staff Mrs. A.E. Long, Mrs. R Porter, Mrs. D. PawsonSite Manager Mrs. S. Sault Midday Supervisors Mrs. D. Cincius, Mrs. S. Howett, Mrs. A. Page, Mrs. G. Brace, Mrs. J. ClarkeMrs. J. Banks, Mrs. E. Wright Peripatetic Teachers Mr. D. Ketteridge, Ms. J. Wheeler, Mrs. L. Chandler, Mrs. C. Coleman, Mrs. C Chandler Mr. T. Haralambous, Mrs. T James Mrs. S. Rowden

3. 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

4. School AimsAt 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. Inclusion • English as additional language (EAL) • Special Educational Needs (SEN) • Gifted and Talented • Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM)

9. 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 Waldenand 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. School Visits and Residentials In each year there are several visits to a variety of educational sites. E.g. museums, toenrich 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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 well-conceived 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

19. 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