Working to Succeed

Fulfilling potential

Helping all children fulfil their potential is one of our key aims at North Baddesley. Involving parents in their child’s learning is something we are proud to encourage and value and we have included below the answers to some key questions you may ask.

How is my child doing and how do you share this with me?

This is something frequently asked by most parents and by the end of each key stage, children should have reached a particular level of skills knowledge and understanding. To help you, we have included statements at the back of the prospectus.

In the autumn and spring term we hold a parents’ consultation evening where we invite you to meet your child’s teacher and discuss their progress and targets for development. You will also receive an annual report of achievement on your child’s progress in all curriculum areas at the end of the academic year which we hope will be both helpful and provide a positive record of achievement for the future.

What if I am worried about my child’s progress?

Speak to the teacher who can reassure you. Remember children progress at different rates and are individual. Some children may not progress as much as others, have particular skills in certain areas or learn in different ways. Others may have special educational needs (see section "How will my child benefit from being at North Baddesley?") and will be identified and supported within school.

How Can I Help?

• Homework
  Parents and carers have a very important role to play in helping their child to learn but homework must be fun and enjoyed by both child and parent. Some parents are unsure of how to help so to support parents we have created guides and a homework policy and hints which are included in the pull out section at the back of this prospectus. Please don’t worry if you don’t have time to do everything suggested. The most important things you can do are:
  • Take an interest in what your child is learning at school (we keep you fully updated of our topics and give you ideas of how you can help at home to support this)
  • Praise them when they have done well
• The Home-School Partnership
  The home-school agreement is an important way of working together with parents to ensure children become effective learners. Our home school agreement (which all schools are required to have) has been written by all members of the school community and outlines the part we all have to play in supporting this, ensuring we are all clear of our responsibilities. We will share it with you and ask you and your child to sign it and keep a copy when they first start school.
• Helping in school
  We welcome offers of help. Many of our parents offer to help on a regular or more casual basis. There is sometimes the opportunity to accompany children on visits or join in with special events. We ask all volunteers to undergo a police check with the Criminal Records Bureau. Anyone wishing to help on a voluntary basis should speak to the class teacher.
• Our Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
  We are very proud of our active and supportive PTA who are a dedicated group of volunteers who organise events that enable children and families to raise money for the school. As a result of their hard work we are able to buy valuable resources to benefit the children in school. Our PTA is always looking for additional helpers and if you are interested in joining the group, please contact one of our committee members listed in the pull out section at the back of this prospectus.

What other opportunities are available for my child?

• Extracurricular Activities
  We are proud to offer an increasing number of extra curricular opportunities, both during lunchtimes and at the end of the school day. We offer two kinds of opportunity—those which are run voluntarily by staff and parents in their own time for which there is no fee (except for nominal charges where specific resources are needed—eg: cooking) and those which are run by external providers who charge for their services. Due to the popularity of most activities, they are run on a "first come, first served" basis and we operate a waiting list.
• Enrichment
  The curriculum is enriched by visitors, including contributions from community members and visiting professionals. An exciting range of educational visits support the curriculum. We are also involved with initiatives and awards such as Artsmark.
• Pupil Voice
  We work hard to support pupil rights, respects and responsibilities as part of our commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child. We encourage responsibility, democracy, ownership and involvement and ensure pupil voice has high priority. Our school council meets weekly with the Headteacher to discuss issues and initiatives and have made many major improvements and developments to the school.

What do I do if I have a concern?

We very much hope that your time with us will be a happy and positive experience but from time to time you may have concerns that you wish to discuss. If you do have a concern we hope you will be happy to raise it with us so that we can work together to resolve it. Our staff are friendly and approachable and available wherever possible although it may be necessary for you to make an appointment at times. Please speak to the class teacher or school office. Alternatively, if you wish to speak to the Headteacher, the school office will be happy to arrange this for you.

Other policies and procedures

All school policies and other relevant documents and resources are available for viewing in a file in the main entrance foyer.