EARLS HALL PRIMARY SCHOOL - PROSPECTUS 2020-21 SS0 0QN Earls Hall Primary School
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EARLS HALL PRIMARY
SCHOOL
PROSPECTUS 2020-21
Earls Hall Primary School,
Carlton Avenue,
Westcliff-on-Sea,
Essex,
SS0 0QN
www.earlshallprimary.co.uk (01702) 333360
Dear Parents & Carers,
On behalf of the governors and staff I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a warm
welcome to Earls Hall Primary School!
I am immensely proud to serve as Headteacher at our school to the point where I love getting out
of bed in the morning just to get to work! Our school is a wonderful place, full of excitement,
vibrancy and enthusiasm. Our children are polite, funny, eager to learn and each and every one
of them is special in their own unique way. We aim for the next seven years to be full of fun, high
achievement, challenge and creativity for your children and hope that you, as a family, enjoy
every second of the journey ahead.
We are incredibly proud of our school and all that the children achieve. We pride ourselves in
providing a safe, happy and caring environment where pupils are given every opportunity to
develop their potential to the full. We encourage and inspire creativity by making each and every
day in school count and provide meaningful experiences so that learning is enjoyable and
memorable. In return we expect our pupils to work hard, always try their best, and to act in a
thoughtful and considerate manner to others.
I am proud to say we have a highly skilled, committed and caring team of professionals who work
across the school in all year groups and in all their various roles. They are all very much looking
forward to working with your children.
We celebrate success in all of its various forms and develop self esteem to enable our children to
feel secure and confident. Every member of our team is committed to creating and maintaining
the best possible conditions for learning within a vibrant and respectful environment.
I cannot express just how highly we value working in partnership with our families. We strongly
believe that this positive relationship plays a major factor in your child reaching their full potential
and we look forward to getting to know you and your children all as individuals.
Personally, I believe that every child’s experience of school should be magical. Myself and all the
team know only too well how special and unique every child is who becomes part of our school
community and I promise that we will always look after them, keeping them safe and happy,
whilst ensuring that we provide them with the highest possible standard of education possible.
The past few months have been a challenging time globally and the curriculum which the children
will experience in the Autumn term will reflect this. We may have to operate in a slightly different
way than usual but please be assured that we will still endeavour to provide your children with
the positive start which they deserve. The contents of the prospectus reflect the organisation of
the school when in more normal times, a normal which we aim to return to as soon as possible,
so some aspects of school life may not happen in the Autumn term.
Please never, ever, hesitate to contact me directly either via my email
address or by popping into school for a face to face chat. I am always
happy to help.
Myself and all the team look forward to working with you and your
children for many years to come.
Now, let the fun begin!
Mr B Headteacher
Our school is a wonderful place for learning to develop. The school has a long and interesting history having been built between April 1937 and June 1938, We first welcomed pupils on the 30th August 1938 as Earls Hall Infants and Earls Hall Juniors. There were originally 135 children on roll in the infants with a further 155 pupils in the juniors. Nowadays we are home to 630 lovely pupils spanning seven year groups. The school building is made up of two floors. The Key Stage One and Foundation Stage classes are based on the lower floor whilst the Key Stage Two classes are predominantly situated on the upper floor. There are two classrooms used by Year Four downstairs situated at the back of the school. The layout of the building is fairly traditional with the classrooms based alongside the corridor on each level. Our spacious building consists of twenty one classrooms as well as several communal areas, a community room, a small nurture room for each key stage, medical rooms, cloakroom facilities, office administration areas and two large halls. We are fortunate to have a separate building which houses a large kitchen and a dining hall used by children from Years Two to Six at lunchtime. On site we also house a fantastic swimming pool and the cabin; PE changing rooms for upper key stage two pupils. Our grounds are spacious and used by all year groups every day. The front of the school offers a small but exciting wooded area which is used by Foundation Stage and Key Stage One for ‘Forest Friends’ sessions every week and Years Three and Four each half term. Out the back of the school there are three large playground areas and a wonderfully spacious field. The playgrounds are zoned into age specific areas although we have one area which can be used by children of any year group to socialise. We pride ourselves in creating and maintaining a clean, bright, safe and stimulating learning environment and are continually investigating ways to improve and enhance our unique and historic building.
We have a well maintained indoor swimming pool, situated on the Colemans Avenue entrance, which the children love using. Our pool is modern, spacious and enjoyable to use in all weather conditions. All children in all year groups enjoy the use of the pool over a series of lessons at set times throughout the year. Children in the Foundation Stage swim in the Summer term.
Foundation Stage & KS1 Times
Start of Day 8.50am
Assembly 9.15am
Playtime (Not Foundation Stage) 10.25am-10.40am
Lunch Foundation : 11.40am– 12.50pm
Year One: 11.50am– 1.00pm
End of Day 3.15pm
Children within the Foundation Stage attend assembly on an increasing level throughout the
year. They start the year attending two assemblies a week and gradually build up to the full five.
The Foundation Stage classes do not participate in morning playtime as their curriculum is
organised in a manner which allows continuous play opportunities both inside and outdoors. Due
to the Covid situation start and finishing times in the Autumn time will be staggered and therefore
each class may experience a slightly different beginning and end time to their day.
Y3 & Y5 Times
Start of Day 8.45am
Assembly 10.00am
Playtime 10.20am-10.35am
Lunch 12.10pm-1.10pm
End of Day 3.20pm
Y4 & Y6 Times
Start of Day 8.50am
Assembly 10.00am
Playtime 10.20am-10.35am
Lunch 12.10pm-1.10pm
End of Day 3.20pm
Assembly takes place across the school in year groups at 10.00am on a Friday as children from
all year groups mix for the weekly ‘Celebration Assembly’.
Our playtimes are a lot of fun! We are fortunate to have an extensive range of play and climbing equipment which the children enjoy using when the weather permits it. Our three playgrounds are supervised by either experienced teachers, teaching assistants or midday supervisors and offer the children the opportunity to play with a wide range of resources which change on a regular basis.
Families are welcome on site from 7.50am to attend one of a range of club activities before school. The back playground is open to Key Stage Two aged children from 8.35am when school staff are on the playground to ensure their safety. We cannot accept responsibility for unaccompanied children before 8.35am or after 3,30pm unless they are attending one of the many club activities on the premises. Key Stage One aged children must be accompanied by responsible adults until they enter the school building. We have a wide, and ever increasing, range of play equipment on the field. Children may only use this before and after school when closely supervised by parents. During the Covid pandemic, sadly parents are not able to use the grounds as usual and are not permitted on site. Access into school in the morning varies depending on which year group your child is in. Children in the Foundation Stage, Year One and Year Two access school at 8.50am. These children enter the building via their classroom door and are greeted by either a teacher or teaching assistant. Children in Year Three and Year Five trickle into school from 8.45m through their respective entrances. Years Four and Six follow at 8.50am after the bell rings to mark the start of the school day. All children who go home for lunch are collected via the main office and must return to school at least five minutes before the start of their afternoon lessons. At the end of the day children in Foundation Stage, Year One and Year Two exit via their classroom doors and classteachers wait with the children until they are collected. Children who fail to be collected at the appropriate time return to the office until they are collected. If, as a parent, you are unavoidably detained then please don’t worry but contact the office by telephone as soon as possible as a long wait at the end of the school day can be extremely unsettling for a child. Key Stage Two children are collected by authorised adults via their respective exits. At times parents of children in Year Six may feel it is appropriate for them to walk home on their own. Parents of these children need to discuss this arrangement with the school and register their permission with the school office. Children can only be collected by authorised adults. A list of authorised adults for each child is kept at the school office. If you wish for your child to be collected by an additional adult not on the list, for example when a child is playing at a friends house for the evening, it is essential we are informed of this arrangement either by phone, in writing or in person. Failure to follow this procedure results in your child being kept in school until we have received authorisation which can be frustrating for all involved. Pupils may not be collected by anyone under the age of fourteen years old. Families are encouraged to walk or cycle to school and there are extensive cycle shelter facilities to help with this journey. Car parking is extremely limited around the school and the car park is used exclusively for staff unless families need to access our disabled parking space. Blue badge holders who wish to use this facility need to discuss this requirement with the school in advance of accessing the car park. We strongly recommend that if you have to travel by car you park at least 100 metres from the school and walk the rest of the way.
Child Care facilitates after school
Our ‘After School Club’ continues to be hugely popular and is open to all children in all year
groups Monday to Friday throughout term time.
• Each session at the club costs £6.00 for children collected before 5pm. If children are
collected between 5pm and 6pm the cost of the club is £8.50. Parents who have more than
one child attending the club are charged 50p less for every siblings place
• Session run from 3.15pm-5.00pm or 3.15pm-6.00pm. Children collected after 6pm may be
charged an additional £8.50 depending on the circumstances and if children are frequently
collected late they may be refused a place at the club. This is down to the discretion of the
Headteacher
• All children must be registered and booked into the club. Registration forms are available
from the school office. Children who have not been booked into the club will unfortunately
be unable to attend. Please book via the school office
• Each night the children enjoy a snack as part of the evenings activities. This snack is aimed
as a ‘light filler’ to stave off hunger until the children’s dinner time at home and does not
constitute a main meal
• Children enjoy taking part in a range of activities including cooking, craft, gardening and
free play which are supervised by teaching assistants and vary each night
• We also offer breakfast provision which is charged at £5.00 between 7.30am and the start
of school and £3.00 from 8.00am.
The School Staff
We are fortunate to have a wealth of experience amongst our talent team of staff. Each and
every individual contributes to making every child’s education a success. Classteachers have
responsibility for teaching all aspects of the curriculum to their classes. In addition we have
specialist teachers in Music, PE and languages who work in various year groups across the
school. We engage with additional community partners who work alongside our staff to enhance
the curriculum and educational opportunities for our pupils.
Strategic Leadership Team Headteacher, Deputy Headteachers & Assistant Headteacher
Senior Leadership Team Headteacher, Deputy Headteachers, Inclusion Managers and all Year
Group Leaders
Senior Management Team Headteacher, Deputy Headteachers and Business Manager
Classteachers Classteachers are responsible for the teaching and learning within their
classes. Year group leaders together with their year group colleagues plan
an engaging curriculum which is consistent across the whole year group.
Curriculum Subject Leaders In addition to their classroom responsibility each teacher has responsibility
for leading an area of the curriculum. The role of the subject leader is to
enhance, share good practice and plan for further improvements. They are
assisted by colleagues from across all key stages as part of a curriculum
team.
HLTAs (Higher Level This team has an important role in supporting and boosting pupil progress
Teaching Assistants) in the core areas of the curriculum. Members of this team may cover a
class during the teachers planning time.
Teaching Assistants Teaching Assistants are employed to support children’s learning in the
classroom under the direction of the classteacher. Members of this team
may also support children with additional needs.
Midday Supervisor Our Midday Supervisors lead and manage the midday team.
Midday Assistants Our Midday Assistants play a crucial role in ensuring all pupils have an
active, enjoyable and respectful lunchtime.
Business Manager Our Business Manager manages the business arms of the school and the
finances and personnel of the school.
Office Team Our office team are often the first point of contact for parents and deal with
the administrative side of school life. They are situated at the front of the
school and are always happy to answer parents’ queries or act as a liaison
between parents and other members of staff.
Site Team Our Site Manager and Assistant Site Manager work with our team of
cleaners and external grounds team to ensure that the building and
grounds are clean, tidy and safe.
Kitchen Manager Our Kitchen Manager is responsible for the setting of menus and
supervises the cooking of school lunches.
Kitchen Team Our assistant cooks assist in the preparation and serving of school meals.
The Curriculum Our curriculum has been recognised by Ofsted to be stimulating and engaging for all children and we are extremely proud of the fact that it is continually evolving to meet the needs of our pupils. We aim to provide a broad, balanced and creative curriculum with opportunities to enhance children’s spiritual, emotional and moral development and understanding of the world around them alongside the key skills which are crucial in the core and foundation areas of the curriculum. We encourage the children to take ownership of their learning by posing questions, suggesting ideas and leading simple enquiries. We also value key life skills which we believe all children should experience, some of which are part of our statutory curriculum and others that are part of a wider school curriculum unique to Earls Hall. Through creative subjects such as art, design & technology, dance and music children can express and explore ideas, feelings and attitudes. Children are encouraged to develop an awareness of art forms in all cultures and key skills such as painting, drawing and printing. They have opportunities for designing and making, using a variety of media, textiles and food and enjoying applying their understanding of the value of money throughout our annual ’Economic Well Being’ week. In music the children learn to enjoy, perform, listen to and compose their own music whilst appreciating the music of others. There is a great emphasis on singing, both as a fun activity in itself and as a means of delivering the music curriculum. Children have the opportunity to extend their musical talents in extra curricular clubs as well as through individual tuition sessions which are first available in Year Two and continue throughout Key Stage Two. We have two choirs, one for each key stage which meet on a weekly basis and perform to parents at regular intervals. We are also proud to maintain the only timbrel group in a Southend school who perform on a regular basis. We aim to foster a sense of wonder and curiosity in our children and encourage them to seek out information and make observations. Our science, history and geography curriculum is centred around children applying the knowledge and skills they have learnt to topics linked to their own interests. We provide opportunities for children to predict, question and draw conclusions through cross curricular links and blocks of work. Our unique curriculum links subjects into a central theme which has been carefully chosen to motivate the children by stimulating their curiosity. We enhance our work in the classroom with educational trips and visits to many local areas of interest in all year groups from Foundation Stage through to Year Six.
We challenge all children to meet their full potential by differentiating the curriculum to meet their individual needs. We focus heavily on ensuring children make as much progress as possible regardless of their prior learning experiences and understand that all children will begin their learning journey with us from a range of starting points. As the children move through the school and into the upper years of Key Stage Two we support those children wishing to take the 11+ exam by providing an after school club. There are also a range of national challenges and competitions that children with particular talents take part in. The core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics are at the very heart of our curriculum and are linked to development in the other National Curriculum subjects both implicitly and explicatory. Reading at home is encouraged through our ‘Reading Champions’ award scheme where children are presented with a progressive series of badges based on the amount of times they read at home before being crowned ‘Ultimate Reading Champions’ for reading a staggering 250 times! In order to develop children’s spiritual, emotional and moral development the school follows an agreed syllabus which acknowledges Christianity as the predominate religion in Great Britain but, nevertheless, recognises and celebrates the other principle religions represented in the country and or community. Children take part in acts of collective worship which are carefully planned to include moral as well as religious themes and stories. Arrangements can be made for children to be withdrawn from collective worship should parents so wish.
The Governing Body
The governing body has 13 governors including the Headteacher. Parent governors are
nominated by other parents when a vacancy arises; if there are more nominations than
vacancies an election will be held. All parents are eligible to vote in this election. Although
elected by the parent body a parent is not there to represent that body, they contribute and vote
as individuals although they will be aware of the concerns of our parents and will be able to ask
relevant questions at governing body meetings and raise wider issues with the Headteacher as
and when appropriate.
Staff governors can and do include the
Headteacher although the Headteacher is not
required to be a governor. Authority governors are
appointed by the local authority and the community
governors are appointed by other governors and
come from the local community.
The full governing body of the primary school will
meet on average once a month. Once the minutes
of meetings have been approved they are
available for parents to read on request.
In addition all governors have individual responsi-
bility for different aspects of school life; for example they may be attached to a particular sec-
tion of the school improvement plan or be responsible for budget monitoring, health and safe-
ty or child protection issues.
Learning Ambassadors
Every week a ‘learning ambassador’
is chosen in each class from Years
One to Six. The ambassadors are
responsible for sharing the learning
which is taking place in their class to
visitors throughout the week, regard-
less of what lesson they are taking
part in. Learning ambassadors can
be identified easily as throughout
their time in the role the children
wear prominent badges!
Every Friday the ambassadors meet
with a member of the governing
body to share the learning which has taken
place and discuss progression across the
school.Forest Friends At Earls Hall Primary School we have imbedded the philosophy of Forest School in our weekly 'Forest Friends' sessions. Forest School originated in Sweden during the 1950's and was a way of teaching children about the natural world. The idea was adopted by Denmark as an essential part of their early years provision. The concept was then brought to Britain by Bridgewater College in 1995. Studies show that children who have experienced Forest School as part of their early education are more socially aware, have better concentration, less irritable, healthier and show more consideration towards others. The Forest Schools programme has proved a great success with children of all ages, who visit the same local woodlands on a regular basis, in all weathers and seasons. It is an opportunity for children to experience nature and the outdoors in a safe, secure and hands on way. Through their play, children have opportunities to explore and learn about the natural environment. They discover how to handle risks, cooperate with others and use their initiative to solve problems. At Earls Hall the woodlands we use with the children is the small stretch of trees at the front of the school grounds. This area is known as Base Camp. In addition to the woodland there is a seating area made from logs, a log cabin for teaching, `The Magic Faraway Tree', a summer house, a vegetable patch and the chicken coop. Each Foundation Stage and Key Stage One class has a 'Forest Friends' session once a week, all year round. Each session outside is approximately an hour and a half long. Children do not wear school uniform on their designated ‘Forest Friends’ day in school. As the children progress into Years Three and Four their sessions take place once every half term and throughout Key Stage Two the skills first taught in their early years are developed through off site trips to locations such as Belfairs Woods, Wat Tyler Country Park and the PGL residential.
Farm Friends
At Earls Hall Primary School, we offer a
unique learning environment based on
the individual needs of your child.
We keep a range of animals on the
school site including goats, chickens,
ducks and a dog. All of the students
have a chance to work with these
animals.
Animal therapy is a fun way of providing
emotional support to young people.
Studies have shown that animals can
make great therapists helping to
improve confidence, cognitive abilities
and well-being.
The children will take part in farm jobs-
taking responsibilities for the animals' welfare and developing emotional intelligence and an emotional
literacy as well as developing pro-social behaviours which is something that is also embedded within
our school ethos.
We recently recruited a four legged member of staff to a play key
role in helping our pupils. Mabel is a Labradoodle who joined us
full time in Autumn 2019. Mabel provides pupils with courage,
confidence and companionship. She is friendly and outgoing and
loves to be stroked and fussed.
Pupils at the school can spend time with Mabel if they are having
a difficult time or are anxious. Some children even prefer reading
to our furry friends rather than to adult staff. It is really good to
be able to read to a non-critical friend. She is there to listen to
us, when we are feeling unhappy and she loves to walk with us,
while we are having exercise on the school field.
• Even children with no exposure to animals or nature in their
home environment can see, feel, touch and make connections to
the wide world of animals.
• Observing and caring for
an animal instils a sense of responsibility and respect for life.
• An animal brings increased sensitivity and awareness of the
feelings and needs of others—both animals and humans.
• Children learn that all living things need more than just food
and water for survival.
• Students will see directly how their behaviour and actions
affect others.
• Studies show that the presence of animals tends to lessen
tension in the classroom.Sport at Earls Hall Sport is a strength of our school. Throughout every child’s time at Earls Hall we will offer them the chance to become physically literate and confident in a way that supports their health and fitness as they move towards making their own choices in adulthood. We believe in the key values of team work, fairness and respect. Each child takes part in two hours of physical activity per week, which includes regular gymnastic, dance, games and swimming lessons. In KS2, children receive PE lessons from an experienced Sport Coach for one hour per week and the other hour is taught by the class teacher. Pu- pils also have the opportunity complete Bike Ability across their school life. As a school we promote a healthy lifestyle which includes ‘Fifteen Minute Fitness’ that all classes participate in every day. As a school, we participate in all sports competitions which are available in the borough. Our children show great resilience and a sense of team spirit is key to our success. As a result our children have become borough and Essex champions in many tournaments and their achievements are celebrated across the whole school. Table tennis is a particular strength and once the children reach KS2 the vast majority of them take part in the sport on a regular basis. We have tables outside and inside and the sport becomes an obsession for many of the pupils. We have a dedicated table tennis coach and our teams have enjoyed great levels of success. In 2019 our boys team became national champions of England and in 2020 our girls team came a close second! We believe in providing the children with lots of opportunities to try their hand at a variety of sports and, as such, we have introduced new sports to the curriculum including new aged kurling and boccia. We even have our own carpet bowls team! There is a wide selection of before, after and lunchtime sports clubs, that change regularly depending on the time of year. It is important that every child is suitably attired and ready for each PE lesson. Winter Kit: tracksuit/hooded top/joggers and trainers. Summer Kit: shorts, t-shirt, plimsolls (indoors) and trainers. Due to health and safety, earrings are not permitted (not even with tape), long hair must be tied up and no other jewellery can be worn.
2018/19 Sporting Achievements
Table tennis boys borough champions Yr5/6 Rounder’s Team county champions
Table tennis girls borough champions Yr5 rounder’s 2nd in Borough
Table tennis boys county champions Yr4 rounder’s 2nd in Borough
Table tennis girls county champions Yr3 girl borough sports winner 2 footed jump
Table Tennis Boys eastern region champions Yr3 girl borough sports winner javelin
Table Tennis Girls eastern region runners up Yr5 girl borough sports winner 600m
Table Tennis boys southern region champions Yr6 girl borough sports winner Ball throw
Table Tennis Boys National champions Yr6 girl borough sports winner shot put
Yr 5/6 Dodgeball borough champions Yr5 boy borough sports 2nd 80m sprint
Yr 5/6 Dodgeball 3rd in county finals Yr5 boy borough sports 2nd 600m
Yr5 boys borough Cross country winner Yr3 boy borough sports 2nd 400m
Yr5 boys borough Cross country 3rd Yr5 girl borough sports 2nd long Jump
Yr5 Girls borough Cross country 2nd Yr5 boy borough sports 2nd Long Jump
Yr3 boys borough Cross country 2nd Yr6 boy borough sports 2nd long jump
Yr5 girls cross country team borough 2nd Yr3 girl borough sports 2nd ball throw
Yr5 girls cross country team borough 2nd Yr6 boy borough sports 2nd ball throw
Yr5 Boys cross country team borough winners Yr 5 boy borough sports 2nd javelin
Thorpe Hall team realy yr3 girls winners Yr4 boys relay borough sports 2nd
Thorpe Hall team realy yr5 girls winners Yr6 boy borough sports 2nd shot put
Thorpe Hall team realy yr5 Boys winners Yr 5 boy super sports winner javelin
New age kurling 3rd in borough Yr3 boy super sports winner 400m
Yr5/6 Handball 1st in borough Yr 5 boy super sports 3rd 80m
Yr3/4 hockey 3rd in borough Yr5 boy super sports 3rd 600m
Yr3/4 Sports shall athletics 3rd in borough Yr4 boys super sports relay 2nd
Yr5/6 sports hall athletics 2nd in borough Yr 6 boy super sports 3rd long jump
Yr3/4 Sports shall athletics 3rd in borough Yr6 girl super sports shot put winner
Yr5/6 sports hall athletics 2nd in borough Yr6 girl super sports ball throw winner
Yr5/6 Rounder’s Team borough champion Yr3 girl super sports 3rd 2 footed jumpSchool Lunches We are fortunate to have kitchen facilities which provide a large number of our children with hot and cold dinners freshly prepared on site by our enthusiastic cooks. Infant aged children are all eligible to free meals under a recent government initiative. Junior aged children can order a meal at lunch. For children in Years Three to Six, school meals cost £2.20 for two courses and can be ordered on individual days via the schools online payment system. The school runs a three week rolling menu to provide variety with each day and week being nutritionally balanced . The children are also able to serve themselves from the highly popular salad bar. The children are assisted by a team of highly experienced Midday Supervisors. Children in the Foundation Stage have their lunch earlier than the rest of the school in order to get used to the dining experience. In order to encourage excellent behaviour and table manners at lunchtime in the children’s early years as diners children from Foundation Stage and Key Stage One are chosen to win the ‘Midday Manners’ award which recognises pupils who have said please, thank you and asked politely to leave the table or to be assisted in some way. Children in our older classes who are recognised as being polite diners are given the privilege of eating their lunch with Mr Badcock and other staff at the round adult table in the dining hall. Lunchtime helpers from Key Stage Two who are recognised as being excellent lunchtime role models are also chosen to assist the younger children with their lunches.
Appeals Parents would have the right to appeal against a school which they had put as a preference and for which they had not been allocated a place. This ap- plies even if they have received a place at a school which they had ranked as higher than the school they are appealing against. The appeal would be against the admission authority and not the Southend Borough Council, unless relating to a community school. Southend Borough Council would need to provide the school at that time with the details of the preference expressed by the parents. Parents wishing to appeal for places at community schools must contact Southend Borough Council for the relevant information and appeal form. Attendance Regular attendance is essential if your child is to fully benefit from the education provided at Earls Hall Primary School. Attendance is closely monitored both in school, and externally by the School Attendance Officer. If your child is ill we expect you to phone the school office between 8.40am and 9.30am in order for us to authorise this absence. If you have difficulties getting your child to school on time then please pop into the office to discuss ways we can help you resolve your difficulties. We expect a prompt start to the day and appreciate your co-operation where punctuality is concerned. The schools overall yearly attendance target is 96%. Children whose attendance falls below 90% will be contacted and a meeting between the Headteacher and the parents may be necessary. As a school we encourage excellent attendance in a number of ways. Every week the class with the highest attendance is recognised in assembly and there is a termly reward for the year group with the highest overall attendance. Excellent attendance is celebrated in all year groups in a variety of age appropriate ways.
Head Lice
All primary aged children have the opportunity to come into contact
with head lice. The law stipulates that children with cases of head lice
cannot be excluded from education but as a school we will make you
aware if we notice your child is showing signs of a case. Head lice are
most prominent throughout the early years of school so if there is a
case of head lice in your child's class we will subtly inform parents by
placing the accompanying picture on the classroom window. This
should trigger all parents to check their child's hair and scalp, treating
any cases found so as not to spread head lice infestation
unnecessarily.
Uniform
Parents are asked politely to adhere strictly to our chosen uniform as it has been
selected carefully to be suitable for the activities the children take part in each day.
It also makes our children look really smart!
The uniform consists of;
White polo shirt with school logo (Foundation Stage & KS1). When children enter
KS2 they have the option of wearing a plain white shirt.
The wearing of our school tie is optional in KS1 and encouraged for boys in KS2.
Beanie hats with a prominent logo are also optional.
Maroon sweat-shirt with logo
Charcoal grey trousers (not black) or skirt
Grey socks or tights
Black, flat sensible shoes (no boots)
Our Summer uniform consists of;
Charcoal grey shorts with white polo shirt
Pink check dress with white socks
Maroon jumpers or cardigans
Flat sensible shoes or sandals (no sling backs)
PE uniform consists of;
Maroon shorts with white t-shirt
Plimsoles
(Trainers are advisable after KS1)
Earls Hall Houses
Our house system has been established for decades and throughout the last few
years we have increased its prominence across the school. Throughout their time
in school each child will be assigned to a house; Arundel, Norfolk, Oxford or
Warwick. Children can earn house points through sporting achievement and good
behaviour and manners.Eleven-Plus
At Earls Hall Primary School we support children being entered for the selection procedure in the follow-
ing ways:-
Work planned for all children includes varying levels of challenge to ensure the needs of all children are
met.
Very able children may be included in Extension Groups. The school supports children to prepare them
for the 11 plus tests through the provision of an 11+ club which is open to children in year 5.
The Consortium of Selective Schools provides parents with information on the Eleven-Plus tests and a
yearly information evening takes place.
The class teacher will discuss any queries on an individual basis and parents will be given further ad-
vice about their child.
Clubs
We offer a wide range of clubs for children across the school and
try to reflect the children’s interests by changing the clubs on offer
on a regular basis.
Children within the Foundation Stage have the opportunity to
access less clubs than the other year groups due to the fact that
they are gradually introduced to a longer day over time but, as
time goes on, children are given the opportunity to attend clubs on
a first come first served basis.
Our club offer letter is distributed to parents every half term and
places are paid for using the online booking system. When
children are allocated a club space then parents are informed via
the text messaging service.
Some clubs take place before school, at lunchtime and after
school and there is a wide range of choice. Recent clubs on offer
have included ‘Birds of Prey Club’, ‘Reptile Club’, ‘Clay Cottage
Ceramics Club’, ‘Angling Club’ and every sports club you could
begin to think of!Every year group enjoys We support BBC Children in The Easter Bunny visits the
curriculum enrichment days Need with a special themed children every year with an
which often involve dressing up! day! assortment of eggs!
We produce Christmas plays for Our ‘Carols Round the Tree’ We display a sense of national
Foundation Stage, Year One, celebration sees the community pride through our annual St
Two and Four. Years Five and gather on the playground to George’s day celebrations!
Six annually produce a play sing carols accompanied each
acted out for the audience on year by the brass sounds of the
the upstairs stage. Southend Band.
We all love reading and Music is an important part of the curriculum. We join other schools
therefore ‘World book day’ across South East Essex at both the KS1 and KS2 annual music
gives us the opportunity to festivals. Our timbrel group also attends and performs to the
embrace our fascination with audience.
books!Our ‘AOK Club’ stands for ‘Acts of Kindness’ as it gives the children from Year One to
Year Six the opportunity to help improve our community. Every child is invited to join the
club and everybody who offers their time gets chosen for an ‘AOK Club’ mission at least
once in the academic year.
So far this year the children have cleaned up graffiti in the local area, taken part in litter
picks, entertained residents in residential homes, made biscuits to thank our local
firefighters for their bravery and even walked rescue greyhounds.
For every act of kindness undertaken the children receive a special ‘AOK’ badge in
recognition of their generosity and sense of community spirit.Friends of Earls Hall PTA We are very fortunate at our school to have a Parent & Teacher Association that has been an integral part of the school community for many years. Every year the association raises thousands of pounds which over the years has been spent on improving equipment and resources to enhance our children’s education and the facilities in school in general. Our PTA is about much more than simply fundraising. The PTA exists to provide closer links between home and school and is an excellent way to bring staff, parents and friends together socially in support of the school. All parents and members of the school community are encouraged to get involved, even if they only have a small amount of time, we have all sorts of tasks which need doing. The PTA is extremely conscious of the ethos and diversity of our school and we try very hard when organising and planning events to respect this. Our committee consists of three officers: Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. We have twenty committee members who meet on a regular basis to plan our events. Our Annual General Meeting is held at the beginning of the academic year and provides an opportunity for all parents to come along and hear in more detail the work of the PTA, the events we run, the funds we have raised and how the money has been spent. We have a growing list of PTA volunteers who commit some of their time to helping the committee. Every little helps, so just an hour assisting at an event would be invaluable. The PTA informs parents of their work by including information in the school newsletters and via their own termly newsletter. They put posters in the notice boards and classroom windows. Each class has a designated ‘Class Rep’ to share information when needed. They are also available on ‘Facebook’. You can help us by letting us know if you have any contacts or skills we could use. Everything is potentially valuable to us. We are extremely grateful to receive any donations.
Communication We are proud of the amount of information we provide to our parents. Our school website is uploaded with our latest news every evening, allowing parents and other family members the opportunity to see what the children have been learning and some of the activities that they have been involved in. Our Facebook feed is also updated on a daily basis to reflect the news of the day. Our school menu and weekly diary are emailed to parents every Sunday and also uploaded to the website and Facebook page. Our weekly newsletter is full of information, reflecting the activities which have taken place in school throughout the week and providing details of up and coming events. The newsletter is emailed to parents each weekend and uploaded to the website. With so much information being emailed to parents it is essential that we are informed of any changes to email addresses. Our text to parents service is used on a daily basis to remind parents of events and to provide information as and when needed.
Get in touch….
We are always open to being contacted. Please never hesitate to get in touch.
headteacher@earlshallprimary.co.uk - Mr B
You can also contact Mr B by messaging him privately via the school Facebook page.
office@earlshallprimary.co.uk- Our lovely office ladies
PTA@earlshallprimary.co.uk– Our trusty PTA
J.humphrey@earlshallprimary.co.uk- Booking for Breakfast or After School Club
sbm@earlshallprimary.co.uk– Mrs Rick, our School Business Manager
You can call the office on (01702) 333360
Visit our school ‘Like’ our school
website... Facebook page….You can also read
