Bede Burn Primary School
BEDE BURN PRIMARY SCHOOL Dene Terrace Jarrow NE32 5NJ Head Teacher Mr. M. Arthur Tel: 0191 4897376 Fax: 0191 4286748 [email protected] www.bedeburn.ik.org
3rd September 2013
Dear Parent/Guardian Hello and welcome back to a new and exciting year at Bede Burn Primary School. I hope that you have all had a fantastic holiday with your children and that they are looking forward to the year with their new teacher. As you are no doubt aware, Mrs Purvis left us at the end of the last academic year and is currently enjoying her well deserved retirement! I would like to welcome Mrs Spencer to our school, who is our year one teacher, and Miss Howden who is taking year three. I am sure that the children will make them both very welcome. In a short amount of time we will be saying goodbye (temporarily) to Miss Smith who is leaving us to go on maternity leave. At this early point in the year I wanted to mention a couple of items that caused some confusion last year. Firstly we operate a strict no jewellery policy, this includes all types of personal jewellery with the exception of a wrist watch. I am aware that many children have pierced ears or have had them done during the holidays. After speaking to ‘Claire’s Accessories’ I have been informed that ears that have been pierced for 6 weeks will not close up while a child is at school. Please can you make sure that your children’s earrings are removed for each school day, children wearing earrings will be at risk of injury at playtimes and during P.E. sessions and will not be able to participate. Covering the earrings with plasters is not acceptable as they do not adequately protect the ear. Secondly, I hope this explains our discipline system a little more clearly: Positive playtimes. In our school we believe that all children should be given every opportunity to learn and success. To support this, in key stage two (years 3-6), we operate an assertive discipline system to address what can be thought of as ‘low level disruption’ which can have a massive impact on the teaching and learning time a class teacher can deliver. As part of our school’s assertive discipline system we use a ‘strike’ system to combat low level disruptions within the classroom and around the school. A ‘strike’ is awarded if a child has been warned twice about their behaviour by a teacher yet still does not comply. A second strike will be awarded following a further two warnings. Following two more warnings a ‘red card’ will be given. Each child begins a new day with a ‘clean slate’ This gives a child 9 chances to improve their behaviour throughout the day before a red card is issued.
Sanctions/rewards Each year group has an allocated day where they will receive an extra half an hour play time in the afternoon. Children that remain strike free for the week will be rewarded with a full half an hour’s play time. Children who have received a red card that week will miss all of their extra play time. A strike will result in a child missing 5 minutes of their positive playtime. This system is designed to allow the children that consistently behave well to be rewarded; it also discourages the low level disturbances that can occur in the classroom. Children will not be issued a ‘straight red’ without strikes and warnings being given first. Should any child be recorded as regularly receiving red cards the parents will be invited into school to discuss ways to improve their children’s behaviour. Obviously we sincerely hope that the need for this system is few and far between and I am confident that all children will behave perfectly well and enjoy their year. As you may have heard the government have stipulated that ‘Head Teachers should not grant leave of absence unless in exceptional circumstances. The application must be made in advance and the head teacher must be satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances which warrant the leave. Unfortunately leave of absence for a holiday when the costs are lower than school holidays is not an exceptional circumstance. This is not school policy, we have been advised by the local authority to stringently follow these rules. Yours sincerely
M Arthur Head Teacher
3rd September 2013
Dear Parent/Guardian Hello and welcome back to a new and exciting year at Bede Burn Primary School. I hope that you have all had a fantastic holiday with your children and that they are looking forward to the year with their new teacher. As you are no doubt aware, Mrs Purvis left us at the end of the last academic year and is currently enjoying her well deserved retirement! I would like to welcome Mrs Spencer to our school, who is our year one teacher, and Miss Howden who is taking year three. I am sure that the children will make them both very welcome. In a short amount of time we will be saying goodbye (temporarily) to Miss Smith who is leaving us to go on maternity leave. At this early point in the year I wanted to mention a couple of items that caused some confusion last year. Firstly we operate a strict no jewellery policy, this includes all types of personal jewellery with the exception of a wrist watch. I am aware that many children have pierced ears or have had them done during the holidays. After speaking to ‘Claire’s Accessories’ I have been informed that ears that have been pierced for 6 weeks will not close up while a child is at school. Please can you make sure that your children’s earrings are removed for each school day, children wearing earrings will be at risk of injury at playtimes and during P.E. sessions and will not be able to participate. Covering the earrings with plasters is not acceptable as they do not adequately protect the ear. Secondly, I hope this explains our discipline system a little more clearly: Positive playtimes. In our school we believe that all children should be given every opportunity to learn and success. To support this, in key stage two (years 3-6), we operate an assertive discipline system to address what can be thought of as ‘low level disruption’ which can have a massive impact on the teaching and learning time a class teacher can deliver. As part of our school’s assertive discipline system we use a ‘strike’ system to combat low level disruptions within the classroom and around the school. A ‘strike’ is awarded if a child has been warned twice about their behaviour by a teacher yet still does not comply. A second strike will be awarded following a further two warnings. Following two more warnings a ‘red card’ will be given. Each child begins a new day with a ‘clean slate’ This gives a child 9 chances to improve their behaviour throughout the day before a red card is issued.
Sanctions/rewards Each year group has an allocated day where they will receive an extra half an hour play time in the afternoon. Children that remain strike free for the week will be rewarded with a full half an hour’s play time. Children who have received a red card that week will miss all of their extra play time. A strike will result in a child missing 5 minutes of their positive playtime. This system is designed to allow the children that consistently behave well to be rewarded; it also discourages the low level disturbances that can occur in the classroom. Children will not be issued a ‘straight red’ without strikes and warnings being given first. Should any child be recorded as regularly receiving red cards the parents will be invited into school to discuss ways to improve their children’s behaviour. Obviously we sincerely hope that the need for this system is few and far between and I am confident that all children will behave perfectly well and enjoy their year. As you may have heard the government have stipulated that ‘Head Teachers should not grant leave of absence unless in exceptional circumstances. The application must be made in advance and the head teacher must be satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances which warrant the leave. Unfortunately leave of absence for a holiday when the costs are lower than school holidays is not an exceptional circumstance. This is not school policy, we have been advised by the local authority to stringently follow these rules. Yours sincerely
M Arthur Head Teacher
