As Headteacher, may I offer you a very warm welcome to

St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School.

Whether your child is starting Nursery or Reception, this can be a very exciting time as well a potentially anxious one. St Bart’s has a long history as a successful school, and we will be with your family’s journey over the whole of your child’s primary years.

Our school has a very clear vision and Christian ethos which guides our decisions and behaviour.  Working in partnership with families and the local and wider community, we aim to offer a very special start in every child’s schooling that will be a firm foundation for the rest of their lives.

Our aim is to provide outstanding education, underpinned by distinctively Christian values, developing our pupils academically, morally and spiritually, within and as part of the wider community.

Our core values are:

• TRUTH: "Be honest, always telling the truth and being open about our mistakes and achievements."

• FORGIVENESS: "Be ready to forgive each other quickly."

• COMPASSION: "Be kind and caring to others, being friendly and not letting people feel judged, lonely or left out."

• THANKFULNESS: "Take pride in all we do, being thankful to God for all we have."

• HUMILITY: "Be polite and respectful, having good manners and understanding the views and feelings of others."

• DETERMINATION: "Always keep going, even when things are difficult."

• EXCELLENCE: "Work hard and enthusiastically, praising what is good."

• SERVICE: "Help out when we can, working as a team by sharing and trusting each other."

Over the next few weeks and months, do keep up to date with all the latest information by visiting our web site and social media streams.  www.stbartscofeschool.org.uk

You may also contact the school whenever you like either through the site, by email, letter or telephone.  Do sign up to our weekly email through our website link.

We really look forward to welcoming the children to the St Bart’s family in September and we hope their time spent in Early Years will be happy and rewarding.  Get in touch if you would like any further information.

Richard Restall

Headteacher

A Church School - Our Christian Ethos

St Bart’s is a Voluntary Aided, Church of England Primary School for boys and girls aged from 3 to 11 years old.  We are a popular school and highly regarded within the locality.  Although we serve the parish of St Bartholomew, within the Diocese of Newcastle, we welcome children from all over the local area, irrespective of their faith background.

Our school has very close links with St Bartholomew’s Church and our partnership with the clergy and parishioners ensures our school has a distinctive Christian ethos.  Information about St Bartholomew’s Church can be found on their web site (www.stbartholomews.org.uk) and information about the Diocese of Newcastle can be found at www.newcastle.anglican.org - both linked from our own site.

Religious Education and Collective Worship

The role of Religious Education and Worship in a Church School is to help children understand what it means to be committed to the Christian faith and is “concerned with the development of the whole person, spiritually, morally, socially, culturally, emotionally and intellectually with proper respect for individual freedom.”

The main aim for our school is that Christianity is seen to be relevant in the lives of our children, their families and the wider community.  Our children will learn about the Christian faith through the RE curriculum and by being closely involved with a community which affirms a Christian world view.  The children are also taught about other faiths including Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, although the main emphasis is on the Christian faith

An Act of Worship takes place every day either as a class, Key Stage or whole school.  This is part of our school life which is shared by children, teachers and visitors.  Each classroom has a ‘special place’ to provide a focal point for worship, reflection or display of personal artefacts.  We also have an Outdoor Prayer Gym, with a space for quiet reflection and prayer.  Our school prayer group meet half-termly and on particular festivals in the church's calendar the vicar may lead a service in school or the children may visit St Bartholomew’s Church.  Other special occasions are celebrated in school such as Harvest Festival.  We also invite other visitors to lead school worship.

Right of Withdrawal

Parents and carers have the right to withdraw their children from RE lessons, school Collective Worship and visits to St Bartholomew’s Church or other religious buildings.  However, we would expect that as parents have chosen to send their child to a Church of England school they will be keen for their child to take part in this important aspect of our school life.  Please contact the Headteacher if this is something you are considering.

Moving from Nursery to Reception

Please be aware that a Nursery place does not guarantee a place in Reception the following year.  Therefore, if you wish your child to continue with us, please check our admissions criteria very carefully.

Our Early Years provision at St Bart’s brings together our successful Nursery and Reception teams to provide a firm and secure foundation for children starting school.

Starting Nursery or Reception is an exciting, important time and many parents have questions over all sorts of issues.  Please be reassured that we are always available to discuss whatever question you may have, no matter how small they may appear.  We aim to work closely with all of our parents to ensure a happy and fulfilling time for the children.  Our Early Years has a happy, well-planned learning environment, which caters for the whole child, not only the academic but also each child’s social, emotional and spiritual development and welfare.

Our objectives are:

• to provide a happy, safe and stimulating environment where each child can flourish and make the best possible progress.

• to support each child’s development and learning across all areas of the curriculum through carefully planned and personalised activities and experiences.

• to develop good communication skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing whilst encouraging a love of literature.

• to explore, acquire, practise and understand the skills related to numbers, shapes, space and measures.

• to encourage co-operation and develop an awareness of and respect for others by teaching and modelling our Christian values

Early Years Times and Staff

We provide a 26 place, morning-only Nursery and a 30 place, full-time Reception class.

Early Years have a dedicated door at our main school entrance and this opens at 8:45am for Nursery children.  Reception children join them at 8:55am.  After 3 hours of fun-packed learning, Nursery children are picked up from their door at 11:45am.  Reception children stay on for lunch at 11:50am and the afternoon session runs until 3:25pm when they are picked up again from our Early Years entrance.

We have an Early Years team of four staff, two teachers and two teaching assistants, who are often supported by other adults.  We occasionally have student trainees and work experience pupils from neighbouring High Schools and colleges, who work under the close supervision and guidance of our staff team.

Safety

Our Early Years, as with our whole school, should be a safe and secure environment for everyone.  All of our adults are DBS checked and it is very important that you let us know your arrangements for picking your child up at home time.  We are sure you will understand if we need to make further checks when we are unsure about arrangements.