Rushen Primary School
Learning and Growing
Rushen Primary School
Church Road
Port St Mary
Isle of Man
IM9 5LW
Telephone 01624 833308 EMail RushenEnquiries@sch.im
Headteacher: Ms S Owens
Deputy Headteacher: Miss H Wardman
Number on Roll 290
Introduction
Rushen Primary School is the local school for the children of Port Erin and the area to the North as far as the edge of Colby. Established in 1926 it has catered for the educational needs of several generations of people in this locality. The school buildings have been extensively modernised and the children are accommodated in a superb building. Funded generously by the Manx Department of Education and Children the school enjoys a high level of resourcing and favourable class sizes.
The staff of the school are dedicated to ensuring that each child is given the opportunity to achieve their potential and hard work and high standards of behaviour are encouraged.
The parents have been very supportive of the school over the years and give generously both with financial contributions and with their time in support of their children’s education. This partnership is a key to success in educating the young people of the South of the Island for the future.
School Day
Day begins Lunch Time
08.50 Key Stage 1 11.50
Key Stage 2 12.05
Afternoon School begins Day ends
13.05 Reception 15.25
Year 1, 2 and Key Stage 2 15.30
Attendance
If your child is absent due to illness the School should be contacted by telephone as soon as possible on the first morning of the absence. Requests for other planned absences must be made to the Headteacher in writing.Aims
To offer children a caring and nurturing environment.
To include all children and offer them equal opportunities.
To build excitement, fun and stimulation into the curriculum.
To encourage achievement through high expectations, motivation and creativity.
To promote children's health, fitness and well being.
Vision
Rushen Primary School is an active community.
We aim to create an exciting, high quality environment in which children take responsibility for their learning.
Promotion of self esteem and high expectations will be key to ensuring that children achieve and that a stimulating environment is created within which to work.
Expectations will extend to behaviour and children will take responsibility for supporting each other and respecting the environment.
Teaching will be organised in such a way that independence and involvement in the learning process is at the heart of our curriculum delivery
When they leave our school we want all our children to be:
• happy in themselves;
• kind and self-disciplined;
• confident to take risks and try new things;
• self motivated;
• positive contributors to society with a sense of shared responsibility;
• curious and questioning and ready to ask why;
• resilient, flexible, creative and able to use their initiative;
fit and healthy; physically and mentally.
Appointments
PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO VISIT SCHOOL AT ANY TIME.
Please telephone school to make an appointment with your child’s teacher or with
Ms Owens if you have any concerns relating to your child’s education.
Teachers are only available at the end of the day so please would you consider this when making appointments to see them.
Mrs Awkal, our School Administrator will be pleased to help with other matters and she is in the School Office from:
08.30 - 12.30 and 13.30 - 16.30
Admission Policy
All children need to attend school from the beginning of the school term in which they are 5 but we welcome them from the commencement of the school year (1 September - 31 August) in which they are 5 years old.
To attend Rushen Primary School you need to be living in our catchment area:-
All Port Erin addresses
Port St. Mary addresses on the school side of railway line
Ballakillowey
Main Road Colby as far as Level Garage
Croit-e-Caley, Colby
Children who are registered to attend Rushen Primary School are offered a carefully planned and structured induction package that ensures they enter the school system confidently and with adequate support in place for their needs.
Early registration is recommended as this enables the school to plan for the needs of the children starting at school more successfully.
Behaviour and Discipline
We hope that children will come to school because they enjoy doing so and will want to focus their energy on the work that is planned for them. An understanding of what is acceptable behaviour and a desire to behave appropriately should be the norm.
Children are expected to behave in accordance with Codes of Conduct that they devised under the guidance of their teachers at the beginning of the school year. Items in the Code of Conduct will be phrased positively, not negatively and will be in line with the objectives of our Behaviour Policy.
If your child is unable to exercise this degree of control over their conduct their teacher will be contacting you to discuss the best course of action needed to improve their behaviour so that we can continue the education process.
The objectives of our Behaviour Policy are:
To raise children’s awareness of what is acceptable behaviour.
To develop in individual children a personal ability to conduct themselves in a manner that is acceptable and valuable.
To foster a sense of responsibility amongst groups of children that will be both self supporting and mutually rewarding.
To create an environment where children behave in a manner that enables the school to operate effectively for all who attend it.
To build good attitudes amongst our children that will be carried forward as they move on into the rest of their lives.
To be confident that the children of Rushen School will represent the school in a manner that will reflect positively upon the establishment.
Anti-Bullying Policy
Bullying is occasionally seen in this school, as it is in every area of society. It is not tolerated and children caught bullying will be punished.
The most important message relating to bullying is that children being subjected to any bullying MUST tell an adult so that they know about it and can deal with it.
Fighting is not allowed in school. If a child brings an offensive weapon into school the parents and police will be called.
Social Media
We hope that your child's time at the school is happy and productive. We are always happy to discuss matters with parents and carers to ensure every child achieves his or her full potential. If, at any time, you have any concerns about your child at school, then please do not hesitate to contact the school to arrange to meet with the relevant staff member. We would ask that parents and carers please support the school in its constant drive to raise standards by discussing any concerns or issues with us, rather than on social media sites, which could be potentially damaging for the school and its pupils. We would also encourage parents and carers to monitor their children’s use of social networking sites encouraging them to be respectful in this arena.
Complaints
A copy of this school’s complaints procedure can be obtained from the School Office or website:Complaints Procedure
Children at Rushen Primary School are taught in age based mixed ability year groups.
Our classes each have around 27 children in them.
The School is organised into three Key Stages;
Foundation Stage
4 and 5 years of age
Key Stage One
Y1 (5 and 6 years of age) and Y2 (6 and 7 years of age).
Key Stage Two
Y3 (7 and 8 years of age), Y4 (8 and 9 years of age),
Y5 (9 and 10 years of age) and Y6 (10 and 11 years of age)
Most lessons are taught to children in their class groups.
Clubs
There are many clubs for children to join in school which take place either at lunchtime or after school. Currently they include:
Art, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Choir, Cross Country, Dance, Football, Hockey, Kwik Cricket, Netball, Recorder, Skipping, Tag Rugby.
Clothing
It is important that children wear clothing that suits the activities that they are engaged in. To help with this we have a school uniform that as well as identifying the children as being members of our school community, reminds children that they are at school and that this is a place for learning and working. The uniform is both practical and comfortable for the children to wear.
The uniform is:
White polo shirt
Maroon Sweatshirt with the school logo
Black or Grey trousers or shorts
Black or Grey skirt or kilts in Lindsay tartan
Green gingham dresses may be worn in the summer
Shoes rather than trainers which should be kept for sport
Sweatshirts can be obtained from the School Office (£11.50), the rest of the uniform is available from many other suppliers.
In addition to the everyday uniform the children will need to have a P.E. kit in order that they can take part in these activities in safety. They will need:
T shirt
A pair of simple shorts
Pumps (in gymnastics lessons children will be in bare feet)
A uniform PE kit in a bag can be purchased from the School Office - £8.50
In Years 2 - 6 children will also need trainers for outdoor lessons. Track suit bottoms are needed for outdoor lessons in the winter.
As our cloakrooms are rather small it is best if this kit is brought in a simple draw- string bag.
Children are not encouraged to wear jewellery to school as it can be a potential danger to others. It must be covered up or removed and put back by the child during P.E. lessons.
All long hair should be tied back.
ALL CLOTHING WORN TO SCHOOL MUST BE NAMED
Parents are advised that if children bring valuable property to school, neither the Department of Education and Children nor the teachers or other employees of the Department will be responsible for any loss or damage to such property.
Meals
Lunch is taken in our dining room.
School lunches are served from our own kitchens. From September 2018 the cost of school dinners will be £11.25 per week which is paid in advance either termly, half termly or weekly on Monday mornings, cheque/cash to be brought in a suitably named purse or container and collected by the child’s teacher. The meals are prepared with children’s tastes in mind but do so using menus that offer the children a varied and nutritional diet. Children are offered a choice each day between a hot choice (menus are published in advance) and a selection from the Salad Bar. Children who eat a vegetarian diet or who are affected by food allergies are provided with suitable meals.
Most children opt for school lunch but children may choose a packed lunch which they eat alongside those who are taking a school lunch. I would ask you to consider carefully the contents of your child’s lunch box if you decide to provide them with one as an alternative to school lunch, they need to have something that is nutritional in the middle of the day.
A week’s notice must be given to the School Office if children change their preference from school lunches to packed lunches
*Reminder ~ children are not allowed to bring sweets or chewing gum to school. These items should not form part of their packed lunch.
Water
There is evidence that children’s concentration is improved if they have regular access to water to avoid becoming dehydrated in the warm and dry centrally heated school environment. To facilitate this need, four water chiller filters have been provided around the school. Water may not be drunk directly from the chillers but children are allowed to fill up water bottles from them. They keep their water bottles in their classrooms, usually on their desks. Water bottles with leakproof caps are available from the School Office for £2.00.
Health and welfare
Certain infectious and contagious diseases involve a minimum period of exclusion from school. The most common ones being:
Measles - 5 days from onset of rash
Mumps - 5 days from onset
Chicken pox - 5 days from onset of rash
German measles - 5 days from onset of rash
Conjunctivitis - no exclusion
Verrucae - no exclusion, but wart to be covered with plaster
Whooping cough - 21 days from onset of paroxysmal cough
Scarlatina - until rash subsides
Impetigo - until crusted following medication
Other less common complaints are also covered by regulations, so if in doubt please contact the school.
Head lice ~ It is a parent’s responsibility to check their children’s hair regularly. This should be done at least once a week using a fine tooth comb. If you discover head lice you need to carefully apply lotion to your child’s dry hair and then repeat the process 7 days later. If the headlice persist then the advice of the school nurse or your family doctor needs to be sought.
Asthma - if your child suffers from asthma and uses an inhaler an Asthma Card should be completed which will be kept on file in the school office.
All children who need an asthma inhaler MUST have one available in school at all times and no child will be able to go out of school on visits unless they have their inhaler with them.
Medicines
Apart from long term illnesses, i.e. asthma, epilepsy, etc., children who are taking a short term course of medicines should not be in school. We cannot administer any medicine to any child, apart from supervising children self administering asthma inhalers. If any pupil requires medicine at midday, parents should come to school to administer it.
If a pupil falls ill during the day you will be contacted and they should be collected as soon as possible.
NO CHILD MAY ADMINISTER ANY MEDICINE IN SCHOOL APART FROM ASTHMA INHALERS.
Throughout your child’s school life, medical screening, assessment and special tests are made available through the School Health Clinic ~ 686944. Parents are always invited to attend medical examinations.
Children with emotional or learning needs can be referred to the Educational Psychologist.
Children are seen by the School Dentist and if treatment is required they are given a form for you to sign either:
a) giving permission for the school dentist to carry out the treatment or
b) accepting the responsibility of having your private dentist carry out the treatment.
Safeguarding Children
If your child discloses information to a responsible adult that raises our concerns about their welfare then this information will be shared with the appropriate authorities in accordance with the Department of Education and Children’s Safeguarding Policy. Parents will be informed of this decisions and their permission sought to share information except when the law states that this permission is not required because a crime has been committed.
Special Educational Needs
The school follows IOM Dept of Education and Children's policy when catering for children with Special Educational Needs. Provision is provided within school to meet their needs and parents are kept fully informed and involved in its implementation.
All children are valued, respected and welcome to the school in a nurturing environment, whatever their additional educational needs. We will support their learning and ensure they are fully included in all school activities. We also incorporate externally provided services/facilities where appropriate.
Ace Base, Rushen School
Ace Base is a primary aged special unit attached to Rushen Primary School in Port St Mary on the Isle of Man.
There are nine primary special units and five secondary special units on the Island, catering for a wide range of children with Higher Level Needs.
Pupils in Ace Base receive an individually tailored programme suited to their needs delivered by a higher level of staffing than in mainstream.
Wherever possible and appropriate, they are included with their mainstream peers.
School Governors
The School Governors are elected, one from the teaching staff, one from the parents and a third governor from the Education Council. Our Governors have voted to co-opt an additional member and have the option to co-opt two more if they wish to. The co-opted members must either live or work in the school's catchment area but cannot be parents of children attending the school or teachers at the school. This body works with the Headteacher to oversee all aspects of the management of the school, to ensure that we meet our statutory requirements, that a suitable curriculum is being delivered and that standards are being maintained. They also have responsibilities with me for the ensuring the fabric of the building is suitably maintained and for health and safety matters. The Headteacher is responsible for the school’s finances but relies on the Governors to oversee this process and agree that good decisions are being made and that comply with Isle of Man Government financial regulations. Finally, it is the governors who, with the Headteacher, make staffing appointments.
Pupil Voice
We have an active School Council comprising of two representatives from each class. Through the School Council and the associated class council sessions pupils are given a proactive voice in the running of the school.
We have a group of volunteer children who sign up to be part of our Playground PAL team who encourage children to play well together at play and lunchtime. They takes turns on an agreed rota to show other children games to play and look out for children who are lonely or unhappy.
Curriculum
Rushen Primary School's curriculum is designed within the framework set out in the Department of Education and Children's policy; ‘Essentials for Learning - E4L '. The outcomes of the curriculum are for children to:
Be healthy
Stay Safe
Enjoy and Achieve
Positively Contribute
Prosper
with the following aspirations for our children:
successful learners
responsible and aware individuals
confident, self assured people
purposeful contributors to Isle of Man society
Delivering our curriculum we aim to foster six Learning Dispositions, the six 'R's';
Readiness
Relationships which are Positive
Resourcefulness
Resilience
Remembering Skills
Reflectiveness
A creative, skills based curriculum is offered to pupils. High standards are set for children and independence and responsibility are qualities that are expected and encouraged. The option to study Manx is also available if parents wish to opt for their children to do so.
Children’s achievements are formally monitored each year. Parents and children will be notified of their attainment at the end of each school year.
Education is a partnership between children, their school and home. There are times when children are asked to undertake work at home and support on such occasions is a vital part of the whole process of education. Some homework activities such as listening to your child read happen every day, other homework activities will only occur as the need arises.
Teaching Staff (School Year 2018/19)
Ms S Owens Headteacher
Miss H Wardman Deputy Headteacher
Mrs Bousfield
Mrs J Daniel
Miss L Garrett
Mrs A Griffiths
Mrs A Hermann - Ace Base (Unit) Manager Ace Base
Mrs G Higgins
Miss A Irving
Mrs J Kinley PPA
Mrs E McMeiken
Mrs S Ollier
Mrs J Shaw
Miss A Wilson
Education Support Officers
Mrs A Barratt Special Needs
Mrs L Bott Early Years
Mrs N Buttery - Ace Base (Unit)
Mrs M Corlett - Ace Base (Unit)
Mrs J Hickey - Ace Base (Unit)
Mr N Smith - Ace Base (Unit)
Miss L Short Special Needs
Mrs V Taggart SEN
Mr Joe Townend Early Years
Mrs M Wright Special Needs
School Administrator
Mrs D Awkal
Governors
Mr C Bateson - Chair / Co-opted
Ms Lucy Woolnough - Parent
Mrs M Mansfield - Education Council
Mrs J Shaw - Teacher
School Meals
Mrs J Drinkwater Cook in Charge
Miss S Moore Assistant Cook
Mrs J Kneen Kitchen Assistant
Mrs E Woods Kitchen Assistant
Lunchtime ancillaries
Mrs Roxanne Nocera
Mrs L Trimble
Mrs B Walker
Mrs H Watterson
Mrs D Scott - Unit
Mrs L Watterson - Unit
Caretaker
Mr S Corlett
Cleaners
Mrs B Fitzgerald
Miss J Sheppard
Mrs C Sutcliffe
Mrs L Trimble
Mrs H Watterson
Road Crossing Patrol
School Nurse Mrs L Hampton
Educational Psychologist Mrs H Newbery
Speech Therapist Mrs R Shimmin
Visiting Staff
Mrs M Frankwick Violin
Mrs C Koenig Manx
Mr P Crellin Manx
Mr M Whear Guitar
For a full list of School Holiday dates go to the Department of Education and Children website.
A full education is considered very important by the school and we ask parents to send their children to school for the whole school year.
Absences and Lateness
A full education is considered very important by the school and we ask parents to send their children to school for the whole school year.
Please inform school by telephone if your child is going to be absent or late so that we can account for them. We expect children to be punctual and we keep a record if a child is late. If a child is absent and you do not inform us, school will phone to find out where they are. This is a Department procedure.
In accordance with our Department’s policy on attendance at school, we strongly discourage parents taking their children away on holiday in term time. We believe this has a huge impact on the continuity of their learning. Should parents decide this is unavoidable then they are required to write a letter to the Headteacher and he will decide whether the case will be considered as either authorised or unauthorised, given the individual circumstances of the request, together with the picture of general attendance and academic performance for that individual child.
Before deciding to request absence in term time for your child, please read carefully the following.
The decision to authorise absence is at the head teacher’s discretion based on their assessment of the situation.
Term times are for education. This is the priority. Children and families have 175 days off school to spend time together, including weekends and school holidays. The Headteacher will rightly prioritise attendance. The default school policy should be that absences will not be granted during term time and will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances.
If an event can reasonably be scheduled outside of term time then it would not be normal to authorise absence.
Absence during term time for holidays/vacations is therefore not considered an exceptional circumstance.
Absences to visit family members off Island are also not normally granted during term time if they could be scheduled for holiday periods or weekends. Children may however need time to visit seriously ill relatives across in the UK or beyond.
Absence for a bereavement of a close family member is usually considered an exceptional circumstance.
Absences for important religious observances are often taken into account but only for the ceremony and travelling time, not extended leave. This is intended for one off situations rather than regular or recurring events.
Our school will make reasonable exceptions for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities.
Our school recognises that occasionally, families may need time together to recover from trauma or crisis
Our school will take a pupil's previous record of attendance into account when making decisions.
It is important to note that the headteacher will determine the length of the authorised absence as well as whether absence is authorised at all.
These examples provided are illustrative rather than exhaustive. The fundamental principles for defining ‘exceptional’ are rare, significant, unavoidable and short. And by 'unavoidable' we mean an event that could not reasonably be scheduled at another time.
Any other requests for time out of school, such as educational based activities, competing in sports events in the UK etc. should also be put in writing to the Headteacher in advance of the event.
All attendance information, including authorised and unauthorised absence and lateness will be recorded on the child’s academic report at the end of the school year.
If you have any concerns about your child’s education please make sure you speak to either their teacher or Mr Thomson who will be pleased to answer your questions.