Pros Oct 06 booklet.indd - Drighlington Primary School

Farsley Farfield Primary School
Prospectus
2006-7
Cote Lane Farsley
Leeds LS28 5ED
0113 214 6083/4
www.farsleyfarfield.leeds.sch.uk

Welcome from the Head teacher...
I am very proud of this school.
Farsley Farfield Primary School has a huge amount to
offer your child; unique qualities that will combine to
offer an exciting, rich and varied education.
Key reasons for choosing this school:
A highly skilled, committed and caring staff;
Happy, well-mannered and motivated children;
Outstanding school grounds, developed in a manner
that promotes sport, care for the environment and creative
imagination;
Good academic standards;
A firm commitment to the arts;
Cutting edge ITT throughout the school;
Effective home-school links with a very active PTA.
The school has been recognised by many bodies for awards such as
Healthy Schools Standard Level 3, English and Maths Quality Mark;
Investors in Pupils; Stephen Lawrence Education Award and Activemark
Gold for high standards and quality provision in Physical Education.
We are now working towards further recognition in the fields of the arts,
inclusion and I.T.
I hope that this prospectus gives you a feel for the school, but there is no
substitute for coming to the school and seeing for yourself. Please contact
us, and I will be delighted to show you round and discuss your child’s
future.
Peter Harris Head teacher September 2006

Foundation Stage...
Our Foundation Stage is a fabulous place for any child to start
their education. Consisting of Nursery and Reception classes,
the Foundation Stage has a very
creative and play-based curriculum.
Areas of provision are carefully
planned to provide your child with a
broad range of experiences; some of
these teacher directed, many of these
self directed.
We have a 26 place Nursery with
children attending either the morning
session, 9.00 a.m.-11.30 a.m. or the afternoon session, 12.45 p.m. - 3.15 p.m.
You can arrange with our on-site private nursery ‘Little People’ for your
child to be taken to Nursery (or any other year group) and be collected as
necessary. See section on Extended Schools
In 2005-6, the nursery was oversubscribed
and the school adopted the
same admission criteria as Education
Leeds uses for older children, i.e. siblings
and proximity (children with acute
special needs and those referred to us
directly through social services have
priority beyond this).
The Reception, classes build upon the curriculum as established in the
Nursery, and gradually introduce more structured ‘lessons’ as the year
progresses. By the end of this year, your child should have achieved a
wealth of ‘Early Learning Goals’, and be well prepared for the increasingly
demanding curriculum of Key Stage 1.
The Foundation Stage has a separate enclosed playground that has its own
Adventure Trail. Fresh air and the stimulation of senses and the enquiring
mind are cornerstones of our vision for early years education.

Key Stage 1...
Children in Years 1 and 2 (age 5-7) are based in the North
building with the Foundation Stage, and they benefit from
large, airy classrooms and an imaginative and practical
curriculum.
Each classroom has support staff and an Interactive
Whiteboard. KS1 pupils make use of the school’s
large computer suite located in the South building, as
well as their own smaller ICT suite.
Academic standards at the end of KS1 are very
good and often exceed national, Leeds and ‘Pudsey’
averages.
Key Stage 2...
The South
building accommodates
the ‘Junior’ children (age
7-11). The curriculum
becomes a little more
formal, but retains the
flair and imagination
necessary for ‘Excellence
and Enjoyment’. In some
year groups, there may
be some setting of literacy
and/or numeracy lessons.
The South building has its own dedicated Studio for creative arts and a very
large ICT suite.
Academic standards at the end of KS2 are strong and usually exceed
national, Leeds and ‘Pudsey’ averages. In 2006, our ‘value added’ places us
in the top 25% of school nationally for progress.

Ofsted...
In March 2003 we had a very successful Ofsted. We are very
proud of this report and the summary is available free upon
request. Alternatively, the full report can be viewed on-line at www.ofsted.
gov.uk or from a link in the parent section of our web site.
“Farsley Farfield is a popular and successful school that provides a
good quality of education. Pupils make good progress in the friendly
and caring environment, and reach high standards by the end of Year
6. Good leadership and management, good teaching and a very rich
curriculum help pupils to achieve well, especially in their personal
and social development.”
OFSTED March 2003
Admission to school...
Prospective parents are encouraged to telephone for an
appointment to meet the Head teacher and view the school.
Children must, by law, start school full time at the beginning of the term
after their fifth birthday. We admit all children into our Reception class at
the beginning of the school year in September.
After your child has started
Nursery, you should receive a
School Preference Form from
Leeds Education Authority.
This must be completed and
returned by the given date in
the autumn term. Places for
school are centrally allocated
by the Education Authority;
therefore having a Nursery
place does not guarantee a
place in school. If you live
outside the Leeds area you
will not automatically receive a form and must apply directly to Pupil
Admissions. Please ask if you need help to do this.

School Grounds...
The school’s grounds are magnificent,
and a literal breath of fresh air in these
days of concrete and congestion. The PTA
have played a major role in developing our green
space, helping to resource a total of three adventure
playgrounds, a huge number of trees, a sensory trail,
a ‘spiral mound’ and artificial cricket wicket. Most
spectacularly, the school has a unique Apple Sculpture
where children can relax and chat.
Whenever possible, children get onto the
grass at playtime, thus promoting a healthy,
active lifestyle.
Some children may, occasionally, come home
a little muddy!
Conservation...
Positive attitudes to conservation and the natural environment
are highly valued in the school.
We have a
fenced conservation area
with two ponds and a
range of habitats. Our
resident groundsperson,
Mrs Kirby, works hard
to maintain the fields
and woodland areas in an
organic manner.
Future plans include a large poly tunnel and allotment space on the top
field to promote horticultural skills amongst our children.

There’s more to life...
Extra Curricular Activities
We are able to offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities,
many of which make use of our magnificent grounds. Most of these clubs
are staffed by our own teachers and support staff, but we also supplement
the provision by employing some specialist coaches. Activities vary
according to the time of year, but have recently included:
Boys’ and girls’ football Y2-6
Netball
Rounders
Athletics/Cross Country
ICT
Tennis
Cycling
Dance
Art (subscription)
Cricket
Crafts
Gymnastics
Most clubs are freely provided, but we are
increasingly approached by outside providers
of extra-curricular activities that we may
choose to host e.g. the popular Art Club and a
new Drama Academy.
Please remember that after school clubs
are generally run voluntarily by teachers
in their own time.
Music Tuition
We are very keen for our children to excel in the arts. As well as
investing in our new Studio room with built in recording facilities and
providing specialist singing and music lessons across the school, we have
a partnership with Roundhay Music
to provide high quality, small group
instrument tuition for half hour lessons
every week. Children are taught to read
music and get the chance to perform
and take grade exams. This provision is
currently subsidised by school and costs
£2.50 per week.

A Sporting Life...
Farsley Farfield is a very strong sporting school. We aim to
provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all children both
through P.E lessons during school time and our wide variety
of sporting activities out of school hours. We aim to provide
two hours of good-quality PE for each child each week. We have achieved
the prestigious Activemark Gold award.
We take all Year 4 children for the whole academic year to lovely, historic
Bramley Baths. We aim for all children to be able to swim at least 25m
unaided. A child that is unable to swim to that standard at the end of Year
4 may be given the opportunity for additional lessons in Year 5.
Our school grounds are second-to-none locally, and in the summer we have
two artificial cricket wickets and nets to further promote that sport. We
are very proud that our cricket team were West Yorkshire champions in
2006!
We have excellent links with Priesthorpe Specialist Sports College, and
benefit from specialist teaching and other sports coaches that they provide
or broker.
We have a lot of sporting talent on the staff including a teacher that has
swum for Great Britain, a prominent local cyclist and a semi-professional
footballer. As well as football and cricket, we regularly take part in
competitions in netball, tag rugby, rounders, swimming, cycling, athletics
and cross country.

Smart kids...
We encourage all children from
Reception upwards to wear school
uniform. The children may wear:
a burgundy or grey sweat top,
jumper or cardigan;
white polo shirt, blouse or shirt;
grey trousers, jogging
bottoms, skirt or pinafore;
burgundy check summer dress.
Some children choose to wear the
school tie.
Uniform is available from ‘The Skool
Shop’ on Farsley Town Street.
All children from Year 3 upwards are required to wear indoor shoes for
hygiene and to help keep our school clean. Younger pupils may bring a
change of footwear if they wish.
P.E. kit is a white t-shirt and black leggings or shorts. For outdoor P.E. all
children will need warm suitable clothing and footwear depending on the
time of year and activity.
All items of clothing should be clearly named.

Special Attention...
Every child is special, and every child is welcomed to our
school. We aim to meet any child’s special needs wherever
possible, and we have some resources such as a large care suite
and platform lift in the North Building in order to help us to include as
many children as practicable.
We have an SEN team, led by Mrs. Williams, that works to identify
children for whom established educational provision and intervention
programmes are insufficient to secure appropriate progress. Where school
action is required, we devise individual education plans and provide
extra resources as required. If a child’s special needs are very significant,
it may be possible to access further resources from Education Leeds.
Regular contact is made with appropriate support services to help us with
diagnostic assessments and educational programmes of work.
We have Learning Support Assistants (L.S.As) throughout the school
who work with individuals and small groups of children. Many staff in the
Foundation Stage are trained in MAKATON sign language.
Some children are identified as having special educational needs because
they are more able. Where this is the case, class teachers will differentiate
accordingly, and the school will provide some additional educational
opportunities. Last year, our ‘Gifted and Talented’ Year 6 mathematicians
had separate lessons from a high school teacher and a dedicated LSA and
they achieve outstandingly high standards.
Partnership with Parents...
We encourage parents to help in school both in and out of the
classroom in a variety of ways. Any help, whether it is single
gesture or a regular occurrence, is extremely valued by the staff
as there is always something to do in our busy school!
Any teacher will be glad to meet with parents throughout the year although
an appointment may sometimes be necessary for mutual convenience.
There are two formal consltation evenings, usually in the autumn and
spring terms, and an end of year report in July.

An Extended School...
Schools increasingly have an obligation to extend their opening
hours and make childcare available.
Farsley Farfield already has a privately run before-school, after-school and
holiday care facility on our premises that is run by Little People private
day nursery. Parents may book their children in, subject to places being
available, for any number of sessions on a regular or one off basis. The
facility is open 7.30 a.m. – 6.00 p.m. every weekday and every day during
school holidays except Bank Holidays. The children have access to a wide
range of indoor activities, can use the school’s super outdoor facilities and
have special trips arranged. Children can be taken directly to and collected
from school by members of Fun Club staff.
Little People also have a separate building for private nursery care for
children 3 months to 4 years. Children who attend our school Nursery
may be taken to and from a morning or afternoon session by Little People.
Telephone 2563951 or 2566495 (0-4 facility) for further details.
This wrap-around service works very well and integrates seamlessly with
our main school provision. Children may combine attendance at ‘Fun Club’
with an extra-curricular club run by the school; where this is the case it is
very important to inform the ‘Fun Club’ staff.
Mrs. Topp, the North building secretary, also has details of other local
child-minders.
“Little People Nursery, at Farsley Farfield, provides good
quality care...The setting is warm and welcoming for children
and parents...Children have many opportunities to explore and
investigate their environment both indoors and outdoors. Out of
school children enjoy a wide range of activities suitable for their
age, which helps them to relax after a day at school...Partnership
with parents is very good.” OFSTED 2004

Leaders in Learning with ICT...
Whilst Farsley Farfield is a traditional school in many of its
values, it is very much ‘cutting edge’ in terms of some of its
teaching styles.
We have Interactive Whiteboard technology in every teaching space in the
school from Reception classes onwards. Our school intranet and super-fast
STAR network connection to the internet combine to make the the latest
multimedia resources available to all our teachers and learners. We digitise
all educational TV programmes, and these are available in complete or
extract form in every classroom.
We have recently opened
a large new ICT suite with
30 computers. We also have
smaller ICT clusters in the
North dining room and South
foyer. Children in Year 6 are
taught by a specialist ICT
teachers as they work on
spreadsheets, databases and multimedia presentations including animation.
Children in the Juniors have an additional one hour ‘Computer-aided
learning’ session each week to promote personalised, more independent
learning.
Farfield Online...
We have a very active school web site that can be accessed at
www.farsleyfarfield.leeds.sch.uk
Our aim is have all the school’s important information easily accessible,
e.g. newsletters, term dates and holiday request forms. We also use the web
site as a link with parents through photo galleries, videos and audio files. If
your child goes on a trip or is involved in a special activity, you can share
this experience with them by watching it online together!