Welcome to Falconer's Hill

Principal’s welcome

Welcome to Falconer’s Hill Academy. We are very excited that you are considering us for your next school. Your child will be joining an exciting and vibrant school with amazing teaching.

At Falconer’s Hill we have high aspirations for all pupils. We want our pupils to excel regardless of their starting points. We understand that some children might need more support and we are able to put this in place. The curriculum is designed to develop your child’s thinking skills and help them build on existing knowledge. We follow academically proven Trust wide approaches such as Talk for Writing, Talk for Reading and Effective Maths to improve our pupil’s outcomes.

I hope this booklet will help you understand how we work. It should answer all your questions.
For some parents, whose other children may come to our school, our way of working may be familiar. For other parents our curriculum strategies will be new. Hopefully, in September we will be able to invite you in to watch model lessons, to meet our specialist teachers to share strategies and share teaching videos. We hope to bring you in for a tour and to see us in action.

Please take the opportunity to look at our website which contains information about our school an www.falconershillacademy.co.uk or you can find us on Facebook and on Twitter @falconershill
To learn more about the David Ross Education Trust then please visit - www.dret.co.uk
If you have immediate questions then please contact us on office@falconershillacademy.co.uk

Please enjoy our virtual hello!

https://youtu.be/9ooibIVD2A4

Who’s who in our school

Leadership Team
● Principal – Mrs Angela Rock
● Vice Principal – Y6 teacher Mr Matt Hamblin
Teachers
● Y6 Mrs M Bennett & Mr Hamblin
● Y5 Miss Roberts and Miss Hynd
● Y4 Miss Kitchell & Miss Petruso, Mrs Thorogood
● Y3 - Mrs Silman & Mrs Kermode
Support staff
● Y6 Ms Wood & Mrs Saunders
● Y5 Mrs Wright & Mrs Atkins
● Y4 Miss Rogers
● Y3 Mrs Ward & Mrs Sutton & Mrs Souter
Midday Lunchtime Supervisors (MDLS)
● Mrs Souter & Mrs Lopez
Admin
● Mrs Stuart & Mrs Carlill
Pastoral Team
● Mrs J Bennett (Inclusion Manager),
● Mrs C Charter (SENDCo & Family Support Worker)
Site Supervisor
● Mr Spencer

Life in Y3 2020-2021

Meet the Y3 team

Class Teachers: Mrs Silman and Mrs Kermode.

Mrs Silman- Dragons class Mrs Kermode - Unicorns class
Support staff : Mrs Sutton, Mrs Ward and Mrs Souter

Mrs Souter Mrs Sutton Mrs Ward
Welcome to Year 3, we are looking forward to meeting you all and getting to know you and your families. When you arrive at school on your first day we will be there to welcome you and settle you in. We will show you where everything is and make sure you all feel safe and happy so that you can learn.

Non- COVID - Timings of the day

● 8.35am - Gates opened. All children enter through the main gates and wait in the main playground with their parents (depending on age).
● 8.45 The class teacher and member of support staff will come into the playground. This is a good opportunity for you to speak to the teacher.
● 8:50 The bell is rung and children line up to go into school. Morning register and Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Parent’s do not come into the building.
● 9:00 - 9:35 - Read, Write Inc (Phonics) or Active Reading
● 9:35-10.35am - Talk 4 Writing
● 10.35-10.50am - Break - Healthy snacks only
● 10.50-12.00pm -Maths Mastery and Fluency
● 12.00 -12.50pm - Lunch
● 12.50pm - Afternoon register - and Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)
● 1.00-3.00pm - Lessons - Core Knowledge Curriculum (History & Geography), Science, Art, DT, PE, PSHE, RE.
● 3.00pm - Assembly
● 3.15pm - Home time

What to expect in the first few weeks at Falconers Hill Academy:

● Daily handwriting sessions.
● Daily DEAR ( Drop Everything And Read)
● Daily maths fluency- practise of core number skills (e.g number bonds to 10/20 )
● Daily maths lesson- focus will be on place value
● Daily English lesson- Learning our model text Kassim and the Greedy Dragon and writing our own dragon stories.
● Daily class reading lesson
● RWI (Read, Write,Inc) assessments will be completed in the first 2 weeks to see whether your child will be needing small phonic group sessions.
● There will be two PE sessions a week. We would like your child to bring in a PE kit Each Monday and if necessary take it home on Friday to wash.
● Daily class story/ sharing of a book.

Y3 Curriculum

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Playtime

We are very fortunate that FHA has lots of different play areas that the children can enjoy. We have a ball court Every playtime all the children go out at the same time. There is always a minimum of 4 adults on duty. Children are able to use a range of play equipment both large and small.

Lunches

Lunch is served in the hall from 12:00 . Children are able to bring in their own packed lunches or you can order lunch from Caterlink We are a NUT FREE school due to staff and children having allergies, please do not allow your child to bring in food containing nuts including Nutella sandwiches.

School dinners

We have a cashless system in place which enables parents to order lunches and pay through Parent Pay. Children eat in the main hall and are supported by lunchtime supervisors.
All school lunches need to be booked by midnight on TUESDAYS for the following week. You are able to book for multiple weeks at a time. There are different options available for your child to choose. Please ensure you go through the menu with your child and book meals that they will enjoy. Also, you will need to pay for the meals at the time of booking. If you are entitled to Free School Meals, you will need to book the same way but will not be charged.

Snacks

Children are able to bring snacks from home into school as long as they are healthy such as fruit, crudites and low sugar/fat/salt cereal bars, are encouraged. We do not allow chocolate bars, crisp or fizzy drinks as a snack. We are a NUT FREE school due to staff and children having allergies.

Water

Keeping hydrated is important to improve physical, cognitive and emotional well being. We encourage and recommend that children bring in their own named water bottle. For good hygiene we recommend that these be taken home and washed daily. Please do not send your child in with squash.

Breakfast Club - Subject to COVID-19 guidance

There is a Breakfast club that is available for all students every morning from 8am-8.45am. This is charged at £2.50 per day and will need to be paid in advance on Parentpay. Children will need to be dropped off at the Planetarium door on the front of the school building. Children have a variety of healthy options to choose for breakfast including cereal, toast and fruit. They have the opportunity to play and socialise with other children from all year groups within the Planetarium room until school starts. If your child is Pupil Premium there is no charge for Breakfast club.

After School Clubs - Subject to COVID-19 guidance

We have a wide selection of After school clubs that change each half term. We will send out an online form at the start of September informing you of the options available. Then during the week before each half term, you will receive another to inform you of the choices for after half term. You will receive confirmation of the clubs that your child has a space in, via email or via an MCAS message. These clubs are very popular therefore there are limited spaces. Please ensure you complete these online forms promptly to ensure your child gets a space in their preferred clubs. There will be a small charge for all clubs from September 2020. The price for these clubs is £2.00 per session and will need to be paid via Parentpay. If your child receives a Pupil Premium grant, then there is no charge.

Uniform

Our School Uniform consists of:

GIRLS BOYS

● Navy School blazer with logo
● Navy tie with single stripe for house colour
● Grey v-neck jumper/cardigan
● White collared shirt
● Grey skirt or grey trousers
● Grey tailored shorts (summer only)
● Navy blue & white gingham dress (summer only)
● Grey, black, blue or white hair accessories
● Navy or black tights
● Grey, black or white socks
● Black shoes – low heel (less than 2.5cm), with no logo – NO TRAINERS/PUMPS
● Navy School blazer with logo
● Navy tie with single stripe for house colour
● Grey v-neck jumper
● White collared shirt
● Grey trousers
● Grey tailored shorts (summer only)
● Grey or black socks
● Black shoes – with no logo – NO TRAINERS/PUMPS

Our School PE Kit consists of:

INDOOR OUTDOOR
● White T-shirt with logo
● Navy blue sports shorts
● Black pumps or trainers ● White T-shirt with logo
● Navy blue sports shorts
● Black pumps or trainers
● Navy tracksuit bottoms - plain
● Navy tracksuit hood top - plain

Hair

It is our school policy that:
● All children with hair that is longer than shoulder length must have it tied back using a practical hair accessory or hair band ( blue, green, black or white).
● Children do not have patterns of any description shaved into their hair.
● Children do not have their hair dyed.

Jewellery

Children should not wear jewellery to school with the following exceptions: pierced ears studs, watches and small objects of religious significance. We ask the children to remove these objects during PE and games to prevent them from causing injury. If your child is unable to remove their own earrings, they will be asked to have these covered with plasters provided by yourselves during PE and games.

Medicines

It is very important that you let us know about any medical condition or disability that your child may have. It is vitally important that we are aware of any allergies.
If you need us to give you prescribed medicines then you will need to complete a form providing us with full written instructions. We also need this form if you have any medicines that have not been prescribed by a doctor. Ideally, we would like you to have your medicines before school and then when you go home after school.
We will not allow any child to have medicines of any sort in their classrooms except asthma inhalers and Epipens.

Communication

We understand that communication is very important, and we use a number of ways to get information to you. We issue regular newsletters to keep you informed about what is going on in school. These are available from the school website. If you would prefer a paper copy, these are available from the school office. Our website contains information about our school, as well as copies of our newsletters. The address is: www.falconershillacademy.co.uk

We use an App called MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) where texts and emails are sent to the primary contacts that you provide for your child. Letters and forms are also sent out via this. You will be sent an email with the login details shortly. You are also able to report your child absent on this app. This app can be downloaded via the App store or Google Play. You are also able to access this via a web browser from https://www.mychildatschool.com/

We use Facebook to help keep you updated - Please search for Falconer's Hill Academy and Like us.
Please ensure we are kept up to date of all changes to your personal contact details so we can contact you at all times during the school day. You can email changes to office@falconershillacademy.co.uk or amend them through the MCAS app.

Whole school Rewards

Pupil of the week

Every week the class teachers will nominate a member of the class who has impressed them. Children may be chosen for great work, great behaviour or even a great attitude. Children who show they are willing to have a go and try and overcome barriers are chosen because we recognise that resilience is a great quality for all people to have. We send invites out to parents to attend this weekly celebration. Parents are invited to enjoy light refreshments with their child and if possible the class teacher after the assembly.

Role Models

Our role models are children who are good representatives of FHA. They can be everyone. We hope to end up with everyone being identified as role models
1. They demonstrate our values
2. Communicate well with others
3. Are willing to listen
4. Have exemplary behaviour
5. Are committed to academic success
6. Wear the correct uniform and have great attendance.

Pupil roles and responsibilities

Head Boy/Head Girl

We hold elections for Head Boy/Girl and Deputy Head/Girl in September. The children make speeches and are elected by the other children. These roles are held by Y5 and Y6 children and they are there to help all children. These are our school ambassadors, they meet and greet visitors and are role models for everyone.

School Council

The School Council is lead by Mr Hamblin. Two children are elected from each class to represent their peers. They meet to discuss any concerns the children have and how they can improve the school. The School Councillors were special badges and are there to help everyone. 

Prefects

Our prefects are made up of Y5 and Y6 pupils. These pupils make sure that play times and lunchtimes are fun for all children. Their role is to make sure children leave and enter the building safely, are available if children need someone to play with or talk to .

Eco Committee

The Eco-Committee are a group of children led by Mrs Silman who are attempting to make the school neat and tidy. They encourage children to make sure they put rubbish in the bins, turn off lights and work on improving the environment. They are working towards nationally recognised ECO Awards.

Behaviour expectations
From our Behaviour Policy
“Pupils respond well to immediate praise from teachers and this can be reinforced when parents are notified. Each week a teacher should send at least two postcards home to a pupil in their class. This could be for praising classwork, homework, an exceptional gesture of kindness or attitude to learning. Rewards provide public recognition of pupil’s achievement and progress, and help to raise pupils’ motivation and expectations. “
The simplest rewards include:
● Verbal praise
● Written comment, e.g. on work
● Display of work
● Postcard home
● Pupil of the week

House Point System - House points double up a positive praise whenever praise is logged on Class DoJo and then a corresponding point will be awarded to the pupil’s House.
● 10 points – positive message of encouragement to parent/carer
● 20 points – inform parent/carer
● 30 points – inform parent/carer Bronze certificate (reward time)
● 40 points - inform parent/carer Silver certificate (reward time)
● 50 points - inform parent/carer Gold certificate (reward time)
● 60 points - inform parent/carer Platinum certificate (reward time)
●
Houses
All children from Y3-Y6 are put in mixed aged houses. The Houses meet 2-3 times per term to collaboratively. They play games, sports, art, drama, music and lots more other activities. We have seen better communication and cooperation between the year groups as they develop relationships with younger and older children. The houses are names after famous scientists, engineers and mathematicians. Each house can be identified by a colour which matches the colours of our ties.
● Darwin - yellow
● Fibonacci - blue
● Archimedes - green
● Copernicus – red
●
Sanctions
We believe that actions and consequences need to be understood by the child. Rewards and sanctions need to be individualised to ensure that we maintain good behaviour with the school based on mutual trust and respect so as to encourage a good work ethic and attitude from each child.

Primary Stages
In our academy, certain behaviours are classified into certain stages with an appropriate step of response.
Stage Pupil Behaviour Sanction
1 Low level disruptive behaviour which may include not listening to instructions, calling out, not following group work rules, interrupting and making rude noises. Teacher reminds the child of the classroom values

2 Continued Low level disruptive behaviour Pupils receives a warning about the rule they are not following, may be moved within the classroom
3 Disrespectful behaviour which may include speaking in a disrespectful way to another child or adult, answering back, walking away from an adult when they are speaking to you or continuing Stage 2 behaviour Disrespectful behaviour – Pupil have time out within the classroom, and they miss playtime to catch up on work (this is supervised).
The school will contact parents t

4 Hurtful or dangerous behaviour which many include hitting or kicking another child, racist or homophobic name calling, swearing, spitting, fighting, stealing, threatening or continuing Stage 2 behaviour. The pupil has time out of the classroom with an appropriate colleague and they may be excluded from the playground, trips and certain activities. There should be a meeting with the parents

In applying sanctions and rewards all staff should bear in mind the following:

● that to develop a positive and successful learning environment children respond better to praise than criticism
● praise good behaviour, don’t ignore it! Positive reinforcement of good behaviour is more effective than negative punishments.
● Where disapproval is used it should focus on the behaviour rather than the child
● given for the individual as well as group effort;
● judged against previous performances;
● given for desirable standards of behaviour.