2.  Numeracy groups are differentiated by ability  Numeracy work is monitored on a regular basis by myself and Mrs Phipps, as well as Mrs McCabe (Numeracy Co-Ordinator)  Movement between the groups is on-going throughout the year  Children who are secure in their tables, tend to complete tasks quickly and therefore, progress faster

3.  All children are placed into Guided Reading groups according to their current ability  Guided Reading groups read with me once a week  Most children in this class are free readers but it is important to continue reading with them on a regular basis to hone their skills

4.  I have high expectations for behaviour with all my pupils and will inform you regularly of any poor behaviour via their contact books or a blue slip if necessary  If your child does receive a blue slip, please ensure that you have discussed the matter with them and then acknowledge asap, with a signature via the return slip. These slips are kept for class records.

5.  All children start the day on green and move their names in accordance with their behaviour.  Yellow – a warning that if the poor behaviour continues, a play time will be missed  Amber – play time missed, if poor behaviour continues time will be spent in the Duty Room and blue slip will be sent home to parents  Red – If poor behaviour still continues, or if a more serious incident occurs, Mr Turtle and parents will be informed and a more serious punishment might be considered  Poor behaviour may also result in the deduction of Golden Time

6.  For more serious incidences, children will spend time in the Duty Room over lunch time  The Duty Room is supervised but any learning tasks will be completed independently

7.  If good behaviour is exhibited, children can give themselves a star on the Star Chart. 10 stars = 1 house point  House points will also be given in the case of extremely good work  Golden Time is a reward for children who have worked hard during the week. In this half-hour slot (usually on Fridays), children are free to choose and pursue their own activities

8.  All children now have a home contact book. The book should be in school every day. The book is a vital link between home and school and enables information relevant to your child to be passed on quickly.  Children in key stage 2 are responsible for alerting the teacher to any messages from home and will be expected to hand them to me after registration.  If there is a need for me to contact you more urgently to discuss any concerns, I will contact you by telephone, so please ensure the office has your up to date contact numbers.

9.  At High Firs, children are expected to complete a weekly learning log to consolidate and prepare for the learning in school  They are to be collected on Thursdays and sent out on Fridays  To support Numeracy, every child has their own MyMaths login that will be stuck into the front of their learning logs this week  In line with the school home learning policy those children who do not hand in learning logs will be asked to complete them in their own time in the duty room.

10.  New spellings will be sent home every Friday, written in to their spelling books. These need to be learned in time for the test on the following Friday  If your child does not understand any task they should speak to me or Mrs Phipps about this before the hand in day, so that additional explanations / support can be given  If your child is still struggling to complete a task please sign to this effect and record time spent on the task

11.  Indoor P.E. kit needs to be in school at all times (White shirt, Black shorts plus plimsolls). Additionally, your child may bring in a track suit & trainers for when it is particularly cold outside.  All items must be named please!  P.E. is on a Wednesday and Friday.  Hair should be tied back for P.E and all jewellery removed.  If your child wears earrings they will need to be able to remove them independently before the lesson for health and safety reasons.  If they need to cover their ears with tape this should also be sent in.

12.  Much of the assessment will be carried out termly; pupil progress being based upon teacher assessment.  Assessments are based upon age related expectations for the new national curriculum programmes of study for each year group and are expressed as: emerging, expected and exceeding.  Comments on the end of year reports will reflect these new assessments. AutumnSpringSummer Year 51617 18 Year 6192021

13.  There are a number of changes occurring in the SATs for Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and Key Stage 2 (Year 6)  As of this year, there is a new National Curriculum for Year 6 (and Year 2)  This class are the first to be assessed according to this new curriculum  Year 6 SATs will take place in May 2016  Results will be published in July 2016

14. www.gov.uk  Sample Tests materials for 2016  Test Frameworks  More information about the changes  More information will be given to parents closer to the time

15.  Name all items of clothing, water bottles, sun hats etc. and any money sent into school - including raffle money etc.  Please check school bags regularly for notes and letters.  If you need to see me please as a matter of urgency I am generally in school from around 8.00am. However, I am usually busy preparing for the day, so if it is a more general enquiry / concern, would you please make an appointment for after school as this will enable me to offer you more time for discussion. Alternatively, we can arrange an appointment through your child’s contact book.  Please note Thursday evenings all staff are required to attend a meeting at 3.30pm and I run a club on Tuesday evenings until 4.15pm.