Oughty Bear

Oughty Bear is our big white fluffy ‘Being There’ bear. Every Monday the children hope that he will be staying in their classroom with them. He is awarded to the class with the best attendance over the previous week, and goes to stay with that class until the following Monday. The children count how many times he has been to stay with them, because on his third visit they are given an extra playtime!

STARTING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

When you and your child/children visit the school for the first time, we hope you will find us to be a bright, friendly and welcoming place. Starting school can be both an exciting and anxious time for your child and it is our aim to make the transition from home or nursery to school as easy as possible.

The process for admission is:

• Register your child at school where you will be given an acknowledgement slip. This can be done at any time, but remember to let us know if you change your address!
• Sheffield City Council Education Department will contact you directly in the Autumn of the year prior to your child’s admission year. You will be given a pre-prepared slip to take to ANY primary school to exchange for an Application Pack.
• Complete the appropriate application form and return to the stated address before the declared deadline date (usually mid/end January).
• The Education Department will write to you again at about Easter of the year prior to your child’s admission date, confirming at which school your child has a place.
• We will write to all successful applicants early in the Summer term prior to admission for September starters, and in October/November for the January starters.
• You will be invited to a meeting which will give you all the information you need to accept the offer of a place at our school, order school milk and uniform, receive curriculum information, school meals information and much more.
• You and your child/ren will then be invited to a further meeting, when the children meet their teacher and spend time with the current Foundation Stage children.

We operate a phased admission into school - taking about a week from their first day to fully integrated. Children adapt very quickly into the school environment and we have found a short introduction to be most beneficial, particularly for those children starting in January who have a shorter Foundation Stage.

Children are admitted to Oughtibridge school on the following dates, in the year prior to their fifth birthday:-

• September start for birthdays falling between 1st September and 28th February
• January start for birthdays falling between 1st March and 31st August

The school follows the Sheffield Education Department admission policy, which admits children from within its catchment area first (Oughtibridge and Worrall) and then considers applications for any remaining places for those outside catchment. Occasionally we are over subscribed for places and then the LEA applies its ‘ oversubscription criteria’ based on siblings attending school, distance to school, etc. Full details of admission criteria can be obtained from Sheffield Education Department.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum is the period of education from birth to 5: this begins in Nurseries and Childcare and finishes with the Reception Year in school. It is primarily a play based curriculum delivered through active learning, with children developing their skills through well planned play and practical activities. This gives children first hand experiences where they learn through playing, talking, questioning, reflecting and interaction with adults and each other. The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum prepares children for learning in Key Stage 1 where National Curriculum programmes are taught. During their Reception Year at Oughtibridge School, children work towards the Early Learning Goals: children are expected to meet most of these by the end of their year at school.

Early Learning Goals

Children in the Foundation Stage work towards achieving their Early Learning Goals throughout the year. Children are expected to meet most of their goals by the end of their Reception Year. These are split into 6 key areas of learning:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development;
• Communication, Language and Literacy;
• Mathematical Development;
• Physical Development;
• Creative Development;
• Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage at Oughtibridge School is delivered in a fun and exciting way, through careful cross curricular planning and activities. We use ICT throughout the classroom to enhance learning, with two Interactive Whiteboards in our unit. We also use computers, small controllable robots, digital cameras and video, with these being either accessible at all times or used on a regular basis. We work closely with the Key Stage 1 team, sharing themed days, trips and class swaps to value and celebrate our work.

MID-TERM TRANSFERS

Transfers into Oughtbridge School

If you wish to transfer your child to Oughtibridge School during their primary years, please telephone the school in the first instance to establish if there is a place available in the relevant year group. If there is a place, the following process applies:-

• Contact school to arrange a tour if you wish to see our facilities prior to any application.
• Obtain a blue transfer form from the current school (if within Sheffield) or an out of area transfer form if applying from outside Sheffield.
• Ask current school to complete the transfer form and return it to you.
• Post or bring the transfer form to Oughtibridge Primary School.
• We will contact you to discuss a mutually agreeable start date.
• Arrange with your child/ren’s current teacher/s to collect all their pupil records on their last day at school.
• Report to main reception on first day at Oughtibridge Primary, with the pupil records. Your child will be welcomed into school shown to their new classroom and introduced to their teacher.
• The class teacher will appoint a member of the class to look after your child, introducing them to the facilities of their classroom, the school and all our routines.

Transfers out of Oughtibridge School

If you wish to transfer your child out of Oughtibridge School during their primary years, the following procedure applies:-

• Contact the school of your choice to ensure a place is available in the appropriate year group/s.
• Request a blue transfer form from our school office, which we will complete for you and send it home via your child or you can collect it from the office - you will need one form per child.
• Send the blue form to your chosen destination school.
• Discuss a start date with the new school.
• Contact Oughtibridge School office and confirm your child/ren’s leaving date.
• We will prepare your child’s pupil records and ensure they are given to your child/ren on their last day, to take to the new school.

Appeals Procedure

There is an Education Department appeals procedure, which can be initiated if you are unable to transfer to a school within Sheffield due to lack of space. Full details can be obtained from the Education Department.