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long documentand some of it may not be useful to you at this time. It is intended to be
used to introduce you to your new school and to act as a guide for your reference when your
children are with us at Escomb.It may well be that we send updated sheets when necessary.
Other school correspondence and information will support and may amend this brochure.
Please keep this document for future reference.
We would welcome your comments concerning how useful this document is
and any suggestions on how we might improve it.
Escomb Primary School
Escomb
Bishop Auckland
County Durham
DL14 7SR
Dear Parent
WELCOME TO ESCOMB PRIMARY SCHOOL
Escomb Primary School is a County School for pupils aged 4 - 11. Our pupils come from many
areas around our school, from the local villages and from the new estates nearby.
We deliver a structured and organised curriculum with experienced staff trained to a high level.
In addition to gaining language, mathematical, scientific and technological skills, your child will
build confidence, develop self-reliance, learn to make decisions and develop the ability to articulate
feelings and ideas. We also attach great importance to the development of the children's social skills
and seek to enable them to build relationships with other children and adults and to be sensitive to the
feelings and needs of others.
One thing you can be certain of, your child will never fail. The staff are highly skilled at assessing each
pupil's individual level of development and then supporting them in moving, at their own pace, towards
their full potential. We work hard to ensure that all children feel good about themselves, and acquire a
high level of self-confidence and self esteem. If they feel successful this will help them to be successful.
We feel that your involvement in this process is crucial and we will provide frequent opportunities to
keep you informed about the ways in which we are working with your child or children. There will
be many times, both formal and informal, when we hope that we will be able to discuss your child's
progress. We are keen to have parental involvement at all levels, and if you have any time to spare
to come into school and work with us, you will be made very welcome.
Childhood is a very special and wonderful time and no-one gets a second chance at it. We will do
our very best to make it as happy and productive as possible for your children.
Our Ethos and Values
· To engender an effective partnership between children, teachers, governors and parents both
formally and informally.
· To encourage the school to be an integral part of the local community and of the wider world
· To be seen as one "unit" in each pupil's progress through the education as a whole.
· To foster good quality liaison and a process of continuous consultation and co-operation between
the school and related organisations.
· To make optimum use of the "Team's" (Children, Parents, Governors, Teachers, LEA) interests
and abilities by involving it in the active corporate development of the school.
· Through the formal and hidden curriculum to offer opportunities for pupils to become aware of the
rights of others, to show consideration of others and to understand their viewpoints and perspectives.
· To encourage self-discipline and to reward high standards of conduct.
· To develop in pupils lively, enquiring minds, initiative and the ability to make reasoned choices,
communicate ideas, argue and debate and to discriminate between issues. Children should be able to
become self-critical and accept responsibility for their own actions. To develop personal and moral
values where pupils are able to express their feelings, to show respect for adults, their peers, the
school itself and society in general.
· To value the qualities of courtesy, kindness, care, sharing and belonging.
· To encourage open-mindedness about issues and to make fullest use of children's abilities, irrespective
of their rates of progress, personal situations, gender or origins.
· To reduce under-achievement wherever it occurs and to remove educational obstacles which hold
back a pupil or groups of pupils.
· To develop a range of supportive material (including policy statements, curriculum guidelines and
a mission statement) which highlights concerns and identifies priorities in order to construct a framework
for school management.
· Through a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum, develop the full potential of each
child and to help prepare and equip them for all aspects of adult life.
· To plan and map the curriculum to incorporate the facility for change, to reflect social, cultural and
technological developments. To design it so that its constituent elements relate, reinforce and complement
one another, and facilitate the use of common skills and attitudes throughout it.
School Staff:
Headteacher: Mr K N Taylor Co-ordinator MFL, PSHCE, CPD, School Links
Deputy Headteacher: Mrs W E Gill and Class 6 SENCO
Reception: Mrs A White Co-ordinator: PE and Music
Class 1: Mrs M Barton Co-ordinator: Maths and Early Years
Class 2 M Mrs J L Mason Co-ordinator Science and ARR
Class 2 P Miss C Price Co-ordinator Design Technology and Art
Class 3 Mrs N Buckle Co-ordinator RE and History
Class 4 Mr D Fadden Co-ordinator Information Technology
Class 5 Miss V Graham Co-ordinator English and Geography
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Learning Support Teachers: Mrs S Clarke
Mrs H Morton
Learning Support Assistants: Mrs P Marr Mrs J Vardy
Learning Support Service Mrs J Turner Assistants: Mrs M Briggs Mrs R Hymer
Classroom Assistants: Mrs K Shoulder Mrs M McGarry Mrs S Crathorne
Secretary: Mrs J Proctor
Resource Assistant: Mrs D Peart
Caretaker: Mr J Swinbank
Supervisory Assistants: Mrs J Herring (Senior SA) Mrs S Crathorne Mrs J Robson Mrs S Hare
School Doctor: Dr J Dodd
School Nurse: Mrs M Bartley
Community Police P.C. Woodcock Officer:
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The School Governing Body
Our School Governors are: Chair: Father Mike Dent (Early Years, RE)
Vice Chair: Mr D Brown (Parent Governor) (Health & Safety and PSCHE)
LEA Governors: Miss M Kellett (SEN) Mrs F Kaye (MFL and Music) Mr S Douthwaite (C.P.D) Minor Authority Governor: Mr N Davison (Numeracy)
Parent Governors: Mr N Wild (Literacy and PE) Mrs D Barker (Art & D.T) Mrs K Cauwood (I.C.T. & A.R.R.)
Teacher Governor: Mrs W Gill
Staff Governor: Mrs S Crathorne (Science, MoPB)
Co-opted Governors: Fr M.Dent Mr G Howe Mr D Graves (Geography & History)
Headteacher: Mr K N Taylor
S.G.S.S. Clerk Ms D Pattison (County Hall, Durham)
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The Governing Body works as part of the school
team to ensure that the school provides opportunities for all, and develops pupils to their maximum potential.
Each year we send a report to our parents and arrange for an annual parents' meeting where the report is presented and discussed.
Our Governing body is made up of representative sections of the school community. No single interest group is in the majority. Together with the Head, we are responsible for managing school budgets, maintenance of buildings, staffing and the curriculum.
We are here to help our staff and yourselves to offer our children the best possible start for their future.
M L Dent
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Mike Dent, our Chair of Governors
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The Parent Teacher Association
Our Committee Members are:
Chair: Neil Wild
Vice Chair: Margaret Cummins
Secretary: Donna Barker
Assistant Secretary: Lisa Shaw
Treasurer: Susan Atkinson
Assistant Treasurer: Joanne Lambert
President: Keith Taylor
(Head Teacher)
Committee meetings take place on a regular basis each term to help plan for events and activities taking place.
Escomb School PTA is affiliated to the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations.
The full PTA meets approximately once every half term to discuss curriculum and fund-raising events.
We also meet to discuss how best to allocate funds to support the education of our children at Escomb School.
We are made up very keen and enthusiastic parents and teachers.
We welcome the support of new members to boost our efforts. Notice of our meetings is sent home with
your children. Events held by the PTA include:
· Summer Fairs
· Children's Discos/Family Discos
· Fancy Dress Parties
· Treasure Hunt and Quizzes
· Raffles
· And many more
This year we are holding a Golden Jubilee Party.
We have raised funds and have supported the school in a vast number of ways.
Children are admitted to Escomb School in the September of the academic year when they are 5
(i.e. those who are 5 between September 1st and August 31st of the year in which they start school).
Our admission limit is decided on an annual basis by the Governing Body. This is normally 30.
Pupils are admitted according to the LEA Admissions Criteria, which can be found in the Durham
County Council Primary Handbook, which is available from the school.
If the school is oversubscribed the Governing Body will meet in the Spring term to allocate places according to
these criteria.
Children who are not included in the list accepted by the Governing Body will have their names placed on a waiting list.
If it has not been possible to offer you a place at Escomb School, you have the right to appeal against that decision.
Your appeal will be heard by an independent panel and you will be able to state your case in writing and to
attend the hearing in person.
If your child is offered a place at the school you will be contacted to inform you of the date and time when your
child should begin in his/her new class. We will usually arrange for your child to visit on a part-time basis to enable
them to gradually get used to coming into school.
We will also contact you to arrange a date when you will be able to visit the school with your children and share in
some of our activities.
Children moving into the area will be offered places, if there is space. If this is not possible then the same
procedure will follow as outlined previously.
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The school curriculum is organised in a structure, which centres on the National Curriculum
and contains elements which support children's development in terms of personal, physical,
social and spiritual development.
We follow the guidelines outlined by Durham Local Education Authority, a copy of which
may be obtained from County Hall, Durham.
The time allocated to each curricular area is organised according to suggestions from
Advisory Bodies and according to class, Key Stage and individual needs. The time allocation
is calculated on an annual basis and therefore in certain subjects, e.g. History, Geography,
there may be more time spent at certain times of the year. This will be addressed at another
time to ensure that your child is offered a broad and balanced curriculum.
Subjects are taught, as outlined later, to enable children to progress continuously throughout
their education with as much regard to ensuring that there is a progression between classes
and Key Stages. Work is always differentiated appropriately; it is at the right level and of the
right amount for the needs of your child. Where required, special arrangements are made for
individual pupils who have special educational needs.
Children are taught in a variety of ways throughout their life in our school, according to their
individual needs, the content of the curriculum and the method chosen, in their professional
judgement, by the teachers concerned. This means that children will encounter many
different ways of learning e.g. whole class teaching, group and individual work, setting, specialist
teaching etc.
Teaching Time
For children at Key Stage 1, those who are aged between 4 and 7, we spend 22 hours and 55
minutes on teaching during a normal school week.
For children at Key Stage 2, who are aged between 7 and 11, we spend 23 hours 45 minutes
on teaching during a normal school week.
Of the remainder of the school week 1 hour and 40 minutes is spent on our Acts of Collective
Worship, registration and collection of appropriate money and 1 hour 25 minutes is allocated
for children's recreational time.
Although Escomb Primary School is non-denominational and has no particular religious affiliation,
our assemblies usually involve an Act of collective Worship and can sometimes be led by a visiting
member of the clergy. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from these activities and
from Religious Education if they wish. Please contact the headteacher if you wish to make
alternative arrangements
Assemblies give an opportunity to come together to share stories, drama, songs and prayers.
They also include a time for sharing group and individual achievements when certificates and
trophies are presented. The collective worship aspect is predominantly Christian and is based
on weekly themes such as friendship, courage or peace. There are special assemblies for
festivals and particular days eg Mothers' Day, Saints' Days and at certain times of the year
eg Lent, Advent. We also hold other assembly services in which all classes participate; those
for Harvest, Christmas and Easter. Parents are invited to share our Christmas celebrations
with us, which is usually held in one of our local churches.
The children attend assemblies each day: some of these are held in the hall and some are held
in classrooms. Sometimes the whole school will gather together for these events. On other occasions
different groups (eg all the children from Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2) will share this activity.
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Assembly time
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Our Europe Day Assembly
Curriculum Organisation At Key Stage 1, for children between the ages of 4 and 7, we would expect to
spend the following percentages of time on the various areas of the curriculum during each year.
Literacy 30%
Numeracy 23%
Science 9%
Design Technology 4%
I.C.T 6%
History 4%
Geography 4%
Art 5%
Music 4%
P.E. 6%
R.E. 5%
At Key Stage 2, for children between the ages of 7 and 11, we would expect to spend the following
percentages of time on the various areas of the curriculum during each year.
Literacy 30%
Numeracy 22%
Science 10%
Design Technology 4%
I.C.T. 8%
History 4%
Geography 4%
Art 4%
Music 4%
P.E. 6%
R.E. 4%
Approximate Weekly Curriculum Balance
Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2
Literacy 30% Literacy 30%
Numeracy 23% Numeracy 22%
Science 9% Science 10%
All other areas are approximately 1 hour
English extension activities are also undertaken during the week. Within the time available
opportunities are given to develop I.C.T. and cross-curricular issues etc.
NB The above figures are only a guideline and are only used as such.
English
We aim to enhance and develop each child's knowledge and skills in language in Speaking and
Listening, Reading and Writing. These skills are taught directly in time allocated to the teaching
of English within the Literacy Hour, and they are also practised throughout the whole school
curriculum. We view reading as an important life skill: it is a source of pleasure, enjoyment and
enrichment. We aim to equip children with the skills that will enable them to access the whole
curriculum and that will foster an interest in reading, enriching their personal and working lives.
Writing is closely linked to reading: the two activities reinforce each other. We aim to use the
texts we read with children to model both the transcriptional and compositional skills of writing.
We see writing as a way of developing children's thinking.
Children are given opportunities for whole class, group, paired and individual work and we aim
to provide them with a range of opportunities of developing their skills, wherever possible, in real
situations, for a variety of purposes and for a variety of audiences. Overall, we aim to produce
individuals who are literate, articulate, responsive, creative and independent, fostering within each
child a positive attitude to Speaking and Listening, reading and Writing by presenting them in
interesting and enjoyable ways appropriate to each child's ability ensuring confidence and
competence and enhancing self-esteem.
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Special Educational Needs
We have developed our Special Needs policy in line with the Code of Practice, which is a document issued
by the government to enable the management of special educational needs within schools. This policy
is available for parents to view at any mutually agreed time.
We have consistent and objective mechanisms for identifying children who encounter learning difficulties
and are able to provide appropriate curricular programmes in order to help individuals overcome these
difficulties. In meeting these needs we would collaborate with other professionals and outside agencies
where appropriate.
We believe that parents also have an entitlement with regard to children who have special educational
needs. This entitlement includes access to relevant information, professional guidance on pupil needs
and an expectation that those needs will be met.
Escomb School regards parents as partners and they must be involved actively in any decisions affecting
their children's development.
Our Special Educational Needs Governor is Miss M.Kellett.
We have a member of staff with responsibility for the day to day running of special needs within
school and a teacher and support assistant employed specifically for working with children who
are experiencing learning difficulties. We also have a teacher who supports children with English
as a second language.
Our Special Education Needs staff is as follows:
Special Educational Co-ordinator
Mrs W E Gill
Learning Support Teachers
Mrs S Clarke
Mrs H Morton
Learning Support Assistants
Mrs P Marr
Mrs J Vardy
Learning Support Service
Mrs J Turner
Mrs M Briggs
Mrs R Hymer
School Educational Psychologist
Miss D Hodgson
Area L.S.S. Co-ordinator
Mrs W Colton
Reading
Book bags can be purchased from the school at a cost of £2.50. This is to encourage the children
to take care of their reading books, particularly when carrying them to and from school. Our aim
is to foster within children an enthusiasm for and enjoyment of reading and we welcome your support
in engendering this positive attitude. Here are some ways in which you can support your child in the
development of his/her early reading skills:
· Spotting similarities/differences
· Matching pictures
· Matching picture with word
· Recognising their own name in print
· Recognising the names of familiar characters
· Reading stories, poems, rhymes with your child and getting them to join in with any repetition
· Play sound/memory games ("I spy", snap, shopping-list games)
· Encourage them to look at print in familiar contexts, i.e. reading labels, signs, shop names etc.
The books that your child will bring home initially will be purely books for discussion. Encourage
your child to look carefully at the pictures and ask him/her to tell you what is going on in each
picture, relating wherever possible to their own experiences. Your child will also bring home an
exercise book containing pictures of the characters that they will be meeting in their reading scheme
books and some of the initial sight vocabulary they will need to begin reading. You will also be given
a copy of our Home/School Reading Guidance that will help make the reading time as enjoyable
and as useful as possible.
Our aims in teaching mathematics are that all children will enjoy the subject and study it with
confidence and a sense of achievement, attaining a high standard in numeracy and a range of
mathematical skills including the understanding of probability, shape and a variety of practical
experiences to widen and extend their knowledge.
Children are encouraged to apply themselves to problem solving activities and investigations
using a variety of mathematical tools including computers and calculators.
We use a range of published schemes to support the Numeracy Strategy. The children encounter
a wide variety of appropriate activities, to give breadth of experience and depth of learning,
enabling the children to cope with demands of the National Curriculum.
Science
We believe science is an important and exciting part of everyday living. It is concerned with
children finding out about the world in which they live, both natural and man-made.
We work to develop their knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts enabling them
to learn and use the skills associated with methods of investigation. This is a very practical
area where children learn through experience and activity.
We hope to develop attitudes such as curiosity. Perseverance and co-operation.
Above all we aim to promote the enjoyment of science and lively enquiring minds which will
help them throughout their lives.
Experimenting with electricity
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Sport and Leisure
You will be sent a formal report concerning your child's progress annually. There are also two opportunities for you to discuss your child's progress with a teacher in the autumn and summer terms.
We are a school which values the partnership between parents and school and hope that you will feel welcome to ask any questions concerning your child's progress or about other matters relating to school, at any suitable time.
Information to Parents is sent regularly by pupil post, so you need to dig deep into your children's bags when they come home.
The Escomb Express our occasional newsletter, produced by the children, also contains valuable information.
We hope that this brochure will prove useful, not just now, but as a future reference document. Please contact Mr Taylor should you wish for extra information to be included.
Sometimes the system does break down and information does not reach home. Please call regularly at the school where we hope to have a Parents' notice board available for you to view. If there is still an occasion when you are unsure about what is happening in school please don't hesitate to contact Mrs Proctor (the school secretary) or the headteacher, Mr. Taylor. We can then pass any information, which you need.
The Annual Report to Parents from the Governing Body and other bulletins give information, which you will find useful. The P.T.A. will also keep you informed of their activities by means of various letters.
We hope that the annual calendar of events, which we normally send out to you in the Autumn term, is useful to you and that you will be able to update it as necessary.
