School Brochure
Dene House Primary School is part of Tudhoe Learning Trust, a Multi-Academy Trust of 7 Primary Schools.
Dene House Primary is a gold-pathway Rights Respecting School where children are at the very centre of all we do and the decisions we make. Children’s rights are at the centre of all of school’s work and underpin our ethos and values.
Our mission and purpose is captured in our 3 core values of Aspire, Achieve, Smile. We endeavour to provide a
curriculum and culture whereby children want to be the best they can be, achieve well academically and personally, and enjoy the experience of being part of a school community and all it has to offer.
Our school mission statement is underpinned by six core aims. As children aspire to be the best they can be, they will be ambitious and take risks. When achieving their goals they will recognise the importance of working independently and interdependently and making informed choices. As reflective, responsible citizens they will recognise the positive affect their words and actions can have on their community and the wider world, bringing happiness. These aims are embedded in all aspects of school’s work.
Our overall vision for the pupils in our school is that, when they leave our school, they are well equipped for the next stage in their education and they go on to become well rounded, active citizens who contribute positively to society.
If you have any questions /queries please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Turnbull (Headteacher) or Mr Cassop (Acting Deputy Headteacher) on: 0191 586 2937
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What time does school begin and end?
We operate an early opening system. Our children enter school from 8:45am so that they can enjoy an Early Reading session with their class. Registers close at 8:55am.
2. Does school have a breakfast club facility?
Breakfast Club
We do have a breakfast club facility. Breakfast Club will begin at 8am each day. A link will be sent out at the beginning of each half term (on Class Dojo) for you to book a place at Breakfast Club for your child if you require one. At Breakfast Club we serve a variety of hot and cold food including: cereal, toast, crumpets, bagels, pancakes and waffles.
Cost : £2 per day, £10 per week Cost per additional child = £1.50 per day
3. What school uniform will my child need?
4. What should my child bring to school with them?
Bags/Pencil Cases
Only book bags and packed lunch bags will be allowed in school. We will provide your child with a FREE Book Bag on their 1st day of school. Additional Book Bags can be purchased at a cost of 50p each. Please do not send your child to school with any equipment such as pencil cases, pens, pencils, rulers etc as all equipment will be provided for them in school.
5. How do I order my child’s school lunch?
Meal Manager
School meals are cooked on the premises and are currently free for all Reception and KS1 children. Dinners for Key stage 2 cost £2.15. You can order your child’s lunch on school’s Meal Manager system. The system allows you to choose the meal you want your child to receive each day and pay for the number of meals ordered.
6. How do I pay for trips, school lunches and other events?
Parent Pay
In school, the vast majority of payments are made via Parent Pay: breakfast club, school trips etc. Once your child has started our school you will receive your Parent Pay login details.
7. What do I do if my child is unwell and needs to stay off school?
Attendance
If your child is absent for any reason, please contact the School Office on 0191 586 2937 giving a reason for their absence. Please DO NOT message your child’s class teacher as they will be unable to check messages when they are setting up for the day, when children are arriving at school or when they are teaching. If a child is absent from school and there is no phone call from home then school will phone home to inform parents/carers that the child is not in school and enquire about the reason why.
Please, try to make doctors and dentists appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible, your child should miss the minimum amount of school time necessary. If they are well enough to come back to school following the appointment then they should do. Please, try to make doctors and dentists appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible, your child should miss the minimum amount of school time necessary. If they are well enough to come back to school following the appointment then they should do so.
Further information can be found in our Attendance Policy on our website.
8. What can you tell me about your curriculum?
Our Curriculum
At Dene House Primary School we implement the revised 2014 National Curriculum which we supplement with additional “non-compulsory” areas of learning which enhance children’s social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. We recognises that all pupils are entitled to a curriculum which is characterised by breadth, balance, coherence, relevance, differentiation and progression. Our curriculum is delivered via a two year rolling programme.
Rights Respecting
We are a ‘Silver’ Rights Respecting School, teaching about children’s rights and modelling rights and respect in all relationships is integral to school’s curriculum. By learning about their rights, our children also learn about the importance of respecting the rights of others. Within our school community children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted. Our children and the school community learn about children’s rights by putting them into practice every day. Rights Respecting helps our children grow into thoughtful, respectful and responsible young citizens within school and the wider community.
Reading
We believe reading is the key to success and as such, reading is promoted and practiced throughout our curriculum. Good reading skills are vital if children are to fully access all other areas of learning and develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them and opportunities available. It supports development of language and communication skills and writing skills. Reading enables children to identify a wide range of opportunities, raising aspirations and improving possibilities for success in the future. All reading opportunities support the development of reading skills and a love of reading. The texts we choose for home reading, class novels and those we use in reading lessons are all geared around giving children experience of a range of genres, story plots and authors, broadening their reading diet and developing a love of reading.
Learning Experiences
We believe that our children learn best when we make their learning fun, engaging and experiential. We enhance children’s learning experiences in a number of ways:
Trips – both class and whole school, chosen to enrich the children’s experience of the curriculum and bring learning to life;
Local Area – as well as trips further afield, the children have opportunities to explore their local area eg. Castle Eden Dene, visits to the local church and surrounding village, forest school;
Visitors – providing children with experiences that immerse them in learning and opportunities to meet people from different walks of life who have first-hand experience in different learning contexts e.g. police, authors;
Workshops – an opportunity for children to engage in hands-on experiences
Forest School – All pupils in our school have the opportunity to learn by taking part in Forest School. Forest School develops confidence and self-esteem through hands-on experiences in a natural setting. It helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgemental nurturing environment for learners to try new things, take risks and build self-belief and resilience. There is lots of research out there to support the outcomes of Forest School, but we know that it isn’t just the educational outcomes and research that matter, our learners and leaders love it too!
For further information about our curriculum please visit the ‘Curriculum’ pages of our website.
9. How do you communicate with parents and keep them up to date with information?
Class Dojo
Class Dojo is a whole school communication platform which allows two-way communication between home and school. It allows teachers, students, and families to share information about learning through photos, videos, and messages. We also use Class Dojo for the majority of our communications and to share information regarding:
events, booking parents’ evenings, information letters, permission slips, confirming attendance at events etc. Please download the Class Dojo app, then click on the link sent out by school to join our school community and set-up your password protected access. Class Dojo can be accessed via the app or via your web browser. If you need any help, please contact school on: 0191 586 2937
10. What do I do if my child is unwell and needs to stay off school?
Attendance
If your child is absent for any reason, please contact the School Office on 0191 586 2937 giving a reason for their absence. Please DO NOT message your child’s class teacher as they will be unable to check messages when they are setting up for the day, when children are arriving at school or when they are teaching. If a child is absent from school and there is no phone call from home then school will phone home to inform parents/carers that the child is not in school and enquire about the reason why.
Please, try to make doctors and dentists appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible, your child should miss the minimum amount of school time necessary. If they are well enough to come back to school following
the appointment then they should do. Please, try to make doctors and dentists appointments outside of school time. If this is not possible, your child should miss the minimum amount of school time necessary. If they are well enough to come back to school following the appointment then they should do so. Further information can be found in our Attendance Policy on our website.
11. What do I do if I have concerns about the safety/welfare of a pupil?
Safeguarding
Keeping our children safe in school is our highest priority. If you have any concerns over the safety of a child, please contact the school office and ask to speak to one of our Safeguarding leads (see below).
For further information please see our Safeguarding Section of the website or refer to our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies on our website.
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