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ST JOHN & ST FRANCIS CHURCH SCHOOLPROSPECTUS2024-25Staff bring the curriculum tolife for pupils in imaginativeways - OFSTED report 2022
ST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOLHead of School02HEAD OF SCHOOLMessageTAMAR WARNERWE ARE PLEASED TO WELCOME YOU TO OURSCHOOL!IT IS AN EXCITING PLACE TO WORK AND LEARN.OUR CHILDREN HAPPILY COME TO SCHOOLEACH DAY AND WHILST HERE, THEY AREENGAGED AND INTERESTED IN THEIR LEARNINGAND THE WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES ON OFFER.WE ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST IN ALL WE DO ANDWE HOPE YOU ENJOY EXPLORING OURPROSPECTUSST JOHN AND ST FRANCIS CHURCH SCHOOL IS ALARGE PRIMARY SCHOOL SET UP FOR 420PUPILS, WITH A WELL-ESTABLISHED HISTORY INTHE LOCAL AREA. OUR IMPRESSIVE SCHOOL GROUNDS INCLUDETWO OUTDOOR GYM TRAILS, A PLAY POD FORIMAGINATIVE PLAY, 2 FOREST SCHOOL AREAS, A SCHOOL ‘GROWING’ AREA, A POND ANDSENSORY GARDEN AS WELL AS A WELL-RESOURCED OUTDOOR LEARNING-THROUGH-PLAY AREA EXCLUSIVELY FOR EYFS CLASSES. PARENTS AND CARERS ARE FREQUENTLYINVITED TO ATTEND VARIOUS EVENTSTHROUGHOUT THE YEAR INCLUDING CARNIVALPROCESSIONS, CELEBRATION ASSEMBLIES,SHARE-A-STORY SESSION, PERFORMANCES,PARENT WORKSHOPS, SPORTS DAYS, ANDCHURCH SERVICES TO NAME BUT A FEW. www.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.com
Throughout year 1, the children are able to learn from differentbooks such as ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ and followinginstructions to make porridge, and planting seeds alongsidereading ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. Units in maths include furtheringthe understanding on money and time, as well as introducingfractions. We go on to learn about historical figures such asFlorence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, as well as practicingsculpting and weaving in Art. We also get to enjoy a trip to Somerset Rural Life Museum, whichsupports science in conducting a scientific investigation and madeour own felt animal fridge magnets using sheep's wool. We alsolearnt about different materials and their properties. ST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOL03Learning through play is an important aspect of our first year atschool. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage. Our childrendevelop their skills that will carry on developing through their timewith us. We base our curriculum on our local area with excitingtopics such as ‘All About Me’, ‘Where We Live’, and ‘Carnival’. Ourprovision is free flow, and the children can move throughout thefoundation stage classes and outdoors to ensure childrenmaximise their learning opportunities. As part of our topics, we immerse our children with visits to thelocal area, visits to the farm and we also have speakers come andtalk to the children. We also use the outdoor area to extend ourlearning, equipping us with Forest School skills and outdoorcooking. In Year 2, we are proud of the broad range of activitieswe offer to the children throughout the year, such ascomparing our local area to a village in Kenya, divinginto the past to compare the differences betweenseaside holidays and experiencing our very own ‘GreatFire of London.’ We focus on a wide range of books such as ‘MeerkatMail’, ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ and ‘The Pirates NextDoor’ and we enjoy creating pieces of writing aroundthese. There is always something exciting going on inour classrooms!www.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.comEYFS:WHAT OURCHILDREN LEARNEYFS & KEY STAGEOneYEAR 1:YEAR 2:
The move to Key Stage 2 allows your child to engage in abroad and balanced curriculum. The children will continueto develop their knowledge of History, Geography andScience, as well as starting new subjects such as Spanish. InEnglish, there will be a greater emphasis on understandingand learning spelling rules and in Maths, your child will beusing more formal methods of calculation. We still like to make learning fun and provide plenty of first-hand experiences, such as a visit to Cheddar Caves to learnabout stone age times. and a visit to the Museum of Bristolto support our Science work during the Summer Term.www.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.comST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOL03WHAT OURCHILDRENLEARNYEAR 3:YEAR 4:LOWERKEY STAGETwoIn Year 4 we start the year with a visit from The NorthSomerset Bird of Prey Centre, learning about our classnamesakes (Tawny Owl and Barn Owl). We go on to learnabout our local area, early settlers and Rainforests inGeography and The Shang Dynasty, Tudors, and Ancient Mayain History. Our Science topics include Animals, Humans,Electricity, Sound, States of Matter, and Living Things and theirHabitats.In DT, we design and make Shang inspired purses, frames forour Tudor portraits and carousels with electric components. InArt, we develop our sketching, painting, collage, and weavingskills. We also have the opportunity to learn to play theukulele and continue to learn Spanish.For further curriculum information, please visit: www. stjohnstfrancisbwmat.org/Curriculum
As well as the key subject learning in English and Maths, we value the importance of promoting and developingimportant social, emotional and life skills which provides the children with the tools for independent andresilient learning in their new setting. There are a wide variety of opportunities to learn, which include a Careers Carousel with local businesses, tripswithin our local area for WW2 and Slave Trade history and having public speaking opportunities in Geographyunits for climate change. In addition, Science, Art and DT topics allow the children to design and make a windturbine, a Mexican Meal and Greek Pottery! Children have the chance to apply their valued skills during our Kilveactivity residential trip towards the end of the school year. WHAT OURCHILDREN In Year 5, children learn about biographies andbalancing arguments in English as well as geometryand volume in Maths. Other topics include E-Safety inComputing, Romans and Vikings in History andfurthering their understanding of Spanish.Bikeability courses taught by Somerset Road Safetytake place, as well as interviews for Year 6 TeamCaptains, Well-Being Ambassadors and otherimportant school roles. ST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOL03LearnUPPERKEY STAGETwoYEAR 5:YEAR 6:
In Year 6, the children have many opportunities to take onresponsibility and practice their leadership skills. At theend of Year 5, the children are asked to apply for their rolesof Team Captain and Vice-Captain for their respectivehouses. After writing letters of application and interviews,they are presented with their blazers, badges and ties intheir first celebration assembly of Year 6. Within this role,they have a variety of different responsibilities such as:Showing visitors around the school. Ensuring the safety of children walking fromassemblies. Reading prayers and Bible verses during services andspecial occasions. PUPILInvolvementWellbeing Ambassadors are a group of Year 6 childrenwho help to support their peers on the playgroundduring break and lunchtimes. Their roles include:Making sure everyone has a friend to play with.Monitoring the buddy benches on the playground.Finding an adult for a child if they need one.Being there to listen.Helping make their peers feel happy and safe.Throughout the year, the Wellbeing Ambassadors alsoattend the school wellbeing meetings which includestaff, governors, children, and parents. In the SpringTerm, we then invite some Year 2 children to join thewellbeing ambassador team to help support KS1 duringtheir breaktimes. WELLBEING AMBASSADORSwww.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.comST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOL04TEAM CAPTAINS
SCHOOL CHOIRST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOL04PUPILInvolvementA child from Year 1 – Year 6 is voted by their peers torepresent the views of the students in the school andhelp make decisions. We meet twice each half termto discuss a range of issues and create new projects.Being part of the team is an important responsibility,as the children need to be excellent role models andthe voice of their class. A recent project the School Council organised wasfundraising to purchase school 'parking buddies' toencourage considerate parking around our schoolsite.Children from our School Choirareinvited to sing Christmas Carols atHinkley Point C in December, and inJuly 2023 they attended the McMillanTheatre as part of the BridgwaterSinging Festival.SCHOOL COUNCILSCHOOL LIBRARIANSIn Year 6, some children have the opportunity to take up therole of librarian. Some elements of this role include:Helping younger children to choose a suitable book fromour collection.Signing books in and out during library hours.Assisting members of staff with the book fair.Keeping the library clean and tidy.www.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.com
ENRICHMENT OpportunitiesThere is a wealth of enrichmentopportunities available at St Johnand St Francis Church School. This school term, we are offering a range of afterschool clubs to children including:Fundamental SkillsColouringFootballBall Games/SkillsChoirEngineeringGirls FootballStudy ClubsMaths GamesBasketballWorship LeadersClubs are updated every term and are available tochildren in Years 1 - 6, and from EYFS in theSummer Term.SWIMMING LESSONSFrom Year 3-6, children are given the opportunity to take swimminglessons for up to 10 schools weeks at Chilton Trinity 1610 swimmingpool.ST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOL05AFTERSCHOOL CLUBSMUSIC LESSONSMusic lessons are also available to book for children in KS2 includingpiano, ukulele and violin, taught by Somerset Music.www.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.com
OUR SCHOOL’SAchievementsSince October 2022, we have beenaccredited with Music Mark School,following nomination from SomersetMusic, and in recognition of ourschool choir, Ukulele and Pianolessons.06www.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.comST JOHN & ST FRANCISCHURCH SCHOOLSt John and St Francis ChurchSchool was rated ‘Good’ by theinspection team for the qualityof education, behaviour andattitudes, personal development,leadership and early yearsprovision.We have recently received the followingacknowledgement of our strong Attendancefor 2023-2024We have achieved the accredication ofDyslexia Friendly School by the BritishDyslexia Association:Our PE Lead, Miss Bryant, hasworked tirelessly to enableour school to achieve theSchool Games Silver MarkAward! St John and StFrancis ChurchSchool are a‘Voice 21’ oracyschool
S T J O H N & S T F R A N C I SC H U R C H S C H O O LFrequently Asked QuestionsAdmissions InformationHow many children will St John and St Francis Church School admit each year?The published admission number (PAN) for St John and St Francis Church School is 60 pupils.How many children are in each class and how many adults will be in the classroom with them? There are 30 children in every infant class. The Government have specified 30 as the maximum infant class size.Each class will have a full-time teacher and, where possible, 1 full time teaching assistant. Where there are anyfurther SEND needs then additional staff may be added to meet the needs of the group.What is the admissions criteria?Please visit our website for further details: www.stjohnstfrancisbwmat.org/Admission-ArrangementsHow do I apply for a school place?Please visit the Local Authority website: www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/applying-for-school/apply-to-start-school-for-the-first-time for more information on how to apply for your child’s place inschool.Additional InformationDo you offer breakfast/after school clubs?Whizzkids, a local company, provide an onsite Breakfast and After School club, offering a range of activities tochildren. Their charge is £4 per hour, subject to a minimum of one hour. Responding to feedback, we havearranged for open hours to be extended from 7:45am and 3:15pm – 5:30pm. For further information, pleasecontact: -Telephone: 01278 431868Email: enquiries@butterfliesdaynurseries.comCan my child have a hot lunch?Universal Free School Meals are provided for all infant age pupils, and our caterers, IFG , offer daily meat,vegetarian, jacket potatoes, pasta, and sandwiches, as well as dessert. You are also welcome to provide your childwith a packed lunch from home. Children with a booked hot lunch eat in the hall while those having packedlunches eat in the classroom. All staff have up to date and relevant Safeguard training, and our school has the appropriate number of qualifiedFirst Aiders.We aim to be a Nut Free school and request that NO products containing nuts are brought onto the school siteincluding in packed lunches. For Safeguarding reasons, we also ask that mobile phones are NOT used on site.Westonzoyland RoadBridgwaterSomersetTA6 5BP01278 456918enquiries@sjsf.bwmat.org