| How the School is Organised |
| General Aims Staff at Oakes Park School aim to work together and with visiting colleagues from other professional backgrounds to provide each pupil with a programme of activities which will meet the special education needs outlined in their statement and the requirements of the National Curriculum. Wherever possible we involve parents and try to work co-operatively, especially with our younger pupils. We constantly review each child's placement to ensure that our pupils are in an appropriate educational environment and that they are developing academic, social and personal skills that will enable them to live a fulfilling life. All pupils experience a mixture of group and individual work. "Pupils are encouraged in their lessons and around school to be as independent as possible". OFSTED, November 1999. |
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| Behaviour and Discipline |
| "If I am good people will be proud of me and give me a merit". Marcus The school has a code of conduct which we expect all pupils to abide by and parents to give their support to. We have few rules. Those that do exist are there to ensure that the school provides a safe and happy environment in which all children have a chance to learn as much as they are able. Bullying of any sort is unacceptable and staff will attend to any incidents that they know of or are brought to their attention. A report system is available for senior pupils who need support in maintaining acceptable behaviour. Different merit systems are in operation in the Primary and Senior Departments and we take many opportunities to point out and reward good work, good behaviour, attendance and effort. In the very rare event of serious behaviour problems, the school follows L.E.A. exclusion policies. "The procedures developed by the school to promote discipline and appropriate behaviour are excellent" OFSTED, November 1999. |
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| The School Day |
| Transport: 2037575/6 Transport to and from school is provided by the L.E.A. Any concerns regarding transport should be notified to the Transport Office but it is often useful to also share concerns with school, as we may be able to offer support. In cases of severe weather the decision to run or cancel transport is made by the transport operators, not by the school. The safety and welfare of pupils is always the deciding factor. Please listen for information on local radio. |
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| Session Times |
| Pupils are expected to be in school from 9.15 a.m. Nursery and Primary pupils go straight to class on arrival in school. Senior pupils have assembly or registration at 9.15 a.m. and their first lesson begins at 9.30 a.m. School ends at 3.30 p.m. for all pupils. Break times/Lunch times "I like to play together". Lucy Pupils in Primary and Senior Departments have a fifteen minutes break morning and afternoon, during which they are supervised by school staff. Pupils may bring a snack to school. We would encourage fruit rather than sweets, biscuits or crisps. Children are entitled to free milk until they reach their fifth birthday. Children are encouraged to have drinks during the day. Milk is available to Primary pupils if parents wish to pay for it. Parents may send bottles of squash by arrangement with staff. All drinks brought into school should be in plastic containers. At lunch times pupils have an hour break. Mid-day supervisory assistants are employed to help school staff with feeding and supervising pupils at lunch time. Pupils may have a school lunch or bring a packed lunch. We are able to store pupil lunches in a fridge if necessary. Please ensure lunches are packed in suitable unbreakable containers. "I like chips and I like Audrey's special Doughnuts" says Damien A limited choice of school lunch is available to pupils. Vegetarian meals and special diets can be provided. Where necessary individual feeding programmes are drawn up with advice from the communication therapist and adapted cutlery and dishes are provided by the School Meals Service. School staff are trained by the school nursing team and/or speech therapists to undertake specialist feeding. Unless the weather is very bad Primary pupils go out to play after lunch. Please ensure your child has a suitable coat, hat and gloves in the winter months. During the summer if it is very hot your child should have a sun hat and sun cream, which we can re-apply during the day. Senior pupils may choose to go out onto the playground or stay indoors. On some days they may join a lunch time club. Activities are also provided for Senior pupils to occupy themselves individually or in small groups. No pupil may leave the school site without written parental permission. |
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| Assembly/Collective Worship |
| Parents are able to request that their child is withdrawn from collective worship. The school will endeavour to co-operate with such requests within our staffing resources on an individual basis. Our intention is that assemblies are accessible and relevant to all pupils. Nursery pupils have regular 'together times'. The Primary department has a weekly assembly with all classes together and individual class assemblies. The senior pupils have three assemblies as a whole department in addition to registration times. During assemblies opportunities are made to celebrate pupil effort and achievement. |
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| Home & School |
| Admissions Parents are encouraged to make informal visits to school prior to consideration of admission. Such visits can be arranged by telephoning the school and are without obligation on either side. All admissions need to be authorised by the L.E.A. Parents are able to express a preference as to school provision for their child. The L.E.A. will seek to meet parental wishes provided that a place is available within the school requested and the placement is appropriate to the age and needs of the child. Pupils are usually admitted to Oakes Park School following completion of a statement of their educational needs. Occasionally pupils may be admitted whilst a multi-professional assessment is undertaken. The Area Special Needs Officer can be contacted on 0114 2736394 |
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| Transfers |
Pupils previously admitted to nursery will have a review of their statement as they approach school age to establish suitable provision post-five. Pupils who have attended Oakes Park Nursery will not automatically transfer to Oakes Park School. When pupils transfer between classes within school and in or out of school, great care is taken to pass on essential information and prepare and support the child through a change in their placement. |
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| Homework and Home Activities |
| We are conscious that many parents and pupils are asked to carry out programmes of physiotherapy and communication therapy at home. Throughout the Primary Department we do not set regular homework but are happy to discuss with parents any skills that they may wish to help their child practice at home and will regularly suggest topic-related activities that could be tried at home. We would particularly encourage all parents to spend time sharing books with their child and children may bring books home from school if parents wish. We may occasionally suggest specific activities to help with early literacy and numeracy. Within the Senior Department pupils are expected to do homework and need to complete homework tasks in order to gain awards towards their Merit Scheme Certificates. Some tasks will be ones which pupils can carry out independently, others may need some parental help. We welcome parent comment in relation to homework set. Pupils may become Senior Library Members. |
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| Parental Involvement |
| We welcome parents as volunteers within school to help on a regular basis with their own child, groups of pupils and with other jobs around school. We are particularly glad of offers of regular help with swimming and motor learning groups and occasional help on visits out of school. We value parental support when we have book weeks, seasonal events, celebrations and meetings. For our pupils a performance or other school event is made really special if their parents can attend. Home/school books are used throughout school but especially with younger pupils and those with communication difficulties. As pupils get older we encourage them to take more responsibility for getting information home and feel that home/school books become inappropriate for some pupils. For most pupils it is useful to have a school-bag to carry things between home and school. Please do ask your child or check your child's bag or pockets on a regular basis in order to ensure you receive any notes from school. A newsletter is sent home with all pupils approximately once each half-term. If your child is absent from school for a long time any important information will be sent by post. Parents are welcome to telephone school at any time. The person you wish to speak to may not be available but a message can be taken and you will be phoned back as soon as possible. If you need to come in to school to discuss anything, we will make an appointment as soon as possible. |
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| Manual Handling |
| We constantly review our safety procedures for helping children in care situations and when transferring from one piece of equipment/situation to another. This is carried out in the light of current legislation on moving and handling and with consideration of our own philosophy. If children can weightbear they will always be encouraged to take an active part in any change of position, if not they are moved following an agreed safe procedure which may involve the use of equipment such as a hoist. |
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| Security |
| Our external doors are secured with keypads, so that only staff may enter. All visitors to school, including parents, need to come to the main entrance at the Hemsworth Road end of the building. There is a buzzer and intercom system on the left of the door. All callers can be viewed from the office via C.C.T.V. We ask all visitors to school to sign in and out of school in Reception, first left once you have entered the door. This system ensures that we know who is in the school building, both for the safety and security of pupils and staff and in case of fire. |
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| Clothing, Personal Possessions, Money |
| A voluntary dress code, consisting of polo-style T-shirts and sweatshirts was introduced in September 1999. Orders can be placed through Mrs Tyrrell in the school office. If pupils are able to dress/undress themselves it is helpful for them to wear clothing which they can manage independently. Clothing should be suitable for school activities and the weather. Please ensure that any slogans on T-shirts are suitable for school wear and will not cause offence. If pupils have pierced ears they should wear studs only in school. Pupils may be asked to remove other jewellery if staff are concerned that it is unsafe. Any such items will be returned home with the pupil. It is helpful if all clothing, coats and bags are labelled with your child?s name or initials. We do not encourage pupils to regularly bring their own toys, CD's, walkman's, tapes, etc., to school as they are easily lost or damaged and we cannot take responsibility for them. Pupils are not allowed to bring mobile telephones to school unless this is specifically agreed as part of the IEP of older pupils preparing for school leaving. If your child inadvertently brings anything home which is not theirs, please do return it immediately. If your child loses anything we will do our best to locate it. Any money sent to school should be in a clearly labelled envelope or purse. Please do not allow your child to bring more money to school than they need that day. |
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| Child Protection |
| Changes in the law, notably the Children Act (1989), mean that staff in schools have a duty to report any concerns that they may have that any child may be suffering significant harm, particularly as a consequence of possible abuse. It is a Department of Education requirement that each school in the country nominates a senior member of staff who will have special responsibility for Child Protection. In Sheffield, this member of staff is known as the Child Protection Liaison Teacher. He/she will have been in receipt of training in this area, and can be trusted to deal with all these matters with professional confidentiality. In this school that person is - Mrs. P. Johnson. The school has a policy on Child Protection which has been agreed by the Governing Body. As a school, we have close contacts with the School Health Service, Family and Community Services and the Police, any or all of whom may become involved if abuse is suspected or alleged. The school has a responsibility to collate basic information such as who has parental responsibility for a child and to pass this information to the relevant agencies if so requested. In the event of an investigation into possible child abuse, the school has a duty to co-operate with the investigating agencies to the best of their ability to promote the welfare of the child. Whilst the school will always attempt to work in partnership with parents and try to ensure that parents are fully informed of, and participate in, any action concerning their child, if there is a conflict of interest, the welfare of the child must be the paramount consideration. Should you wish to discuss Child Protection and the safety of your child, please feel free to contact the school. |
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| Charging and Remissions |
| The school pays costs involved with school courses, awards in connection with school courses and transport in the school minibus in connection with curriculum visits. Voluntary contributions will be requested from time to time towards admission charges, transport other than in the school minibus and meals/refreshments in connection with some curriculum visits. Such visits are not a compulsory part of any school course but are felt to enhance pupils' understanding and experience. Guidance will usually be given as to suitable amounts of spending money for pupils to bring with them for any visits out of school. |
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| School Policies |
| Copies of all school policies, including those specially referred to in this prospectus can be made available to parents on request. |
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| The Future of the School |
| A consultation document proposing reorganisation of specialist (SEN) schools in Sheffield was produced in Spring 2001. A programme of significant change in the organisation of this provision is being undertaken. Information about the progress of the SEN Strategy is provided by the LEA to staff and parents in newsletters. The LEA is proposing to close Oakes Park School in July 2008. There will be formal consultation on the proposals for closure of Oakes Park School early in 2006. The school will endeavour to keep parents informed of plans which will effect their child. |
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| Training Days |
| The school is closed to pupils for five days per year to enable staff training to take place. Dates of these training days will be notified to parents as soon as they are arranged. Some changes to these dates are sometimes unavoidable. Other staff training takes place throughout the year through attendance at off-site courses and conferences and on-site meetings after pupils have gone home. |
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| School Performance Information |
| Absences 2004/2005 Authorised 11.2% Unauthorised 1.0% Authorised absences include the many occasions when pupils have hospital appointments, are admitted to hospital for surgery or have long illnesses. This also includes pupils attendance for education on other school sites and therapy provided outside of school. Unauthorised absences are those for which the school receives no explanation or which the school is unable to authorise, such as family holidays exceeding two weeks in any school year. |
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| Transition Team |
| 2735884 Pupils may leave Oakes Park at any age to move to another special school or to a mainstream school, as decided by the L.E.A. via annual review and pupil statementing. Pupils may leave school at the end of Y11. Many pupils stay at Oakes Park until they are seventeen, eighteen or nineteen, dependent on the wishes of the pupil and his or her parents. On leaving at 16+ most of our pupils go to attend specialist residential colleges or a course within the Sheffield College. The Careers Service are assisted by the Social Services Transition Team in arranging suitable post-school placements and the necessary funding. In July 2004 three pupils left Oakes Park School. Two began corses at Sheffield College and one at a residential college. In December 2004 one pupil left school to begin a course at a residential college. |
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| National Curriculum Assessment |
| Pupils are assessed continuously by school staff in all areas of the curriculum. At ages seven, eleven and fourteen where appropriate pupils undertake the statutory National Curriculum tests or tasks. In 2005 numbers of pupils eligible for end of Key Stage assessment were as follows KS1 two pupils, KS2 two pupils, KS3 six pupils. Parents are informed of their own child's test/task results together with national comparative data. Pupils within school tend to achieve results below the average achieved nationally. Due to our small pupil numbers and the need to protect the confidentiality of the results of individual pupils, we are not required to publish percentage results in relation to National Curriculum assessment. |
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| Public Examinations |
| Pupils within the senior department who are able to do so may be entered for AQA Entry Level Awards in English, Maths and ICT. |
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| Other awards and qualifications |
| Pupils within the Senior Department have opportunities to work towards AQA Units of Accreditation in a variety of subjects. Pupils throughout school work towards swimming awards. Some pupils in the Senior Department are entered for AQA Adult Numeracy and Literacy Tests at levels dependent on their ability. |
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| OFSTED Inspection |
| The school had its second inspection by an OFSTED team in November 1999. Copies of the full OFSTED report, the summary of the report and the governors' action plan are available from the school on request. A copy of the current School Improvement Plan is available on request. |
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