M inehead M idd le School

Prospectus

LaboreteExce l lent ia

Str ive forExce l lence

Welcome toM inehead M idd le School

Paul RushforthBEd MA Ad Dip Ed

Headteacher

hoosing the right school for the early

years of your child’s education is one Cof the most important decisions you

will make. We recognise and respect the

importance of the decision you are about to

make and hope this introduction will help.

Minehead Middle School offers a rich, happy and

stimulating environment for children that will

promote learning, initiative, self-discipline and

responsibility, both within School and the wider

community.

We are all very proud of the School and its

successes over recent years, whether they are

academic, sporting, musical, or in drama and the

arts. We have a highly qualified, professional and

committed staff who work hard to provide the

best in all that they do. With around 600 pupils

on the School roll, we are pleased to be able to

offer a high adult to child ratio of one adult to

twelve children. The well equipped School,

classroom organisation, teaching methods and

activities are carefully designed and structured to

contribute to the well-being of the pupils. We

also seek to teach children the importance of

courage, determination, integrity and spiritual

awareness, so that your child’s time in this

School is both happy and successful.

Parents of prospective pupils are always welcome

to view our facilities and to discuss particular issues,

just telephone for an appointment. There are also

regular Open Evenings/Days when there is time and

opportunity to meet with staff and pupils and to have

a look around.

We hope that we may be able to welcome you and

your child to the School and together we can embark

on the partnership that will lay the foundations of your

child’s future success.

About the School

Located in the beautiful West Somerset countryside

in the town of Minehead, the School was built in

1928 and opened in 1929 as the Grammar School

for the surrounding area. It remained a Grammar

School until 1965 when it amalgamated with the

Secondary Modern School and was known as

Minehead School. In 1971 it became Minehead

Middle School and now accommodates over 600

pupils aged 9-13 and employs over 100 staff.

The School premises, on a large, central site, now

combine the best of modern design with the

beautiful old Grammar School buildings, creating a

secure and welcoming environment that supports

and enhances the pupil’s learning experiences.

The School benefits from spacious playing fields

and play areas on the 10 acre site. A large hall is

used for acts of worship, lunch and theatre

performances and there is a separate, large, well-

equipped gymnasium. A dedicated Drama Studio

was opened in September 2002 and three

extensively-equipped and modern ICT suites have

been further upgraded in 2007. The School also has

specialist rooms for music, science, design and

technology (DT) and art.

2

Clear aims for

all our partners

Enjoyable and stimulating learning experiences

The highest expectation of behaviour, attitude and effort

Equal opportunities for all

No toleration of bullying

The best teachers available

An exciting learning environment with access to the latest technology

Involvement in school development

For our children

The highest expectations

Access to support, training and

reflection

The best equipment and

resources we can provide

The most effective working

environment that we can offer

To enjoy the valuable jobs that

we do

Opportunities to develop

personal expertise and

professional skills

Involvement in school

development

For our staff

For our partners

Access to the right people

High quality information

Clear communication and involvement in school development

Support and advice

Our partners include parents,other schools and agencies

School Aims 3

The Vis ion4

Our vision of a Minehead Middle School child is

one who is honest, truthful, open and friendly,

enthusiastic and confident, respectful, responsible,

happy, polite and caring and is striving to do their

best academically and socially. We aim for a high

quality of teaching and learning while the children

are encouraged to strive for excellence in all that

they do.

The ethos of our School is built upon a culture

of trust, respect, support, care and love. We believe

that everyone working within the School

community should follow our code of behaviour

based on responsibility, self-discipline and a respect

for others – for people’s feelings and for property.

This includes an understanding and a respect for

religious and cultural diversity.

We believe that people should be involved and

everyone’s opinions should be valued with

communication being clear and honest. Parents and

other members of the community are encouraged

to come into School and share their expertise and

contribute to the success of the School.

To broaden their horizons, the children visit a

variety of places outside of the School so that they

may learn to contribute to the wider community.

The School building is also used for social occasions

involving the School and the community, and the

children are invited to raise funds for a range of

charitable organisations throughout the year.

A clear vision involving

pupils, staff and parents

Arts or science,

Minehead Middle School

is well equipped

ICTOver the past five years we have spent nearly £500,000 on computers, interactive whiteboards, and other state of the art ICT facilities. As a school in a rural area, we believe that it is important for children to learn to use modern communications effectively. We currently have well over 150 computers, all of which are connected to the Internet. We have video links to other local schools in the area and we teach French to Year 3 and 4 children in some of our partner first schools.

Art and DTWe have a fully equipped art suite with complete pottery facilities and two fully equipped design technology rooms.

ScienceChildren can participate in exciting experiments in our two purpose-equipped science classrooms.

PEWe are particularly well equipped for PE with a dedicated gymnasium equipped with a digital projection system which provides slow motion replays of activities. This enables pupils to refine their movement and improve their performance. We also have two large sports fields, a pavilion and dance studio. By maintaining good links

with local clubs many children are encouraged to join outside clubs when they become suitably proficient.

Music In addition to the National Curriculum Music Syllabus, children can learn to play almost any musical instrument they like. We have a subsidised scheme for lessons and for the purchase or loan of instruments. Additional support for instrumental tuition fees is available to families in receipt of benefits and a fund exists locally to support these pupils.Lessons in clarinet, flute, piano, guitar, saxophone, oboe/bassoon, strings, voice, brass, recorder and keyboards are available.The School has a very active talented School Band and Choir and many pupils belong to the West Somerset Junior Orchestra (which is based at the School). There are various instrumental groups which meet to practise at lunch times and after school.

Fac i l i t ies 5

Providing a safe

learning environment

While the children are at school, our priority is to

keep them safe and secure. Statutory child

protection procedures are in place and all the

staff, together with a named governor, regularly

undertake child protection training. All adults,

including parents and carers who help in the

classrooms, are required to undergo CRB

clearance, and safe recruitment procedures are

applied when appointing new staff.

Corporal punishment is thankfully a thing of

the past. We seek to use praise to encourage the

children to do well, but occasionally it is necessary

to impose sanctions to help children understand

that they must change their behaviour. Most often

this will mean withdrawal of free time but for

more serious or repeated misdemeanours, after

school and Saturday morning detentions will be

imposed. In very serious cases both temporary

and permanent exclusion from school may be

necessary.

Attendance and absence are closely monitored

and reported to the Local Authority. If children are

absent without notice when the register is closed,

then parents are contacted to establish the child’s

whereabouts. Parents and carers are asked to

consider carefully before asking permission to take

their children out of school during term time.

The governors have a responsibility to ensure that

health and safety regulations are observed and

implemented. Risk assessments are carried out for all

activities and we encourage the children to develop

their own awareness of risk, considering the

consequences of their actions. All adults are required

to adopt safe practices.

A Car ing School6

Open Evenings are held usually in October and

again in early July for those children who transfer

to us from the local first schools or who are

moving into the area. A tour of the School,

conducted by pupils, can be arranged so that you

can gain first-hand experience of the School.

The policy and procedure for admissions and

an Admission Form may be found in the pocket on

the inside back cover.

School Governors

The governors are an essential part of the School

management structure and carry overall

responsibility for the finance, administration and

curriculum of the School.

There are 16 governors, who live locally and are

representative of the catchment area. Governors

welcome dialogue with parents and stakeholders

of the school and this forms a partnership platform

from which the service the School provides can be

improved.

A list of current members of the

governing body may be found in the

pocket on the inside back cover.

School

Admission

and Induction

Transferring to a new

school is an important

time for both the new

pupil and his or her

family, and we aim to

make this as smooth

and effective as

possible.

Policies 7

Promoting a healthy

lifestyle

At Minehead Middle School we foster a positive attitude towards our bodies and encourage everyone to make healthy choices. Through our Science and Personal & Social Education curricula, we develop the children’s understanding of how their bodies work and what they need to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Children are encouraged to be active, both at break time, and during PE lessons. The children are encouraged to see physical activity as worthwhile, and our PE curriculum is designed to offer them a wide range of opportunities.

We encourage parents and carers to follow healthy eating principles when making up their children’s packed lunches. We recognise that, as part of being healthy, the children need to be mentally alert and have a sense of well-being in order to learn and make the most of school life.

Through our ‘circle time’ sessions children are encouraged to discuss with their teacher and each other how they respond to situations, relationships and emotions. We also value the support of parents and carers in informing us of changes and events at home which may affect the children in School.

Our School kitchens provide healthy and nutritious meals to award winning standards. In 2007 we received a Distinction award in the Chairman’s Best Lunch competition and we were the only school to receive this award from both primary and secondary sectors. Indeed we have won an award every year for the last four years. (Please see insert for a sample menu and current prices.) We also have a servery where children can purchase jacket potatoes, baguettes, salads etc. as an addition to sandwiches brought from home.

Healthy Lifestyle8

Designed to give a broad and balanced education,

the curriculum we offer is intended to equip

children with the fundamental skills on which

academic work depends. At the same time, the

children are encouraged to be adventurous, take

risks in their learning and to experience the

excitement and enjoyment of discovering new

skills and ideas.

The children follow the National Curriculum

which covers nationally agreed areas of study in

English, mathematics, science, information &

communication technology, religious education,

history, geography, art & design, music, design &

technology, modern foreign language and physical

education.

In addition to the subjects specified in the

National Curriculum, the School curriculum covers

areas related to citizenship, personal & social

education, health education, environmental

education, equal opportunities and multi-cultural

education. Links are made between subjects and

the children will follow topics which give them

many opportunities for their own ideas and

interests. Other subject areas, such as spelling,

mathematics and PE are on their own and not

linked to topics.

Enjoyment and

achievement

We aim to encourage children to become

responsible for their own learning. This means that

we help them to develop their organisational skills,

asking for help when appropriate, and being aware

of their own progress. The children gain

confidence from achieving the short-term goals set

for them. We encourage them to set their own

targets and develop their own understanding of

how they learn in the best way. By the time the

children leave our School, our aim is that they

should be independent learners, able to plan their

work, use strategies and skills, have high

expectations for themselves and confidence in

their own abilities. With these firm foundations,

our pupils can enjoy success at secondary school

and beyond.

Full details of specific curriculum policies and

content are available from the School. Within the

additional information at the back of this

brochure, you will find a table of comparative

Standard Assessment results for Key Stage 2.

Parents often ask how they can best help and

support their children at home. Daily reading is

vital, supporting children in completing their

homework and taking an interest in topic work

will help your child to make good progress.

The Curriculum 9

Other Educational NeedsA clear path

involving pupils,

staff and parents

Extra Curricular Activities

Pupils are offered a wide range of activities, most of which occur during the lunch-hour, to provide easy access and enable them to try different things throughout the year.

The following may be available depending on the season and the availability of staff, facilities and equipment:

The School has specific programmes in place to support children with special educational needs. As a school we follow the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for Somerset and endeavour to work with parents and carers, together with specialist professionals, to ensure that individual needs are met.

Gifted and Talented Children

We maintain a register of gifted and talented children to ensure that parents are informed and opportunities are taken as they arise. Many of our Year 7 and 8 children belong to the National Academy for Gifted and Talented children. Within each lesson, our skilled and talented teachers ensure that all children are able to achieve their potential by setting open ended tasks and maintaining high expectations.

AerobicsAfrican drumming AthleticsBandBasket ballBike maintenanceBoxingChoirCross countryComputer clubCricketDance DramaEnvironment clubEquestrian clubFootballHockey

Japanese LatinLego club Martial arts Mountain bikingNetballOrchestra Pond club Puppetry RecordersRoundersRugbySchool newspaper clubTennis VolleyballWriters’ club

10

Special Educational Needs

Involving the

wider community

Citizenship

We have our own School Council with representatives from each year group. Through regular meetings of the School Council the children are able to debate and discuss issues which concern them. They are also invited to suggest changes within the School. Ideas which have come forward from the council have included the introduction of the “Buddy System” and recycling resources. They are also responsible for choosing charities to benefit from our non-uniform days. Sharing the children’s successes with their families

and our ‘open door’ policy means that we welcome the involvement of their families and more information about our procedures for reporting to parents can be found inside the back cover.

At Minehead Middle School we recognise that parents, carers and other members of the

community have talents, experience and expertise which can bring an added dimension

to the curriculum we offer the children. We welcome help in the classroom and there are many opportunities throughout the year to become involved.

There is also an active PTA which helps arrange additional funds for the school and provides support in extra-curricular activities.

We hope that you choose Minehead Middle School for your child because we believe that together we can build a strong community dedicated to achievement, success and life-long learning.

Working Together 11

Encouraging your child to make a positive contribution

Building Success Together

“The school is verywelcoming at all times”

“The school has great facilitiesboth inside and outsidethe classroom”

“I love the way my girls haveincreased their confidenceand independence”

“The reward and recognitionsystems are very encouraging”

“All the staff are extremelyhelpful and professional”

“Respect for others is instilledin a happy and caringatmosphere”

“All the children are encouraged tofeel a sense of achievement”

Minehead Middle School12

MineheadMiddleSchool

How tofind us

Minehead Middle SchoolPonsford Road

Minehead Somerset TA24 5RH

Tel: 01643 704191 Fax: 01643 705693 Email: sch.496@educ.somerset.gov.uk

Web: www.mineheadmiddle.somerset.sch.uk

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