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Bielefeld School

Information for Parents

2011/12

School prospectus

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BIELEFELD SCHOOL

Mrs Brenda Titley, Head Teacher

Mr Mark Westmoreland, Deputy Head Teacher

Bielefeld School

Catterick Barracks

BFPO 39

Civilian address:

Britische Schule

Detmolder Strasse 440

33605 Bielefeld

E-mail: sce.bielefeld@sceschools.com

Website: www.bielefeld-school.ik.org

Telephone: Bielefeld military (81) 3840

From UK: 0049 521 9254 3480

Fax: Bielefeld Military (81) 3124

From UK: 0049 521 9254 3124

School Hours: Foundation Stage 1 9.30-12.30 (day care 9-9.30 & 12.30-3.00)

Foundation Stage 2 & Key Stage One: 0845 - 1510

Key Stage Two: 0845 – 15.10

Parent Unit:

24 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps

British Forces Post Office 39

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Contents

� Introduction: Letter from the Head teacher � Welcome to Service Children’s Education (SCE) � The Aims of Bielefeld School: ‘In Pursuit of Excellence’ � All About Bielefeld School � The Curriculum � Visits � Sex Education � Sport & Clubs � Music � Admissions Procedures � Foundation stage (3-5 year olds) � Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) � Meetings, Reports & Information � Leaving Bielefeld/ Transfer Arrangements � Newsletters & Website � Homework and Planners � Home Readers, Library & Book Shop � Computers and the VLE � Attendance, Sickness & Absence � Medicines in School � Medical & Dental Inspections � Healthy Eating & School Meals � School Uniform � Valuable Possessions � School Rules & Discipline � School Buses & Transport Arrangements � Parents and School � School Governance Committee (SGC) � Friends of Bielefeld School (FoBS) � Complaints

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Appendices � Staff List � Organisation of Classes � Map of the School � Term Dates � Bus Routes � National Curriculum Tests (SATs) Results � School Governance Committee � Pupil attendance � School Uniform Price List � List of Publications Available for Parents � School Improvement Plan

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Dear Parents,

Welcome to Bielefeld and to Bielefeld School. This booklet is intended to state our

aims and approaches and help to familiarise you with some of the more important

policies and administrative arrangements at the school.

Our mission statement is “Learning and Growing together” which states our main

aims to ensure that your child makes good educational progress in a nurturing,

caring and happy environment that provides the very best all round education

possible for your child. We aim to provide a rich, exciting, broad and balanced

curriculum, which will match the needs and abilities of all children. We are

committed to promoting equal opportunities throughout the school. We strive to

help all children acquire self-esteem, self-discipline and enjoyment of the learning

process within a stimulating environment.

We consider it extremely important to involve you as parents in your child’s

education and develop a positive relationship with you. We arrange a number of

events throughout the school year to enable you to come into school and work

alongside your child and find out about the work they are doing. Your visits to the

school need not be confined only to these occasions and indeed you are most

welcome to visit the school at any time during the school year.

We are here to help in any way we can so please do not hesitate to contact us

should you have any concerns about your child.

We will do our best to ensure that your child has a happy and successful time at

Bielefeld school and we look forward to working with you.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Brenda Titley

Headteacher

September 2011

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Welcome to Service Children’s Education (SCE)

SCE is a Defence Support Agency of the ministry of

Defence. It is headed by a Chief Executive who is

responsible to the Adjutant General for providing

education for the children of service personnel and UK-

based support staff. The Agency was launched on April 1 1996. Prior to that date

the education of the families of MoD personnel overseas was the joint responsibility

of Service Children’s Schools (North West Europe) and the Service Children’s

Education Authority. The launch of the Agency brought together, in a single

organisation, the management of Service Children’s Schools throughout the world

and the provision of advice on education to Service parents.

There are over 40 Service Children’s schools in locations worldwide, providing

education from nursery to sixth form; 35 pre-schools, as well as a range of support

services for pupils, parents, teachers and schools.

SCE MISSION STATEMENT

The Agency aims to:

• Provide an effective and efficient education service, from nursery to sixth form, for dependant children residing with MoD personnel serving outside the United

Kingdom.

• Enable those children to benefit from their residence abroad.

• Provide advice and support to service parents on maintained and independent school provision in the UK.

Your contact address for HQ SCE is:

Assistant Education Officer (Schools)

HQ SCE

Wegberg Military Complex

BFPO 40

Tel: 02161 908 2305

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The Aims of Bielefeld School “Learning and growing together” We are proud to be an inclusive school providing a high quality, creative and

challenging learning environment in which all members of the school community

can grow in self-esteem and develop their full potential

At Bielefeld School we aim:

• To ensure that all children are safe,

• To promote all children’s health and healthy choices,

• To ensure that all children enjoy and achieve at school,

• To ensure that all children have a good grounding in the basic skills to prepare

them for future education and employment,

• To ensure that all children are able to make a positive contribution to the society

and culture of the school, their family and the wider community.

In order to achieve these aims the school will seek to:

• Have high expectations of children and what they can achieve • Provide an inclusive school that is a just, stimulating, caring, happy and safe environment for all stakeholders

• Engage all stakeholders in the work of the school through effective communication

• Provide a broad, balanced, exciting curriculum that is well matched to individual needs and in line with statutory requirements

• Provide equality of access to the curriculum for all children • Provide opportunities for staff development through a supportive and challenging professional environment

• To manage, organise and deploy human, physical and financial resources as efficiently and effectively as possible

• Continuously improve the quality of provision and raise standards of achievement through a process of review and critical reflection

• Promote close and mutually supportive home/school links • Promote close and mutually supportive links with the military community • Provide opportunities for children to learn from the experience of living in Germany

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All About Bielefeld School

There are currently approximately 400 children on roll between

the ages of 3 and 11. The majority of the children are from

Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) regiments that are based in Catterick

Barracks or Gütersloh. There are however a sizeable

percentage of the population whose parents are civilian and

who work for one of the many army support agencies. From

September 2001 SCE, and the school, assumed responsibility for children within the

Foundation Stage (3-5 year olds). From September 2002 Foundation Stage children

have been housed in the re-modelled and refurbished Foundation Stage block on

the school site. There are 19 full time teachers, including two assistant head teachers

a deputy and a head teacher. There are also a number of teaching assistants and

key workers who work with groups of children throughout the school.

Children are organised into year groups including: Foundation Stage

One (3-4 yrs), Foundation Stage Two (4-5 yrs), Key Stage 1(5-7 yrs) and

Key Stage 2 (7-11 yrs).

The school is housed in two buildings, one a converted barrack block, and the other

a purpose built two-storey building. The older block has three floors used by the

school and contains the offices, staffrooms, a small gymnasium, library, two

computer suites, various general purpose/resource rooms and classrooms for Key

Stage One and Two. The new block contains classrooms for the Foundation Stage, a

large hall (part of which is normally set up for school meals) kitchens and storerooms.

There are two playground areas and an adventure play area.

This play area has recently been extensively refurbished and

provides outstanding outdoor play facilities. A sports field and all

weather sports surface are adjacent to the school. Break time

and lunch times provide a planned part of the school’s outside

learning curriculum and children have access to an exciting range of resources and

activities. There is also an outdoor play area for Foundation aged children.

The school is well equipped with audio-visual aids, visualisers and reprographic

equipment, etc. The school is also extensively equipped with PCs. Wireless

networking is in operation throughout the school linking all the computers to each

other and all the classrooms are equipped with data projectors and interactive

whiteboards or plasma screens. The school has Internet access and the school

website may be found at www.bielefeld-school.ik.org. This will be updated shortly.

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The Curriculum

Service Children’s Schools follow the same National

Curriculum as schools in England and Wales. This consists

of the four core subjects English, Mathematics, Science

and ICT. These subjects account for approximately 60% of

the children’s time in school. In common with the majority

of schools in the UK, Bielefeld School follows the National Primary Strategy.

Other subjects which make up our whole school curriculum are: History,

Geography, Design and Technology, Music, Art, Physical Education, Religious

Education, Personal and Health, Social Education and German.

Religious Education is provided in accordance with an agreed SCE syllabus.

Anglican, Free Church and Roman Catholic padres regularly visit the school and

take non-denominational assemblies. Morning assemblies and RE both play an

important part in developing sound moral attitudes and

codes of behaviour. Parents are at liberty to withdraw their

children from all or part of the religious education and

collective acts of worship.

German is taught by a combination of specialist language

teachers and the class teacher.

Visits

As an extension to the curriculum children in both key

stages go out on day trips, and children in Key Stage 2

take part in a residential field trip each year. The school

also hosts visiting performers, such as Theatre companies

and musicians, from time to time. Parents are requested

to make a contribution to cover the cost of these events.

If you are interested in being a helper for trips and visits

please let the office know so that we can undertake the necessary clearance

procedures that will enable you to work directly with children.

Relationship Education

The school has a policy of teaching sex and relationship education which has

been developed and agreed by the SGC. Parents are able to see the policy and

to preview and discuss the materials and resources used prior to the programme

being taught. Parents are reminded of their right, should they wish to exercise it, to

withdraw their children from the sessions that are run by the Health Visitor for the

pupils in Year 5 and 6.

Karneval

Y6 away at Dümmersee

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Sport

Children are taught a range of competitive sports within the

curriculum. Lunch-time and after-school clubs are run by

teachers and volunteer helpers, and offer a range of

different sports such as football, netball, cricket, rounders

and athletics. Fixtures and tournaments are arranged to

give pupils the chance to represent the school and to

compete against other children.

The school benefits from good sporting facilities including two small

indoor areas, two large playgrounds and the use of the resident

regiment’s playing field.

Swimming

Children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 have swimming lessons during the year. Parents are

charged a small amount for these lessons at the beginning of the term. This

charge is to cover the entrance cost to the swimming pool. Parents are also

charged a contribution toward the badges and awards that the children may get

through the swimming sessions.

Clubs

There is a programme of after school clubs on Tuesdays and Thursdays for

children. These offer a wide range of activities that will appeal to the

interests of all children. There is Youth Club provision in the on-site youth

centre for children in Years 5 and 6 hosted by AWS. We also offer a range of

clubs that take place during the school lunch break.

Clubs are supervised by volunteer members of staff and interested parents.

If you have an interest which you feel would be suitable for a club activity or would

like to help out please do contact the School Secretary.

Transport is provided to take children home from clubs on Tuesdays and Thursdays

at 1610 hrs. These journeys can be longer than normal as routes are combined.

• It may be necessary to cancel clubs at short notice and, on these occasions,

children may sometimes arrive home at the end of the normal school day.

Parents and children should therefore have contingency plans for these

occasions.

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Music

A team of peripatetic music teachers, based at the SCE Music Centre in Gütersloh,

visit the school each week. You should contact the school office if

you would like your child to receive musical instrument tuition. The

music centre also runs a Saturday morning music school in Gütersloh

for those children receiving this type of tuition.

Bielefeld school has also introduced some Wider Opportunities Projects for children

in Key Stage 2. These are music programmes that involve the whole class teaching

of instruments. The projects are co-ordinated and run by the school in conjunction

with Gütersloh Music Centre. As part of their music curriculum, classes are given

the loan of an instrument and receive a weekly whole class lesson to teach them

how to play the instrument as well as developing their general musicianship. The

loan of the instruments is free for these projects.

This year provision is as follows: Y3 will learn Ukulele and Djembe, Y4 will learn violin

and recorder, Y5 have the opportunity to learn the cornet or clarinet, and Y6 have

the opportunity to learn the guitar. Projects run for anything between 12 weeks

and 24 weeks.

If children would like to continue receiving private tuition beyond the end of a

project, lessons can be arranged through Gütersloh Music Centre. Forms for this

can be obtained from the school office.

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Admission Procedures

Please contact the Bielefeld school secretary to

make an admission interview appointment. You will

be asked to complete paperwork to register your

child at the school. You will need to bring any

documents given to you by your child’s previous

school. You will also need your child’s birth certificate

or passport for proof of identity and date of birth.

When the paperwork is complete you will be given a

short admission meeting by the head teacher or deputy head. This meeting is an

opportunity to find out more about your child to help them settle into the school.

Your child will then normally start school shortly afterwards at a mutually

convenient time.

Children are screened shortly after entry to the school so that we can ensure that

their needs are fully met. This usually consists of a phonics and reading assessment,

a mathematics assessment and an analysis of their writing. Your child’s class

teacher will arrange a settling in meeting approximately three weeks after the

child has started to provide an opportunity to discuss how your child has settled

and how best to further support their learning.

• Foundation Stage (3-5 year olds)

Children will be eligible to be admitted to Foundation Stage One at the start of

the term after their third birthday. Transfer to Foundation Two, and later to Key

Stage One, will be automatic. Children are not required by law to attend

educational provision until they are five, however, most parents do make use of

this facility. The school also runs Extended Day Care provision for the parents of

children in Foundation One that wish to make use of these facilities. Please see

the separate Foundation Stage brochures for more details of the Foundation

Stage care.

Children building ‘dens’ at lunchtime!

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• Admission guidance for parents of pupils with Special or Additional Educational

Needs (SAEN)

It is mandatory under single Service instructions for Service personnel to register

a dependant with special or additional needs with Children’s Education

Advisory Service (CEAS) and their personnel career branch. (Appendix 1) The

processes are as applicable to dependants of the civilian component as they

are to Service personnel. Civil. Service instructions require personnel to register

their dependant’s special needs if considering an overseas assignment.

Process

Service parents/carers of a school age dependant with special or additional

needs are required to register with CEAS. Any delay in registering with CEAS

may have an effect on the time it takes to carry out the formal assessment

process. Members of the civilian component should register with CEAS prior to

accepting an assignment overseas.

If you are in doubt contact the school prior to posting and we will put you in

contact with the relevant agencies for further advice.

Children with Special or Additional

Educational Needs (SAEN)

Every effort is made to identify and provide extra support for children with Special

Educational Needs (SEN) in accordance with the UK Code of Practice for SEN.

Parents of children that have been at School Action plus are required to contact

CEAS prior to posting to Bielefeld to consult whether the school is able to meet the

needs of the child. Parents of children with SEN are consulted about these

arrangements and their permission sought prior to requesting advice from the

Educational Psychology & Child Guidance Service. An Educational Psychologist

and a Senior Social Worker staff this service. A speech and therapy service is also

available.

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Meetings, Reports & Information

We have an open door policy, and parents are welcome to visit the school at any

time. There is a clear line management structure from your child’s teacher through

the assistant head teachers responsible for each phase of the school, through to

the deputy head and head teacher.

Parents should use the Home-School contact planner as the first line of

communication. Should you wish to see your child’s class teacher please make an

appointment through the school secretary or write directly to the teacher

concerned. The head teacher or deputy head teacher will be happy to see you

as soon as they are available but day to day questions and concerns should be

addressed to the class teacher as a starting point. Please try to telephone

beforehand to arrange a mutually convenient appointment.

Each school term teachers will send home a report to let you know how your child

is getting on in the key areas. The report in the summer term includes a full

overview of their progress in all areas of the curriculum.

You will also be able to meet the teachers and key staff who work with your child

at the open parents’ meetings that are held each term. These meetings provide

an opportunity to review your child’s progress, celebrate their successes, discuss

concerns and raise questions as to how best to support your child.

When Your Child Leaves Bielefeld

School

Please let us know well in advance when the time comes for your child to leave

the school. This will enable us to prepare your child’s transfer documents, which

should be collected from the school before you depart. Parents should pass on

these documents together with their child’s books to the head teacher at the new

school. A notice of posting form can be obtained from the school office.

Transfer to King’s School Gütersloh

Children staying in the Bielefeld area generally transfer to King’s School at the end

of Year 6. We maintain very close links with King’s School and arrange a full series

of visits for children and parents during the summer term prior to transfer.

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Newsletter to Parents

The oldest child in your family will bring home our regular newsletter- Headlines. This

contains information about what has been happening across the school and news

and reminders of upcoming events.

Please ask your child for the letter and contact the school if you do not receive

one. Note this will also be available by from the school website.

Notice boards and School Web Site www.bielefeld-school.ik.org

There are notice boards outside the school office that contain a range of

information for parents. Copies of any of these publications, bulletins or policy

information can be obtained on request. The school web site is in the process of

being updated and it is intended that it will contain newsletters, information about

the school, school news and work by the children. The website will also contain key

school policies should parents wish to find out more about the school’s approach

to all aspects of a child’s education.

Homework and Planners

The school provides children, from FS2 through to Y6, with ‘planners’ which act as

home-school contact books. For the younger children homework will consist of

daily reading but it becomes more structured as the children get older. It is

expected that your child will undertake regular homework that varies according to

the age and ability of your child. The amount and type of homework is set out in

the school’s homework policy. We do place particular importance on ensuring

that children acquire basic skills in reading, writing, spelling and mathematics. The

school aims to develop your child’s enjoyment as well as skill at reading. It is

important that parents encourage their child to read at home on a regular basis

and take the time to discuss their reading with them.

Please note that the first planner will be provided by the school but if it is lost or

damaged, then the cost of a replacement will be expected to be met by the

parents. The planners are an essential communication tool between home and

school and we value your support in their use.

We do ask parents to sign the planners each week and add comments on at least

a weekly basis, as we really value our partnership in your child’s education.

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Home readers, Library and Book

Shop

The school has invested considerably over the past

couple of years in new books for the children to

borrow as home readers through the school library.

Please do your best to look after these books so that

other children can also borrow them.

There is a school book shop that is open each Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime

where children can buy book stamps and reserve books until they have saved

enough to buy a book. A wide selection of children’s books is available.

Computers and the cLc

The school has an extensive range of computer facilities, including data projectors

and computers with access to the Internet. There are free standing computers for

pupil use in each classroom and two computers suites in the main school building.

Beside the hardware, the school has access to a wide range of educational

software and Internet based educational resources which are used to help

engage the children in their learning.

Children in KS2 are able to log on to the school’s connected Learning community

(cLc). In this password protected virtual classroom they are able to undertake

further homework extensions linked to work that they are covering at school. The

school has an e-safety policy that is available upon request.

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Attendance, Sickness and

Absence

We expect all children on roll to attend every day, when the school is in session,

as long as they are fit and healthy enough to do so. We do all we can to

encourage the children to attend, and to put in place appropriate procedures.

We believe that the most important factor in promoting good attendance is

development of positive attitudes towards school. To this end we strive to make

our school a happy and rewarding experience for all children. We will reward

those children whose attendance is very good. We will also make the best

provision we can for those children who, for whatever reason, are prevented from

coming to school.

Under the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 1995 the SGC are

responsible for making sure the school keeps an attendance register that records

which pupils are present at the start of both the morning and the afternoon

sessions of the school day. This register will also indicate whether an absence

was authorised or unauthorised.

What is an authorised absence?

· An absence is classified as authorised when a child has been away from

school for a legitimate reason and the school has received notification from a

parent or guardian. For example, if a child has been unwell and the parent

writes a note or telephones the school to explain the absence.

· Only the school can make an absence authorised. Parents do not have this

authority. Consequently not all absences supported by parents will be

classified as authorised. For example, if a parent takes a child out of school

to go shopping during school hours, this will not mean it is an authorised

absence.

What is an unauthorised absence?

· An absence is classified as unauthorised when a child is away from school

without the permission of both the school and a parent.

· Therefore the absence is unauthorised if a child is away from school without

good reason, even with the support of a parent.

What do I do if my child is absent

If your child is absent from school for any reason the school should be notified on

the day of the absence. Please send a note into school if your child has been

absent, indicating the reason for the absence. The school is required by law to

record absences in the class register.

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A note may be sent to the school prior to the day of absence. For example, if a

child has a medical appointment.

We are aware of the difficulties there are at times of taking vacations in the school

holidays, however, term time absences do disrupt the pattern and quality of

children’s education and we urge you to keep them to a minimum.

A copy of the school’s attendance policy is available on request and will be

placed on the school website.

If you do require leave during school term time you should submit a consent form

at least three weeks prior to this absence. This form can be collected from the

school office and may require you to get your request for absence authenticated

by the UWO (or your Head of Unit) before the final decision for authorised leave is

made. The school will make the final decision for authorised absence, which is

normally limited to a maximum of 10 days per year.

Children who are unwell should not be sent to school. Not only is it unfair on the

child but in cases where germs and infection are the cause the risk of wider

infection to other pupils and staff is likely.

If your child becomes ill whilst at school you will be contacted by telephone and

asked to collect him/her. Should your child need urgent medical treatment whilst

at school and you cannot be contacted he/she will be taken directly to the

Medical Centre in Catterick Barracks or the Gilead Hospital in case of

emergencies.

Note: If we do not hear from you about your child’s absence it is our policy to

telephone you on the first day of absence. It is our policy to involve the Unit

Welfare Office for persistent absence.

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Medicines in School

For safety reasons the school will only administer medication under the following

conditions:

• The medication has been prescribed by the Medical Centre and is clearly labelled with the child’s name and the dosage.

• Parents must complete the appropriate request for the school to administer the medication on a form available from the school office. Written letters of

request are not sufficient.

• The medication is brought to the school BY AN ADULT and handed over to the School Secretary.

• Medicine must not be kept by the child.

Some children may require inhalers. These are kept in FS1 and the school office.

Inhalers will need to be labelled with your child’s name and the appropriate

paperwork completed.

Medical and Health screening

The school is served by a school medical professional and health visitor. Children

are routinely screened at various ages.

Dental inspections, vision and hearing tests are provided for certain age groups.

Parents will be advised when inspections are due.

Healthy Eating and School Meals

The school has achieved the Healthy Schools Status.

Each day NAAFI provides a good balanced cooked school meal. Alternatively,

children are able to select from the popular, and healthy, salad bar. Parents will

receive a monthly menu forecast. Payment is through direct debit that is set up

upon request for school meals. Parents are then billed for the meals that their

children eat. N.B. A German bank account is required for this system.

Parents should note that packed lunches for children not having school dinners

should be clearly labelled. As part of the school policy to encourage healthy

eating we provide fruit and vegetables for the younger children from FS1 to Y2 to

eat at break-time each day. All children are encouraged to eat fruit and healthy

snacks at break time and not to bring sweets, crisps and sugary snacks to school.

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Appearance and School Uniform

code

Smart appearance and the wearing of school uniform are expected for children

from Foundation 2 through to Year 6 for the following reasons:

• It is a smart and practical form of clothing. • Wearing school uniform helps children to feel part of the school. • It helps to avoid discussions about “what to wear” every morning.

Our school uniform consists of:

Boys – white or grey shirt, grey trousers or tailored shorts, royal

blue school sweatshirt.

Girls – white or grey shirt/ or white blouse, grey pinafore dress

or grey skirt with royal blue sweatshirt. Blue gingham dress in

summer.

• Hair We ask that children’s hair should be neat and tidy in appearance.

Excessive styles and obvious colour changes are not allowed. Long hair

will need to be tied back for some school activities.

• Jewellery Children with pierced ears should only wear studs to school and no

rings or necklaces should be worn. Studs must be removed by the

child him/herself for PE and games lessons. Please note that it is the

child’s responsibility to remove any jewellery before taking part in P.E.

• Footwear Flat or low-soled school shoes are encouraged. Where these are not

available then smart dark trainer shoes will be tolerated. Light coloured

or white trainers are not acceptable. Children may bring a change of

shoes/ trainers/ boots for break and lunchtime.

• Cold and wet weather clothing Where possible children will be going outside every day in all weathers

apart from extremes of cold, wet or heat. It is essential that they have

appropriate outdoor wear. It can be very cold in the winter in

Germany and very hot in the summer. Warm coats, hats and gloves

will be needed. In the summer sun protection cream should be applied

before your child comes to school. A sun hat is needed and also a

shower mac for rainy days.

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• PE & Games Kit A change of clothing should be provided for PE. PE kit should be worn

and can be purchased from the school. Children should wear

appropriate footwear for PE i.e. trainers for outdoor work and plimsolls or

bare feet for indoor lessons. Older children will find tracksuits useful for

outdoor games during colder weather. It would be helpful if children

could bring their sports kit to school on Monday of each week and leave

it in school until Friday. Shorts and white T-shirts with the school badge are

available to purchase from the school office.

• Keeping Clothes Clean An overall or elasticated old shirt with its sleeves cut down is

recommended for times when children are engaged in arts and crafts.

All clothing and bags should be clearly labelled with your child’s name. This is

essential in a large school if you wish to be reunited with any of your child’s lost

clothing!

Toys and Valuable Possessions

Children are not permitted to bring toys, games, gaming cards and other

toys and games to school unless they have been given permission from a

teacher. Children can sometimes be careless with personal possessions so

we ask that money, jewellery and valuables are left at home.

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How the behaviour traffic light system works.

The expectation is of a good standard of behaviour

from all children all the time.

All children start on green each day. Placing the

children’s names on the green light signals this.

The green signal enables children to earn their Golden

Time.

If children move off the green light then they will not

earn their Golden Time. It is possible to redeem

themselves but if they end the day with their name off

the green light then some time has been lost from

Golden Time for that week.

When asked, many of the children wanted the green

circle at the top so that naughty behaviour meant

that your name was moved down the chart.

1st rule break

Name moved from green to space between green

and amber.

2nd rule break

Name placed on amber. Child must complete Think

sheet. This is sent home to parents for their signature.

3rd rule break

Name placed between amber and red. Miss playtime.

4th rule break.

Name placed on red. Miss lunchtime. Complete red

think sheet. Parents contacted by telephone and

usually a meeting arranged in school.

N.B. Our expectation is that it will be very unusual for a

child to be given a ‘red’ warning.

School Rules and Discipline

At Bielefeld School we hold high expectations for your child’s behaviour and

attitude to others and to learning itself. Our aim is for children to develop this

attitude and approach themselves. This is why we start with an expectation of

good behaviour that enables children to earn Golden Time. We also believe in

visibly praising and rewarding children and publicly acknowledging those children

whose behaviour exemplifies our expectations.

Golden Time

Golden Time is time that the children earn each week in which they can choose

what (within reason) they want to do at school. Typically this is earned at 5 minutes

a day and adds up to 25 minutes each week.

The Bielefeld

School rules

There are 5 school rules. They can be

remembered by the acronym SMILE.

S Safe work and play

M Make an effort with everything we do

I I keep my hands and feet to myself

L Learn together every day

E Everyone’s opinion is respected

Your child’s class teacher will spend time

explaining and reinforcing the school

behaviour policy with each child.

Bullying and racism will not be tolerated at

Bielefeld School and we work hard to

develop children’s care and sensitivity for

others. If, for whatever reason, you have

concerns about your child’s happiness

please do not hesitate to speak with us.

These expectations and rules form part of the School’s Behaviour Management

Policy – a copy of which is available to parents on request. Children at Bielefeld

School generally behave very well.

For further information and a copy of the school behaviour policy, please refer to

your child’s planner.

23

School Buses and Travelling Home

Arrangements

The Station Staff Officer (SSO) and 30 Coach Squadron are responsible for the

provision of school buses. In our experience the service has proved very reliable. If

there are any problems please telephone Bielefeld Mil 3128 or civil (0521) 9254

3128.

All buses are accompanied by an adult bus escort. Parents are responsible for

seeing that their children are put safely onto the bus and are collected from the

bus stop at the end of the day. The SSO can suspend children from travelling on

the buses if they misbehave.

• Changing Buses

Any requests for children to change buses for whatever reason have to

be made in advance to the SSO’s department. They in turn will notify the

relevant bus escorts. At the end of each school day all children will be

sent home in the usual way unless we have received written information

to the contrary.

• Cancellation of School Buses in Bad Weather

The decision to cancel school buses is made by the local garrison. BFBS 1

will broadcast details of any cancellation or change to school opening

times. Please stay tuned to the radio in bad weather. If buses are

cancelled in the morning contact the school at lunchtime, or listen to the

radio, to find out details of transport arrangements at the end of the day.

• Children who walk to School

Transport is not provided for children who live close to school. Parents are

responsible for seeing these children to and from school safely. A duty

teacher will be present in the playground each day from 0835 hrs.

Children should not arrive at school before this time.

Children may be collected from the KS1 playground at 1510 hrs. Please

ensure that you collect your child promptly. If you have made alternative

arrangements for the collection of your child, please telephone the

school office.

24

Parents and School

In common with all schools in England and Wales, Bielefeld School has a

Home/School/Child Agreement which was produced following a period of

consultation with parents and the SGC. This can be found in the planner. This

document sets out the schools and parents minimum responsibilities. There are

however, many other ways in which you can help with your child’s education and

life in the school. By far the most important thing to do is to spend time with your

child.

We expect all children to read at least 5 times a week. This does not have to be

just their school reading book and children should be encouraged to read all kinds

of text that can be found in the home and in the environment. Older children

should take responsibility for keeping a record of their own reading habits and

noting and signing the planner each time they read. It is important to take time

out to hear your child reading and to read to your child. Discuss what has been

done at school, play games and help your child to use leisure time in a meaningful

and constructive way. Each year the school has a series of workshops and

briefings that seek to support parents in working with their children and foster the

home/school partnership.

Parents are expected to sign the planners at least once a week.

We use the planners to establish a dialogue with our parents so that there is

effective communication between home and school. Parents can use the

planners to ask questions, make comments about their child’s learning at home or

to seek the school’s help or advice.

25

School Governance Committee

(SGC)

Each Service Children’s School has its own Governance Committee, which is a

forum for discussion for a wide range of topics. If you have any points of view that

you would like to put forward, contact your Unit Representative whose name you

will obtain from your Families Office or the school.

The School’s Governance Committee is usually chaired by the Commanding

Officer of our parent unit and is made up of parents and representatives from the

units, which we support. Meetings take place each school term, the details of

which will be notified to parents in advance.

Friends of Bielefeld school (FoBS)

This is a fundraising committee run by parents who stage several events throughout

the year for children and families of those involved with Bielefeld school. Events

have included discos and various social gatherings. The money raised is donated

to various projects within the school and in the past the FOBS committee have

bought disco equipment and lighting, digital cameras and playground equipment

for the children’s use at lunchtimes. New parents are very welcome to join this

friendly group if they wish to support the school in this way.

Feedback and Complaints

If there is any matter that you are not entirely happy with concerning your child’s

education, the school or any of its policies, then your first action should be to make

an appointment with your child’s class teacher. If you feel that this does not

resolve the issue to your satisfaction then please make an appointment to see

either the Deputy or Head Teacher. Remember that parents also have a voice

through the various parental or unit representatives on the School Governance

Committee.

We actively seek feedback from parents about the school as we continuously

strive to improve the quality of education for your child.

Finally, we trust that by working together your child will have an

enjoyable, worthwhile and valuable time at Bielefeld School.

Updated summer 2011- next update autumn 2011