Cedarwood Primary School

CEDARWOOD
PRIMARY SCHOOL

PROSPECTUS

Wilkinson Drive, Kesgrave, Ipswich. IP5 2ES

Phone: 01473 612981
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cedarwood.eschools.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cedarwoodprimary

Twitter: @cedarwoodp

A Welcome
from the

Headteachers

Welcome to Cedarwood Primary School. hope our prospectus will reflect this. We
Choosing the right school for your child is are committed to working closely with our
one of the most important decisions you will parents in developing and supporting our
have to make. Staff, governors, pupils and children, and our curriculum is carefully
parents warmly welcome you to our school planned to ensure all learning is taught in a
and we will do our best to help you as much creative and inspiring way.
as we can when making this decision.
At Cedarwood, we want our children to be
We have two open days each year for you happy and confident, to share a passion for
to come and meet us and see the school in learning, to achieve well and to make
action, but you are always welcome to visit outstanding progress during their time with
us to see the school for yourself, and to us. We value each child and ensure we
discuss any aspect of school life. foster their individuality, interests and
talents in all walks of their lives. We also
We hope you will find the information in this engage them in a range of activities that
prospectus gives you a flavour of life at develop their knowledge and skills, and all
Cedarwood. Please also have a look at our of these together help to equip them as
website and social media sites to see some they grow, and to face life, both during and
of the great activities our pupils and staff after their years at school.
are involved in over the year.
Doug Stroud and Tina Shute
Our motto, ‘Excellence and Enjoyment for
All’, captures our school’s ethos and we

Tina Shute Doug Stroud Marcus Kwan

Co-Headteacher Co-Headteacher Chair of Governors

Aims, Ethos and Values

Our school’s ethos is underpinned by the goal of achieving
‘Excellence and Enjoyment for All’ pupils. We seek to
reach the highest standards for our pupils in learning,
teaching, safeguarding and behaviour, with the goal
of being the very best that we can be. To help us
gain this we have six principles which hold together
everything we do. We call these the ARK Values and
they apply equally, and at all times, to pupils and all
adults connected with the school:

A Ambition - Be the best that you can
Attitude - Be positive

R Respect - Yourself, your school, others and all
property

Resilience - Cope with difficulty

K Kindness - Always be kind
Knowledge - Love of learning

ARK also stands for Acts of Random Kindness, as well as it being a safe haven for care,
friendship, happiness and learning for all. This encompasses the whole school’s philosophy.

A Day in the life of

Foundation

In the Foundation classes, we teach children through play and playful experiences. We
always provide a learning environment that is highly engaging and reflects pupils’
interests and next steps. Activities are ‘dressed’ to enthuse and inspire curiosity and
thinking.

The children choose their learning, exploring activities and resources in a style very
similar to their pre-schools, working towards achieving their Early Learning Goals.

All of our Foundation staff have been trained in the Early Years approach of ‘ABC’ -
Alistair Bryce-Clegg - and this style of teaching is based on rigorous assessment of pupils
and knowledge of their next steps. It involves adults playing alongside pupils and bring-
ing the learning objectives to them, as they play or work on activities of their
choosing.

The staff have information about all pupils' current attainment in Reading, Writing and
Maths, along with their next steps for each area. The adult observes pupils and joins in
their games and activities, developing storylines, ideas and helping with problems that
necessitate development of a particular skill, for example writing.

Phonics, Shared and Guided Reading, Writing and Little-Big-Maths are taught to pupils
daily.

Our School

Our pupils are aged 4-11 and the majority live in the area surrounding the school. 60
children join us each year into our two Foundation classes, and this structure of two classes
per year follows throughout the school, giving us 420 pupils in total. At Cedarwood we
want our children to be happy, confident and to share a passion for learning, to achieve
well and to make outstanding progress in their time with us.

The School Day

School starts at 8.45am and ends at 3.20pm, with a morning break. The morning is split
into three parts and it is usual for Reading, Writing and Maths sessions to be taught at this
time. Lunch is at 11.45am — 12.45pm for Foundation Year and 12noon — 1pm for Years
1 to 6. In the afternoons pupils learn through themes and topics, as well as having short
bursts of mental arithmetic, handwriting and phonics.

There is an assembly everyday and these are either whole school, Key Stage or Year Group
events. There is a whole school ARK Assembly weekly, where behaviour, attitude and
achievements, be they in or out of school, are celebrated.

School Meals are provided free by the Government for Key Stage 1 pupils (Foundation,
Years 1&2) and are £2.30 from Year 3 upwards. The pupils have a choice of Hot Dinner or
‘Pick and Mix’, and they can also bring in a packed lunch or go home for lunch.

Curriculum

We plan really exciting learning opportunities for all pupils.
Below is a chart of the essential ingredients of our curriculum.

Personal Development / Citizenship

The characteristics we wish to develop during your child’s time at Cedarwood:

ARK — Positive Attitude, Ambition, Resilience, Respect, Kindness, Knowledge.
Love of Learning

PSHEE — Personal, Social, Health, Concerned Citizen, Environmentally aware,
Confident, Self-directed, Active contributor, Globally aware, British Values, Healthy,
Mental Health, Self-management, Social awareness, Responsible, Collaborative,
Independent, Creative, Reflective, Safe.

Key Competencies: Learning Key Skills:
Investigating, Analysing and
Computing for the synthesizing

Finding, selecting, creating, 21st Century Creativity
manipulating and processing
information. Evaluating

Communicating Applying

For a range of purposes and Collaborating
audiences, through development
of speaking, listening, reading Communicating
and writing.

Calculating

Using number and measurement
confidently and effectively.

Subjects

English - reading, writing, speaking & STEM - Maths, Science, ICT, Technology
Arts - Music, Art and Design, French
listening.

Humanities - History, Geography, RE

Physical - PE, Health and well being

Subject Details

ENGLISH

English is at the heart of all we do. We pride ourselves in our exciting and challenging
English lessons and extra-curricular activities.

Writing - We love writing here at Cedarwood. Amongst
our current and ex-pupils are many competition winners and
published authors! Writing is often linked to other areas of
the curriculum, ensuring a cohesive, relevant and captivating
experience for our writers.

Reading - This is a key aspect of
teaching and learning. We delight in sharing our reading
journeys and regularly talk about books to classmates,
along with posting up recommendations to others in the
library displays. Every March we take part in the World
Book Day, which the children really enjoy.

Phonics - Pupils study synthetic phonics throughout the
school. This programme builds skills by practising
phonemic awareness, whilst increasing fluent reading,
comprehension and a wider vocabulary.

Speaking, Listening / Drama -
It is vital that our pupils learn how
to make themselves understood by expressing themselves
coherently and eloquently. Pupils have opportunities to dis-
cuss, debate and explore issues orally and through drama.

MATHEMATICS

At Cedarwood we make Maths fun, interactive and
challenging for every child and allow the children to
explore Maths in a real life context. Wherever
possible the children are given the opportunity to
apply their skills through other subjects.

SCIENCE

Pupils who investigate their surroundings and the world around
them use experiments and draw their own conclusions. We
expand their scientific knowledge and other aspects of the
curriculum through outdoor learning and we are currently
developing our Forest Schools project.

COMPUTING

At Cedarwood we understand the important role that
digital media has to play in children’s lives, and society
in general. We believe that by embracing this area we
can support children to become safe, creative, confident
and responsible users of the different types of digital
media, and computing in general.

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

This is an inspiring subject that enables pupils to use their
creativity and imagination to design and make projects,
that solve real and relevant problems within different
contexts.

HISTORY

Studying History helps pupils to acquire a range of
historical knowledge and understanding, both of Britain’s
past and that of the wider world. Pupils use and compare
evidence from a range of sources in their studies, and are
able to appreciate why different interpretations of the
past exist.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

We are living in a diverse and multicultural world, where
understanding and tolerance of others is paramount for a
harmonious and peaceful resolve to world issues. The
Suffolk Agreed RE Syllabus allows our children to develop
a range of important life skills through this model approach.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

At Cedarwood we ensure the children receive a high-
quality and varied programme which develops their
physical awareness and ability, whilst we promote the
importance of self-development and confidence. We
are very honoured that Cedarwood has earned the
Silver Mark Award by ‘Your School Games’! This is a
Government-led award scheme showing the commitment
schools have towards across-school sport competitions and we are extremely proud of
this achievement!

ART

Art and Design is enjoyed throughout the year and
forms part of the rich and varied curriculum we offer
here at Cedarwood. A range of art skills and
knowledge is taught through both units of work and
in a mix of cross-curricular activities.

MUSIC

Music is a universal language and it helps enable us to
become confident learners of self-expression,
creativity and communication. Music plays a very
important role in primary education, helping pupils
to grow as individuals and it is taught in a fun,
enjoyable and practical way. All of our pupils
have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument
during their time with us.

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGE (FRENCH)

French is taught at KS2 and prepares pupils to
participate in a rapidly changing world, in which
work and other activities are increasingly carried
out in languages other than English.

SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS & DISABILITY

We take great pride of our provision within this area. Pupils with Special Educational
Needs or Disabilities are valued, supported and encouraged to make progress in the
same way as all pupils. We work closely with parents to ensure their children are able
to achieve their very best.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

We plan a number of enrichment activities, including going on visits to various places -
castles, farms, museums and zoos - as well as having speakers into school teaching a
wide range of subjects to our pupils. These have included Life in World War 2, Internet
Safety, Animal Petting Days, How to Make Bread, Emergency Services, plus many others.
We have visited some amazing places, such as the Albert Hall and
Snape Maltings, played at spectacular venues for music
concerts, performed drams and taken part in speaking
competitions in Suffolk. In 2017 our Year 6 Boys
Football team played at the National School Boys’
Final at Wembley! Pupils in Year 5 and 6 have
opportunities to go on longer, overnight visits away.
This all gives our pupils as many opportunities as we
can to explore their learning, in different ways.

We pride ourselves in providing pupils with opportunities to engage and compete in a
range of sports, both in and out of school hours. Sport is given a high status at
Cedarwood and we enjoy celebrating our pupils’ achievements no matter when or where
they take place. We participate in leagues and tournaments throughout the year in
many different places, against other schools in the Suffolk area.

BEHAVIOUR

Positive behaviour and good manners are expected
throughout the school. Our ARK Values permeate
all we do, and pupils are taught to treat
each other kindly, respect themselves,
others and all property. Praise and
celebration of good behaviour
feature highly in our approach.

Out of School Club

We have a very successful Out of School Club that is provided on site and run by our
staff. It provides excellent care for our pupils, both before and after the school day.
We run from 7.30am until school begins and again from 3.20pm until 4.30pm or 6pm.
We provide a snack after school, and if you would like your child to have a light tea,
this is served at 5pm - the children all enjoy helping to create this!

This club is open for all years, from Foundation to Year 6 inclusive, with the areas used
being split between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Please ask at the office for an
information pack to apply for a place, or look on our website to gain further details.

Kath Bickford & Karen Kernan
Out of School Club Leaders

Safeguarding

At Cedarwood we take safeguarding children very seriously. All pupils in our care are
protected by robust Safeguarding Procedures, that are in place to ensure that they are
kept safe and happy, and that they are able to learn in our environment. Safer-
recruitment practices are in place and all staff, governors and volunteers working in our
school are subject to safeguarding security checks. They also attend regular
Safeguarding Training. Adults know how to report concerns, and pupils know who they
can talk to if they are worried about themselves, or their peers.

Online Safety has a high profile in our school and we
place a large emphasis on the importance of teaching
pupils how to stay safe online. We recognise online safety
as a part of our safeguarding policy and practice.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) in our school is TINA
SHUTE, who is also the On-line Safety & PREVENT Lead. The Alternate is DOUG STROUD.
Robin Spittle is our Safeguarding Governor. If you have concerns about a pupil from
our school, please do not hesitate to contact Tina or Doug immediately.

Wellbeing

Our school is an inclusive school and we work hard to meet the needs of all pupils and their
families. We have a Vulnerability Team, comprising of the Headteachers, SENCO, Deputy

SENCO and Pupil Support Assistant, who ensure that any pupil experiencing any
kind of difficulty is well supported. We work closely with other agencies to
draw upon specialist support and advice. We invest in the scheme
‘Jigsaw’, which is a mindful approach to Personal, Social, and Emotional
Education, and it helps us to develop well-rounded children who are
able to deal positively and resiliently with set-backs or changes.
The scheme empowers pupils and builds their self-worth, with the
aim of strengthening mental health and wellbeing.

Bullying

Bullying is rare at Cedarwood but is taken seriously and our
policy is that it is dealt with immediately. If parents have any
concerns about this area, they are asked to contact the school
straight away. Pupils’ behaviour, be it face to face, written or
online, that does not reflect our policies or ARK Values, will result
in school sanctions being taken.

Parent Partnership

We are well supported by our parents and welcome them to come and volunteer in
our school in any way that they feel able to, be that in class with the children - in
your own child’s class or another one - or more admin based helping a range of
classes. We also have a very active and positive team of parents who make up the
Parents and Friends of Cedarwood (PFC) Association and they fundraise for our
school in so many ways, providing a range of exciting events throughout the year.
By joining Cedarwood Primary School you automatically become a member of this
team and they would love to see you at any of their meetings to offer advice or
support, or help by volunteering at any of their events that they stage. Any spare
time you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

We have an open door policy at school and ask that our parents come to us as
soon as they have any suggestions or concerns. Teachers are also available every
day to speak with parents at drop-off or collection and, if more time is needed,
appointments can be made at the office.

What People Say About Us...

‘Thank you just doesn’t seem a big enough word to say, so I will try and explain just
how amazing you have been!’

’...before [my son] even started in your class you got to know him; the most
fantastic induction process ever!’

‘Thank you for being so positive always, and creating the most beautiful indoor and
outdoor environment for [the children] to feel so happy and confident to thrive in.’

‘It feels so calm here and the children are all so polite and happy.’

‘We are so pleased to finally get in to Cedarwood and we can’t wait for [our children]
to start here with you. We have been wanting this for so long.’

‘Thank you for being such a formidable team.’

‘There are so many things for them to do here and I am loving all the outdoor
classrooms!’

‘We have found the school to be excellent. Our daughter has enjoyed all her years at
Cedarwood and they have helped her to become a confident, intelligent, well rounded
young lady.’

‘Everything about the school is exceptionally well run and the children are always top
priority. A reflection on all the staff.’



Admissions Information

Suffolk County Council is responsible for all admissions to our school. Full details
of policy and procedures are available on their website;

ww.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-places.
We suggest you read this information before you make an application as it
contains some useful guidance. If you have any questions about the process,
please contact the Suffolk County Council’s Admission Team on 0845 600 0981.
You are most welcome to visit the school at anytime, and as often as you would
like. If you wish to do so, please contact the school office to arrange a suitable
appointment.

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