Velmead Junior School

At Velmead, we firmly believe that …

Together Everyone Achieves More

School Staff, Parents, other Home Adults and Children working together as a TEAM is the best way to ensure a child achieves their very best. At Velmead, we have set out the responsibilities for each party to ensure that we work together effectively.

All school adults have a responsibility to provide:

Excellence with Care – Velmead Adults

School adults will act as role models for all children in the way they interact, encourage, learn and present themselves.

Excellence

We will:

*Provide engaging, challenging and broad learning experiences in line with year group expectations.
* Monitor children’s progress to ensure appropriate resources are used to accelerate learning.
* Promote enjoyment of life-long learning through a range of enrichment weeks and extra-curricular activities.
* Set regular homework in line with the school’s policy.
* Keep parents informed through: Parent, Teacher, Child Meetings; End of Year Reports; Head Teacher and Year Group Newsletters; Project Letters; Planners and the School Website.

Care

We will:

*Support children to develop in line with the Velmead Values: being the best they can be.
*Provide a nurturing and caring environment where children feel safe and want to contribute.
*Have an open dialogue with parents / home adults to celebrate successes; to work in partnership on identified targets; to respond to parental requests / concerns in a timely manner.

Children’s Responsibilities

As children at Velmead we value ourselves and respect differences in others. We a re polite, responsible, reliable, honest and trustworthy. I will come to school to:-

• co-operate with and care for others, showing kindness and respect for them and their property;

• listen to adults and do as I am asked;
• do my best to learn, improve my skills  and become more responsible;
• become an independent thinker, able to express my views and feelings appropriately and seek help or advice;
• communicate, make friends, have fun and be safe;
• look after the school environment and equipment, and help my teachers;
• prepare for my future life as a responsible citizen by actively contributing to the school community.

Parent Responsibilities

We expect all parents and home adults to work in partnership with school staff to promote a happy and successful school life. To achieve this we expect that you will:

Work Together

• Trust us
  The children are at the centre of all decisions that we make: school adults work hard to support all children’s academic and social development, whilst keeping them safe at school.
• Engage with us
  A TEAM dialogue at Parent, Teacher, Child meetings is the best way to ensure positive outcomes for your child.
  Please read the newsletter and respond to letters - ask if you are unsure.
• Confide in us
  If home situations change, please let us know; even small changes can affect a child’s performance and attention in school.
• Talk to us
  If you are concerned, please speak to your child’s class teacher as soon as possible to work together to support your child.

Support Learning

• Quality Learning
  Provide quiet times and places for homework and reading so that your child can focus and achieve their best.

• Practise skills
  Daily Home Reading, times tables, telling the time, etc 
• Being on time 
  So that your child can set themselves up for learning and not miss key information.

Encourage Independence

• It’s a child’s responsibility to complete their homework and hand it in a timely fashion.

• Encourage children to ask questions and seek clarification for themselves.

• If you need to send a note, please do so via the children rather than popping into the school office.

• Allow children to face the consequences of their decisions.

Encourage the Best

• Get involved  
  Children benefit greatly from engaging with a range of adults; VPA, trips, listening to readers, clubs, etc  are a great way to join in (it can be any family member!).
• Support us
  All of the school’s behaviour, homework and dress codes are in this planner: encourage and ensure your child meets them. 

Our Velmead Values

At Velmead we celebrate our values and incorporate them into our everyday life. Golden points and badges are awarded for demonstrating our values. Examples include:-

By following and using our Velmead Values, children and Velmead grow into effective learners, who achieve their best and work in a supportive way with everyone.

Excellence with Care a TEAM Approach

At Velmead we use a Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) approach to achieve excellence with care.

Our aim is that the children make the best progress possible in all areas of their development: academic, emotional, physical, artistic, social, spiritual, moral, cultural.

To achieve this for all of our children, all of the time, relies upon all stakeholders in our TEAM working effectively together: children, home-adults, staff, governors, other schools, medical practitioners, social care staff, local, national and international businesses, the local authority and national government.