At Kingsmead, we follow the local authority admissions procedure. All admissions are managed by The Learning Trust. More information can be found on our website. For Nursery applications please contact the school office. In-year admissions are also managed by The Learning Trust but the school welcomes parents who wish to tour the school or make inquiries about places in specific year groups. Once children have been offered a place at Kingsmead, families will be invited to complete admissions paperwork and discuss their child's needs at the school.
Early Years provision at Kingsmead works in partnership with parents/carers. We promote parental contribution and celebrate the shared experiences collaboration brings. The children learn through a wide range of meaningful, multi-sensory, practical activities within a rich, creative environment.
The children in our Nursery and Reception classes follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The role of play in the Foundation Stage is recognized as a crucial part of the learning journey, enabling children to develop in all areas and underpins learning in the Early Years. Children learn by leading their play and by taking part in play which is guided by adults. Play is essential for children's development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, problem solves, and relate to others which are all set within a secure and safe challenging indoor and outdoor environment.
At Kingsmead, we take pride in the high standards of good behavior that our children exhibit in and around the school. We believe that good behaviour and respect for each other and our surroundings ensure a calm and productive atmosphere in which to learn. To achieve this, the school has operated a system called "Stay on Green" since 2005 this system ensures that children are rewarded for good behavior and that positive behavior management techniques are used consistently by all staff.
We have very high expectations concerning behavior and hope to develop children’s understanding of the impact of choices they make, whether positive or negative. Good behavior and achievement are not automatically learned. Instead, positive behaviors must be modeled, explained, taught, supported, and recognized. The expectations are designed to focus on positive action (I like the way you are walking sensibly) rather than what children should not do (do not run). The expectations are agreed on actions so that there are consistency and fairness in all areas of school life. Kingsmead positive behavior language is used by all staff to reinforce the approval of children doing the right thing and not to constantly address those who do not.
All children are encouraged to 'stay on the green' and are rewarded for doing so with golden time at the end of the week. For those who do not do the right thing, there are a series of warnings and sanctions that aim to allow them to correct their bad behavior and make better choices next time.
The ‘school rules’ are displayed in all classrooms and communal areas and each classroom, learning space will have to stay on green charts which show at any point on any day how each child is doing. Each child has an individual pocket with their name on it. Broadly speaking this is the system that operates school-wide although there are slightly differing systems in place for children of different ages. The aim is to keep a green card in the pocket.
If a child has had a verbal warning from a teacher and not improved their behavior they will be put on a blue card where the aim is to be moved back to green to earn your golden time, according to age they will then spend 5 minutes on the class time out chair.
Gayhurst, Kingsmead, and Mandeville school work in partnership to ensure outstanding outcomes for all the children of our schools and beyond. In June 2017 the schools became a three school federation and now we have one governing body across the three schools.
The governing body is mostly volunteers, meeting regularly and working closely with the Executive Headteacher and the senior leadership team to help the schools develop successfully and to promote high standards of educational achievement.
The Governing body is made up of the school’s Executive Headteacher, Local Authority governors and co-opted governors, elected parents, and elected staff members. Together, our primary concern is for the welfare of the schools as a whole and we operate within a standard Code of Conduct for those involved in aspects of public life. Assessment at Kingsmead supports learning. We use different types of assessment during the school year to ensure that our approach to assessment meets the needs of all stakeholders.
We use in-school formative assessment to support class teachers and children in identifying areas of success and areas for improvement. It is integral to teaching practice and is used to both plan appropriate teaching and learning activities and adapt these to our children's needs. It is also used to identify children requiring extra support and to ensure that all pupils achieve well. We understand that this assessment is a professional judgment and therefore we use a wide range of evidence to accurately assess children's attainment and progress. Teachers actively seek ways to challenge children's understanding to gain a full picture of their attainment. Assessment is the responsibility of all teaching staff and we plan specific opportunities for moderation and discussion of our judgments. We also use information in-school summative assessments from checkpoints at set times of the year when children take assessments in the form of tests.
The health and welfare of the children are monitored closely. When children enter Reception classes they are given a medical examination by the school nurse, including sight, hearing, height, and weight. Additional dental checks are carried out at regular intervals. The school nurse visits regularly to conduct health assessments and invites parents along.
Every year in the Summer Term, Year 6 and some of Year 5 go on a residential trip from Monday to Friday. The aim is to give the children a broader life experience, to learn new skills, and to increase children’s independence before they go to secondary school. In recent years they have taken part in abseiling, archery, go-karting, river walking, mackerel fishing, and visited many different historic sites.
