As a dedicated infant school, we believe that early years education lays the foundation for life-long learning. Here at Trafalgar Infant School, we are committed to both pupil achievement and pupil development. This means that through the wide experiences that we offer we aim to challenge our children to achieve academically while also developing their confidence, self-esteem, and a positive attitude towards learning.
Starting school is an important time for both children and parents and selecting the right school for your child is an important decision. We hope you will find our website informative, and we look forward to welcoming you for a tour of our school.
The statutory age for starting school is the term after your child’s 5th birthday. At Trafalgar Infant School all our children have the opportunity to start full time from the beginning of the academic year in which they become 5 years old. We are a three-form entry school which means that we have three classes of up to 30 children in each of the three-year groups.
If your child is already attending a local school and you would like your child to transfer to another school for any reason, you should first discuss this with the headteacher of your child’s current school. This is because a child’s education usually benefits most when they have continuity of teaching and learning in the same school. If you still want to move your child, you will need to complete an application form. You should not withdraw your child from their current school until you have secured a place at an alternative school.
The school must ensure that all parents understand our responsibility to safeguard the well-being of all pupils and that this responsibility requires us to have a child protection policy and procedures. As part of these procedures, the school can make a direct referral to the statutory child welfare agencies including the Police and/or Social Services without involving the parents if they have concerns about the safety of any child. Mrs. Thompson (Headteacher), Mrs. OptHolt (Deputy Headteacher), and Mrs. Brazier (Inclusion Co-ordinator) are the nominated people for Child Protection.
Our inclusion coordinator advises on good practice in line with the latest Government and local guidance and any changes are reflected in our Inclusion, Equalities, and Special Needspolicies and our SEND information report. These are reviewed annually by our Governors. We have an inclusion leaflet for parents and carers.
Our Pupil Premium Strategy outlines how we support families who are eligible for the Government’s Pupil Premium Grant. Our Accessibility Plan is reviewed annually by our Governing Body. This enables us to consider any additional actions to increase access to the school and the curriculum by children with disabilities. We use Jolly Phonics. Jolly Phonics is a fun and child-centered approach to teaching literacy through synthetic phonics. With actions for each of the 42 letter sounds, together with songs and videos, the multi-sensory method is very motivating for children.
Lessons are carefully planned to follow the National Curriculum objectives. Progress of children’s developing sense of number and calculation strategies is monitored using maths target walls. This ensures that pupils and teachers are aware of the next steps to secure mathematical proficiency. A problem-solving approach enables children to recall and apply their developing maths skills.
The PTA has a valuable role in the life of the School. All parents are automatically members of the PTA whilst their children attend Trafalgar Infant School and are welcome to attend any meetings. The PTA meets in the evening at school to allow working parents to become involved with the school and meet other parents. These meetings, which are friendly and informal, allow parents to find out more about what is going on in school, share ideas and issues.
These are volunteer parents/carers of children in a particular class, appointed at the beginning of the school year, who offer another line of communication between the school and home. They also have information about PTA activities. Parents can raise issues with the class rep which can then be taken to the half-termly meeting with the Headteacher. Class reps are in the playground on most days and their photos are on display. Class reps meetings are held every month at the beginning of the school day.
Parent Governors are elected by parents with children at either of the Trafalgar schools, for a 4-year term. The Staff Governor is elected by the staff of both Trafalgar schools, for a 4-year term. Co-opted Governors are appointed by the governing body for a 4-year term. The LA Governor is nominated by the Local Authority and appointed by the governing body for a 4-year term.
Trafalgar Infant School is a community school with a governing body consisting of the Headteacher, Staff and Parent Governors, a Local Authority Governor, and Co-opted Governors. The school Governors have a legal responsibility for the overall management of the school and are actively involved in school life. The Governors form a management committee to support the Headteacher and our school’s management team.
