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At the heart of St. Richard’s School is our commitment to the love of God and each other through the Roman Catholic Faith promoting equality and fairness by celebrating diversity in all we do. The Word of God is central to our school community providing a strong foundation for our children to grow fully as they follow the Gospel values of love, peace, truth, and justice. We welcome everyone as a child of God encouraging them to care for the welfare of all, so witnessing that Christ is the foundation and central to all aspects of our school life. We share our faith through inclusive worship aiming to develop the potential of each individual physically, spiritually, emotionally, and academically. St. Richard's is a Roman Catholic Primary School provided by the Diocese of Salford and is maintained by the Manchester Local Education Authority as a Voluntary Aided School. The school's Governing Body is the Admissions Authority and is responsible for taking decisions on applications for admissions. The Catholic Faith and the Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church have an essential role in school life and influence every aspect of the Curriculum. We ask all parents applying for a place here to respect this ethos and its importance to the school community. This does not affect the right of the parents who are not of the Faith of this school to apply for and be considered for a place. Admission arrangements to the Reception year are separate from those from the Nursery. Attendance at the Nursery does not give a child any guarantee or priority when it comes to consideration for admission to the Reception class.PARENTS/CARERS must complete a School Application Form (SAF) which is available from the Local Authority (LA) in the year before their child starting in Reception. This SAF must be submitted to the LA by the closing date as specified on the application form. Parents/Carers must accept all policies drawn up by the Governors of St. Richard's School, e.g. uniform, behavior, homework, etc, and are expected to sign to this effect before their child is admitted to the school. The PAN refers to the number of pupils in each year group. The standard number at St. Richard’s School for N year is 52, Reception Year, Years 1 to 6 is 60 per year group. The school operates a waiting list for each year group of pupils are added to the list according to their admission category. Parents are asked to complete the School Application for Admission Form and the Manchester Local Authority Common Application Form by the Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme. The school conducts regular reviews of the waiting list parents are notified of their child’s place on the list and inquiries are made to check if places are still required. At St. Richard’s we understand that the Internet is a fantastic place for researching and socializing. Whilst we encourage our pupils to use the Internet, we are also aware that there are potential online dangers that may affect our pupils. We want to support the children and our parents in keeping safe by offering information and support on the wide range of online safety issues that might affect the whole family. As a school, we are currently working towards the E-Safety Mark. As part of this process, we are required to use the 360 Degree Safe tool to guide our progress. This process demonstrates our commitment to online safety as a part of our curriculum. This academic year we have established an Online Safety Group consisting of Year 6 pupils. They are committed to raising awareness about online safety and providing support for their peers. The online safety group meets termly to discuss ideas and issues. The staff and governors have developed this Discipline Policy so that the relationships between adults and pupils should be happy, caring, and purposeful and should be in line with the school’s Mission Statement. It will assist in creating a positive atmosphere and encourage pupils and staff to be aware of the need for self-discipline, respect for others, their property, and the environment. It will provide clear guidelines for all the community at St. Richard’s so that a consistent approach to discipline is taken by all concerned. Parents are the chief educators and teachers of their children and their support and co-operation in establishing their children’s attitude to learning and behavior is crucial. At all times they will be kept informed and involved in any relevant developments. Here at school, we hope to build on the good practice started in the home and aim to work in partnership with the parents to bring out the very best in their children. Throughout Advent, in 2017 the GIFT Team held a weekly prayer group in the Prayer Room. The Jesse Tree is used during Advent to tell the story of the Bible up until the birth of Christ. The GIFT Team shared short stories related to the Jesse Tree and explained the meaning of the various symbols. Each day a symbolic decoration was added to the tree. Children from all year groups attended the prayer group each lunchtime and some classes used the Jesse Tree in their class collective worships. View full school

St Richard’s is an intimate and nurturing place for every child to learn, whatever their background. The atmosphere is calm, ordered, and purposeful – never rigid or over directed - but disciplined, respectful, and organized. We have high aspirations for all our pupils and believe that through stretching children we build their confidence and self-esteem. The school is positioned in the center of Ham and with this in mind we constantly look for opportunities to serve our local community, helping to shape its future through the children who attend our school. Central to my purpose is that the children here learn to give from the heart, in response to the needs of others, rather than out of obligation. The school gathers daily to reflect upon important issues, to worship together, and to consider the Christian principles that are at the heart of our ethos. Within this loving, compassionate environment, we find that teaching and learning are all the more effective right across the curriculum. Acorns is an afternoon playgroup, which runs in our Nursery learning area and takes children from 2 years old. Nursery children may also apply for a place at Acorns (known as an extended place). These applications are made alongside nursery applications. We have 30 places available in our extremely popular Nursery class. This ensures a stable learning environment and the best possible monitoring of each child's needs throughout this critical stage in their development. Applications should be made any time after your child's 2nd birthday by contacting the school office. Parents must complete a St Richard's Nursery Application Form. There are 30 places in the Reception class and children are admitted in the academic year in which they turn five years old. For September 2018, this means children whose date of birth falls between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014. Parents/ Carers must apply to the Local Authority and the school for a Reception Application form. Both forms must be completed for an application to be valid. For in-year admissions, please contact us and we will let you know if we have a space available. For a small number of children, accessing the curriculum can be difficult. If we feel a child is experiencing difficulties with their learning that are outside the normal parameters we will consider registering their special needs at the appropriate level in line with the SEND code of practice. We know that high-quality teaching in the classroom with their peer group is vital however this may need to be supplemented. In addition to the support listed above some children with SEND may benefit from one-to-one support with the literacy of mathematics speech therapy or for special learning difficulties. Sometimes a child has needs we feel would be best met with an Educational, Health and Care Plan, (ECHP). If this is the case we work closely with parents and professionals to make the process of applying as straightforward as possible. At St Richard’s we are fully committed to keeping our pupils safe. If anyone has any child protection concerns whatsoever they should immediately notify a member of our Child Protection Team who will take appropriate action and advice. This may include calling the Single Point of Access at Achieving for Children. If you do not feel you want to talk to someone in school please contact SPA direct. If the matter is about a member of staff please contact our Safeguarding Governor. Contact details are available from the School Office. If you have any Health and Safety concerns please notify a member of the Leadership Team, the Health and Safety Team, and/ or the School Office immediately. Our wonderful school was first opened in 1890, replacing an earlier Ham Village School. Originally called St Andrew’s School, we were situated in what is now St Thomas Aquinas Church on the corner of Ham Common. Funds to build the school were raised by local charities, subscriptions, and the National Society, a Church of England body for the promotion of church schools and Christian education. When it opened, the school had a capacity of 100 boys and 101 girls. As Ham Common at the time had so many activities taking place, including horse racing, the children were often distracted on their way into school every day. Mr. Alfred Hedger, Headmaster between 1919-1940, would entertain the children with stories of his holiday climbing expeditions to the Matterhorn mountain in the Alps. Then as now, the school had a very successful football team called ‘The Hammers’. The school swimming pool was opened on Saturday 13th May 1972. The £4,300 cost of the swimming pool and changing rooms were raised by pupils, staff, parents, and friends over three years. On the day, there was a Grand Opening by Mr. Hugh Wheldon, Managing Director of BBC Television, who opened the pool with the words, “This project is a monument to the enterprise. These people have done it themselves. Let this be an example to others”. There was a swimming gala to close the Grand Opening and the winning team received a trophy. View full school