Brindishe at work - What we do
The timetable
This is sometimes changed, for example, when we have special occasions
or visitors, but we would not change the time of starting or finishing
school without first notifying parents.
| Main school | |
|---|---|
| 9.15 am | School Begins |
| 10.45 - 11.00 am | Morning break |
| 12.00 pm | Nursery/Infant lunchtime |
| 12.30 pm | Junior lunchtime |
| 1.30 pm | Afternoon session begins |
| 3.30 pm | School ends |
| Nursery Class | |
| am | 9.15/9.30 - 11.45 am |
| pm | 1.15/1.30 - 3.30 pm |
| Full time | 9.15/9.30 - 3.30 pm |
Nursery children may arrive at any time within the first 15 minutes of each session so that staff are able to welcome each child.
A typical school day
Although this will vary according to your child’s age and events
in school, this is an average day for a child in years 1-6.
At 9.15am, school will begin and your child will be registered. Music may be playing as children enter the classroom, to set mood or tone, as an opportunity for reflection or as a prompt to encourage children to settle and to focus. The teacher will introduce the programme for or ‘shape’ of the day. Often classes will begin with a numeracy or literacy lesson. The teacher will make sure that all children understand the learning objectives behind the activity and will discuss the key areas to be learned and what might be achieved.
The teacher will then organise the children into pairs or small groups to continue their learning. This may be, for example, a group reading session, children writing in pairs, or an individual activity. In every class a teaching assistant will support children’s learning either working with a group or giving 1:1 support. At the end of the lesson there will usually be a chance for the whole class to come back together to re-emphasise the main learning points and for groups of children to feed back on their findings.
During the morning, children will usually attend an assembly or a whole school singing session. After a 15-minute playtime, they will move onto a new area of learning, sometimes in the same group, sometimes with a new group of children. They usually learn alongside children of the same age range, but we also encourage cross age activities as we know children learn so much from each other.
After lunch, children are again registered and will usually then have half an hour of quiet reading or reading activities. Children will then start new areas of learning, or they may continue learning started in the morning.
As well as working in their classrooms and surrounding areas, we
also encourage children to work in the outdoor areas such as the courtyards,
the den,
the outdoor classroom or on the grassed areas around the school when
weather permits.
Towards home time, the children will tidy up their classroom and may be told a little about the programme for the next day. Often the children finish the day by having a story read to them. Usually once the term has started, work will flow from one day to the next and, as with most primary schools, our timetables are flexible.
Term dates
Primary school children attend school for 190 days each academic year.
The school is closed for a further five days each year for staff training.
These are known as INSET days (In Service Education and Training). A
full list of term and INSET dates for this school year is available from
the school office.
Holidays during term
Children should not be taken on holiday during the school term, and doing
so may lead to your child losing their place at Brindishe. Holidays during
term time will only be authorised in very exceptional circumstances and
the head teacher will need your request in writing.