THE ACADEMY

We hold a parent tour every Wednesday from 9.00-10.00am. To book an appointment, please contact the school office on 01255 673415.

Admissions are dealt with through the Planning and Admissions Service, County Hall, Chelmsford. There is no guarantee for a place for children living in the priority admission area.

In the event of over-subscription any remaining places will be allocated using the following criteria in the order given:

1. Looked After Children (LAC) and previously looked after children (as defined on page 12 of the Primary Education in Essex 2014/2015 booklet);

2. Children with a sibling attending the school;

3. Children living in the priority admission area;

4. Remaining Applications;

In the event of over-subscription within any of the above criteria, priority will be determined by straight line distance from home to school, with those living closest being given the highest priority.

Exceptional circumstances (supported by medical evidence) may override the above (other than looked after children and previously looked after children).

Information on Admission Appeals can be found on the Essex County Council Website www.essex.gov.uk  following the links to Education and Schools/Admissions/Appeals.

Children are legally entitled to a place in a school from the September following their fourth birthday. 

A copy of the full Admissions Policy is available on the academy website www.hamfordprimaryacademy.org or upon request from the school office. 

The academy is organised as follows:

Early Years Foundation Stage: 2 classrooms

2 x EYFS classes - Splash & Sunfish

Key Stage 1 : 4 classrooms

• 2 x Year 1 classes - Sandpiper & Nimbus

• 2x Year 2 classes - Firefly and Pico

Key stage 2 : 9 classrooms

• 2 x Year 3 classes - Discovery & Finn

• 3 x Year 4  classes - Wayfarer, Mistral & Mariner 

• 2 x Year 5 classes - Endeavour and Enterprise

• 2 x Year 6 classes - Optimist and Topper

The academy has a pastoral care lead who oversees the welfare of children with the class teacher remaining responsible for the care of the children in his or her class.  Particular problems are referred to the Pastoral Care Lead or/and the Senior Leadership Team. Parents are kept informed throughout and their support is sought in partnership with the school to help the child overcome any difficulties. 

Our first concern is your child’s welfare and therefore there may be occasions when we have to consult other agencies. Parents will always be informed if this is required. If you wish to know more about this procedure, please speak to the Head of School.

The academy’s policy is based on the SEND Code of Practice.

The academy’s SENDCo (Mrs Ketley) works closely with the class teachers, pupils and parents/carers to fulfil the requirements of the Code of Practice. Learning support for pupils experiencing difficulties with aspects of the curriculum is allocated according to the SEND Code of Practice. The academy liaises with the appropriate outside agencies to identify specific learning difficulties. Children’s progress is discussed regularly at appropriate time intervals.

The school welcomes all children irrespective of physical and mental abilities.  Modifications have been made to the building, for example changes to the entrances and toilets, in order to ensure that there is suitable access for everyone enabling all pupils to be fully included as part of the school community.

Our philosophy

Hamford Primary Academy ensures that children get the very best opportunities to achieve the highest possible outcomes and that high quality learning is at the heart of everything we do. We aim to provide a broad, balanced and creative curriculum that allows all young learners to exceed their personal and academic potential, broaden their horizons and become active, prosperous and successful citizens in the local community and the world around them.  

Academic

Learning Areas

At Hamford, we believe learning in life is not compartmentalised, therefore we endeavour to reflect this through the way we present our academic curriculum to the children.  

In Reception, children begin learning through the integrated Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum with its three prime and four specific areas of learning and development:

• Communication and language

• Physical development

• Personal, social and emotional development

• Literacy

• Mathematics

• Understanding the world

• Expressive arts and design

As they progress through Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 learning in English and maths is based around the centrally created AET curriculums, whereas in all other areas we have devised our own school skills overview.  This consists of a set of core skills identified by both primary and secondary specialist teachers that children should develop through the learning stages of accuracy, fluency and mastery as they progress through Hamford.

Teachers plan creative and imaginative half-termly learning experiences which promote engaging opportunities and act as a vehicle for developing the academic skills.  These experiences may take their inspirations from books, films, periods of history, geographical locations, works of arts, famous people, the children’s own interests or drama based simulations e.g. Mantle of the Expert.

Assemblies are currently held virtually. 

Each key stage has an assembly on Monday and Wednesday. The Head of School takes an Assembly on Friday for pupils as a way of celebration. The celebration assembly includes a Sammy Seal of the Week, team point winners, handwriting winners, attendance winners and many other awards. 

Throughout their time at Hamford children are offered a wide variety of learning experiences.  Children are encouraged to express themselves using different forms and media.  Skills are taught from an early age and children are encouraged to be critical of their work and to look for ways to improve in the future. 

We provide peripatetic music lessons for a variety of musical instruments. Parents make a contribution to the cost of these sessions, further details of which can be obtained from the school office.  

The school takes part in activities in the local community and with other local schools which promote the arts.  Visits to art galleries, concerts and theatres are sometimes arranged as part of our educational visits programme.

Elements of RSE, tailored to the age, physical and emotional maturity of our pupils are incorporated into health topics throughout the academy, for example, similarities and differences between us, and aspects of reproduction in all living things will arise within the context of Science.  There is more focused teaching for children in Years 5 and 6. The Governors have approved our RSE programme.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education-faqs along with our programme by year group available on our website.

After surveying children staff and parents of the Hamford community, we formulated two guiding principles upon which to base any home learning.

Home Learning should:

• Encourage children and parents/carers to engage in learning which helps develop learning power and thinking skills, including being resourceful, reflective, resilient learners who think creatively and work as part of a team

• Provide learning opportunities at home that link to the learning in class by participating in deliberate practice that promotes accuracy, fluency and mastery of key skills

Although there are many ways you can help at home to support your child’s academic knowledge and skills there are even more valuable experiences you can be providing to help develop your child’s passion for learning and life.  

So, how can you help at home? 

Build and create magnificent machines, magical lands or anything else that interests your child – maybe they will want to write about it or make a film about it or maybe they won’t but at the very least they have shared an amazing experience with you discussing it, questioning what to do next, evaluating what they like and what they want to change. Alternatively, explore the great outdoors!  Go for a walk on the beach or in a forest and marvel about the wonders of nature – they may even want a pet and learn how to look after another life.  Cook and bake with them to help foster a fascination in food and how it helps sustain life.  Encourage your child to take up a hobby, such as collecting football stickers, and be amazed how it leads to the acquisition of greater knowledge.  Take them to a museum or art gallery – big or small – maybe they will want to draw, paint or sculpt when they get home.  Take them to see live music and promote the importance of practise, determination and commitment needed to master an instrument.  Play sports or board games – teaching them the value of competition, but yet the dignity of sportsmanship.

At Hamford we believe in providing children with rich and varied learning experiences.  Extra-curricular activities are therefore encouraged and many are available for the children to enjoy either at lunchtime or after school.  Their exact nature varies with the time of year and the availability of staff.  These have included clubs for choir, football, maths, writing, dance, ICT, golf, tennis, art, iPads, fencing, volleyball, basketball, netball, gardening and even our very own ‘chicken club’. 

8.40am School gates open for children to line up in classes on the playground (Early Years to go straight into class)

8.45am Whistle blows for children to line up before going into class

10.00am – 10.20am KS1 break

10.20am – 10.40am Year 3 & 4 break

10.20am – 10.40am Year 5 & 6 break

11.30am – 12.30pm Reception lunch 

11.45am – 12.30pm Y1 lunch

12.00pm – 12.45pm Y2 lunch 

12.30pm - 1.15pm Y3 & Y4 lunch

12.45pm-1.30pm Y5 & Y6 lunch

KS1 have an afternoon break each day, time of which varies depending upon the activities of each day.

3.15pm End of school day

Breakfast Club runs from 7.30am to 8.30am each day please direct any enquiries for Breakfast Club to Sandra Clarke or Sarah Hitches.

The office is staffed from 8.00am to 5.00pm each day with the school phone lines open for inbound calls from 8.15am to 4.45pm, an answer phone will collect all calls outside of these times.

Why it is important to attend school regularly?

• To give your child the best possible start in life.

• They will be able to keep up with their work.

• They will achieve better results.

• They will develop friendships and social skills.

Attendance matters

The school has established an effective system of incentives and rewards that acknowledges the efforts of pupils to improve their attendance and timekeeping and will challenge the behaviour of those pupils and parents who give low priority to attendance and punctuality.

To meet these objectives Hamford  Primary Academy has an effective and efficient system of communication with pupils, parents and appropriate agencies to provide mutual information, advice and support.

Our whole school target is 96% which is in line with the Government's national expectation

HPA Attendance Policy 2022-23 

Our school menu is designed to meet the nutritional standards required by the government to ensure children receive balanced and varied meals. Dinners are cooked daily in our own kitchen.

Children are able to switch between school dinners and packed lunches once a term. 

All Early Years and Key Stage 1 children (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) automatically qualify to receive school dinners free of charge.

For the rest of the school (Years 3,4,5 and 6) the cost per meal is £2.00 a day. Dinner money must be paid on-line using ‘ParentPay’ (details available separately). 

All meals must be paid for in advance.

From time to time, parents may have a concern about their child’s education.  Many such concerns can, and should, be resolved at school level, particularly as they arise out of misunderstandings about the aims of the academy and the methods employed to achieve them.

The first point of contact for any concerns should be the class teacher. 

If you still require further clarification then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Senior Leadership Team (Mrs Ketley- SENDCo or Mrs Philpin- Pastoral Lead).  

If  you are still concerned, please arrange an appointment with the Head of School Miss Cooper).

Details of our complaints procedure can be requested from the school office or is available on our website www.hamfordprimaryacademy.org 

At Hamford, we believe that children learn best when the academy works in partnership with parents.  Details of how this partnership works can be found in the Home/School Partnership Agreement.

The academy welcomes parents and appreciates their help during the school day and also as escorts on educational visits subject to a Disclosing and Barring Service check (DBS).  If you have some time to spare and would like to volunteer to help within the school day or to run an after school club, please contact the school office in the first instance to arrange an informal chat with the Head of School.

There is an enthusiastic ‘Hamford Academy Friends’ Association, which arranges social functions and fundraising activities for the benefit of the academy.  All parents automatically become members when their child joins the school.  The Friends Association meets at least termly and welcomes new members either as committee members or for assistance with school activities.  We hope that all parents will be willing to support the activities of the Association.  Further information is available from the school office.

It is the academy’s policy that no child should ever be excluded from an excursion, activity or event on financial grounds.  Nevertheless, all excursions and some activities have to be self-financing.  Therefore, the academy seeks voluntary contributions towards the costs.  If however, a significant number of parents were unable to support a venture it may regrettably have to be cancelled.  

The academy may charge in the following areas:

• Board and lodging as part of a residential visit.  

• Activities, day visits or residential visits that take place wholly or mainly out of school hours.

• Materials for craft work or ingredients for cookery where the wish has been expressed to keep the finished product.

• The cost of repair or replacement for breakages, damages or loss as a result of the pupil’s behaviour.

The following are areas where no compulsory charge will be made, but it is the academy’s practice to seek voluntary contributions for:

• Particular educational workshops provided by outside agencies during school hours.

• Transport and admission to theatres, museums and other places of educational interest in the course of visits which take place wholly or mainly during school hours.

• Transport, admission charges or insurance which are part of a residential visit taking place wholly or mainly during school hours.

We urge all parents to make voluntary contributions when requested in order to give support and maintain the activities described.  If sufficient voluntary contributions are not received from parents to support an activity, the academy reserves the right to cancel the activity for all children.

Hamford pupils normally transfer at 11+ to our local secondary school, Tendring Technology College (TTC), which is also part of Academies Enterprise Trust (AET).  Strong links have been forged between TTC and the feeder schools and there is a well-established partnership between Hamford and TTC.  Parents and pupils are invited to open meetings at the Lower School in Thorpe-le-Soken. Pupils in Year 5 attend a special curriculum day during the academic year.  Visits by TTC staff and their students are made to support Hamford students throughout their learning experience, ensuring that by the time they transfer to Tendring, our Year 6’s are already familiar with the college and its surroundings. 

Hamford Primary Academy is committed to the protection of all personal and sensitive data for which it holds responsibility as the data controller and the handling of such data in line with data protection principles and the Data Protection Act (DPA). Changes to Data Protection Legislation (GDPR) have been recognised and implemented to ensure full compliance.

There may be circumstances where the school is required either by law or in the best interests of students or staff to pass information onto external authorities, for example, local authorities, Ofsted or the Department of Health. These authorities are up to date with data protection law and have their own policies and procedures in place to ensure protection of all data they receive or collect. 

Further information can be found in the Pupil Privacy Notice available upon request from the school office or via our website.

Hamford Primary Academy is committed to the protection of all personal and sensitive data for which it holds responsibility as the data controller and the handling of such data in line with data protection principles and the Data Protection Act (DPA). Changes to Data Protection Legislation (GDPR) have been recognised and implemented to ensure full compliance.

There may be circumstances where the school is required either by law or in the best interests of students or staff to pass information onto external authorities, for example, local authorities, Ofsted or the Department of Health. These authorities are up to date with data protection law and have their own policies and procedures in place to ensure protection of all data they receive or collect. 

Further information can be found in the Pupil Privacy Notice available upon request from the school office or via our website.