Diwali
In Reception our theme this term is celebrations. One of the celebrations we found out about was the Diwali. We had a visit from Mrs
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Every child deserves the very best start to their lives and here at Woodmancote School, we aim to give all children the opportunities, experiences, support and challenge they need to become happy and active members of local, national and later, international communities.
Nestled between Cheltenham and Cleeve Hill, we are a large primary school that will give your child an experience that will establish firm foundations in terms of having a secure sense of who they are and what they can achieve, and a sense that achievement can take many forms and that each individual
is valued and nurtured for who they are.
Our curriculum is designed to engage children with the world around them and our extensive school grounds are used throughout the year.
All children are treated as individuals here and we are proud of our provision supporting children who excel academically, in sport, drama, music or in other areas of the curriculum.
However, we are also committed to provide for children who may have particular challenges in their lives and for whom there is a need to build a bespoke provision around them.
Mr G Tucker, Headteacher
Our values are important to us and support us in achieving our vision.
Clear values are as important in your Childs’ school life as they are in their home life. Our values have been in place, developed and refined for over 40 years – Belong, Aspire and Achieve. These guide our teaching, the way we manage and govern our school, the way we expect your Child to behave and the way we partner with you as parents.
In the language of OFSTED we are a Good School. Our last full report was in Autumn 2017. Our school has improved even further from then.
We have invested heavily over the last few years; in time, resources, in our people, in our expertise, in our children.
As an active partner working within the Balcarras Teaching School Hub, we have continued to develop staff expertise in oracy, middle leadership and maths.
Several members of staff have undertaken research in recent years as well as Higher Level qualifications in Leadership, Special Educational Needs and The Arts.
Pastoral Support is a key part of our provision and staff are trained in various aspects of care such as Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma, Mental Health and meeting the needs of children in care or who have been adopted.
The quality and expertise of our teaching staff and support staff has never been better. We are proud to have achieved this. We aspire to keep on excelling in this and offering greater opportunities, wider aspirations, more tailored pastoral support and higher achievement to your child.
All children are different. Any parent with more than one child knows this only too well. Classes always have a wide range of abilities and different children develop at different times. Our role is to achieve the very best for your Child whatever their particular need.
Some children are gifted readers or mathematicians from an early age. Some children have difficulty with learning. Some are talented in games, physical ability, art or drama. Some children have physical or emotional challenges that shape their learning and experience.
Your Child may have experiences outside of school that mean their needs change during their time with us.
We have dedicated and trained teachers and teaching assistants to support your Child whatever their needs and challenges.
Our established Pastoral Team members (NEST) are available whenever it is needed.
We teach the full National Curriculum as well as multi-faith religious education and citizenship.
We focus on your Child’s artistic, social, emotional and physical development as well as their intellectual development.
We take a cross circular approach where activities incorporate different learning disciplines and organising teaching of key skills across the following areas:
We are ambitious for your Child and what they can achieve. Your Child will be assessed throughout their time with us to ensure that we are both supporting and challenging them in equal measure. Most assessment is informal and part of the normal classroom routine. Formal assessment is also undertaken, in Reception, Years 2 and 6, as well as a Year 1 Phonics test and Year 4 Tables test.
We have whole class tuition for violin, recorder and brass and our children participate in performances at Young Voices and the Cheltenham Dance Festival.
Additional instrumental tuition is available in school by ‘The Music Junction’. This includes flute, violin, clarinet, singing, keyboard, drums, saxophone and guitar. Instruments can be hired.
Your Child will have the opportunity to participate in educational visits to enhance their learning. Recent trips include Warwick Castle, the SS Great Britain, Gloucester Cathedral and the Cotswold Wildlife Park and the Cotswold Farm Park.
In Year 6 your Child will have the experience of a week’s residential activity week at Whitemoor Lakes.
They will be encouraged to participate in teams and the school is well represented in local competitions and festivals, with over 85% of children representing the school at some point throughout the year. These include football, netball, athletics, country dancing, cross country and rugby.
Effective communication between all members of our school community achieves greater understanding for us all and gets better outcomes for your Child and for our school. We approach our communication from as many effective channels as we can. You have a key role to play in this.
Newsletters are published fortnightly – what has been happening/ what is planned for the weeks ahead. These are posted on to the website and are emailed to parents.
A texting service to enable us to communicate with parents in a fast and efficient way.
Class DoJo, which enables parents to stay informed about their child’s achievements and behaviour whilst at school. Our parents volunteer in school. This is appreciated by children and teachers. It helps us know you better and you to know us better.
We have an active Parent Teacher Association.
Our teachers welcome the opportunity to talk with parents after school.
As Head Teacher, I am always pleased to hear parent’s views about any aspect of school.
Regular parent questionnaires.
We have strong links with other schools in our area and we believe that our wide ranging links to charities and other community groups helps us to develop a wider perspective for your child both in the local and international community.
Our school supports a number of charitable initiatives – Donations to the Trussel Trust at harvest, collections for Winston’s Wish after concerts and performances, and non-uniform days for charities.
We are members of several other partnerships designed to ensure that your Child has a variety of experiences during their time with us.
There is nothing quite like seeing a school in action to fully appreciate the opportunities we can give you and your child. We hope you are able to take the opportunity to come and see us for yourself. Please call the school office and make an appointment if you wish to do so.
In-Year applications can be made directly to the school at any point in the school year.
The Local Authority manages our Reception intake, so enquiries for places if starting in Reception, need to be made with Gloucestershire County Council.
School Admissions and Transfer Team deal with and give advice on the admission and transfer to all mainstream schools.
We welcome visits from any parents wishing to consider a place for their child at our school.
Mrs Lombard, Mrs Holder or Mrs Williams will be happy to arrange an appointment.
Children may come into class from 8.40 onwards ready for registration at 8.45am.
We expect parents to dress their child(ren) in uniform;
Key items of uniform such as sweatshirts, cardigans and PE kit can be ordered from School Togs Cheltenham:
Meals are cooked daily in our own kitchens by Caterlink. The catering company is obliged to provide a carefully balanced and healthy menu.
Parents pay for school dinners through ‘Parentpay’ and will be issued with a user name and password when their child starts school. Free meals are available for those in the Infant classes and for those on income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance or child tax credit. Children may, of course, bring their own packed lunch, which is also eaten in the dining area.
Telephone:
01242 674312
E-mail:
admin@woodmancote.gloucs.sch.uk
Website: www.woodmancoteschool.co.uk
In Reception our theme this term is celebrations. One of the celebrations we found out about was the Diwali. We had a visit from Mrs
In Reception we have been learning about the changing seasons from Autumn to winter. We particularly enjoyed exploring our outdoor area in the snow.
This term, Y3 have had a go at making some Stone Age Tools! We got the idea from reading the book ‘Stone Age Boy’ where
In October, a group of Year 4 and 5 pupils attended The Cheltenham Literature Festival. We began our morning at the story telling tent; listening
This term, Year 5 were very lucky to be visited by Darren Rees; the host of the “Football For Kids” podcast. Darren was invited to
If you have a child due to start school in September 2025, please come along to one of our open days to see what our
