Key Information

Admissions

Bampton Church of England School is a member of the Alumnis Multi Academy Trust which is the admissions authority, responsible for the admissions policies and decisions on applications for admission. We have an admissions policy for each academic year. They are written to comply with the School Admissions Code and School Admissions Appeals Code. We take part in the co-ordinated admissions schemes of Devon County Council.

Come and visit us

If you are interested in your child attending our school, you are welcome to come in and visit us. You can arrange a visit on 01398 331121 or by emailing bampton.sch@alumnismat.org. The Headteacher will be able to discuss admission with you.

Applying to come here

Once you decide you would like a place in [Reception] or at any other time after this, you must make a formal application. You can do this by applying to the Local Authority and not directly to the school. A fresh application must be made for children who are attending our Nursery. Applications for nursery places are made directly to the school. Please see further information on our Nursery page.

For the Normal Round intake into school, children are offered places to start in Reception at the beginning of the September term after their fourth birthday. Children who are admitted to a vacancy at any time after this point are called 'In-Year' Admissions.

The Local Authority

Devon County Council publishes information about admissions and its own policies to support the admissions application and appeals process. This is at www.devon.gov.uk/admissions

Applications can be made online at www.devon.gov.uk/admissionsonlineor by using the forms available at http://devon.cc/applicationforms

The appeals process is detailed at www.devon.gov.uk/school-appeals

For questions about your child joining the school or just about the admissions process in general, please don’t hesitate to contact the school direct or contact Devon School Admissions Service on 0345 155 1019 or by email to admissions@devon.gov.uk.

Our Admissions Policies

You can find our admissions policies below - we review the school policy annually and may make changes if we feel this would be in the best interests of the school and our community.

Each academic year has its own policy document, with details about how to apply for a place in school from the start of [Reception] through to [Year 6].

Attendance

Children make the best progress if their attendance is over 97% (less than six days absence per year). Children with attendance of 90% are missing one month of school per year, and it will be difficult for them to achieve their best. If a child’s attendance is less than 90% they are classed as ‘persistent absentees”, and it will be almost impossible for them to keep up with their work.

Registration starts in class at 9:00am, child is late if they arrive after 09:00. If your child is absent from school for any reason it is vital that you contact the school office by 09:10. Failure to contact the school may result in the absence being classed as ‘unauthorised’.

Please note that new Government legislation came into effect from September 2013. This removes the authority from Headteachers to authorise holidays during term time. Headteachers are only able to grant leave from school during term time in exceptional circumstances.

The following information is produced as the current guidance for schools to follow, and is produced by Babcock LDP.

Why does good attendance matter?

A good education can be the cornerstone for future life opportunities. Missing school can leave gaps in knowledge and understanding, and can also place the student at a disadvantage in both their educational development and, potentially, in their eventual GCSE success.

Beyond qualifications, going to school every day is crucial for a number of reasons;

* It is the best place for students to learn;

* It is good preparation for college or work. Colleges and employers expect a history of good attendance;

* Parents will know where their children are, and that they are safe;

* It is the Law.

The Law and school attendance

The 1996 Education Act (s7) places a legal responsibility upon parents/carers to ensure that their child fully attends the school at which they are registered. This means that your child must attend school every day and on time (unless as parents/carers you can prove that the absence was with the authorisation of the school or that it was unavoidable).

If your child has unauthorised absences then the school can make a request to the Local Education Authority (through the Education Welfare Service) to instigate Parental Responsibility Measures. If you have Parental Responsibility, this could mean receiving any of the following;

A Penalty notice

Should a Penalty Notice be issued, one notice will be issued to each parent/carer for each child involved. Currently, each Penalty Notice is for £60 if paid within the first 21 days, this increases to £120 if paid between the 22nd and 28th day. If a Penalty Notice goes unpaid after 28 days, then a Magistrates Summons will be issued. Also, if a Penalty Notice has already been issued within the previous 2 years then the Local Authority will proceed straight to Magistrates Summons.

A Magistrates Summons

that could lead to a criminal record, a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a term of imprisonment for up to 3 months.

Education Supervision Order (ESO).

The Children Act 1989 allows the Local Education Authority to apply to the Family Proceedings Court for an ESO for any child of compulsory school age, whom it is felt, is not being properly educated. The intention behind the ESO is to support parents in fulfilling their legal responsibilities. The ESO is only suitable where the child and the parents/carers are willing to co-operate with the process. If the application for an order is successful the ESO will last for one year, but may be extended for up to 3 years. A Supervising Officer will be appointed by the Court. The role of the Supervisor is to work with the child and family to ensure that an appropriate education is received.

When are absences unauthorised?

Schools are required to notify the Local Education Authority if a student has unauthorised absences. If the Local Education Authority believes the absences to be avoidable then it can initiate Parental Responsibility Measures (see Law and School Attendance above) against the child’s parents/carers. Unauthorised absences can be acquired when;

* Leave has been requested, but the circumstances are such that the school is unable to authorise the leave (and the leave is still taken anyway).

* Leave is not requested and/or the school has grounds to believe that the child has been taken out of school for an avoidable reason (example – a family holiday, buying uniform, looking after a sibling). Sometimes, there have been occasions when schools have been notified that the pupil is sick, but the school discovers or reasonably believes that the reason given for the absence is not genuine.

* A child continually arrives late after the registration period has closed.

* The Head Teacher has the authority to unauthorise any absence that they feel is avoidable.

The Law and requests for term time absence

As of September 2013, an amendment to the Education (Pupil Registration)(England) Regulations 2006 came in to force and greater clarity was introduced to the issue of schools authorising absence requests. These changes reinforced the Government’s view that every minute of every school day is vital and that pupils should only be granted authorised absences by the school in ‘exceptional circumstances’.

A family holiday is not considered by the Government to be an ‘exceptional circumstance’ and therefore may not be authorised by the school.

If you would like to request ‘leave’ to be considered for authorisation due to exceptional circumstances, please request, complete and return an S2 form to the school.

Should you choose to take your child out of school without the authorisation of the school, then Parental Responsibility Measures could be instigated (see The Law and school attendance).

Charging

Complaints

Equality & Inclusion

At Bampton Church of England School, we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers irrespective of race, gender, disability, belief, sexual orientation, age or socio-economic background. We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which all those connected to the school feel proud of their identity and ability to participate fully in school life.

We tackle discrimination through the positive promotion of equality, by challenging bullying and stereotypes and by creating an environment which champions respect for all.

We believe that diversity is a strength which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn, teach and visit us.

Equality in Teaching and learning

We provide all our pupils with the opportunity to succeed and to reach the highest level of personal achievement. We do this by:

Ensuring equality of access for all pupils and preparing them for life in a diverse society
Using materials that reflect the diversity of the school, population and local community without stereotyping
Promoting attitudes and values that challenge any discriminatory behaviour or prejudice
Providing opportunities for pupils to appreciate their own culture and celebrate the diversity of other cultures
Seeking to involve all parents in supporting their child’s education
Utilising teaching approaches appropriate for the whole school population which are inclusive and reflective of our pupils.

Equality in Admissions and Exclusions

Our admissions arrangements are fair and transparent and do not discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, religion, belief, disability and/or socio-economic background.

Equal Opportunities for Staff

All staff appointments and promotions are made on the basis of merit and ability and in compliance with the law. We are keen to ensure that the staffing of the school reflects the diversity of our community

Inclusion:

The Alumnis Trust is fully committed to an inclusive education that is central to the achievement of a high quality education for all our learners and the development of more inclusive communities.

A highly inclusive ethos will be reflected in our schools through our distinctive vision, values and character virtues, creating a culture where pupils feel welcome, accepted, safe and valued.

Inclusion does not mean treating people the same without regard for individual differences. We are proactive in identifying barriers which restrict pupils’ achievement, engagement and learning and take action to remove obstacles that could lead to educational exclusion.

Particular groups of pupils who require access to specialist provision within our schools are at the highest risk of educational exclusion. These include pupils with special educational needs, pupils with disabilities, pupils with special talents and pupils with special gifts.

Developing inclusion will involve pupils, professionals, parents, carers and the wider community.

Freedom of Information

Governance

Local School Committee

The Local Schools Committee for Bampton, Burlescombe and Webber’s Schools

Known as “Mid Devon”; Bampton, Burlescombe and Webber’s schools are all members of the Alumnis Multi Academy Trust and collectively form one Local Schools Committee (LSC). A Local Schools Committee is a sub-committee of the Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust Board of Directors. The Board delegate functions to the LSC, in particular, the LSC is key in providing the Board with stakeholder voice. Members are appointed by the Board, Parents and Staff.

The LSC plays a crucial role in enriching community relationships and communication, contributing to the collective effectiveness of schools and Alumnis MAT as a whole. The aim is to support, inform, advise and challenge provision; working together, empowering excellence and improving outcomes for all children. Working with the Head Teacher, Executive Team and Trust Board, the LSC is a local voice and a link with local communities and churches (church schools) as well as being advocates for all schools within our School Trust. For our Church of England schools, the LSCs will also ensure that the school’s Christian distinctiveness is recognised.

The LSC are responsible for:

Approving policies: Agree on policies for the school, such as those relating to Healthy Eating.
Overseeing the school: Supporting the implementation of the school's improvement plan and working as the voice for the Directors.
Building relationships: Working with head teachers to establish and maintain relationships with the local community
Ensuring effective use of resources: Monitoring the use of resources for SEND and Pupil Premium
Implementing safeguarding policy: Monitoring the effective implementation of safeguarding policy and procedures

The Chair of our Mid Devon LSC is Rev. Kevin Chandra and can be contacted via the schools.

If you would like to contact the LSC on any matter please email: trustclerk@alumnismat.org

Trust Details, Scheme of Delegation and LSC Members found here

Ofsted Reports

Performance

PE & Sport Premium

Policies

Privacy Notices

Under data protection law, individuals have a right to be informed about how the Trust and its Schools use any personal data about its students. We, the Alumnis Multi Academy Trust, comply with this right by providing Privacy Notices to parents/carers and students, as appropriate, where we are processing their personal data.

The Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust is the Data Controller for the purposes of data protection law and therefore will determine the purposes for which personal data is processed (the ‘why’ and the ‘how’). Your School and authorised 3rd parties, e.g.School Money, process and ‘use’ data on behalf of the Trust and are therefore Data Processors.

We collect and use personal data about the pupils who attend our schools, in order to provide an outstanding education. This personal data includes identifiers such as name, address and contact details of parents/carers, characteristics such as ethnic group, nationality and language, attendance information, test results, medical conditions, and special educational needs information.

This data is used for a variety of reasons, including:

Support student learning.
Protect student welfare.
Monitor and report on student progress.
Contact students and parent/carers when we need to.
Provide appropriate pastoral care.
Assess the quality of the services we provide.
Administer admissions waiting lists.

The Trust and its Schools will ensure that all personal data is processed fairly and lawfully, is accurate, is kept secure and is retained for no longer than is necessary. We do not share personal information about our students with any third party without consent, unless the law and our policies allow us to do so. For example we are required to pass on some data to the Department of Education (DfE).

See our Privacy notices below to learn how we collect, use, protect and share the personal information about our pupils.

If you have any questions, concerns or would like more information about anything mentioned the Privacy Notice(s), please contact the Trust's Data Protection Officer (DPO), details below:

Data Protection Officer

Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust

Studio N, Caddsdown Business Support Centre

Clovelly Road, Bideford

Devon, EX39 3BE

Email: dpo@alumnismat.org

Tel: 01237 879382

To see our Privacy notices to learn how we collect, use, protect and share the personal information about our pupils please see our Trust downloads page

Pupil Premium

Safeguarding

Bampton Safeguarding Statement

Bampton Church of England School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We recognise that all adults including temporary staff, volunteers, parents and Local School Committee members have a full and active part to play in the protection of our pupils.

We believe that Bampton Church of England School should provide a caring, positive, safe and stimulating learning environment that promotes the fair and just principles of British values to support the social, emotional, physical and moral development of each child.

We actively support the Government’s 'Prevent’ agenda to counter radicalisation and extremism.

All adults working in school have enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance together with safeguarding checks in accordance with policy. All staff have regular safeguarding training.

If you are concerned about a child’s welfare please record your concern and any observations or conversations heard

Please report to the schools (Designated Safeguarding Lead) or (Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead) as soon as possible. If you do find yourself needing to report a concern, we stress the need for absolute confidentiality to be observed and maintained at all times.

We have an Online Safety Committee who meet regularly to monitor and review the school’s strategy and protocols regarding online safety.

Sometimes we may need to share information and work in partnership with other agencies when there are concerns about a child’s welfare. We will ensure that our concerns about our pupils are discussed with their parents / carers first unless we have reason to believe that this would be contrary to the child’s welfare.

Further information on Safeguarding children in Devon

can be found on the Devon and Torbay Safeguarding Children Boards website.

Useful Links

"SelfieCop is a useful tool that can help parents safeguard their children's online activities."
A.Jackson, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC, Ireland)

You can read more about SelfieCop and download it HERE

NSPCC 'Underwear Guide' for Parents to talk with their children about

Safeguarding reminder for Devon

Child abuse. If you think it, report it.

We all have a responsibility to report any concerns of abuse or neglect and get help to vulnerable children and young people quickly.

Whether you’re the neighbour, the teacher or the concerned relative, everyone has a role to play in tackling child abuse and neglect. You don’t have to be absolutely certain either, information is usually gathered from many sources, and yours could be the missing piece needed, so it is very important.

The advice to anyone in Devon who may have suspicions of child abuse or neglect is to contact Devon’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0345 155 1071, or email mashsecure@devon.gov.uk and give as much information as you can.

SEND

The Importance of provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities

Bampton Church of England School is a mainstream school who believe that everyone has the right to be educated and be part of our school community. We are committed to the promotion of equality and diversity. In doing so, we realise the valuable contribution, which all members of the school community can make to our school.

In recent years approximately 13.1% of children within our school have been deemed to have a special educational need or disability of one kind or another. Children have a special educational need if they have a learning difficulty, which requires additional or specific provision to be put in place for them.

The curriculum and learning environment

Every child at Bampton Church of England School will access high-quality teaching which takes account of pupil’s differing needs. We are proud of our creative curriculum throughout the school which allows children to learn in a variety of ways, become independent learners, thrive in areas of strength and gain confidence in areas of need. Where appropriate the curriculum will be adapted and reasonable adjustments will be made to meet the range of special educational needs in our school. When children are in need of additional support, where possible this will be provided within the classroom setting to allow for full inclusion, it may also be given through small group sessions in addition to their usual classroom provision. Teachers and teaching assistants will provide a tailored and personalised approach in line with a child’s individual My Plan or EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan). As a school we will endeavour to secure the special educational provision required by the child.

School trips are an important part of a child’s education. We make every effort to provide these opportunities for every child in our school. Where necessary we will seek the support of parents or other appropriate adults to support children with SEND to partake in school trips as well as extracurricular activities. Arrangements will be made to ensure all children can fully contribute to every aspect of school life.

Accessibility of our school

We are a readily accessible school; our school has no stairs into the school building and is set on one level throughout, we have large doorways accessible by wheelchairs. We have large disabled changing and toilet facilities as well as a disabled parking bay. Should any additional equipment or services be required, the SENDCo and Head teacher work together to secure this where necessary. Our outdoor areas are fully accessible to people with a range of special educational needs and disabilities.

Supporting the overall well-being of children with SEND

Supporting children's well being is of paramount importance to us at Bampton Church of England School. All staff at our school work hard to support the well-being of every child; within the classroom we have a ‘reflective area’ where children can have a moment to themselves, share concerns and worries with their peers or members of staff, we also have a caring and honest relationship with all children and ensure there are opportunities for children to talk to adults for support. The Head teacher and SENDCo continually share information, to provide a holistic approach for children and parents.

Parental Involvement

The role of parents and carers is very important and we seek to support the partnership between school and home. Parents are encouraged to become involved or are included in their child’s learning in the following ways:

~ Learning that is sent home;

~ Regularly meeting with the class teacher and SENDCo;

~ Consultation with parents regarding targets and next steps for their child;

~ Attendance and contributions to reviews of their child’s learning;

~ Volunteering to support learning and activities within school, on school trips and through extracurricular activities;

Complaints procedures:

If you have a complaint, please first go to your child’s class teacher, if your complaint is not resolved, please speak to the SENDCo or Headteacher.

Roles and Responsibilities in Our Schools

Head Teacher: Lully Newman

SENDCo: Caren Dickinson

Local Offer within Devon

Bampton Church of England School is committed to ensuring all children have the best possible start to life, some children may need additional support through their education. To support schools and parents in Devon County Council provide a ‘Local Offer’ which can be found by clicking here. The Local Offer website provides information and access to a range of services for children and young people between the ages of 0-25 years.

SIAMS Report

Whistleblowing