Policies and documents

At St Martha's Catholic Primary School we follow our Multi Academy Trust, St John the Baptist for several of our policies.

A complete list of St John the Baptists CMAT policies, which includes the complaints policy, E-safety, whistle-blowing and the equalities policies can be found by clicking this link. 

If you are a parent of a child with Special Educational Needs, our complaints procedure can be found in our SEN information report.

 

 

Find attached our Admissions Policy.

Schools are required under the Equality Act 2010 to have an accessibility plan. The purpose of the plan is to:

•  Increase the extent to which pupils with disabilities can participate in the curriculum
•  Improve the physical environment of the school to enable pupils with disabilities to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided
•  Improve the availability of accessible information to pupils with disabilities

Our school aims to treat all its pupils fairly and with respect. This involves providing access and opportunities for all pupils without discrimination of any kind.

At St Martha’s we follow our vision statement, ‘Our vision is to create a community based on Catholic faith and values where every child is empowered to be the best he or she can be, nurtured by outstanding teachers, staff and governors.’ This is embedded in all we do; allowing all children to reach their full potential. Everybody at our school endeavours to follow Catholic values to ensure all children feel welcomed and included in all we offer. These values are taught to our children from the moment they arrive at St Martha’s, so our children grow up with great understanding of inclusion, equality and compassion.

The plan will be made available online on the school website, and paper copies are available upon request.

Our school is also committed to ensuring staff are trained in equality issues with reference to the Equality Act 2010, including understanding disability issues.

Our school’s complaints procedure covers the accessibility plan. If you have any concerns relating to accessibility in school, the complaints procedure sets out the process for raising these concerns.

2. Legislation and guidance

This document meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and the Department for Education (DfE) guidance for schools on the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality Act 2010 defines an individual as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ adverse effect on their ability to undertake normal day to day activities.

Under the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice, ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’. The definition includes sensory impairments, such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and cancer.

Schools are required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for pupils with disabilities under the Equality Act 2010, to alleviate any substantial disadvantage that a pupil with disabilities faces in comparison with a pupil without disabilities. This can include, for example, the provision of an auxiliary aid or adjustments to premises.

Accessibility plan

This action plan sets out the aims of our accessibility plan in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Aims	Current good practice	Actions to be taken	Person responsible	Date to be completed by	Success Criteria
Increase access to the curriculum for pupils with a disability	Our school offers a differentiated curriculum for all pupils. We use resources tailored to the needs of pupils who require support to access the curriculum. We work closely with outside agencies to provide correct equipment for children who need it. Adults who work closely with children who require extra support have training. Curriculum resources include examples of people with disabilities. Curriculum progress is tracked for all pupils, including those with a disability. Targets are set effectively and are appropriate for pupils with additional needs.	In Place	Head Teacher SENDCO Teachers	Ongoing	Monitored by Head Teacher and SENDCO.
Improve and maintain access to the physical environment	The environment is adapted to the needs of pupils as required. This includes: Ramps Corridor width Disabled parking bays Disabled toilets and changing facilities Library shelves at wheelchair-accessible height The whole school is on one level. Electronic doors operated with a button in the new building.	In place	Head Teacher SLT SENDCO Site Manager	Ongoing	Monitoring to make sure all available resources are still being used correctly and not being damaged/items blocking the way.
Improve the delivery of information to pupils with disabilities	Our school uses a range of communication to ensure information is accessible: Laptops/I-Pads Large Print resources Braille (if required) Pictorial or symbolic representation (PECS) Social storied used where needed. Some members of staff have key chains with familiar feelings/words for communication	In place	Head Teacher SLT SENDCO Class teachers	Ongoing	Make sure this is happening in line with EHCP and LSP targets. Ensure that transition is clear to next class teacher.

 

4. Monitoring arrangements

This document will be reviewed every 3 years, but may be reviewed and updated more frequently if necessary. It will be reviewed by SENDCO, Head Teacher and Governors.

 

5. Links with other policies

This accessibility plan is linked to the following policies and documents:

• Health and safety policy
• Special educational needs (SEN) information report
• SEND policy

Reviewed May 2024

Next Review May 2027

 

Below you can find the latest copy of our Behaviour policy.

Reviewed: October 2024

Next Review: October 2025

Our vision is to create a community based on Catholic faith and values where every child is empowered to be the best he or she can be, nurtured by outstanding teachers, staff and governors

Promoting British Values Statement

The DFE have reinforced the need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.” At St Martha’s Catholic Primary School these values are reinforced in the following ways:

Democracy:

Democracy is richly embedded within St Martha’s. Children have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our Circle time / Greatness sessions, through The School Council, through Public Speaking, during School Assemblies and in Class through hot seating question and answer sessions . The School ethos encourages positive behaviour and good manners and respect throughout the school.

The Rule of Law:

Children are taught the value and reasons behind laws and rules, i.e class and school rules, that they govern and protect us, the responsibility this involves and the consequences when rules and laws are broken. Visits from the Police, Fire Service are a regular part of our calendar events and help to reinforce this message.

Individual Liberty:

At St Martha’s pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. Opportunities are provided for the children to express their preferences through voting for the School Council and other roles within the school. We educate children to make informed choices empowering them to make informed decisions. Children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their personal freedoms and how to employ them safely through e-safety and PSHE lessons.

Mutual Respect:

The respect of self and others is fundamental to our core values and ethos. Children take part in discussions and collective worship which emphasise respect for all and this message is reinforced through our daily interactions. Adults and children model respect for each other, age related tasks and responsibilities are integral to supporting this message.

Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs:

At St Martha’s we are blessed with a culturally rich & diverse school community which provides us with unique opportunities to learn from and celebrate each other’s differences.

1. Introduction

St Martha’s Catholic primary school makes no charge for education provided for a pupil during school time, as required under the Education reform Act 1998.

2. Voluntary contributions

When organising school trips or visits which enrich the curriculum and educational experience of the children, the school invites parents to contribute to the cost of the trip. All contributions are voluntary. If we do not receive sufficient voluntary contributions, we may cancel a trip. If a trip goes ahead, it may include children whose parents have not paid any contribution. We do not treat these children differently from any others. The Governing Body has determined to adopt the LA’s advice on charging and remissions and will ensure that any letter associated with trips and visits makes it clear that any cost is a voluntary contribution and that no parent is obliged to contribute. Also that no pupil will be excluded or treated differently according to whether or not a contribution has been received from his/her parent/carer.

If a parent wishes their child to take part in a school trip or event, but is unwilling or unable to make a voluntary contribution, we do allow the child to participate fully in the trip or activity. Sometimes the school pays additional costs in order to support the visit. Parents have a right to know how each trip is funded. The school provides this information on request. The following is a list of additional activities that may be organised by the school, which require voluntary contributions from parents. These activities are known as ‘optional extras’. This list is not exhaustive:

• visits to museums and other places of educational value;
• sporting activities which require transport expenses;
• outdoor adventure activities;
• visits to the theatre;
• school trips abroad;
• musical events.

If there is a surplus for any single activity of more than £5, the governors will offer parents the opportunity to request a refund. Any funds below this amount will be added to the School Fund account for further educational purposes.

• The full contribution to a trip will be refunded if a child is absent due to illness.
• If a trip has to be cancelled parental contributions will be refunded.
• If contributions to a trip exceed the total cost a refund will be given, if excess is over £5 per child.
• Excess income less than £5 per child will be paid into school fund account.
• Excess of expenditure will be funded by school

3. Residential visits

When the school organises a residential visit in school time or mainly school time, which is to provide education directly related to the National Curriculum, a voluntary contribution is asked for towards travel expenses and the cost of museum visits etc. whilst on the trip. However, we do make a charge to cover the costs of board and lodging. Parents who receive state benefits (as outlined in the attached guidance,page 4) are exempt.

4. Subsidies

Where appropriate, the school may approach the Parish of Holy Family Church or The Friends of St Martha’s for assistance in subsidising the cost of a trip.

5. Music tuition

All children study music as part of the normal school curriculum. We do not charge for this. There is a charge for individual or group music tuition if this is not part of the National Curriculum. The peripatetic music teachers teach individual or small group lessons. At present, a charge is made by the peripatetic teacher/external music lesson providers, for weekly instrumental lessons. Parents in receipt of state benefits are exempt from payment. We give parents information about additional music tuition at the start of each academic year.

6. Swimming

The school organises swimming lessons for all children in Key Stage 2. These take place in school time and are part of the National Curriculum. We make no charge for this activity. We inform parents when these lessons are to take place, and we ask parents for their written permission for their child to take part in swimming lessons.

7. Lettings

The Governors of St Martha’s have decided to let the school premises in line with the current Lettings policy.   There may be occasions when local voluntary or charity groups may wish to use the premises for activities, fund-raising etc. On these occasions, the governors will leave it to the headteacher’s discretion. 

Reviewed: September 2024

Next Review: September 2025

At St Martha's we follow St John the Baptist CMAT for many of our policies. You can find a link below that will direct you to their policies.

Equality

Equality Information and Objectives

Public Sector Equality Duty 

(The following information should be read in conjunction with the CMAT Equality & Diversity Policy)

Public Sector Equality Duty

We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to publish information that demonstrates that we have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to age (as appropriate), disability, ethnicity, gender (including issues of transgender, and of maternity and pregnancy), religion and belief and sexual identity.

We welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion.

We recognise that these duties reflect international human rights standards as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the Human Rights Act 1998.

St Martha's Catholic Primary School is an inclusive school. We value every member of the community within a caring and supportive environment and is deeply committed to the principles of equality.

We promote positive and respectful relationships and encourage everyone to actively contribute to ensuring equality of opportunity in all aspects of school life, by the daily living out of Gospel values.

Through our policies and practices we strive to eliminate all forms of discrimination that may prevent pupils or staff form achieving their full potential.

We believe that the Equality Act provides a framework to support our strong commitment to valuing diversity, tackling discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relationships between people. It also ensures that we continue to tackle issues of disadvantage and underachievement of different groups.

 

 

A complete list of St John the Baptists CMAT policies, which includes the complaints policy, whistle-blowing and the equalities policies can be found by clicking this link. 

 

Our Teaching and Learning Policy outlines how we plan and teach our curriculum across the school. 

 

 

Find attached our policy for the procedure for administration of medicine at St Martha's.

 

 

Find attached our policy for the teaching of RSHE at St Martha's.

 

 

 

 

 

By following the link below you can find a copy of our Home Learning Policy for Reception to Year 6.