Our policies
Some of the key policies that govern our school are summarised here. We’ve also included sections for other information that school websites must include. Click on a heading to expand that section. Contact us to discuss these, to ask for a full version of the policy, or to ask about any of our other policies. (There is no charge for providing complete copies of our policies or any other information on the website.)
Admissions
Leeds Admission Policy
We are a community school and the admission authority is Leeds City Council, who sets our admission policy every year. Read the admission policy.
Entry into Nursery
Find out more about how to join our Nursery. Our website page on Early Years might also help.
How to apply for a September place in Reception
If you are applying for a Reception place for September, all applications are made in advance. Offers are made by the Local Authority on national offer day.
You must apply to the local authority who empties your bins. If this is Leeds, check out the Leeds website which is a composite prospectus for all Leeds schools and includes:
- all of the steps you need to make an application
- the key dates
- a search tool to see if your home address gives any higher priority for admission to any school(s)
- an explanation about how places are offered if there are more applications than spaces (oversubscribed)
- the online application portal (apply online and you’ll be sent your offer by email)
- a summary of each school’s individual admission policy criteria
- data about who got a place in the last three years (this will help you work out if there’s a reasonable chance of your child qualifying for a place)
- information about applying under a specific admission criteria, such as your child being previously looked after (it’s important to ensure you submit all supporting evidence by the deadline to show you meet any such criteria)
Watch the Leeds City Council school admissions video for more information. The council’s social media pages will tell you about any Q&A sessions where you can ask questions.
You can also see information about our school, including previous admission data, on our school page on the Leeds City Council’s website.
The timetable below applies to applications made to Leeds City Council. (If you apply to another local authority, they may have different dates.)
- 01 November 2022: Applications open – apply online
- 15 January 2023: National deadline for applying for Reception 2023
- 12 February 2023: Deadline for making changes that will be considered as being on-time
- 28 February 2023: Final date Leeds City Council uses for adding late applications or receiving change of address evidence; any new applications received after this date will not be offered a school place until the first round of reallocations in May
- 17 April 2023: National offer day (first working day after 16 April)
- 01 May 2023: First cut off for waiting list requests
- 15 May 2023: Any Reception appeal submitted by this date will be heard before the summer holidays start (Leeds City Council arranges our appeals)
- May to end of August 2023: Any available places automatically allocated from waiting lists by the local authority; lower preference school offers are also withdrawn automatically (even if accepted)
- June to July 2023: Appeals heard by independent appeal panels
- September 2023: Start primary school
In-year applications
If you’re moving into Leeds or want to change schools in Leeds, you need to make a school transfer – this is often called an in-year application. This includes applications for a place in Reception after the start of term in September and and applications for a place in all other year groups (Year 1-6).
Moving schools can be a difficult experience for a child. You should always speak to your child’s current school before trying to move to see what support they can offer you.
Leeds City Council has delegated the decision making for in-year applications to our Governing Board.
You can apply for a place online using the Leeds in-year application form. You can apply for places at our school and any other Leeds schools who are part of the centralised Leeds in-year application scheme at the same time.
If you’ve moved house, please upload evidence of the house move with the online application. (Find out what you need to provide on the above website.)
We have to offer places by applying our admission policy criteria to your child’s application and we’ll contact you with our decision about offering you a place. We’ll tell you our decision no later than 15 school days from when you apply.
If we can’t offer you a place, we will:
- write to you to explain the reasons
- explain how you can appeal
- add your child to our waiting list in case a place becomes free
Our waiting lists are kept until the end of each school year. You’ll need to make a new application if you want to be on the waiting list for the following school year.
Appeals
If we can’t offer you a place, you have the right of appeal. The appeal panel is independent of the school and council and their decision is legally binding. Before you appeal you:
- should accept any place that you have been offered in case your appeal is not successful
- should think about why you are appealing and check if it’s likely to be successful
- could read the advice for appealing school places on GOV.UK
- could get independent advice on making an appeal from a charity
Leeds City Council arranges our appeals. Find the appeal form.
If you’re applying for a Reception place for September 2023, you need to submit your appeal by the deadline to ensure the appeal will be heard before the summer holidays.
Appeals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are less likely to be successful. This is because these classes are limited to 30 pupils per teacher by law. If we refuse your child a place because of this limit and you want to appeal, you’ll need to make an infant class size appeal. You can see if your reasons are likely to be successful by reading the Department for Education’s information about infant class size appeals.
You can appeal because you want your child to attend a particular school. These are successful if the panel agree that the reasons for your appeal outweigh the school’s decision not to admit any more children.
Wanting your child to go to a school because you think it is the best one in the area is not likely to convince the panel that your child should get a place there.
Assemblies (‘collective worship’)
The 1988 Education Reform Act requires that ‘all pupils in attendance at a maintained school shall on each day take part in an act of collective worship’ and that this should be ‘wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’.
At Scholes (Elmet) Primary School, collective worship is set within the context of ‘assemblies’ – which include other features besides those required of collective worship. ‘Worship’ has a wide range of meanings and forms of expression. At Scholes (Elmet), ‘worship’ means reflection on and understanding of those elements of life which are of value and worth – respecting and caring. for example.
We base our assemblies on a broadly Christian character to meet this requirement, but believe fundamentally that the positive ethos we want to promote complements all faiths and indeed secularism, and the social and emotional aspects of living and learning.
We want every member of our school community to feel happy, valued and respected. Each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring community with mutual trust and respect for all. Our assemblies promote this.
Our school community is made up of people from many different religions and cultures, and of people who have very clearly expressed a secular point of view. Assemblies are non-denominational and conducted in a manner which is sensitive to the faiths and beliefs of all members of the school community. We are proud of the diversity of our school community and as such hold assemblies that reflect and celebrate the traditions and beliefs of all. In this respect, assemblies promote British values.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do contact us.
Assessment
Effective assessment provides information to improve teaching and learning. Teachers, children and parents can work together to raise standards because there are thorough, open assessment procedures in place.
On-going teacher assessment is the most effective way of knowing how a child is progressing. We supplement teacher assessment with end-of-term tests – these are used to inform (never decide) the teacher assessments. In addition, at various stages, there are national assessments to be carried out, too, such as Year 1 phonics screening ‘checks’ and end of Key Stage 2 tests (often known as ‘SATs’).
All subjects are assessed by teacher assessment. In the core subjects, for example:
- In Reading, teachers will listen to children read (assessing their fluency and ability to cope with new words) and question the children to ensure their understanding and opinions of a text are developing. They will also use other techniques including drama, reading tasks and reading comprehensions.
- In Writing, teachers will consider pupils’ written work in books and also their contributions to whole-class and group work. As well as in the English lesson, children write in topic work and therefore teachers are able to assess children’s ability to effectively use their writing skills in wider contexts.
- In Maths, teachers can assess skills and knowledge through methods such as marking written work, questioning (especially open-ended questions) and observing practical work.
See our age-related expectations for more information about core and foundation subjects.
Reporting to pupils and parents
We believe that feedback to pupils is very important as it tells them how well they have done and what they need to do next in order to improve their work. Pupils have many opportunities to reflect and discuss their progress.
We have a range of strategies that keep parents and carers fully informed of their child’s progress in school.
Each term we offer parents and carers the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and discuss learning and progress. During the summer term, we give all parents and carers a written report of their child’s progress and achievements during the year. In this report we also identify target areas for the next school year.
Please contact the school if you have questions or comments about any aspect of your child’s work. Staff are nearly always available for a quick discussion before or after school, or an appointment can be made for a longer meeting.
Attendance
We encourage good attendance. For example, 100% certificates are awarded to children who have had no absences during the entire year – many children become proud of their excellent attendance record.
However, children who are too ill to come to school or may pass infection to others should not attend. When children are absent from school we ask parents to inform the school office by 9.00am on the first day of absence. We contact parents if we feel their children is too ill to stay at school.
Leave of absence will be given for attendance at medical or dental appointments or for examinations in music, dance etc. However, where possible such appointments should be made outside of school hours.
Charging
The aim of this policy is to set out what charges will be levied for activities, what remissions will be implemented and the circumstances under which voluntary contributions will be requested from parents. The Governing Body of the federation are responsible for determining the content of this policy and the Head of Federation for implementation. Any determination with respect to individual parents will be considered jointly by the Head of Federation and Governing Body.
Read the Charging and Remissions Policy.
Children who are looked after
For all our children, we want Scholes (Elmet) Primary to be a happy and healthy place to learn. This includes children who are looked after by the local authority and those who have previously been looked after.
These children receive additional funding – this is called pupil premium. It’s important that the specific needs of children who are looked after and children who have previously been looked after are understood by staff and reflected in how we use the pupil premium funding.
Each school has a member of staff who is the designated teacher for these children – at Scholes (Elmet) Primary, this is Miss Hague, the Head of School. Her role is to promote educational achievement for these children and support other staff members to do this, too.
The provision for children who are looked after is overseen by a ‘virtual school head’. This person is a local authority officer responsible for promoting the educational achievement of the children who are looked after in the authority. They work across schools to monitor and support these pupils as if they were in a single school. They provide support for staff and parents or carers, too.
Each school has a significant role in working with other agencies to make sure the children and their families experience the stability that they need and deserve. We closely work with the virtual school head to agree how pupil premium funding for children who are looked after can most effectively be used to improve and sustain their attainment.
Call us on 0113 264 9149 or send an email to Miss Hague, the designated teacher for children who are looked after: scholesheadofschool@spherefederation.org
Complaints
School leaders and other staff at Scholes (Elmet) Primary School are always happy to hear your views, comments, questions and concerns. This way, we can avoid any problem escalating into something more serious. Complaints are rare; however, all schools are required to have a complaints procedure in place.
Our policy sets out the school’s approach to dealing with parental concerns and complaints. It also contains a form which you may find helpful to use to submit your complaint.
We value good home/school relations and will, therefore, do everything we can to establish and maintain them. This includes seeking to resolve any concerns or complaints promptly, and to the satisfaction of all concerned. We welcome feedback on what parents feel we do well, or not so well, as a school. We consider carefully all feedback, whether positive or negative, and review our policies and practices accordingly.
We treat all concerns and complaints seriously and courteously and advise parents and others of the school’s procedures for dealing with their concerns. In return, we expect parents and other complainants to behave respectfully towards all members of the school community. In particular, any disagreement with the school should not be expressed inappropriately or in front of pupils.
The majority of concerns from parents, carers and others are handled under the following general procedures. The procedure is divided into three stages:
- The informal stage aims to resolve the concern through informal contact at the appropriate level in school.
- Stage one is the first formal stage at which written complaints are considered by the Head of School or Head of Federation.
- Stage two is the next stage once stage one has been worked through. It involves a complaints appeal panel of governors.
How each of these stages operates is explained in our policy.
Read the Department for Education’s guidance for schools on best practice.
Data protection
Sphere Federation aims to ensure that all personal data is collected, stored and processed in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).
Our policies apply to all personal data, regardless of whether in paper or electronic format. They meet the requirements of the UK GDPR and the provisions of the DPA 2018. In addition, the policies comply with regulation 5 of the Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005, which gives parents the right of access to their child’s educational record.
- Privacy note: children and families
- Privacy note: governors
- Privacy note: job applicants
- Privacy note: visitors
- Privacy note: staff
- Freedom of Information Policy
Equality and accessibility
Read our combined Equality Policy and Accessibility Plan.
At Scholes (Elmet) Primary, all children are treated equally, regardless of individual characteristics. We have an inclusive ethos – no children are treated in a disadvantaged manner. We aim to ensure all stakeholders in our school have equal chance to achieve, equal chance to participate, equal chance to fulfil their role in school and the wider community. Equality for all helps us all to develop a sense of identity and to function well in the world. We welcome our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.
Our Accessibility Plan outlines three broad aims to make our school even more accessible:
- improving the extent to which pupils with a disability can participate in the school curriculum
- improving access to the physical environment
- improving the availability of accessible information to pupils with a disability
Other policies and school improvement action plans have a statement regarding equal opportunities whenever this may be relevant and useful.
You might also like to read more information about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Financial information
Anybody can compare a school or trust’s income and expenditure with similar establishments in England. You can view our financial data and see how it compares with others.
Schools and academies are also required to publish how many school employees (if any) have a gross annual salary of £100,000 or more. We have no employees who fall into this category.
Late collection
It is the responsibility of parents to collect their child(ren) on time at the end of each school day. Alternatively, they might make arrangements for their child to be collected by someone else, or for their child to make their own way home or to a friend’s.
We have a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils. This duty extends to having arrangements in place for dealing with children who are not collected at the end of a school day or at the end of an authorised activity.
This policy applies when a child is not collected at the end of the school day, after attending after school clubs, or after attending wraparound care; and when there is no prior parental consent for the pupil to walk home alone.
Medicines in school
Scholes (Elmet) Primary School is committed to reducing the barriers to sharing in school life and learning for all its pupils. Our ‘Managing Medicines’ policy sets out the steps which we take to ensure full access to learning for all our children who have medical needs and are able to attend school.
So that children who require medicines receive the support they need, and that we work within approved guidelines, we follow local and national guidance.
If medicine must be administered during the school day, parents / carers must provide full written information about their child’s medical needs – a form is available to complete.
If a child is responsible enough to carry a particular medicine eg an inhaler, permission from a parent / carer is needed.
Regarding prescription medicines, please note:
- Parents / carers should if possible administer dosages outside of the school day eg if there are three dosages per day, one first thing, one on return home and one at bedtime.
- We will only accept medicines which are essential; that is, where it would be detrimental to the child’s health not to have the medicine during the school day.
- We will not administer medicines that have not been prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse prescriber or pharmacist prescriber, unless it is done as part of an individual Health Care Plan. We can inform parents of this policy.
- Medicines should always be provided in the original container.
- Staff never give a non-prescribed medicine to a child unless there is specific prior written permission from the parents / carers; no medicines should be kept in children’s bags.
Positive relationships (behaviour management)
We want our school to be a happy and healthy place to learn. We promote good choices which lead to positive relationships so that everyone can support each other, work together and learn well.
Central within the Positive Relationships Policy is choice: good choices lead to good consequences. Each teacher and their class develop their own systems of reward and praise for their class. There are whole-school positive consequences, too.
We have just three school rules for our pupils:
- We keep hands, feet and objects to ourselves.
- We follow instructions.
- We respect everyone and everything.
Our pupils make good choices by following our school rules nearly all the time. Occasionally, a school rule might be broken – a bad choice. If a pupil makes a bad choice, they are given a warning – the first warning is simply a reminder of the school rules. There is time built into the series of warnings and consequences to allow a child to reflect on their choice and to explore ways to make better choices and a fresh start.
Our Positive Relationships Policy includes our Anti-Bullying Policy.
Uniform, PE kit and other items
At Scholes (Elmet) Primary School, we’re proud to be members of our school community and we want all our children to feel part of our community and to represent our school. Wearing the school uniform helps us to do this. Children are expected to wear uniform:
- Top: navy sweatshirt or cardigan with logo or other smart navy top
- Shirt: white short sleeved polo shirt (available with logo) or white shirt
- Trousers / skirt: grey
- Summer dress: blue / white check
- Shoes: black, brown or grey shoes or black / white trainers (flat – no heels)
- On PE days: children should wear white t-shirt, navy shorts / tracksuit bottoms and plain trainers
Other items are useful. You can buy book bags, PE bags and hats from our uniform suppliers. Also useful are a separate bag for packed lunch (if your child does not have a school dinner) and a water bottle – any clear plastic water bottle, labelled.
Jewellery in school can raise many problems and so only the following items are allowed: watches, studs for pierced ears and items which are required by a religion. Please avoid expensive items.
To reduce lost property, clearly mark all clothing, bags, bottles etc with your child’s name. We don’t accept responsibility for any loss or damage to an individual’s property. Found lost property is stored in the school office.
Our uniform suppliers include:
- Rawcliffes, 617 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS8 4AR, 0113 249 4025, https://www.rawcliffesleeds.co.uk/
- SPT Uniforms, 115 Main Street, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 1AA, 0113 232 0111.
- Myclothing.com, uniform embroidery service
Check out Leeds School Uniform Exchange – there’s lots of great quality second hand school uniform in Leeds – and much of it’s going to waste. (We can reduce our environmental footprint by sharing uniform, too.)
Read the full uniform policy.