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| 19 Norfolk Street, CB1 2LD, UK Cambridge
Tel. 01223 568838, Fax: 01223 568839
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Welcome to St Matthew School
Our School Aims
We aim to provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere in which children can gain the skills and knowledge necessary for them to become effective and independent life long learners. We want the children to develop as confident, open-minded, questioning and adaptable young people.
We believe that we can best achieve this by striving towards the following key aims.
- We aim to provide equal opportunities for all; to foster respect for, and understanding of, the differences between individuals and communities; and to celebrate the individuality of each person and the diversity of the school community.
- We aim to achieve high standards in children’s learning by:
maintaining high expectations of all children;
We aim to create an environment in which children feel safe, secure and happy, in which they are listened to, and in which their views are respected.
- We aim to work in close partnership with parents and carers in the education of their children; to maintain effective two-way communication with parents and carers; and to provide support for children and families, especially in times of difficulty.
- We aim to develop children’s recognition of their roles in society through the mutual involvement of the wider community in the life of the school and in the children’s learning.
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| In Nursery and Reception years, children follow the Foundation Stage, which focuses on six broad areas of learning: Personal, social and emotional development; Communication, language and literacy; Mathematical development; Knowledge and understanding of the world; Physical development; Creative development.
In years 1 to 11, children follow the National Curriculum which covers a range of topics within literacy, numeracy and science, in four Key Stages. Literacy provides children with the skills to read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding; Numeracy focuses on numbers in the world around us for younger children, moving on for older children to multiplication and the application of mathematical principles in everyday activities.
The Key Stages operate as follows:
| Age |
Stage |
Year |
Tests |
| 3–4 |
Foundation |
Nursery |
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| 4–5 |
Reception |
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| 5–6 |
Key Stage 1 |
Year 1 |
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| 6–7 |
Year 2 |
National tests and tasks in English and maths |
| 7–8 |
Key Stage 2 |
Year 3 |
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| 8–9 |
Year 4 |
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| 9–10 |
Year 5 |
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| 10–11 |
Year 6 |
National tests and tasks in English, maths and science |
| 11–12 |
Key Stage 3 |
Year 7 |
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| 12–13 |
Year 8 |
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| 13–14 |
Year 9 |
National tests and tasks in English, maths and science |
| 14–15 |
Key Stage 4 |
Year 10 |
Some children take GCSEs |
| 15–16 |
Year 11 |
Most children take GCSEs, GNVQs or other national qualifications |
Extra-curricular Activities— Music; languages; trips; sports; school productions; visiting artists |
| Arrangements For Children Joining The SchoolChildren join our nursery class in the September after their third birthday, and start in Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. Parents who wish their child to come to St. Matthew’s should contact the school office to register. We are able to take 52 children into the nursery (26 for each session) and 60 into our two Reception classes. If you wish to visit the school, please contact the office to make an appointment. Places are offered at the beginning of May for the next September.
Staff in the Nursery and Reception classes work hard to make the start of school successful. We hold a meeting for new parents in the summer term, and visits are made to other nursery schools and playgroups. We arrange times for new children to visit the classroom with their parents to meet their teacher and other class members.
Children do not start full time in Reception straight away. We find that by introducing a group of children each week to full time school we are able to help them make the transition successfully. It also helps staff get to know the children individually and to do the base line assessment that we carry out in the first few weeks. All children are full time by the autumn half term.
If a child comes to our Nursery it does not mean they are automatically guaranteed a place in Reception should we be over-subscribed.
If we are over-subscribed in either Nursery or Reception we follow the LEA’s admissions policy in deciding who to offer places to. The priorities are as follows:
- Children who have a medical reason for coming to St. Matthew’s
- Children who live in the catchment area of the school. This is a defined list of streets.
- Children who do not live in the catchment area but who have a brother or sister already at the school.
- Other children chosen by age for the Nursery children and by the distance from home to the school for the Reception children.
If you are not offered a place at the school for your child, you may appeal to the LEA. Contact Patsy Smith at Shire Hall (tel 01223 717667). |
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