Hardcopies
Hardcopies of all policies and reports found on this website are available on request at the school office, or download here.
Contact Details
The name, postal address and telephone number of the school, and the name of a person to whom enquiries should be addressed is:
Mr Geoff Woods, Headteacher, Maidwell Primary School, Draughton Road, Maidwell, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN6 9JF
Our Telephone Number
Our telephone lines are open from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday, excluding school holidays. The number to call is: 01604 686240
Our Opening Hours
Our school day begins at 9:00am and finishes at 3:30pm. This includes a 15 minute morning break and a 1 hour and 15 minute lunch break for all children.
Breakfast Club is available to all children from 8:00am (additional cost) and there are a variety of after-school clubs available for children to attend from 3:30 to 4:30pm (Please contact the school for more information or see our Clubs and Extra-curricular tab under For Parents).
Admissions
Maidwell Primary School caters for children from 4 to 11 years. Parents are warmly invited to visit the school.
When do I apply for my child to have a place at Maidwell School?
Maidwell School follows the defined process that is set by the Northants Local Authority. The website link in the sidebar will provide more detail, but below we outline the basic issues.
- You must apply to the West Northants Council for your child's school place.
- Parents will be able to apply for a place at Maidwell Primary school for September 2023 from September 2022.
- The school presently has an admission number of 10 pupils per year group. We hope to offer a place to all families who choose Maidwell Primary School, however, parents should be aware that in the event of the school being oversubscribed, the places will be offered in accordance with the Local Authority's regulations.
- If your child is unsuccessful in gaining a place at Maidwell, please contact the local authority (West Northants Council) and ask to be put onto the waiting list.
How do I apply?
Before making an application, please visit the West Northants Council website for guidance on how to apply, school information and oversubscription criteria. A link for this site can be found in the sidebar.
Appeals
In the event of a place not being available, parents may appeal, please click here.
The admission arrangements for the school in relation to each relevant age group at the school, including any arrangements for selection, any oversubscription criteria and an explanation of the process of applying for a school place is provided by WNC and you will find this in the Key Weblinks in the sidebar.
Ofsted
In May 2014, Maidwell School was inspected by Ofsted. The Inspector commented:
"Outstanding teaching enables pupils to make outstanding gains in their learning from their starting points at school."
"The headteacher provideds very strong leadership. Determined efforts by the headteacher, subject leaders and governors have maintained the oustanding quality of teaching and pupils' achievement since the previous inspection."
"Pupils' behaviour and knowledge of how to keep themselves safe are excellent"
"The quality of teaching is regularly kept under review and staff support one another extremely well."
"Pupils' moral and social development is promoted particularly well."
"The school caters equally well for all groups of pupils, so all are very happy in school and make excellent progress."
"The curriculum is very well planned and offers pupils a very good range of experiences."
"The governing body is well led and both supports and challenges the school very effectively."
"Very good attention is given to individuals and their progress is tracked very well."
"Parents think highly of the school and all those who completed the 'Parent View' would recommend the school to others."
Behaviour and Discipline
The school has a clear, consistent and positive approach to behaviour management based on Golden Rules, which are displayed around the school.
At Maidwell Primary School we believe that the most effective form of discipline is ‘self-discipline’ and through our approach we aim to enable all the children to make the correct choices about how to behave appropriately. If children choose to behave inappropriately there are agreed consequences to remind the children of our expectations.
To view all our documents and policies please click here.
Reports
The most recent report about the school published by her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills can be found in the Key Weblinks in the sidebar
ParentView
Parent View gives you the chance to tell us what you think about your child’s school and asks for your opinion on 12 aspects of your child’s school, from the quality of teaching, to dealing with bullying and poor behaviour. Click the sidebar weblink for this site.
School Comparison Website
The School Comparison Website provides a snapshot of school performance at Key Stages 1, 2 and 4. The dashboard can be used by school governors and by members of the public to check the performance of the school in which they are interested. Click the sidebar weblink for this site.
Performance Data
Curriculum
Each Class at Maidwell has a Newsletter that describes what will be happening in their learning over the coming weeks. It is normal to have a newsletter every term and each is different from term to term.
Each newsletter outlines the focus of each term’s learning. As Class 1 has mixed Foundation Stage/Key Stage 1 children the curriculum of those children in Foundation Stage is linked as/when appropriate to the activities experienced in Key Stage 1. The six areas of learning will be accessed and the focus for Foundation Stage is outlined in their own Newsletter. In Key Stage 1 and 2, the following elements of the curriculium are defined so that parents and children understand what objectives are ahead in the term to come. These include; Literacy, Numeracy, Science, ICT, PE, History, Art, RE, DT, Music, Spanish,PSHE.
Detailed information on how we support the curriculum on a termly basis, for each year group, is found under 'Curriculum' tab, then 'How we teach'.
This includes the names of any phonics of reading schemes used at KS1
Phonics and Reading
At Maidwell Primary School we use Read, Write Inc phonics which is called speed sounds. The children begin by learning the first set of sounds, and as soon as they know a group of sounds they can begin to sound-blend. The children are taught the pure sound in order for sound blending to be effective. So c-a-t will equal cat. Avoid cuh-a-tuh. Our learning in the early years meeting in the Autumn term informs parents on how to say pure sounds. If at any time you would like support in using pure sounds, please speak to a member of our Early Years Team.
As soon as the children can recognise the first set of speed sounds - c t a h e r d f they can then begin to read using the sound-blend process. e.g. A fat cat in a red hat. Soon the children will be reading from our extensive range of Read, Write inc books. The children have guided reading lessons daily in Reception and Key Stage 1. In the Guided Reading sessions, the children are grouped according to their reading ability and the session is led by a teacher or teaching assistant. All of our guided reading books are carefully structured in reading levels and have specific teaching objectives for each session. The children will also read both fiction and non-fiction texts.
At Maidwell we also encourage each child to read daily at home, to enable parents/carers and children to read together. We have a wide range of ability banded reading books including RWI (Read Write Inc) books. For further information on the progression of sounds and key words please click here to download a copy.
Pupil Premium
To access our evaluation of the impact of our most recent support for pupils eligible for additional funding please click here to download.
Sports Funding
PE Provision
At Maidwell Primary School we offer weekly swimming lessons to all of our children from Reception Year 6. The lessons are delivered at Maidwell Hall Swimming Pool which is a few minutes walk away from school. All of Year 6 pupils could swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres, using a range of strokes effectively, as of 2021 (no info for 2019-2020 because of COVID).
All children also have dedicated PE lessons delivered in our fully equipped school hall. We also have an extensive field which is used for outdoor and athletic activities.
The school provides a range of sporting extra-curricular activities for Year 1 - 6 pupils. This year we provide the following in our timetable:
| Activity | Day and Time | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| Gym | Monday 15:30 - 16:30 | Freestyle Football Academy |
| Get Outside Club | Tuesday 15:30 - 16:30 | Maidwell Primary School |
| Dodgeball | Wednesday 15:30 - 16:30 | Freestyle Football Academy |
| Football | Thursday 15:30 - 16:30 | Freestyle Football Academy |
To access our evaluation of the impact of our most recent Sports Funding please see our PE and Sports Premium document in the side panel.
Inclusion - Incorporating Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Special Educational provision means educational provision which is additional to, or otherwise different from, the education provision made generally for children of their age.
The school supports the fundamental principles, practices and procedures of the SEN Code of Practice 2015. Please click here to view the Code of Practise. We are committed to providing a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that is appropriate to the individual pupil. A pupil with special needs may be any child who is experiencing difficulties with learning, or with an emotional, behavioural or physical problem. These difficulties may be of a long or short-term nature and may require extra provision within the school to facilitate the child’s access to a broadly based curriculum. If intervention is identified as being required an IEP (Individual Educational Programme) will be written to address the area(s) of need. The IEP will be shared with the parents and the child and reviewed on a termly basis.
At Maidwell Primary School we aim to provide an inclusive curriculum and ensure that the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and well-being of every pupil with special educational needs matter. Our special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCO) is Mrs Rosemarie James.
Local Offer
The Northamptonshire County Council Local Offer publishes services available for children and young people (aged 0-25) with special eductional needs and disabilities.
Click here for a link to the website and information.
For full details of our Inclusion Policy and our Special Needs Local Offer, please see SEND on the side panel.
Equalities Objectives and The Public Sector Equality Duty
At Maidwell Primary School, we are committed to comply with the public sector equality duty to ensure that we:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
- Consult and involve those affected by inequality in the decisions that we, as a school, take to promote equality and eliminate discrimination.
The school will comply with the public sector equality duty by adhering to the three aims or arms of the general equality duty. The Act explains that having due regard for advancing equality involves:
- Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
- Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.
- Encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.
At Maidwell Primary School we are committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all pupils, staff, parents and carers receiving services from the school. This is irrespective of race, gender, disability, faith, religion 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 are able to participate fully in school life in the following ways(updated February 2023):
- Children will have an increased understanding of diversity of race and multicultural society
- To implement strategies which engage boys in learning in accordance with the national agenda
- To promote inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND); children with SEND meet their individual targets and have high levels of self-esteem
Please see our Public Sector Equality Duty Statement and our Equality and Diversity Policy for School Staff (see About Us tab under Documents and Policies) for more information.
Multicultural Education and Racial Harmony
We believe that children need to develop an awareness and understanding of the multi-racial society in which we live. We aim to promote racial harmony through creating a positive atmosphere, where there is a shared commitment to value diversity and respect difference. Multicultural education is supported through opportunities such as artists in residence and the use of quality resources which reflect and promote our multi-racial society.
Please see our Public Sector Equality Duty Statement and our Equality and Diversity Policy for School Staff (see About Us tab under Documents and Policies) for more information.
Charging & Remissions
We are keen to provide activities and experiences to enhance and enrich the curriculum wherever possible. For certain activities we may request a voluntary contribution. No child will be excluded from such an opportunity for financial reasons. The school may request a contribution towards the cost of ingredients or material where the finished article is to be taken home, such as products made in art, design and technology lessons. Peripatetic music tuition is subsidised by the LA. However, in order to increase the range of instrument tuition available to pupils, parents are required to meet the additional cost of lessons. Swimming lessons are charged at approximately £16 per term.
Please remember that all sessions charged by the school (Get Ouside Club & Breakfast Club) require a FULL TERMS NOTICE (i.e two half terms), along with NPAT & Freestyle Football Academy, if your child no longer wishes to use the facilities.
Activities organised by a third party, or those taking place outside of school hours, may incur costs to be met by parents. Where a pupil has caused ‘wilful damage’ to school property, parents are required to meet the costs of repair or replacement, as appropriate.
Insurance
The School is covered by all normal Northamptonshire County Council insurance arrangements. Our insurance also covers staff, pupils and volunteers on all school journeys and educational visits, at home and abroad.
Safeguarding & Child Protection
Vision & Ethos
Our aim is to create a school where everyone feels part of a partnership working towards providing the best education for our children.
We will accomplish this by:
- Creating a happy and secure environment where everyone is valued and can grow in confidence
- Setting high standards and helping children achieve their full potential
- Providing a carefully planned and well equipped environment, which meets both the demands of the National Curriculum and the needs of the children
- Ensuring quality teaching and learning through a continual review and improvement of the service we provide
- Encouraging self-esteem and respect for all
- Providing a balanced and focussed curriculum which will develop engaged, lively and questioning minds
Governance
Our Governors page details who our governors are, their roles and responsibilities, we also show a declaration of interest.
Complaints procedures
Our complaints procedure is available as a download here.