School Prospectus

Rowan Tree Primary School

Green Hall Close, Atherton,
Manchester.
M46 9HP.

Telephone: 01942 883928

e-mail: enquiries@admin.rowantree.wigan.sch.uk
website: www.rowantree.wigan.sch.uk

Headteacher: Mrs Louise Curran

Deputy Headteacher: Mrs Kathryn Oliver

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Dear Parent / Carer,

Welcome to Rowan Tree School. This booklet is designed to give you some basic
information about the school. Information can also be found on the school website.
However, if you have any questions please get in touch with us via email or a phone
call. We are very happy to chat with you at any time.

The information contained in this prospectus is accurate at the time of publication,

but it may need to be amended from time to time as circumstances change and
develop.

You and your child are very important to us. We hope that you will share with us in
making this a successful and enjoyable time at Rowan Tree Primary.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Louise Curran

Headteacher

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Rowan Tree Primary is a community special school for pupils aged 4 – 11 years. All pupils
have an Educational Health Care Plan and require highly specialist teaching due to their
severe and complex needs. At present, there are 116 pupils on roll. We provide a broad,
balanced and highly personalised curriculum, tailored to meet the very specific needs of all
our pupils. As in all schools, the curriculum includes the National Curriculum but at Rowan
Tree Primary we also have a very strong focus upon the development of Play Communication,
Social, Life Skills and emotional wellbeing.

School Vision Statement

Ethos and Values

At Rowan Tree Primary School our priority is to put the children at the centre of
everything we do, to get to know each personality, and to enable and support each child to
learn as much as they can. We treat every child as a unique individual. We aim to ensure that
all children have equal access to high quality opportunities within and outside school. 
 
We work closely with families to support them and their child. As part of a multi-
disciplinary team, we work with a range of therapists to provide an integrated approach to
education and health, both at home and school. We work together to make sure we have the
best impact for each child. 
 
Our aim is to make children feel good about themselves, enjoy life, have friends,
communicate with others and contribute to their communities. 
 
Our priority is also to have a staff team who have a love of learning, and understand that
learning takes place at any point throughout the day. Therefore, staff make the most of
each learning opportunity.  In this way, our vision statement is central to our work: ‘Learning
Every Moment.’

Enabling our pupils to learn as much as they can, often requires staff to be ‘detectives’,
finding out what interests or upsets pupils, what motivates them and the barriers they may
face. The staff team actively learn from each child, create an appropriate learning
environment for each child, and are ambitious for all children.

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Aims of Rowan Tree Primary School
1. To create a welcoming, friendly, bright, lively, and happy learning environment in which
children feel safe and secure.
2. To ensure that Rowan Tree is a place of excellence and enjoyment where every child
achieves, makes progress and is celebrated.
3. To foster the natural curiosity and desire for learning of each individual pupil.

4. To ensure all children have access to an engaging, varied curriculum that will enable
them to make progress in all aspects of the curriculum including communication; life and
social skills; spiritual, moral, and cultural understanding.
5. To have high aspirations and expectations of all pupils and provide high quality,
challenging, imaginative teaching and learning opportunities that are presented through
first-hand experience, practical activities, exploration, investigation and play.

6. To enliven and enrich the curriculum through visits, visitors and extensive use of the
outdoor environment.

7. To develop an enjoyment and respect for the environment, leading to all children
becoming caring and responsible members of society.

8. To promote the development of pupils’ resilience, resourcefulness and sense of

responsibility.

9. To develop self-confidence and high self-esteem in all children.

10. For pupils to become as independent as possible and to prepare them for the future.

11. A place where good behaviour is promoted and challenging behaviour understood.
12. To develop positive partnerships with parents by communicating and consulting with
them about their child’s learning and progress.
13. To work with the multidisciplinary team to provide personalised, integrated education,
health and social care that supports the needs of each child and their families.
14. To be committed to maintaining the highest standards in all aspects of our school and
continually strive for improvement.
15. To be an inclusive school and put into place inclusive practices in all aspects of our work,
ensuring that all children are given equality of opportunity and fair treatment.
16. To be open to new ideas and be adaptive to changes.

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School Governors
Every school has a governing body which represents the interests of the children, the local
community and the wider public in the running of the school. Governors work with staff and
the Local Authority to help secure the best possible outcomes for the children in their
school. The Governors make decisions about how the school is run. The Governing Body
members include parents, staff, local authority representatives and members of the local
and wider community. Meetings are held at least once a term.

Governors have legal duties, powers and responsibilities. They can only act together
and not alone. The governors carry out their statutory responsibilities, which include:

 Deciding what is taught

 Setting standards
 Preparing policies
 Preparing the budget
 Employing staff
 Monitoring and evaluating all aspects of the work of the school

For an update list of Governors please see the Governors’ section on the school website or
contact the school office.

Curriculum
The curriculum at Rowan Tree Primary School is balanced, rich and varied. It is highly
personalized to ensure we meet individual needs. The Curriculum Overviews for EYFS, KS1
and KS2 can be found on the school website.

The curriculum consists of the following core areas:

 Development of Communication Skills
 Development of Social and Life skills
 Learning in the Community.
 Learning through Play both in and outside the classroom.
 Outdoor and Environmental Learning
 Literacy, Numeracy, PSHE and all subjects of the National Curriculum

We have a cross-curricular approach to lessons and do not teach things in complete

isolation. For example, life skills are taught in as many areas as possible. Similarly, Literacy,
Numeracy and ICT are taught in a variety of situations and contexts. New technologies are
used to support all our learning.

Our highly skilled teachers and teaching assistants are supported by specialist providers
such as; P.E., Music, ICT and Drama specialists. Pupils’ experiences are enriched by ‘Super
Learning/Challenge Days’, family learning activities, community visits, extended school
activities, residential holidays, celebration assemblies, and whole school events such as
Easter Egg hunts, World Book Day, Sports Day and much more.

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Teaching takes place within a variety of learning environments for example; sensory studio,
outdoor classroom, Immersive Learning room, Sensory Art room, Cookery room, Therapy
rooms and quiet group rooms.

The curriculum is delivered through 3 ‘Learning Pathways:’

 The Experiential Pathway is for pupils at the earliest levels of learning. The focus is
on communication, attention, participation and engagement.
 The Supported Pathway is for pupils who require support to enable them to access
the curriculum and work towards becoming more independent
 The Independent Pathway for those pupils who are practicing their learning to
learn skills and producing work with minimal support and guidance.
 Linking all Pathways is focus on our key goals of Developing Communication and
Promoting Independence.

At the heart of the curriculum is also explorative and play based learning. We make use of
our specialist rooms to provide sensory activities and extensive grounds to offer outdoor
and environmental learning opportunities.
Depending upon pupils’ abilities and interests they will have the opportunity to participate in
some of the following lessons.
 Massage  Orienteering
 Rebound Therapy  Sensory Circuits
 Yoga  Guitar lessons & live music
 Equine Therapy  Residentials, trips and visits
 Play Therapy  Petting Zoo & Rock Pools
 High Ropes  Animal Care & Horticulture
 Swimming  Forest School
 Bell Boating
 Sporting tournaments

Total Communication Environment

Communication skills are central to our curriculum. School staff work closely with the
Speech and Language Therapy service to ensure that the communication needs for all pupils
are met. The school is a Total Communication Environment. This means we use a range of
strategies and approaches to support communication for pupils, including the use of Objects
of Reference; Singalong; Photographs and Symbols; Picture Exchange Communication System
(PECS); PODD communication books; and Communication aids such as iPads, Eye Gaze
technology and Talking Tins. In this way we make the curriculum accessible to all learners.

P.E, Swimming, Sporting activities

All pupils participate in P.E. and games lessons and are asked to bring the appropriate

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equipment to their lessons.

P.E./Games kit consists of – Shorts / Joggers and T-Shirt.

Footwear - trainers or Pumps
Sweatshirt and jogging pants for outdoor play.

For more specialised activities such as Bell Boating, high ropes and forest school, a list of
clothing required will be sent home.
Pupils taking part in swimming lessons are required to bring: Swimwear, towel and Swim
nappy (if needed)
Sports day is held annually in the Summer Term.

Religious Education
Rowan Tree Primary School is a non-denominational school. We teach about the range of
religions practiced in our society. Our intention is to foster an awareness of and respect
for each world faith/religion, and learn about their beliefs, values and practices. Assemblies
are based around PSHE+C and British Values.

The school recognises the right of parents to withdraw their pupils from religious education
and collective worship. Please contact the Headteacher if you wish to withdraw your child
from religious education, or collective worship.

Music
All pupils are taught music as part of the curriculum. In addition to music lessons,
peripatetic music teachers visit the school to provide tuition on a number of instruments.
In KS2 pupils have whole class guitar lessons. All pupils access a weekly live music concert.

Instrumental lessons are normally paid for by parents. We aim to keep the cost to a
minimum. Children who are Looked After are entitled to 10 minutes’ additional free tuition
weekly.

Educational Visits.
School staff take groups of pupils on educational visits. Destinations, dates and costs will be
forwarded in plenty of time for you to make a decision whether or not you wish your child to
go on such a trip. The trips are always very well staffed and the pupils supervised at all
times. A risk assessment is completed for every trip.

We follow the Educational Visits Policy of the local authority. The policy includes notifying
you about any planned trips and seeking permission from you for us to take your child on
educational visits.

Parental Voluntary Contributions

Rowan Tree Primary School provides all curriculum activities free of charge. However,
parents may be asked for a voluntary contribution from time to time towards school trips.
Parents me be asked to contribute to cookery, some enrichment activities, music tuition,
and some educational trips and visits. Letters will be sent home informing you of any

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contributions.

Other items which the school charges for, if parents wish to purchase them, include:
i) Pupil photographs
ii) School uniform
iii) Fund raising items

The School Day for Pupils

The school day starts at 8.45am and finishes 3.00pm.
All class timetables are posted on the class Dojo at the start of each school year.

Pupil Breaks
Break times for pupils normally take place between 10am and 11am. Breaks vary in length
depending on the age and needs of pupils. Snack and break times for pupils are considered
to be an essential part of the school day as they provide opportunities to teach a range of
life and social skills and an opportunity to develop communication skills.

Pastoral Care
Pupils at Rowan Tree Primary may seek pastoral support from any member of staff.
However, the class teachers are responsible for the specific pastoral care of all pupils in
their classes.

Behaviour
The Behaviour Policy can be found on the School Website or is available from the school
office.
Staff are all trained in how to best manage pupil’s behavior. Our starting point is that a
child’s behavior is an unmet need. Staff actively try to question what is causing the behavior
and respond positively.

Promoting Positive Behaviour

For pupils who need support with their behaviour, a number of systems and strategies are
used to support and guide pupils to make improvements in this aspect of their social and
emotional development and to learn to self regulate and manage their behaviour.

A small number of children are still at developmental stage or, have a sensory need that may
result in them biting others. Please see the school website for the Biting Policy or contact
the school office for a copy.

Zones of Regulation
School uses The Zones as a systematic approach to teaching pupils to begin to self- manage
their behavior. The Zones provide strategies to teach pupils to become more aware of, and
independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and
improving their ability to problem solve.

Whole School Rewards

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All classes join in with our weekly Celebration Assemblies and work towards filling up our
‘Rowan Reward Tree’ with Behaviour Berries and Good Work Leaves. The School Council
decide a reward for each half term for when the tree is complete.

Every half term, a Gold Medal is awarded to one pupil from each class. Pupils are given this
medal for, exceptional progress and participation in all areas of school life.

Other Helpful Information / Frequently Asked Questions

Attendance
The Attendance Policy can be found on the school website or please contact the school
office for a copy.

A pupil may only be absent from school where:

 The pupil is unwell and unable to attend school.
 The headteacher has granted leave for exceptional circumstances

If your child is absent, this must be reported directly to the school office and NOT passed
on through the passenger assistants on your child’s transport.

Family Holidays
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, permission will not be granted for family
holidays. Requests for authorised absence for family holidays must be made in writing, in
advance, to the Head Teacher. A request form is available from the school office or can be
accessed on the website.

Uniform
We encourage and would like all pupils to wear school uniform. School uniform consists of:
a. Sweatshirt (Emerald Green) – available from school with school logo
b. Polo Shirt (white) – available from clothing stores and school with school logo
c. Skirt or Trousers (grey) – available from clothing stores
d. Supportive, appropriate footwear
There may be times when a pupil is unable to wear the school uniform. In such cases, home
and school can come to an arrangement to meet the needs of the child.

Jewellery
Pupils are not permitted to wear jewellery or accessories in school, especially items which
might be considered to be a health and safety hazard, e.g. rings, chains, earrings and large
hair clips.

Home/School Transport
At present, the majority of pupils travel to school on vehicles provided by the Local
Authority. These may be taxis, coaches or mini buses. Parents are responsible for applying
to the Local Authority Transport Department to access this service. Decisions are based on
factors such as the needs of the child and family and the distance from school. If parents

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have any queries about School Transport, please telephone Wigan Council School Transport
Section on 01942 489685.

Parents who choose to bring their child to and from school are asked to observe and use the
designated drop off and pick up points. Only with prior agreement should pupils be dropped
off at the main entrance e.g. if you are late to school for any reason. This is for the health
and safety of all pupils, as the main entrance is often very busy.

School Meals
A school meal can be provided to all pupils, including the option of ordering packed lunch.
Lunch menus are available on the website. The cost of a school meal is currently £2.76. You
will be kept informed of any price changes. Dinner money is payable weekly on Monday
mornings. Parents can choose to pay monthly, half termly, termly or yearly. We are happy to
come to alternative arrangements which supports families. At present, pupils under the age
of 7 are entitled to free school meals. Other families may apply and are encouraged to apply
for free school meals as this brings extra funding into school. Contact the school office if
you require any further information.

If your child requires a special diet or has any medical or sensory needs, please contact
school and we will work with you to make special dietary arrangements. In the near future
we plan to change to a cashless payment system.

At Rowan Tree Primary School, we are committed to teaching your child about how to make
sensible food choices as part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Packed Lunch Guidance

We believe that a healthy packed lunch can contribute to the health of children and young
people, and needs to be consistent with the nutritional standards provided by school meals.
Therefore we request that only the following items are included in your child’s packed
lunches.

 A sandwich , pasta or rice

 Fruit and/or vegetables
 A dairy item such as cheese or yoghurt
 A plain biscuit, cake, crackers or rice cakes (no chocolate)
 A healthy drink such as water, 100% fruit juice or milk.

We are aware that some of our pupils have a self restricted diet due to sensory
sensitivities. Therefore should you need to include items not on the list please let us know.

Parent Partnership
We take great pride in our Partnership with Parents and achieved the LPPA (Lead Parent
Partnership Award).

At Rowan Tree school, we recognize that parents / carers play a vital role in their child’s

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education, learning and development. We believe that when parents are engaged and
involved, everyone benefits: children, parents, families, teachers, schools and communities,
and our school is enriched as a positive place to teach, learn and grow.

We value parents’ opinions and we encourage all parents to complete our annual Parent
Questionnaires. Your feedback enables us to make our school even better.

Feedback from parents suggests that parents agree or strongly agree that school makes
them feel welcome, provides clear information and meets the needs of their children.
Parents feel they are listened to and that their children are making good progress.

Here are some of the things parents have said about Rowan Tree Primary School:

‘Communication is above and beyond’; ‘We are able to talk to the teacher at any time’; ‘It’s
always nice to come into class and spend time with the children’; ‘Me and my son really love
family learning days and can’t wait for the next one!’’;’I can’t praise the school enough’;
’School takes account of my suggestions and concerns’.

Home / School Liaison

As pupils join our school, we aim to visit every parent at home, by prior arrangement. This
helps build relationships and forge stronger ties and links. These visits are very informal.
The visits allow both parents and staff to discuss freely any concerns or worries that they
may have and to look at ways of supporting each other. Visits can be arranged at other
times on request.

Class teachers regularly communicate with parents via Class Dojo to give parents
information or to inform / remind of trips or events. We encourage parents to contact us
at any time, if they wish to discuss any issues.

Class Dojo
Class Dojo is used in school. It is a class management tool which gives positive feedback for
any skill such as ‘good looking’ and ‘being kind’ as well as ‘good work’. Parents who ‘sign up’ to
the scheme will be able to get instant updates about how well their pupils are doing.

Parents’ Evening
A Parents’ Evening is held each term. This is a chance to speak to teachers and teaching
assistants about the progress made during the current year. Dates are published at the
beginning of the academic year. If you have any concerns, please don’t wait until Parents
Evening to discuss them. Please contact school at any time and we will be happy to meet with
you or talk over the telephone.

Annual Reviews and Annual Reports

All pupils who attend Rowan Tree Primary have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), which
is reviewed annually. Detailed review reports are prepared by staff and forwarded to
parents, who are then invited to a meeting to discuss the pupil’s progress. Parents and pupils
are encouraged to share their views and to contribute to the target setting process at

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review meetings. Each child also receives an annual report at the end of the school year.
This report elaborates on achievements made in all aspects of school life.

Whole School / Community Activities

Parents are always welcome and actively encouraged to attend regular school events, such as
Coffee Mornings, Sports Day, Harvest Festival, Summer and Christmas Fayres. Christmas
and Easter Bingo and Performances or Concerts. Events are always well attended and
enjoyed by all. It is always helpful to know in advance if you plan to attend. We may send
home letters to confirm how many parents will be attending as it helps plan and resource
events. Members of the local community, friends of the school and Governors are also
invited to attend. Each half term parents are invited in to school to take part in a family
learning event in class with their child.

Parent Partnership
These give parents the chance to meet up with and get to know other parents; to form
relationships with staff members; to gain skills and knowledge and to learn alongside their
children. Many events are a direct result of parents’ feedback.
Coffee Afternoons are held approximately half termly and the relevant staff are always in
attendance if parents require any support or advice. They can provide information on
services that can be accessed in the community and give practical advice and support in a
range of areas. Each Coffee morning has a theme and / or a guest speaker. Information is
given out in the newsletter weekly and dates are published on the website.
Workshops are held termly and in some cases more often. This is an opportunity for parents
and carers to find out information or learn new skills as well as to socialise and get to know
each other. Details are published in newsletters, on the website and in letters home.
Examples of workshops include: PECS and Sensory Diets.
Family Learning activities and /or Super Challenge Days are usually held each half term.
This is a chance for parents to take part in activities with their child. Examples of recent
activities have been ‘Designing and making a Robot’ and completing an Obstacle course in our
Healthy Lifestyles Challenge.
Parent Volunteers
Parents are welcome into school in a voluntary capacity and may support trips and visits;
make resources or support teaching and learning in classes. Parents also support Fund
Raising activities in school. If you would like to enquire about volunteering, please let the
school office know.

Keeping your Child Safe

The Designated Lead for Safeguarding / Child Protection is:
Louise Curran – Headteacher

The Deputy Designated Leads for Safeguarding / Child Protection are

Kathryn Oliver – Deputy Headteacher
Claire Roche – Assistant Headteacher
Maureen Dougherty – Pastoral Support Worker

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It is the duty of staff to report any concerns to the designated leads in school. The school
adopts the Local Authority Child Protection Policy. The policy can be found on the school
website. All staff have received Child Protection training.

Health and Safety

The Health and Safety policy is available on the school website, or contact the school
office.
Rowan Tree Primary School believes that the prevention of incidents, accidents, injury or
loss is essential to the efficient organisation of the school and takes all such steps as are
reasonably practicable to meet its responsibility for providing a safe and healthy working
and learning environment for staff, pupils and visitors.
All staff have been trained in basic first aid to the level of ‘First Response’.
All Early Years staff and a number of other staff have completed Pediatric First Aid
training. There are 3 named First Aiders in school and the rest of the staff are all ‘first
response’ trained. The majority of staff working in the Early Years classes have completed
paediatric first aid training.

A number of staff in school have been trained in the use of the Defibrillator. This is
located in the main school office.

Administration of Medicines
The Administration of Medicines policy is available on the school website, or contact the
school office.

When pupils are unwell the best place for them is at home with an adult. A sick child will not
be able to cope with school activities, and if the illness is infectious there could be a serious
risk of other pupils and staff becoming ill.

Occasionally, however, a doctor regards a child as fit to return to school and provides a
prescribed medicine to be taken in school. There are also pupils with long-term illnesses who
can only attend school if medication is either given during the school day or is available in an
emergency.
In school, all medications are kept in a locked cabinet in the medical room which has a
fobbed door. Medication is administered in strict accordance with written instructions and
their use properly recorded. Each pupil requiring regular medication has a Health Care Plan
that is completed by parents and relevant staff and regularly reviewed.

All medication sent to school must have the child’s name on the outside, clearly state the
dose and time to be given and the medication dated and it must be in its original package.
Non-prescribed medication should not be bought into school and cannot by administered by
school staff.

Parents/guardians are responsible for replenishing supplies as necessary.

Medication must not be placed in pupils’ school bags. Medication must be dropped off
at the school office where a member of the senior leadership team will sign it in and

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complete the relevant paperwork. Medication handed to passenger assistants will not be
accepted into school.

Policies and Procedures

Our work at Rowan Tree Primary is guided by a range of policies and procedures. Policies are
available from the school or on the school website. A small charge maybe made for paper
copies. Some of the main policies are listed below but do please ask, or check the website, if
you would wish to see information about other aspects of our work in school.

Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Administration of Medication policy
Intimate Care Policy
Behaviour Policy
Health and Safety Policy
SEND Policy
Equality Plan
Attendance Policy
Biting Policy
Packed Lunch Policy

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