Pupil Voice
The children in our school are the most important people! As such, they have lots of opportunities to share their thoughts on school issues – both formally and informally! Mr. Fuller’s door is always open for both children and adults! Classes also have “problem Boxes” set up their classrooms to anonymously (if necessary) inform staff of issues and problems that need sorting.
Pupil Voice
Currently, we are working with pupils to develop their ideas to improve key improvement areas of our work – in particular we now have our Year 6 children making decisions regarding which charities we support throughout the year as part of our Enterprise Education programme. Our Anti Bullying Ambassadors promote inclusion and are working towards the Diana Award with their work to eradicate bullying at Renishaw Primary School.
Our future plans include our new ‘Renishaw Readers’ group, who will work to raise the profile of reading across our school.
Pupil Voice across the curriculum
Maths Pupil Voice
We value the views of our pupils. This term I have held informal chats with groups of pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 to hear what they think about maths. Each half term I am going to see a different group of children so that we get opinions and ideas from throughout the school.
Pupil interviews are exceptionally important because they let us know exactly what the children feel and makes them feel valued. It also helps our school with our self-evaluation and often helps us to drive improvement.
The children were asked a range of questions regarding the maths that they do in their discreet lessons, across the curriculum and as part of home learning, as can be seen below:
Do you enjoy your maths lessons? What do you enjoy about it?
All but one child enjoyed doing maths lessons.
Loved doing bar charts for checking our pulse. Proud of myself because I did really well in it. (Y6)
Like maths because I like a challenge and if I get something wrong I go back and correct it. (Y3)
Using different tools in maths like protractors. (Y5)
When I get to figure things out for myself. (Y5)
I quite like using tools to work things out. (Y5)
What do you think you are good at in maths?
I think I’m quite good at multiplications and subtractions. (Y3)
I’m pretty good of angles around a point. I’m good at visual questions. It’s easier when it’s in pictures. (Y6)
I think I’m good at angles. I connected another calculation to check my answers. (Y5)
I like doing times tables because we have been doing them recently and I’m proud of myself for getting them right. (Y3)
What do you find tricky in maths?
When you have to add up a big number to another number. I find it easier in my head but it is quicker written down. (Y3)
I find times tables tricky. I was stuck on sometimes tables for a long time. I was impressed when I got from silver to gold. (Y5)
Decimals, fractions and percentages is tricky. (Y6)
Some word problems. If they have a lot of numbers and writing in them. (Y4)
What helps you learn in maths?
People around me. If I’m stuck I can ask people around me. Sometimes need it saying a second time. (Y6)
Sitting on my own because I don’t like being distracted. I like being to focus on fully on what I’m doing. (Y6)
If it’s quiet. An explanation on the board explaining the question. (Y3)
My friends explaining it to me. (Y4)
When I’m on my own and it’s silent. (Y5)
What do you do when you get stuck?
Try and work it out but if I can’t I will ask for help. (Y3)
Brain break. When I go back to my work it seems a bit easier. (Y4)
Ask the person next to me, then ask the teacher. Read through it again and see if I’ve missed anything. (Y3)
It’s hard when others are asking me for help as I’m trying to do my own work. (Y4)
I would ask my partner to see if they can help me work it out and different ways to work it out. (Y5)
Do you enjoy getting stuck in maths?
Even though I do like doing easier things, I do like doing tricky work. You’re learning new things instead of getting easy work and getting it all right. (Y6)
I don’t get much wrong and I’m happy when I get stuck because it’s a challenge because it allows me to work things out using new ways. I like figuring things out with friends together. It challenges us. (Y5)
Yes, because I like challenging myself. I don’t need to challenge myself if it’s easy. (Y5)
I don’t like getting stuck because I get stressed and it can take a while for someone to help me. (Y3)
I like doing harder questions because I find it fun but I do get frustrated on harder things. (Y4)
It’s very stressful getting stuck. (Y3)
Do you find maths easy, ok or challenging?
Three find it easy. Two find it ok. One finds it challenging.
Do you feel like you are challenged enough in your maths lessons?
On some bit I feel like I am and on some I feel like it’s easy. (Y4)
I feel like I am challenged because there’s a lot of things I struggle with. As I work harder, I get it more. (Y5)
Some bits are easy and some bits are harder. At the moment I would like a bit more challenge. (Y5)
What would you do if you found the work too easy?
Finish the work first and ask if there were any extensions. (Y3)
I would probably finish the work I have been given and if I did all of them then I would ask for an extension. Ask for more questions. (Y5)
Finish all the easy questions and ask the teacher for some harder work. Go and get an extreme one. (Y4)
I would try and get through them as quick as possible so I have more time to work out the harder work. (Y5)
I would ask the teacher to write down some harder questions in my book. (Y4)
Do you practice your maths at home using Doodlemaths?
One in Y4, Two in Y5,
Have you found Doodlemaths helpful? Why/why not?
The more I’ve used it the more helpful it is. (Y5)
I used to find it challenging and now it’s getting easier. I like that I’ve got more questions to do. (Y4)
The more I go on the easier I find it. (All children)
Do you do Fluent in Five every day?
Yes. In the back of our maths book. (Y3, Y4, Y5)
Do you find Fluent in Five helps you? Why/why not?
It helps me a lot because in some lessons I am stuck I might remember something from Fluent in Five to help me. (Y5)
Sometimes it doesn’t help because it might be questions about what we aren’t doing. (Y4)
I think it does help because sometimes in maths when we have a tricky question there may be something in Fluent in Five we have done, so we can look at that. (Y3)
Do you have a maths display in the classroom? Do you use it?
Do you think maths is useful in the real world?
All think yes.
Yes, because when we’re older we wouldn’t be able to deal with money very well. (Y5)
If you were a builder or architect then you would need maths to help do your job. (Y4)
Yes, because if you want to be a doctor or a vet you need to pass exams in college and university. (Y4)
Yes and no. To deal with money, yes. (Y3)
Most jobs need you to know maths. (Y4)
You’ve got to deal with money accurately in a lot of jobs. (Y5)
Is there anything you would like to do differently in maths?
I think we should do less learning at the start on the board and more work in my book. (Y3)
People who are confident are able to get on with their work earlier while the teacher explains it to less confident children. (Y5)
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The School Council 2013 / 2014 designed the school’s first ever Pupil Questionnaire. Now in 2021 the School Council are still active in the development of school projects.
Results of the questionnaire are below:
School Council
The main aim of the School Council is to help to make our school a better place for the children and to give us an opportunity to have our opinions and ideas heard. Each class from Year One upwards has two representatives who are elected every year.
At the first meeting of the year the important roles and jobs are selected and Mr Fuller helps us to conduct our meetings. Children are also consulted regarding other key issues in school, such school meals and they meet with the Full Governing Body at every meeting to discuss their issues and to report back on how school is going!
The class representatives tell the children in their classes what has been discussed at each meeting and the children can ask the representatives to take forward their ideas to the next meeting.
Everybody gets a fair say in the meeting and nobody gets left out.
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From Febraury 28th 2022, we are starting a Healthy Tuck Shop with the days as follows:
Years 3-6 Mondays (Dining Hall), Y1 -2 Thursdays.(Playground)
School Buddies
In our school we have eight pupils who have been properly ‘trained’ as Young Ambassadors by the Anti-Bullying Service within Derbyshire County Council. Ambassadors are skilled at helping the children to work and play together in school and to recognise when some children are having difficult times in the playground. They are a group of children who are trained at helping children to sort out their problems and differences by attending special meetings. By taking turns, the people who have had a disagreement listens to the other person’s viewpoint and they decide (with the help of the Peer Mediators) the best way forward.
Our ‘Friendship Bench’ is where children sit when they would like the Buddies to help them.
Mini-Leaders are also trained similarly to the Buddies and they assist the children in Reception, Year One and Year Two in setting up games and activities at lunch times
Anti Bullying
At Renishaw, we believe that positive behaviour, both in terms of attitudes to learning and personal conduct and relationships, is a crucial underpinning for learning and success.
Governors are required by law to provide a statement of principles promoting good behaviour. Our School Behaviour Principles have been developed and agreed by the Governing Body after consultation with pupils, parents and staff, and take into account the relevant statutory guidance and related legislation. They underpin our Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Policies, which set out in detail the roles, responsibilities and practice in this area.
At Renishaw Primary we believe that all pupils have a right to learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment without the fear of being bullied. We promote good behaviour. It is made clear that bullying is a form of anti-social behaviour. It is wrong and will not be tolerated.
The School Governor for Anti Bullying with the Anti Bullying Coordinator, Miss Ford and the children’s Anti Bullying Group, are fully committed to ensuring that all incidents of bullying and other inappropriate behaviour are dealt with swiftly, effectively and sensitively.
Behaviour
Behaviour Principles (See also Behaviour Guidelines for Parents)
- The purpose of these Principles, and the policy they support, is to promote consistently positive and creative attitudes to learning, and to help to develop our children as motivated, independent learners with high levels of resilience, self-belief, aspiration and attainment.
- All members of our community have the right to work, learn and play in a safe, stress-free and caring environment. Pupils are encouraged to have respect for themselves, their peers and adults, for the rights of others and for the school environment, and to take responsibility for their own behaviour. All adults should demonstrate genuine care and respect for every child, modelling the quality of relationships and standards of behaviour they expect from the children.
- Our Policy ensures fair, honest and consistent treatment for all members of our community, and takes into account the specific needs of individual children, including vulnerable pupils. It supports the School’s commitment to improving outcomes for all pupils, and promotes integrity and equality of opportunity throughout the School.
- Our approach to, and strategies for, behaviour management are clear and unequivocal. Expectations and boundaries are widely understood. Positive reward and praise are the norm rather than the exception, but, where necessary, sanctions are clear and are applied fairly and consistently.
- The Policy demonstrates our commitment to appropriate behaviours and to our School values. Pupils, parents, staff and governors will co-operate in its implementation.
Renishaw Primary School – Golden Rules
We are gentle. We don’t hurt others.
We are kind, polite and helpful . We don’t hurt anybody’s feelings.
We listen. We don’t interrupt.
We are honest. We don’t cover up the truth.
We work hard. We don’t waste our own or others’ time.
We look after property. We don’t waste or damage things.
- Show a positive attitude to learning
- Be punctual and attend daily
- Take responsibility for my own actions
- Wear my school uniform with pride
- Take responsibility for my equipment e.g. P.E. kit
- Read at home and talk to my family about what I am doing at school
- Tell a member of staff if I am unhappy
- Enjoy and achieve
- Show respect to our peers and to staff
- Make a positive contribution to Renishaw Primary School
