Starting in 2024
Starting with confidence
We are delighted to welcome you to Saltford School. The information below is provided to help children – and parents – start school with confidence.
Please see our Tour video to remind you of what our school has to offer your child.
Please see this letter from Miss Davis welcoming you to our school and our welcome information from Mrs Sage, our headteacher. Our friendly staff would like to welcome the children to the wonderful facilities in our Early Years classrooms.
To familiarise yourself, please see a copy of our school plan here or take a look at some photos of our site here.
Please see our school uniform requirements here and there are some useful tips about labelling in our School notices section here. See here for a pattern to make a simple dap bag for PE.
We have a well resourced ICT suite and two iPad trollies for the children to use. Please take a look at our Acceptable Use Policy for children in EYFS and discuss it with your child.
Once term gets under way in September, you will be able to register for the school's online communication and payment system, My Child at School.
Is your child ready for school? See this helpful checklist to support you over the summer to get your child 'School Ready.'
Forms to return & related information
If your child has been offered and you have accepted from B&NES a place at Saltford Primary School for September 2024, please fill out and return the forms listed below.
Below are some links to some important documents we need you to read and forms you need to fill out and return to school by Monday 22nd May. Where required, please email responses to enquiries@saltfordschool.org.uk. Please include your child's name and Starting School 2024 in the subject line.Please do read these carefully and fill them in as accurately as you can, including the Free School Meals form.
- Pupil information form
- Friendship Information Form
- Benefit related Free School Meals apply online. Please see more information in this Free School Meals leaflet from B&NES.
- Home-School agreement
- Local Walks and Image Consent Letter
- Please send a copy (scan or photo) of your child's birth certificate by email to enquiries@saltfordschool.org.uk or by post.
- See how to order school milk once your child turns five.
You and your child will be invited to a stay and play afternoon session in the week beginning 17th June and, on Thursday 20th June, there will be an information evening, with refreshements for parents. The new Bumblebee class will be invited to a storytime session on Monday 24th June and the new Butterfly class will be invited to a storytime session on Tuesday 25th June in the afternoon.
The wider school community
We have a supportive governing body, an active PTA (please see their top tips here) and wrap around care supplied by our onsite after-school club, Chuckles.
As your child progresses through school, they will be offered a range of extra curricular activities. See our Clubs page for more information and keep an eye on your communications from school throughout the year.
We look forward to meeting you all.
See our school in action
Please get in touch if you are interested in your child starting in September 2024.
You can also take a virtual tour of our school on YouTube here and we would encourage you to look through the extra information that follows on this page.
Video tour of the school
To view this video directly on YouTube in full screen mode, follow this link: https://youtu.be/3Bdzmke0JTA
We are pleased to be able to offer tours around our school on the following dates:
- Monday 18th September 2023 at 1.30pm
- Wednesday 20th September 2023 at 9.30 am
- Wednesday 20th September 2023 at 11.00 am
- Friday 22nd September 2023 at 1.45 pm.
- Friday 6th October 2023 at 1.45pm
- Monday 9th October 2023 at 9.30am
- Monday 16th October 2023 at 1.30pm
- Friday 3rd November 2023 at 9.30am
- Monday 6th November 2023 at 9.30am
- Monday 20th November 2023 at 10.00 am
Each hour-long tour, guided by our Headteacher Mrs Sage, gives parents and children the opportunity to see our school as it really is and ask plenty of questions. To book a tour, please get in touch by emailing enquiries@saltfordschool.org.uk or calling the school office on 01225 872185.
You and your child are alsoinvited to our fun play afternoon on Wednesday 20th September 2023 from 2.00-3.00pm where you can explore our wonderful facilities and meet the Headteacher and the Early Years team. Please email enquiries@saltfordschool.org.uk to secure your place.
We look forward to meeting you.
Life at Saltford School
A slideshow created by the children in our School Council gives more in-depth information about life at Saltford School. Please take a look here.
Why choose Saltford?
Here's why we believe parents can be confident in choosing Saltford School. Our recent Ofsted inspection found that 'Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the education and care their children receive at the school'. See some of the responses from our parents and children to our surveys:
We are a happy school
We feel this in school every day but here are just some of the responses from parents and children from all year groups:
'we couldn't have hoped for a better primary school experience'
'he has enjoyed his first year and been very happy'
'she has had the best imaginable start to her school life, thanks to the incredible teaching staff… she wants to go into school every day and is smiling when she comes out.'
'1 You make really good friends. 2 You learn lots of skills. 3 We've got our own swimming pool'
Children feel safe at school
'she is always happy to go to school' she feels 'comfortable and secure'
'fun and safe place to learn'
'when I went on camp I felt really safe'
Children enjoy learning and staff enjoy teaching
'I love what our teachers provide this school because they always make it fun and when i'm worried about something I know i can go to them when i need to'
'The teaching he has received this year has been truly excellent'
'They always help you when your upset. When your stuck in a lesson they always help you'
Children are involved at school
Our elected school council is very influential in shaping children's school experience at Saltford. Children also participate in school life through the green team, the equalities team, digital leaders, and our house system. Please see our Children section for more details and pictures.
Wide range of extra-curricular opportunities
In our position at the heart of the village, we are well placed to promote extra-curricular opportunities for our children, whatever their interests. All children have the chance to participate in extra sporting and musical activities within the school community. We provide instrumental lessons on site through the West of England Music Alliance. Our PTA regularly lays on entertainments such as school discos and film nights for all children too.
- See our sports reports for a taste of the range of sporting provision we offer
- Take a look at our clubs page for what's on offer within the school grounds
- Browse our community notices page to see what's on offer in the wider community
We are proud of our environment
Through a constant programme of maintenance and improvement, our school is a welcoming and safe environment.
Children at Saltford are particularly lucky to benefit from
- our own on-site swimming pool
- a large and stimulating library
- an IT suite with individual workstations for a whole class
- excellent IT in every classroom
- exciting outdoor spaces including our secret garden, pond and new play equipment
- special play area for Reception children
Benefits of the Futura Learning Partnership
- Pupils benefit from being part of the Futura Learning Partnership family of schools, where teachers and leaders work together across schools to provide the best possible education and enrichment
- Pupils enjoy access to Futura’s fantastic facilities at its other schools, for example science experience days at IKB Academy and sports events at the Wellsway Sport Centre
- Our catering manager, Lynne Portlock, and her team were awarded the highest five-star hygiene rating in June 2022. They are part of Zest catering who provide the catering service for the Futura Learning Partnership.
Partnership with parents/families
We encourage parents and families to keep in touch with school in many ways. We regularly survey parents and seek informal feedback too. We communicate regularly through a variety of media including texting, newsletters and email. See a summary here.
We are an inclusive school, committed to supporting and challenging all children to achieve their full potential.
Our vibrant PTA community pulls together with school to provide lovely events for the children and to raise significant funds that are used to enhance every child's school experience.
What's it like starting school at Saltford?
The period from age three to the end of the Reception year is described as the Foundation Stage. It is a distinct stage and important both in its own right and in preparing children for later schooling.
At Saltford School we have an intake of 60, organised into two classes called Bumblebee Class and Butterfly Class.
Our recent Ofsted report highlighted positive behaviour systems, observing that 'Children in Reception are very kind and helpful towards each other. They understand the importance of turn taking and sharing'.
They also reported that in EYFS, 'staff read many stories and rhymes to the children. In discussions, they use well-chosen vocabulary to help children to improve their language skills rapidly'.
Please have a look around our school and meet the staff with this photo tour of our EYFS area.
You can see more about the role children play in the life of our school by visiting our Children section here.
A warm welcome to children and parents
It's all about teamwork in EYFS.
Miss Davis, Miss Hansford, Mrs Morgan, Mrs Knight and Mrs Browne, who will all be working in your classes, would love to say 'hello' by sharing some of their favourite story books with you.
You can watch them here or follow the additional links if you would like to view them in full screen:
Miss Davis reads 'The Great Snortle Hunt'
Welcome to Saltford School! My name is Miss Davis and I am class teacher in Bumblebee class and Early Years Leader. I hope you enjoy listening to me reading one of my favourite books.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8W84pccZTE to view in full screen on YouTube
Miss Hansford reads 'The Gruffalo'
Hello everyone. My name is Miss Hansford and I am class teacher in Butterfly class. I hope you enjoy listening to me read this story.
https://youtu.be/M4BSFutmDgU to view in full screen on YouTube
Mrs Morgan reads 'Sharing a Shell'
Hello Everyone. My name is Mrs Morgan and I am looking forward to working with all of the Butterflies and Bumblebees this year. I hope you enjoy my story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RinH6Z6IHlg to view in full screen on YouTube
Mrs Knight reads 'Little Croc and Bird'
Hello children. My name is Mrs Knight and I work in both Bumblebee and Butterfly class. I look forward to meeting you all very soon.
https://youtu.be/X8mHfYy9m9Q to view in full screen on YouTube
Mrs Browne reads 'Dangerous'
Hello everyone. My name is Mrs Browne and I work in both Butterfly and Bumblebee class. I can't wait to meet you all very soon.
https://youtu.be/pb5Ouj3KCOc to view in full screen on YouTube
Inspector reports that 'pupils thrive' at this happy, safe and inclusive school.
"New teaching strategies are already in place and contributing to children’s strong progress."
Our last inspection was on 28th February and 1st March 2023 when we welcomed Ofsted Inspector Kelly Olive and her team. We were pleased to be able to share with them all that makes our school the special place that it is. We are delighted that the final report recognises all the outstanding work going on here at Saltford Primary.
We were judged by Ofsted to be Outstanding in all areas of our provision. Inspectors said pupils and staff were rightly proud of an inclusive school, where all children are encouraged to be the best versions of themselves. They said headteacher Dawn Sage and her team pursued excellence at all times and had constructed a curriculum that was exceptional. You can read the Ofsted report here.
The children and staff were amazing ambassadors. The children spoke to the inspector with confidence and showed excellent recall of what they had learned. The inspectors also saw that pupils 'are rightly proud of their school… and are extremely well behaved'.
We were also overwhelmed by the positive response to the parental survey. Ofsted concluded 'Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the education and care their children receive at the school.'
Apply now for 2024
Please see B&NES admission information here if your child is starting school in September 2024.