“We love Balshaw Lane.  The teachers, support staff and overall ‘family’ feeling.  Best school!”

“My child feels very happy and enjoys school - thank you!”                           

“Great school, great teachers - my son is very happy and loves going to school.”

“My child has always felt safe and happy at school.”

Parents' Questionnaire comments, Autumn 2023.

The school week

School starts at 8.55am and ends at 3.20pm.

There are 31 hours and 40 minutes in school each week.

Morning

Please help us by following this guidance: Parents are asked to use the 'one-way system' around the Bredon/Mallom estate to help our local neighbours. Parking should be done carefully so that drives are not blocked. Parking on double yellow line bends is not allowed. Parents are asked not to drop children off in the middle of the road nor to park on the staff car park. Thank you.

Breakfast Club is offered in the school hall from 8.30am. If parents require care before 8.30am, please contact Time Out club based at Yarrow Nursery.

Children arrive at school from 8.45am. Ms Gregson is at the gate each morning to greet the children and parents.

Our Crossing Patrol, is available to cross the children on Cotswold Avenue.

Infants walk with parents to the infants' playground where they wait together until the whistle is blown at 8.50am. At this point, parents leave the playground so that the children can line up independently in their classes and be taken in by the teachers. We ask that parents say goodbyes and give kisses before the whistle so that the children can line up independently. 

Key Stage 2 children walk independently to the KS2 playground where they can play until the classroom doors are opened. The children then walk into school, organise their belongings and go into class. Once in class, the KS2 children are expected to settle down to their morning activities by 8.55am.

Supervision: there is a member of staff on each playground from 8.45am until the children enter the building. 

Time Out children are walked over by the club staff and a member of Balshaw Lane staff signs the children in.

School starts at 8.55am.

The register is taken and school dinners are ordered by 9.10am. Late arrivals are recorded on the register.

Assemblies

There are assemblies across the week for our collective worship and singing practice, at 9.10am. Our collective worship is mostly Christianity-based as required by the government. However, we also share a strong focus on different faiths and cultures to reflect the different backgrounds of our children and to develop mutual respect for others in our modern, multi-cultural society.

Our whole school Friday assembly celebrates achievements with certificates from classteachers and from school events. Achievements from home are shared in classes.

Morning lessons

Morning lessons are usually English and Maths with a strong focus on developing core skills. Lessons take place in classrooms with support groups working in various places around school. Some teaching eg phonics/spelling involves children working in groups which may have children from different classes in them.

Lesson activities may take place outside, with Early Years learning extending outside as much as possible. The EY play area has a canopy to facilitate this, so that the children can still be outside in inclement weather.

Morning playtime

The children have 15 minutes playtime from 10.15-10.30am. The KS2 children and the infants have separate playgrounds.

Supervision: two members of staff are on playground duty on each playground.

Toast is available for parents for their child to have at morning playtime. Payment is in advance via ParentPay.

The whistle is blown at the end of playtime. Infants line up in classes and are taken in by classteachers. The KS2 children line up and are called in class by class.

Lunchtime

Lunchtime is from 12.00-1.05pm. All infants are entitled to free school meals. KS2 children choose either school meals or packed lunches. The children can sit together wherever they choose.

The kitchen staff serve food at the counter. There are at least two choices each day, supplemented by a fresh salad bar and bread basket. The welfare staff help the children in the hall and on the playgrounds or, in the summer, on the field.

The Reception children are taken into the hall first and assisted with their food choices and cutting up when necessary. Year 1 come in for lunch next. Year 2 play out for a short while before they are called in.

Once the infants have finished lunch, they go out to play until 1.05pm, supervised by the welfare staff.

The KS2 children have a dinner rota which changes each day so that it's a different class coming in first. Each class is called in from around 12.20pm, has their lunch and then goes back out to play.

Supervision: there are two welfare/teaching assistants on each playground. In the hall, there are at least two members of staff. We have six welfare assistants who work between the hall and playgrounds at different points during the lunchtime.

The lining up routine at the end of lunchtime is the same as at the end of playtime.

Afternoon lessons

Afternoon lessons tend to be foundation subjects or the other core subjects of Computing, Science and RE. Lessons are often creative and practical, sometimes outside. PE lessons take place in the hall, on the playground or on the field.

Afternoon playtime

The infants have playtime each afternoon with a healthy fruit or veg snack provided.

KS2 children have afternoon playtimes to develop their social skills and physicality post-covid.

Supervision: two members of staff are on playground duty on each playground.

Hometime

Hometime is at 3.20pm. This is when lessons finish so the children may take a few minutes to gather their belongings and reach the playground. The gate onto the KS2 playground is opened at 3.10pm so that parents can wait there.

Supervision: there is a member of the leadership team on the KS2 playground at hometime.

Infants are taken out to the infants’ playground by the classteacher and each child is handed over to the parent or named collector. Y2 children are handed over to parents on the KS2 playground. However, if they have a sibling in Reception or Y1, they are walked round to the infants' playground to be handed over.

KS2 children come out of the classroom or 'crossroads' doors independently and may walk home independently.

The crossing patrol is available to cross the children over Cotswold Avenue and there is a pedestrian crossing on Balshaw Lane.

After school activities

Extra-curricular clubs take place until 4.20/4.30pm. Activities may take place in the hall, classrooms or outside. Clubs may be led by the Chorley Sports Partnership or by external providers such as tae kwondo, dance mania and fencing.

Time Out club collect their children from the hall and then walk them over to the club based at Yarrow Nursery if they are staying later.