Below are some extracts from our school prospectus. To receive a hard copy of the prospectus, please contact us via the Contact menu.
 
Nether Alderley Primary School: a special place where children are happy, safe and valued.
Nether Alderley School is situated in pleasant rural surroundings, approximately half a mile from the southern boundary of the village of Alderley Edge, near to Nether Alderley Mill. The original school was built in 1822, and extensions have been added since that time. The accommodation consists of the old school building and a purpose-built extension, completed in April 2001. It comprises four classrooms, a central work area, toilets and an administration block. There are extensive grounds: a playing field, playgrounds, and two adventure playgrounds.
 
The school provides education to boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 11 years. The children are currently organised into 4 classes. Separate from school, but sharing the same site, is Nether Alderley Pre-school. Many children attend the Pre-school before starting school. It is run by Mrs P Van Gelder. She can be contacted through the school. Following a very successful OFSTED in April 2009, the school was described as a “ good school with outstanding features”. The school has continued to maintain “consistently high standards”, that were also recognised in previous OFSTEDs and School Achievement Awards. This success has continued with the school receiving its second Basic Skills Award in July 2006. We provide the very best in education in a modern, safe and secure environment.
 
School Organisation
School starts for all pupils at 8.55 am and continues, with a mid-morning break, until 12 noon. The afternoon begins at 12:55 pm for the Junior children and 1.15 pm for the Infant children. School finishes at 3.20 pm for all pupils. Total weekly lesson time: Juniors - 23 hrs 30 minutes, Infants – 21 hours. In the interests of security and safety, children should not arrive before 8.40 am, as the teaching staff cannot have responsibility for pupils before that time.
 
Arrangements for Admission
The catchment area for this school is defined as the areas of Nether Alderley, Over Alderley and Great Warford. Children may attend the school from outside this area if places are available. Initially all interest in a place at the school should be made through the Head Teacher and parents and prospective parents will be invited to visit the school.
Reception pupils application for places in Cheshire Schools are managed by Cheshire County Council. Application forms can be obtained and should be returned to Cheshire Admissions and Transfers Team, County Offices, Watling Street, Northwich, CW9 5ET tel 01606 815084 or 0845 1110302.
Closing Date for admissions Sept 2010 is 18th December 2009. There is one intake each academic year for Reception age (4-5yrs old) pupils. Children are admitted to school in the September following their 4th birthday. The following criteria are used in assessing a child’s acceptance to the school.
1. Resident within the catchment area.
2. Brother/sister of existing pupils.
3. Other applicants.
The total number of children who can be accommodated in the school is 105. Our current admission limit is 15 children.
Admission of Children with Disabilities and other Special Educational Needs
In the first instance please contact the headteacher to discuss any special needs your child may have. You will then be informed of the school's specialist facilities for increasing access and future plans. 
 
School Uniform 
Parents are requested to send their children suitably clothed for a working day. Boys should wear grey trousers, and girls, a grey skirt, trousers or pinafore dress. Children wear a red school poloshirt and a school sweatshirt. Girls wear red check dresses in the summer. 
All uniform is available from Finesse, 100 Mill Street, Macclesfield and Trutex, King Edward Road, Macclesfield. For PE lessons, children wear a school T-shirt, red shorts, and black pumps or training shoes. These are kept at school throughout the week.
 
Class Organisation
Number of pupils on roll: September 2009 100.
At the present time the school is organised into four class groups:
Class 1 Miss Williams Reception & Year 1
Class 2 Mrs Marsh Year 1 & Year 2
Class 3 Mrs Wilson Year 3 & Year 4
Class 4 Mr Brady Year 5 & Year 6
We also employ Mrs L Smith, Mrs Bateman and Mrs Whitham as part time teachers, and three teaching assistants to support the class teaching. The composition of classes is reviewed annually, and re-arranged where necessary.
 
The Ethos and Values of the School
The aim of this school is to provide a supportive, happy and secure working environment where all those involved in the school develop a love of learning and fulfil their potential. This is done through providing:
¨ Warm and friendly personal relationships.
¨ Sound teaching methods and high standards.
¨ Stimulating books, apparatus and materials.
¨ Developed relationships between the school, home and community.
We will help each child to realise his or her potential and lay a foundation of skills, not only for the primary school but for later life.
 
The Curriculum
The curriculum was judged as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted April 2009 The core subjects, Mathematics, English, Science and ICT are taught within the guidelines set out in the National Curriculum.
 
Mathematics  is delivered through The Numeracy Strategy in our daily Maths lessons, when skills are developed through teacher input, mental practice and practical work. We aim for our children to be able to handle mathematical data with confidence, and to develop the ability to calculate accurately.
 
English: the acquisition of reading skills is considered to be vital. These are continuously developed throughout the school during the Literacy Hour, specific reading periods and within other subject areas. Links with parents are fostered through home reading, and daily practice at home is expected, especially in the initial stages. Language skills are covered in the Literacy Hour, using a wide variety of books and materials. Handwriting and spelling is practised regularly, and children are encouraged to write creatively in both prose and poetry.
 
Information Communication Technology: the school is well equipped with computers, and ICT skills feature throughout the curriculum at all Key Stages. We have increased our ICT resources considerably, with the building of a new ICT suite, which was opened in October 2004. Science At Key Stage 1, Science is taught as part of project work, and as a specific subject at Key Stage 2. The children are encouraged to experiment for themselves, and to draw conclusions from their own observations.
 
French is taught to all pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 and informally introduced in the Infants. The children take part in songs, games and activities to increase their knowledge of the language and of France itself. Foundation Subjects The foundation subjects consist of Technology, History, Geography, Art, Music and PE. These are included as part of class project work where applicable, but subject lessons are taught when necessary.
 
Topic work helps to give a child a full, broad and balanced coverage of the National Curriculum. Children are not always expected to work at the same speed. Our Pupils will be given the opportunity to work individually, in groups or as a whole class together. The emphasis, however, will always be on the work being matched to the age and ability of the individual child. Documents relating to school policy, the curriculum and schemes of work may be viewed at the school by appointment with Mr Craven, the Headteacher.
 
The P.E. Curriculum delivers the statutory requirements for the subject. The school believes sport to be a vital part of life to encourage healthy lifestyles. The school therefore encourages all children to take an active part in sporting events. The school offers a variety of extra curricular sport including football, netball, basketball, dance and drama, rounders, cricket, lacrosse and athletics. Competitions are often organised with other schools.
 
Music: each class has a regular weekly music lesson with a specialist music teacher. Lessons are available for brass, woodwind, violin and recorder. The school has its own orchestra, which plays regularly for parents and the wider community.
 
Religious Education is provided by all state schools. The children explore different aspects of Christianity and other faiths through project and topic work. Our collective act of worship is mainly Christian although reference to other religions and beliefs is made where appropriate. Social and moral behaviour is developed by example at all times, through class discussions, and is emphasised through appropriate stories, during assembly and other times in the day. There are strong links with the churches in the area and ministers from all denominations are invited into school. Parents may withdraw their children from RE lessons and collective worship if they wish.
 
Special Educational Needs: when a child is perceived to have learning difficulties, requiring help beyond that which the school resources can adequately provide, the Education Authority's special services are called in to help. Parents are always consulted before any such action is taken. A policy on Special Needs can be viewed at school. One Governor has the responsibility for overseeing Special Needs.
 
Homework: at KS1 (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2), all children should read to or listen to their parents read each day. In Years 1 and 2 children are given weekly spellings to learn and are expected to begin to learn their tables. Children in Year 2 may be given work to help with their SATS tests. At KS2 (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6) All children should read each day. Spellings and Maths activities are given on a weekly basis. In Years 5 and 6 homework is more formal and may involve preparation for their SATS tests. If for any reason individual children require extra work, this will be discussed with the parents.
 
Nether Alderley Pre-school
Attached to the school, but run separately, is Nether Alderley Pre-school, managed by Mrs P Van Gelder, who is contactable through the School Office. The Pre-school takes children from the age of 2 ½ years and runs from 9:15 am until 1:15 pm. The Pre-school has very close links with Nether Alderley School, and the majority of its pupils feed into the Reception Class. During their time in Pre-school, the pupils follow a curriculum based on play and exploration. The areas of learning covered include Communication, Language and Literacy; Personal, Social and Emotional development; Mathematical Development; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development; and Creative Development. The provision is governed by a constitution approved by the Pre-school Learning Alliance and inspected by Ofsted. The Pre-school was last inspected in 2009. Their report acknowledged the very high standard of education that the Pre-school offers.
 
After School Provision
Children are able to remain behind when school finishes at 3.20 p.m. and take part in supervised activities until 5.15 p.m. This is provided by NAPSAC, our after school club. A charge is made for this service and is run by Mrs A Carsons on the school premises. Parents are required to give notice in advance if they wish to use this facility, although on occasion it can be used in an emergency. Contact with NAPSAC can be made through the school office. If for any reason you are unable to pick up your child promptly from school, you must telephone the school, and arrangements will be made for supervision in the after school club. Parents will be charged for this.
 
Lunchtime Arrangements
The majority of children have a school dinner, although provision is made for those who wish to bring sandwiches. All meals are cooked on site. Dinner money is payable either half-termly in advance, or weekly each Monday. The current cost for a dinner is £2:00 per day. Cheques should be made payable to Cheshire County Council. Parents who wish to pay on a half-termly basis will be invoiced, and any credits will be deducted from the following half-term’s account. We can only accommodate changes to the lunchtime arrangements at the beginning of each half term.
 
Pastoral Care and Discipline
The care of our pupils was described as “Outstanding” by OFSTED. In school we provide care for the children, as would be taken by any responsible parent. Rules for safety and good conduct are simple and we try to ensure that the reasons for such rules are clearly understood and accepted. We believe that the use of sanctions when necessary, must be seen to be fair, and should be supported by the parent. Relationships between staff and children are friendly and based on mutual respect. It is important that children should feel secure within the school environment.
 
Charging Policy
Music Tuition is currently available for a variety of instruments. Parents are required to make their own arrangements for the hire of instruments and the payment of tuition fees. pupils in classes 3 and 4 have swimming lessons during the year. This is a statutory requirement, and the cost of this is currently funded by voluntary contributions from parents. From time to time visits are made to places of interest as part of curriculum work. Parents are asked to make a voluntary contribution to cover the cost of each visit. No child will be barred from swimming instruction or educational visits due to financial hardship. Parents are requested to make a voluntary donation of £1 per half term to help with the running of the clubs afternoon.
 
Complaints Procedure
The Secretary of State stresses that the concerns of parents should be dealt with, as far as possible, on an informal discussion basis with teachers and head teachers. If the complainant still remains dissatisfied then the formal procedures adopted by the L.E.A come into effect. Mr Craven, the Headteacher, or a governor of the school are your first point of contact, after which you will be advised of the procedure for taking your complaint further.
 
Transfer to Secondary Education
At the end of Year 6 all children transfer to secondary education. As our school draws from a wide area it does not serve any one particular secondary school. Children usually transfer to one of the following schools:-
Fallibroome High School Priory Lane Upton Macclesfield SK10 4AF
Wilmslow County High School Holly Road Wilmslow SK9 1LJ
Knutsford County High School Bexton Road Knutsford WA16 0EA
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive Selkirk Drive Holmes Chapel CW4 7DX
 
A proportion of our year 6 pupils also transfer to independent schools such as:
Alderley Edge School for Girls
Cheadle Hulme School
Manchester Grammar School
Kings School Macclesfield 
Stockport Grammar School
 
Standard Assessment Tests ( SATs)
As a requirement of the National Curriculum, all pupils are regularly assessed. During May of each year, all Year 2 and Year 6 pupils take their SATs. Details of the content and requirements of the tests can be obtained from Mrs Marsh and Mr Brady respectively, or from Mr Craven, the Headteacher. Throughout their time at Nether Alderley, our pupils’ progress is continuously assessed to inform teachers’ planning. This may be through observations, discussions informal and formal testing. Reports During the Spring term, full written reports are sent to parents. SAT results are reported at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2, and discussed with each parent. At other times in the year, pupils’ records are available to parents, through appointment with the class teacher. Discussions regarding children's progress are held twice a year, and parents are welcome to discuss problems with the Headteacher at any time.
 
Parent Teacher Association
The PTA is a very important part of the school. It is an opportunity for parents and staff to work together in developing the school. The PTA in the past have raised considerable funds for the school, which are then used to buy books, resources and equipment for the pupils. The latest project being the school’s new adventure play area. We encourage all parents to become involved in the school and the PTA. If you can offer help please contact Mr Craven, the headteacher, who will direct you to one of the committee members.
 
OFSTED INSPECTION
The School was last inspected on 23rd April 2009. A copy of the report can be found on the internet at www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports. Its purpose was to report on: ¨ The educational standards achieved in the school. ¨ The quality of education provided by the school. ¨ Whether the financial resources available to the school are managed efficiently. ¨ The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils at the school. In the report, the school was judged to be ‘good with outstanding features’.