Yes! You are most welcome to come and look around our school. We are very proud of it!

OPEN DAYS 

Last term, we held two Open Days on Tuesday.Tuesday 3rd October and Wednesday 8th November

If you were not able to join us on those dates, contact the school office by phone:  01204 333770 or by email: office@hardymill.bolton.sch.uk and we can arrange another time for you to visit us.

At Hardy Mill we have an intake of 45 children.  This means that in key stage 1 and key stage 2 we have some mixed age classes.

In our Nursery class, there are 26 children taught by one teacher and supported by one teaching assistant.

In Reception, the children share a large classroom and are split into two groups of 22/23 children for teaching inputs.  Both “carpet groups” are taught by qualified teachers.  There are also two teaching assistants who work in the classroom to support learning.

At the end of your child’s time in Reception you will be provided with a pathway showing your child’s route through school.  From Year 1, the children are split into classes of 30 according to their age.  For example, the youngest 30 Year 1 children are taught as a Year 1 class and the oldest 15 Year 1 children join the youngest 15 Year 2 children in a mixed Year 1 and 2 class. 

The mixed Year 1 and 2 class and the mixed Year 3 and 4 class are taught by a teacher and a teaching assistant to enable lesson inputs for maths and English to be targeted at the appropriate level for the different year groups in the room.  The Year 5 and 6 children are split between 4 teachers in a morning and are taught as separate year groups for maths and English.  All children in every year group access the same curriculum and have the same learning opportunities regardless of the class that they are in. 

If a child leaves us, any new child joining us will follow the path of the child that has left regardless of their age.

Children in Nursery and Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum 2017.  In Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 the children are taught the National Curriculum expectations specific to their year group for English and mathematics.  Science, computing, history, geography, art and design technology are taught over a 2 year cycle.  As we are a one and a half form entry school, this ensures that all children cover all aspects of the National Curriculum during their time in each phase. (See Cycle Overviews in the Curriculum section of the website)  Subject specific knowledge and vocabulary that children are expected to know at the end of each topic is carefully mapped out for science and each of the foundation subjects.  Termly curriculum letters and knowledge organisers are sent home to help parents reinforce learning.

At Hardy Mill we strongly encourage links between home and school. We believe that positive communication between parents and school staff encourages, supports and contributes to the education of each child.  

You will be able to keep in touch with what is going on in school by looking at the website, reading our twitter feed and downloading ParentApp.  Newsletters and information is sent out regularly to keep you informed of what has been happening in school and exciting events coming up.

If you need to contact your child’s class teacher we ask that you do so by telephone or email (email addresses can be found on the class pages of the website) and if, for any reason their class teacher needs to speak to you, they will telephone you at the earliest opportunity. If you need to meet with them face to face the office can assist in arranging this for you. 

We have a growing PTA and are always on the look out for new members to build up our numbers of volunteers to raise valauble funds for school. 

Information about the curriculum your child will be learning about can be found on the website and each term you will receive an overview outlining what your child will learn in each subject.

For children in our Nursery and Reception classes, you can see what your child has been learning by looking on the online learning platform used by our Early Years, Tapestry.  Information is regularly uploaded along with photos to keep you up-to-date with what your child is learning whilst in school.  Suggested activities for you to complete together at home are also uploaded to help you support and reinforce your child’s learning at home.

For children in KS1 and KS2, homework is posted weekly on the online learning platform, Showbie. We encourage parents to take an interest in what their child is learning in school and support them at an age appropriate level with this work.

As and when your child is ready to read, your child will be given a reading book. For each year group we will share with you 20 books to read that we would actively encourage you to share with your child to foster a real love of reading. Each child has a reading record and we expect our parents to read with their child for a short period of time each day.

Throughout the year, teachers assess and record your child’s progress towards the expected standard at the end of the year group in which they are working.  To inform you of your child’s attainment and progress, summary reports are sent out in the Autumn and Spring terms and longer, more detailed reports are sent out at the end of the Summer term.  Each year we provide two opportunities (one in the autumn and one in the summer term) for you to discuss your child’s progress and attainment with your child’s class teacher.  Due to current restrictions, these conversations will be virtual via School Cloud.

Children in reception class are assessed against the Foundation Stage Profile and children in key stage 1 and 2 are assessed against the National Curriculum expectations.

Each class takes part in two lessons of physical education per week. PE lessons develop children’s fundamental movement skills and children will participate in gymnastics, dance and games each year.  Premier Sport deliver PE sessions alongside teachers in school.

We participate in inter school competitions across Bolton and  intra school competitions across their classes to keep the children motivated and their competitive spirit alive!

At Hardy Mill we encourage children to develop their musical talents to their full potential. Children may learn to play an additional instrument through Bolton Music Service who provide tuition in woodwind, brass, percussion and strings. Singing is incorporated throughout our curriculum to help children learn new vocabulary and knowledge about topics they are studying.

Our music curriculum is enhanced with the teaching of either the recorder or glockenspiel .  We have weekly singing assemblies where a wide repertoire of songs are enjoyed and appreciated. There is also opportuntiy for those children with a real enjoyment of singing to join the school choir when they are in Key Stage 2.

Our fantastic KS2 choir perform annually at the Bolton Music Festival and at wider community events. We also have an annual music concert, ‘Let Us Entertain You’, which provides our choir and children learning an instrument a platform to perform. 

In every class and in every lesson, work is set to meet the differing needs and abilities within each year group.  Work in class is planned to stretch our more able pupils and support any children who are finding an area of learning challenging to grasp.  This support might come in the form of additional teacher or teaching assistant support during the session, adapted work or a planned, targeted intervention.

If your child has specific needs and you require specific information, please contact Mrs Hamblet, our Special Educational Needs Lead, by telephone (01204 333770) or email (hambletj@hardymill.bolton.sch.uk).

Yes.  Kool Kidz Out of School Club operate a before and after school club at Hardy Mill.

Please visit their website for more details and contact information http://kool-kidz.co.uk/