About us.......

Flitwick Lower School caters for pupils from 4 to 9 years old from a wide area across Flitwick. Our school is set in grounds of just over three acres, to the west of Flitwick town centre. There is a Foundation Stage Unit and ten bright and airy main school classrooms. The school has a large assembly hall, an ICT suite and a purpose built library.

Flitwick Lower School opened in 1981 and we celebrated our 30^th Anniversary in May 2011.

At Flitwick Lower School we believe in an inclusive approach to education and provide a caring environment where every child is helped to achieve their full potential. We believe that healthy, active children are more likely to achieve success and encourage our pupils to stay healthy through a range of activities and our school curriculum.

At Flitwick Lower School we aim:

• To create a safe, secure and welcoming learning environment for the whole school community
• To have happy and confident children
• To promote lifelong learning through achievement and challenge
• For all children to enjoy school and celebrate their achievements
• To build self esteem, confidence and positive attitudes
• To develop independent learners
• To work in partnership with parents to develop every child’s full potential.

Admission Arrangements

Children are admitted into school in accordance with the Central Bedfordshire admission guidelines. The published admissions number for September 2011 is 60.

Parents are sent admission booklets and forms directly from the Local Authority (LA) during the year preceding entry into Foundation. These booklets give full details of how to apply, the LA’s admissions policy for community schools and the deadlines which must be met.

Children applying for places on a “casual” basis, for example when moving into the area, have to follow the LA guidelines. School staff will explain this process and give you the appropriate forms.

If the number of places in a particular year group at the school is not sufficient to meet the requests of all the parents, the LA will then apply the following criteria in rank order, as shown, to determine how the places will be allocated.

From September 2010 there will be a single entry into Foundation, with all children starting in September.

At Flitwick Lower we have a Foundation Unit which caters for children in their 4+ years. In line with Government legislation all children are offered a full time place from September, however, there is a part time option if parents feel this is appropriate. If your child is non statutory** there is also the option to defer entry until they reach statutory school age.

** The start of the term after their fifth birthday.

School Organisation

We are proud of the learning environment our school offers.

Flitwick Lower School is spacious, set within extensive grounds, including a large playing field, playgrounds and a conservation area. The school is bound by a security fence with just three controlled access points which are secured during the school day. There are coded locks on all external main doors.

In addition to the main classrooms, we have a large hall which has a stage area for productions and assemblies. Each class area has a large open space for classes to work together and each pair of rooms is joined by a quiet room for small group and specialist teaching.

The library is used by all the children to select and take home library books, which are scanned in and out of the computerised system.

The Foundation Unit is situated in its own building, with three well equipped rooms and a quiet room for small group work. They have an extensive outside area which is separated from the main playground by a secure fence and comprises of a large grassed area with plenty of shade, a hard area and a covered area for outdoor activities all year round. The children are encouraged to mix with the main school and have access to the library and ICT suite.