WELCOME TO OUR SCHOOL!!!

Our school is a Community School, maintained by Dorset County Council.

We have no specific religious affiliations. Children join our school at age 4+ and are with us for three years. We admit up to 120 children each year into our mainstream classes and we also have two classes for sixteen children with Speech and Language difficulties. Each year group has four classes and all classes are restricted to a maximum of thirty pupils. All classes have their own class teacher and these are well supported by teaching assistants.

Most of our children go to Christchurch Junior School, which is on a neighbouring site, and then to Twynham School. We work very closely with Christchurch Junior School to ensure progression and continuity between the two schools.

• Create a loving, supportive climate where individuals are valued, where it is safe to try out new ideas and skills, and to sometimes make mistakes.
• Welcome all children equally, recognising their strengths and adapting to their particular needs.
• Work closely with parents and carers, recognising families as the first ‘educators’ of our children.
• Provide the very best teaching, and help children to develop positive attitudes so that they can take full advantage of what we offer.
• Ensure that children achieve their personal best through equipping them with good basic skills of spoken language, literacy and numeracy.
• Offer a broad and interesting curriculum, and encourage children to follow their particular enthusiasms through special events and clubs.

Our curriculum is planned within the framework of the Foundation Curriculum – Early Learning Goals for our youngest children, and the National Curriculum for those in Years One and Two. Schemes of work set out clear expectations in each subject for each year group. Often subjects will be linked through a common theme and the emphasis is on practical experience from which children learn most effectively. Parents are given guidance about the curriculum learning opportunities for each term.

Pupils may work in groups of similar abilities for some activities and in mixed ability groups for others. Classroom assistants are used to support pupils under the direction of the class teacher.

We offer a variety of lunchtime and after-school activities in the Spring and Summer Terms. These include gardening, dance, drama, and French. There is also a Gym club and Tennis club which are not run by the staff. There is also a privately run breakfast club and after school child care club held on the premises.