Shaftesbury Primary School is where
Success is celebrated
we Help each other
Attitudes are positive, learning is fun
we Respect each other, our environment and community
Individuality is celebrated and valued
we Nurture and encourage all to achieve their potential
Goals are achieved and new ones set.
About our School
Shaftesbury is an ancient hilltop town set in beautiful countryside in the north of Dorset. Close by is the town of Gillingham. Salisbury lies 20 miles to the east. The seaside resorts of Bournemouth and Poole are 35 miles to the south. The county town is Dorchester and just outside is Higher Bockhampton, former home of the novelist Thomas Hardy whose writing encapsulated the Dorset area.
Our School was established in 1967 as a Primary School at the site in Mampitts Road. In 1983 it became a First school. Then, in September 2003, as part of the re-organisation of schools in the Shaftesbury area, the school reverted to being a Primary School again. The very successful King Alfred's Middle School was closed (with some staff joining the team at Shaftesbury Primary) We now have 350 children arranged in 13 classes from Reception to Year 6. Children leave at the end of Year 6 and most go on to the Shaftesbury Upper School.
In September 2004 the King Alfred's Middle School site closed. Their site was completely refurbished as the new site for Shaftesbury Primary. The school staff and children moved to this new site in July 2005.
Our present school (in Wincombe Lane) really is a 'state of the art' learning environment. The buildings and grounds are lavish and extensive. We are fortunate in having such facilities as a Music Studio with sound-proofed instrumental teaching rooms; a Computer suite with 30 PCs; interactive Whiteboards in every classroom; a Library; facilities for PTA events and individual group teaching rooms. Add to this a staff team with a huge range of expertise, experience and enthusiasm and we can ensure that children have the very best education whilst they are with us.
Swimming
At Mampitts Road we had a 25 metre swimming pool. Our new site will have a new swimming pool built hopefully by the early part of 2006 to ensure that children can continue to develop their swimming skills at our school.