ntroduction

This website has been designed to give you an insight into the kind of school Shaw is and how we approach learning.

What makes a good school?
The foundation and bedrock of a good school has to be the way the community behaves. Are the children and staff happy? Do they feel secure? Are they valued?
Do they want to come to school every day?

The school children are deeply involved in drawing up the school golden rules. This is the moral base of our community. These are the rules the children agreed
to put in place for this school year.

- Be polite and welcoming
- Treat others the way you would like to be treated
- Tell the truth
- Try your best
- Respect everything and everyone
- Think of others before yourself
- Behave sensibly
- Be calm, patient, helpful and considerate

By behaving in this way we have the foundations
for a good school society. It works at Shaw!

On this sound foundation of good behaviour we build the next level. Here good positive attitudes to learning are developed. You will find out more about this in the
�Learning School� section of our website. Basically children will only be able to do their best if they develop positive attitudes to learning. They need to be equipped with the skills of learning. We teach them �How to Learn�.

The final level is the academic level. That is �What We Learn�. Here they encounter the areas of the curriculum, skills, concepts and subject knowledge.

We strongly believe that children learn most effectively
and make the most progress when they are inspired
and stimulated. We offer exciting child centred learning
experiences that engage their interest. Children love
coming to school at Shaw! They are encouraged to become
inquiring independent learners�Right from four years old!

Age appropriate topics are a powerful vehicle for learning. Recent topics that have proved very successful include The Titanic, Shackleton, Narnia and The Iron Man. Mini topics like �Romeo and Juliet� and �The Tempest� bring powerful stories to life. From this stimulus comes wonderful writing. The juniors use class sets of significant children�s stories that allow the whole class to enjoy, analyse and discuss a classic text together. They love doing this!

The school has a strong literary tradition and children love books at Shaw. Several famous authors have visited and inspired the children to read and write. Award winning authors Geraldine McCaughrean and Simon Bartram visited recently and commented on the keen interest of the children. Every year we have a book week with authors, storytellers and exciting book based events to celebrate
the amazingly rich world of children`s books.

Two pupils meet Simon James 2005 Red
House Book Award Winner

Class trips, Residentials and interesting visitors to our school are an important part of learning at Shaw. These value added events help embed learning and often form the most memorable highlights of the children�s time at school. What were the highlights of your time at school?

  

We are proud of our school grounds. We call them the �Outdoor Classroom�. We aim to continuously improve and develop them in consultation with the children. Our most recent addition is a 30 seater gazebo that allows whole classes to study outside.

  
  

The Learning School

Developing the skills to become a �Good Learner� is a major focus at Shaw. We strongly believe that the development
of good attitudes to learning enhances personal and academic progress for all learners. Children with positive attitudes to learning thrive in school and do well. Weak learning attitudes result in unsatisfactory progress. For instance we have noticed that a bright child with a poor learning attitude who gives up easily when learning
becomes challenging or who puts in little effort will make poor progress and will be significantly underachieving.

At Shaw children learn the 4R�s. They learn how to �

be Resilient: to concentrate, become absorbed in learning, avoid distractions, show effort and persevere, deal with learning obstacles, work with energy and enthusiasm and remember what has been said.

  

be Resourceful: to use imagination creatively, think logically, analyse and reason, make links with other areas of learning, show a sense of enquiry and make the most of learning resources and opportunities.

  

be Reflective: to understand that we learn through making mistakes, to take calculated risks in learning, to apply knowledge and skills in other situations, to revise planning, organise own learning and monitor and review work.

  

Develop Relationships: to cooperate well in a group, to be able to collaborate, share information and ideas, communicate effectively, discuss, reason, question, debate and empathise.

  

All classes work to develop these skills. The qualities of good learners are discussed and recognised in every class. Teachers notice good learning and celebrate it both in the class and in the weekly �Sharing Assembly� where �Good Learning� certificates are awarded. Older children can identify other learners in their class who are demonstrating good learning. These observations are displayed on the class wall. In this way a learning culture is developed
across the school. Good learners do well at school and
make good progress.