ABOUT US

Cockerham St Michael’s Parochial Church of England Primary School lies on the West coast of Lancashire, facing Morecambe Bay. It is 6km NW of Garstang and 10km SW of Lancaster.

We are a small rural primary school in the heart of a farming community located approximately 6km NW of Garstang and 9km S of Lancaster. The school is continuing the long standing quality of education which has been evident for over 300 years. We are encountering an exciting and challenging time in education as our school progresses in the 21st century. Click here to view our excellent Value Added Scores for 2006. Notice that we also achieved 100% in all three subjects. Our Mission Statement embraces our belief that we really are 'Making a Difference' to the young lives of the children in our care.

• To help pupils to develop lively, enquiring and creative minds, the ability to question and argue rationally and to apply themselves to tasks and physical skills.
• To help pupils to acquire knowledge and skills relevant to life and employment in a rapidly changing and technological world.
• To instil respect for religious and moral values and tolerance of other races, religions and ways of life.
• To help pupils to understand the world in which they live and the inter-dependence of individuals, groups and nations.
• To develop positive relationships between home, school and the community.
• To develop a broad, balanced curriculum for all the children as laid down by the programmes of study and attainment targets of the National Curriculum.
• To create a happy working environment in which children, staff and parents feel comfortable and at ease with one another.
• To aid pupils to be happy at school and be motivated to participate in school activities
• To develop a caring and considerate attitude to others and the world in which they live
• To develop the child’s full potential academically, socially and spiritually

Dictated by the limitations of finance, the children are grouped in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. These range from whole school assemblies, through class teaching and the use of small groups, to activities involving an individual pupil. Special needs children are catered for in relation to their specific individual needs. The purpose for which pupils are grouped will vary. In some cases it may be important for pupils at the same level of attainment to work together. Working in groups will help in the development of collaborative skills, as required by the National Curriculum, as well as improving leadership, support and general social skills. The children are presently organised into one infant class and two junior classes.

All schools in England and Wales follow a structured legal framework known as the National Curriculum (N.C)

The N.C. is divided into a number of subjects. Maths (Numeracy), Language (Literacy), I.C.T. and Science are known as the core subjects. Geography, History, Music and Art, Physical Education and Design Technology are known as the foundation subjects. Religious Education is not a N.C. subject as such but, as a church school, we broadly follow the Diocesan syllabus.. Other elements which are crosscurricular and covered in the school’s programmes are: personal and social education, equal opportunities, health education, citizenship, careers, European awareness (including language), environmental education, political awareness, economic and industrial understanding. The school plans all its programmes in relation to the National Curriculum documents. Key Stage One (KS1) covers years 1 & 2, while Key Stage Two (KS2) covers years 3/4/5 & 6. Reception has its own Foundation Stage curriculum. Additional details about early learning goals and stepping stones for Reception are available in the school documents.

The school is a member of and participates in the sports activities organised by the Garstang and District Schools’ Sports Association. Over the year we are involved in: Football (indoor and outdoor), Skittle ball (indoor and outdoor), Netball (organised by parent), Cricket, Rounders, Athletics and Swimming. Fixtures in some of these sports are held against other schools during the year. The school enters the Lancaster Cross Country Primary School Race each March and training for this event is organised. Football practices are organised by the village for 6-11 year olds on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings (Summer).