Shiphay is a large primary school on the edge of Torquay, Devon. The word Shiphay is of Saxon origin meaning “sheep enclosure”, which is what this area was used for over 1,000 years ago.
There are between 450 and 500 children at the school, from a range of backgrounds, aged from 3 to 11, in 16 classes. These are organised within three Teams to provide consistent academic and pastoral support for children and adults. The school was built in 1952 as an infant school which grew and became a primary in 1973.
In addition to the main school we have also built and developed The Orchard as an Early Years and Community Centre. We have a 84 place nursery and childcare facility for 3 and 4 year olds. We are an Extended School and provide education and care for 3 to 11 year olds from 7.45am - 6.00pm weekdays for 51 weeks of the year. We are also developing a range of community opportunities.
We have a very “Team” orientated ethos and support and training feature highly as a priority. We are an Investor in People and our recent reassessment stated that we were “the best example of an Investor in People” ever encountered.
We train teachers through the Graduate Teacher Programme and also through our membership of both the Devon and National SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) for Outstanding Schools. We are a host school for the National College for School Leadership’s (NCSL) National Professional Qualification for Headship. In addition we have links with Swiss, German, French and Tanzanian education settings and support their students and teachers with extended opportunities to visit and work in our school.
We are a quality assured Becta School and for three years have hosted visiting Headteachers on the Strategic Leadership of ICT (SLICT) conferences run by the NCSL. We were in the first cohort of schools to receive the National ICT Award, recognising standards and commitment to the effective use of ICT in all aspects of school. Being part of two Interactive Whiteboard Pilots for the DfES has enabled us to capitalise on the potential of ICT and we have IWBs in every learning space in the school.
At Shiphay School we have very high expectations of children and all we do in all spheres of school life. We featured in Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools 2005 report to Parliament, named as one of the most successful schools nationally.