A place to THRIVE

At Athelstan Primary School, our children are at the very heart of everything we do. 

Everyone is an essential part of the Team

We have the Highest expectations of all in our school community

We will build Resilience in our children

Every child will be Inspired by an active and engaging curriculum

We want children to Value their experiences with us

We will Empower children to contribute positively to society

Quality of Education

Through our curriculum, our children will develop an increasing repertoire of skills and explore concepts via enquiry-based questioning.  There will be strong emphasis on knowledge and vocabulary acquisition in each aspect of learning.  This increasingly sophisticated knowledge base will enable children to make connections across individual subjects and the whole curriculum to lead future learning.  We will promote imagination, communication, creativity, ingenuity.  We will install acceptance of making mistakes as a means of developing resilience - all inventive ideas failed numerous times until they didn't.

In addition to the formal curriculum, we provide extensive opportunities for extra-curricular activities to enable our children to enhance their existing skills and interests, whilst giving them new experiences and encouraging competition and good sportsmanship.   Pupils are regularly encouraged to think about the importance of leading active and healthy lifestyles and the school endeavours to facilitate this.

Our core curriculum design will enable pupils to:

• be fluent, accurate readers across a wide range of contexts across the curriculum
• acquire knowledge of an extensive, enriched vocabulary and a range of writing techniques to extend details and description in their writing to fully engage a variety of audiences
• demonstrate the ability to think independently and to persevere when faced with challenges 
• have a broad range of skills in using and applying mathematical concepts

Our technology curriculum design will enable pupils to:

aspire to be future scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs by demonstrating a passion for science and its application in past, present and future technologies

• communicate ideas well by using applications and devices across the curriculum 
• be designers who demonstrate levels of originality and the willingness to take creative risks to produce innovative ideas

Our humanities and creative curriculum design will enable pupils to:

• be fluent in complex, geographical enquiry with the ability to further develop their understanding of the ways in which places and people are interdependent and interconnected
• develop the ability to think, reflect, debate, discuss and evaluate the past, formulating and refining lines of enquiry and demonstrating how history has shaped our lives
• communicate fluently in visual and tactile form
• show a passion for and commitment to a diverse range of musical activities
• demonstrate the confidence to speak Spanish with good intonation and pronunciation
• have the ability to link the study of religion and belief to personal reflections on meaning and purpose

Our community action curriculum design will enable pupils to:

• be active pupils who have a willingness to take part eagerly in all aspects of PE to achieve exceptionally high levels of physical fitness
• recognise their place as part of the wider community and how difference is to be celebrated

Behaviour and Attitudes

We strive to create a culture and environment which inspires everyone to be the very best that they can be. We are proud to be a part of a richly diverse school community and celebrate and respect our differences.  Children are encouraged to be kind to one another and are praised for hard work, determination and having a positive attitude.  We want all of our pupils to achieve their full potential, whatever their background, and to go on to become confident and well-rounded citizens, who can contribute positively to society.  

We promote an ethos of respect and empathy, where all pupils are always courteous. Our pupils are taught right from wrong and we promote high standards of behaviour at all times.  Safeguarding and welfare is extremely important to us at Athelstan.  We all want to make our school a place to be proud of, with children who will leave us as responsible, independent learners with a lifelong love for learning.  

Our curriculum encourages active participation and collaboration from our pupils, by exposing them to a broad range of subjects, taught by teachers who are inspirational, passionate and enthusiastic about life-long learning.  

Personal Development

We value perseverance and resilience, and encourage our children to welcome challenge and learn from their mistakes.   We want our pupils to take ownership of and responsibility for their learning, so that they have the confidence and curiosity to ask questions and respond to quality feedback.  We challenge all children to strive for academic, creative, sporting and personal accomplishment and to develop a deep understanding and a thirst for knowledge.

Leadership and Management

We take pride in developing high quality teaching and learning by holding the highest expectations of all our pupils and knowing the children exceptionally well.  Staff are encouraged to think about their own support and training needs and this leads to careers with clear progression. We ensure that there are lots of opportunities for high quality training and that staff are able to learn from each other and share good practice. 

We value the important relationship with parents and carers and aim to provide open and honest communication.  Parents and carers understand how important it is for them to work with us to support and encourage their children throughout their learning journey.  We actively seek to engage with all members of our community in a positive and supportive manner.

OUR VALUES AND ETHOS

We want our school to be:

• A place where learning is fun and meaningful, and achievement is high.

• A safe and happy place, where everyone is valued and respected. 

• Where everyone has gifts and abilities with the opportunity to shine.

• A stimulating, welcoming and attractive learning environment, of which we are proud.