Strong in Faith, Kind in Heart, United in Success
Stronger together
Welcome to Cowley St. Laurence, a co-educational, Church of England primary school and nursery for children aged from three to eleven years. As part of the Frays Academy Trust, we enjoy not only shared resources and expertise with our partner schools but also the freedom to control our budget and adapt our curriculum to serve the best interests of our pupils. Through a combination of high expectation, a carefully tailored creative curriculum as well as a Christian ethos, we strive to provide children with a first rate education intended to raise aptitude and achievement. Our daily worship provides opportunities for children to develop their relationship with God, nurturing their inherent curiosity about religion, and make well-informed choices about their spirituality. We help our pupils to discover their potential, nurturing their talents and thereby inspiring a love of learning and an attitude of perseverance, ensuring future success. We take pride in celebrating diversity and valuing every individual. This prospectus provides merely a glimpse into the flurry of activities on any given day at school. We encourage you to visit Cowley St. Laurence, to experience for yourself the engaging world of discovery that awaits your child. Chris Cole, Executive Head Teacher
Jaime Popil, Head of School
Ross Minton, Deputy Head of School
“ The ‘open–door’ approach of the teachers and Head of School help us as parents to feel involved with our child’s education. Thank you!” Year 4 Parent 01 Strong in Faith, Kind in Heart, United in Success
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“ I really like the chances we get to do lots of new things outside of our classroom, like clubs. This year I played netball, as well as learned Origami and how to draw animals.” Year 6 Pupil
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Inspiring lifelong learning
From their initial tentative steps into our nursery at three years old to heading to secondary school as confident and prepared Year 6 pupils, we want to encourage children’s independence, offer them choices, enhance their spirituality and nurture their natural love for learning. While in the Early Years, children’s learning experiences are mainly through imaginative indoor and outdoor play. This combined with structured focus activities and well-trained staff ensure that all pupils achieve their potential physically, emotionally and academically, from the very beginning of their educational journey. The emphasis on collaborative and creative learning continues as the pupils move through the school. Our curriculum is one that is reinforced with IT while intending to build lifelong skills and ensure an element of fun, curiosity and excitement. This combination allows pupils to develop their problem-solving and decision-making skills, as well as their capacity for independent learning. Cowley St. Laurence is a proud holder of the Basic Skills Quality Mark. We are proud to be a Church of England school, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that all children have regular opportunities for reflection and prayer. Explicit Christian values are embedded across all areas of learning, further strengthened through daily worship and upheld by the entire school community ensures our pupils are ready to enter the world spiritually aware. This only adds to the already high expectations of our pupils, encouraging and allowing them to achieve their potential emotionally, spiritually, academically and otherwise.
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“ Pupils make very rapid progress in all years and standards have risen, especially in mathematics.” Ofsted, July 2013 05 Strong in Faith, Kind in Heart, United in Success
Everyone succeeds At Cowley St. Laurence we strive for every child to feel secure and to achieve his or her full potential, regardless of emotional barriers or additional learning needs. A wide range of support mechanisms are in place to ensure all children can perform at their best. Teachers ensure that pupils are given appropriate levels of challenge in their lessons. Individual pupil progress is carefully monitored so that additional support can be provided where required. Success is facilitated for all pupils, regardless of their starting points. The support may be offered in the form of small group tuition or basic skills interventions. We have specialist support to hand where English may be an Additional language, or where pupils have other supplementary language needs. Where children’s emotional needs are proving to hinder potential, we have two Learning mentors whose roles are to support children in overcoming these in many ways, most effectively through a termly Malborough Project. Regardless of the hurdle, we aim to support all children in their journey to becoming resourceful and independent learners, who are well prepared for whatever their future has in store. Parents and carers play a key role in pupils’ success at Cowley St. Laurence; all of our staff operate an open door style policy, where parents and carers are welcome to raise concerns and celebrate success. Families are updated on progress through two parents’ evening appointments and a written report. We offer several opportunities for families to be informed about how their children learn throughout the year, across the core subjects. 06
“ The trust will inspire excellence through high quality leadership, good and outstanding teaching as well as a highly creative curriculum.” Vision Statement – Frays Academy Trust
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Opportunities galore As well as providing a stimulating academic environment, Cowley St. Laurence has a lot to offer to kindle talent. In addition to specialist sport and music teachers, a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and opportunities are also on offer either at lunchtime, after school or during school holidays. Our extra-curricular club list has something for everyone, whether it be sport, music, art, drama or even catching up on homework. We also have a School Council elected democratically on an annual basis, in Key Stage 2 who play a part in school improvement. Children are also given the opportunity to be play-leaders to support our younger children at lunchtimes. Where children have a flair for drama, there are opportunities to star in a range of productions throughout their learning journey. These include nativities, Easter performances, talent showcases, weekly worship and of course, the year 6 summer production, to mention a few. All classes go on at least one school trip to further consolidate their learning, usually to one of the wide variety on offer within greater London. All pupils are given the opportunity to experience a residential trip involving outdoor pursuits and team building activities, once in year 6, to develop their resilience, perseverance and independence before continuing on to secondary school.
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Spiritually attentive
As the Frays Academy Trust is affiliated to the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS) and Cowley St. Laurence is a Church of England School, its ethos is founded primarily on the Christian principles of respect for one another, honesty and self-reflection. We believe that success firmly depends on an environment that firstly nurtures a child’s emotional, social, spiritual and moral development. The school therefore fosters a positive, caring and spiritually stimulating atmosphere that gives children a sense of safety, self-assurance and inclusion. This confidence is continually developed with our ethos of praise and choices. Successes are celebrated often through praise, stickers, certificates of achievement, house points and frequent celebration assemblies. Constant pastoral care is provided in a range of ways, not only through class teachers and assistants but also from the support of Learning Mentors and Key Workers, who all work collaboratively to ensure the wellbeing of all.
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Cowley St Laurence CE Primary School Worcester Road, Cowley, Middlesex, UB8 3TH Tel: 01895 671 966, E: cowleystl@hillingdongrid.org www.cowley.hillingdon.sch.uk