“A really good school and always working hard to be even better.” Year 2 Parent
Welcome to Barnsbury Primary School It is my pleasure to introduce you to Barnsbury Primary School. We aim to provide the children in our care with the very best educational experiences and opportunities. Our inspiring curriculum promotes children’s values, a range of life skills and a love of learning. Our team of dedicated and enthusiastic staff and governors set high expectations with a belief that every child can achieve. This coupled with our extensive resources and wonderful grounds provides a purposeful atmosphere, enabling effective teaching and learning to take place. Our school values and recognises the important contribution our parents and the wider community can bring to the education of the children in our care. We actively seek positive partnerships with all who can help us develop. Mrs Clare Spires Headteacher
Mission Statement Barnsbury Primary School provides all children in our care with a high quality, values, led education, through a broad and balanced curriculum. In partnership with families and our community, we create confident individuals with skills for lifelong learning. Our safe, inclusive school, provides the whole child with a wealth of learning opportunities throughout the extended school day.
“My children are thriving at the school, showing enthusiasm for learning and are well cared for and guided by excellent staff. I particularly like the values led approach.� Parent of Year 1 & 3 children
Our Aims 1. Our School Is Proud To Be At The Centre Of Our Community: We believe in building strong links between home and school, with those around us and across the world. Our environment matters to us and we will do all we can to care for it. 2. OUR SCHOOL IS A PLACE WHERE VALUES ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO: We believe that happy children learn best. We work together to understand ourselves and each other. We develop our personal values and bring them to life in all we do. 3. OUR SCHOOL IS A PLACE WHERE ALL LEARNERS LOVE TO LEARN: We believe in providing the best opportunities for everyone to achieve their potential. We work hard to provide support and challenge and to make learning fun for all. Our pupils have a voice. 4. OUR SCHOOL IS A PLACE WHERE PROGRESS IS PARAMOUNT: We offer a creative curriculum in a safe, caring and well-resourced environment. Good learning opportunities for all promote the raising of standards and the development of outstanding leaders for the future.
“Once you believe your performance increases.� John Jones
“Educating the mind without educating the Heart is no education at all.” Aristotle
Our Values and Skills Values Education plays an integral role in enhancing the quality of every aspect of school life for all our pupils. In order to create a secure, caring atmosphere and ethos of mutual trust and respect, we believe that it is important to foster a climate of understanding, acceptance and encouragement within the school, where each child’s worth is acknowledged and valued. Our Values Education encompasses all interactions in school between and amongst staff and pupils. Monthly values are explored and embedded in day to day life at Barnsbury School via assemblies, class reflections, lessons and circle times. Our pupils develop life skills which equip them with a full range of learning behaviours and attitudes necessary for success in all areas of life. Children are provided with opportunities to work in teams, solve problems, communicate their ideas, ‘think outside the box’, reflect and become independent learners. We strongly believe that values and skills combined build the foundations for a successful education, helping the children in our care to become lifelong learners.
“In Family Learning Week, we visited the classroom and not only did I see my child in the classroom setting, I also learnt how to help him with his reading at home. This is just one example of how innovative the school is.” Year R & 2 parent
Our Curriculum Our children learn through our broad and balanced curriculum, which sets out to provide practical experiences, rich in opportunities, for them to investigate and solve problems. Our curriculum is taught through a range of engaging topics which challenge and inspire pupils to learn more. A variety of trips, visitors, outdoor learning activities and a series of whole school themed weeks throughout the year enhance the learning opportunities, providing first hand experiences for all our children. Specialist teachers in Music, French and Physical Education, enrich the curriculum enabling opportunities to further develop their skills. In the back of our prospectus you will find a more detailed description of the subjects taught.
“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember but Involve me and I will understand.” Sir Isacc Newton
“The school is very inclusive providing many opportunities to be involved in your child’s educational experience.” Parent of Year 2, 4 & 6 children
Our Children At Barnsbury Primary School the development of the “whole child” is central to our philosophy. We value each child’s unique qualities and work hard to build trusting relationships with our children and their families, so that each child reaches their full potential. Our nurturing staff and pastoral team recognise and support a diversity of individual needs relating to learning, health, behaviour, emotion and physical requirements ensuring that all pupils feel safe, secure and are able to make progress.
“Our daughter enjoys school and we are very happy with her progression.� year 5 parent
Our Environment Our school site has extensive grounds including a pond area, a woodlands, a meadow and large playing fields. These areas are used to enhance the curriculum and allow children to explore, develop and learn in the outdoors. Our ICT suite, modern well-resourced library and food technology room, support high quality teaching and learning. We welcome visitors to look around our wonderful school.
“Joining the Barnsbury PTA has been a great way for me to get involved with helping the school and as a full-time working parent it has also helped me get to know other parents and staff members, learn about the school and have some fun whilst doing so.” year 2 parent
Our Extended Curriculum Barnsbury Buddies is our ‘out of hours care’ facility, providing a safe and caring environment for children before and after school and during the holidays. It has been established for many years and has a dedicated team of professionals caring for the children. We are very proud of the wide variety of after school clubs we are able to offer. Children develop new talents, make new friends and enjoy new experiences, such as; magic club, cooking, ballet, cheerleading, computing, Lego, languages and many more.
“There is a lot of engagement from the school with the parents and a real sense that the school is interested in our opinions and want to help us help our children.� Year R Parent
Our Community We work closely with local nurseries and secondary schools to ensure smooth and effective transitions for our children. Four local schools join us in partnership, forming the SWAN trust, enabling children, staff and governors to work together, sharing expertise, bringing about school improvement. Barnsbury Parent and Teachers Association work collaboratively to raise funds to provide facilities and equipment for the pupils in our care. They build relationships, organise fun events and enhance experiences for our community.
Almond Avenue, Woking, Surrey GU22 0BB Telephone: 01483 763114 E-mail: info@barnsbury.surrey.sch.uk Website: www.barnsbury.surrey.sch.uk
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