Thornton Primary School

[EduCativ]

Thornton Primary School has been serving the local community in Ward End since 1930. Generations of families have entrusted the education of their children to the school which is very popular and oversubscribed in every year group. The school is unique in as much as we have a one-form entry Key Stage 1 but in Key Stage 2, we have five forms of entry (150 children in each year group) as we take 120 children each year from Sladefield Infant School. Over time the school will become once again a Junior School as, following consultation, we no longer take children into Thornton in the Early years.

Last year, the children’s playgrounds had a complete refurbishment, to create a safe and exciting place for the children to play and have their PE lessons. We have also installed new fencing around the school site to improve security and further developed the school reception, outdoor spaces, corridors, and classrooms. We now have an amazing school library, stocked with a wide range of splendid books. We are thankful to the Foyle Foundation for providing a grant of £5,000 to enable this dream to be realized.

At Thornton, we are very proud of the relationship that has developed between the parents and the school. We welcome parents’ views and support and have an open-door policy. Parent workshops are a regular feature of our work and we also have lots of parent volunteers who support teachers in class.

Over the past two years, the school staffing structure has been developed a Pastoral Manager, Learning Mentor, Sports Coach, and School Nurse have all been appointed to provide enhanced support for pupils’ personal development, behavior, and welfare. The introduction of these staff members also helps to ensure the overall health and well-being of all the pupils in school. For example, the quality of Sports both within the curriculum and also extra-curricular activities has also been vastly improved by our Sports Coach and a healthy lifestyle is strongly encouraged for both staff and pupils. Weekly Tea parties, held by the Headteacher for Star Pupils, are designed to motivate children in positive ways and promote overall high expectations.

Our computer hardware and software are constantly being updated to ensure that children have access to the latest technology. Every class has a 75” interactive, touch screen computer and 15 iPads so that technology is a high focus in-class teaching. We also have a well-equipped ICT suite where children can develop their IT and computing skills.

At Thornton Primary School we pride ourselves on a friendly environment where all staff and pupils treat one another with respect and form positive relationships which ensure a happy and safe atmosphere. School Aims:

• To be an inclusive school, giving support to every child so that they reach their full potential.
• To provide an inspiring curriculum, grounded in the basic skills of English and mathematics and enriched with first-hand experiences, that will help children develop lively, enquiring minds encouraging them to think for themselves and to develop perseverance, motivation, enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity.
• To foster excellent attitudes to learning so that children are confident, self-assured learners who are proud of their achievements.
• To encourage excellent attendance and punctuality so that not a moment of learning is lost.
• To ensure that bullying is frowned upon and dealt with decisively and swiftly.
• To have an open culture that actively promotes all aspects of pupils’ welfare.
• To keep pupils safe and make sure they feel safe at all times. Ensuring that pupils understand how to keep themselves safe in different situations, including online, staying safe from abuse and exploitation, and trust adults in school to help them when they have concerns.
• To ensure that pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe online and of the dangers of inappropriate use of mobile technology and social networking sites.
• To encourage pupils to lead an active lifestyle and ensure that they can articulate how to keep themselves healthy, making informed choices about healthy eating, fitness, and their emotional and mental well-being, developing an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships.
• To ensure that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development permeates all areas of the school’s work and equips them to be thoughtful, caring, and active citizens in school and wider society.
• To develop the school as a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practiced, respected, protected, and promoted.

At Thornton, our school ethos is based upon the principle of belonging, whereby every person - pupils, staff, parents, and governors - is a member of the Thornton family. Each person is an important individual with a positive contribution to make. The School attempts to create a warm, secure 'family' atmosphere in which every child is safe.

The School encourages all children to respect other people and their beliefs regardless of race or religion to respect the building and the resources within it and to respect the wider environment through active involvement with conservation and preservation. The School encourages a full partnership with parents and seeks to further develop strong parental links from throughout the school so that the learning of pupils is fully understood and supported. The School recognizes that the commitment of the staff, and the example that is set to the children through the daily ethos, is largely responsible for the high motivation and achievement of the pupils.

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