It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to Dovedale Primary School. Our school has an excellent reputation in Liverpool and is highly respected within the local community. We have incredibly happy children, dedicated staff who provide a creative curriculum that is exciting and fun that is enriched through first-hand experiences.
We had our first Ofsted inspection as a primary school in March 2018 and were incredibly pleased to be graded 'Good' overall with Early Years provision, personal development, behavior, and welfare all graded 'Outstanding'.
At Dovedale Primary School we uphold and teach pupils about British Values which are defined as:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs
Democracy is an important value at our school. Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council.
The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout the school day. We have a whole school behavior system with rewards and consequences which is consistently used by all staff. Through the curriculum, children are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves, and the consequences when laws are broken.
Pupils are actively encouraged to make choices that are correct and purposeful at our school, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school, we provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and planned curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely, for example through our PHSE and E-Safety lessons. Pupils are given the freedom to make choices, e.g. attending extra-curricular activities and Liverpool Children’s University Graduation.
Respect is at the core of our school ethos and is modeled by students and staff alike. Assembly stories promote respect and encouragement for others. Children are taught to be respectful regardless of differences between them. Through lessons, they are taught to work co-operatively and advise each other on their learning through peer assessment.
This is achieved through enhancing pupils' understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. During RE lessons children are allowed to explore a range of faiths, religions, and cultures. Members of different faiths or religions are encouraged to share their knowledge to enhance learning within classes and the school. The children have participated in assemblies and discussions involving prejudices and prejudice-based bullying which has been supported have been by learning in Anti-Bullying Week, Black History Week, RE, and PSHE.
We have designed a rich, broad, and balanced curriculum that aligns high standards in the basics with opportunities for enrichment and creativity, to ensure learning and personal development for all pupils. Its core foundations are taken from the Early Learning Goals (EYFS) and the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and 2. But of equal importance, our curriculum goes well beyond the statutory requirements. We have developed a bespoke curriculum, designed by our school’s leaders alongside staff, pupils, and parents to ensure the needs of our children and their families are met. The importance of the school’s locality and community as a learning resource is embedded throughout. This learning is then enriched with a curriculum that extends their learning beyond the locality to an understanding of their place in the UK and wider, with exciting global and multicultural content.
Beyond the knowledge that the academic curriculum provides, we are passionate about teaching our pupils to grow as life-long learners and individuals. We have created a program of personal and social education to nurture pupils to become positive, confident adults. We place great emphasis on social, moral, spiritual, and cultural learning along with promoting British values in a range of creative forms.
In Years 1-6, we teach the following as discrete subjects: English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Art and design, French (KS2), History, Geography, Design Technology, PE, Music, RE, and PSHE. Learning in each subject has been planned to ensure children build their knowledge, skills, and understanding progressively in Y1 to Y6.
