Irk Valley is a large primary school close to Manchester’s city center. We are lucky enough to serve a culturally diverse community and we enjoy learning from each other in an atmosphere of mutual respect. This is a warm and friendly school with a family feel, where our children are happy and safe. The staff team works very hard to ensure all children reach their potential.
We prepare them for the next stage in their education and their lives by nurturing their skills and talents, encouraging them to pursue their interests, and supporting them to become good citizens. On request, parents will be given a Nursery Application Form to complete. This should be handed in at school with proof of the child’s date of birth. The child’s details will then be entered onto a pre-admission list for September after they are three. All parents must complete an application form even if the child already has a sibling in school.
If the classes are full in Nursery, the school will hold waiting lists. The Local Authority will hold waiting lists for other school places. Waiting lists will be held in criteria order according to the oversubscription criteria. Waiting lists will not be operated on a “first come, first served” basis. The amount of time an applicant is on a waiting list will not affect their position on it.
At Irk Valley, SMSC underpins much of what we do. We recognize that the personal development of children – spiritually, morally, socially, and culturally – plays a significant role in their ability to learn and to grow into well-rounded members of society.
At Irk Valley we offer a broad and balanced curriculum. You will find overviews for each subject area on this page. Please check your child's class page for more information on what they are learning each half term. You can also come and join in with our lessons during parent open days.
The Governing body is a team of volunteers that have the important job of looking at the overall direction of the school. It is made up of representatives from the Local Education Authority, the community, members of staff, and elected parents. Our school is a vibrant and exciting place and the Governors, like the staff, are professional, committed, and keen to ensure that every child reaches their full potential.
Governors act as ‘critical friends’ of the school, supporting the Headteacher and staff. They monitor and evaluate the school to ensure that best practice is always followed and help to create a safe learning environment that delivers the best possible education to all our pupils.
The governors and staff recognize that global issues are an important part of the lives of our pupils living in a world where economies are increasingly interdependent and global communication is a daily reality. At Irk Valley Community School both governors and staff believe that the global dimension should be reflected in the attitudes and values of our pupils, the ethos of the school, the Programmes of Study, and Key Skills.
Through the inclusion of an international focus in Irk Valley Community Primary School, we can offer to our pupils, a range of experiences that will enhance their learning and raise awareness of their national and international identity.
It is an important belief at Irk Valley Community Primary School that every teacher is a teacher of every pupil including those with SEND. This means that all teachers are responsible for helping every child in their class learn regardless of ability or whether they have a Special Educational Need and/or Disability. We aim to create a curriculum and environment in which all children can develop physically, intellectually and emotionally at a pace which is suited to their individual need and where all children have equal opportunity to access the curriculum to realize their full potential.
Our vision is to create a school community where children participate, excel, are proud of their achievements, grow in self-esteem, developing their potential as global citizens. It is our aim at Irk Valley to raise the aspirations and expectations for all pupils with SEND. We want them to understand that they can achieve their goals and that, as teachers, we are here to support them to do so. We are also keen to implement the new 2014 Code of Practice in full. We want every stakeholder to understand their roles and responsibilities in helping children develop so that they achieve their full academic potential.
As a school, we are focused on the outcomes that children make and their progress throughout each academic year. We are not concerned with just the hours of support that they have or their extra provision, but instead, how this will help them learn and succeed in their education. Through the aforementioned provision, we also aim to assist children in becoming effective and independent learners. We are aware that most children will not have an extra adult with them going through life to help them, so we must help them be aware of their independence and give them the life skills that are necessary to help them, not only in their education but also their later lives. To ensure that the children are making the correct progress, it is vital that we track their progress using assessments and also record the stages and progress appropriately so that gaps in knowledge are quickly identified to help the child succeed.
