Midlands Primary School has been successfully educating children since 1952. Our children are expected to work hard and achieve their very best. They are taught by talented staff who are caring and friendly, and who have high expectations of children and themselves.
Our children are the key to the success of our school. We aim to ensure they are motivated by learning and offered the best opportunities that we can provide. We hope that they will be respectful and well-behaved individuals, who develop high self-esteem and independence.
We value academic and personal success and provide a range of additional support to ensure equality of opportunity. The development of literacy, numeracy, and good work habits are given high priority in Midlands. However, we are also committed to providing a rich, diverse curriculum: music and the arts set alongside our comprehensive extra-curricular program are key elements of this.
Midlands has a crucial part to play within the Ham and North Kingston community we want to ensure that our children understand the part that they can play as citizens within it. Ofsted also commented on our “very strong links with parents” – crucial to the partnership that home and school must have to support each child's development.
We are a one-form-entry primary school set in the heart of the Ham community. We admit 30 children per year into our Reception class. As a community primary school, we follow the London Borough of Richmond admissions policy and procedures. We also have a delightful Nursery, which admits children in either morning or afternoon fully funded places and also part-funded full-time places. Occasionally, Richmond Admissions can request that we go above our normal class size of 30.
We dream big and we never rest on our laurels or stop developing, improving, and innovating our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the new skills and knowledge that our children will need in the future. We know our children extremely well. At Midlands learning is personalized and develops the children’s strengths and interests, we break down barriers and difficulties that the children might come across along the way.
Our children make outstanding progress in their lessons. They are proud of themselves and each other. The children, parents, staff, leaders, and governors all strive for continuous improvement. Everyone is encouraged. Everyone is invited to contribute. Our school is a harmonious place to be, where dreaming is nurtured because our children know that with hard work and kindness, every dream is possible.
At Midlands, the Full Governing Body comprises 13 governors, including parents, teachers, volunteers from the local authority, and the community. We are an energetic and ambitious group that works together to provide independent oversight of the management and operation of the school, to improve the quality of education provided, and to raise standards.
At Midlands, we work with other schools and providers in Achieving for Children and beyond. The children learn the important values of the Horse Rangers Association, the importance of respect and kindness when looking after animals. They learn how to feed, muck out, groom the horses and the day culminates in an hour ride in Bushy Park.
At Midlands, we are committed to providing a unique curriculum filled with experiences that enthuse, engage, and challenge our children. We have a rich program of school trips to different places of interest and activities as well as visitors to our school. Our standards in English, Maths, Science and Computing are extremely high alongside this we value the Arts, Sport, Outdoor Learning, Citizenship, and SMSC. Being a small school, we know the children well we seek out and nurture their talents and interests. Pupils are encouraged to be active members of our school by taking on significant roles such as becoming members of the Junior Leadership Team, Class Ambassadors, or Peer Mediator.
During assemblies the children have the chance to learn about different religious traditions and celebrations, they deepen their understanding of healthy living, mark British cultural traditions, and celebrate everything great about Midlands! We also hold yearly class assemblies, Christmas performances, Easter, Harvest, and Mothering Sunday assemblies. We welcome visitors into the school to lead assemblies. Recently our guest speakers have been from Ham Youth Centre presenting the importance of E-Safety, the local police force, representatives from RUILS disability awareness, and Merlin the dog from the Pets As Therapy group.
