Our primary school is where pupils will begin their journey through St Richard Reynolds Catholic College. We strive for excellence in all that we do and have a committed and talented staff who work tirelessly to achieve this. Our nurturing environment encourages, supports, and develops the spiritual, intellectual, moral, and physical development of every child. As well as being hugely ambitious academically for all our pupils, we want them to live lives that are fulfilled personally, socially, and spiritually.
Choosing the right school is a vitally important decision. St Richard Reynolds will be a place where our young people will come first, be loved, listened to, challenged, and inspired. We are committed to the pursuit of excellence in all that we do and if you entrust your child to us you will see that we work tirelessly to achieve this. We are hugely ambitious academically for all our pupils. However, we also want them to live lives that are personally, socially, and spiritually fulfilling.
The governing body is organized into several committees each with terms of reference setting out its responsibilities and delegated powers. These committees meet regularly and report to the chairman’s committee and the full governing body. The governing body is bound by a Code of Conduct.
If your child has not been offered a place at a school you ranked as a higher preference than SRRCC, they will automatically be placed on our waiting list. Parents and carers have two weeks to accept or reject offers. If places become available, they will be offered to those on the waiting list according to the school's over-subscription policy. The school is a voluntary aided co-educational primary school within the trusteeship of the Diocese of Westminster. it will eventually provide 210 places for pupils between the ages of 4 and 11.
The Reception curriculum follows the changes brought in with the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework in September 2012. It covers seven areas of learning three prime and four specific. The three prime areas are Personal, Social-Emotional Development, Communication, and Language and Physical Development. Success in these areas ensures that children will go on to achieve in the specific areas of learning Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design.
Children will learn in a variety of ways in the classroom in a combination of adult-directed teaching and child-initiated learning. There will be a strong focus on objective-led planning which will provide the opportunity for each child to develop their understanding and make progress in a way that 3 engages them and appeals to their interests. In addition to the seven areas of learning, pupils will also take part in Religious Education lessons which will underpin teaching and learning within the classroom. Play and Exploration are a fundamental part of learning in Reception. It means children will choose activities where they can engage with other children or adults or sometimes play alone. During these activities, the children will learn by first-hand experiences by actively ‘doing’ as well as through scaffolding and modeling by adults.
We will provide them with sufficient space both indoors and outdoors, time and choice with a range of activities. There will be a good variety of planned and prepared activities, as well as allowing time for the children to initiate their learning. Activities will be planned through discussion with the children around their current interests, as well as taking into account their learning styles and stages of development. Our environment will enable children to try things out and make sense of relationships, allowing all children to fulfill their potential.
Assessment of learning is primarily through observation of pupils engaged in the range of cross-curricular activities, which are both child-initiated and adult-directed. Our primary assessment method is through the use of the online application ‘Tapestry.’ This application allows all staff working with EYFS pupils to contribute to the pupil’s profile. It also allows the opportunity for parents and carers to contribute towards the profile as recommended in the EYFS Statutory guidance. At the end of the Reception year, pupils will be assessed against 17 Early Learning Goals, with a judgment being made as to whether they are emerging, expected, or exceeding these goals. Pupils must be working at the expected level in the Prime areas (PSED, PD, and CLL) plus Literacy and Mathematics to be deemed to have made a good level of development (GLD). Appropriate interventions will be put into place to support pupils who have not reached GLD as they enter Year 1.
The six existing Catholic primary schools in Richmond were rated by OFSTED as outstanding or good in terms of contribution to the community. They engage fully in borough sports, in charitable and community projects, in artistic, dramatic, and musical programs, and in ecumenical initiatives to name but a few. The new primary school will similarly engage in local events, activities, and opportunities across the borough and beyond. The High School will enable many local Catholic children to continue their education within Richmond rather than having to attend Catholic secondary schools outside the borough. This will allow them to take a more active part in their local community and to grow into responsible citizens who are proud of their local area. The College will seek to collaborate with all schools in the borough and to form productive partnerships with local businesses, religious groups, clubs, and charities.
