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We are an inclusive and supportive school and we place individuals at the heart of everything we set out to achieve. We are ambitious for our children of all ages and of all abilities. Working in partnership with parents, carers, and children, our hardworking and committed staff strive to help each pupil become the best they can be in both academic and creative subjects. Our particular strength is in helping our youngest children, in Nursery and in Reception, to master the first skills they need to succeed and participate in learning. We work hard to create a safe environment in which our children feel able to challenge themselves and make mistakes, both of which are an important part of learning. Through our teaching of moral values, we provide the foundations for our children to develop into tolerant, committed, and confident citizens. We are delighted that you are considering our school for your child. Our provision is for 3 and 4-year-olds and children are admitted in September or January of each year. Priority is given to siblings of children in the school, and then proximity to the school. From the NSPCC website, safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child. Safeguarding children and child protection guidance and legislation apply to all children up to the age of 18. At Darell Primary and Nursery School, we take the safeguarding of our pupils seriously. We all have a shared responsibility and a duty of care to safeguard our community. All members of staff, as well as volunteers and those who visit the school regularly, are all subject to enhanced DBS checks to ensure their suitability for working with children. At Darell, the staff is trained to know what to do should a safeguarding issue arise. Our volunteers undergo comprehensive safeguarding training so that they, too, are aware of our procedures. Mobile phones are not permitted to be used on-site by visitors or volunteers, and staff have all agreed to a comprehensive mobile phone policy and do not use their phones when children are around. The Early Years Foundation Stage caters to children in nursery and reception classes from 3 to 5 years of age. In the EYFS children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. Children are given a broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good prospects through school and life. Key Stages 1 and 2 offer a broad, relevant, creative, and engaging curriculum taught through a topic-based approach using the Cornerstones Curriculum, a nationally-recognized approach for delivering outstanding learning opportunities for children. The Cornerstones Curriculum is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the 2014 Primary National Curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. Our new curriculum is delivered through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) which provide a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of our children’s learning. We believe children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning to engaging contexts. Our new curriculum provides lots of problems, applies themselves creatively, and expresses their knowledge and learning challenges throughout the academic year that will require children to solve understanding effectively across the curriculum. Cornerstones also provide a rigorous essential skills framework that outlines the end of year expectations in all subjects. These essential skills are tied to activities and are age-related so that staff can track children’s progress and identify their individual learning needs. All Richmond and Kingston maintained schools have a similar approach to meeting the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and are supported by the Local Authority to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress in school. All schools are supported to be as inclusive as possible, with the needs of pupils with a special educational need, or needs, being met in a mainstream setting wherever possible, where families want this to happen. Admissions of pupils with SEND are considered on the same basis as those without SEND. The School Admissions Code of Practice requires children and young people with SEN to be treated fairly. The responsibility of a governor is to be strategic – to challenge, evaluate, monitor and support. Governors mustn't get involved in the day-to-day operation of the school, that is the role of the headteacher and staff. Governors and the school leadership are supported by a school improvement partner who is an expert in primary education and provides independent advice to continually assess the school's strengths and areas for development. At Darell, every governor is linked to a member of staff who has responsibility for a specific subject. Governors meet with their linked staff members two or three times a year to understand how their subject is taught, the main strengths and challenges, the use of teaching resources, and integration of the subject in the wider curriculum. Governors must also accept collective responsibility for all decisions taken, regardless of whether they voted for them, and ensure that the details of discussions in meetings, including the votes of individual governors, remain confidential. This latter point is crucial for ensuring mutual trust, which is essential for effective school governance. View full school