Search the Community

There is something remarkable and distinctive about ‘St Mary’s girls. One feels extraordinarily welcomed and ‘at hat some as soon as you meet them confident young women who are deeply articulate, reflective, energetic, creative, outward-looking, and possessed of an impressively strong set of values. They are passionate about St Mary’s and keen to explain why. Mary Ward’s vision shines through their lives, still giving inspiration and meaning, four centuries on. A very strong ethos is abundantly present in the school, a spiritual and moral framework by which to live: this lies firmly at the heart of the school, and it is to be treasured. Mary Ward declared ‘No half women’, and we want our girls always to keep that idea in mind, to develop a growth mindset, to feel that everything is possible. In a girls’ school, no leadership roles or subjects are off-limits and our teachers are free to focus on the pedagogical methods that are proven to work best with girls. Girls in girls’ schools do exceptionally well, in every annual league table, as demonstrated by our recent excellent GCSE and A level results. Girls in girls’ schools stop being the audience – they step up onto the stage and into the limelight. If you choose to send your daughter to St Mary’s, then she will have every opportunity for her leadership, her creativity, her dynamism, and all her other strengths to flourish. In short, here your daughter will have the chance genuinely to be herself and to become all that she can be. St Mary’s girls are truly the ‘dreamers of dreams and the ‘movers and shakers’, preparing to shape the twenty-first century. The St Mary’s model nurtures and celebrates talent. We take pride in being part of our pupils’ development and success as a smaller school, we relish the fact that we know each girl, which allows us to support and guide them towards achieving their goals. Dedicated and enthusiastic teachers inspire a love of learning and allow girls to fulfill, and surpass, all expectations. We foster a discursive, dynamic and collaborative environment for learning throughout the school we monitor development, set individual targets, and cater to your daughter’s individual needs and abilities. We believe in nurturing and challenging the individual, whether it be extending those with academic talents or supporting those who make use of our purpose-built Learning Support department. We aim to overcome barriers to learning girls are encouraged to be tenacious and are reminded of positive role models who have achieved great success, despite learning differences such as Dyslexia. Our goal is to ensure every St Mary’s girl reaches her potential. View full school

Shaftesbury Primary School is a large multi-cultural, inner-city school where there are over 40 languages spoken. For over 90% of the learners, English is learned as an additional language. Also, the school’s pupil population is very mobile. The school’s staff team acknowledges that we have children who join us from different starting points in all year groups, but that does not stop us from expecting that all children will make very good progress to maximize their potential: be they very able children, able children or children who find academic learning challenging. The school takes an inclusive approach and structures its teaching and the education it provides to personalize learning. At Shaftesbury Primary School, we know the importance of providing a broad, balanced, and challenging curriculum where all children are encouraged to meet high expectations and are empowered to learn effectively. Children are encouraged to take pleasure in their own and others’ learning. We believe it is fundamental that children acquire knowledge, skills, and confidence that can be applied to all future learning experiences. Every child is equally valued as part of the school community and all are encouraged, indeed expected, to achieve their full potential. Shaftesbury aspires to create a successful learning culture, which will enable pupils to become informed, confident, enthusiastic, and independent learners. Our ethos is one in which the pupil’s interest and their quality of learning are central to the school’s work and purpose. All are encouraged to achieve their full potential and celebrate their achievement. We believe that our school should be a happy, caring, and secure environment, where all individuals are valued without any form of discrimination, supported through partnerships with parents, carers, and the wider community. We at Shaftesbury primary school are committed to meeting the special educational needs of pupils and ensuring these pupils make rapid and sustained progress, to learn exceptionally well due to targeted and specialist support. At Shaftesbury, we recognize that the personal development of pupils, spiritually, morally, socially, and culturally, plays a significant part in their ability to learn and achieve. We, therefore, aim to provide an education that provides pupils with opportunities to explore and develop their values and beliefs, spiritual awareness, high standards of personal behavior, a positive caring attitude towards other people, an understanding of their social and cultural traditions, and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of other cultures. This is a whole school issue. Teaching and learning are at the heart of Shaftesbury. Good teaching and learning raise standards of achievement across the whole curriculum. It supports and enables the aims, ethos, and values of our school and provides a secure, well-ordered environment where each child can achieve his/her maximum potential. Shaftesbury has a whole school approach to SMSC. All curriculum areas have a contribution to make to the child's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, and opportunities for this are planned in each area of the curriculum. View full school

Thank you for taking an interest in Shaftesbury Park Primary School. The school was built in 1877 and is situated at the heart of the Shaftesbury Estate, an area of housing well known for its distinctive cottages, just off Lavender Hill in Battersea. The well-being, achievement, and progress of each child is our highest priority. We have developed Rights Respecting values and an understanding of global citizenship as the core of how we learn together. Through achieving an understanding of the United Nations Convention Rights of the Child we can work together to develop mutual respect and a positive learning environment. It enables our pupils to make sense of their place in the world and their local community. We have a good reputation for being an inclusive school where everybody governors, staff, parents, and children share a vital role in ensuring we provide the best education possible. As a fundamental principle, we aim to develop rounded children who participate fully in their classes and are interested in the world around them. The fact that we draw from a wide range of nationalities and have a successful bilingual stream, enhances the lives of all at Shaftesbury Park and adds to its energy and vibrancy. We have high expectations in all aspects of school life and are extremely committed to providing the most appropriate academic challenge for all our children. Behind these ambitions lies a strong and dedicated staff team with a real commitment to teacher development. We know our pupils as individuals, and understand the importance of pastoral care as well as high academic achievement. The school has recently completed a program of modernizing building work to ensure we are well equipped for our expansion of the bilingual stream. In the academic year 2013-2014, we received an Ofsted ‘good’ rating, which reflects our high standards and the quality of our teaching and learning. Our Vision is Shaftesbury Park Primary School – the local school of choice providing outstanding education to its diverse community. At Shaftesbury Park Primary School every child will make the best progress and reach the highest possible standards they can in all aspects of their development. Pupils will be nurtured as individuals within the school and wider community. They will be aspirational, reflective learners who enjoy their valued role in our school. Through a creative and diverse curriculum, and with the benefits of a bilingual provision, all children will be empowered to succeed academically and socially so they can take a confident place in an increasingly global and digital future. Our Mission At Shaftesbury Park, we are at our best when we: Encourage, listen to, and value contributions from all members of our school community. Engage with parents to support pupils and the school. Give pupils opportunities to play a valuable role in their school, local community, and the wider world. Celebrate successes in all areas of school life. Encourage inquiry, creativity, and curiosity about the world. Help children see how they move on in their learning. Ensure all children can fully take part in school life, through a strong. Emphasis on inclusion, pastoral care, and the safe environment of our school. Strive for a high standard of respect and positive behavior and use our school charters, which are based on the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, as a framework to remind us of these rights. Continually look for opportunities to improve the school. Benefit from the opportunities provided by the school’s bilingualism, regardless of the stream. In September 2013, the school opened its first bilingual (French and English) class in Reception. This will move throughout the school so that eventually each year group will have one bilingual class in addition to the traditional class. All children in the school will benefit from the increased exposure to another language and it will give children in the bilingual class the unique opportunity to learn in and about another language whilst still meeting the demands of the EYFS/ National Curriculum and striving for high standards and progress in their learning. Staff in the bilingual stream will be a mixture of both fluent and native French speakers and there will be carefully planned discrete and integrated opportunities for cultural awareness as well as linguistic development. Children benefit from links with French-speaking countries and other bilingual provisions in the local area. There are certain parts of the timetable which we commit to consistently teaching in English we recognize the importance of high-quality phonics teaching, and so ‘letters and sounds’ phonics sessions, as well as guided reading/ writing activities will be in English during the Foundation Stage. During KS1 children will begin formalized French reading and writing learning, which builds on good practice seen in other bilingual settings. At Shaftesbury Park, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and National Curriculum in KS1 and 2. For further details please see Curriculum. In addition to this, to further support and extend the children in the KS2 bilingual classes, we follow the Nouveaux Programmes – Coccinelle. The Social curriculum is very important in terms of developing speaking and listening skills. Lunch service: As in Reception, a French TA will help with lunch service at year one, helping the children make requests from the foodservice and salad bar in French Lunchtime play: When the children return to their classrooms following lunchtime there are twenty minutes of play-based activities before afternoon lessons start. Children who need more support with their French acquisition have additional support to practice in this natural context. In addition to this children from the classic stream classes, who show a real flair for learning French are invited to join these playtimes. Children enjoy learning together through a play-based curriculum, which includes a significant emphasis on phonic awareness, learning to read and write, and learning to use numbers confidently. Classrooms are bright, well resourced, and celebrate the children’s achievements. Learning takes place both inside and outside every day, throughout the year. All classes in the Foundation Stage benefit from exposure to the bilingual learning environment. Small-group French lessons are provided and the children acquire some basic French through songs, stories, and games. In the bilingual class, during the afternoon there is a French immersion curriculum where all teaching and modeling by the practitioners is in French. Children take part in both whole class and small group activities linked to the topic with an emphasis on oral language development. Key Stage One builds on the learning which has taken place in the Foundation Stage, with staff working together to ensure smooth continuity from Reception to Year 1. Children begin more structured literacy and numeracy lessons linked with their topic learning in a broad range of activities. From year one onwards, pupils have two terms of swimming a year, traveling to our local swimming pool for these lessons. Children in the traditional classes learn French. Our bilingual class begins French phonic sessions in addition to their topic work in French, and this developing phonemic awareness helps with the introduction of French reading and writing. As the children move through Key Stage Two, there is more emphasis on independent learning in preparation for their transition to Key Stage Three. In addition to the focus on academic achievement, many opportunities are provided to develop children’s physical, moral, emotional, creative, and social skills, which is a particular strength of our school. All children are offered the opportunity to go on two residential trips throughout their time in KS2, with one of these being in France. We expect our Year 5 and 6 pupils to take on positions of responsibility throughout the school and be willing to assist in the wider community. Our bilingual classes will continue dedicated sessions to develop their French reading and writing as well as learning about other areas of the curriculum in French. View full school

The buildings that make up Shaftesbury High School were originally built in the late 1940s as Chantry First and Middle School. Today Shaftesbury shares a site with Hatch End High School, a mainstream school with 1,800 students, and St. Teresa’s, a Roman Catholic First and Middle School. In 1997 Shaftesbury benefited from a major refurbishment. Specialist rooms were redesigned, other classrooms were refurbished and redecorated. New toilets and shower facilities were added and the reception/main entrance areas were redesigned. A new extension was build in 2008 giving Shaftesbury an extra classroom and three specialist rooms for use by students on the Autistic spectrum as well as a new office and a disabled toilet. In June 2010, Shaftesbury took delivery of two modular buildings to house the Sixth Form (Whittlesea Centre). Each year the school is required to hold an Annual Review meeting for all our pupils as they have a ‘Statement of Special Needs’. Parents/Carers are invited and any professional that may be involved with pupil needs whilst they are at Shaftesbury. The following statements from Shaftesbury’s Aims & Ethos. To give all students an equal opportunity in their education, whatever their ability, class, race, or gender. To enable all students to develop their full potential and gain maximum personal and academic achievement. To develop self-confidence, tolerance, and self-esteem in our students. To create in all students respect for, and tolerance of, all members of the wider community. To involve parents, community groups, and local businesses in developments and activities inside and outside school. E-Safety is taken seriously at Shaftesbury High School. We have assemblies about E-Safety to watch videos describing to our students the risks of having an online presence. This E-Safety page will be developed with relevant E-Safety content for our students and their parents & carers to use and refer to for help with E-Safety and understanding the risks of being online and how to manage those risks. At Shaftesbury High School we are committed to inclusion for opportunities for our students to experience additional inclusion activities with mainstream peers. We work closely with Whitmore High School, Bentley Wood High School, and Hatch End High School as well as mainstream colleges and local community environments. Students who take part in integration opportunities in mainstream schools usually begin this in Year 9 as they need a year to re-adjust from the secondary transfer. A decision regarding this will be made at an annual review when the students learning potential will be evaluated. View full school