Ashcombe School’s mission is that all members of the school community should“Achieve to Grow”. To enable this mission to be realised the school will “Value, Nurture and Motivate” all of the members of its community.

School Aims And Objectives

Our aim is to create a happy, caring and co-operative school community, which celebrates learning in all of its forms. Staff, governors and parents will work together to develop capable, confident and tolerant members of society.

We have 5 guiding principles:

A Shared Ethos

We apply strong universal values to everything we do in school.

• Listening to pupils is the key to any good school
• Involving them in some decision-making will encourage their social development as future citizens
• We expect excellent behaviour from everyone in school, positive rewards and fairly applied sanctions are used to promote this.
• A caring attitude towards others leads to everyone’s feelings and beliefs being respected.
• Our daily act of collective worship helps our children to grow socially, morally, culturally and spiritually
• Regular praise and a feeling of security help to develop self-esteem and an open and questioning mind.
• Curiosity, perseverance and a prevailing “can do” attitude helps children to develop independence in their learning.
• Play is an important element of our curriculum which encourages deep learning & fosters greater enjoyment of school life for children and staff
• We aim to be a healthy school in our food and drink routines and the provision of regular physical activity

Teaching & Learning

Our core purpose is to provide high quality Teaching and Learning. Children learn in many different ways so we aim to teach using many different styles:

• We encourage children to have a growing awareness of their own learning through widespread use of the Building Learning Power framework and by applying the principles of Assessment for Learning within the classroom
• We use the Critical Skills Programme to develop a whole-class learning culture and use techniques within CSP to facilitate children’s learning
• Children learn individually, in pairs, in small groups or as a whole class
• We maximise direct first hand learning whenever possible including our regular WOW events
• The classroom is silent, quiet or sometimes very noisy!
• The teacher talks, demonstrates, listens, observes, guides, assesses and disciplines.
• We employ a carefully chosen range of teaching styles and classroom organisation depending on the learning objectives of the lesson.
• We acknowledge that pupils may have a preference for visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learning styles and plans to use all of these approaches
• The regular use of ICT enables our pupils to develop as life-long learners
• Dedicated staff are encouraged to constantly develop their teaching expertise and are empowered to take risks in the classroom to ensure the curriculum is exciting for children.

A Creative Curriculum Plan

We plan to make our curriculum relevant & irresistible to children.

• We deliver greater coherence for children by linking together some subjects in a series of termly topics.
• Working as a year group team, staff devise detailed plans, which ensure that all of the requirements of the Early Learning Goals and National Curriculum are met.
• Children’s prior learning is assessed & their learning interests captured. Staff plans are revised to meet these needs when necessary.
• The basic skills of reading, writing, numeracy and oral communication are emphasised, within the context of a wider and stimulating curriculum.

The Involvement of Parents as Co-educators

Parents are the natural educators of their children so we aim to work in partnership with them by:

• Effective communication between school and home. Regular newsletters by electronic and traditional methods keep parents informed of school events, and parents’ evenings are held every term. Our web-site is regularly updated with current issues & showcases recent learning by pupils.
• Celebrating children’s learning in the classroom by sharing the outcomes with parents throughout the year
• Encouraging parents to support school activities and so help their children value school life including attending more regularly and more punctually
• Asking parents to support their children’s learning at home by monitoring homework, learning maths facts and reading together on a regular basis.
• Welcoming parental help in the classroom and offering school-based training for them
• Offering parenting support to all families through nationally recognised programmes
• Offering targeted support by our learning mentors/pupil support advisers to some of our most vulnerable families & their children

A Fully Extended School Community

We aim to be a strong school community as well as being an integral part of our wider local community by:

• Operating high quality breakfast club and after-school child care every day
• Offering a wide range of affordable extra-curricular activities to all age groups outside of the statutory school day
• Promoting and supporting the events and fundraising organised by the Ashcombe Friends Association (AFA)
• We share our successes as widely as possible through a regularly updated school website and a high quality school magazine produced three times per year.
• We study and make regular visits to local churches, shops, parks, woods, …etc.
• Linking with the local business community & potential sponsors to provide valuable financial support for the school’s activities, including hiring out the school’s facilities for suitable use by others

A school site which is fit for its purpose:

• We aim to provide a safe and stimulating physical environment in which our pupils can learn.
• We will endeavour to follow all relevant health & safety legislation and operate within best practice guidelines.
• We will ensure that security is given a high priority
• We will seek to repair and maintain the external and internal fabric of the buildings to the best possible standard
• We will provide the highest quality of furniture and fittings that the budget will allow
• We will maintain the school grounds as a valuable educational resource & play area
• We will invest in future technologies to support our core aims of children’s learning

If you're searching for your next teaching post, why not contact us now? You'll be working at a great school and be part of a friendly, helpful team. We're always interested to hear from enthusiastic, committed teachers - send us your CV now via our School Talent Pool and say what sort of role you're looking for.