There’s been a Robert May’s School of one kind or another in Odiham for over 300 years. Our aim is to build on existing traditions of excellence and deliver a first class educational experience for all.

Our priority is the quality of learning and teaching in the classroom and around the school. Recruiting and training highly talented and motivated teachers who can provide superb learning opportunities for every student is an essential part of what we do.

Academic success is fundamental and it is our job as a school to ensure that students gain the knowledge and skills they need to achieve the very best outcomes they can. Great GCSE results open doors but education is about more than just what happens in the classroom. We recognise the importance of character and want to ensure that our young people leave us confident and capable, having achieved the best they can within and beyond the classroom, poised for success and ready to make a difference to the lives of those around them.  

Robert May’s School is an exceptional place where students, staff, trustees and parents/carers are wholly committed to the school mission, which is to provide excellence for every person, every day, with learning at the centre of all that we do. We are proud of our heritage, and have been serving the local community since 1694, when Robert May, a local Mercer, bequeathed the sum of Six Hundred Pounds of Lawful English Money to be paid for the maintenance of a Free-School in Odiham.

We aim to ensure that students leave Robert May’s School as accomplished, knowledgeable, rounded individuals who will go on, not only with determination and resilience to better themselves, but also to make a positive contribution to other people’s lives, locally, nationally and worldwide. We support this aim by:

• pursuing excellence in all areas of our work, particularly in learning and teaching
• helping all students to discover all their abilities and talents and to develop them in the most positive and constructive manner. We aim to support and encourage their development during the years of adolescence so that they are prepared for their roles as adults in the wider world.
• promoting the skills and understanding necessary for students to achieve the highest possible individual, academic achievement and a critical awareness of their natural, aesthetic, historical ethical and technological environments.
• encouraging them to develop qualities of self-discipline, confidence, inquiry, moral compass, creativity and sensitivity. We actively seek to encourage them to respect the needs and rights of others.

We are committed to achieving these aims for all students, irrespective of their race, religion, beliefs, sex, social background and any disability or special need. However good or excellent we may be as a school, we continue, restlessly, to seek further improvements.

We wish to promote good, positive relationships within the school and between Robert May’s School and the wider community. We aim to promote good communications between all concerned with the school and greatly value the contribution of students, teaching and non-teaching staff, trustees, parents/carers and others related to the school.

We were pleased that out of the 83 that responded to the 2024 annual survey, the overwhelming majority say that:

• They are happy to work here and are clear about the key school improvement priorities
• They know where to access support regarding health, safety and wellbeing
• They understand where their role fits into the school structure and understand the role of Trustees
• They are supported with the right equipment and information to perform their job effectively
• Staff have good relationships with each other
• They can manage their workload
• They are treated fairly and feel well-supported by colleagues and school leaders
• They can use their strength and abilities at work and their professional development is well-supported

Building on the feedback we have received from staff, we will:

• Continue to embed the school Workload Charter
• Continue to consult staff on key changes - particularly considering any potential workload and wellbeing impact - and ensure that we work to communicate changes in good time
• Engage with a new Employee Assistance Programme, which, amongst other things, will give staff and their families free access to an online GP service
• Continue to prioritise high leadership presence throughout the school day through, for example: ‘Culture Walks’
• Further strengthen the CPD opportunities available for non-teaching staff
• Continue to prioritise CPD on supporting students with SEND and effective use of digital tools
• Ensure that CPD days give time for teams to work together on key initiatives
• Offer a range of opportunities for staff to develop leadership skills
• Work to strengthen the induction process of non-teaching staff who join throughout the school year
• Embed the new performance management system for teaching and non-teaching staff which prioritises the importance of role-modelling the Robert May’s Way: Respect, Motivate, Support
• Explore ways to offer flexible working in a way that supports staff and does not negatively impact the smooth running of the school