School In Focus: Highfields Primary School, Burntwood
Highfields Primary is situated in the heart of the town and offers a warm, caring atmosphere in which children are nurtured. It caters for children aged between 4 and 11, and is presently doing everything within its power to secure some pre school provision.
This is a successful and popular school that prides itself on its achievements; those of children, parents, staff and governors alike. These are regularly celebrated in weekly merit assemblies and on our school achievement board. The last year has been an extremely busy one for the school. Governors invested in new computer equipment last September enabling laptops to be moved to classroom as required. This has meant that ICT is now firmly embedded in the school's curriculum. As a result of this, the old computer suite has been refurbished to extend the much needed library area and provide a conference room that can be used by small groups and for meetings. The school continues to develop the curriculum it has on offer. This year, staff have worked extensively on redesigning it to ensure that it continues to meet the demands of the 21st century. The new plans will be implemented from September. In addition, the school has been the first within the area to embrace government recommendations for the teaching of phonics. The new RML scheme has brought significant improvements to the already high standards. New SEAL teaching, Social, Emotional Aspects of Learning, has also enhanced the pupils learning, enabling them to take greater control and responsibility for their own feelings and actions. The school has also started to implement the Revised Frameworks for the teaching of Literacy and Numeracy. Continued work has taken place with the Burntwood Sports Partnership, enabling pupils to access a much greater variety of sporting activities. This is something the school is keen to develop in order to support the healthy school ethos that it values. The Foundation Stage area has developed their outdoor learning environment. The new covered, canopied area means children have access to outdoor learning throughout the year. There are further plans to develop the playground area during this summer. The school prides itself on the community spirit it develops. The pupils are encouraged to research the area in which they live and to support charities and other worthwhile causes. The recent development of a Community Learning Partnership within Burntwood has been well supported by the headteacher, who sees this as essential development for the school. Highfields already offer extended school provision through their partnership with Early Birds, the before and after school provision delivered from the school premises, and the many parent and child workshops that run on Saturday mornings throughout the year. These have proved very popular and the school is very proud of their achievements in this area. Communication with parents is also important to the school. Regular termly Newsletters and weekly Bulletins keep parents informed about the work of the school and forthcoming events. They also afford parents the opportunity to contribute their opinion on a variety of topics as the Headteacher regularly includes a questionnaire to be completed. The school has also recently followed the lead of Chase Terrace Technology College, in developing a Parents' Forum, which meets half termly to discuss topics of concern. The last meeting discussed Sports Day format and as a result the school has been able to change its organisation for this year's event. The active PTFA meet on a monthly basis and support the school by developing social events for families and fundraising. Highfields is a forward looking school that is keen to provide their pupils with the best possible opportunities and due to the hard work and commitment of all who are involved with it, has much to offer. It is held in high regard by the Burntwood Community.
School In Focus is sponsored by Primary Play.
