Coombe Hill Junior School; 2027 vision

This document has been created in consultation with all our stakeholders, including staff, governors and parents.

It is our aim that by 2027, Coombe Hill Junior School will have built even further on its success and will be widely identified as the model of a creative, encouraging and aspiring school, through an inclusive ethos where all children are celebrated and valued as individuals. Children will leave at the end of Year 6 as happy, healthy individuals, full of enthusiasm for learning, proud of their achievements, and with life-lasting memories of their experiences at Coombe and a strong sense of personal responsibility. They will feel empowered to act as global citizens, by having an understanding of the impact of climate change on the future. They value and embrace the wide variety of backgrounds and cultures that make up our school community . The school will be identified as one of the top 5% nationally for the progress that children make.

We will achieve this by putting creativity, teaching and learning, and the child’s experience at the heart of what we do. We will maximise the vast potential of the school staff and make the most of our school environment. We will use technology to enrich learning both inside and outside of school, and to support an inclusive curriculum. We will ensure that the school develops as a community hub with all groups – children, parents, governors, and staff having a strong, cohesive voice which join together to ensure ongoing improvement. In addition, we will look beyond our own school, to our neighbors and to other learning institutions, as well as internationally to build partnerships that benefit both our children and our wider community.

These changes will be funded through the creative use of the school’s budget, strict financial oversight and a relentless effort to securing additional funding through the award of grants and fund-raising and savings that might come through close collaboration.

We commit to maximising the potential of every child at the school by ensuring that:

• Progress by the end of key stage two is in line with the top five per cent of schools;

• All children make at least good progress and a very high percentage make progress significantly above nationally expected rates with diminishing gaps between significant groups;

• children are resilient learners who strive to continually improve;

• All children understand their next steps and want to take responsibility for their own learning, behaviour and development;

• At the heart of all we do, we work to ensure that our children have a fundamental life-long love of learning;

• Attendance is above national averages and persistent absence below;

• All children are emotionally intelligent and understand that fair means all children getting what they need to succeed;

• To develop further links with infant and secondary schools;

• Giving every child the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through pupil voice.

We will develop an innovative curriculum where:

• Every child sees themselves reflected within our curriculum;

• The curriculum is broad enough to inspire artists, musicians, scientists, linguists, mathematicians and the sports people of the future;

• Ensuring our students are empowered to become good and safe digital citizens;

• The curriculum is enriched through the imaginative use of our extensive outdoor learning area, enabling children to develop an appreciation of the environment and the natural world, as well as an understanding of the important role they have in protecting it; our own school will be a model of environmental good practice;

• We never lose sight of the power of reading, stories and story-telling;

• Developing confident mathematicians who can use and apply mathematics in the real world;

• Drama and drama techniques are consistently employed both for their own value and as tools for exploring and deepening children’ understanding of the curriculum;

• Our healthy schools ethos, is a strand running through every aspect of the curriculum and school culture; Children know how to look after their mental as well as physical well being;

• We celebrate and learn from the variety of cultures within the school, in our community and further abroad;

• children are taught to become emotionally literate developing resilience, tolerance, self-awareness and confidence.

We will use our own teaching expertise to develop:

• The next generation of dynamic leaders and teachers, linking with local schools, universities and further afield;

• The use of technology, coaching and aspects of lesson study to shape the practice of every staff member in a spirit of open enquiry;

• A strong staffing structure which is able to recognise and acknowledge great practice and challenge when necessary; providing consistently strong and nationally recognised professional development, and succession opportunities;

• Effective evaluation of the impact of our work on children’ outcomes, with a clear understanding of where they have come from and where they are headed.

We will strengthen our place in the community by:

• Striving towards establishing a school staff and governing body that reflect the diversity of our population;

• Making sure our children enjoy real life experiences that reflect the democratic nature of our country;

• Forming long lasting partnerships with schools in developing countries which are based on mutual learning experiences as well as support;

• Celebrating the festivals of our community and upholding the importance of diversity and mutual respect;

• Developing further our adult education and courses for parents, including linking with the mental health schools team;

• Creating opportunities for our children to support a diverse range of charitable and community projects.

• Further develop the school site as a central hub for the local community;

• Work with our neighbors to create safer streets around our school.

• Streamlining our communication to effectively reach all families within our school community

We aspire to ‘maximise the effective use of the school site in order to:

• Develop the use of our outdoor spaces and specialist zones to further enhance learning and sporting activities;

• Fully engage with our market garden zone where children grow fruit and vegetables, tend chickens and animals;

• Establish a designated area where children can prepare food and cook or explore scientific enquiry in a specialist space;

• To promote learning through outdoor play by utilising our grounds for specialist days that develop team-building, trust and an appreciation of nature.

We will strive to build a financially sustainable school by:

• Maximising income generation;

• Optimising expenditure, without impacting on the learning experience of every child;

• Creative use of volunteers, secondary school students and local businesses;

• Identifying, monitoring and reducing our carbon footprint, by reducing unnecessary resource consumption and sustainable energy sources.