WELCOME TO OUR SCHOOL!!!

West Down is a small rural school a few miles from the coastal resort of Ilfracombe in North Devon. Following two very successful Ofsted reports it became a Beacon School in 2001, and it is also a member school of both the National Outstanding Schools Initial Teacher Training scheme and the Devon Primary SCITT Teacher Training scheme.

Children's performance in national SATs tests is consistently high, with virtually every child attaining at least the level expected of them at both Key Stages in all subjects; but much more importantly, children learn happily in the friendly, family atmosphere where they are valued as individuals.

At West Down School we aim for high standards in all aspects of teaching and learning. We believe that children should develop a positive approach to their learning and grow in confidence, independence and motivation. They should be able to accept challenges and learn to develop their strengths as well as overcome weaknesses.

We aim to give every child the opportunity to develop their full potential in all areas of school life - intellectual, aesthetic, physical, social, moral and spiritual. Children at West Down School will experience a broad and balanced curriculum which meets their individual needs and their entitlement to the National Curriculum and Religious Education. In particular, we aim to help every child acquire the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. All children, irrespective of ability, gender, ethnic and cultural origins, will have equal access to all parts of the curriculum.

We aim to create a happy and caring environment in school in which children feel secure and valued and parents and members of the community feel welcome. We are an "open school" and believe in all those connected with the school working together in a partnership which will benefit all our children.

We aim to celebrate pupils' progress and achievements with their parents and friends.

We aim to help children grow socially as well as academically.

Children are encouraged to respect each other, work and play co-operatively, whilst developing as individuals. We believe they should learn to recognise and be aware of the needs and beliefs of others and to maintain high standards of behaviour.

We also aim to encourage pupils to develop a positive attitude to their own health, safety and physical well-being.

We aim to take every opportunity to involve the school in the community and the community in the school.

We believe that our school is an integral part of the community and we encourage the children to develop values of citizenship and care for the environment. We also aim to extend children's horizons beyond the school to the wider community, other countries and cultures.

The curriculum we offer at West Down School is broad, balanced and varied. We know that children learn in different ways and at different rates and we try to encourage each pupil to achieve their best at whatever level that may be. We cover the National Curriculum in the four core subjects of English, Maths, Science and ICT (Information and Communications Technology), and the foundation subjects of History, Geography, Design Technology, Music, Art and Design, and Physical Education, together with Religious Education.

We firmly believe, however, that education is not concerned solely with academic achievement: we also aim to develop children's personal, social and moral understanding and physical well-being, as well as their knowledge of citizenship.

Staff work closely together to plan units of work which provide the appropriate curriculum for each age-group. Teaching approaches are adapted to the needs of the pupils and to particular subjects. Sometimes the class will be taught as a whole, as in subjects like Music and PE, for example, sometimes in groups and sometimes individually.