Introduction from the Headteacher

Thank you very much for visiting the Silverdale Primary School website. We hope to have included many of the elements that we consider make Silverdale special.

Silverdale is a large primary school with over 660 pupils and over 90 staff. The building dates back to 1954 but there have been a number of extensions and improvements made to all parts of the building. This includes an ICT Suite and a heated swimming pool which is used year round by our pupils.

We believe that every child should have every opportunity to achieve their potential. To achieve this we offer a balanced curriculum and plenty of sporting opportunities.

Our facilities

We take pride in our school buildings, and the range of  facilities and services that we have to offer.

Our ICT suite is state of the art with fast broadband connection to the internet. We use a wide range of educational software, designed to allow children to progress at their own pace. We have 90 computers available throughout the school, and a number of interactive whiteboards across the year groups.

We have a heated swimming pool, used all the year round. The small groups of children are taught by well  qualified swimming coaches.

We offer a breakfast club, which runs from 8.00 - 8.45am, and are in the process of setting up an after-school club which will run from 3.30 - 5.30pm.

Care and Support

The school is concerned to develop moral values - honesty, sincerity, reliability, and respect for others and to develop a sense of personal responsibility and of right and wrong.

In September, we elect a School Council with two representatives from each class. 42 children, aged 4 to 11 meet fortnightly and discuss issues important to them and their classes. The headteacher and a member of staff also attend.

The children also apply for the positions of Head Boy and Head Girl. This is always closely contested and is decided by interview. House Captains are responsible for various sporting events throughout the year.

Children from the upper years are encouraged to be supportive to the younger children. Year 6 participate in "shared reading" with the younger children on a weekly basis.

The school takes a very firm line towards bullying in school.

Some older children are trained to act as playground buddies for the younger years. They wear distinctive tops to make them clearly visible.

We believe that all our children should be given opportunities to thrive and succeed. In order to do this we try to provide opportunities in school and outside, to allow the pupils to fulfil their individual potential.

We are pleased and proud of our SAT results, they have shown a steady improvement over the years. Our academic achievements exceed national expectations. Silverdale is one of the top performing schools in the Hastings area. The achievement of the children in their Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 SATs has been recognised by both the Local Education Authority and the Hastings Excellence Cluster.

As children grow older they become very keen to participate in organised activities in break time, lunch times and after school. We do everything we can to encourage this. The actual clubs organised represent current interests of the staff and pupils, and vary from time to time.

There are clubs for  rugby, cricket, badminton, basketball, football, netball, recorder and French.

Tuition in musical instruments is given by peripatetic specialists. Currently they include: guitar, keyboards and flute. There is a charge for these lessons.

In years 5 and 6, the school organises a residential visit to a study centre. This is planned by the teachers to give children further opportunities to learn in a different environment and encourage independence and self confidence. In recent years we have visited France and the Isle of Wight.

Children in all the other years enjoy day visits to places of interest, such as castles, historic sites or Science Centres.