BARHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL

Introduction

Barham School is a Church of England (controlled) Primary School.  It was originally founded in 1858 in the Parish of St John the Baptist to give village children a sound education within a Christian framework.  Since that time the popularity of the school has resulted in children being welcomed from a much wider area.

Aims and Values

The mission of Barham School is to give children a love of learning and the will to study within that Christian framework.  Recognising its historic foundation, the school will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level.  We believe that it is fundamentally important to meet the needs of every child at school.  All children are special and all children deserve a valuable, rich and rewarding educational experience.  Every child is encouraged to show respect and consideration towards others.  The school aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice.  It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith, and promotes Christian values throughout the experience it offers to all its pupils.  Adults and children care for each other and share in developing a sense of tolerance, teamwork and responsibility for self and others.  Every endeavour is made to ensure that children make the transition to the secondary school best suited to their educational needs and that parents are fully consulted throughout this process.

Excellence

We aim to create an environment that fosters excellence in academic work, sport and the arts.  This is achieved by providing a broad and balanced teaching programme based on the National Curriculum and the Kent agreed syllabus for R.E.  Time is also devoted to other vital areas of study and activities that promote a greater all round understanding of life.

Quality of Learning

The quality of children’s learning is enhanced by the active involvement of all staff in their own professional development.  This takes the form of attending courses and meetings to update knowledge of current education practices.  As a result the children encounter an enriched curriculum.  The dedicated approach of the staff is demonstrated through the special events held during the year. 

Opportunities

Extra curricular activities play an important part in the life of the school.  Children have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of sporting, musical, cultural and scholastic clubs.  In addition there are residential visits in this country and abroad whenever possible the children are introduced to a worldwide dimension in their education.

Partnership

The co-operation between Governors, Staff and Parents creates the opportunity for a partnership, which benefits the educational, social and moral development of the children.  Great importance is attached to the regular parent consultation evenings and the more informal discussions that take place as the need arises.  Governors are also actively involved in seeking parents’ views through the annual parents meeting.  A two-way exchange of views is essential and welcomed as it is a vital part of the school’s communication.  The PTA supports and enhances the partnership through educational, social and fund raising events.

Place In The Community

The school is here to serve the local and wider community.  Children are welcomed not only from Barham but a much wider area and from a variety of cultural and social backgrounds.  As a Church school, we have a particularly strong link with the Parish Church of St John’s in Barham through visits, services and Assemblies.  In addition, to strengthen the ties with the community there are regular visits from local churches, charities and businesses.

Key Objective

All children should be given the experience of happiness, success and satisfaction in their school life, which builds their confidence and self-esteem.  At Barham school, we aim to enable each and every child to achieve this whilst developing educationally, spiritually and morally at his or her most effective rate.

We aim to provide a quiet, purposeful working environment in which children progress at a pace that is appropriate for them.  We place an emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills, as these are the foundations required for all other subjects, although we aim to develop a broad and balanced curriculum.  It is this breadth of activities that gives children the opportunity to reinforce their learning in a variety of contexts, and thus develop their individual potential.

All children will have a daily literacy and numeracy hour, along with other national curriculum subjects.  The national curriculum covers core subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, R.E and I.C.T and Foundation subjects comprising History, Geography, Art and Design, Music, Physical Education and Design and Technology.

 Key Stage 1
    
     Wrens
     Jays
     Owls

 Key Stage 2
    
     Class 3
     Class 4
     Class 5
     Class 6

During the year, the children have opportunities to take part in lunchtime and after school clubs and activities.  These vary from year to year but usually include Art, Choir, Computers, Cricket, Dance/Drama, Football, French, Hockey, Netball, Orchestra, Recorders, Rugby, Skiing, Swimming, Table tennis and Volleyball.

In addition to the school matches, House matches are arranged in order for all children to compete in an activity.  Essentially we aim to give all of the children the experience of competitive sport and to develop good sportsmanship.

Inter-School Activities

Local schools combine for several sporting tournaments e.g. Cricket, Hockey, Rugby during the course of the year.  Football and Netball matches are played regularly against other schools.  We hope the children will give of their best in these activities and learn to be gracious in both victory and defeat.

Sports

We try to encourage all our children to participate in a variety of sports and are always looking for new ways to challenge the children.  We have recently established a link with Dover Water Sports to enable Key Stage 2 children to learn water skills and sample the delights of sailing.