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Mission Statement
Underpinned by a Christian ethos, Draycott and Rodney Stoke Church of England First School is a nurturing environment where children flourish academically, spiritually and socially. Children are resilient, independent, valued learners who engage with our local and wider communities as respectful and confident young people.
Our Christian Values
Community
‘Serve one another in love’ (Galatians 5-13)
Trust
‘My God is my strength in whom I trust’ (Psalm 18.2)
Kindness
‘Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3.12)
Respect
‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’ (Matthew 7.12)
Thankfulness
Always be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5.16)
Courage
‘You are never too small to make a difference’ (Greta Thunberg)
Everyone at Draycott & Rodney Stoke Church of England First School is committed to creating a caring atmosphere in which each child may reach the highest possible standards in all aspects of their work. It is important for each child to have confidence in him or her self, and we nurture this through positive encouragement and celebration of achievement at all levels.
Learning should be both challenging and enjoyable, and we offer a wide range of activities and opportunities to suit each child. We also place great emphasis on the development of personal and social skills and positive attitudes, so that children learn what it means to be caring and responsible members of the community. This sense of community, and the importance of everyone’s contribution within it, is an essential part of your child’s experience at our school.
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.
Our Aims
Draycott & Rodney Stoke First School promotes high achievement and learning for life by working with children to:
- Develop an understanding of the Christian faith
- Seek to extend them in mind, body and spirit
- Develop enquiring minds and a spirit of curiosity
- Have high self esteem, respecting themselves, others and the environment
- Develop positive relationships with others
- Be able to work both independently and collaboratively
- Use language and numbers effectively in their everyday lives
- Achieve high standards in all areas of the curriculum
- Be flexible and adaptable for the modern world
- Promote their own good health and physical well being
Our Ethos
The school aims to serve its community by providing 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 through the experience it offers to all its pupils.
We believe that each child will succeed through experiencing quality, so we strive to create:
- Learning partnerships between school, home, church, and community
- An ethos of support, challenge and encouragement to succeed
- A broad and challenging curriculum
- Imaginative teaching in a stimulating and organised learning environment
- A rich and varied range of learning resources including up-to-date information technology
- An enriching programme of extra curricular activities and visits
School Development Priorities
(2023 / 2024)
In a fast-changing world, schools must adopt a forward thinking and open minded approach to providing a high quality learning experience for children. We continuously strive to do better for the children in our charge and, in doing so, try new things, seek to learn from those experiences, and work to adopt and embed the practices that work best. We work closely with other schools in the Wessex Learning Trust and learn from other professionals outside the organisation who may suggest innovative, evidence-informed strategies to use in the classroom.
Every year we use feedback (e.g. Ofsted reports), internal evaluation and assessment of the children to develop a list of priorities to develop certain aspects of our provision. This year, we are focusing on:
Learning Behaviours – Developing A Culture of High Expectations Across The School
Reinforcement of expectations of children from the start of the school day to the finish. Children are 'ready to learn' at the beginning of each session' and are respectful of themselves, others and the school environment.
Phonics and Reading in KS2
An ongoing priority following the introduction of 'Unlocking Letters and Sounds' phonics scheme. Includes staff training, monitoring by English lead to ensure consistently high quality practice with fidelity to the scheme.
Early Years Foundation Stage (Pre-School and Reception) Curriculum Development
Collaboration across two schools (Shipham and Draycott) in the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure consistency of planning and daily practice.
Leadership, Professional Learning and Wellbeing
Development of Senior Leadership Team across two schools. Improved training offer for support staff. Focus on staff wellbeing with trained Mental Health First Aiders and Wellbeing Champion in the team.
Community Engagement
Harnessing opportunities for children to participate in community events; involvement of community within school to utilise expertise for the benefit of the children's learning.
Sports, Competitions and Outdoor Learning
Ongoing improvement in PE teaching and after-school offer. More competition opportunities, hosted by local middle school. Development of outdoor learning provision.