Beaver Road Primary SchoolMy School, Your School, Our School
Vision and Values for
Beaver Road Primary School
Vision statement
Beaver Road Primary School is an effective and inclusive learning community where everyone works respectfully together to inspire and believe in others and themselves. Children are placed at the centre of everything we do in order to ensure they embrace learning, achieve their personal best and build their emotional, social and physical well-being.
Values – These are special to us and have been co-created with all of our children, staff team and governors. We introduce each value with a direct quote from our children.
- Respect and Rights
“Love, laughter, dignity and respect are our biggest drivers.”
We ensure the best educational opportunities for children through an inclusive and fair culture. We celebrate diversity and champion children’s rights and respect through all of our provision. Both children and adults in our community look after one another and promote dignity in action … even our youngest children are taught to be advocates for others. In our practice and ethos, the children are the highest participators in their learning, playing and being. The nature of our provision chimes in so much with freedom of thought, nurturing of different talents and child voice being front and centre.
We treat others the way they would like to be treated. Fairness and treating everyone fairly ensures that everyone can join in, achieving both Equity and Equality for all. We don't treat everyone equally because some children have differing needs to others. However, we make sure everyone has the same opportunities both in and out of school according to their needs.
We promote peace and freedom of expression. We recognise that we don't always agree with what our friends say and many of us have different religious views. However, it's really important to be a good listener and give our opinions in a gentle, thoughtful way. We therefore teach children to think carefully about the impact of their words on others.
- Safe positive environment
“Grown-ups look after us and are kind. They make us feel safe.”
We feel safe and nurtured in our school environment. We build trusting relationships and model them across the school community. All children know that they can talk to adults and are listened to. Children are provided with nutritious school meals and snacks and they are taught how to be healthy in all aspects of their lives. Our well-being is prioritised and children are encouraged to be kind and helpful to each other. Our supportive, clean, organised and well-resourced environment ensures children are looked after in every aspect of their school life. Everyone is involved in looking after our environment and safeguarding children and families is paramount.
- Enjoyment, development and achievement
“I love to play outside….I love being here every day.”
Friendships and relationships are so important to children and adults at Beaver Road. Our children love to love and desire to be happy and feel fantastic! We encourage children to develop their personalities and interests. Children learn how to express themselves through our enriched curriculum, especially through the arts, games, play and being outdoors. Children thrive on new learning opportunities and comment on how they feel relaxed at school, have fun and particularly love reading. Our stimulating and supportive environment ensures children enjoy learning and achieve their academic, social, moral and spiritual potential.
- Characteristics
“I go to Nursery in MY school. My favourite thing is Nursery.”
We are ambitious for children to build their confidence, resilience, independence and motivations. We are committed to helping children excel at what they are good at and improve their confidence in other areas. Our children value being able to push and challenge themselves and develop courage, creativity and their own vision for the future. Children are encouraged to find the things they are interested in and enable them to thrive in those areas, so they can achieve in these areas in the next stage of their education and potential future careers. Kindness and honesty are of the most importance at our school. Even if it means things might be difficult, we are honest in order to gain others trust. Developing loyalty and truth in others through a helpful and supportive approach set foundations for life. We care for one another and teach children to be themselves and embrace their uniqueness. Children are enthused to learn about and develop a growth mind-set to help them succeed in everything they do.
- Collaboration
“There's a place for everyone here and if someone is off school, there's a gap in the class until they come back. We want everyone to feel welcomed and our Kagan groups make sure that no one is left out. Everyone has a place at a table and it's weird if they aren't there.”
We are passionate about working together to ensure everyone is included and has a voice. Through a family and relationship based approach, we ensure we listen carefully and recognise that everyone has different skills, knowledge, talents and perspectives to contribute. We want our school to be a colourful place where everyone feels like they are part of something special. Team work and learning together is so much better and makes us stronger.
Article 12 (respect for the views of the child) Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously.
Context of the School
Beaver Road Primary School is a popular and successful 5 form entry Primary School, situated in the heart of Didsbury, South Manchester. Our School was graded Outstanding in October 2011 and we continue to maintain the highest standards possible for our children and school community.
In November 2013, the School converted to Academy status – The Beaver Road Academy Trust. On the 5th of November 2018 the Academy Trust revised and reformed its governance and became the M20 Learning Trust. Academies are publicly funded independent schools that are not managed by a local authority.
Over recent years the numbers of young families and children living in Didsbury has significantly increased. Didsbury and neighbouring areas of Manchester reflect a thriving, multicultural and proud City growing in size and national influence year on year. The School, after many years of seeking ways to expand to meet the demand for places, accepted Manchester’s request to grow to 5 classes (5fe, 5 forms of entry -150 pupils) per year group from its previous 3fe of 90 pupils.
On 29 October 2018 Beaver Road Primary School pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 moved to a new 3 storey, purpose built building on Wilmslow Road, Didsbury – Beaver Road Junior School. The original buildings and school grounds on Beaver Road itself became Beaver Road First School (Nursery, Reception and Years 1, 2 and 3). From September 2018, Beaver Road Primary School will grow year on year as a 5 form entry school, reaching capacity by 2024.
Liz Hardy is the Executive Headteacher of Beaver Road Primary School and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the M20 Learning Trust. Liz has been a designated National Leader of Education since 2015 and together with other specialist leaders in the school, Liz and the team use their skills and experience to support other schools in challenging circumstances locally and nationally in order to help raise standards.
Beaver Road Primary School models itself in the spirit of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, a responsive and nurturing community of individuals who believe in the oneness of the human family. We uphold dignity, tackle stigma and create new norms whilst ensuring everyone is valued highly and where tolerance, honesty, co-operation and mutual respect for others is fostered. We are committed to the development of the whole person within a nurturing, secure and creative environment. Our children are encouraged to explore and develop all aspects of their characters in order to become confident, independent thinkers, and young people who are prepared for the next stage of their lives by the time they leave us.
A broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum provides equal opportunity for all pupils to maximise their potential regardless of age, gender, race, colour, religion or disability. We aim to give confidence and promote awareness of the valuable contributions of all members of our society including parents, governors and members of the wider community.
All applications for children to join our School from Reception to Year 6 are handled through Manchester Admissions policy and Procedures. Nursery applications are handled through our school office. Our School is inclusive and has a well earned reputation for the all round quality of education it offers children who experience barriers to learning.