Five reasons why our small village school might be the answer for your child

For most parents, we want our children to be happy, settled and confident. We want them to be immersed in a learning environment that motivates and excites them so that they are engaged, and achieve their potential – not just in English and Maths, but across the broader curriculum. We want them to make friends who will enhance their lives, and to be part of a community that values what they have to offer, and supports them through their time at the school.

1: We are located in a beautiful rural countryside setting

The views from our school field look like picture-postcards. With about half of our children coming from outside of the village, this setting opens up an awareness of the country that we live in. Children experience the tractors and harvest time, and they can see horses, cows and crops growing throughout the year at playtime. Our children run around our huge field, create imaginary stories in our willow dome, join in gardening, play on climbing walls, on balance beams and on the basketball court, amongst much, much more.

Research evidence shows over and over again how important fresh air and exercise is, and our children benefit all day long – not just at playtime, but before and after school, and during lesson time itself – every classroom opens directly onto our school grounds and our lessons take place both indoors and outdoors.

2: We are a small, personal school

All of our staff know all of our children. With small classes, we are able to deeply understand each child, and tailor projects, lessons, environments and provision accordingly. For children starting school for the first time in Reception, or for children moving from another school, home-school or from another country, coming into our family environment, builds confidence and brings the best of out everyone within it. Children at our school don’t get lost in the building, and they don’t become a statistic – we know, value, and support each and every individual child.

3: We are a community, not just a school.

Parents, staff and children all get to know each other. Children play and learn with older and younger children, with the younger children supported by older mentors, and the older children taking on roles of responsibility and leadership. There are no intimidating playground politics for either children or parents. We have warm and welcoming families who lift-share, arrange play-dates and are open and friendly.

4: We have high quality teaching and leadership

All our staff lead multiple curriculum subjects across the school, and work closely together, constantly supporting and improving what we do. Consequently learning at our school is cross-curricular, collaborative, challenging and supportive. Every child matters to us, and every moment is a moment for learning. But importantly, this goes far beyond English and Maths. We have exciting projects across the curriculum with plenty of after school clubs, lots of pastoral, emotional and social support, and character development opportunities.

5. We deliver on our vision

We mean what we say and we make sure that every child succeeds. According to data published by the Department for Education in 2018, children at our school attain significantly higher than children across Hampshire, and across England. 

Importantly, we have been significantly outperforming other schools across Hampshire and nationally for a number of years:

Source: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/115934/owslebury-primary-school?tab=primary 

These high levels of attainment are important in ensuring that children are equipped for their next stages of education. But it’s not just about high attainment. This same data from the Department for Education showed that all children at our school make significantly more progress than other schools. For example, in Maths, children at our school make 5.7 times the average progress seen in schools nationally.

We believe firmly in meeting each child’s individual needs and helping them to learn and grow to their own unique potential. Our results show that we deliver on that vision:

Source: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/115934/owslebury-primary-school?tab=primary