Dear prospective Parents and Carers,

Choosing the right place for your child to start school is an important time for your family, we wish you all the best in making this decision. Every year we welcome large numbers of prospective parents and carers to visit our school for a presentation, tour and to ask any questions. Unfortunately, this year it is not possible to welcome visitors to school at this time. We hope our website provides a wealth of information that enables you to get a sense of our school community. In particular, we recommend you view the following:

·         Watch the short video of the school in action – this link can be found in the top corner on the homepage

·         The ‘Curriculum’ pages include a section specifically about the Reception Curriculum. The ‘Curriculum Statement’ in this section also provides important content about our educational philosophy. 

·         Scroll back through the school blog by selecting ‘Load More’ to see the more typical week by week events and activities children enjoy

·         There is also a virtual tour in the ‘About the School’ tab

Whilst our school is large, our approach and organisation ensure there is a strong sense of community. We keep children in the same class from Reception to Year 6 which provides a very supportive environment and aids in cultivating excellent relationships. The school is comprised of three separate buildings, which feel like schools within a school. In Reception, Year 1 & 2 children learn in classrooms in the Edgar Building which is the main hub of the school and visible from Bishop Road. The Edgar building consists of 12 classrooms, a large hall used for school meals and assemblies, two school libraries, a nature area and a dedicated music centre. In Year 3 & 4 children move to the Grant Building which has 8 classrooms, a food and nutrition suite, a story garden area and the school gymnasium which includes our impressive climbing wall. In Year 5 & 6 children learn in the Silverthorne Building and annex classrooms (the Green Rooms). This building includes another large hall for assemblies and dining and our IT suite. We also have a large school field which is located about 300 metres up Bishop Road accessed via Fenton Road. Children visit the field for PE and our Outdoor Leaning Curriculum which follows the Forests Schools approach. There is a school building on the field (the Dirac Centre) which we also use for dance/gym and other elements of learning.

We have a strong commitment to parity of opportunity across the four classes and the teachers work together collaboratively, led by a senior member of staff in each year group team. Our SENDco, Mrs Metcalfe, works to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Children settle and begin learning quickly at Bishop Road. We usually run induction meetings and transition visits during the June and July to support children and families in settling into our school community. 

Whilst we do not directly operate any after school provision, Bishop Road Activities Club (BRAC) runs breakfast and afterschool clubs in the Dirac Centre adjacent to the school field. Families also use Kuda Club and a range of other private providers for childcare.

We wish you all the very best in choosing your child’s school place for Reception in September.

Yours faithfully,

Joe Emissah

Deputy Head Teacher