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Developing the vision for the school site It is difficult to describe the rollercoaster that has been the school site this year. We have a first class building being constructed by a committed and enthusiastic team. One that will stand out as a space that will engage and inspire pupils. It will also provide wonderful opportunities for teachers to enrichment learning through ICT and cooking as well as providing great space to take focus groups and children with additional needs. The ever growing staff numbers will have a space that will be a pleasure to relax in. We’re so proud of the way that governors and the school have worked side by side to first have the vision for the school site (a long time ago now!) and to see it through. It is a great example of a shared and unified vision and of teamwork. Other site developments Dave and Sharon have worked tirelessly to support and manage the school site. The grounds are impressive and are something the whole community can feel proud of. We were delighted to improve the Nursery and Reception classes outside space. Our aim is simple — use our wonderful school grounds and buildings to maximise learning opportunities for the children. When the new building is complete the vast majority of the space on the site will be the children’s. New developments this academic year Flexibility Pupils, parents and staff have been so adaptable and flexible to the temporary arrangements in place this year. No library, no canteen, no SEN base, no break out space, no sports court = no problem .We think that speaks volumes. We are always looking to develop school life so that it is even better for our children. We now have a school council. 8 representatives were elected by their peers in January. So far they have set (and are running) the school tuck shop, have introduced “different sport Thursday” and have evaluated the school meal service for 2012-2013. The children's enthusiasm and commitment to this has been outstanding. We want to develop music in the school. We have begun to see this take shape with a recorder club and several musical performances including a wonderful collaboration with Colet Court, We intend to use one of the “spare” classrooms next year as a music room to aid the development of this curriculum area. We have reviewed our systems for recording and interpreting data. To ensure greater consistency and ease of tracking year on year we will use a new system (Integris) next year. This will allow teachers to identify more easily targets groups and under performing pupils.
Notable successes There have been many successes this year, some that have stood out are: Handwriting — this has been an area of focus, with daily handwriting sessions going on across the school and a new display area to showcase children’s work. This alongside spelling will be an area of focus in 2012/13. Behaviour targets — Alison has refreshed and invigorated the weekly behaviour targets with challenges that are child centred and focused on improving school life for all. The results for the year show the positive effect they have had on the school community. Provision for more able pupils — the work of Kathy Moore-Stanley has been fundamental to driving this. We have had children entering into Maths challenges, Level 6 study support and more. As our intake changes we would like Millie and Kathy to continue to drive these changes. Enrichment opportunities — with an average of 8 trips per class, numerous visitors and speakers, events galore the enrichment that takes place at Lowther underpins the school ethos of happy, enthusiastic learners. This will continue as we expand. New staff meeting format and staff CPD — our old Monday staff meeting time was handed over to being focused on staff professional development this year. The staff meeting is now in a much shorter, slicker slot on a Friday morning. The benefit of this has been a greater opportunity to deliver quality CPD for staff. This will continue next year. Managing growth to 2 form-entry — we are pleased with how we are gradually adapting practice and evolving with the increasing number of pupils at Lowther. The way this change is managed has been smooth and will continue to be a priority as the school has 4 more years of expansion left. Staffing and Leadership Developing a new team — our new team are exactly that—a team. We have been delighted with the way everyone (parents, pupils and staff) have gelled and settled into being a new school family. Teachers have been totally committed and enthusiastic. To support our sense of team we have introduced regular staff social events this year. Targets in Key stage 1 — Hong King Phooey targets were introduced to KS1 this year. Teachers have supported this well (especially in Year1 ) where learners have delighted in telling us they've smashed a target. We have been delighted with the way the new team have gelled. There is a great sense of camaraderie amongst the team. Governors support last year in helping recruit and select so many new staff was instrumental to this. Kathy Jenkins, Sally Taylor, Emily Blaxland, Sarah Tennant, Emily Treble, Alison Colenso, Paul Nelson, Jim Pritchard and Kathy Moore-Stanley have all added something extra to Lowther and have become key parts of the team. Our staff are varied in personality and skill — and this is something we need to tap into more. Our new leadership structure for 2012/13 should support this. Alison, Carol and Wendy form an experienced, supportive and highly skilled leadership team who will continue to develop and nurture future leaders. The wider team We now have nearly 50 staff. The shared enthusiasm, skill and commitment is outstanding. The understanding and belief in the Lowther School Family is evident every single day. Our team going forward will be settled for next year with no-one moving on. We have 2 NQTs starting as Alison moves out of the classroom and our expansion continues. This should create some stability, but also allow us to really move our staff focus on as the team are settled in their roles. Focus for the future We need to raise expectations for all teachers so that classroom practice is consistently good or better. Each of our staff have the skill and passion to be excellent teachers. We must look at strategies that allow our very best teachers to share their skills and expertise with the wider team.
Page 1 and 2: Lowther School Family Annual School
Page 3 and 4: Academic Results 2011-2012 We striv
Page 5 and 6: Key Stage 2 A new year a new Year 6
Page 7: Attendance, Behaviour Targets, Clas
Page 11: Making Lowther an exciting place to

Here - Lowther Primary School

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