Claygate Primary School

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O X S H O T T

October 2024

ADDRESS: Claygate Primary School, Foley Road KT10 0NB APPLICATION NUMBER: 2024/3225 PROPOSAL: Variation of Condition: 4 (Hours of Opening) of planning permission 2021/1647 (Single-storey pool enclosure and associated access and decking) to extend the opening hours Monday to Friday 6:30 am to 21:30 pm and Saturday 7:00 am to 20:00 pm. CPC VERDICT: Nothing on EBC website from CPC PC[?] EBC VERDICT: Grant Planning Permission

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CLAYGATE PRIMARY SCHOOL AT THE TOP OF THE CLASS

Results across the academic years continue to go from strength to strength at Claygate Primary School, with high attainment by pupils, from Year 1 Phonics to Year 6 SATs. Last year, the school had its hard work and high achievements recognised by Ofsted with “outstanding” grades in the Nursery, Reception and in Personal Development across the school. Overall, it was awarded an incredibly positive “good”.

And the success continues: standardised score averages for Year 6 pupils were 109 and 110 for Reading, Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar, and Maths. A score of 110 marks the “greater depth“ standard, so this is an extremely high performance and the school is proud of the children and the staff.

Claygate Primary is also ranked in the top 200 schools nationally for multiplication test results in Year 4. It believes its pupils perform so well because they are happy, supported and challenged to achieve their best in all aspects of learning and personal development.

The school is currently monitoring the situation regarding the proposed introduction of a tax on private school fees and has places available across the school should demand for its fantastic educational provision increase.

TECHNOLOGY IS KEY

To prepare the next generation for a digital world, the school offers a rich, creative computing curriculum. It aims to make children digitally literate, confident and safe online, to be computational thinkers (problem solvers), and to be inspired by technology.

As they progress with their learning, children develop these skills utilising exciting and more intricate coding systems, as well as learning how to capture, present and analyse data in effective ways. All their learning is embedded with robust teaching of online safety.

With the support of Parents and Friends of Claygate Primary School, Chromebooks, iPads and robotics for discrete learning have been acquired. The school also uses green-screen kits and virtual reality headsets to expand learning opportunities and to apply computing learning across all aspects of the curriculum. Virtual reality and specific coding hardware is found to bring learning to life.

It all makes Computer Science Week a highlight of the school year. Supported by the Computing Lead and Computing Champions, there are many exciting activities, from making music using loops, learning about circuit boards to play a “banana piano”, and creating and debugging algorithms to race Lego “WeDo” cars and navigate a “Bee-Bot” in a maze.

Extra-curricular opportunities include Jam Coding Club and CPS Pod Club at which children create podcasts, for anyone to follow via the school website at https://www.claygate.surrey.sch.uk/ or by searching for CPS Pod on Spotify.

Claygate Primary School was also delighted to secure the winning place for Promethean's Classroom Stories Competition and the winning entry can be viewed via the school website, under the Computing heading.

source: Claygate Courier, October 2024 issue, page 15

March 2024

SCHOOL DELIGHTED BY OFSTED RATING

A team of Ofsted inspectors visited Claygate Primary School last June, observing lessons, play times and interviewing teachers, children and governors, and the school was delighted to hear that it had been rated Outstanding or Good in every area.

Pupils' personal development and the school's early years provision (Reception and Acorns Nursery) were judged to be Outstanding; the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes (including attendance), and leadership and management were all graded as Good and “overall effectiveness” was found to be Good with Outstanding features.

All of the inspectors' judgments were very strongly positive and the verbal feedback given by the inspectors to senior leaders and governors was fulsome in its praise of the provision for children. The school commented: “We are delighted that Acorns Nursery was found to be an Outstanding Nursery and that early years and personal development in all years across the school are also Outstanding. It means these areas are deemed exceptional.” To be judged Outstanding, provision must be “exceptional” with no areas for improvement identified or required.

The team of inspectors recognised the many strengths across the school and that pupils value the extensive range of ac􀀛vi􀀛es provided for them both in and outside of school. They specifically noted the drama􀀛c improvement from the last inspection and successes in national assessment results (including Sats). And they described the children as well organised and delightful, with excellent manners and good social interaction.

The inspectors were also impressed by the Claygate Charter and enrichment opportunities. These allow children to explore different subjects, enjoy the school's pets, experience the Forest School, Gardening area, and Zen Zones, as well as the Eco Council and Class Ambassadors that enable them to engage in team working and build resilience and confidence.

Positive comments in the report included:

• “Leaders have high expectations in every aspect of school and want the very best for all pupils.”
• “Behaviour is calm and orderly.”
• “Leaders have focused on improving the quality of teaching and the curriculum.They have succeeded in both areas.”
• “There is now an ambitious curriculum in place right from the start of Nursery.”
• “Teachers know how to teach well.”
• “Teachers choose activities and resources well, especially in subjects such as mathematics and English which results in high quality work.”
• “All pupils, including those with special education needs and disability, are able to access the curriculum effectively.”

A full copy of the report can be found on the Claygate Primary School website and on the Ofsted website. The report is extremely positive and reflects the excellent progress the school has made since the previous inspection in 2019. The school sends its heartfelt thanks to everyone in the community: “We would like to thank our staff, our parents and the wider Claygate community for the tremendous support they have given us to achieve this success. The children at Claygate Primary School remain at the heart of all we do. We strive to help them to recognise their talents and build on their strengths.

“We will continue to work together to create caring, thoughtful and passionate learners who are proud of themselves and the communities they live in. We welcome the support of the community with our endeavours The school will continue to be outward facing, seizing opportunities to ensure all children leave Claygate Primary School fully equipped for the next stage in their lives.”

Author: Sandra Cunningham, Headteacher, Claygate Primary School

MUSIC CENTRAL TO LEARNING

A wealth of music and drama opportunities, which sees pupils going from playing hand bells through to composing their own original songs, is on offer at Claygate Primary School. Every pupil from Nursery (age three) to Year 6 (age 11) benefits from weekly lessons with a specialist music teacher, following a bespoke curriculum tailored to pupils’ needs.

Significant time is spent learning a progression of instruments from hand bells and the djembe drum at younger years to recorder, saxophone, piano/keyboard and ukulele at Key Stage 2. All pupils learn to perform in ensembles, read and write staff notation, and acquire the building blocks of improvisation and composition: the school now has its own repertoire of original songs, many with lyrics and/or music composed by pupils.

This is enhanced by pupils studying aspects of drama and musical theatre before showcasing them to parents and families. This is based on educational research that provides evidence that performing arts nurture pupils’ academic success across the whole curriculum: all pupils collaborate on a variety of projects run by prestigious musical institutions, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Opera, Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC, and take part in regular performances throughout their school career.

And there are even more extra-curricular opportunities in the performing arts: our provision was recently judged Outstanding by Ofsted for pupils’ personal development. With senior and junior choirs, instrumental band, drumming and keyboard ensembles, a pop and dance group and three different drama clubs, all of which perform each term, there is bound to be an activity to suit every budding young performer. The school additionally runs a media club for young journalists who record video bulletins on school events and present their own regular programme on local radio.

The school's performers appear at local events, including the Claygate Village Show, Claygate Christmas Lights, Surrey Arts and Elmbridge School Choirs Festivals, Young Voices, and Voice in a Million, among others. And there is collaboration with other local schools. Individual private tuition is also available in a variety of instruments from specialist tutors, offering pupils the opportunity to obtain ABRSM and LAMDA qualifications.

Visit the school's website www.claygate.surrey.sch.uk, or follow on social media at @ClaygatePrimary (Twitter) or contact the office to arrange a visit.

source: Claygate Courier, March 2024 issue, page 11

Historical Notes

By the 1960s it was evident that Elm Road School could no longer cope with the demands placed on it. After the death of Mrs Dorothy Fawcus in 1971, the site of The Firs, Hare Lane, was acquired by the Council from the Fawcus Family Settlement for the development of a new school, also in part for an old peoples' home. The school site, amounting in total to nearly six acres, cost £236,000, and the building, comprising a hall, four classrooms and a resource area, cost a further £110,000. Access to the new school, which was opened in January 1973, was from Foley Road rather than from the much busier Hare Lane.

Both schools were reorganised in September 1976. The Elm Road premises became a County First School for boys and girls aged 5 to 8 with Mrs Edna Waldon as headmistress, while Foley Road became a County Middle School for boys and girls aged 8 to 12 under headmistress Miss Aileen Horton.

See also

• Foley Road

Sources

• Peebles, Malcolm (1983). The Claygate Book. (Millennium edition). Stockbridge: by BAS Printers Ltd. ISBN 0-9508978-0-9.

  

• Many thanks also for the photos, many supplied by Terry Gale, from the Claygate Local History Facebook group.

Further Information

• Claygate Primary School in previous years