I am really proud to be the Headteacher of our school - it is an exciting, challenging place to work and an exciting, challenging place to learn.

'Every child matters, so every day counts'

This is the phrase that best sums up how, as a staff, we see education at Chickerell Primary Academy and Chickadees pre school. Our young people depend on us and their families to look after, nurture and inspire them every day.  We want them to feel that 'the sky's the limit' and they can achieve ANYTHING they want to, with our support.  We want them to be ambitious, positive and determined to make the best of themselves - and it is absolutely our moral obligation to help them to do this through challenging them in their learning, and modelling these attitudes for them. 

Pupils love to be at our school. They respond well to the caring, nurturing approach that pervades everything we do. They enjoy their lessons and work hard in them.  They know their teachers have high expectations of them and will continually push them to achieve their very best.  They know it is important to try hard, even when you make mistakes. They feel safe, they know they can talk to any adult and they will get help where needed.  They are lively, full of energy, polite and sociable . They are proud to be part of this school.

We have high  aspirations and great ambition for all of our children.  I have been Head Teacher here for over ten years and the children's progress ​and their achievements -  not just academic- have improved year on year which is lovely to see.  Many of our most recent results showed the majority of our children to be achieving at least national averages, and more often better, reflecting great progress from their individual starting points.
  
We are extremely proud to provide a varied, interesting and inclusive curriculum that allows for all children to achieve their potential.  With our extensive extra curricular programme, we have regular chances for them to do creative arts, singing, sport, drama and exploring the local environment.  On top of this the teachers and teaching assistants work incredibly hard to make sure each child progresses in the key skills of reading, writing and numeracy.  
 

Pupil  safeguarding and their emotional and mental well being are paramount to us too.  Children need to be emotionally 'ready to learn' in order to be educated as effectively as possible.  We rely on the ELSA and THRIVE approaches to provide the children with the support they need.  We are a Rights Respecting School and strongly  encourage Pupil Voice.  The 'United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child' (UNCRC) underpins all that we do.  UNCRC Article 3 - All adults should do what is best for you.  When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions affect children. 

We know that young people only get 'one shot' at their education and as well as trying to encourage them to achieve their very best through a high level of aspiration, we want our children to leave us as independent, confident, emotionally resilient young people who are eager and well-prepared for secondary education.  We particularly try to promote co-operation, respect and enthusiasm, alongside other key learning skills in the hope that our young people move onto the next stage of their education, 'secondary ready' in every sense of the phrase . 

In essence, for us,  'every child matters and every day counts' -  so we aim to make the very most of our time with them. 

Jody Harris, Headteacher