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BACKGROUND INFORMATION |
Five Ways Primary is a co-educational day school administered by Staffordshire County Education Committee. It caters for pupils between the ages of three and eleven years of age and serves mainly the Heath Hayes area of the County and the developing Hawks Green district. The social backgrounds of the pupils are very mixed. Heath Hayes is a former mining village, whereas the new housing developments cater mainly for younger professionals and their families. The school also accommodates a small number of children who have been provided with Social Services accommodation.
The school is housed in two main buildings. Key Stage One pupils are accommodated within the semi-open plan unit off Langholm Drive. This “Phase 1” of the buildings programme was completed in December 1991. At the present time, Key Stage Two pupils are housed in the existing accommodation sited at the other side of the main school playground. The “Early Years” block was completed in May 1997 and extended further in 2000. The school has a 52 place nursery which is housed in this building. A second ICT suite was opened in September 2000. There are 654 pupils on roll at the present time.
Five Ways is a forward-looking, highly professional organisation, which takes seriously the education of the children of Heath Hayes. The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is of a very high standard, with levels of attainment rising from year to year. The teaching throughout the school centres around a well-planned and highly structured progression of learning objectives. Staffing organisation is based upon curriculum strengths, professional expertise and stated individual preferences. Pupils are taught in ability groups throughout the school, and discipline is good with undesirable behaviour kept to a minimum.
High standards of professional performance and appearance are expected from the staff. The staff as a whole form an extremely professional and committed team who work hard in the interests of the education of all pupils.
The school management philosophy is based upon a belief that, “The success of the school depends upon the contribution made to its aims by its people. The greater and the more unified the collective contribution, the more successful the school.” (Five Ways Management Philosophy Statement). The medium through which this is achieved centres around individual staff training plans which are derived from a highly structured School Development Plan. This is linked to a system of performance management for all teaching and support staff. Training requirements for all staff, teaching and non-teaching, cater for school and individual needs.
The school holds the national award of ‘Investors in People’, which reflects the strong commitment to staff development and training.
The school budget is used to underpin the philosophy of the school and to support the School Development Plan. Funding is allocated from school budget to support the implementation of training plans.
The headteacher, deputy headteacher and three assistant headteachers form the senior management team which provides strong leadership and support. The decision making process is based upon consultation, with all personnel being encouraged to voice constructive opinions relating to the work of the school. A variety of staff “teams” have been established, all of which operate within the school policies, but have the power to make decisions which affect their working practice.
Governors play a large part in the development of the school. Governors’/Staff Advisory and Development Teams are established, which make decisions concerning priority areas for development. During the course of the year, the teams meet to monitor the progress of the Development Plan within their designated area, with final evaluation of the full plan at the end of the year.
Ofsted 2003
‘This is an excellent school. High quality teaching enables pupils to progress rapidly and attain very good standards in most subjects. Pupils work hard and behave very well. The headteacher provides excellent leadership and is extremely well supported by the deputy, assistant headteacher, senior managers and all other staff. He inspires staff and pupils to strive for success and his leadership makes a powerful contribution to sustaining the school’s very positive ethos.’
Ofsted 2006 (Direct link to Ofsted report)
‘ “I am proud to tell people that my child goes to Five Ways. It is an excellent school.”
This comment from a parent is indicative of many responses received during the inspection. The parents are right to be proud because this is an outstanding school providing excellent value for money. The school is a vibrant place where pupils are provided with a rich and exciting curriculum.’
Staffing
There are 30 teaching staff and eleven qualified BTEC/NVQ support staff, plus 3 additional classroom support assistants. Currently there are three classes within each year group, with one of the teachers in each year group holding responsibility for the leadership of that team.The school admin team is led by the office manager who holds theNCSL CSBM qualification. She is supported by a full time finance/admin officer and two part time admin officers. The school also has one part time site technician and a part time keyholder. A team of cleaning staff is managed by a Senior Cleaner. The school also employs 25 lunchtime supervisors.
Five Ways is a “No Smoking“area.