Child Protection

The school takes its child protection responsibility seriously and aims to protect and safeguard the welfare of children and young people in its care. Our ethos fosters partnership between school and parents, listening and valuing pupils, training staff to be aware of signs and symptoms of concern and carrying out the correct procedures, maintaining a safe school environment, and working in partnership with other agencies in this area. The designated person with regard to "Safeguarding" is the Head Teacher, Keith Ford. Our first priority is your child’s welfare and therefore there could be occasions when our concern about your child means that we may have to consult other agencies.
 

Equally, we are also committed to policies that promote equality of opportunity, positive attitudes to cultural diversity, the elimination of racial discrimination and safeguarding children.
 

Transition

We aim to make the transition from Nursery/Pre-school to Reception, Reception to Key Stage 1, Key Stage1 to Key Stage 2 and from primary to secondary school as seamless as possible.  At each step of the journey children are supported through a variety of activities and partnership projects designed to help pupils feel secure when they move.

Developing Skills

We seek to establish a purposeful working atmosphere, where at times the work is formal and structured but at other times more informal, allowing children opportunities to choose.
 

By offering a cross-curricular and integrated approach to learning, children are enabled to view life as a whole with balanced, broad-based relevancy to their experiences and needs. With this in mind, those children with Special Educational Needs are given individual programmes to assist progress, while gifted pupils are given the opportunity to attend sessions at other schools to develop skills, in addition to extended provision within the school.
 

Inclusion

 St  Martin’s Garden Primary School was awarded the 'Inclusion Quality Mark Award' in May 2009.  The National Award signifies that St Martin’s Garden is a fully inclusive school, and does not just depend on the school’s attainment in test results, but focuses upon learning and achievement in its widest sense and looks at how we see differences as opportunities for learning.

Personal, Social and Health Education

We have an extensive Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) scheme of work which promotes good behaviour and healthy life choices. 

We achieved the ‘Healthy Schools Award’ during 2008. Healthy Schools help children and young people to reach their potential by building on a solid foundation of health to do better in learning and in life. The Programme isn’t just about physical health; it’s about good health and happiness inside and out. And it’s not just about pupils either; a Healthy School involves the whole school community – from parents to governors to school staff – in improving their health and their happiness and getting the most out of life.  The school is moving forward and now working towards Healthy Schools Plus.

There are opportunities for the older children to look after the young ones and there is an expectation that everyone takes pride in the achievements of each member of the school.   

Homework

At St Martin’s Garden Primary School, we also believe that homework reinforces and enhances the curriculum while strengthening the Home-School partnership. The amount of homework will vary with age. For more information about our homework policy, click here.

Extra-curricular Activities

 We also recognise the valuable contribution that our school trips, events and residential experiences make towards pupils’ personal and social education.  To read more about the opportunities available for pupils outside of the curriculum, take a look at the "What's Happening" page.