Our Vision and Ethos
It is a real privilege to be the Headteacher of Shirley Infant School (part of Shirley Schools). Our school is a vibrant, happy setting where children come first. Our ethos is what makes us special. At Shirley Infants, we share a passionate commitment to helping everyone to be their best. Every child has a different starting point, and we work hard to enable them to succeed and make good progress for them.
We aim to make learning so fabulous that children love coming to school. We are so proud of our attendance and thank our community for sharing this success with us. We are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to make learning exciting, so that everyone enjoys the sense of adventure that learning brings. The school works hard to uphold the aimed of ‘Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day’ by ensuring that the development of the whole child is embedded and planned for throughout the curriculum. Opportunities and sequences of learning are carefully and skilfully designed to ensure that pupils’ personal, social and emotional development takes priority. As a result, children are ready to learn and are well-prepared for the next stage of their education. In a recent review of the school the “physical, academic and emotional environment for learning” was identified as a key strength and praised by inspectors.
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Although we recognise that academic success is important, we also believe that for education to be successful, it has to be about preparing children for life. We believe that our children should develop an understanding of the wider world, their place within it and how they can make a positive difference. Our core values of Independence, Curiosity, Perseverance, Kindness and Co-operation really matter to us. We encourage our pupils to work hard, knowing that facing challenges and making mistakes are all part of the journey for everyone.
Our staff team are so committed to making a real difference to the children in our care. Everything that we do as a school is to ensure that our children enjoy coming to school and are supported to be successful in all areas of school life. We are built on strong values; our pupils show tremendous care and respect for one another and we are very proud of their excellent behaviour.
We all take great pride in our lovely school. We are proud to be a part of the Shirley School's community.
I do hope that our website gives you a feel for the learning that happens daily at Shirley Infant School. You are warmly invited to visit us to find out more.
Cate Gregory - Headteacher
Learning Aims
Our aim is:
Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day.
- Every Child - Belonging, nurture, safe.
- Every Chance - Inclusive, opportunities, adapt.
- Every Day - Consistent, understanding, ambitious.
The school works hard to uphold the vision of ‘Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day’ by ensuring that the development of the whole child is embedded and planned for throughout the curriculum. Opportunities and sequences of learning are carefully and skilfully designed to ensure that pupils’ personal, social and emotional development takes priority. As a result, children are ready to learn and are well-prepared for the next stage of their education. We work hard to prepare our Shirley Schools children to leave us with high aspirations for themselves.
Learning Values
We are really excited to share with you our new SHIRLEY SCHOOLS VALUES April 2022.
Kindness, Integrity, Respect.
- Kindness - We think about others when we act and go out of our way to help.
- Integrity - We do the right thing even when someone isn't looking.
- Respect - We accept others for who they are including when they are different from us.
Learning Behaviours
Our school learning behaviours build into our learning values. Our children are encouraged to develop and our taught to recognise these values. If someone in the school recognises a child demonstrating them, they will visit the senior leadership team to celebrate.
These behaviours are taught through our curriculum, our behaviour expectations and assemblies.
Independence
Definition: We want our children to strive to be independent in their learning. We want them to be able to access the resources they need and seek the skills to further their own learning.
The children will celebrate with Iggy.
Co-operation
Definition: We want our children to develop into citizens who respect each other and respect themselves. We want them to have the skills to work together, being able to challenge each other but take on other ideas and points of view as well as their own.
The children will celebrate with Cowan and Colanna.
Perseverance
Definition: We want our children to be able to take on challenges and understand it is OK to make mistakes as this is how we learn. We are preparing our children for a ever-changing world, and we want them to be able to take on challenges to succeed in their ambitions and dreams.
The children will celebrate with Perse.
Curiosity
Definition: We want our children to be curious about the world they live. We want them to investigate how things work and how they can change something. Children have a natural curious nature, and we aim to nurture this to apply to many aspects of our curriculum and their world too.
The children will celebrate with Cubert.
Kind
Definition: We want our children to be respectful citizens who look out for each other. We want them to resolve their own problems, including conflicts. We want them to respect differences and opinions and support each other in their own environment and the wider community.
The children will celebrate with Hartwell.