Thorp Primary School
Thorp Primary School in Royton, Greater Manchester aims “to serve the community by providing an education of the highest quality.’’ The school opened on the 12th September 1977 and over the years has had many developments making the school what it is today. The school was part of the Local Authority until 1st February 2019 when it converted into an academy.
Vision
Our vision ‘Shaping lives for future success.’ underpins all that we do; providing a caring and safe environment in which all our pupils can develop the skills which will enable them to have a positive impact upon the world and achieve future success.
We know the importance of a strong education and expect the highest standards from our pupils. In close collaboration with parents and the community, we can enhance their talents and the ability to achieve their aspirations.
Values
Working closely with our staff, Local Advisory Committee, parents and pupils, we have based our values around ‘Thorp’. Our values are;
Teamwork
Happiness
Opportunities
Resilience
Pride
How we have benefited from being part of the Trust?
One of the most valuable benefits of joining ‘The Oak Trust’ is gaining access to a vast collaboration network between schools regarding various aspects such as the curriculum and staff CPD. This network is an invaluable resource that has helped us address areas for improvement by seeking advice from other ‘Good’ Ofsted rated schools within the MAT. Becoming part of ‘The Oak Trust’ means that support is never far away, whether that be from other like-minded schools or the Trust’s central services. As a member of ‘The Oak Trust’, we have access to a dedicated School Improvement support team, who have a wealth of experience working directly with and supporting the headteacher.
Becoming a member of ‘The Oak Trust’ also brings with it many training and development opportunities for the headteacher and the staff. This is a valuable benefit that works in the best interests of our school and its pupils, as new and innovative opportunities are regularly offered.
Building and grounds
With the support of The Oak Trust, Thorp Primary School has undergone many building renovations to become a modern, vibrant learning school which has increased classroom sizes and made learning accessible for all and we pride in the opportunity to show our school off. Thorp Primary School is a one form entry school which also offers a EYFS provision to children from the age of three years old. Our extensive school grounds enable all the children to participate in enhanced outdoor play and learning. Our lively, welcoming and well-resourced school library gives pupils positive experiences of books, computers and other media. It is an effective shared resource and a centre for learning and literacy development. The role of the library is to help create confident, enthusiastic readers and engage children in life-long learning.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is rooted in a strong belief of equality for all pupils and is therefore designed to be ambitious for all. Expectations are high, ensuring that pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged apply what they know. We value a knowledge rich curriculum underpinned by carefully planned and sequenced units of work to enable cumulative knowledge and effective learning. We have discrete units of work for each subject area so that we can ensure excellent coverage of the National Curriculum and Early Years Curriculum. The curriculum is broad and balanced and offers a wide range of curricular activities involving visits out of school and visitors to school, to enhance learning and extend pupils’ cultural capital.
Extra-curricular
At Thorp Primary School, we believe being able to offer our children a wide range of diverse extracurricular activities is very important as it encourages them to become independent, confident and successful members of the community. We run a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities during lunchtime and after school for children in Years R - 6. The choice of club can change half termly, and these will be advertised to parents accordingly. Children have the opportunity to sign up to a new club at the start of each half term. We provide a range of provisions that will appeal to all children so that every child can find a club that interests them.
Behaviour and standards
Everyone associated with school is rightly proud of the high standards of behaviour achieved by children at Thorp Primary School. The comments of the many visitors to the school and those who meet the children out of school are invariably about the high standards of behaviour and the excellent attitude of the children. This was also observed by OFSTED (June 2023)
Leaders and staff have high expectations of the behaviour and achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are motivated by the silver and gold coins that they receive as recognition for their hard work and positive behaviour. They listen attentively to their teachers and work hard in the classroom. This helps pupils to achieve their goals.
We believe this high standard is the result of the values of the school. Undoubtedly, it is the relationships between the children and the adults in the school that make the difference as a result the children know they are loved and cared for. We seek to develop and maintain the highest standards of order and behaviour but primarily the aim is for high quality self-discipline in the school.
SEND
Thorp Primary School is committed to providing an appropriate and high-quality education to all the children living in our local area. We believe that all children, including those identified as having special educational needs have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of school life. We believe that all children should be equally valued in school. We will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where all children can flourish and feel safe. Thorp Primary School is committed to promote inclusion. We aim to develop a sense of community and belonging, and to offer new opportunities to learners who may have experienced previous difficulties. This does not mean that we will treat all learners in the same way, but that we will respond to learners in ways which take account of their varied life experiences and needs. We believe that educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all learners, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, impairment, attainment and background. We pay particular attention to the provision for and the achievement of different groups of learners.
How do we want students to leave us?
We want children to leave our School as independent learners with emotional skills such as resilience and adaptability to complement their academic achievement. Every child can do amazing things and it’s our job at Thorp Primary School to help make this potential a reality. With an outstanding education, children have the freedom to choose their own future to ensure they are life ready.