Birchfields Primary School

At Birchfields we Aim High Together and set high standards for ourselves and others. Our pupils benefit from a rich, broad and balanced curriculum that is presented in an interesting, exciting and imaginative manner with lots of opportunities for first-hand experience, practical work, investigation and learning through play. This curriculum is enlivened and enriched by visits, visitors and extensive use of the environment.We support our children in mastering the basic skills in English and mathematics but we also ensure that the creative subjects and physical development are also central to our work.

At Birchfields we treat our pupils as individuals and match our teaching and learning to their physical, mental, social, spiritual, moral and cultural needs. All children have an opportunity to take responsibility, build their self-esteem and develop their self-confidence. Success is promoted and progress and achievement are celebrated regularly with our whole school community.

We are proud of our welcoming, friendly, bright and lively, happy school, where children feel secure and behaviour is impeccable. We Aim High Together with our parents, governors and friends to give our pupils the very best start for their education and future success.

Assessment is integral to high quality teaching and learning. It helps to ensure that teaching is as effective as possible and that learners are making optimum progress. Assessment serves many purposes, but the main purpose at Birchfields is to help staff, pupils and parents plan the next steps in learning. Through working with other schools and using external tests and assessments, performance can be continuously improved.

Pupils are assessed against a range of criteria. These criteria are qualitative and concrete descriptions of what a pupil is expected to know and is able to do. These criteria are based on the objectives as set out in the National Curriculum. The achievement of each pupil is assessed against all relevant criteria for the appropriate stage of development at regular intervals throughout the school year. Assessments are recorded on a weekly basis and are backed up by a body of evidence resulting from observations, records of work and testing.

Teachers use the outcomes of assessments to summarise and analyse attainment and progress for individual pupils. They use this data to plan learning opportunities for every pupil to ensure that expectations are met or exceeded. Although the vast majority of pupils will be working on their year group’s curriculum, where a pupil is assessed to be below the relevant criteria in a subject for their age group, the appropriate year group criteria for that child is used.

The school expects openness and honesty from everyone. We expect people to respect and value each others views and opinions. Where these may differ, we work together to resolve differences calmly and constructively. Staff are exemplary role models of behaviour and attitudes and actively encourage children to demonstrate these.

At Birchfields the staff will give our pupils excellent, challenging and enjoyable opportunities to gain the skills they need to achieve success in life. These pupils will relish challenges, want to learn about the world and will be confident in their own abilities. We will grasp every opportunity to learn ourselves and improve our own effectiveness. We will be inspired by the world of education and we will have a passion for providing the very best deal for our pupils and their parents. We will ensure that for our pupils, their days at Birchfields will have a positive and lasting impact on the rest of their lives. We can get the best results for our pupils when all staff, parents and children understand their responsibilities and work together towards the same goals. We value the support parents give the school in education our pupils and believe it is a vital part in their successful learning.

At Birchfields we have experience of supporting children with a variety of Special Educational Needs (SEN) including learning difficulties, communication difficulties, emotional difficulties and sensory difficulties.We liaise with parents, families and experts involved with the child to discuss what support and arrangements can be made to meet each individual child's needs.

When concerns are raised that a child may have SEN, the SENco will observe the child in class and talk to the child about how they feel about their learning strengths and difficulties.She will arrange a meeting with the class teacher and parents to discuss concerns.This may lead to a period of further monitoring or a support plan being implemented quickly.Children will be added to the SEN register if all parties agree there are ongoing needs.

The history of the school actually begins 800 years before the school was built when, in the 12th century, the Birch family bought the land on which the school is now and built Birch Hall. The hall stayed there until 1926 when it was knocked down and Manchester Grammar School was built on the site. Birchfields opened in 1930, four years after the hall was demolished. So the school was named after the Birch family, nothing to do with trees - despite what our logo suggests.