Buxton School

Buxton opens doors for our community. We are an honest, kind family of learners, inspiring ambition for our pupils’ futures. At Buxton School, we believe that every pupil can be inspired to be the very best that they can be. We have integrity; aiming to for all children and young people to become high achievers and kind, active citizens in our ever-changing world. We are passionate about our pupils’ futures, setting the highest of expectations so that in our supportive community, pupils will develop the skills, confidence, and independence necessary to become successful learners. Our aim is that every pupil will be empowered and inspired to learn and to make outstanding progress through excellent teaching.

We are ambitious for our pupils and the role that they will play in the future of their local and global communities. One of the great strengths of our school is its vibrant diversity, a reflection of the great city in which we live. We are principled in our decision making to ensure that all young people can learn and work together, developing the skills to become future leaders. Buxton School is a family at the heart of our community. Together with parents, we will enable every pupil to fulfil their potential. This is within a secure and caring environment where we strive to ensure that every pupil will develop a sense of pride, enjoyment and ownership in their school.

Buxton is a well-established all-through school, with two good OFSTED inspections in 2013 and 2017. We completed our move into state-of-the-art buildings in January 2018 and can now deliver to all pupils in our carefully designed and sectioned areas, allowing all ages to be taught well with seamless transition between the phases.

At Buxton School, we are able to plan the curriculum from 3 to 16 because the majority of our children move through from reception to year 11. In this way, we can ensure that there is continuity in the curriculum and that children can make real progress. Our inclusive approach ensures that all children moving into our school at any age are able to transition successfully and become part of the Buxton family.

Children start learning skills early on which are vital to their future success with an increasingly specialised curriculum as they mature. There is a progressive assessment framework to track pupil progress throughout the primary and secondary phases. If pupils do not make sufficient progress, interventions can quickly be put in place. For others who make good progress, their learning can be accelerated and they will work at greater depth. Appropriate levels of challenge and support are in place for more able children and for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Our teaching is tailored to stretch all pupils considering their prior attainment, but not creating ceilings to their opportunities for achievement.

It is important to us that all children feel secure and happy so they are keen to come to school and learn. All children have the right to learn in a safe environment and positive behaviour is maintained through our Good to be Green system, which is used in conjunction with our praise and reward systems. Clear rules and expectations have been developed and applied consistently across the school. Our All-Through School provides a joined-up strategy for meeting pupils’ additional needs with information effectively shared. There is provision for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties and we have a speech, language and communication needs resource provision for relevant pupils with an appropriate EHC Plan. The new building ensures that there is appropriate disabled access. We ensure that there is sustained and effective engagement with parents and support agencies to meet the needs of all children.