Pakeman Primary School

Like all organisations that keep or process personal data, we have been updating our systems and policies to take account of the new general data protection regulation (GDPR); which applied from the end of May 2018. The regulation gives more control to individuals over their personal information. It also places far more responsibility on organisations that collect and hold personal information to keep that information safe and secure.

• Updated our Data Protection policies and Online Safety policy.
• Conducted an audit to make sure we are only holding information that is relevant for Pakeman children and the safety of the entire school community.
• Issued a new privacy notice that explains how we collect, process and store personal data.
• Improved our technology so that staff can only access any school data away from school over a secure server or encrypted storage devices.
• Had staff and governor training on keeping information safe and on the Data Protection Regulation

There are more details in the Data Protection policy which makes clear the circumstances under which any personal data can be shared outside the school. For example, we will need explicit consent from you if we want to use your child’s photo in published material like brochures of funding applications or directly on a page of the website or newsletter. The policy also outlines the new rights individuals have to see information we hold about themselves and their child and describes how you can go about getting this information.

We will regularly update parents/carers on any information relating to the regulation in newsletters. If after reading the new policies you have any questions or want more information, please contact the school office.

We place a high emphasis on basic skills and as a result our children achieve well. We aim to produce well-rounded children who can play a positive part as tomorrow’s citizens.

During the year we have theme weeks, such as Arts Week and Science Week, which allow children to develop their skills in a more focused way. There are also educational trips that reinforce learning taking place in the classroom. We have visits from a range of experts in their field -for example, musicians, historians and artists.

Our vision is of Pakeman Primary as an outstanding school which

• Is optimistic, reflective, ambitious and relentless in its drive for continual improvement and excellence
• Is a challenging, stimulating and rewarding place for children and staff to learn, work and enjoy themselves
• Supports children to be happy, curious, positive, resilient and healthy young people, with high self- esteem and self-belief, who love to learn, contribute fully and achieve well
• Encourages children to develop as confident learners with “growth mindsets”, who learn well with and from others, enjoy challenge and appreciate constructive criticism, understand the learning process, are resilient and recognise that success comes through effort, practice and perseverance
• Offers an attractive, safe, stimulating environment for teaching, learning and play, and is well organised, staffed and managed to achieve the highest standards
• Is inclusive and rights-respecting, with high aspirations and ambition for all pupils, enabling each and every pupil to make the very best progress and achieve the very best results they are capable of
• Recognises and celebrates success and where happy memories are created
• Provides full and genuine equality of opportunity for all
• Has the full confidence of parents and carers who work with the school in positive partnership and are involved in decisions affecting their children’s education and learning

Celebrating Success - We find that one of the most effective ways to encourage children to learn and to behave well in school is through praise and the celebration of their successes.

Achievement Assemblies - We have fortnightly achievement assemblies in which each class teacher makes a nomination of children who have made an outstanding achievement, in either academic or social terms, within their class. Parents are invited to assemblies to see their children being awarded a certificate.

“Pakeman Oscars”, given to children who have made a significant effort over time. Children’s successes and achievements are recognised in many other ways at Pakeman.

At Pakeman we take a whole school approach to the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education as we recognise that it plays a significant role in children’s ability to learn and achieve. We therefore aim to provide an education that provides children with opportunities to explore and develop:

• Their own values and beliefs; their own spiritual awareness
• Their own high standards of personal behaviour
• A positive, caring attitude towards other people
• An understanding of their social and cultural traditions
• An appreciation of the diversity and richness of their cultures

At Pakeman, we teach pupils about British values which are defined as

• Democracy
• The rule of law
• Individual liberty
• Mutual respect
• Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

We aim to develop and broaden the range of children’s learning experiences, to leave them confident, eager and enthusiastic learners who are looking forward to school. We hope to play our part by treating your child as an individual and offering him/her a variety of experiences and activities which are designed to further their development process.

Much of the children’s learning will be through play where children are offered a range of activities each with an underlying educational purpose. Play is the means by which the children explore a variety of experiences in different situations for a variety of purposes. It is a process which provides for children a way of learning about the world around them.