Smithdown Primary School

Smithdown is a community primary school for boys and girls aged 3-11. It is maintained by the local authority. We are a truly multi-cultural school with children from over 40 different countries speaking 42 different languages.

At Smithdown we provide an open and caring community in which all pupils can learn and understand, in a happy and secure atmosphere.

The multicultural nature of the school population and its inner-city locality close to the heart of Liverpool are a constant source of inspiration for children’s work and activities.

At Smithdown Primary School we aim high. Our motto is ‘Together we Grow’. We ensure that every child has access to a broad, balanced and supportive curriculum. Through this we are able to give our pupils a range of opportunities and experiences to grow and develop academically, physically socially and morally.

All National Curriculum subjects are carefully planned and structured to ensure progression across both units of work and across year groups or key stages. We are committed to providing a curriculum that develops pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding as they grow and move through our school. We aim to tailor our curriculum to fulfil every child’s potential. Through a curriculum that is both stimulating and challenging, we develop curiosity about the world around them and enable children to grow and develop, becoming independent, active learners.

Children’s progress is carefully monitored through appropriate assessment and, where children are found to need additional support, we have a variety of interventions to help them.

A range of after school activities and additional experiences such as: fieldwork, educational visits and visitors to school, ensure that both enjoyment and learning are enhanced.

We at Smithdown Primary School work hard to create a stimulating and progressive curriculum that meets the needs of all of our pupils.

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, and it provides the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up.”

At Smithdown Primary School we know that a high quality Mathematics education provides a foundation for understanding the world, gives children the ability to reason mathematically and promotes enjoyment and curiosity about the subject. We plan lessons that allow the development of fluency, as well as providing opportunities for reasoning and problem solving. Alongside this, children are challenged to use conjecture and test hypotheses. All our children have the opportunity to develop this deep understanding through “Deep Dive Challenges”. We utilise both independent and collaborative learning.

At Smithdown Primary, we know that music promotes positivity, self-confidence and a sense of community. Therefore, we believe that it should be a part of our everyday practise, whether through extra-curricular activities or music lessons.

We recognise that English is a core subject within the National Curriculum and essential for educational and social progress. Mastery over language empowers children to communicate: creatively and imaginatively, as well as allowing them engagement with the world at large. Therefore we aim to establish a curriculum which provides the necessary meaningful opportunities to develop competence in all language areas.

At Smithdown Primary, we aim to have all children reading widely, fluently and confidently. We are proud to be a ‘Power of Reading’ school and, as such, we use high quality texts to engage our pupils in reading and writing. It is our aim to encourage children to learn to love reading and to read regularly outside of school.

Smithdown School is made up of children who originate from many nationalities, cultures and faith groups. As a school we aim to celebrate this diversity and offer a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our pupils, including new arrivals and non-native English speakers. We believe that Religious Education (RE) provides an opportunity to celebrate and foster awareness of these differences within our school and the wider world. It is a subject that celebrates diversity.