About Shawlands Primary School

Headteacher: Mrs J Brookling

Chair of Governors: Mr P Politano

Shawlands Primary School shares a seven acre site with Holy Rood Catholic Primary School. We have our own playing field and playground, and are within walking distance of the superb facilities offered by Barnsley cricket and rugby clubs. There are approximately 220 children in school, with a further 52 part time children in nursery.

The main school building contains seven classrooms, three carpeted quiet / shared areas, a hall, a dining room and a shared kitchen. There is a Nursery building on the school grounds, which consists of a wet area, carpeted area, cloakroom, toilets and an outdoor playground.

Both the school and nursery serve children within the local community. Children are admitted to nursery as soon after their 3rd birthday as possible. Admission to the school is arranged by the local education authority. Not all of our nursery children get places in the main school, which is usually oversubscribed.

The school day at Shawlands is outlined below.

                            Morning:    9:00am - 11:55am for Key Stage 1 and

                                               9:00am - 12:15am for Key Stage 2

                                                with a mid-morning break from 10:15am - 10:30am

 

                            Afternoon:  1:15pm - 3:30pm for all children

                                                with a mid-afternoon break from 2:15pm - 2:30pm

The school’s curriculum is centred on the Local Education Authority’s Entitlement guidelines and the National Curriculum Regulations. In this way, we aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, which will develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes of each child.

The opportunities for learning, which we provide, are enriched with practical and first-hand experiences. This is achieved by the teachers, throughout the age groups, planning for the whole school year using the Programmes of Study and Attainment Targets as laid down in the National Curriculum. Each year the children undertake a programme of study which concentrates on themes / topics. These themes are carefully chosen by the teachers as part of a continuous process to encourage, motivate and stimulate the children in every aspect of the curriculum.

The school aims to provide a balanced but flexible curriculum so that every child receives an adequate grounding in literacy, numeracy and other essential skills needed in our fast-changing world. The curriculum is carefully planned so that there is continuity in the children’s learning and progression in the experiences provided. This ensures that every child’s individual ability is catered for.