Recent improvements at the school

The school has been recently modernised to provide a new junior classroom. This has enabled the old junior classroom to be turned into a school hall and a new floor and deluxe wall bar system were installed in summer 2006. The space is now being utilised for whole school assemblies, and school productions, including the notable "Cinderella" in March 2006.

A new early years area was also completed in summer 2006, enabling children who are just starting school the ability to learn through play. Interactive whiteboard systems are used throughout the school to enhance the children's learning experiences, and new wireless laptops (one between two in the junior room) provide a high technology input to the children's everyday life at school. A new fibre optic cable link has also been installed during the summer 2006 to enable fast access to the internet, and a platform for further future development of our ICT facilities. We will continue to develop our website over the next few years to include work done by the pupils, so watch this space!

There is a great interest in nature and wildlife at the school and the school has a silver Ecoschools award and also for TMBC's Gardening for Wildlife competition. The school has a small but effective wildlife garden for the children to explore in lessons and break time. There are regular trips out to the surrounding environment and with the wonderful Shipbourne Common a skip away, the outside world is part of the school's curriculum, in a slightly unique and "old fashioned" way. The school's diminutive size is in no way related to the achievement of its children or the expectations that are set; the world is their oyster... so let it be!

In the playground, the children have wonderful "amazing seating" to play on and around, and lessons are often held outside in the summer. There are play chimes, a playhouse, the balls court and plenty of toys. But the children love to play with each other most of all, proving that sometimes "less is more" when it comes to imaginative play. The school has a buddy system where older children help the younger ones to settle in and bullying is not tolerated. Year 5 children received up to date "Relate" training in the summer term to reinforce the buddy system and should be ready to help our new starters in September!

Winners!

We have been lucky enough to have won the following competitions/sponsorship, so we offer our many thanks to our sponsors and parents for their most generous help:

• June 2007 - Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre. 1st Prize in Support a School competition winning £5,000 worth of media equipment.
• June 2007 - B&Q kindly donated compost, tubs and planters for their gardening club.  The junior children have prepared a storyboard showing each stage of their project.  The also practised their entrepreneurial skills by trying to raise funds by selling off their home grown produce in the playground after school.
• 2007 - We received a grant of £540 from the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership towards a living willow workshop with the children, to build two living willow sculptures for their playground.
• 2005 - Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre £4,500 for deluxe wooden wall bars for school hall
• 2005 - Springwood Manor Estates £500 plants for wildlife garden. Other contributions were received from B&Q, Homebase, McVeigh Parker, Kingswood Tree Services, Handmade Places
• 2005 - McCarthy and Stone £750 new environmentally friendly taps and play chimes
• 2005 - EDF Energy Learning Through Landscapes "Fit for Fun" £750 for Amazing Seating
• 2004 - Courier Cash for School £1,000 for new hall floor.