SCHOOL OF THE WEEK: Maindee Primary School

With more than 91 per cent of children having English as a second language and only 9 per cent of pupils having English as their home language, the school caters for children from all different ethnicities, cultural backgrounds and religions.

The school has 16 classrooms, including a nursery, and around 500 pupils from the ages of three to 11.

Head teacher Emma Nolan has been at the school since 2007 where she was deputy head, before changing her role and becoming the head teacher in 2012.

Maindee Primary School prides itself on catering and focusing on every single pupil’s individual needs, which Mrs Nolan said is down to her 21 teachers and 22 teaching assistants and support staff.

The school’s motto “Learning and Living in Harmony” is one which staff fully embody and pass on to the children.

“It just sums the place up if you think about it,” says Mrs Nolan.

“It’s one big melting pot and we have to work very hard because sometimes curve balls will be thrown our way and one ethnicity group may say something about another one but we work very hard with whole class circle time.

“We make sure we talk about differences and similarities and tell the children it’s okay to be different and it’s okay to believe in a different God and come from a different culture. We aim to celebrate individuality,” she added.

The school has a language acquisition class which has been running for the past three years, and as many pupils come to the school not knowing any English at all, the class helps them to get into education and access the curriculum.

The classes are split into several year groups, years three and four and years five and six.

Mark Smith, the deputy head, said the class has been a huge success in making children and families feel more comfortable when they move into the area.

He said: “When we first had children come to us who didn’t speak or know any English we had 80 children come to us in a three month period.

“It is to teach them basic English so they can join their peers and access the full curriculum.”

The acquisition classes are led by two or teachers, and the class is split into smaller groups so the children can be focused on individually.

A lot of the initial sessions are just going through the alphabet and pronouncing the letters or the endings of words out loud to get accustomed to the sounds.

Mrs Smith, one of the language teachers, said that there are pupils from all different levels as some children come in with a basic grasp of English and others don’t.

“It teaches them sharing, reading and many other things as well as English,” she said.

“It’s not long before they can access the curriculum but it can take a while with some due to a massive difference between certain languages.”

However, not only do the classes improve the children’s basic language, it helps parents feel more comfortable and helps non-English speaking parents feel a part of the school.

“We have children come in and bring their parents on some days. We do group cooking sessions and cook all different types of food, the parents really enjoy being part of our community,” said Mrs Smith.

“We’ve seen a turnaround in families as at first some were very reluctant to take their children as they didn’t trust us but many do now.

“Parents come in and they ask if we can teach them English and it’s lovely,” she added.

As a lot of emphasis is on individual pupil needs, the children take part in the marking process of their work.

Year 6 pupils take part in a peer and self-assessment sessions, which means they work in pairs to mark each other’s work and discuss how it could be improved.

Working like this means that the children can improve on other skills such as their communication and it helps them understand what the teachers marking means and why they have been critical.

Mrs Marshall-Reddy, one of the Year 6 teachers, said: “They are the best at talking to each other. We have success criteria in the books, and children will mark against the criteria.

“It’s work from all subjects and they work collaboratively. They’re brilliant and at the end of the session they can mark like teachers.”

As many of the children are from various backgrounds, parental engagement teacher Miss Preece is on hand to offer support and advice to many families.

She also works with parents to improve attendance, which has seen it rise significantly in the last year.

“Lots of our families come from countries where families don’t come to school and they may not know about attendance or know it’s a big part of a good education,” said Miss Preece.

“We do lots of incentives with parents, we bring them in to see what their children are doing in school and it gives them a better understanding of what they are doing.

“I’ve been in this role for two years and there’s been a rise in attendance. Parents come to me for all sorts of things really, like if they’re having trouble making a doctor’s appointment, so it helps to build a better relationship.”

After joining the school in 2007, Mrs Nolan has said she believes it has come a lot further in terms of the education and teaching style, which the latest Estyn inspection report also shows.

The report from the inspection, which was carried out in March this year, Maindee Primary School’s performance was rated as “good”, and praise was given to the senior staff being “highly effective in setting out and promoting a vision for the school.”

When summing up the school and saying what the school stands out for, Mrs Nolan said: “It has to be our inclusivity hasn’t it. The fact that every child is welcome no matter where they come or no matter what their background is, they are welcome and an individual pupil package is built around them.”

FACT FILE:

Motto: Learning and Living in Harmony

Head teacher: Emma Nolan

Chairman of governors: Aftab Ali

Number of pupils: 500

Age of pupils: three to 11 years old.

Last inspection: March 2016