A warm welcome to Priory School

Whether you are already part of our school community or are considering Priory for your child, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our website.

Priory is a large, diverse and inclusive primary school with a clear and ambitious vision: Opportunity for All. We want every child to have the opportunity to belong, participate, learn and thrive.

We know that children have different strengths, starting points, experiences and needs. Our responsibility is to know each child well, identify and remove barriers, provide the right support at the right time and maintain high expectations for everyone. We place no artificial ceiling on what a child may achieve.

Our pupils experience a broad, ambitious and inclusive curriculum that builds strong foundations in communication, reading, writing and mathematics while encouraging curiosity, enquiry, creativity and meaningful application. We recognise the importance of play, movement, practical experience and positive relationships, and we adapt our teaching and environments in response to children’s developmental stages, strengths and needs.

Our approach is underpinned by the Priory Ready Framework. We create the conditions that help children to be Ready to Regulate, so that they feel safe, known and able to belong; Ready to Communicate, so that they can understand, express themselves and participate meaningfully; and Ready to Learn, so that they can access ambitious teaching, develop independence and thrive.

Priory’s mainstream classes, targeted support and specialist provisions are all part of one school community. Through Acorns, Woodlands, Orchard, Nurture, the SEMH Hub and our wider graduated support, we respond to a broad range of strengths and needs. These different pathways do not lower our ambition for children; they help us find the most appropriate route through which each child can participate, learn and experience success.

Children who need additional support should receive it, while those who are ready to go further should be challenged, inspired and given opportunities to deepen their knowledge, pursue their interests and develop their talents. Inclusion at Priory is not simply about where a child is taught. It is about whether they are known, valued, appropriately challenged and meaningfully involved in the life of the school.

Opportunity for All also extends well beyond the classroom. Through play, trips, residential experiences, clubs, sport, music, performance, creativity, leadership and community events, we want children to discover their strengths, develop their interests and encounter possibilities they may not otherwise have experienced.

Learning alongside children with different strengths, needs, cultures, experiences and ways of communicating gives every Priory pupil something important. Our children develop empathy, patience, understanding and respect. They learn that people may communicate, learn and experience the world differently, and that every person has strengths, contributions and value. These are not simply qualities for school; they are qualities for life.

Priory is also a strong and welcoming community. Our staff, families, governors and Priory Friends work together to enrich school life and create opportunities for children and families to connect. Parents and carers hold essential knowledge about their children, and we are committed to listening carefully, communicating openly and working together in each child’s best interests.

We want children to leave Priory with secure foundations for their next stage of education, but also with something more: confidence in themselves, compassion for others, curiosity about the world and hope for the opportunities ahead.

If Priory sounds like the right school for your child, I warmly invite you to come and see us in action. We offer regular school tours and would be delighted to introduce you to our staff, show you our pupils learning and help you experience our community for yourself.

Hannah Foster
Headteacher

 

Growing determined, courageous, kind individuals proud to be Priory children.