At Penbridge Infants & Junior School we are united as a single community- children, parents and carers, staff governors- under six core values which reflect a passionate commitment to learning and recognition of the uniqueness of individual learners.
Our six core values are:
'Penbridge Powers' are four powers which we consider to be essential for effective learning. Linked with each power are certain behaviours which, when used by the children, will enable them to learn well and progress along their journey to be true ‘Lifelong Learners’. By making these behaviours explicit to the children, we are teaching them how to learn. As a Thinking School, this is part of our approach to learning known as metacognition. In a nutshell this means enabling our pupils to be aware of their own learning processes, teaching them what learning is, how they learn, different strategies for learning and evaluating what has been successful and what they need to do next.
We have an ethos of high expectations, where every child flourishes intellectually, personally and morally. We teach our children to be successful, independent learners who concentrate, persevere, take risks and have a willingness to make mistakes and learn from them. We want all our children to make accelerated progress and achieve well.
We want to make learning irresistible so that your child comes to school every day happy and eager to learn. We know that children are naturally inquisitive and we aim to develop this curiosity by providing a curriculum that engages and excites but also provides challenge at the correct level.
As a Thinking School, we teach our children to become creative, analytical, adaptable and resilient thinkers which we believe is a vital skill needed for life in the rapidly changing 21st Century.
Above all, we want to give even the youngest children the behaviours that will enable them to become successful lifelong learners.
Children learn best when they are in an environment which makes them feel happy and safe. We pride ourselves on our high quality learning environment which is calm, purposeful and promotes children’s independence.
There are high expectations of behaviour and everyone in the school community has a responsibility for maintaining a relaxed, calm and happy atmosphere. We recognise that all behaviour is communication and that sometimes children need support to make the right choices.
Throughout the school, we will nurture your child’s social development, to support them to recognise and deal effectively with the different emotions that they experience. Through our school values we will equip our children with the skills which will enable them to be polite, confident, hardworking members of society.
Penbridge Infants & Junior School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. Staff work hard to maintain an environment where children feel safe and secure. The curriculum is designed to ensure opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to recognise and stay safe from abuse.