St Paul’s School is a one form entry, Voluntary Aided Church of England School in the Diocese of London. It is attached to St. Paul’s Church, New Southgate, N11. The school is situated off Friern Barnet Road and is easily accessible both on foot and by public transport.
Housed in a combination of Victorian and modern buildings, the school offers good facilities for all its pupils including well equipped classrooms, a ‘Creative Space’ for music and art, a large playground, shared rooms for small group work and a beautiful outside ‘Peaceful Space’. We are currently developing an indoor ‘Prayer Space’ where children of all faiths are invited to reflect and pray. We are are also building a playground area just for our Year 6 children to ensure they have the room to take part in independent activities.
The school has a separate EYFS building with its own playground for our Nursery and Reception children. Children are admitted to Nursery in September following their third birthday. Places available are for morning, afternoon or full day sessions. Children are admitted to the Reception class in September prior to their fifth birthday.
Throughout school, each class is of mixed ability and under the care of a teacher who has responsibility for the general curriculum throughout that academic year. Support staff in our school play an important role in aiding and challenging learners. Please see our ‘special educational needs’ and ‘higher attaining pupils’ policy for how we address the needs of these learners.
THE AIMS OF OUR SCHOOL
WE AIM TO:
- Ensure every person in our community feels safe and listened to. Every individual must feel they are of value.
- Keep all in our community protected from physical and emotional harm however much we can.
- Build a team of well-trained staff who are passionate about their role as educationalists.
- Provide teaching and learning of the highest quality in Reading, Writing and Mathematics, which meets the individual needs of all pupils.
- Invite all in the community to see and experience the value and importance of reading, both in terms of having the skills to decode and for pleasure in order to promote life-long readers.
- Deliver a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares pupils for modern life and enables them to find their strengths and motivators.
- Ensure that pupils who experience disadvantage are recognised, supported and provided with opportunities to ensure they have equitable life chances.
- Provide an environment where everyone feels they have a voice; learning by pupils is active, knowledge rich and driven by them.
- Differentiate the learning experience to ensure those children who have high levels of need have a bespoke provision which allows for success and achievement on a frequent basis.
- Create a friendly, supportive atmosphere where positive learning behaviour is ‘the norm’ and social relationships are built on both our Christian values and our commitment to British Values.
- Enrich pupils’learning through visits and experiences and explore the natural world to instil awe and wonder in God’s Creation.
- Build resilience amongst our children, our staff and our community and an understanding that you can overcome the challenges we all face in the journey of our life
- Offer space (physically and mentally) for reflection and stillness and nurture spiritual flourishing.
- Work alongside St Paul’s church to ensure our Christian ethos is underpinned by a strong theological understanding.
- Support and celebrate the breadth of culture, faith, language and experience that our diverse community offers.
- Provide citizenship skills to better prepare our pupils for life in an environment where criminal activity is higher than in other parts of the country.
- Support and educate our families to navigate a world where their children are at greater risk because crime is at higher rate in the local area than nationally.
- Embrace the whole school community and encourage everyone to be part of St Paul’s success.
- Achieve the best outcomes for all in our community in the most holistic sense.
School Vision & Values
We are a welcoming community underpinned by a strong inclusive Christian ethos. Each individual is encouraged to work with their whole heart to strive for wisdom, through learning which is broad and enriching. We show compassion for all in God’s creation and have the endurance to meet future challenges.
In 2021-2022, we intertwined the values of Wisdom, Compassion and Endurance with Humility. Being humble when being wise, humble when we offer compassion and humble when we need to endure.
Our Biblical text from Colossians encourages everyone in the community to work with their whole heart in whatever they do.
OUR SCHOOL GOVERNORS
The school is governed by a Board of Governors whose members represent the Church at Parish, Deanery and Diocesan levels, the London Borough of Barnet, elected parents and elected members of the teaching and non-teaching staff. The Governors have a general responsibility for the effective management of the school although they are not expected to take detailed decisions about the daily management of the school. Their responsibilities include:
- the admission of pupils to the school
- the management of the school budget
- the maintenance of the building, its insurance and development
- the use of the building outside school hours
- the appointment of staff
- the teaching of Religious Education and worship in the school
- the implementation of the Inclusion Policy
- the general oversight of the whole curriculum
The Full Governing Body meets at least once a term. Tasks may then be delegated to a number of smaller committees. Minutes of the Governor’s meetings are available from the school.