Our Vision and Values
We want to share the school's vision and values with you, please read the information below:
Introduction
Welcome to Yeadon Westfield Junior School.
We believe that with outstanding teaching and encouragement, children can achieve anything.
We believe that parents play a vital role in the education of their children and greatly value the partnership we have between home and school.
We actively encourage parental involvement and welcome parents as part of our school family.
We look forward to forging new partnerships and welcoming you to our school.
The Head Teacher and staff
Learning Through Enjoyment
To provide a broad, exciting and creative curriculum ensuring achievement through enjoyment.
Here at Westfield we believe that children learn best if they find enjoyment in what they do. We have worked hard to develop a curriculum that uses practical experiences and varied approaches to teach important skills across all aspects of the curriculum. This creates confident learners with positive attitudes and a strong belief in themselves.
Our school is well resourced to provide for this, offering a variety of clubs and activities, including sport, art and music, a well stocked resource library, a thirty seat computer suite with laptops and netbooks and a technology kitchen.
We use exciting trips to enhance learning, visiting places as far apart as Scarborough and Knowsley Safari Park. Our Year 6 pupils also experience thrilling and challenging pursuits in their annual residential trip.
Learning Through Exploration
To develop lively and enquiring minds through exploration and enterprise.
Our creative curriculum has been developed on the ethos of enquiry and exploration, with pupils being encouraged to question and investigate themes of study. We teach skills through a main theme, used as a focus for other areas of the curriculum, enabling children to learn through different approaches across the whole curriculum. Wherever possible we adopt a hands-on approach to learning; this means that visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners can all achieve success.
We also teach through enrichment weeks each year where we work on a whole school theme away from the regular curriculum, solving problems and posing lines of enquiry for the children. These provide rich experiences and develop a passion for lifelong learning. Past themes have included Historical dilemmas, The Apprentice Challenge and an Olympic celebration fortnight.
Learning Through Harmony
To build understanding and tolerance of the culture, heritage and lifestyle differences of others.
A foundation of our school ethos is to enable the children to experience other cultures and lifestyles in addition to their own. We do this through links with our twinned schools in Africa, by encouraging visitors from other countries to talk to the pupils about their lifestyles and through detailed programmes of PSHE and RE.
Our behaviour management system values praise, encouragement and reward and recognises the need to provide children with positive role models.
We offer a comprehensive programme of inclusion, offering support for children with differing emotional, educational and behavioural needs, backed up by our caring and supportive staff.
Learning Through Respect
To organise a well resourced and planned learning environment through efficient systems and procedures.
Our school provides an excellent learning environment, from the building layout to the extensive and stimulating grounds. Our teaching staff have used every aspect of the school to design a curriculum that enriches the learning of its pupils. Our vegetable garden and pond area, along with the nearby cycle path, provide opportunities for real life studies in science and art. The children learn to care for and nurture these areas and in doing so, develop respect for both their school and the wider environment.
Our school emphasises the importance of respect, both of other people, themselves and their surroundings, through positive reinforcements and leading by example. We have close links with the local community, taking children on outreach visits to care homes and other organisations and welcoming people into school to talk to and work with the children.
Learning Through Care
To enable children to learn in a safe, healthy and secure environment that is cared for and respected.
Our school has a warm, caring and friendly atmosphere where everyone is welcome and feels included. We believe that children have the right to feel safe and happy and our learning mentors and all staff work hard to support children in order to achieve this.
We take pride in our school, encouraging the children to respect the building and its grounds. The school has two playgrounds and a large grassed area where the children can let off steam, a reflective garden and a pavilion where children can sit and talk as well as an adventure trail that the children use for creative play.
At break times, our caring Playbuds ensure that no child is left out. Our enthusiastic Fitbods provide fun activities at lunch times that enable the children to play happily together.
School Aims
At Yeadon Westfield Junior School, the child is at the centre of everything we do.
In partnership with parents, carers and governors and the wider community, we aim to provide: