Welcome to our School
On behalf of the children, staff and governors of the school, we would like to extend a warm welcome to you. Our school is situated in the market town of Northallerton and the school’s catchment area covers parts of Northallerton, part of the Osmotherley area, and the surrounding villages of Danby Wiske, Hutton Bonville, Yafforth and Great Langton. The local area has a rich historical heritage. This is a key aspect for which we have been awarded national accreditation as a ‘Heritage School’. The Heritage Schools programme is part of a range of cultural education work funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and contributes to our development of British Values.
Outdoor Learning
We value outdoor learning for all children and maximise our school grounds and local area. Our grounds include a well-designed nature area, a bug hotel, hen coop, vegetable and fruit zones, a mud kitchen, climbing apparatus and a sports field. We have three members of staff with Level 3 forest schools training. Our reception class learn in the Wildlife Area on Forest Fridays. In Year 1, children 1 go on to visit an off-site pine forest to further their experience. In the spring term of Year 3 and 4, the children continue to build on their previous forest school learning with a focus on DT, science and bushcraft.
Technology
At Applegarth, we believe that the use of innovative technology has a significant impact on pupil outcomes. Our Computing Lead, Mr Whiteley, runs courses for the Swaledale Alliance and has provided school to school support on ICT and computing. Pupils who attend Code Club use a vast array of technologies: Crumbles, Raspberry Pies, Microbits and other various coding software. This entitlement is also built into our curriculum. A recent visitor to school described us as: “preparing children for the future by combining new technologies with a real appreciation of nature”.
Extra-curricular Opportunities
We feel passionate about getting children engaged in after school and sports activities both in school and within the local community. The children can attend a variety of school-organised after school clubs in sports and other areas. We currently offer: Code Club, Drama, Spanish, Rugby, Football, Gymnastics and Yoga. Qualified coaches lead sports clubs on site. We take part in many inter-school sports competitions and ensure that a wide range of pupils have the opportunity to be involved whilst developing skills and expertise. We are proud of our four School Games Gold Awards; we are now focusing on achieving the Platinum Award. Our PE Leader, Mrs. Hughes is passionate about all children participating in sports and she works relentlessly to create opportunities for pupils to start a love of sport, develop their skills further beyond school games and into the community club provision.
Reflective Learning Practices
In 2013, Rosendale School in London, in partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), conducted a small scale randomised study to identify whether a programme of metacognition lessons and reflecting on learning could improve educational outcomes for children. This initial research showed that ReflectEd had a positive impact on children’s attainment. Pupils who participated in the study made an average of four months additional progress in maths and developed a more positive attitude to learning compared to the control group. In February 2018, Applegarth became part of a five term research project analysing the efficacy of the whole-school ReflectED metacognition intervention. We have continued to implement the sessions and strategies in our curriculum beyond the conclusion of the trial as it had demonstrated a significant impact on pupils’ learning behaviours, resilience and outcomes.
Breakfast and After School Club
Applegarth Breakfast Club takes place in the school hall for pupils of all ages from 7:30am Monday to Friday. The breakfast club is very popular and up to forty children a day attend. We have recently extended our wrap around care offer; after school care is now available from 3:15pm – 6:00pm daily.
Partnerships
Successful partnership between the school, the parents and the pupils enable each pupil to take full advantage of all that our school has to offer. Our partnerships also extend to us working closely with other schools. We work collaboratively with local primary schools in ‘The Beacon Partnership’; this provides opportunities for schools to share resources, benefit from the growing strengths of each school, and provide shared events and experiences for children.
We are also a partner school in the wider Swaledale Alliance. All members benefit from collaborative support to improve learning outcomes for pupils and continued professional development (CPD) of teachers and school leaders. As an out of area member of Schools North East, we also engage in educational debate and training beyond our own region.
If you require any additional information about the school, please complete a contact form in the contact us section of the website.
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Justin Peoples (Headteacher)
Rev. Claire Soderman (Chair of Governors)
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