Our Schools
Aldeburgh Primary School
The school joined Avocet Academy Trust in May 2017. The Principal works closely with the wider Academy Senior Leadership Team and there are frequent opportunities for teachers and support staff to liaise across the Academy, both as directed by Academy leadership and self directed. Pupils at the school liaise through inter-Academy sporting events, trips and residential.
Parental support continues to improve; we have termly assemblies, parents’ consultations, termly ‘share’ sessions (parents come into school to work with the children for one morning or afternoon) and we have termly Parents’ Forums.
We have strong links with the local community including Aldeburgh Yacht Club, The Red House, Aldeburgh Library, Carnival and Christmas lights to name a few.
Easton Primary School
Easton is a school that strives for imaginative, inspiring and independent learners with creativity being at the center of the curriculum. The children strive for good and outstanding outcomes through interconnected learning opportunities as children learn best when their understanding is reinforced by conscious, contextualised learning connections. Easton Primary School has high expectations for all pupils with 88% of pupils achieving national expectations in reading, writing and maths which is significantly higher than national averages (61%).
The school’s recent ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection shows that maths is an area of focus although ‘raising the standards of mathematics continues to be successful’. This is due to the need to ‘improve teachers’ knowledge in teaching mathematics so that teaching builds on the skills pupils already have more effectively’ (Ofsted, 2017). There has therefore been a fundamental emphasis on engagement of maths in the curriculum.
Parents and families are also integral to the life of the school. We look for opportunities for parents to be part of the life and learning at the school by offering enrichment opportunities, cafe’s for all, training for parents in areas of the curriculum and SEN, parent forums and being part of maths mornings in the classroom with attendance being very popular.
Leiston Primary School
The school currently has 30% of its roll in receipt of Pupil Premium funding, 13% SEND and less than 2% EAL.
Leiston is a school that “demands more from pupils and pupils respond with enthusiasm and energy” (Ofsted, 2017). Leiston Primary School has a drive and ambition to succeed to offer the best start in education for its pupils. The most recent Ofsted stated that “the Head of School has established good teamwork among staff and a clear sense of purpose, which staff understand and subscribe to” as a result “standards are improving rapidly” (Ofsted, 2017). The percentage of pupils achieving age related expectations in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2 increased by 20% from 2016 to 2017.
High expectations for all pupils result in those from disadvantaged backgrounds diminishing the difference between themselves and their peers with the 2017 Key Stage 2 results showing that those pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding performing at least equally with their peers.
The staff are driven to continually improve with recent research projects including a review of EYFS and Year 1 provision lead by the phase teaching team and also a Lesson Study project initiated by one of the school’s UQTs about raising attainment for boys which saw her work alongside the English Lead and her partner teacher.
Enrichment is fundamental to the wide ranging curriculum offer at Leiston which sees pupils get varied learning opportunities such as community work with a local residential home for the elderly to performing on stage at the famous Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh and in June 2018 pupils in Year 6 attending a sailing session at the local Yacht Club
Parents and families are heavily involved in the life of the school from events such as Learning Assemblies to ‘Tea, Toast and Tips’ which is a monthly session run by the Welfare Team. The Welfare Team provide wide ranging support for families and target areas such as social development and the importance of regular attendance.
Saxmundham Primary School
Saxmundham is a busy and exciting school where the staff and children are committed to their on-going development and improvement.
In November 2018 we became part of the Avocet Academy Trust because we believe that schools work better when working closely with other local schools.
All children at our school have a wide range of opportunities available to them to be involved in school life. The school council, eco council, sports teams, choir and annual performances provide a wealth of activities beyond everyday lessons. In addition, school residentials in years 5 and 6 and a wide variety of after school clubs mean that all children can learn more about something that they are passionate about.
We welcome the support of our families and our community into our school. If you have skills or talents that you are happy to share, please come and speak to us.
The Senior Leadership Team is always available to discuss any queries about our school so please do contact us if you need to. Mr Pearson-Shaul (Headteacher), Miss Ives (Deputy Headteacher) and Mrs Benstock (SENCo) will be happy to discuss any areas of our school provision with you.
Wickham Market Primary School
PSHE is at the core of everything we do. Our values-based school nurtures curiosity and creativity through an inspiring, broad and engaging curriculum, where learning is at the heart of all that we do. Our children learn to become resilient and self-assured in an environment where safety is paramount. Everyone is challenged and encouraged to thrive and achieve as individuals, preparing them for their role as caring and active citizens in modern Britain.
Wickham Market received a rating of ‘Good’ in the last Ofsted inspection (October 2017). The inspector commented on that ‘Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel very well supported by staff and they like the challenges they are given in lessons. Pupils are polite and friendly. They behave well and follow the school’s rules. Pupils show very good attitudes to equality and diversity.’ The report also recognises a very committed governor team who support the school and are heavily involved.
We have seen a 20% increase in Maths attainment over several year groups since the introduction of White Rose. Year 6 SAT’s attainment was 94% (2018) SPaG and Writing 81%.
Across the school Reading will form one of our priority areas for school development. There is a lack of parental engagement and children reading outside of school. Phonics training has been undertaken by all relevant staff in June 2018 and will underpin the mechanics of reading whilst there will a whole school approach to developing a love of reading.
Parental engagement continues to be a focus where we will be offering Cafes for All, a morning ‘tea, toast and tips,’ approach which has been successful at one of the other academy schools and curriculum days. Many of our parents have an active approach towards the school and help with fundraising, maintaining the school site and are part of our reading army.