A Message from the Headteacher
Mrs Rowen Prigg
Welcome to St Michael’s Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School. Our school sits on the outskirts of Chelmsford in the popular village of Galleywood. We share our site with Galleywood Infants School where a strong and growing partnership exists.
A sense of family is very important to us at St Michael’s and we want all our children, parents, teachers, helpers and members of the wider community to feel welcome in school as we work together to enrich each other’s lives, growing and learning together. We therefore seek to continue our quest towards ‘outstanding’ with a strong vision and clear plans for the future.
At St Michael’s our teachers are passionate about children’s learning and wellbeing. Our well-established team is made up of high quality, experienced practitioners. Our teaching standards have been externally assessed by Ofsted and the Local Authority as being at least good or better. “Pupils feel they are learning well and the very large majority of their parents and carers agree” (Ofsted 2012)
We are proud of our children who demonstrate very high levels of good behaviour and personal responsibility. As a result, any incidences of bullying or potential bullying are extremely rare and are dealt with immediately. With the whole school community children follow a simple set of ‘three rights’:
the right to be safe
the right to learn
the right to respect
Ofsted confirmed our own belief that “Pastoral care and support are at the heart of the school’s work.”
With a safe, family atmosphere, underpinned by a strong Christian ethos, children really enjoy school – the rich and varied curriculum and a host of extra-curricular opportunities encompassing sports, creative arts and music; as well as clubs and tuition that support maths, reading, and 11+ preparations. 100% of respondents to our parent survey said that their child enjoyed St Michael’s. We’re pleased but not too surprised!
Learning takes place in and outside the ‘classroom’. The school is well resourced, including ICT, and we also have the benefit of a large outdoor area which includes wildlife and cultivated garden areas.
We know, of course, that our children are the future; that we are preparing them for a life that we cannot predict; for jobs that haven’t been invented yet. We need to enable our children to learn skills that will allow them access to learning wherever and whenever it may be. Our aim is to set children on course to be life-long, independent learners and responsible global citizens.
At St Michael’s we never stand still. We continually look for ways to raise standards and ensure that each child can truly meet their potential.
