
3FROGMORE JUNIOR SCHOOL |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE
and preparing for any time that
teachers have away from their classes.
Empowering teachers and
promoting positivity
I have high expectations for my staff,
but I believe that they are more than
capable of exceeding them. Ultimately,
it is essential to empower teachers
to be the best they can be. We have
created an atmosphere in which every
employee adds tangible value to the
school; as headteacher, I am trying to
engender meaning for the whole team
and awareness of what they provide.
Many schools around the country have
inherited a deficit model that focuses
on what teachers and pupils can’t do
and the things that must be changed.
We have taken the opposite approach,
promoting positivity, building on
potential, using best practice and
creating high morale among our team.
One of the biggest challenges we
face is budget constraints. To adapt
to this, we have adopted a “less
is more” approach. Rather than
focusing on advanced technology or
expensive solutions, we have tried
to keep everything very simple and
focused on learning. We want our
pupils to value books, develop their
imaginations and be involved in active
learning that helps to create strong,
memorable experiences, rather than
relying on learning via a screen, as, in
my opinion, this can be distracting and
unhelpful. We still teach computing,
coding and even robotics, but we
prefer to keep the teaching experience
itself simpler. This has led to growing
efficiency in our expenditure, and we
have been able to invest resources into
the wider curriculum experiences that
we provide. Budget constraints can
force schools into difficult decisions
and prevent them from becoming
the sanctuaries for learning that they
should be.
Staff morale is really high, and
we have been able to recruit and
retain staff very well. Our teachers
feel positive about their profession,
and this has helped to increase
pupil numbers. Our progress is best
encapsulated by the fact that many
of our students from disadvantaged
backgrounds are significantly
outperforming their more-advantaged
peers. The support of the University
of Chichester and a great board of
governors has been invaluable in
helping us to achieve this.
Looking ahead, we want to continue
to improve, perfecting the curriculum
as far as possible while making
minor tweaks to ensure that we are
performing at the highest possible
level. For this stage, we are trying
to ensure that our teachers feel that
they are experts in their field. Primary
education is complex, but, in many
ways, what we are trying to do is very
simple. We will continue to do what
has proved to be so successful: placing
values, sport and the curriculum at
the heart of the school experience
and ensuring that all of our pupils are
prepared for, and looking forward to,
secondary school.
We want our
pupils to value
books,
develop their
imaginations
and be
involved in
active learning
that helps to
create strong,
memorable
experiences
“
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Celebrating learning by
promoting positivity,
building on potential
and using best practice