Headteacher's Statement - Welcome to our School
Ashlands School has been serving families of Ilkley for more than 50 years. The school was established in 1952 and the original building won awards for its innovative features at that time, not least its excellent accessibility. We are in an enviable position - at the foot of the beautiful Ilkley Moor and overlooked by the world famous Cow and Calf rocks.
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All our classrooms are a good size, bright and airy, and well equipped to serve the age and needs of all children from Nursery to Year 6. Our classrooms (and soon the hall) have interactive whiteboards which are used as an integral part of teaching and learning. We have a very well used ICT suite and our hall has recently been refurbished to include lighting and sound systems.
At Ashlands Primary we organise what we do in school around the needs of the community. We focus our provision on the education of the whole child: academic,spiritual, emotional, cultural and physical. It is essential that each child learns the basic skills of reading, writing,mathemetics and ICT to the absolute best of his/her ability, and we teach these with dedication and enthusiasm through an increasingly rich, colourful and varied curriculum.
We take very seriously the concept of the 'Extended School' and have recently purchased a double mobile classroom unit so that we can comfortably accommodate 'Saplings' our pre- and post-school club as well as our many out of school activities. We already provide some holiday activities and we are looking into how these might be developed further.
The outdoor environment at school can be just as importnat for good learning as classrooms; to this effect we are taking the school through a planned programme of external refurbishment. The "Friends" of Ashlands have been pivotal in their moral as well as financial support for this work. (Follow the link to find out more.) With their help we now have a trim trail, rest area and goal shoot. In addition we have developed an outdoor classroom, an extended bike shed and a quiet area specially designed for the younger children.
Early Learning is a major focus at Ashlands. We have a Foundation Unit, comprising Nursery and Reception Class. In keeping with our aim to 'Serve at the Heart of the Community' we have developed 'wrap around care' to complement educational provision in the Nursery. Parents now have the option of accessing full-time nursery facilities.
The behaviour policy at Ashlands is 'fair and firm' and complemented by the Home School Agreement. We make every effort to ensure that each child feels happy and secure in school and has a sense of being cared for and valued for who they are. If for any reason a child becomes worried or upset we act immediately, work with parents and always follow through.
At Ashlands we have a heavy investment in Special Needs. Each child is special and his/her needs are addressed ansd tracked through our rigorous and ongoing assessment procedures. When and where necessary we put in place individual learning programmes and ensure that outside agencies support the school and family.
This is just a snapshot of what we do and who we are. Do browse through our website and feel free to come and see us at work. We are proud to be accountable for what we do and feel that our excellent results reflect the quality of teaching as well as the support we receive from parents.
At Ashlands School we all take great pride in our achievement and we take great care of each other and our environment.
Eileen Fitzpatrick (Headteacher)
