Welcome
‘Anything is Possible’
Welcome to Water Mill Primary School
Selly Oak and Harborne
Dear Parents/carers,
As Headteacher I am proud to welcome you to Water Mill Primary School serving the communities of Selly Oak and Harborne. We are a happy, safe, caring community all working hard to ensure that each child achieves their very best and meets or exceeds all expected standards. We know that children work best when they are happy, interested and challenged and that school life is not just about academic standards, it is also about building positive relationships and participating in a wide variety of activities in and outside of school. Our pupils are encouraged to make decisions about what and how they learn, to be independent, creative and confident. We are a small, friendly one form entry primary school on the borders of Selly Oak and Harborne, Birmingham. We are proud of the rich diversity of our community and the excellent relationships that exist between pupils, staff, Governors and parents. We believe that together we can make a difference and influence the future. Please read on to find out all about our Primary School. If you would like any further information please contact me and I will be happy to arrange a tour of the school.
Yours Sincerely
Mrs Paula Rudd
Headteacher
Please contact our school office if you want further information or a tour of our school. Please ask at the school office if you would like paper copies of any of the information on our website.
Our Vision
Water Mill children will be proud of what they have achieved. They will be creative, independent learners and will be prepared for the future.
Our Aims
Our aims are reflected through our values which are:
- Caring: To provide a welcoming, safe and happy environment for all members of the school community.
- Creativity: To offer opportunities for every individual to learn, apply new skills and to excel in all areas.
- Respect: To treat every member of our diverse community with equality and consideration and to have positive attitudes towards each other.
- Integrity: For all members of the school community to be honest and trustworthy and to do the right thing at all times.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide outstanding provision for our pupils so that each child achieves the four key elements of our vision:
Proud of what they have achieved:
Intent: At Water Mill Primary School, all pupils will make more than expected progress across all areas of the curriculum and will therefore all consistently achieve exceptionally well.
Implementation: All staff and leaders will have high expectations for every pupil and will deliver a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum that is carefully planned to meet the needs of all learners. Staff and leaders use assessment well to help pupils to embed and use knowledge, to check understanding and to inform teaching.
Impact: Each pupil will be proud of what they have achieved because they are able to recognise the progress that they have made and will know what they need to do to reach the high standards that have been set.
Creative Learners:
Intent: All pupils at Water Mill Primary School will be able to apply their learning across the curriculum and will use the skills and knowledge they have gained to confidently tackle new concepts and problems.
Implementation: All pupils will be encouraged to think deeply about what they are learning and to think of different ways of expressing their learning. Through the teaching of creative and performing arts pupils will develop confidence, imagination and talk for learning.
Impact: All pupils will be creative learners because they will be curious about what they are learning and will think ‘outside of the box’ when applying their learning to different situations. They will be able to see beyond what needs to be done to decide the ‘how’.
Independent Learners:
Intent: Water Mill Primary School pupils will take ownership and initiative in their learning and have the confidence to succeed as lifelong learners.
Implementation: Staff and leaders will enable pupils to have ownership of their learning by involving them and their parents/carers in the planning for and delivery of learning. Pupils will be encouraged to view mistakes as learning opportunities and to choose their own success criteria in order to improve. They will be encouraged to take responsibility for their own academic and personal development and to support others to do the same.
Impact: Pupils will be independent learners because they will be able to confidently recognise how to improve their own learning and will be comfortable about taking risks. They will be self motivated and will be able to plan, understand and monitor their own learning and personal development.
Prepared for the future:
Intent: Water Mill Primary School pupils will have the skills, knowledge, personal, social, moral and emotional attributes to succeed in their future lives.
Implementation: Through a combination of actions from the previous three elements pupils will be taught the skills, values and knowledge that will enable them to become successful lifelong learners and active citizens of modern Britain. They will be given ‘real life’ activities and problems to solve and will participate in transition, careers and wider learning opportunities, including activities relating to safety, welfare and enterprise. They will value and respect the wonderful diversity of the school and wider society.
Impact: Pupils will be prepared for the future because they will be confident, creative, independent learners with the values, knowledge and cultural capital to succeed in life.
The Water Mill Promise
At Water Mill Primary School we aim to provide a wide range of valuable life experiences that will help to better prepare children (from Selly Oak, Harborne and beyond) for the future. The ‘Water Mill Promise’ is a range of different trips, visits, experiences and activities that all children will have the chance to take part in as they make their learning journey through our school. Click on the link below to see our ‘promise’.
Be Outstanding!
We want all of our children to 'be outstanding'. We believe that through following our values and British values and by developing our 'owl standing' learning skills pupils will become expert learners and model citizens.
Each of these values and skills are taught, discussed and encouraged in school weekly. At the end of the year our Enterprise Week is their opportunity to show how well they can use them.
We call these our 'Owl-standing' skills and values in honour of Grace our adopted barn owl.
Click on the link below to see our 'Owl-standing' Skills poster which is on display in each class.