- Mission Statement

Mission Statement

School Mission Statement

We aim to provide a supportive community within a happy environment, where pupils are motivated and challenged to achieve their full potential, so as to make a positive contribution to the school and the wider community.

School Vision Statement - Our vision at Ysgol y Bedol is to provide a school where all pupils, staff, parents, governors and community work together to offer a welcoming, caring, stimulating and safe environment in order to encourage effective learning and install a sense of pride in oneself, the school and the community. Each person within the school community is valued and respected and our successes will be celebrated together. The children, their education and welfare are central to all decision making at Ysgol y Bedol. Our vision is to provide a rich, varied, balanced and well-resourced curriculum in order to stimulate the natural curiosity of every child regardless of ability, race or gender.Our vision is that the lives of all who leave Ysgol Y Bedol will have been enhanced by their experiences at the school and that each pupil will have been equipped by the ability to become life-long learners.

School Context - Ysgol y Bedol is a new community primary school. It was built to serve the catchments of Garnant and Glanamman. It is a flag ship school within the county having been established not only as a school but as a centre for the entire community. There are many fantastic facilities including a sports hall, fitness gym, library, ICT room, with a community police office and a multipurpose area within the building. All are available for use by the school and the community.The first pupils entered the school in June 2005 and it was officially opened in December of that year. It is a traditional Welsh community which means that Welsh is the main medium of teaching. The school is an economically disadvantaged area and 27.5% of pupils receive free school meals, which is higher than the average for the local authority and the whole of Wales. The school caters for pupils from 3-11 years old. There are 345(full time equivalent) pupils on the register and they are organized into 15 classes of the same age group and of mixed ages. There are 9 part time pupils who attend the nursery class every morning and 14 in the afternoon. Joining them are 19 full time pupils. There are 68 pupils on the Additional Needs Register including 8 with statements. Eleven pupils come from outside the ‘catchment area’. This is traditionally a Welsh area but its linguistic nature has changed substantially over the years. Now, only 35% ( 22% new intake) of pupils come from homes where Welsh is the main language. In addition, many pupils enter the school at various ages including years 5 & 6 without any prior knowledge of Welsh. The vast majority of pupils are white and a small percentage is of ethnic origin.Baseline Assessment (September 2011) indicates low levels of skills on entry to school.

School Aims
At Ysgol y Bedol we aim to provide a happy, stimulating and secure environment where we:

Develop the whole child by providing a happy secure environment in which our pupils can learn important life skills.

Engage our pupils as lifelong learners.

Help our pupils to become more confident, articulate and able to communicate and empathize with others.

Encourage our pupils to be literate, numerate and technologically able to function effectively at school and the wider world.

Instil in our pupils a strong sense of their cultural identity whilst being aware of and respectful towards their communities locally and worldwide.

Continue to cultivate a climate of success for all pupils, celebrating all their achievements in all aspects of their life.

Curriculum Aims

Through the curriculum at Ysgol y Bedol we aim to:

Develop self-confidence and independence

Encourage enquiry, explanation and experimentation

Build self esteem

Encourage fluency

Provide worthwhile activities, appropriate to age and stage of development of the child.

By providing a curriculum which:

Is active and practical

Is enjoyable

Is collaborative and social

Supports all areas of learning and experience

Supports effective transition from school to school

Is planned, progressive and matched to each child’s needs

Is monitored, assessed and evaluated

Effectively develops the basic skills of literacy and numeracy

Builds upon, accepts and values previous experiences

Values contributions parents make to education by involving them in partnership and by communicating the purpose and aims of the school.

We run family “language & play” classes – helping parents to help their children.

These aims are explained to parents in two key documents:
1. The School Prospectus
2.School Website (new site being developed)

To achieve these aims,

Children should be:

•Talking and listening to teachers, other adults and each other;

•Showing and sharing their work to children, teacher, parents;

•Asking questions and finding answers;

•Selecting and collecting the materials they need, using them responsibly and effectively;

•Absorbed and concentrating;

•Working on one task or activity for increasing lengths of time;

•Taking pride in their own and others’ achievements;

•Developing, practising and mastering skills;

•Playing, reading, writing, calculating, drawing and painting;

•Singing, moving, planning, composing, making and evaluating things;

•Watching, demonstrating, experimenting, explaining and describing their work;

•Helping each other;

•Understanding the work they do;

•Making mistakes, trying things out;

•Working in groups of varying sizes, gender balance, ability range, for a range of activities;

•Taking things home and bringing things home.

Teachers should be:

•Planning, organising, offering experiences and activities for children;

•Providing a broad, balanced, active and practical curriculum which motivates children;

•Providing a stimulating environment, activities and resources;

•Organising their work, children’s tasks, the classroom environment and equipment;

•Planning tasks and activities that meet the needs of individuals and groups;

•Balancing teaching with supporting, encouraging independence and experimentation;

•Watching children, monitoring, assessing and recording their learning;

•Encouraging children to experiment, take responsibility and make mistakes in a supportive environment;

•Recognising the achievements of children (individuals and groups), parents and other adults;

•Giving positive feedback and setting new targets;

•Through awareness of children’s attainment, setting new targets and challenges that ensure progress for each child;

•Consolidating skills and knowledge by relevant and varied practice;

•Setting standards and rules and helping children to understand them;

•Evaluating the curriculum and their teaching;

•Talking with children, teachers, other school staff and parents;

•Listening to children, teachers, other school staff and parents;

•Organising the work of other adults working in the classroom;

•Providing models of behaviour and adult activities;

•Working as part of a team, providing skills, information and support and benefiting from the contributions of others;

•Reading and keeping up-to-date;

•Considering their own professional development, and recording it appropriately;

•Experimenting, trying new ideas;

•Proactive rather than reactive

Parents should be:•Ensuring that their child attends school regularly, on time and properly equipped; •Ensuring that the school is aware of any concerns or problems that might affect children’s work or behaviour; •Supporting the school’s policies and guidelines; •Supporting children in homework and other opportunities for home learning; •Attending Parent’s Evenings and discussions about children’s progress; •Getting to know about their child’s life at school.