The Fairways Schools were built in 1952 and 1953 and Fairways Primary School was formed in September 1985, when the Infant and Junior schools merged. There are currently 432 pupils on roll and the school has a two-form entry, with most classes containing 30 children. The Speech and Language Resource Base is an integral part of the school, the resource base children are included in all aspects of school life, with some fully included in mainstream classes.
Set in extensive attractive grounds, the school buildings are spacious and very well maintained. There are two assembly halls, group work areas, individual classrooms, a superbly resourced library and an ICT suite. The school is decorated to a high standard.
There are large playgrounds and a wide range of seasonal sports facilities including athletics track, hockey pitch, rounders squares and football pitches. We also have a maypole dance area and an adventure playground. A pond in the grounds is used to support the teaching of several curriculum areas. The site boasts many mature trees and shrubs, which offer a home to grey squirrels, badgers, foxes and a variety of birds .
Staffing comprises the Headteacher plus 20 class teachers. In addition the school employs a full-time Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, part-time support teachers and teaching assistants. The school employs a large, enthusiastic team of mid-day assistants who work closely with teaching staff to ensure a well-managed lunch break. There are four members of the admin support team and their efficient and well-organised manner ensures that all aspects of school administration run smoothly. The full-time IT Technician and part-time Resources Technician work closely with all other staff. The Site Managers are hard working and thorough, and takes great pride in maintaining the school property to the highest standard.
Fairways is a very happy, caring school with a dedicated staff who are working together to improve and maintain the quality of education at the school. The school had an OfSTED inspection in January 2008 to be told that Fairways is a good school with many outstanding features.
The Healthy Schools Award and Artsmark were achieved in 2003, the NAACE Award for ICT in 2005 and the national IT Mark in January 2006. More recently we received the NACE Challenge Award for the provision we make for Gifted and Talented pupils, the Activemark for exceptional delivery of the National School Sport Strategy and was re-awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark in May 2008.
Assessment of individual children and classes is kept centrally. The attainment and progress of every child is tracked and the information used for informed planning. Children and parents are kept informed of rates of progress and next steps.
As a school we recognise the importance of Information Communication Technology for our pupils, as this will play a key role in their lives. We have a suite 16 PC’s, as well as a wide range of software to support the children’s learning. Every classroom at Fairways has an interactive whiteboard in addition to a range of IT equipment, which is used across the curriculum areas. All teachers have a laptop computer. All computers are networked with broadband access across the school.
Children are expected to behave well and the school’s behaviour policy is vigorously enforced. The policy identifies the three rights of all members of the school community, which are:
- the right to be safe
- the right to have respect
- the right to learn
It is the responsibility of all members of the school community to allow others their rights.
These are based on the school’s core values of Respect, Responsibility and Perseverance.
The school enjoys a high reputation in the promotion of a very positive Personal Social and Health Education programme. The Educational Welfare Officer, School Nurse and Community Police Officer are closely involved in its delivery. The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The school has a well established School Council.
There are a number of extra curricular activities including art, cookery, sign language, football, netball, tennis and dance. The school’s athletics team participates in the local Borough Sports, and the football and netball teams compete in local tournaments.
The governors and staff strongly support an involvement in the community and the school has close links with Fairways Playgroup and St Aidan’s Church (situated next to the school). Leigh Rockets Football Club uses Fairways’ pitches as its home ground and a local Tai-Chi group and Zumba Dance Club meet regularly in our hall. The school has good links with Rascals Nursery and After-school Club, which is based at the school and Friends of Fairways has a long tradition of fund raising and social events for all members of the school community.
The school provides excellent professional support for all staff, including newly qualified teachers. Fairways Primary is a member of the Southend Teacher Training Partnership and Southend Education Trust. The systems to support Performance Management are well embedded in our school and we ensure PPA time for all teachers.
Every classroom is equipped to a high level with a wide range of resources. The central resource area is well organised and contains good quantities of specialist equipment.
As a Community school we have a number to admit of 60 children per year. We are usually able to admit all the children who wish to attend from our catchment area and some who make application from outside. At present most of the year groups are almost full, with class sizes averaging 30 pupils.
The Governors and staff at Fairways believe that the school should provide a stimulating and challenging environment where a lifelong passion for learning is nurtured.