Our two successful schools federated in 2015 under one proactive, experienced governing body. We champion learning for approximately 500 children. The schools are members of the Samphire Learning Hub, an active learning community of 11 schools.

Lydden Primary School is small, with four mixed age classes. Five miles closer to Dover, River Primary School has two forms of entry and our small Specialist Resource Provision meets the needs of children with EHCP for Speech, Language and Communication needs.

Our federation, built with a strong focus on our shared values, aspires for all children develop as self-confident, lifelong learners who build and use their knowledge, skills and understanding positively. It is important to us that children grasp what it is to be a good person so that they are motivated to participate in and contribute to their community. We want our children to value themselves as part of something bigger, being equipped to make a constructive difference to society through their words and actions, now and in the future. 

Our curriculum design enables this and includes all planned activities that promote learning, personal growth and development. From the National Curriculum, it extends broadly across the ‘hidden curriculum’ - what children learn from our culture and ethos. Children voice ideas and explore interests through taking responsibilities, involvement in wider aspect of school life and making decisions about their learning. We capitalise on our locality but also take children beyond their ‘lived experience’ so that they gain breadth of knowledge and understand the purpose and relevance of their learning and how it may be useful to them. This understanding transforms the ‘doing’ or completion of tasks, often quickly forgotten, in to learning which connects thinking and ideas, to become deeper and useful to the child now and to build future learning.

We are a committed learning community where staff work together to achieve our aims. We support career progression and enable a personalised approach to CPD showing that we foster ideas, initiative, positivity and creativity.

The Lydden and River Primary Schools Federation is committed to safeguarding children. All posts are subject to an enhanced disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring Service and check against the ISA barred list for children.