About The School

Brabourne CEP School is a small school with a strong community feel. Dating back to Victorian times, it has long been at the heart of the local rural community. With a half-form entry, three of the classes are taught in mixed year groups. Our reception class numbers fifteen in total and is a key selling point to potential parents who value this nurturing approach into school life. All pupils and staff know one another well – the youngest children look to the oldest for advice and support from their first days in school and the oldest pupils take their responsibilities seriously. Despite its small size, we aim high with great results – academic, sporting and within the community. We’re lucky to have a professional musician leading the music teaching with over half the pupils having instrumental lessons of some sort. We also take full advantage of a rural location with an increasing drive towards outdoor learning. 

All staff collaborate with the headteacher and governors to input into the direction of the school and parents and pupils are also consulted through regular surveys. The headteacher, teachers, TAs, support staff and governors meet yearly to review the strategy of the school and look forward to the following year. This approach has resulted in a mission statement that encompasses our ethos:

We educate, encourage and inspire our children to develop a love of learning for now and forever. We provide stimulating and challenging experiences; teaching them Christian values and meeting their individual needs in our small, nurturing environment.

Children have the chance to work at their own pace – discovering the subjects they love, finding things they can excel at to build their confidence and then riding that tide through the subjects they find trickier. Our core Christian values - Respect, Responsibility, Hope and Courage – are a key part of their education, illustrating challenges they may face and how to approach them. Pupils leave Brabourne confident and ready for the next stage of their educational journey. Because of our geographical position, they tend to scatter far and wide to secondary school. Generally over half go on to the grammar schools in Ashford, Canterbury and Folkestone with the remainder splitting between Brockhill Park, Wye and the Ashford secondary schools. The most critical thing is that even though they may be the only pupil from Brabourne joining a secondary school of over a thousand pupils, we ensure they take with them a belief in themselves. When they return to visit – as they often do – it’s a pleasure to see the progress they are making in their onward journey. In fact, there are several current parents who themselves went through the school and knew only too well where they wanted their own children to go. 

Parents value this approach to their children. They appreciate seeing a visible Headteacher greeting all the pupils as they arrive in the morning. They appreciate teachers who are available to discuss their child’s needs and they appreciate the fact that the school cares about more than just academic results. In return, parents play a strong role within the school. The PTA is very active, organising several events a term and raising enough funds to support much appreciated investment in the school. Parent volunteers also help with listening to readers, running clubs, supporting projects in the classroom and on school trips. 

As a church school, the local parish is also an integral part of the community and the diocese offers extensive support for Headteachers including further professional development, advocacy, pastoral care and well being (see also the letter from the Director of Education above). Regular church services are held at St.Mary’s and the local vicar is a familiar face within the school. 

The governing body is proactive, supportive and involved in school life. They allow the Headteacher the space to lead operationally but offer support and chllenge as required at a strategic level. The Headteacher also has a strong network of support from fellow heads in the CARE group – a collaboration of local rural schools – who meet regularly. This group offers support at every level from sharing best practice in the classroom to insights into education policy changes to joint applications for project funding. They also provide informal peer support which ensures participating heads do not need to feel isolated and can easily solicit impartial advice.