About the School
You can read a letter from our Chair of Governors here.
You can also read a copy of our latest Ofsted Report
Take a tour of our school here
Our vision “Nurturing Inquiring Minds” embodies our school values. Children are at the heart of every decision we make to ensure the education we provide meets their needs and is relevant both now and for the future. We aim for our children to be lifelong learners and to develop a love of learning that will grow with them. From the outset, we teach our children that learning is a process facilitated by mistakes and encourage them to identify for themselves what they need to change next time. We promote an open mind set which encourages collaboration and builds confidence, determination and resilience. Our broad and balanced curriculum stimulates children’s natural curiosity, providing opportunities for questioning and independent thinking. It ensures that basic skills are well taught and embedded, so that our children are ready for transition to Key Stage Two.
Inclusion is central to our ethos and we value and celebrate diversity. We recognise that children may require support to address their individual needs and this is facilitated by a non- class based Inclusion Manager who ensures that time, resources and facilities are used effectively to maximise opportunities for these pupils. We have a particular focus on wellbeing and have developed a “whole school” resilience toolkit.
The provision of a proposed new school hall is a key priority for us to enhance our curriculum and inclusion offering and supplement our wrap around care for the benefit of our wider school community.
We value extra-curricular activities and encourage all children to join a club during their time at school. These include eco and gardening, various sports, language and choir clubs. We provide very popular breakfast and after school clubs which are also open to siblings from our linked junior school Amherst Academy.
The school has an active PTA which runs a number of fundraising events throughout the year. Recent major contributions have enabled the school to purchase 30 iPads and replenish the book corners for each classroom.
We enjoy close links with our local community and make every effort to participate actively. Ministers from local churches regularly lead Acts of Worship and theatre groups provide exciting productions and assemblies.
Riverhead maintains a positive relationship with Amherst Academy and shares sibling admissions procedures. The vast majority of our pupils transfer to Amherst and for this we provide highly effective transition procedures. Each year, we jointly participate in a number of events which enable our children to build links with Amherst early in their school life.
Our school was founded in 1871 by Lord and Lady Amherst who lived locally and we look forward to celebrating our 150 year anniversary with a new Headteacher.
