Welcome to Norwood Primary School
It is a genuine privilege to welcome you to Norwood Primary School and, for me personally, to begin my journey as Headteacher of this wonderful school.
At Norwood, we believe that children only get one chance at their primary education, and it is our responsibility to make that chance the very best it can possibly be. That means ensuring that every child feels safe, happy and known; that they experience an education rich in opportunities; that they are challenged and supported to achieve as highly as they possibly can; and that, when they eventually leave us, they are ready for the next stage of their education and for their place in modern Britain.
Central to achieving this are relationships.
Norwood is a large primary school, and we are proud of the opportunities that our size enables us to provide. Our children benefit from a wide range of experiences, clubs, sporting opportunities, outdoor learning, enrichment and opportunities to lead and contribute. They learn alongside a diverse group of friends and are supported by a large team of adults with different expertise, experiences and talents.
But we never want Norwood to feel like a large institution.
Children should be known. Families should be known. Relationships should matter.
This sense of community is one of Norwood's greatest strengths. It is something recognised by Ofsted, who found that leaders know pupils and their families well, that pupils are happy and safe at school and that parents value the way in which staff care for their children and "go the extra mile". These are qualities that I am determined we will protect and build upon.
From their first days in Reception until the moment they leave us at the end of Year 6, our children are part of one Norwood community. Over those seven years, we have the enormous privilege of watching them grow: seeing friendships develop, confidence flourish, talents emerge and children gradually become increasingly independent young people.
Our partnership with parents and carers is fundamental to that journey. The very best education happens when children, families and school work together. We want parents to know the adults who teach and care for their children, to feel comfortable talking to us and to know that we share the same ambition: to achieve the very best for their child.
Our school values of Aspire, Respect and Enjoy capture much of what we want childhood at Norwood to be.
We want our children to aspire. We make no apology for having high expectations. Excellent relationships and a happy school should go hand in hand with academic ambition. We want every child to develop secure foundations in reading, writing and mathematics and to acquire rich knowledge and understanding across the wider curriculum. Whatever a child's starting point, we want them to leave Norwood having achieved as highly as they possibly can and fully prepared for the academic demands of secondary school.
We want our children to respect themselves, each other and the world around them. Norwood should be a community in which everyone belongs. Through the relationships they build, the responsibilities they are given and the curriculum they experience, we want children to learn how to listen, contribute, disagree respectfully, show kindness, make good choices and understand people whose lives and experiences may be different from their own. Our ambition extends beyond successful pupils: we want to help develop confident, responsible and compassionate young people who are ready to contribute positively as effective British citizens.
And we want our children to enjoy their primary years.
Childhood is precious. Alongside excellent teaching and strong academic outcomes, children deserve opportunities to explore, perform, compete, create, lead, play and discover. Through sport, the arts, clubs, Forest School and outdoor learning, visits, pupil leadership and the many other experiences available at Norwood, we want every child to have opportunities to discover interests and talents that may stay with them for life.
For me, therefore, a successful Norwood child cannot be defined by a test result alone.
We want children to leave us safe, happy, confident and successful. We want them to have achieved well, developed strong friendships, discovered things they love and accumulated memories of primary school that they will carry with them long after they have left us. Most importantly, we want them to believe in themselves and in what they might achieve next.
I am enormously proud to become Headteacher of a school with so many established strengths, and I am equally ambitious about what Norwood can become. Working alongside our children, staff, parents, governors and wider community, my commitment is to build upon the very best of Norwood while continually asking ourselves one simple question:
Can we make this even better for our children?
A website can tell you a great deal about a school, but it can never fully capture its people, its relationships or how it feels to belong there.
I therefore warmly invite prospective families to come and visit us during the school day. Meet our children. Talk to our staff. See learning taking place. Experience the warmth and energy of our school for yourself.
I hope that when you do, you will discover what makes Norwood such a special community and why we are so proud to call ourselves Norwood.
Mark Garside
Headteacher
