This page aims to provide the information  prospective parents or those that may be new to the school which would previously have been printed in a prospectus. If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the school office. 

Location

Cheriton Primary School is situated in the centre of the beautiful village of Cheriton. Winchester is within six miles, Alton and Petersfield are both about twelve miles away and Alresford is two miles away. The school’s catchment area is predominantly rural and includes the villages of Beauworth, Bramdean, Hinton Ampner, Kilmeston, Tichborne and Cheriton.

Our Site

The original Victorian building, dating from 1875, underwent major remodelling in 1986 when it was split into two levels to provide facilities for 80 children and staff. Further developments from 1999 resulted in the construction of two additional classrooms and a new multi-purpose hall which increased our capacity to 105 pupils. New office accommodation was built in 2005 enabling a ‘quiet room’ to be added to the teaching area (although this room is currently used for drumming lessons too!).

In the summer of 2012 our playground was extended and refurbished, more than doubling the play area for the children and improving our on-site sport provision.

P.E. lessons frequently take place on the sports fields of the village’s recreation ground which is a short walk from the school.

Visitors frequently comment that the school feels larger than they expected. We are a small school but we are accommodated in generously proportioned classrooms and a large hall. Above all, throughout its developments over the years, the school has maintained its character and charm; remaining a unique environment in which to learn.

Class Organisation

The school's pupil admission number (PAN) is 15. This is the maximum number of children that we can have in a year group.

Class 1 - Squirrel Class, is our Early Years  Foundation Stage  (EYFS) class, sometimes known as the Reception Class. It has a maximum of 15 children in it.  

Class 2- Robin Class, is our mixed class of Year 1 and Year 2 children.

Class 3- Fox Class, is our mixed class of Year 3 and Year 4 children.

Class 4- Owl Class, is our mixed class of Year 5 and Year 6 children.

Teaching and Learning in Mixed Year Group Classes

With a PAN of 15 pupils, it is necessary for us to organise the children into mixed year classes as explained above, with two year groups in each class. Whilst this is a necessity, there are many advantages for the children to be organised in this way:

• each child spends 2 years with each teacher. This means that the teacher gets to know each child incredibly well and there is a seamless continuation of the learning journey into the second year.
• The children become very familiar with the routines of the class and the expectations of the teacher allowing them to feel confident and relaxed in the learning environment.

Educational Activities and Off-Site Trips

Educational visits are activities arranged by or on behalf of the school, and take place outside the school grounds. The governors and teaching staff believe that off-site activities can supplement and enrich the curriculum of the school by providing experiences which would otherwise be impossible. All off-site activities must serve an educational purpose, enhancing and enriching our children’s learning experiences.

          The aims of our off-site visits are to:

• enhance curricular and recreational opportunities for our pupils;
• provide a wider range of experiences for our pupils than could be provided on the school site alone;
• promote the independence of our children as learners, and enable them to grow and develop in new learning environments.

These visits begin with excursions into the local area in the Early Years, and progress to a residential experience at the end of Key Stage 2.

Residential activities

Children in Year 5 and 6 have the opportunity to take part in two residential visits. These visits enables children to learn various skills, as well as take part in outdoor and adventure activities as part of their PE work. We undertake these visits only with the written agreement of the LA. We ensure that there are qualified instructors for all specialist activities that we undertake. We do make a charge for board and lodging, insurance and specialist instruction for certain activities.

The School Day

Before School

The playground is supervised to allow children to arrive from 08.40 every morning. If arriving by car, parents are encouraged to drop their children and leave between 08.40  and 08.50. This is to free up the limited number of parking spaces for those arriving later. We also ask that, in the interest of safety, no cars are brought across the small bridge near the school entrance during the drop off and pick up periods of the day.

The children begin to come into the building at 08.50 allowing them to sort out their coats, bags and lunch boxes in the cloakroom areas before entering their classrooms. Adults are in the classrooms from 08.50 to welcome the children who quickly settle to complete morning activities such as reviewing and responding to the teacher's written feedback in their books. Registers are taken at 08:55.

The register closes at 09.15 and any child arriving between 08:55 and 09.15 will be registered as being late. Any child arriving after 09.15 will be registered as absent for the session.

Collective Worship (Assembly)

There is a whole school assembly every day which, in accordance with the legal requirements, are broadly of a Christian character. Mondays and Fridays are whole school assemblies at 3pm. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are class collective worship which takes place at a time to suit each class.

The morning session  is split by a breaktime.

Lunch break  begins at 12.00 

Hot school dinners are cooked on site and are currently free for children in Year R, 1 and 2.

The afternoon session begins at 13.00.

The afternoon session is split by a breaktime.

The school day finishes at 15.30. All children leave school via the side gate onto the front playground from where they can be collected. Children in Years R, 1 and 2 are supervised by a member of staff and only allowed through the side gate when the adult responsible for them has been identified. Older children are prohibited from leaving the school site at the end of the day unaccompanied unless this has been agreed by prior arrangement with the class teacher.

The total number of hours provided in a typical week is 32.5 hours.

Testimonials

Here is a collection of some of the things that people say about our school.

Whist there might be some tick boxes that the inspectors were unable to tick, I would like to share my own, highly positive, thoughts about Cheriton Primary School.

The factor I most value about the school, is its culture of kindness. Being a small school with less than 100 pupils, there is an atmosphere amongst the children akin to a big family. Each class (bar Reception) has two year groups in, so children are always sharing a class with older or younger children. This results in beautiful friendships across the year groups. I love hearing my 10-year-old daughter recount the conversations she’s had at break times with the 4-year-old girls; and likewise hearing how my 6-year-old son was taught break dancing moves by his 9-year-old friend. 

But it isn’t just learning about kindness that my children benefit from. They are all curious children who enjoy learning, and they have ample opportunity for this curiosity to be nurtured and grown. I don’t think there are many Year 4 classrooms you can walk in to, and find 9 year olds engrossed in biblical sized tomes of Lord of the Rings.

On our journey home from school, I am regularly bombarded with snippets from the day’s learning. Last week it was facts about the River Nile’s irrigation system; scalene and isosceles triangles; how Howard Carter must have felt when Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered. And if it’s been a day at Forest School, I hear how the River Nile was reconstructed in the woods, along with homemade catapult defences.

If I was to wax lyrical about the school, I could mention too the spoiling array of extra-curricular activities. My children are learning the piano and drums to a high level; they are becoming extremely helpful at home sharing their recipes from cookery club; they play netball and tennis. And that’s not to mention the clubs they haven’t yet tried – such as judo, dance or choir.

 One of the most valuable aspects of the school is the team of staff. Andrew Goldsworthy is a very present headmaster, whom the children all feel very secure and relaxed with. He knows every child and takes an interest in each one. Likewise, the class teachers are always available for parents and pupils to talk to. If ever my children have had any problems, their class teachers have responded immediately to resolve it. Unsurprisingly, this allows my children to feel safe, knowing that they are listened to and cared for.

A message received from a parent following the publication of our OFSTED report.

 "So glad they recognised the kindness and nurturing. We are certainly indebted to that environment."

What the Pupils Say

"The teachers are really kind."

"We have lots of clubs after school that I enjoy going to" 

"I have to work very hard but I enjoy it"

"We go on exciting trips"

"We get asked for our ideas about how to make the school even better."