Harewood is a very special place to be. We have a collective passion for learning which permeates all we do.
Children are at the heart of every decision and their ideas and voices form a large part of developments in school.
We believe children should love school. They should be given the chance to discover who they are. To challenge themselves and see their successes celebrated by their peers.
Welcome!
Harewood Church of England Primary School is a vibrant, flourishing village school. We strive to combine a loving, caring community, in which all our children feel nurtured and secure, with a stimulating educational environment, through which they can make the best possible progress. All that we do is underpinned by our Christian ethos, in which each and every individual is valued and the education of the whole child – spiritual, moral, mental, physical, social and emotional – is our goal. Through this approach we seek to enable all our children to develop an understanding of themselves, in the context of our modern World, and to blossom and progress so that they can fulfil their potential. It is an affirmation of our approach that both OFSTED and the Diocese have rated the school highly in their most recent inspections.
Our school, which was built in the mid eighteenth century to provide education for local children, is situated in the elegant John Carr architect-designed model village of Harewood in the county of Yorkshire. The village, overlooking the beautiful Wharfe valley, boasts historical and royal connections. The school has recently expanded into the old school teacher’s house and the improvements in our facilities are already benefitting the children. The project has increased the size of our classrooms and added additional group rooms, toilets and cloakrooms. We have relocated our library, kitchens and office space into improved facilities. It will also enable us to refurbish our ICT suite to improve its capacity. Outside there are three playground areas, together with an Adventure Playground on the secure and secluded playing field, a shelter/outdoor learning area, a dedicated outdoor area for our Reception Class and two school gardens.
We recognise the importance of a child’s early and ongoing home experiences in their learning and progress. For this reason, from the earliest opportunity, we seek to develop a partnership with parents and encourage their active involvement in their children’s education. In turn our parents work hard to support the school in many ways and our very active Parent Teacher association raises funds and organises events, greatly benefiting many aspects of school life.
We are proud of the high expectations and standards throughout the school, and we consistently achieve excellent results in the National Assessments at the end of each Key Stage. We do place great importance in providing a broad and stimulating curriculum, to encourage a love of learning and enable all our children to achieve success. We also seek to further enrich the curriculum with visiting speakers, school visits, themed learning weeks, productions, school clubs, Italian, sports and peripatetic music lessons, including, singing, piano, woodwind, guitar and violin.
The school is very much part of the local community and we have a reputation within the village and surrounding area as being a friendly, welcoming place. We have strong links with the Harewood Estate and often use the study centre facilities and grounds. We also play an active role in The Wharfe Valley Learning Partnership (our learning trust) and EPOS (our Cluster), working alongside other schools in the area to provide activities that enhance the learning experiences of our children. In addition we endeavour to teach children they are part of the wider community in our region, nationally and internationally.
I trust that this website will answer any questions you have about the school. If, however, there is any further information you require please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yours sincerely,
Alistair Ratcliffe
Headteacher