All About Woodheys

Please see the media section for "all about Woodheys" welcome video.

On behalf of the Governors, staff and pupils, may I introduce you to the school through our website. This should give you a flavour of school life and outlines our expectations for our children and what you should expect from us.

Woodheys Primary School is a very special school with an outstanding reputation which is founded on our mission statement:

"We all approach each task with the words of our school motto in mind, ´Together Everyone Achieves More´. Their effect is reflected in the dedication of the staff and the achievements of the children and support of parents."

Our staff are exceptionally caring and experienced and work hard to ensure that each child reaches his/her full potential. Children thrive on the positive atmosphere at the school and take advantage of many opportunities made available to them. We offer activities to fill the needs of all abilities and interests.

We believe that happy children work to fulfill their potential and we place high emphasis on achieving this through close links between home and school and fostering a caring and secure environment in which children can prosper.

Our aim is to work in partnership with all parents and we will always be pleased to meet with you to discuss your child´s education further.

This school welcomes each child to be part of a community in which all concerned endeavour to provide a happy, safe and stimulating environment.

Woodheys is internationally recognised for our Environmental activities. Since gaining Eco Schools top ´Green Flag´ status in 2001 (with re-accreditations in both 2004 and 2010), we have been involved with global projects such as the Manchester DEP´s  ´Sustainable Cities´ project. Over the years we have also worked with WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature), the Carbon Trust, the DCSF and the National College for School Leadership.  We have installed solar panels with Government Grants and have numerous ongoing Energy Efficiency/Environmental Projects.  These have included the construction of two ´Outdoor Classrooms´ for curriculum work (including science activities) and for the general enjoyment of our children, and a ´J.P.Joule Positive Energy Labyrinth´ Garden opened in 2008.

Our focus for development is to enable our ´children in today´s world´ to have confident enough voices to be able to express their opinions and personal feelings about the important Global Issues which affect children all over the planet. Open debate, Circle Time and Philosophy for children (´P4C´), all feature in our planning.  By providing  the latest technological links and relevant training, our pupils can discuss a variety of topical issues with their peers within Europe and Africa.

In 2005, out of 400 schools in the UK, we won first prize of £8,000 in the ´David Bellamy Award for Environmental Cleanliness´. This prize enabled us to establish a pond and wild area for further experimental work.  Our sustainability work was given a further boost when we won the £15,000 first prize in the Schools section of the Ashden Awards for Renewable Energy in 2007.

One of our main areas for improvement (AFI) is ´Global Links´ and we already have a strong connection with two schools in Durban, South Africa, through the ´Afritwin Project´. In 2008, we were delighted to win International School status and we would now very much like to work with schools in Europe in addition to our African links. Our ethnicity percentage is now 35.7% and our whole ethos as a school is to educate children to be pro-active Global Citizens of the future.

Laura Daniels - Headteacher
´Working together to meet change´