Welcome to West Row Academy!

A very warm welcome to you and your family from all of Team West Row.

Our website has been designed to give you an understanding of our school. We hope you find the information useful.

Our school is located in the village of West Row just outside Mildenhall. The school has a special standing within the village’s history which is promoted through our curriculum, vision, values, and ethos.

Our school caters for children between the ages of 4 and 11 years old and has much to offer for all who attend. Our grounds are beautiful. As well as a large playground and exceptional playing field, we have thoughtfully designed learning environments to engage children in their learning.

We are an inclusive, family-friendly school and welcome everyone, doing all we can to support and empower families, actively encouraging them to be involved in all aspects of school life. We emphasise the importance of attending school regularly and on time, and we are here to support families, irrespective of any SEND barriers. Building strong relationships with our children is of great importance to us, so they feel valued and want to be here.

Reading is a tool for life and we want our children to enjoy reading and leave as accomplished readers. Our goal is to ensure that every child leaves West Row a confident and fluent reader, so they are prepared for the next stages of their learning. Early intervention for pupils with reading difficulties is critical; if children at our school fall behind in reading, for any reason, our graduated response will support the team to pinpoint specific needs and ensure children can keep up and catch up. Our strong reading culture is a key part of our whole school vision and values and these strong foundations of reading will enable our children to grow endlessly.

Team West Row work hard to support every child to develop a love of learning no matter their starting point. We engage and motivate children to learn through a variety of approaches and opportunities. We also value the importance of ‘free play’ to ensure children have the time and space to consolidate their learning and social skills.

A range of after-school activities provide opportunities to try new things and follow interests. We want them to develop a love of learning, to feel passionate about discovering new things, and to have ownership of the outcomes of their learning. We have high ambitions for all of our pupils and aim to provide an inspirational, challenging, and supportive environment where children can excel, no matter what their age, need, or background.

We implement the PiXL Primary Edge to support this. This is a programme of attributes and skills to develop key life skills we all need in order to be successful at home, primary school, and secondary school. We call this programme LORIC (Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative, Communication).

Our pastoral support team is first-rate and works in tandem with class teachers and support staff who take time to get to know our children inside and out.

We are proud to have become a member of Unity Schools Partnership. Since 1st September 2023, we have been working with this family of schools to ensure a close network of support and challenge.

We know it can be helpful to hear what other people say. In our recent survey, October 2024, 96% of parents reported that their child is happy at school. Here are some of the comments that our families have recently shared with us:

• The school has a positive learning vibe.
• Our child seems very happy at school and her progress is great. Very happy parent.
• My friend is moving to West Row. I have recommended West Row Academy. We are so happy with our children’s learning and progress.
• She seems to really enjoy her time at school, thank you!
• The staff had been wonderful with getting information out and engaging with us.
• I am happy with both of my children’s progress and have no worries.
• Good to see the school improving.
• Lots of positive changes, more organised, good communication.
• The staff work exceptionally hard to make sure the needs of our children are met, not just academically but emotionally. We are so glad they attend a school where there is a strong awareness of the need to help children feel safe and ready to learn and also of the way in which they see the child in the context of the whole family. Thank you Team West Row.

I hope that this website will give you an insight into what life is like for children at West Row Academy and if you would like to visit us or just find out more, please contact the school office to arrange a visit. We would all look forward to meeting you.

Kind regards,

Mrs E Close

Headteacher