Welcome to our school

Information about our school

Click here for how we meet Additional Learning Needs.

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St Matthias and Dr Bell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a 420 place primary school with a 26 place Nursery class (full-time equivalent) The school was formed in September 2000 following the amalgamation of two former Church of England schools in Fishponds, Bristol. We have very close links with the two parishes of St Mary's, Fishponds and All Saint's, Fishponds. Clergy and members of both congregations play an active part in the life of the school and all children attend acts of collective worship at the churches at the end of each term

The extensive facilities within the school allow for flexibility in teaching methods and approaches as appropriate to the needs of individuals, small groups or whole classes. There are 15 classrooms in the school and a number of other teaching areas. Each classroom is spacious and well equipped. There is an ICT suite and computer/internet access in all classrooms. Each classroom is equipped with TV and video. All classes also have access to interactive technology and laptops. The school has two halls, one large and one smaller. There is also a well resourced library.

Disabled access in the Foundation and Key Stage 1 classes is good and includes a disabled toilet and shower. The Key Stage 2 buildings are not fully accessible to wheelchair users but we are seeking to improve access and will endeavour to overcome any physical barriers as best as we can.

Our aim at St Matthias and Dr Bells Primary school is to create a positive, stimulating and happy learning environment. We aim to be inclusive and are committed to providing all children with the same opportunities, regardless of gender, race creed or culture. We value all learning and believe that all children can succeed. We will aim to value and celebrate your child's heritage and to teach children about how we can build and live in a caring community.

As a school community we have established a number of core values. We understand that these values need to be lived as well as taught by everyone in our school. They feature in all our classrooms and in acts of collective worship. These values are:

Care Truthfulness

Celebration Fulfilling our potential

Forgiveness Trust

Honesty Justice

Respect Patience

Each child in our school is on a journey of learning and each child will also have their own preferred ways of learning. We will want to teach your child many different things but more importantly we want to teach your child how to learn so that he or she can be a successful learner right the way through life.

At our school children are good at everything - just to varying degrees. We want to celebrate success wherever we find it. Reading, writing and maths are vital but we will celebrate success in other areas of the curriculum as well - art, music, drama, sport, citizenship and more.

Learning is a partnership. From birth until the age of 16 children spend approximately 75% of their waking hours with parents/carers and 25% of their waking hours in school. This means that we need to work together if your child is going to succeed in learning. Throughout your child's education we will keep you up to date and informed of progress and development but it is important to remember that you are welcome to see us particularly if you have concerns or worries.

Good communication between home and school is vital.

We will also seek to help you to support your child's learning at home. We will provide regular homework and ask you to support your child in doing this. We will also endeavour to support you by providing opportunities to attend Family Learning Activities and clubs to support your child.

One of the leaflets in this prospectus is our Home/School Agreement and we ask that you read this carefully, talk about it at home with other carers and your child. We would then ask that you and your child sign this agreement and return it to school. We will happily provide you with a signed copy of your agreement.

In the rest of the prospectus you will find information about our admissions procedures, the curriculum, teaching methods, extra curricular activities, SATs results etc. Please read through everything and if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us:

The school address is:

St Matthias and Dr Bell's CE VA Primary School

Fishponds Road

Fishponds

Bristol

BS16 3UH

Telephone: 0117 9030491

Fax: 0117 9030493

E-mail: st_matthias_p@bristol-city.gov.uk