Crindau Primary School, Newport, is a school set on developing all aspects of pupils’ education. Hannah Wood finds out more.

SITUATED in the heart of Newport city centre, Crindau Primary is an urban school with a rural community feel. The pupils and staff are eager to broaden all aspects of indoor and outdoor learning.

Built in 1901, the school effectively combines the old Victorian aspects with the new and modern. Head teacher Marie Ward said: “I think that is something particularly noteworthy about the school. We have the very old structure, with a fully modernised interior.”

The 380 pupils at Crindau Primary are given a wide ranging education from a variety of learning initiatives, to creative workshops. The school is bursting with enthusiasm and inspiration and the eager to learn nature of the pupils is what helps this school excel.

The pupils were recently left feeling inspired following a visit from international basketball players the Harlem Globetrotters. Players Slick Willie Shaw and Firefly Fisher visited the school as part of their UK tour to deliver anti-bullying messages to primary pupils.

Head teacher Marie Ward said: “The visit from the Harlem Globetrotters was fantastic; they were brilliant and so full of life. The message that they promoted was also really important and as a school we are continuing to take this forward and integrate it into our curriculum.

During the interactive demonstration, Mr Shaw, reminded pupils that “bullying is not cool” and to think about their “ABCs”; Action, Bravery and Compassion. The presentation encouraged pupils to take action against bullying, show bravery in standing up to bullies and the importance of showing compassion towards other people.

Another creative workshop the pupils have been working on is African drum making for the popular musical The Lion King, which was shown in the Wales Millenium Centre last year. The project, which was organised by Communities First and sponsored by Budget Vets, allowed pupils to participate in two workshops, where they made the drums and then had the opportunity to play and perform with them.

Mrs Ward said: “The pupils thoroughly enjoyed making the drums, it was a great thing for them to do and they really got into it.

“We are very grateful for a local organisation like Budget Vets for funding this project.”

One of the main developments the school is working towards is the improvement of outdoor learning facilities. Mrs Ward said: “Crindau has a relatively small yard, but the school is working to enhance the outdoor environment. We are currently in the process of saving up to purchase a new boundary fence which will secure the yard.

“This will mean that we can have more outdoor learning activities and set up a better outdoor environment for the pupils. It will also mean that we don’t have to take the equipment inside after every session, will which be a lot more convenient,” she said.

Mrs Ward said the cost of the fence is around £80,000 and once the fence is built the school has plans to buy a range of outdoor equipment for the pupils.

The school is currently in the process of fundraising for the new facilities. Mrs Ward said: “The parents and children have raised a lot of money over the last year mainly through PTFA discos and summer and Christmas fares.

“We have also had support from Barclays bank, who will price match our fundraising amount and also from Lloyds Bank who have sent volunteers to us who have helped with painting fences and gardening,” she said.

Mrs Ward and members of staff at Crindau are focusing on working from the inside out with regards to school facilities. “The indoor learning is advanced and modern and as a school we are happy with the facilities inside the building, but we now want to focus on the outside and improving that and getting it to where we want it to be.

“The children really enjoy learning through play and we want to extend that to its fullest.” Mrs Ward said.

Staff at Crindau Primary School ensures all pupils have an enriching, well rounded learning experience. Pupils receive regular IT lessons and the use of ipads is becoming integrated into the curriculum. Pupils needing extra support are also given the opportunity, in smaller groups, to focus on what has gone on in lessons and help them to get back on track and boost their confidence. As well as this, the school has an active eco club and sports clubs and they are part of Forest School Education.

One particularly noteworthy extra-curricular club is the school choir which includes children from across all year groups. Choir teacher, Mrs Helen Sames said: “We are very proud of our choir and we have a very strong bond with our local community.

“We regularly go out into the community to perform at residential care homes and places like St David’s Hall and the pupils also really enjoy doing it. It really does promote a coming together for all pupils and staff and the whole area.”

Head teacher Mrs Ward also notes how well the school integrates with parents and the wider community. “We have an app called Schoop, which allows teachers to send an alert to parents’ mobile phones giving them information about things like training days or non-uniform days.

Mrs Ward explained that the app helps them to converse with parents more easily which strengthens the overall parent teacher relationship.

“We know that not every parent checks our website, but the majority of them have mobile phones, therefore it means we can contact the largest amount of people with one simple message.”

At the start of a new year and a new term, Crindau Primary School is now focusing on their future aims which are to improve the outdoor learning and continue with the good behaviour displayed by pupils in the school.

“When anyone visits the school they always comment on how well behaved the children are and how they always have correct uniform and this is something we hope to maintain as our future goal,” said Mrs Ward.

Fact file:

Crindau Primary School

Head teacher: Marie Ward

Pupils: 380

Age range: Three-11 year olds

Largest class: 30 – all years

School Motto: Hand in Hand we Inspire and Celebrate Success

Estyn Inspection: Crindau received a follow up inspection in September 2014, which followed on from their September 2013 Estyn Inspection. Within the follow up, the report noted that the school had met its four recommendations, which were to improve the performance of boys, improve pupils extended writing skills, improve phonic knowledge and skills, especially in key stage 2 and to ensure consistency in assessment for learning practices throughout school.