Happiness is fundamental at Roseheyworth Millennium Primary School, Abertillery. JOHN PHILLIPS takes a closer look at 'the school where the sun always shines'

ROSEHEYWORTH Millennium Primary School has one of the most welcoming and relaxed environments pupils and parents could wish for.

The head teacher, Alexine Bartholomew, known to all as ‘Mrs B’, knows all of her 188 pupils by name.

She tells me that she loves her school unveiled in Rose Heyworth Road, Abertillery, in 2000 and her children are “a joy”.

Mrs Bartholomew stresses this was highlighted by Estyn following an inspection in 2013 which found they were “well behaved and courteous, and have a good attitude to learning”.

Unsurprisingly, the school’s motto chosen by the schoolchildren reflects this welcoming, all inclusive approach.

Roseheyworth is “the school where the sun always shines”, and accordingly, its logo features a bright sun.

Mrs Bartholomew is truly like a mum, she listens to her children, hugs them, and even has lunch with some of her pupils once a week.

Equally, the head teacher welcomes parents into school for literacy and cookery sessions with their children on a weekly basis.

There is also an annual open day held in May, essentially “a day in the life of the school”, which allows parents to come for an hour or even the whole day, sit in and participate in lessons.

Mrs Bartholomew tells me this approach helps to break down barriers and ultimately helps the children.

The head teacher believes this is a key to academic success.

“Happy teachers, happy parents, happy children” is her approach to education at Roseheyworth.

Her five-year tenure has seen pupil numbers surge from 124 to 188 this year and she believes her welcoming approach has brought extra children into the school.

She tells me Roseheyworth hosted a best practice event in 2013, which enabled staff to retrace their journey at the school and share what has made it what it is today.

The foundation stage area of the school is like an elaborately decorated home, full of drawings, illustrations, objects and seating areas that make you feel comfortable.

Its nursery area also has a ‘dark room’ where young children can relax watching soothing colourful lights somewhat reminiscent of Christmas lights.

Pupils and even staff enjoy taking a break there.

Nursery teacher Meg Bateman said: “We are extremely fortunate. You go around other schools and they’ve got a tiny area for the nursery where there is hardly any room to toss a coin. Here they can expand and explore.”

Another special place in the school is the library that pupils helped to design and now run themselves.

The children chose the furniture, the colour scheme for the walls and use a computer to issue books to avid readers.

The can also write book reviews on the computer.

The head teacher tells me the computerised library records also serve a purpose, giving the school some information on book reading trends, the number of titles borrowed by children, their reading habits and interests.

The school setting gradually changes as you get to classes for older children.

The pupils are studious, independent, and use computers for their coursework, ready to make the jump to secondary school.

The teaching at Roseheyworth is structured with core subjects like numeracy and literacy and IT taught in the morning and applied subjects including PE and games in the afternoon.

The school also has a number of after-school clubs and gives year four and five pupils the opportunity to learn to play the clarinet with Gwent Music, and in some cases join an orchestra run by the music service.

Roseheyworth also organises cultural visits to Big Pit and to Cardiff where pupils stay in a Welsh youth hostel allowing them to speak in Welsh.

But Roseheyworth is not just about emotional and intellectual development.

The school also encourages physical education.

Roseheyworth was awarded the ActiveMark Cymru, which recognises PE in schools.

Pupils participate in major sports tournaments in Blaenau Gwent and the primary school has taught sports as varied as football, cricket and golf.

They also go to Gilwern Outdoor Centre in Abergavenny where they discover activities such as canoeing, wall climbing and learn to overcome adversity.

PE teacher Michael Jones, 36, said: “We’re making sure it is interactive and fun and that they are not under pressure to win.

“It is all about encouraging children and fun.”

Mrs Bartholomew, 49, said: “I love this school. My parents are superb, they are very supportive.

“The children are the most delightful pupils. They’ve always got a smile on their face.

“They are the nicest children you would ever hope to meet. They are a joy.

“We are the heart of the community. When parents feel they need to talk to us they can come to us.

“A lot of industries have gone. The jobs our children will be doing in the next 10 to 15 years may not exist yet. We need to give them an inspiration.

“We are in a financially difficult situation. It’s about keeping upbeat, keeping that aspiration and that motivation to be the best you can be.”

Factbox:

Head teacher: Alexine Bartholomew.

Chairman of governors: David Livingstone.

Number of pupils on the roll: 188.

School Motto: "The school where the sun always shines".

An Estyn inspection report published in 2013 highlighted that:

"Many Roseheyworth pupils make good progress in their speaking and listening skills, often from a low starting point; Pupils are well behaved and courteous, and have a good attitude to learning; The quality of teaching is consistently good and interesting and relevant learning activities meet the needs of most pupils; Staff provide a high level of care, support and guidance to all pupils; The school is an inclusive community where relationships are positive and pupils are valued."

In addition, the school’s prospects for improvement were said to be good because:

"The head teacher has a clear vision and provides purposeful leadership and strategic direction to the work of the school; school leaders now have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development; all members of staff are clear about their roles, in implementing improvement strategies; a wide range of partnerships have a beneficial impact on pupils’ achievement."