LOCATED just to the side of the River Usk in Newport is a school that prides itself on its approach to learning.

Glan Usk Primary School, located just off of Bank Street, has come a long way since relocating from Duffryn Road.

In 2008, it amalgamated with Durham Road Junior and Infants schools, and later on with Rockfield Nursery.

Their new building is enough to leave you in shock as you walk through the doors to large, open corridors containing around 22 classrooms.

The school has 694 pupils at the moment, with its maximum number of pupils being 696.

Head teacher Jeffery Beecher says he thinks the school’s attention to the children is what makes it so special.

He said: “We put an immense amount of work and support into ensuring that children’s wellbeing is catered for, when they start and throughout the school.

“Wellbeing is really important on our agenda. It runs through all that we do.”

Emersion days happen throughout the school, where teaching staff discuss ideas and themes with children and ask them what they would like to learn.

As well as letting the children lead, there is a lot of support to both them and their parents, with pupil and parent support workers.

These ensure that parents engage fully with their children and allow them to know exactly what they are learning.

Mr Beecher believes that although this is a cost to the school, it is a very important one.

“It really does help and support the children and families that really need it.

“It’s also pretty common sense really, but not all schools do that,” he added.

Around 26 extra-curriculum activities take place within Glan Usk a week, either at lunchtime or after school.

These activities range from sports such as netball, to coordination clubs, sewing and digital learning, which Mr Beecher says helps to give the school such high standards.

“Because the school does all these things, it helps us create such high standards and helps us maintain them,” he said.

In the corridors, there are various spaces hidden away from classrooms in the quieter areas. These are just some of the intervention spaces in the school.

Children that are struggling with learning or are in need of some time out, are taken here to settle and regroup.

There are certain sessions that take place in these spaces, including sensory and team-building exercise lessons.

“In each intervention group, the children’s skills are enhanced,” Mr Beecher said.

“These sessions are fantastic for helping them with their listening, speaking and hearing skills”.

With the school holding children from the age of three until the age of 11, the size of the school allows the ages to be separated.

The classrooms differ throughout the school according to the year groups and age groups.

In the nursery rooms, Mr Beecher explains that the walls are left bare at the beginning of term, and is gradually covered with the children’s work as time goes on.

“A lot of colour is a bit too much for the nursery kids,” he said.

“The colours are built up over time so they get used to it and it isn’t distracting them from their learning.”

Since moving to the new building when the schools combined, a huge focus on ICT has been a key aspect for Glan Usk.

From the age of four upwards, children are taught with interactive devices such as iPads and laptops.

Digital wizards are a big thing within the school’s curriculum and are names given to children who support each other with learning activities on the computer.

“We also have teachers who are digital wizards, they help other teachers. It’s what they’re good at so we ensure that those skills are passed to other teachers around the school.

“As part of the family community engagement, one of the things we have done with the community is we open up our doors to them and the teachers and children will support grandparents and parents in the development of their ICT skills.”

Elizabeth Dobbs is a year two teacher who believes the digital wizards are very important to the school.

“The children in year two especially really lead the learning in the foundation phase,” she said.

“They go down to the younger children in year one and reception and they lead the learning as well. So it’s that thing of children teaching children. It’s impressive how well they’ve taken to it.”

The school is a 'Google Apps for education' school, which means the children regular use apps in class.

“In year two they get their own group Googlemail accounts, they do that independently as well, they can access it independently,” Miss Dobbs said.

“Sometimes I’m completely overwhelmed by what they can do, and some of them can do it better than what I can.”

“Staff all plan via Googlemail and year five and six will email me their work so I can look at it and edit it as well,” adds Mr Beecher.

Sport is another large part of the activities, with the school having regular tournaments in different sports.

Dodgeball is the latest tournament, and is a full day event, with Mr Beecher admitting although he is a “stickler” for uniform, he allows the kids to wear their house colours on sport days.

“We have some really keen staff that are good at sport and passionate about it. We’ve done netball and rugby and now football,” said Mr Beecher.

The school has recently taken part in many outside activities, and is one of 10,000 schools taking part in Tim Peake’s Rocket Science challenge, which aims to see how seeds which have been up in space, will survive and grow on earth.

But with everything the school achieves, does, and takes part in, Mr Beecher says the main thing is the children, their learning and their wellbeing.

He said: “Everything we do goes back to our mission statement really, which is excite, challenge, empower. We want to empower our children.”