Magor Church in Wales Primary School staff tell JONATHON HILL how they have taken the school from a category red with Estyn two years ago, to now not only achieving yellow status, but also becoming the Regional Lead School for the new curriculum

THE school’s rapid rise over the last two years has been achieved by placing children’s wellbeing at the heart of what they do, as well as giving the children an element of autonomy in their learning.

The school, which consists of 300 pupils, has the motto “Nurture, Believe, Encourage, Achieve”, which staff say permeates through everything they do.

Head teacher Suzanne Hamer spoke about the importance of wellbeing as a basis for productive learning.

“The foundation has to be right before we can move on to productive learning,” she said. “Wellbeing in school has to be strong and is a huge element of what we do, with staff trained in youth mental health and emotional literacy.”

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Children get the chance to play their favourite instruments.

Assistant head teacher, Laura Welsh, explained why the school has decided to create a “nurture room”, with a focus on pupils’ welfare.

“We have been fortunate enough to have many items donated to us for the room, such as bean bags and a new carpet, and parents have given up their time to help decorate the room,” she said.

“We now have a comfortable room where children can feel safe and relaxed whilst developing social and emotional skills.

“It’s important that when it comes to wellbeing of the children that we are preventative rather than reactive. That might mean that if a child has fallen out with a friend, for example, they can come to the nurture room and talk things through with someone.”

It is no surprise that parents gave their time to make sure the children had a sufficient wellbeing facility, given the school’s standing and impact in the community.

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Children working hard at Magor CiW Primary.

The school has worked with the charity The Wallich recently, raising over £200 with workshops focussed on a variety of areas including how to support someone who is homeless.

Ms Welsh said: “It has given the pupils the practical skills and advice on what to do if someone is in a vulnerable situation.”

Children also have close ties to Magor Baptist Church, and take part in Magor Munchies sessions with older generations, where they play games and read to each other.

“To have an appreciation that regardless of generation, you recognise the importance of community and the benefit of living in a village like Magor, is why we do it,” said Ms Welsh

"It also gives the children the sense of belonging and a greater understanding of their community and their role within that."

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Children at the nurture room, which has been put together with the help of the community.

An understanding of their culture as well as their community is also key, with the school also taking a lead in teaching Welsh, not only to pupils – but staff too.

Ms Welsh explained: “We are now a lead school in delivering Welsh training to local teachers, and one of our teachers dedicated a lot of time to delivering those classes.

“It’s important not only because Welsh is a high priority on the new curriculum for 2022, but also for the children to understand their heritage.”

The new curriculum also focuses on gaining a balance between academia and other skills, with the key phrase being: “ethically informed citizens and capable learners.”

Some of that new curriculum will be carried out by giving the students an element of autonomy in their learning, which Magor CiW is already welcoming.

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Plenty of learning going on at Magor CiW Primary

“In a project led by Mrs Gordon, pupils from Year 6 have taken the lead in developing their own enterprise,” Ms Welsh said. “The competition helps to develop teamwork, literacy and numeracy skills, as well as developing ambition and creativity.

“As part of the competition, they have designed, costed and produced their own reusable plastic cups to sell, with the school motto written on the cups.”

Ms Hamer also explained how the school has set up its own Eco Council, which has won its fourth Platinum Green Flag. Work on plastic pollution by the Foundation Phase and KS2 children was recognised, including letters to Jessica Morden. Ms Morden took their concerns to the House of

Commons.

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The children took part in Zumba for Sport Relief

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The children also helped to raise money for Water Aid at Walk for Water last summer, and has supported a Magor-Undy walkway station, where the children wrote to John Griffiths AM.

“The Eco Council came to me the other day and asked if we can build some trees in the playground, and we asked them to come back with a detailed business plan,” said Ms Hamer.

“This is because we’ve just found it’s beneficial for them to think deeply about their decisions, and a good way of doing that is for them to be more engaged with their learning and problem solving.

“IT has helped them recognise issues better and take ownership.”

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LOCATION: Magor, Monmouthshire

NUMBER OF PUPILS: 300

HEADTEACHER: Suzanne Hamer (above, left, with assistant headteacher Laura Welsh, right.

MOTTO: Nurture, Believe, Encourage, Achieve