About our School

St Andrew's Church of England (Aided) Primary School is situated in the pretty village of Buckland Monachorum on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. The village itself is within the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, (AONB). The school enjoys exceptionally good facilities, having been opened in September 1976, and consists of a main school building, separate IT Suite, a large playing field and Environmental Area. There are also two playgrounds, an outdoor classroom, orchard and a heated swimming pool.

The original school building consited of two double classrooms with resource areas, connected by a central hall, administration and library block. Through the efforts of the Church and parent body, three more classrooms, additional cloakroom space, and a Drama & Music Studio have been added, and in January 1999, a new Reception Classroom and Early Years entrance were completed and opened. September 2001 saw the opening of the (new) IT Suite, for school and community use. In the ensuing years, further work has seen classrooms enlarged, a bigger staffroom and a new multi-sensory room.

The children work mainly in their own classrooms, but the resource areas are used freely as additions to those classrooms, as well as using the Hall, Drama & Music Studio as appropriate. A variety of activities take place in the resource areas, such as Art, Craft and Pottery, Scientific experiments, Design Technology and Computing.

We are fortunate in having a very willing and supportive staff and parents who are prepared to offer the children a range of extra curricular activities. Recent clubs have included Football, Netball, Tag Rugby, Drama, Computer and Conversational French, as well as a number of music-based clubs.

Our Shared Vision

"Our aim is to provide a living, Christian environment where the full potential of each child is realised through personal, social, academic and spiritual development"  

Our vision is that our school will provide its children and staff:-

J     Christian values and beliefs expressed through a loving, welcoming and safe environment.

J     A love of learning and a sense of achievement.

J     Broad experiences in order to prepare for life.

J     An inclusive school where each is encouraged to reach their full potential.

J     A pride in the school and to celebrate achievement.

J     An encouragement of independence, co-operation and self discipline.

J     The atmosphere for the whole school to work as a team.

J     The promotion of respect for oneself, others and the environment.

J     The nurture and growth of self-confidence and self-esteem.

J     A striving for excellence, by challenging individual thinking and behaviour.

St. Andrew’s is a Church of England Voluntary Aided School, rooted in its historic foundation and strengthened by its Christian character. The school relates to the Diocese of Exeter, which has a well-established Board of Education and whose good-will has proved especially beneficial in recent years. The Christian values of the school are central to its life and ethos, and are vital to the realisation of our vision. We aim to provide all children with an attractively true presentation of Jesus’ life and teaching. This is designed to encourage understanding of a relevant faith, to foster the development of character, and to promote good and caring relationships with others.

St. Andrew’s respects and values the unique worth of a child, and seeks to ensure that each one fulfils his or her true potential across the full spectrum of life. There is recognition of belonging to a community, with the need to learn to both give and receive. The school respects ethnic, cultural and religious diversity, and actively promotes good personal relations. Jesus’ teaching to love our neighbour as ourselves, regardless of background, is foundational.

We firmly believe that to achieve our aim it is essential that we maintain a partnership between parents, governors, school and community.

The School Council represents views from all children.

St. Andrew’s pupils believe that:

Ø     We all co-operate and care for each other,

Ø     We are good at communicating,

Ø     We have a wide range of activities,

Ø     Our teachers try to make learning fun,

Ø     We care for and share the school environment,

Ø     We are able to put forward our own ideas and opinions,

Ø     Adults in school treat everyone equally,

Ø     We try to keep fit and healthy.