For information about our approach to and the content of our curriculum we follow in each academic year for every subject, please view our Curriculum page.
Please be aware that parents and carers have the right to withdraw their child from all or part of RE, please contact us to discuss this.
Phonics
Phonics is taught from Reception using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised which is a systematic and synthetic phonics programme, validated by the DfE. The progression of Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised ensures children build on their growing knowledge of the alphabetic code, in order to master phonics to read and spell. Application of phonics is encouraged in a range of contexts and across the curriculum.
PROUD: perseverance, respect, opportunity, unity and diversity are embedded throughout each school day.
The Stour Academy Trust recognises that our education system needs to quickly and more radically shift to close equity gaps and to better prepare our young people for the 21st century. We are transforming our schools from passive forms of learning focused on direct instruction and memorisation, by moving towards interactive methods that promote the critical and individual thinking needed in today’s innovation-driven economy.
Our pedagogical model combined with the intentional deployment of technology will help us deliver personalised learning in an enabling environment. Technology will accelerate our progress but will not be the driver of our vision.
We aim to nurture a community of learners that challenge thinking, where our staff are empowered to take risks and develop their practice to meet the needs of an evolving school system, which is not held back by traditional restrictions and ideologies.
By limiting routine or unnecessary tasks we allow professionals to focus on learning behaviours and interactions which will promote emotional intelligence and the development of children as life-long, curious learners.
There will be no barriers to achievement within our learning community and our teachers will build strong relationships that facilitate the learning of others. Collaboration will open doors, minds and possibilities and enable individuals to meet their personal goals.
Financial Information
Deed of Variation of Funding Agreement
Parent Forum
The Stour Academy Trust recognises the value of parent forums as a means of having a sustained dialogue with a committed and informed group of parents on a range of issues that impact on their day to day life with the school which affect them and their children.
To view our Governance structure and membership information, please visit our governance page at:
thestouracademytrust.org.uk/governance-and-financial-information
Every parent/carer with a child enrolled at the school has the opportunity to become a member of the parent forum.
As a member of the parent forum, parents have an important role in working closely with the school by being asked their opinion by the Leadership on issues relating to day to day matters.
Parent Forum Meetings are held once a term.
Find out more about our Parent Forum below:
PE and Sport Premium Funding
During the 2025-2026 academic year, Finberry Primary School received £19,050 in PE and Sport Premium funding. No funding remained unspent at the end of the academic year.
How the Funding Was Spent
Area of expenditure | Amount |
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for staff | £450.00 |
CPD to upskill staff to deliver swimming lessons | £0.00 |
Extra-curricular sport and physical activity opportunities | £12,629.43 |
Equipment and resources | £5,775.57 |
Membership and subscription fees | £0.00 |
School Games Organiser (SGO) network activities | £0.00 |
External school sports competitions | £195.00 |
External coaching staff | £0.00 |
Total | £19,050.00 |
The school also targeted spending to improve opportunities for:
- Pupils with SEND
- Girls’ participation in PE and extra-curricular sport
- Disadvantaged pupils
The school did not target funding specifically towards pupils with long-term medical conditions during this academic year.
Impact of the Funding
The PE and Sport Premium funding has been used to enhance participation in physical activity and sport through the provision of extra-curricular opportunities, investment in equipment and resources, staff professional development and participation in competitive sport.
The funding has enabled the school to:
- Increase opportunities for pupils to participate in physical activity beyond the curriculum.
- Enhance the quality and availability of PE equipment and resources.
- Support staff development to improve PE provision.
- Increase access to sporting opportunities for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and girls.
- Provide opportunities for pupils to take part in competitive sporting events.
Sustainability and Next Steps
To ensure the improvements achieved through PE and Sport Premium funding are sustained, the school will continue to:
- Invest in staff training and professional development.
- Maintain and replace PE equipment where required.
- Continue to provide a range of extra-curricular sporting opportunities.
- Support inclusive participation for all pupils, including SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
- Continue engagement with competitive sports opportunities and wider physical activity initiatives.
Swimming and Water Safety
The percentage of Year 6 pupils who met the national curriculum requirements in swimming and water safety in 2025-2026 was:
Requirement | Percentage |
Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres | 80% |
Use a range of strokes effectively, including front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke | 75% |
Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations | 75% |
The school did not spend any PE and Sport Premium funding on additional swimming provision or broader aquatic opportunities during the 2025-2026 academic year. The reported impact of this spending on swimming attainment was no impact.
Our school is committed to equality. Out aim is to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and has equality of opportunity. We also work to develop good relations between people from different groups.
We recognise that in wider society, people are not always treated fairly, for example because of their: age; disability; gender; ethnicity, colour or national origin; religion or belief. Out aim is to make sure that our school is a safe and secure place for everyone. We do not tolerate unfair treatment or bullying of any kind.
We recognise that people have different needs and we understand that treating people equally does not always involve treating them all the same. When people face particular difficulties they need extra support to help them achieve success and we try to do this for people in our school community.
We also try to make sure that people from different groups are consulted and involved in our decisions, for example through talking to pupils and parents/carers, and through our School Council.
Britain as a country is very committed to making society a fair place and the Government asks all schools to help with this. We are asked to set equality objectives and to make sure we review our progress every year and let people know how we are getting on.
View our Equal Opportunities Policy below:
View our Accessibility Policy below:
Pupil Premium Strategy 2025–2026
Finberry Primary School
What is this about?
This plan explains how the school will use £116,655 of Pupil Premium funding to help disadvantaged pupils succeed. It sets out our goals, challenges, and actions for this year.
Key Facts
- Number of pupils: 412
- Pupil Premium pupils: 20.8% (86 pupils)
- Published: September 2025
- Review: September 2026
Our Goals
- Close learning gaps: Improve attainment in phonics, maths, and writing.
- Boost early skills: Support language development and early reading.
- Improve attendance: Reduce persistent absence and increase engagement.
- Support wellbeing: Provide nurture and pastoral care for SEMH needs.
- Broaden horizons: Offer enrichment activities, trips, and outdoor learning.
Main Challenges
- Low attendance – 20% of PP pupils are persistent absentees.
- EYFS GLD gap – only 45.5% of PP pupils achieved GLD vs 78.7% of peers.
- Phonics gap – 66.7% of PP pupils passed Year 1 screening.
- KS2 attainment – 38% PP pupils met expected standard in maths; 63% in writing (0% at Greater Depth).
- Social, emotional, and mental health needs requiring targeted support.
What we will do
- High-quality teaching: CPD for staff, Little Wandle phonics programme, early reading leader, and collaborative learning strategies.
- Targeted support: Speech and language interventions, phonics catch-up, First Class @ Number, Dynamo Maths, and SEND pathways.
- Wellbeing focus: Nurture provision, Boxall profiling, sensory circuits, and outdoor learning through Woodland Way.
- Attendance strategy: Family engagement, pastoral support, and personalised plans.
- Enrichment: Subsidised trips, cultural experiences, and extracurricular activities.
How will we know it works?
- Attendance improves to 94%+ and persistent absence reduces by 20%.
- Year 1 phonics pass rate for PP pupils increases by 10%.
- KS2 maths attainment gap reduces by 10%; progress accelerates in writing and reading.
- Increased participation in enrichment and improved wellbeing indicators.
Want full details?
Read the complete Pupil Premium Strategy Statement 2025–2026 for all actions, evidence, and success measures.
Finberry Primary School is open from 7.30am – 6.00pm Monday to Friday.
Compulsory times for children are 8.45am – 3.15pm which equates to 6 hours 30 minutes a day, or 32.5 hours per week.
Breakfast club runs from 7.30am – 8.30am
After School Club is split into two sessions. The Twilight session is from 3.15pm until 4.30pm and the Late session is from 4.15pm until 6.00pm.
For more information about free and paid for After School clubs including Breakfast and After School Club please visit our useful information page.
Please see below our most recent Key Stage 2 performance measures for the 2024/25 academic year, as published by the Secretary of State:
Measure | Value |
KS2 Pupils meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% |
KS2 Pupils achieving at a higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% |
KS2 Average Scaled Score in Reading | 108 |
KS2 Average Scaled Score in Maths | 106 |
Please also find a link to the compare school and college performance service and our data from the DfE.
Policies
We are required by the DfE to publish the below policies on our website.
If you would like to view our other statutory and non-statutory policies (e.g. Attendance, First-Aid, Assessment, etc.), please visit www.thestouracademytrust.org.uk/policies or contact the school office who will be able to provide you with a copy.
If you would like to view our curriculum related policies, you will find them in the appropriate subject section of our curriculum page.
Allergy Policy | Use of Spare Adrenaline Auto-Injectors Policy
Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Policy
Charging and Remissions Policy
Complaints Policy | Complaints Process Summary
Early Birds Nursery Charging Policy
Early Birds Nursery Positive Interactions & Relationships Policy
Equal Opportunities Policy | Equality Statement | Equality (One Page Policy)
Intimate Care and Toileting Policy
PSHE Policy (including Health, Relationships and Sex Education)
Online Safety and Social Networking Policy
Privacy Notice – Parents|Pupils
Remote education provision information for parents
SEND Policy | SEN Policy (One Page Policy)