IT may be a small Victorianbuilt school, but Stockbridge Primary’s facilities are modern and it is able to prepare children well for life in the new digital age.
Stockbridge prides itself on old fashioned values and it has plenty of up-to-date technology to help pupils with their education.
Governors and staff at Stockbridge are dedicated to ensuring that every child is well cared for and they achieve their best while at the school which is off Old London Road at the end of Stockbridge High Street.
Headteacher Emma Jefferies (pictured above), who has been in the post for four years now, said: “Our motto ‘shaping learners for life’ is held very dear to our hearts – weare preparing children for a world we ourselves aren’t really sure of and here at Stockbridge, we strive to develop a child who is ready to face the future; both academically and socially.
"I have a great team of teachers and support staff who all want the very best for our children here.
"We take our school motto of ‘creating learners for life’ very seriously and work hard to create the widest range of opportunities for our children.
"Our community is growing and in September we’ll have over 100 pupils for the first time in a long time which represents closer relationships and strong transition between the on-site pre-school and ourselves as well as a recognition of providing sustained high-quality learning.
"Our diverse and rich natural environment – Stockbridge common, the River Test, Danebury Ring to mention just a few – has been the foundation of our new curriculum so that children know their local environment well.
"However, they will live in a multicultural society where they have to compete globally for jobs and meet a wide range of people, so this element is strong in our curriculum too.
"From Year 3 onwards, children go on residentials each year and always come back full of stories and new experiences.
"This motivates us all and pushes us on to continue being creative and innovative in what we offer.
"To ensure, by the time children leave us, that they really have the attitudes and experiences to be learners for life.”
Stockbridge is one of only a handful of primary schools in Hampshire that has a children’s centre and preschool on the site.
Ofsted chiefs rated the school “good” right across the board when it was last inspected in September 2013.
Officials reported the school had particular strengths in the early years and the quality of teaching The school which celebrated its centenary in 2010 has four classrooms – Horsebridge, Mottisfont, Clatford and Sprat and Winkle.
All but the latter are named after railway stations that were along the old Andover to Redbridge line which closed in the mid-1960s.
The line’s nickname was the Sprat and Winkle. Hidden behind the main building is large grounds, a small station built in 2000 to commemorate the Millennium and Stockbridge Station which was demolished in 1971.
Other outdoor features of the school include a wildlife garden with a pond and a general play area for children to have fun and exercise.
There is also a garden area and polytunnel aimed at nurturing budding horticulturalists amongst the pupils.
Besides Stockbridge, the school which currently has 91 pupils on its books, also serves the nearby villages of Longstock, Leckford and Houghton but also draws pupils from farther afield.
An old tradition was restored at the school three years ago - the ringing of the bell at the beginning and end of each school day.
Until 2012 the school bell had not been rung for 54 years.
It came about after the headteacher noticed the school had a bell tower and the old bell was still in place and she initiated the idea of ringing it again.
Traditional school meals are cooked on the site and pupils have their own specially designed kitchen where they can prepare and cook produce grown in the school garden.
Information technology has a big role to play in school life with 24 laptops and 20 iPads available to pupils.
Stockbridge Primary also offers a wide range of musical opportunities. They include lessons in keyboard, brass, piano, cello and guitar to name but a few.
Children are taught by visiting tutors who know the children well and teach them in very small groups. Typically there are less than or individually with one to one sessions.
There are many opportunities for children to show and share what they have learnt.
School officials say it is important to allow children to develop and nurture their existing interests.
Two girls in Year 5 are currently running a choir. It was an idea they thought up after being inspired by the school’s part in Young Voices where Year 5 and 6 children sang at the O2 arena in London.
It proved to be both a memorable and inspirational experience for them and led to the idea to run their own singing group
Could Stockbridge Primary produce the next top TV chef or cookery experts.
All pupils at the school have the chance to cook in the school’s specially designed kitchen.
The kitchen has a huge central island at child height to make it easier for the youngsters to cook up a storm.
According to headteacher Emma Jefferies, a well known chef proved a valuable inspiration.
She said: “We took part with a cookoff live with Jamie Oliver and have created all kinds of fabulous dishes using produce from the polytunnel and grounds.
“Rhubarb crumble was the latest creation but children have cooked with all types of fish, meat and vegetables as well as our flowering fruits from the school garden.
“Gooseberries and raspberry canes planted last year are inspiring creative cooking this year.”
The school is particularly keen on rewarding pupils who do their best to succeed.
Mrs Jefferies said: “We wanted to explicitly show children what effort looked and felt like and focus on rewarding this, not just the outcomes in their learning.
“When a child puts in a huge amount of effort, you can tell in their work and it’s hugely important that we recognise this as it will help shape learners for life.
“The effort mountain breaks effort down into five stages and children use it throughout their learning to be a guide for how much effort they are putting into something and what they might need to do next to move ‘up’ the mountain.
“This has been a great visual way of explaining the concept. Our values of collaboration, respect, resourcefulness and resilience are interwoven so that children use these words."
The school’s garden club is thriving and pupils used a large polytunnel to grow veggies and the structure is ideal for pupils to work inside throughout the year.
All years groups take part in gardening.
Mrs Jefferies said: “Our Gardening club run it as a business and pupils sell their plants onto the local country market in Stockbridge or through a local greengrocers whilst the younger children use it to explore living and growing.
"Children are responsible for all the planting around the school and last year won an award with Test Valley in Bloom and were visited by the Blue Peter gardener, Chris Collins .”
An important feature of the school is the encouragement of older pupils to support and buddy the younger children.
Caring for one another, looking out for someone other than themselves is an important life skill says the school whose peer mentors are trained playground buddies.
Mentors encourage children of all ages to be more active and more healthy at playtimes and lunchtimes. They lead games, introduce and teach new skills such as skipping or hula hooping and ensure everyone has someone to play with.
“Our buddy bench is always empty as they do such a good job of catching children before they need to use it.”
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