Welcome To Our School

Welcome to Sandiway Primary School!

When I first considered applying for the job to lead Sandiway in the autumn of 2022, I remember looking at the website, reading all the information on it, and simply asking myself if this was the school for me?

If you are reading this, then you probably have the exact same question in your mind for you and your child.

If I am honest, I am not sure that words on a screen can ever convey the real spirit of a school. It is hard to capture how nice it is to hear all the laughter at playtime, or how lovely it is to see all “the lightbulbs” turn on as our brilliant children grasp a new idea in their lessons.

So, all I can say is that I am incredibly happy that I put my application in and became the school’s headteacher at the start of 2023. This is a genuinely delightful school, with even more delightful children and an incredible school community.

Sitting here writing this, I am struggling to convey in a few sentences why I feel that way. I love the fact that we have a really strong vision of ‘Growing and Achieving Together’. Every day I smile when I see our children bring to life our values of Respect, Ownership, Care and Kindness which are, quite literally, the ROCKs on which our community is built. I take huge pride in the fact that our children not only get to experience really engaging lessons, but we also try and do so much more than simply teach. We want to inspire children to thrive through memorable and aspirational experiences that encourage and guide every child to be the best version of themselves.

To do that, however, it is a real team effort. Parents and carers are the most important people in a child’s life, and we need to work closely with you to help achieve all that I know we can for each and every pupil. We are so fortunate that our families are so supportive – and do things like ensuring their children attend regularly, help out on trips and uphold our values.

That being said, as a mother of two myself, I am also aware of how difficult trying to balance everything can be at times. We have a job to do, but we always want to be helpful and caring for every member of our community.

If you have got this far, then please do get in touch and arrange to come in, have a cup of tea and see Sandiway Primary School for yourself. It is an amazing school, and one that you can only get a true impression of by meeting our brilliant children and seeing what they achieve for yourself.

I very much look forward to getting to know you and your family.

Debbie Bertram

(Headteacher)