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Thank you for considering Parkwood Primary School as a school for your child starting in September 2025. We feel this would be a brilliant choice and we are delighted to be able to share further information with you on this page.

Tours of the School

We welcome prospective parents to visit our school and immerse themselves in our environment ahead of applying for a place. We hope to give you a really helpful snapshot of life in our school.


Tours will last around an hour and a half and will include the following:

·   A welcome briefing by the Headteacher

·   A tour of Foundation Stage 

·   A tour of the remainder of the school to see the learning journey our children will be taken on throughout    their time at Parkwood.

Children are welcome to attend the tours should their parents wish to bring them. Parents with pushchairs are welcome. We'll do what we can to help you to navigate any stairways. 

To book onto one of the tours below, please call the school office on: 01634 234699 
or email us at: office@parkwoodprimary.org.uk


·        Wednesday 13th November at 9.15am

·        Wednesday 20th November at 9.15am

·        Tuesday 26th November at 9.15am


Why Parkwood Primary School?

Parkwood Primary is a two-form entry, inclusive primary school located in the heart of Parkwood, with the space to welcome sixty children into our foundation stage setting each year. Parkwood is currently a locally maintained school.

We ensure that every child is given the best possible beginning to their education to build a solid foundation on which we can build on throughout their time with us. 

As a school, we a have a good reputation for developing our own in-house staff and working with outside agencies to meet the needs of our children. Inclusion at Parkwood is about every child getting what they need in order to succeed. We invest heavily in our pastoral offer with our in-house play therapist being an essential service we provide to our children when needed.

We adopt a ‘This is how we do it here…’ approach to encourage positive behaviour in our children in order to prepare them to be respectful citizens, ready to contribute positively to their community. Our school rules are simple yet effective: safe, respectful and ready. We expect our children to demonstrate safe, respectful and ready behaviour in and around all parts or our school and through all they do so that everyone can enjoy their learning and their play.

Of course, our core business is academic progress. That said, it is essential that Parkwood play their part in preparing our young people to be respectful citizens who are able to make a positive contribution to society. We do this through teaching and embedding our five core values: responsible, kind, honest, resilience and ambition. 

Foundation Stage:

Each term, Foundation Stage shapes their learning around a theme that allows us to offer children a range of immersive learning experiences that teach the knowledge and skills that fall within the seven areas of learning set out by the Department for Education. 

·         Communication and language

·         Personal, social and emotional development

·         Physical development

·         Literacy

·         Mathematics

·         Understanding the world

·         Expressive arts and design

Phonics:

In Foundation Stage, each child takes part in daily phonics lessons to develop their letters and sound knowledge as well as to build on their early reading skills. The ability to read unlocks a world of opportunity. We invest heavily in preparing our children to be capable readers from the day the enter our setting. We also want to give them a love of books which will feed their imaginations.

We use RWI (Read, Write, Inc) at Parkwood therefore the children are taught in vertical groups across FS, Year 1 and Year 2 in small groups. This allows us to really tailor the learning to the children. Assessments are conducted each term so each child is placed within the correct group. 

Learning Environments:

Our learning environments are thought about carefully. At Parkwood, we see our environment as an additional adult that can facilitate learning. We do this through organising carefully selected open-ended resources for the children practise and rehearse their learning that stems from the direct teaching opportunities provided by the teacher.  We have designated  outdoor areas outside the classroom so that there are opportunities for learning both inside and outside. We have lovely school grounds and throughout the children’s time at the school, we encourage outdoor learning in the fresh air.

What do we aim for with our Parkwood Curriculum

To provide a broad and balanced curriculum that engages and enthuses both pupils and teachers

·     To ensure each pupil experiences a coherent learning journey through school, that skills and knowledge are clear and explicit for each year group, in each subject, and build upon previous learning

·    To provide a language-rich curriculum

·    To promote a culture of us all as life-long learners, with the skills to think independently, discussing thoughts and opinions with respect and consideration

·    To enable pupils to realise their full-potential, to create ambitious and resilient individuals

·    To support personal development, encouraging children to become responsible individuals and to take care of themselves mentally and physically, and look after the world around them

How do I complete a primary school application?

Like all schools in Medway, we have a single point of entry for reception and admit children in September. Visit the Medway Council website for further guidance and an online application form:

https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1059/applying_for_a_primary_school_place

Applications open: Monday 2nd September 2024 TBC

The deadline for the September 2025 intake is Monday 13th January 2025 TBC

How do I appeal for a place in Foundation Stage?

Follow the link below to find out how to appeal for a place at a Medway school:

https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1059/applying_for_a_primary_school_place/6