Welcome To Our School!

Welcome to Captain’s Close Primary School. We are delighted to be able to share with you our vision and values to help you get a true flavour of our school. We are confident that you will find us a welcoming school – one where your child will flourish and realise their potential, whatever that potential might be.

Captain’s Close is a small primary school that is rated Good by Ofsted. Being a small school means we know all our children. It means we have a better idea of what motivates them and what success should look like for them.

We believe that small schools allow every child to reach their potential.

All our staff are passionate about making children happy, developing their confidence and inspiring them to be successful. This passion ensures that Captain’s Close is a vibrant and creative place to be.

We believe in linking classroom experiences to real-life concepts so our children can develop an understanding of the importance and relevance of education. Helping them to see the bigger picture about what they are doing in school means they are ready to thrive in a changing world.

Our pastoral team works hard to ensure that pupil wellbeing and support is a focus for all staff. As a team, we are committed to supporting all children, and we are extremely proud of the excellent support that we provide to those pupils with additional needs.

We have strong links with our community. We are proud of the community that the school is a part of, and we work hard to make that community proud of us. Our parents are fantastic and actively support the school, both informally and through the work our PTA – the Friends of Asfordby Captain’s Close (FOACC).

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us. We operate an ‘open door’ policy at Captain’s Close and recognise the importance of communicating with the parents and families of the children in our care. We welcome visitors to our school and if you wish to come and have a look around please feel free to make an appointment by contacting the school office at any time.

Mrs Andie Bailey

Headteacher

Mrs Andie Bailey – Headteacher

What is a Captains Close Education Like?

Captain’s Close is a one-form entry primary school (a maximum of 30 pupils) and therefore has one class per year group. We are proud of our vibrant classrooms, break-out spaces and extensive grounds.

At Captain’s Close we believe that all pupils have the ability to achieve wonderful things.. Our aim is to ensure that our children are happy and enjoy their time at school. This is achieved by providing an environment where children feel safe to explore the new challenges and learning opportunities they encounter.

We aim to help develop creative children who are inspired learners, are considerate citizens, are independent thinkers, have curious and enquiring minds and are caring friends.

You might have heard people in education talk about pedagogy – the theory and practice of teaching. We are very serious about pedagogy at Captain’s Close. Thinking hard about how we teach and how children learn allows us to provide a bespoke curriculum that works best for everyone in our school. This curriculum is based on the most authoritative and up-to-date research, and it allows children to develop the skills and knowledge that they will need to cement understanding through their school career.

Our teachers use news about our local community and what is happening in the wider world to plan topics that are relevant and stimulating for our children. We have a well-stocked library so that children can become immersed in books at any time of the day. We strongly support children to become avid readers, and we encourage them to share their love of books with their peers.

At Captain’s Close, we take pride in the vast number of opportunities that we offer children beyond the four walls of the classroom. Many topics are supported with visits to interesting places, such as the zoo, farm parks, museums, historic attractions and gardens. A memorable residential trip takes place in Key Stage Two to develop children’s resilience and independence.

Captain’s Close is also partnered with the Asha Charity, based in New Delhi, which supports children who live in extreme poverty to access education. Each year, our children raise funds for the charity and send letters and artwork to its children.

Our large indoor and outdoor areas ensure that specialist teachers provide sporting and music activities before, during and after school. Most of our children choose to attend extra-curricular clubs that are on offer throughout the year.

The Captain’s Crew Breakfast and After School Clubs offer wrap-around care for parents, and a holiday club provides care between terms.

How We Care For and Support Children

We care about every child in our school. Through our strong commitment to pastoral care we strive to ensure that we provide outstanding support for all of our pupils and families.

Our school is very proud of our friendly, open-door policy that allows parents and staff to openly discuss any issues and resolve them together. We strongly support our local community and stage or are involved in many community events that help to unite Asfordby.

Captain’s Close prides itself on supporting all children, regardless of their background or additional circumstances. We believe that a child’s potential should not be limited or pre-determined.

In each school day we encourage every child to develop confidence in themselves. To help support this, our Emotional Literacy Support Assistant works closely with children who may need support with friendships, bereavements or a personal issue.

For children with specific requirements, our school is highly inclusive and we will work with a range of professionals to ensure that all needs are met. In addition, our access to EPIC Educational Psychology and Speech and Language team ensures that, if necessary, children receive rapid support.

We are also proud of our Captain’s Nest Resource Hub which supports pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. This has enabled all our staff to benefit from bespoke training to support all children in our school.