About Us

Pembury School dates back to the mid 1800s (and possibly earlier), and is situated in the village of Pembury, near Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Our school comprises a variety of buildings dating from different periods in the history of the school, including Victorian and 21st Century constructions.

We are lucky to enjoy extensive grounds, including playing fields, woodland, Forest School and extensive playing areas. We have two halls for assemblies, physical education, dance and, of course, the serving of lunch and extra-curricular clubs. We have an excellent and up to date library and music room.

In conjunction with pupils and staff, we have developed an innovative and creative knowledge-based curriculum that follows the expectations as set out in the National Curriculum (2014). These can be viewed in more detail in the Year Group sections of the website.

Ethos & Values

At Pembury School, we are committed to the principle that every child has the right to fulfil their potential in an inclusive environment where all are equally valued. It is important to us that every child feels safe, learns, achieves and enjoys making progress and spending time with their peers.

We value the rich and diverse backgrounds from which our families come and encourage children and families to share their experiences. Our school staff have extensive skills, knowledge and experience and always seek to use these to challenge and inspire children in their learning. This is reflected in our motto: Inspiring Learning Every Day.

We actively encourage children and staff to develop a positive Growth Mindset towards their learning and social interactions at school. Our policies, in particular the Behaviour Policy and Teaching & Learning Policy, reflect this approach.

At Pembury we aim to support every child to develop intellectually, creatively, socially, emotionally, morally and physically by:

• Providing a safe, happy and stimulating environment in which quality learning can take place.
• Expecting the highest standards of achievement, appropriate to each child’s abilities and behaviour through positive praise and encouragement.
• Promoting an active partnership between pupils, all staff, parents, governors and the wider community
• Teaching a broad, balanced and challenging curriculum which extends the children’s interests
• Providing opportunities for imaginative and creative expression.
• Promoting active participation in sport to encourage team spirit, good sportsmanship, exercise and healthy living
• Providing opportunities for appreciation of the world around us.
• Offering extra-curricular activities to broaden and deepen children’s learning experiences.

School Organisation

As a primary school, children attending the school are between the ages of 4 and 11 years. We have seven year groups, comprising the three ‘key stages’ of:

• Reception – Foundation Stage
• Years 1 & 2 – Key Stage 1
• Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 – Key Stage 2

The School Day

We seek to provide inspiring learning every day and we ask all children to arrive promptly, fully equipped and appropriately dressed in school uniform. Children may enter their classroom from 8.40am and 8.50am, they complete early morning tasks. Arrival is via the Main school gate or Cemetery Lane gate, SLT are here each morning. Children walk in and the register is taken at 8.55am and when the school day then starts. School ends at 3.25pm, you pick children up from their classroom door. This is a great time to catch up with the class teacher.

Our Partnership with Parents

The partnership between school and home is important in ensuring the very best education for children. Regular home learning tasks are set in order to enable parents to support their children’s learning at home. These are carefully planned to support the learning that is taking place at school. Parents also play a crucial role in supporting their children learning to read.

Parents are invited into school for regular formal consultations and reviews of progress, productions and special performances. Parents are also welcome to view the work of their children at any reasonable time by arrangement with the teacher. Newsletters for parents are published regularly.

Parents are welcomed into school as helpers for reading, craft sessions or on school trips. We recognize that parents have a wealth of skills and talents to offer, and several work with children in more specialised ways. We welcome all volunteers to work in school.

Consultation evenings take place three times a year and you will be notified of these dates. Each year we set targets for pupils’ achievement in collaboration with parents. Consultation meetings provide the opportunity to review progress towards the targets set.

While there will be day-to-day ad hoc communication between parents and teachers, the school’s official communications will come in the form of a printed letter, and via School Comms.

School Comms allows the school to electronically send out communications to parents’ email addresses. This system is both environmentally friendlier than sending out paper copies, and also a more immediate way to communicate. We urge all families to give the school details of their email addresses, so they can be included on the School Comms system.