Welcome from the Head Teacher
Ready, Resilient, Respectful
On behalf of the students, staff and governors, I am very pleased to welcome you to James Bateman Middle School.
I am very proud to be Headteacher of our school, leading a team of dedicated staff and working closely with families to provide the best opportunities and experiences for all students to fulfil their potential. James Bateman Middle School is situated in Biddulph, a semi-rural location, serving students aged nine to thirteen years old. The school aims to provide a friendly, caring and secure environment, in which all the students are valued and achieve their full potential - living out our school vision of ‘Ready, Resilient, Respectful'.
Our school is at the heart of the community and places great emphasis on its relationships with pupils, parents and other members of the community.
We are caring and inclusive and welcome all students to our school community -striving to find the right balance of support and challenge to help students to make good progress and be the best that they can be. We put the students at the heart of everything that we do. We value character strengths and celebrate those; supporting students in embedding important life skills such as open-mindedness, teamwork, empathy, perseverance and creativity. We have a friendly feel and children in all classes enjoy opportunities to mix across the school and enjoy shared learning activities - such as paired reading or themed curriculum days. This strengthens our support for each other and our school community feel, which is often commented upon positively by visitors.
Our school operates a primary model in Y5 and Y6 with students being based pre-dominantly with one class teacher. With support from that class teacher and other subject specialists, students are able to make full use of the designated facilities we have. These include two IT suites, two Science labs, Food Technology and Design Technology rooms as well as a gym and astro turf. As pupils move to Year 7 and Year 8 they move into a secondary model moving around the school to subject specialists. The uniqueness of the middle school model provides a broad and rich experience for all our students. A love of reading underpins everything we do and our well- stocked library is a hive of activity as evidenced by our outstanding KS2 reading results.
Pupils feel happy and safe in this inclusive school. Relationships between staff and pupils are a real strength. Staff know their pupils well, and pupils know who to talk to if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils are respectful, kind and polite. As one pupil said:
'Pupils can be who they want to be.’
Ofsted, July 2023
We are proud that we have secured 'GOOD' judgements in all areas of our Ofsted Inspection (July 2023). This confirms that our students not only receive a high-quality academic education but also receive the personal development needed to go on to the next phase of their education and adult life. By providing a broad-based curriculum in stimulating and well-resourced surroundings, by developing positive attitudes to activities and learning, by fostering care and respect for others and by using effective teaching methods we can effectively support all students to reach their potential.
Our school website has lots of information about all aspects of school life and I hope you find it useful and informative. It can, of course, only give a flavour of our school - should you have any further questions or wish to come and visit please contact the school office and we will be very happy to help.
Tracy Price
Headteacher
