The Abbey CE VA Primary School is a Voluntary Aided School, affiliated to the Church of England. We hope that all the children who come here will be happy and successful. Our concern at the Abbey School is to establish a happy and caring learning environment, to enable each child to develop to his or her full potential in many fields.

Aims of our School

We want our children to take their place in society in an informed, responsible and constructive way. A good partnership between home and school is vital to achieve this, as are strong links with our community.

To ensure each child achieves his or her full potential, we have these aims:

• To provide a broad, balanced currriculum presented in various formats which are both challenging and stimulating.
• To enable each child to acquire fundamental skills in literacy and numeracy and then to develop these skills to progressively higher standards.
• To help each child to develop a lively imaginative and enquiring mind and to think, observe, question and analyse effectively.
• To help each child to develop physically and culturally, through the provision of a wide range of activities and experiences.
• To enable each child to develop a spiritual awareness and moral values based on the Christian faith, allied to a respect for and understanding of other religions and cultures.
• To encourage a pride in school coupled with a caring attitude.
• To provide and foster equal opportunities and a respect for all people.
• To enable each child to acquire good working habits, self-discipline, confidence, common-sense and a sense of purpose, so that he or she is prepared for life in a rapidly changing world.

Ofsted Reports

In November 2000 the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) carried out a short inspection of the School following a good report in February 1996. Ofsted's inspection was highly complimentary to the school. The report praises in particular the "very high standards" in English, Mathematics, and Science; pays tribute to the pupils for their "excellent" attitudes to school , behaviour in and out of the classroom, and personal relationships. The key message is that "The Abbey Primary School is very effective and achieves high standards. Teaching is very good, and the school is very well led and managed. It makes very good provision for pupils' personal development in the context of its strong Christian ethos".

A full copy of the report can be obtained from the OFSTED website www.ofsted.gov.uk

History of our School

The Abbey Primary School is located in a 1960/70s building on land belonging to the original dissolved monastery of St Albans on the hill below the Cathedral, with which as its parish church it has strong links. The first school was built on a site in Spicer Street and opened in 1848. By the 1870s there were three schools on the site catering for Infants, Junior Boys, Junior Girls and Seniors. Increased numbers led to the splitting of the school and the establishment of the Townsend Schools for secondary age pupils.

Admission to the School

Children are admitted to the school during the school year of their fifth birthday, in either September or January. The Admissions Policy is administered by the Governing Body of the School, full details of which can be obtained from the school along with any other information:

The Abbey CE VA Primary School
Grove Road St Albans,
Herts AL1 1DQ

Telephone: 01727 851802
Fax No: 01727 766991
Email: head.abbey@thegrid.org.uk
Website: www.abbey.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher: Mrs E Grundy

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