About Our School
Shaftoe Trust Academy exists to provide the children of Haydon Bridge and the surrounding villages with an education based on quality with equality, creativity with rigour and entitlement with diversity. Our stimulating and orderly learning environment provides a safe place where children can enjoy their learning and grow into confident individuals and responsible citizens.
At the heart of all we do is developing a love of reading in our children. We passionately believe that this underpins learning in all other areas. It is vitally important that children learn to read and write well whilst they are at primary school and gain a good grasp of number and calculations, so the teaching of English and Mathematics are at the centre of our work. We also believe that children should leave us in Year 6 knowing what they are good at and what they enjoy – so that they can develop this understanding of their strengths and talents we give them many different high-quality opportunities including learning instruments, dancing, playing sports, investigating in science, researching in history and geography, learning a foreign language and creating and making in art and design technology. We want them to gain an understanding of the world they live in, so celebrate the diversity of families that come to our school and live within our community and teach and encourage mutual respect. We are in a fantastic geographical location to access the rich cultural and historical heritage that exists in Northumberland and we utilise this within our teaching whenever possible.
Shaftoe Trust Academy is a school for children aged 3 - 11 years old. Our school draws the majority of its children and families from Haydon Bridge and the surrounding villages, with some travelling from even further afield. A number of our children are transported to and from school via taxi.
Ensuring that children do their very best in core skills such as reading, writing and maths is at the heart of our work. We have a systematic approaches that ensures children are suitably challenged to make sustained progress. We carefully track this and are able to intervene or extend learning as appropriate to each child. Children are valued and cared for by an exceptional team of teachers and support staff. We recognise and encourage individual talents and interests and ensure that children are safe, happy and enjoy learning.
Our curriculum is localised, stimulating, ambitious and exciting. Children enjoy learning through projects that involve visits to local places of interest, or work with visitors from outside school that bring learning to life.