Headteacher

In January 2006 Edgar Stammers Primary School was formed after the amalgamation of the previous Infant and Junior Schools which shared the site. The Headteacher of the Junior School was appointed as the Headteacher of the new Primary.
The Infant School building was the first school built in Walsall after the Second World War in 1949 and the Junior School building was erected in 1951.

The school is situated 3 miles from the centre of Walsall and a mile from the centre of Bloxwich. It is in the southern part of the Blakenall Ward of Walsall which is an area of high deprivation. Oxford University undertook a deprivation survey in 2000 and ranked the country by electoral wards. There were 8414 wards with 8414 being the least deprived and 1 being the most deprived. Blakenall ranked 93 in overall deprivation and 11 in terms of education. Despite this the school has been excluded over recent years from all extra funding for deprived areas such as Surestart, NOF, NRF etc. although this has now been addressed by the new ‘Deprivation Funding’ in the budget formula of which the school has received a high percentage in comparison with other Walsall schools.

Along with many other schools the separate Infant and Junior schools had suffered from a falling roll and gone from 3 form entry to 2 form entry. The nursery had also been reduced from 78 to 52. Since amalgamation however, the Primary School received 30 new children in the first few months and new requests for places are received regularly, mostly from local schools. There is a waiting list for nursery and playgroup places.

Children enter the school in nursery at age 3, with extremely poor social and speaking and listening skills. Many of them have behaviour and emotional problems as well. The opening of the playgroup (now situated in the Children’s Centre) has seen it become an essential stepping stone between home and nursery in teaching children basic skills and it is has made a tremendous difference in how children then settle to the routines of nursery which become the building blocks for future academic achievement. The school has well above the average numbers on the special needs register and those qualifying for free meals.

The school has a good relationship with parents and the local community and is held in high regard. There is a certain ‘fluidity’ with relationships which mean that a lot of the children are related- half brothers/sisters, cousins etc. The main reason families left the area in the past was because of tensions caused by these relationships. The previous high turnover in population made forward planning and budgeting very difficult but the school population over the last 2-3 years has become very stable. The school also has a close working relationship with Shelfield Sports and Community College which is the preferred secondary school of our families.

Prior to amalgamation the Infant and Junior Schools’ Ofsted reports reflected the hard work of the staff, the good progress of the pupils and the good management of the schools. The new Primary School received an Ofsted inspection after only 3 months into amalgamation. The Infant School also received a School Achievement Award from the DCSF and the Junior School is in the 2005 DCSF top 40 most improved schools in the country.

The school had applied to become a Children’s Centre with effect from the 1 April 2006, but due to tenders coming in at double expected costs, plans were re-drawn and building work finally commenced in July 2007 with the centre opening in January this year. We all view this as a means of ensuring the future of the school as well as providing much needed on-site support for our families. It has been the dawn of an exciting new era for Edgar Stammers Primary School and should confirm its status as the heart of the local community. 

 

“Better Learning For A Brighter Future”
 

Our aim as a school is to provide the best learning opportunities possible to enable our pupils to be best equipped to be successful in an uncertain and rapidly changing world. To this end we have embraced 21st century technologies to ensure our children leave Edgar Stammers with appropriate skills and attitudes to enable them to have successful futures.

 

Our aims are:

To provide quality pastoral care as the prime objective of all concerned working within the school environment.

To promote a deep respect for every individual and through a broad, balanced curriculum encourage each child to strive for excellence and to aim to achieve their full potential.

To promote in each child, self-discipline, self-confidence and self-esteem.