PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Wirral primary schools are a vibrant community, appreciating the needs and rights of all children to a high quality education. They have an enviable reputation based on the distinction that there are a significant number of good and very good schools, a view which OFSTED endorsed in February 2001.

There are ninety-six primary, junior and infant schools, seven special schools providing a breadth of learning experiences and three nursery schools in a range of interesting and stimulating environments. Literacy, Numeracy, Science and ICT are given prime importance whilst schools seek to provide a wealth of experiences through the foundation subjects.

In Wirral we are proud of the wide range of early education providers. The Authority has a strong partnership with the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) in developing high quality early education for three and four year-olds. Of the three nursery schools, two are Early Excellence Centres that support the development of integrated provision for young children, their families and local community.

There are ten Beacon primary schools and Wirral is fortunate to have more Beacon Schools proportionately than other local authorities. The Beacon initiative is an important element in the Authority's strategy for developing and sharing good practice. Indeed newly qualified teachers also benefit from this by accessing the support offered by one of the Beacon Schools.

The quality of support provided by the LEA to Wirral schools is highly valued and recognised for its excellence by teachers and Headteachers. In particular the literacy and numeracy support has had a significant impact on improving the quality of teaching and pupils' progress. This was recognised by OFSTED as a particular strength of the LEA.

The LEA is also developing other areas of the curriculum through Arts and Sport initiatives, Creative Partnerships, an extensive peripatetic music service and a strong partnership with Excellence in Wirral including two Education Action Zones.

Standards of attainment are very good by the end of Key Stage 1 and pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 perform better than the national average and schools in Wirral's statistical neighbours.

The LEA is concerned with the professional development of all staff. Consequently there is a well-established and very effective continuing professional development programme. This begins with good quality support for newly qualified teachers and their mentors, which continues in to middle management, deputy and Headteacher support.

The training is both school based and at Wirral Education Centre, which is a superb facility for in-service training.

Wirral is committed to supporting and developing a highly skilled and motivated staff which will provide an excellent education for all children.