Welcome from the Headteacher

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Welcome to Larkmead School where students achieve success through a carefully fostered community. We are proud of the well ordered nature of our community where students are encouraged to take advantage of an exceptional range of opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom, and to contribute, actively to the running and decision making of the school.

 

Our vision statement talks of students "exceeding their expectations".  This refers to all aspects of their lives academically and beyond.  The most meaningful measure of the quality of teaching and learning at a school is the amount of progress it allows and encourages students to make.  Progress at Larkmead is exceptional.  At Key Stage 3 and 4 the school is in the top three schools in Oxfordshire for allowing and encouraging progress.  At Key Stage 3 nationally it is in the top 4%.  At Key Stage 5 we are part of the Abingdon Partnership which provides an extensive range of subjects across the four institutions of Larkmead School, Fitzharrys School , John Mason School and Abingdon and Witney College of Further Education.

 

We are especially proud of our whole-school assemblies in which all 1,000 students and staff gather together eight times a year.  It is here that we celebrate the achievements of our school community, sharing the messages, performances and successes that characterise the ethos at the heart of Larkmead.

 

I hope this web site will give you a flavour of the school but it is no substitute for a visit and we look forward to welcoming you.

Chris Harris

 

Welcome from the Chair of Governors

 

First of all, welcome to the Larkmead School web site.  Please feel free to explore the site and to contact the school if you would like to visit or have specific questions.

Governors of a school are supposed to be a bit like good friends who ask tricky questions that make you think. We help to set directions and targets for the school and then check that these are being achieved.  We are accountable to the whole school community, and one way we report back is through the school profile.

To view the latest school profile, click here.

"Tell us about Larkmead"
One of the things that is important about Larkmead is the partnership between students, staff and parents or carers.  We are keen to encourage and strengthen this partnership. However, we are very conscious that governors have only a partial view of Larkmead.  Everyone in the Larkmead community - students, parents, carers, staff and friends - also has a view of Larkmead and we would like to hear as many of these as possible over the next year or so.  So we extend an invitation to all the Larkmead community to "Tell us about Larkmead".  We hope that the Chair or one of the other governors will be at some of the Year Group Consultation evenings and other events, so that may give an opportunity.  You can also contact us by email to the school office, using "For Governors" as the title.  From time to time we will also seek views on specific topics, for instance through the parental questionnaire that we organised last year with Lark-Rise and hope to run again this year.

Chair of Governors
The Chair of Governors, like many of the other governors, is a parent or former parent at Larkmead. Jonathan, Simon Richard and Anna have been all the way through the school and are now at university and beyond. Originally from a farm in Northern Ireland, James is a scientist, a Christian and an armchair sports fan, supporting Spurs, Ireland and England at football, rugby and cricket.

James Tweed

 

For a full list of our Governors and Committees, click here.