Thank you for visiting our website, which I hope you find to be useful and informative. I became the Head Teacher of Shebbear – which was founded in 1877 – in September 2018 and am working hard to ensure that the school continues to thrive and grow. I grew up in Devon not far from Shebbear. I moved back, with my family, to Devon in 2017 after teaching in London for over 20 years (11 of them as head of a large primary school). Although it was a big move for us all, it is not one I have regretted. Devon is a beautiful part of the country in which to both live and work and it is certainly an idyllic place to enjoy your childhood.
If you are contemplating moving to the area and would like to visit the school, telephone or email our school administrator, Mrs Hawker, on the contact details provided below. I would be very happy to meet you and give you a tour of the school.
The school was inspected by Ofsted in May 2022 and continues to be a ‘Good’ school. This reflects the dedication, commitment and hard work of the staff, governors, pupils and parents of our school.
Our school is set in the heart of the Devon countryside and we are an integral part of the village community. We employ a three and a half class structure. Teddy Class has Reception along with years 1 and 2 – in the mornings, Reception children are taught separately to years 1 and 2. Panda Class has years 3 and 4 while Koala Class has years 5 and 6. The curriculum is arranged to ensure all learning objectives are covered in these mixed age classes.
We are very much a community school and our key objective can be summarised as follows:
1. Our school has a family feel – we know and care for our children as individuals. Their well-being and personal development is as important as academic achievement. The small school setting means we get to know our children really well.
2. We have high expectations – we want all of our children to achieve the very best they can whatever their circumstances and starting points. We also have high expectations of their conduct and attitudes.
3. We support our children to become good future citizens – to develop the skills and resilience they need to be lifelong learners, adaptable and able to face the challenges of the 21st century.
We are continually striving to improve the school whether this be the physical environment, the standards of teaching and learning, the quality of our resources or the opportunities we offer to the children. Despite being a small school, we have high ambitions for all our children.
We are fiercely independent and have no plans to join a multi-academy trust. We do work with a group of other local maintained schools to provide wider opportunities for both pupils and staff.
The last few years have been tough for everyone but I feel immensely proud of the whole school community for the way it dealt with the two lockdowns and the various disruptions. It exemplified the Shebbear spirit.
Many visitors to our school comment on the ‘special feel’ that the school has – I do hope that you can visit soon and experience that for yourself – we look forward to meeting you.
Nick Alford
Head Teacher
September 2023
