We visit 'outstanding' Stafford primary school fostering a love of reading and care for the environment

Approximately 250 pupils attend the school, from small two-year-old children who are part of the Early Years provision to students in Year Six.

Spanning different age ranges, the school says it wants to foster a love of reading in all children.

Another priority is to provide a sense of care for the environment through initiatives such as its Sustainability Squad and Forest School.

Stafford locals will be familiar with school as its been a presence in the community since it first opened as a school back in 1948.

It transformed into an academy in April 2015.

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In an Ofsted inspection in May 2024, inspectors praised the school’s approach to learning, the school has an ‘Outstanding’ rating

The report said: “The school's vision of 'aim high' is lived and breathed by all members of the community.

“Pupils are proud and happy to be a part of this school. They feel heard, cared for and safe when at school.”

We wanted to find out what life inside Silkmore Primary Academy looks like for students starting a brand-new school year.

So we headed down there to look around the school where we chatted to the school’s headteacher as well as students and staff.

Headteacher Rachael Trickett shared that she has worked at the school for more than ten years in different roles including as a teacher and deputy head.

The Little Village project

Looking around it was clear that children started learning about the world around them from a young age.

Children's language development is enhanced by role-playing in initiatives like The Little Village.

Miss Trickett said: “The Little Village is an area that we’ve recently created. Our Early Year’s team all put together and have worked really hard in creating our Silkmore Little Village.

“This is an area for our Early Years children [two, three, four year olds].

“It’s very focused on high quality interactions and language development through role playing.”

Reading journey

The school's curriculum includes reading and a love of books for students of all ages.

This is exemplified through the Calm Zone reading area.

Miss Trickett said “Children start their reading journey with us from the moment they enter into the nursery.

“They’re exposed to books and storytelling.

“Children then move on to their phonics learning and then progress on to their high quality texts and guided reading.

“We want all children to leave here not just being readers but having a love for and a joy of reading.

“We believe that reading is at the centre of everything that we do here. It unlocks access to all curriculum areas.”

Students Fraya and Nathalia told us they love reading a wide range of books including Roald Dahl books.

Care for the environment

Students participate in active learning through the outdoor Forest School, where students take on tasks such as helping out with the compost, transforming a bath into a pond as well as taking out the paper bins.

11-year-old Fraya said: “This is my sustainability badge. It shows that we’re part of the sustainability squad to help with the Forest School.

“We have our own jobs, we need to take the paper bins out.

“We’re recycling a bath to make a pond.

“We’re going to use some plants to keep the water oxygenated for the newts and frogs.”

Meanwhile, Nathalia, 10, said: “We take tea bags and add them to the compost.”

Miss Trickett said: “We’re very lucky to have a lovely outdoor area and the children do a lot of team-building, confidence and resilience building.”

She also said: “We have a sustainability squad in our school. We are very focused on protecting our environment and doing our part for the environment.

“Our sustainability squad look after the grounds and also oversee all the recycling that we do in school.”