ABSTRACT
Armathwaite Community First School is a small rural school in the Eden Valley. It is one of only two first schools in Cumbria that cater for children from reception to Year 3. Children move on to primary schools in neighbouring villages for the rest of Key Stage 2. Although there are fewer than 30 children, you might be misled into thinking that the school is bigger than it actually is, by the large number of staff you may see in the school. However, the head teacher, Jenny Dixon, is the only full-time member of staff. There is also the equivalent of just over a full-time post, but this is shared between several part-time staff, each with a different curriculum specialism. Although the school is divided in to two classes, reception/Year 1 and Year 2/3, all teachers spend time teaching both classes. This means that individuals have responsibility for planning their curriculum specialist areas, but all staff share in the planning and delivering of independent learning for the Foundation Stage. During the last year a large new nursery has been built next to the school through a community lottery bid.
