Upper Arley Church of England Primary school can be found on School Bank as you enter the village from the A442 Shatterford via Arley Lane. It is a school for all children, from families of any faith and none. This mighty little school will surprise you when you visit. It has attractive both updated Victorian and ultra-modern facilities; all well maintained, newly decorated and constantly evolving to accommodate the needs of the children. When you arrive at school the office welcomes you and the first space you find is the library, this is at the centre of the school and reading is at the core of our curriculum. The library is well-used and is appreciated by the children who choose to use it regularly. The Early Years and Key stage One (children up to age 7) are in a newly built facility with their own outside classroom. However, they also access the main playground, school hall and forest school when required. Year 3,4 and 5,6 are in newly decorated and modernised rooms. The high ceilings and large windows mean that the space is bright and airy with plenty of space to display the children’s work. There is easy access to the cloakrooms and outside. The tranquillity of the setting is deceptive for the energy you find in the classrooms, hall, library, and outside grounds.
The staff feel proud and privileged to be working with the children of Upper Arley and the surrounding neighbourhood. The school enjoys a prime position at the heart of the community, in a countryside setting and within walking distance of, Arley Arboretum, St Peter’s Church, the River Severn, the Severn Valley Railway and much more; all of which we regularly visit enrich our learning opportunities. The village hall and sports field next door are useful facilities for sport and performance sessions. We are particularly well resourced for Forest School and IT, along with resources for the National Curriculum.
We have an intake number of only 15 pupils per year, from Foundation Stage (3 – 5 years), through Key Stage 1 (up to 7 years) and Key Stage 2 (up to 11 years). There is also a nursery – Happy Hares – for preschool children and a regular series of offers for babies and very young children below nursey age for Forest School fun. A bus service serves the school exclusively and has done for many years with children of all ages happily travelling to school independently and safely.
We are a voluntary controlled Church of England primary school with a Christian ethos, welcoming those of all faiths as well as those of none. Our motto is
One Community, Learning and Growing Together, Sharing God’s love
Our vision is ‘At Upper Arley C.E. Primary School we recognise everyone as a child of God and through sharing this knowledge, we encourage all to grow in their learning so that everyone can achieve and flourish in all they do’ and this is emulated in:
“I can do all this through Christ because he gives me strength”
Philippians 4:13
Living “life in all its fulness” underpins and drives us in promoting curiosity and creativity so that every child flourishes. As a school we promote the values of Trust, Courage, Truthfulness, Forgiveness, Thankfulness and Compassion.
The school is in The Black Pear Trust https://www.blackpeartrust.org/ . The support of the Trust enables our exceptionally high adult to pupil ratio which in turn supports personalised learning that is a distinct advantage combined with being a village school.
If you are looking for a school for your child or children and would like to visit to see us in action, please contact us on 01299 861260 or office@upperarleycofeschool.org for an appointment. We would be delighted to show you around.
Upper Arley CE Primary School, Upper Arley, Bewdley, Worcestershire DY12 1XA