Remarkable result for Lowbrook Academy
Cox Green: School tops prestigious list for state primaries in South East area
Lowbrook Academy’s executive principal has said he believes the philosophy and ethos of the school has helped it secure top ranking in a prestigious list.
Based on exam results from 2017-19, the school scooped top primary in the South East category of Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2022, finishing seventh nationally.
With an OFSTED rating of ‘outstanding’, the school can accommodate up to 330 pupils from Reception to Year 6.
Executive principal Dave Rooney said that children’s health was a priority for the school and had been especially important as Lowbrook looked to create a ‘place of sanctuary’ for pupils following months of remote learning.
“We’re delighted, it’s really great news,” said Mr Rooney.
“Obviously these results are based on historical data, and they’re aggregated over a period of time, so it’s nice that they’re not based on a specific year group.
“Results are one measure of a school, but they’re only one, so our focus has been on wellbeing and the mental health of the children.
“It’s important for us the children see school as a fun and exciting place to be, where they can come and learn and want to be here.
“Our motto is ‘happy, healthy, high achievers’, and the happy and healthy come first – you’ve got to make good decisions about wellbeing to learn.
“We spend a lot of time working on that with the children, and the results then follow.
“This is not something that happens overnight; the school has a long-tradition of this policy and philosophy that we have, and we’ve had a lot of consistency of high-achieving, happy children for well over a decade and it works for us.”
Mr Rooney also thought that all schools should be congratulated for ‘their commitment to children over the last 18 months’.
He added: “I believe [education] is a team effort and a community effort, and we have a community that values education.
“The children are brilliant, they’re well-behaved and they have a thirst for learning.
“It’s cool to be smart, and that’s an ethos that we’ve encouraged and developed over a long period of time.”
When asked as to whether there would be a party to celebrate the achievement, Mr Rooney chuckled and said he ‘wasn’t sure if it’s the year for parties’.
“It’s life as normal in schools; I think humility is something the school values, so we celebrate success when it comes out, but we put it behind us pretty quickly and like to move onto the next challenge,” he added.
To view Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2022, in full, visit: www.the times.co.uk/article/best-ukschools-guide-parent-powertr95xdztg