It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Primary Phase at The Duston School.

For every child, primary school is the beginning of an important journey. It is where they develop their love of learning, discover their strengths, build friendships and begin to understand the person they can become. Our responsibility is to make those crucial foundational years truly special.

Within the Primary Phase setting everything we do is built around our core values; Care, Challenge and Succeed. We also actively promote the children to be their best and to Dream, Believe and Achieve. 

Care comes first. We believe that children thrive when they feel safe, valued and known. Our Primary Phase is a warm, nurturing and inclusive community where relationships matter. We take the time to understand every child as an individual, to celebrate what makes them unique and to ensure that every pupil knows they belong.

Challenge is about having high expectations and believing in every child’s potential. We want our pupils to be curious, confident and courageous learners. Through an ambitious curriculum, excellent teaching and a culture of encouragement we give children the opportunity to think deeply, explore their interests, overcome obstacles and discover what they are capable of achieving.

Through all of the care and challenge our children succeed. Success is not simply about academic outcome. It is about developing the knowledge, confidence, resilience and character that enable children to flourish. We want every child to leave our Primary Phase proud of who they are, excited about their future and ready for the next stage of their educational journey.

Central to everything is belonging. We want every child to feel that they are an important part of our school community. We know that when children feel that they belong, they are more likely to engage, take positive risks in their learning, build meaningful friendships and develop the confidence to succeed. Strong relationships between children, staff and families are therefore not an addition to what we do. They are at the heart of it.

We also believe passionately in the partnership between school and home. Our families are an essential part of our community and we want you to feel welcomed, listened to and valued. Whether you are considering The Duston School for the first time or your child is already part of our Primary Phase, we want you to know that we will work alongside you every step of the way.

Our ambition is that every child who walks through our doors feels known, valued, challenged and supported. We want the Primary Phase at The Duston School to be a place where the children can be themselves, where they can belong and where they can thrive.

I hope you will discover that The Duston School is a place where children are genuinely cared for, inspired to achieve and encouraged to believe in themselves.

Welcome to our Primary Phase. 

Sam Strickland

CEO/Principal