Our School
Parkside Middle School is a five form entry, community school located near the town centre of Bromsgrove. The school shares its site with Meadows First School and both schools are part of the Bromsgrove PFI project. The school draws from its feeder First Schools of Meadows, The Orchards and Dodford as well as other schools in the local area with many parental preferences also made from outside the catchment area.
Parkside has an excellent range of facilities in a modern, purpose-built and spacious environment. Our pupils benefit from large, airy, teaching rooms and the school’s specialist classrooms including: Science laboratories, an ICT suite, Art, Music and Design Technology rooms, a well-stocked library at the heart of the school as well as extensive sports facilities.
Our school motto is ‘Embrace Opportunity. Nurture Success. Inspire Futures.’ We are a school full of aspiration, energy and drive. We are committed and passionate about providing the highest quality of education and therefore improving the life chances of the pupils we serve.
Our intent is to provide a deep, rich and relevant curriculum that enables our pupils to excel academically, whilst developing character so that they become socially and emotionally aware, confident young people who can thrive in a changing world. The school’s vision for our curriculum is ambitious, inclusive, and well designed, meeting the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum whilst also reflecting the school’s local context by addressing social disadvantage and any gaps in the pupils’ knowledge and skills. The development of oracy is integral to this, empowering our pupils to articulate their knowledge, understanding and thinking.
The school’s curriculum aims to:
Spark imaginations - be inspired
Push the horizon - be aspirational
Seek to know about our world - be knowledgeable
Live an extraordinary life - reach potential
Nurture character – be individual
Build foundations for the future - be the future
Pupils’ contribution to the school and wider community is significant. They demonstrate this through their willingness to participate wholeheartedly in activities and events such as house fundraising challenges, making food parcels for the local homeless shelter and carol singing at a local residential care home. Our Climate Crew are actively working to reduce plastic and increase the level of recycling in school. In addition, the pupils relish the wide and varied opportunities available to take on leadership roles within the school - some of which include House Captains, Sports Leaders, Prefects and Maths and Literacy Leaders. In these roles, pupils have to work collaboratively, engage in highly responsible positions which often include working closely with younger pupils and being positive role models, and be able to resolve conflicts effectively using a range of social skills in different contexts.
In 2019 the school received its first ever Outstanding Ofsted judgement for Personal Development. Since this inspection there has been a continued drive to maintain the highest possible standard of provision. This includes, throughout the pandemic and periods of school closure. The ‘Thrive Approach’ is at the heart of our school culture, and it is seen every day in the excellent relationships between staff and pupils. This is recognised and valued by the pupils and is a key factor in how they are supported to develop their character and our core ‘Proud to be Parkside’ values we should all embody for us to flourish in society- kindness, resilience, respect, honesty, and teamwork.
