The Alexander First School Way 

At Alexander First School we believe that everyone- pupils, staff and parents, should feel valued and has a unique contribution to make. Partnership is key to our success and we pride ourselves on the positive relationship we have with our parents/carers and community. 

Our Aims and Values:

Acquire knowledge  

Knowledge is not only the practical understanding of a subject or way of thinking; it is a hunger for learning that envelopes your mind, and pushes you on to new horizons. 

We believe the way to life-long success is through acquiring knowledge at every opportunity. Staff as well as pupils and parents are supported in sharing knowledge and we believe this is best when done through reading, small step learning and repetition. 

Prepare for the future  
We recognise that our emotions play a major part in our ability to access learning, especially for our Service (Army) families who are subject to frequent moves and changes. Praise and encouragement is integral to everything we do. Ours school rules: Be ready, Be respectful and Be safe, epitomise our aim to bring benefit to society and prepare for the future. 

Research in Action  

Our actions and efforts are directly linked to the needs of our pupil population through action research. Action Research creates knowledge by and for those taking the action. It helps our staff be more effective at what we care about most - teaching and developing our pupils. Seeing our pupils grow and develop is the greatest joy teachers we can experience. This commitment is evidenced in our Governing Body committee comprising of academic research fellows. 

Research areas covered at Alexander First School to date:

• STEM Education Research Group and Discovery Education: A multidisciplinary approach to STEM curriculum design
• Maths Mastery: Limitations and benefits of a mastery approach to teaching and learning for Service (Army) pupils
• Phonics Phacts: Systematic phonics learning to help pupil progress
• Nurture: Beyond the Boxall Profile

Research group membership:

• Service Children’s Progression Alliance
• Brunel University Maths Steering Association
• The National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics (NCETM) Maths Hub
• Aspire to STEM
• Nurture UK
• Army Families Federation 

Our aims and values set the tone for our vision which includes:

Honesty

We work to high ethical standards, and are transparent in our dealings and decisions.

Fair and inclusive

We treat everyone with dignity and respect; we all have the same opportunity to succeed.

Determined

We are focused and adaptive in a changing world and work in innovative ways to achieve our goals.

Focused on excellence