School History
Shaw Ridge opened its doors to pupils in September 1985. It was the fifth school to be built in the then rapidly expanding area of West Swindon. Five urban villages were being built, and since this school opened a further six primary schools have been built to serve the area.
On the first day nineteen pupils started, with a teaching staff of just three. The school was not totally finished and only one double classroom, the toilets, the library area and the hall were available for use. During the following year the other three double classrooms and the rest of the building were completed.
It was an exciting time as pupil numbers rose rapidly in response to the ever- increasing number of houses being occupied. The numbers rose so quickly that by the end of year one the number on roll was 79. Excitement was not the word during the early months. Firstly the hall floor lifted twice and had to be re-laid. Huge hot air blowers fill the school with their continuous noise for nearly two months. During the winter very cold weather caused the whole heating system to freeze up twice. On each occasion teaching continued. Much of the ceiling came down in the unoccupied areas of the school and flooding followed as the pipes thawed.
Having such problems certainly brought the school together as a unit. The fact that the curriculum was topic based and teachers worked in co-operative units created a very open attitude and this continues today, despite the considerable changes that have taken place with the National Curriculum.
Since those early days a double mobile has been added followed by a single mobile. One class room has been converted into a computer suite containing sixteen networked computers, soon to be followed by a radio system allowing lap top computers to be used around the whole school linked to the network through radio signals. Staff and parents completed all the work and the funding was through the Friends of the school. It is hoped that as staff become more familiar with using the computer suite, the children’s parents will also have the opportunity of working with the computers.
The grounds of the school are continuously undergoing development with the help of the parents and Friends of the School. To date substantial footpaths, brick walls, over 1000 trees and an established pond enhance the area and are used by the children for work and play.
Today Shaw Ridge has stabilised at around three hundred children with a teaching staff of eleven. The school is still a “family school” where parents feel welcome. Standards matter and children want to come to school. Recent SAT results at KS2 are high and rising, reflecting the work ethos of the school. No school can afford to stand still and plans for further development are continuously being discussed.