THE Redstart Primary School is one of the larger schools in the area serving Chard and surrounding villages.

As a designated teaching school, it plays a key role in supporting other schools in Somerset and often hosts teacher training events.

Last year, the school celebrated its 25th anniversary and received an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted.

Chris Hunt has taught at the school since it opened and has been the Head of School for the last two years.

She said: “We aim to offer children a wide variety of experiences beyond the traditional curriculum.

“This includes a forest school, where children thrive in the outdoor environment learning to work together, problem-solve and develop key skills.

“We have a Redstart University where children in Years 4 to 6 work in small mixed-age groups to explore subjects outside of the traditional curriculum, such as first aid, coding or Italian.

“We have links with schools in China and Uganda with opportunities for direct communication between Redstart children and the classrooms in those different countries.

“Visitors to Redstart often comment on the calm and purposeful atmosphere throughout the school and the excellent behaviour of the children.

“I’m really proud of our students’ readiness to learn and of the hard-working, dedicated staff, who work closely in teams to provide the best possible outcomes and opportunities for all the children.”

The school is part of the Redstart Learning Partnership, a group of local schools aspiring to provide outstanding learning opportunities for pupils and excellent development for teaching staff.

Suzanne Flack, chief executive, said “It’s exciting to see the school continue to flourish as it contributes to, and benefits from being part of the multi-academy trust.”