Welcome to the West Horndon Primary. 

It has been my honour and privilege to serve as Headteacher of this fantastic school for the past 17 years, since 2008. I am incredibly proud of our school community, and of the children, families and dedicated staff team who make it such a special place.

Like all schools, we strive to be outstanding — and we believe we are in many areas — but we also aim to stand out.

We do things a little differently here. We believe that happy children learn best, so safety, enjoyment and good humour sit at the heart of everything we do. Alongside this, we have high expectations for all and a relentless commitment to improvement. We also believe that school should be about far more than academic success — it should be about having fun, building friendships and making memories that last a lifetime.

In addition to our mainstream classes, we offer a Resourced Provision for Speech and Language. Children in this class benefit from focused teaching, speech and language therapy delivered onsite, and carefully planned opportunities for integration and interaction with their mainstream peers. To find out more, please visit the dedicated page on our website.

We are proud of our individuality and our determination to do what is right for the children in our unique setting. Our curriculum is bespoke and designed in response to the needs of our learners. We believe every child should experience a rich and memorable learning journey, including opportunities through our 50 Things programme. We place particular value on purposeful use of technology, learning beyond the classroom, and character development. Outdoor learning is a key part of our approach and children in every class benefit from regular expert led Forest School sessions. 

We also want our children to become Caring, Contributing Citizens. Our young West Horndonians learn how to make a positive difference through initiatives such as becoming Dementia Friends, learning first aid, and developing understanding through animal care.

Please explore our website to learn more about our vision, values and what we do. If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

I look forward to meeting you in person and welcoming you to the WHPS family.

Best regards,

Matt O’Grady

Headteacher

BEd (Hons), FCCT, NPQEL, NPQH