The Shoreham primary with a breakfast club bus

shoreham beach primary school

Parents at Shoreham Beach Primary School are breathing a sigh of relief due to a wraparound care initiative created by new Headteacher Darren Vallier.

Historically, the school had been unable to offer childcare outside of the academic day due to a lack of classroom space. Thanks to some creative thinking and the kind donation of a decommissioned single decker bus by Brighton & Hove Buses, there is one less worry for working parents. The efforts by Darren to provide this vital support have been met with praise and appreciation from the school community.

“We needed to offer wraparound care to the school community and the idea of using a single-decker bus was the perfect solution. It is also unique.”

With both the wellbeing of the children and the peace of mind of their parents at the forefront of his plans, Darren has created a safe and inclusive place that works for everyone. In addition to breakfast and after school sessions, the area will be used as an additional learning area and somewhere that pupils in need of a calm space at break times can read and play board games.

Supported by funds raised by the PTA and utilising the creative skills of local tradesman Dan Peers who has worked his magic on the interior, the bus has been transformed into a unique environment for the children, with its aquarium-themed exterior spray painted by Brighton graffiti artist Sean Lyons, better known as GlimmerTwin32. Sean has also painted a corridor inside the school, creating an underwater haven which gives the illusion of walking through the tunnel at Brighton’s Sea Life Centre between classrooms.

The Sea Life inspired corridor inside Shoreham Beach Primary School

Positive changes

Despite starting the job in the thick of the pandemic, this is not the only exciting change that Darren has implemented. Since his appointment as Headteacher, he has introduced many perks for the children, including non-uniform days for pupils on their birthdays, his legendary ‘Funky Friday’ assemblies (trust us, they’re worth a watch!) and termly whole school rewards, including the hire of an inflatable assault course and a visit to each class by a magician. We can’t wait to hear what he has planned next!

Unsurprisingly, there has been much recent interest in the school but there are still spaces available in some year groups and online applications for children starting in September 2022 open with West Sussex County Council on October 4th. For more information, or to arrange a visit, contact the school office on 01273 462688.

About Carly Pepperell
Carly gets to do everything under the sun at TM including writing, editing, taking photos, creating stories, and swanning around at launches. She can down a glass of Prosecco without pausing for breath, and aims to be the youngest Pulitzer winner ever.

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