Our values

Together we aspire, learn, achieve and thrive.

Our core values have been created as part of a process involving Carden children, parents, staff and governors:

Respect  |  Courage  |  Kindness  |  Safety  |  Aspiration

Carden learning journey

We believe that the process of learning needs to be made explicit to children to help them develop as effective life-long learners.

To help this we have selected 11 characteristics of effective learning. Each is represented as an animal which helps children to remember.

There is regular discussion about what each means and looks like in practice so that children understand them.

In lessons teachers will focus on one or two characteristics and encourage children to reflect upon how they have been applying them and why this has helped with learning.

You might also recognise these animals in our school mural!

Lion- be respectful icon
Lion - be respectful
Bee icon
Bee - be able to work with others or alone
chameleon-icon
Chameleon - be adaptable
Dolphin icon
Dolphin - be able to communicate
owl-icon
Owl - stop, think, and plan
elephant icon
Elephant - help friends to learn
bear icon
Bear - learn new things
cat icon
Curious cat - be inquisitive
tortoise
Tortoise - be resilient
spider icon
Spider - link ideas
unicorn icon
Unicorn - be imaginative

School of sanctuary

School of sactuary logo
We are a School of Sanctuary. This means that we are a welcoming school to everyone and have a greater understanding of the challenges faced by people seeking refugee status.
Two Carden pupils receiving the school of Sanctuary certificate

See all Carden's school policies

To make sure we are operating to the highest standards Carden has a range of policies to cover various aspects of school life. You can view all these policies on one page, or – where relevant – we’ve also linked to specific school policies throughout the website.

Latest Carden news

Safer internet week and crane visit

As you are aware this week is Safer Internet Week. It is an important reminder of the dangers there are online. These dangers are not just from the chat and message functions but also from the content children can see. Here are some links to 

Feb 2023: end of term update

What a start to the New Year! Although it does seem like Christmas and New Year was a long time ago – it has in fact only been six weeks! The staff and children have packed so many things into this half term. You can 

Carden donations to local food bank

Tomorrow (Wednesday 8th Feb) we are collecting food donations to help support the Old Boat community centre pantry. So many families use the Old Boat Corner Community Association pantry on a regular basis and they are struggling to keep up with demand. With next week 

Carden: the first post-war school built after WW1

By the time it opened in 1948, Carden Junior School was already famous. So famous that the newsreel cameras of Pathé arrived to film the first pupils walking into the school. Why? Carden primary was the first new school to be completed in Britain following the 

Open Minds Project at Carden

Earlier this month, we were fortunate enough to receive an early Christmas present from the Open Minds Project; a registered charity located in Brighton. Their mission is to educate everyone in the United Kingdom about the lives of Black people to foster a more robust, 

Art at Carden: December 2022

At Carden, we have a specialist art teacher dedicated to developing the creative skills and expression of pupils. Here’s what pupils have been doing this term. In Reception the children have been drawing from observation. In Year 1 we have been inspired by the artist