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Welcome to our school

A warm welcome to Hotham Primary School

Hotham is a dynamic and creative community school in the heart of Putney, where pupils and staff work exceptionally well together. Visitors to the school never fail to mention the purpose behind our approach, the happiness of our children and the welcome they receive from our staff. I am incredibly proud to be leading this school.

At Hotham our vision is to provide limitless opportunities to our children to allow them to aspire and succeed. We are proud to be a truly inclusive community school, welcoming all pupils who join us from a range of diverse backgrounds. Regardless of a child’s starting point, it is our mission that all children have a broad range of experiences and opportunities.

A key word to life at Hotham is ‘purpose’. We believe that children need to understand what they are learning, why they need to know it and to have the opportunity to apply their learning in meaningful ways. Our curriculum is designed around a termly essential question. Examples include, ‘What happened to the Maya?’ and ‘How can we bring a toy to life?’.

It is commonly said that education should prepare children for real life.  We believe that our children are living real life already and we are determined to give our children opportunities to live this life to the fullest. We value an international outlook, and all children learn French from the minute they start our school, integrated into daily life to make it meaningful.

Our community is united around our core values of Respect, Responsibility and Resolve. These inform our decision-making and sit at the heart of everything we do. Since I joined the school, I have seen first-hand Hotham's strong sense of community and just how special this is: everyone is valued; diversity is celebrated. The school is very lucky to have committed staff and pupils, engaged parents, a supportive governing body, and an active PTA. 

I hope that you find the website useful. Please take a look around and get a feel for the school. If you would like any more information or would be interested in visiting our school, please contact the school office. We run tours throughout the year for prospective parents.

With best wishes,

Richard Byrne-Smith 

Headteacher