'We are passionate about giving children the best' - Inside the Shrewsbury school with an art gallery and museum

Leaders and staff at this loving, nurturing and ambitious primary school are always looking at what they can improve, build on and add to the school experience.

A huge banner hangs from the ceiling near the school's entrance and reads "be kind, be respectful, work well". Coleham Primary School's vision of "for every child, an excellent education" certainly shines through.

The school is proud to have its own art gallery, The Townsend Art Gallery, named after Judy Townsend - founder of The Belle Vue Arts Festival. The school believes Judy represented everything that is great about their school and their three C's of 'care, creativity and community'.

Drawings, paintings and sculptures created by pupils are displayed in the professional art gallery that often becomes a hive of activity when the school hosts exhibitions for parents, carers and the wider community.

The school is keen on bringing art to life alongside history, and the school is extremely proud of its heritage.

Within the school's grounds sits a listed historic coach house that was once part of the Limes Estate. The ex-coachman’s living quarters has been restored into a museum and features Victorian artefacts and Coleham documents.

Children enjoy learning history from inside the building that is often opened up to the public and also features an ammunition box that was dug up inside the school's grounds.

Furthermore, within its expansive grounds, the school boasts a wonderful allotment, modern and vibrant play equipment and even a stunning stone folly that originates from St Mary’s Church. The school has also set up cameras to capture foxes and badgers that roam around its grounds at night.

Coleham Primary is keen to get its pupils outside and learning away from the classroom. Children often enjoy art lessons away from the school building, for example at The Dingle gardens or trips to the library, museums and more.

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The school has a strong focus on enrichment and career inspiration. Pupils have recently enjoyed a trip to Parliament as well as visits to local hospitality businesses and the Theatre Severn to learn about job roles and the range of career options available.

Moreover, a group of 12 pupils worked with a local chef to cook for themselves and their families. The school hopes this helped build children's confidence and provide them with essential life skills.

The primary is built on working together as a team and staff have come together at Christmas for several years running to create festive music videos.

Headteacher Tom Larkham, who is a former zookeeper and often shows children some of his collections and interesting artefacts, is extremely proud of what his school has to offer.

"I love the community feel of our school," he said. "A lot of us have been here a long time, I have been here for more than 16 years.

"It is a place you come where the children are wonderful, the parents are wonderful, the staff too, we all work together and help each other and support each other when things don't go well and celebrate each other when things do go well.

"You spend most of your time at work so it has to be an environment that you want to be in. I feel that this school is as much of a part of me as I am of it. I don't think I would be at any other school.

"We are really proud to offer what we can. We are really passionate, every single one of us, about our children getting the very best they can get in terms of an education.

"Not just academic stuff or doing well in tests, but experiences and the wider enrichment, be it the careers events, extra trips, topical things we can celebrate and learn about like the royal weddings or coronation.

"We try and make coming to school for children as much of an experience as it can be. A lot of our community don't get the opportunity to visit art galleries, be a part of a musical group and we try to get as much of that for the pupils as possible.

"We are really proud of our curriculum too and value all of the subjects as much as one another and invest a lot of money in art and music."