It is with great pride that I welcome you to Defford-cum-Besford Church of England First School.  We are a Church school, with a distinctive Christian character.  We aim to provide a strong educational, moral and spiritual framework in which all children can grow, develop and achieve their full potential.  Our website is an important platform, allowing us to share our school with you as well as provide all the latest statutory guidance required by the government.  We hope that our website will give you an insight into what a wonderful school we are. 

Defford-cum-Besford CE First School includes a vibrant preschool that works alongside our Reception children.  This provides a strong foundation for all of the children’s future learning throughout Key Stage 1 and 2.  We have 3 classes at the school, with children leaving us at the end of Year 4. 

Our curriculum is broad and varied, allowing all children to flourish.  We pride ourselves on our incredible team of staff who work to push children to do their very best each and every day.  We are also proud of our facilities that include large outdoor classrooms, our own on-site forest school, sports field, garden area, school hall, IT equipment and before and after school care. 

If you would like to know more or would like to arrange a visit please do get in contact with us. 

We, as an organisation, are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Mr Tom Holdstock

Headteacher

Defford-cum-Besford Church of England First School

History

There has been a school serving Defford, Besford and Strensham villages for some considerable time, and now the village of Birlingham is included within our catchment area. The earliest school is now the “Little Room” behind Defford Church, which was replaced in 1872 by the “Old School” in Croome Road. This latter was built, in order to accommodate far more children, by private subscription and grants, and cost the princely sum of £861.12s.0d. Many members of the parish still remember their days at the Old School, soon after the old school celebrated its centenary.

The present school was built (at a cost of £36,355) to provide more up-to-date teaching space, amenities and heating, and opened officially on 12th October 1973 by the Right Reverend Robin Woods, Bishop of Worcester. A new classroom was built in 1996 together with refurbishment of the building to bring it more in line with current educational needs. It was further extended in 2005 making the Reception classroom much bigger and brighter. A smaller quiet room, to be used by the children and the community, was also created. Recent projects have included developing the outdoor space for our Reception and Key Stage 1 classrooms, installing fabulous new outdoor equipment and an amazing adventure playground. Most recently, our Early Years outdoor area has been extended to provide more space for developing motor skills. We are also particularly proud of our wonderful Forest School area.