PRIMARY OVERVIEW

Teaching and learning is the core business of the school and is our number one priority.  The building has been skillfully designed to maximise opportunities for learning and development and is very well resourced to ensure that all pupils can develop the key skills of reading, writing and numeracy whilst developing independence and motivation to learn.  Key skills are progressively applied to and extended through investigation and enquiry and pupils are given opportunities to express themselves artistically and creatively. Good learning takes place when children are interested and motivated, so the curriculum is tailored to the needs of the children, to their interests and to the questions they ask.  They are given a strong element of choice in the activities they do which are a mix of independent work, group activity and adult-led learning.  On this basis, we expect the children to achieve a great deal.

The curriculum is carefully planned to accelerate progress and maximise achievement from the earliest learning at just 2 years old to the beginning of secondary education aged 11 and is frequently adapted to meet the children’s varying needs by, for example offering additional challenge for more able pupils or by focusing on closing the gaps in skills or knowledge for those needing additional support.  Expectations are high and there is a focus on consistent routines and high standards of behaviour, so that pupils can develop the necessary learning skills to meet the challenges they are set and to promote a real thirst for knowledge and understanding.

In the Early Years, we work hard to build a solid foundation of communication and language skills; physical development; and personal, social and emotional development.  As the children progress through the school, the acquisition of key skills - speaking, reading, writing and numeracy - remain our key focus and underpin the learning in all other subject areas.  Teachers regularly assess their pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics, and set demanding targets which are regularly monitored and reviewed.

We believe that, as children and adults, we are constantly learning and developing and that by working together we can grow into something better. It is through spiritual development, as well as cultural, moral and social development, that we learn about what it means to be human: to understand ourselves and to make sense of the world around us and of how we relate.

Whole School Topic Overview 2023-2024

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