Curriculum

'Pupils say they are learning as much as they can because teachers take them ‘to the limit’.
All pupils, regardless of gender or ability make good progress ... and by Year 5 they (the pupils) consistently exceed the levels expected of Year 6 pupils.' Ofsted November 2009

Above all we want our curriculum to offer challenge and provide engagement for all our children. We accept that literacy and numeracy are very important and that they underpin much of the rest of the curriculum, but we want to ensure that we allow our pupils to develop a wider range of skills and interests. We teach children, not a curriculum and we strongly believe in fitness for purpose. All children and classes are different, and as professionals we always try to use the most appropriate methods, in the most appropriate setting - which is not necessarily in the classroom!

The BeesTribe - Our Foundation Stage Class is for children who will be 5 years old in the academic year they start school. Our Foundation classes are usually small, allowing close tuition and strong relationships to form between teachers and children. Our outdoor provision is highly stimulating, and our pupils have a large exciting natural environment in which to learn. We are very proud of the developments in this area.

The Robins Tribe - Keystage 1 (YEARS 1 and 2) Our 5 - 7 years olds enjoy an extended classroom area with the all important access to the outdoor environment.

The Phoenix Tribe - Keystage 2 (YEARS 3,4 and 5) is for our 7 - 10 year olds. We expect a great deal from our older children in terms of setting a good example to others and in carrying out duties around our school. Just like our infant classes, all children have access to a range of ICT, including SMART boards, computers and digital cameras. We have dedicated ICT and Music teachers to offer expertise in these areas.

A curriculum for the Future...

In-service training, regular staff meetings and close links with other schools ensure that there is a good match between teaching, learning and the requirements of the National Curriculum, but we aim to offer more that this. We are currently working towards a much more flexible and creative curriculum, which harnesses the skills and interests of staff and pupils to provide rich learning experiences. It is important to learn the skills associated with history and geography and the other traditional foundation subjects but we believe that as long as there is a clear framework, that these skills can be taught better through cross curricular themes and topics with an emphasis on creativity, investigation and making connections. Teachers are beginning to plan to the six areas of learning used in the Foundation Stage and this approach is ivery much in line with the latest thinking published in the Rose review of the Primary curriculum.

These are:

Language and Communication
Mathematical Development
Historical and Geographical Understanding
Scientific and Technological Understanding
Creative development
Physical develpment
Personal, social and emotional development


Primary Framework for Literacy and Numeracy

At present Teachers use the National Primary Framework as a sound basis for teaching language and communicating skills and mathematical development.