“Play is the highest form of research.”

Albert Einstein

Our leadership is committed to crafting a curriculum that is both ambitious and specifically tailored to empower children, especially those facing disadvantages. Our aim is to provide them with the essential knowledge, self-belief, and cultural capital necessary for success in life. This commitment is reflected in our comprehensive curriculum and teaching and learning guidance, articulating the rationale behind our current curriculum decisions. Our monitoring and evaluation processes are guided by a school improvement plan, underpinned by meticulous analysis of data that demonstrates the tangible impact our curriculum has on pupil attainment and progress.

Our curriculum is thoughtfully planned and sequenced to build on children's existing knowledge and skills, progressively leading them toward a cumulatively sufficient foundation for future learning. The curriculum overview meticulously outlines how different areas of learning are met, allowing children to progress and develop throughout the academic year. Purposeful planning, systematically building on previously acquired skills, ensures a gradual increase in challenge as the year unfolds.

A significant emphasis is placed on equipping our children with a rich vocabulary, effective communication skills, and, in Reception, a solid understanding of phonics. This lays the groundwork for future learning, particularly in the development of confident and fluent readers. Our commitment to this is evident in our daily phonics teaching in Reception. Monitoring and reviewing the impact of our work is supported by phonic assessment data. Key vocabulary is explicitly integrated into planning, and our teachers actively create 'language-rich' learning environments. We prioritize talk and stories, particularly through role play, to enhance children's vocabulary and language skills.

Our approach to teaching early reading and synthetic phonics is systematic, ensuring that all children master reading words and simple sentences accurately by the end of Reception. Phonic assessment data, conducted on a half-termly basis, serves as a robust measure of the impact of our phonics teaching. Evidence of children's learning is documented through books, pupils' work, and observational assessments.

For children with specific needs, such as those with SEN and/or disabilities, our curriculum is designed to be ambitious and tailored to meet their unique requirements. Pupil progress data, including evidence from all abilities, is carefully tracked, with teachers measuring the impact of intervention support in collaboration with the SENCo. Our commitment to academic excellence extends uniformly to all members of our cohort.