Curriculum Statement

Intent

Our curriculum has been designed to ensure our children have the possible best start on their educational journey and are well prepared for the next phase of their education. Topics and learning sequences have been carefully planned to ensure they are relevant to the children and allow them to reach identified end points, gaining the skills and knowledge they need to be successful learners and be well prepared for life beyond our school. Through our broad, balanced and creative curriculum, we develop our children’s understanding of the world around them with the aim of developing successful, independent and motivated learners with high aspirations. 

We pride ourselves on the delivery of high-quality first teaching with the provision of scaffolding and support to ensure inclusion for all. We build on the prior knowledge, understanding and skills of all children as they progress through school, whilst ensuring the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum are met. Our curriculum is enriched with opportunities for children to learn through practical, first hand experiences making learning meaningful and memorable. Outdoor learning and a love of nature is woven throughout, with opportunities to explore and experience this by using our many onsite animals, school gardens and forest school experiences.

Our curriculum is vocabulary rich and subject specific knowledge and vocabulary that children are expected to know and understand at the end of each unit of work is carefully mapped out for all subjects across the curriculum, ensuring full coverage and progression. We aim to develop a love of reading while ensuring the children are able to read with fluency and understanding, so they are able to access all subject areas.

Development of the whole child and positive learning behaviours are promoted through our school core values: Friendship, Trust, Courage, Resilience, Respect and Independence.  These are taught throughout the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of the British values of our society are woven through the curriculum. As learners grow, they are supported and challenged appropriately and are equipped with the confidence, skills and knowledge to aid a smooth transition through Key Stage One, into Key Stage Two and beyond.  When pupils leave Eagley Infant School they value their individual talents and are well prepared for their future as life-long learners.

Implementation

The curriculum at Eagley Infants is tailored to meet the needs of our learners, our community and our school context.  Children in Nursery and Reception follow the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage 2021 and the curriculum for children in Key stage 1 meets the needs of the National Curriculum 2014.  As a two form entry infant school, our curriculum is tailored to ensure that all children access the same knowledge, skills and vocabulary across each year group within school. Early reading and phonics is a priority and is taught discretely every day through our phonics lessons, using Little Wandle and is also woven throughout the curriculum.

Subject knowledge, skills and concepts are taught as individual disciplines in Key Stage One and English and mathematical skills are effectively promoted across all subjects. The progress of all children (including those with SEND and those in receipt of pupil premium funding) is closely monitored and the curriculum is designed to ensure that any gaps are closed. Year group subject specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary are carefully mapped out and taught in all subjects to ensure that children cover all aspects of the National Curriculum and meet phase specific end points.

Staff have high expectations of all pupils and provide opportunities for children to be challenged and demonstrate learning at greater depth. High quality first teaching is provided for all children, with scaffolding and support provided for those who find aspects of their learning more difficult so that they too are enabled to access the full curriculum, experience success and be the best that they can be. In addition to quality teaching in all year groups, there is provision for small group and individual interventions to support identified pupils in gaining the key skills to become successful readers, writers and mathematicians.

Our curriculum is enriched with trips and visits and opportunities for children to learn from first hand experiences with the aim of developing successful, independent and motivated learners with a rich vocabulary.  Outdoor learning and a love of nature is woven throughout, with opportunities to explore and experience this by using our many onsite animals, school gardens and forest school experiences. Children are encouraged to be creative and excel in all areas of the curriculum and are given opportunities through arts, music and drama to express themselves.

To promote positive learning behaviours and encourage children to become responsible members of society, British values, our school values (Friendship, Trust, Courage, Resilience, Respect and Independence) and PSHE curriculum are threaded through the curriculum and addressed in assemblies.  Our active school council provides a voice for our pupils and bring about changes to enhance provision for all of our pupils.  School council also helps to enrich the pupils’ understanding of British values, particularly democracy.

All subject leaders are given training and the opportunity to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding so they can support curriculum development and their colleagues throughout the school.

Mental health and wellbeing is promoted through the delivery of the Jigsaw programme for PSHE and is supported by guidance from our outreach behaviour specialists who provide weekly support for children and staff.

Impact

Our aim is that by the end of each topic/theme, the vast majority of children have sustained a mastery of content, that is, they remember more, are fluent in their knowledge and some children have a greater depth of understanding. Termly assessments against year group expectations are carried out in all subjects.We track carefully using Target Tracker to ensure children are making good progress and are achieving the expectations of our curriculum. To evaluate how well our children are learning and check that they are remembering more and applying more, we use a combination of formative and summative assessments, pupil interviews, work book scrutinies and lesson observations.

The outcomes of national assessments and observations of our pupils demonstrate that they are very well prepared for the next stage in their education when they leave Eagley Infants and make good progress from their starting points.

SEND / Pupil Premium / Higher Attainers 

Our intention is that all pupil, irrespective of background, or and barriers/ challenges to learning they may face make good progress and achieve high standards across all subject areas. The focus of our strategy is to support disadvantaged pupils and those with identified SEND to achieve highly and thrive in school.

All children will receive Quality First Teaching. Any children with identified SEND or in receipt of pupil premium funding may have work additional to and different from their peers in order to access the curriculum dependent upon their needs. Intervention and support is carefully considered to ensure it is appropriate for each child's individual needs. Any children identified as a higher attaining learner will be given further challenge in order to gain a greater depth of understanding. 

As well as this, our school offers a demanding and varied curriculum, providing children with a range of opportunities in order for them to reach their full potential and consistently achieve highly from their starting points.