We aim to create a rich and stimulating learning environment in which each child is encouraged to develop and mature in order to achieve his or her full potential. Alongside the fostering of good relationships, we strive to encourage the development of a sense of responsibility, self-discipline and creative, independent thinking. Wherever possible we involve children in steering the direction of their learning, responding to their interests and allowing for a degree of independence and autonomy (especially as they get older).
The Primary curriculum encourages the development of children intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically and morally. It also encourages children to enjoy the development of their knowledge and skills across the board, and to find this progress rewarding and motivating. It provides them with the basic skills they need for life and work.
In particular, the curriculum is intended to: –
The children are taught through a combination of individual subjects and integrated cross-curricular projects. We follow the National Curriculum. Wherever possible, we aim to exploit the natural links between different subjects of the curriculum to enrich and broaden the children’s understanding.
Throughout their time at Dunsford, children will be encouraged to apply their learning to real and practical situations.
For some areas of the curriculum, the children will be set into age or ability groups. This ensures that all children are given work that is suitable for their own level. Teaching methods are flexible in order to accommodate the variety of situations that occur in Primary education. Throughout a typical week a child is likely to experience individual, small group and whole class teaching. From time to time we also hold special ‘themed’ weeks, when the children work across the school with other classes. Recent ‘themed’ weeks have included Book Week, Wild Week, Cultural Awareness Week, China Week, Art Week and Safety Week.
Our Reception children are taught a daily programme of systematic phonics called “Letters and Sounds”. This phonic knowledge enables the children to blend letters and sounds for reading, and to segment them for spelling and writing.
The children progress through a graded scheme of engaging, varied reading books. Daily support with reading at home makes a tremendous difference to a child’a progress. Regular assessments ensure that we move children on apace until they become ‘free readers’.
In Class 2 children start to access the ‘Accelerated Reader’ scheme. Children are enabled to access the books in our well-stocked library which will provide the right interest level and degree of challenge for them. Regular online quizzes help the children to develop their comprehension skills and provide additional motivation: the more you read, the more points you score!
The promotion of fundamental British Values is at the heart of building children’s resilience to radicalisation and building an understanding of how to be a citizen in the community that they are part of. We provide a safe learning environment in which children can discuss ideas and issues (so they develop a firm basis of knowledge and can challenge extremist views and arguments). Our promotion of respect, tolerance and a non-judgemental attitude towards others, together with our strong PSHE curriculum, empowers our children to be able to flourish in our pluralistic society.
Collectively Empowering Excellence are the key values which underpin everything we do at the Learning Academy Partnership. This is applicable to all stakeholders. We believe that to empower excellence in children, we need to work as a collective to ensure this – parents and community members are key.
Alongside family learning we need ensure that they are able to engage with the curriculum and any level. Each term, parents, stakeholders and community members will be invited in to celebrate the children’s Beautiful Work. We will also engage local and wider community members as ‘experts’ to support the project-based learning. This will provide the children with a meaningful audience but also to celebrate with the wider school family the excellence that has been achieved.