Curriculum
“Children learn better when they are excited and engaged – but what excites and engages them best is truly excellent teaching, which challenges them and shows them what they can do. When there is joy in what they are doing, they learn to love learning.”
At Ewhurst, we seek to give the children a curriculum that engages all learners, develops and challenges them and excites their imagination. We want them to enjoy the richness of their learning, learning not only different content, but in many different ways.
At Ewhurst we aim to give children the opportunity:
- To become successful, confident, independent learners
- To work collaboratively with their peers
- For quiet, purposeful individual activities – as appropriate to the task in hand
- To investigate, problem solve, discover, predict and hypothesise
- To manage their own learning in terms of time and approach
- For a wide range of first hand experiences both within and outside the classroom
- To take part in challenging activities, well matched to their individual ability
- To record experiences in a variety of ways
- To re-draft and craft a piece of work to the best of their ability
- To develop a range of learning styles through characteristics of learning
- To apply, reflect upon, practise and re-enforce previously learnt skills, concepts and knowledge
- To experience high quality direct teaching
- To have access to a wide range of resources
- To take responsibility for their learning environment
- To build secure relationships with both teachers and peers
- To become excited and enthused about their work.
- To become responsible citizens in a British Society, and have respect for different faiths and cultural diversity
- to learn to take risks through Forest school philosophy
Underpinning our excellent curricular provision and richness of learning are our six Christian values – love, respect, friendship, honesty, perseverance and community. Young children develop a natural curiosity to learn, to engage, to imagine, to enjoy, to develop resilience through a wide range of opportunities using the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, and the National Curriculum as foundations. Alongside curricular learning, a child’s personal, social and emotional development is nurtured. British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are actively promoted throughout the academic year.
Vocabulary
We see vocabulary as key to understanding and articulate and explore knowledge. Using vocabulary and applying this in sentences, is a feature of many lessons. Our vocabulary progression document outlines core vocabulary taught and used in Key Stage One foundation subjects
Reading
Reading and the use of literature is held as a key skill. Children read in most areas of the curriculum and are exposed to fiction and nonfiction to support their learning. Where possible, key texts are used to support understanding or to widen knowledge. At all times children are encouraged to practise and extend their reading skills through the wider curriculum.
Recall
Much of our curriculum follows a spiral curriculum where children recall and return to the same disciplinary and substantive concept. Each time a concept is revisited, it is covered with greater complexity and prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can recall and build upon previous foundations.
Core values
Underpinning our excellent curricular provision and richness of learning are our six Christian values – love, respect, friendship, honesty, perseverance and community. Young children develop a natural curiosity to learn, to engage, to imagine, to enjoy, to develop resilience through a wide range of opportunities using the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, and the National Curriculum as foundations. Alongside curricular learning, a child’s personal, social and emotional development is nurtured. British values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are actively promoted throughout the academic year
The whole school curriculum plan can be found here.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the children follow the EYFS curriculum as outlined in Development Matters which starts at birth and finishes at the age of five. The children's learning is based around seven areas of learning, three prime and four specific areas.
The three prime areas are: Communication and Language (CL), Physical Development (PD) and Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED).
The four Specific areas are: Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World and the Expressive Arts.
Our children learn through play, and the play is free-flow between inside and outside all year round. Our staff are experienced, qualified practitioners who have a deep understanding of young children, how they learn, how they grow and how to make sure that each child achieves their full potential at each stage of the EYFS, using the Characteristics of Effective Learning. The children are encouraged to have a go, persevere, think and question their learning which prepares them for the next stage of their learning.
All of these areas of learning give the children a broad, creative and balanced curriculum before they begin on the Key Stage 1 curriculum.
The EYFS curriculum plan can be found here.
Key Stage 1 Curriculum
Key Stage One runs in Years 1 & 2, and children learn the eleven National Curriculum subjects: English, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Art and Design, Design Technology, Geography, Music and History. In addition, RE and PHSE/RSE are taught in line with statutory and diocese guidance. Each subject is given dedicated time through the curriculum although many are linked through a topic based approach.
We follow the Kapow plans for many subjects to create a robust and consistent approach to learning. Some activities from these schemes may be adapted to suit our local context and the needs of our children and best maximise learning.
When children begin working on the National Curriculum in Year One, the transition from the Early Years Framework is purposefully planned and a gradual transition.
A range of teaching strategies are employed to support the learning styles of all children. Interactive whiteboards and a delightful learning environment provide superb learning and teaching opportunities for the children. Our spacious and purpose-built outdoor environments effectively support independent learning opportunities.
We encourage a 'growth mindset', so children understand that successful learning takes time and practise, along with a 'have a go' attitude.
The Year One and Year Two curriculum plans can be found by clicking on the blue writing<<<.
More information can be found on the individual subject pages, please click below:
