Intent
At St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we recognise that every child is a special and unique individual, who is celebrated for their differences. We want our children to develop physical and mental wellbeing, so that they have the skills and knowledge to make positive relationships, become lifelong learners and take an active role in the society, in which they live. The ability to learn is reinforced by the teaching of our Gospel values; trust, share, respect and love. We strive to create an environment where the children feel a sense of belonging, feel safe to take risks and where teamwork and enjoyment are evident.
We aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, which supports the holistic development of the unique child.
We aim to provide a stimulating environment, which develops imagination, curiosity and independence.
We understand that play is an integral part of learning and this is at the heart of our early year’s curriculum. Warm and positive relationships between staff and children, consistent routines and strong relationships with parents are key. We recognise the crucial role that early years education has to play in providing firm foundations, upon which the rest of a child’s education is successfully based.
Implementation
At St Joseph’s, we prioritise creating a ‘language rich’ environment through the use of songs, nursery rhymes, stories and providing time for quality interactions between adults and between peers. Trained staff ensure that interactions are positive and progressive, allowing children to flourish and gather words at pace in order to become confident communicators.
Children are encouraged to become early readers through enjoyment of books and the systematic teaching of phonics. The children learn nursery rhymes and develop their mathematical thinking through direct teaching and exploration. We want our children to become confident mathematicians who can apply what they have learnt to real life experiences.
We have designed our school environment to enable our children to strengthen their core muscles through physical play. Children spend time outdoors in their natural environment in all weathers. They take part in play-based exploration and sensory experiences in our mud kitchen, sandpit, tuff trays as well as taking part in sessions in our nature garden. Our learning environment is adaptable in order to reflect children's interests and progression. The children are supported to learn to work together, manage their feelings and ask questions through skilled adult facilitated play.
The use of continuous provision enriched with classroom enhancements, topics, trips and visitors support children’s development in all areas of learning. The use of quality key texts, are chosen carefully to encourage children's speech, language and communication development. Planning is flexible and responsive to children’s needs so plans are changed and adapted dependent on children’s interests.
We understand the importance of parental engagement and believe that our parents have a crucial role to play in their children's education. We work hard to create strong partnerships between home and school
Parents receive regular updates on what the children are learning about during the week using the class dojo. They are also encouraged to speak to staff at the beginning and end of each day and are invited to visit the classroom throughout the year.
As part of the learning and teaching process, children are assessed in relation to their progress towards the Early Learning Goals. These judgements are made on the basis of observations and in-depth knowledge of the children acquired through ongoing assessment and quality interactions between adults and children. These ongoing assessments are used to inform planning and next steps in teaching and learning for all children throughout the year.
Impact
Our curriculum and its delivery ensure that children, from their own starting points make good progress. During their time in reception, children make progress towards the national expectation for a good level of development at the end of the year. Children also make good progress toward their age-related expectations both academically and socially, developing a sense of themselves before transitioning into Year One.
Children develop their characteristics of effective learning and are able to apply their knowledge to a range of situations making links and explaining their ideas and understanding. Children are confident to take risks and discuss their successes and failures with peers and adults drawing on their experiences to improve or adjust what they are doing.
An overview of our learning
