St. Edmund's C of E Primary and Nursery School
A journey to discover 'life in all its fullness'. John 10:10
The curriculum is much improved. It has been changed to reflect the higher expectations of the new national requirements. Good emphasis has been placed on improving pupils’ basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. This has not resulted in a narrow curriculum, however. Pupils enjoy their weekly Spanish lessons, their guitar classes and the regular visits and visitors to school that form part of the school’s normal curriculum. Music, art and technology have a prominent part in the curriculum and pupils enjoy the wide variety of learning and their interesting lessons". - Source Ofsted Inspection Report 2016.
High standards, especially in English and Mathematics, in combination with ethical values and principles, are the ‘backbone’ of success in learning and in life. Nowadays, more than ever, children need to be engaged and excited in what they are doing in school. If they are not ‘switched on’ it may be extremely hard for them to reach these high standards.
Therefore, the creative and exciting aspects to teaching are crucial for this generation of children to succeed. This is where you get the truly inspirational and magical moments.
We aim to combine these two elements effectively; planning a rich, relevant and balanced curriculum, while keeping the focus on achievement. Children learn better when they are excited and engaged, but what really excites and engages them most is truly excellent teaching, which challenges them and shows them what they are capable of doing.
It would quite normal to see our children being ‘evacuated’ out of their classroom in a WWII scenario, or going ‘hunting’ as cave dwellers during the Stone Age. When there is joy in what they are doing, they learn to love their educational experience.
The creative curriculum we provide is based on a thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the new 2014 Primary National Curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations. Our new curriculum provides a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of our children’s learning.
We believe that children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning to engaging contexts. We make learning engaging so that all children achieve their full potential. We want our children to develop as active, inquisitive and confident learners with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in the next stage of their education.
Our Phonics Scheme is 'Lesley Clarke's Letters and Sounds'. We do not have a specific Reading Scheme, we use reading books from a variety of sources and then book band them accordingly.
For more information on how phonics is taught, please visit Lesley Clarke's website by following the link below.