At St Teresa’s learning is not confined to a classroom; it is the purpose and responsibility of the whole school. We believe learning is a sacred endeavour, and all learning helps us to fathom the mysteries of life. We recognise that education is a shared commitment by all members of our community; children, parents, staff, governors, our Parish and Diocese and our MAT. To ensure all of our children achieve their full potential it is essential we all work closely together to support the process of learning.
Learning occurs everywhere, from the moment the children arrive at school in the morning until they leave at the end of the day. We believe in teaching our children to be confident individuals who are able to independently tackle any situation, inside or outside of the classroom environment with a resilient, determined attitude.
We aim to:
- Provide a supportive, safe, happy and caring environment, with high expectations which enables children to develop their self-esteem and decision making skills enabling them to make a positive contribution to school life and beyond
- Instil a love of learning, celebrating both success and effort, encouraging children to be enthusiastic and committed learners, promoting their self-esteem, self-worth and emotional well-being
- Develop our children’s faith and journey with God by following our SAINTS beatitudes and living out the Gospel Values, encouraging them to be disciples of Jesus
- Provide an inspiring, fun, engaging curriculum, with both challenge and support, which provides opportunities for all pupils to make the best possible progress
- Provide rich and varied contexts and experiences for pupils, in and beyond the classroom, so they may acquire, develop and apply a broad range of knowledge, skills and understanding
- Develop individuals with lively, enquiring minds, good thinking skills, self-respect, self-discipline and positive attitudes
- Work alongside parents and all members of our St Teresa’s community to maintain and develop a school of which we can all be proud
- Fully prepare our pupils for the next steps in their learning journey at St Teresa’s and beyond
Planning for Effective Teaching for Learning - The Early Years Foundation Stage
The Foundation Stage includes all children in our Pre-school and Reception classes. The Early Years Foundation Stage is the statutory curriculum which is followed by all childcare providers, nursery settings and reception classes. The curriculum is divided into core and specific key areas of learning and development. They are:
The prime areas of learning:
Communication & language, Physical development, Personal, social & emotional development
The specific areas of learning:
Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the world, Expressive arts and design
The learning characteristics:
Playing and exploring, Active learning, Creating and thinking critically
Together, these areas of learning make up the skills, knowledge and experiences appropriate for your child as they grow, learn and develop. We strive to ensure that each child’s learning and development occurs as an outcome of their individual interests and abilities which is reflected in our planned learning.
An EYFS Learning Journey will be completed for each child. Throughout the Foundation Stage they will be assessed primarily through observations of daily activities and events in relation to the 17 Early Learning Goal descriptors. For each ELG, practitioners must judge whether a child is meeting the level of development expected at the end of the Reception Year (expected)or not yet reaching this level (emerging).
The completed EYFS Profile will include a short commentary on each child’s skills and abilities in relation to the three key characteristics of effective learning.
Planning for Effective Teaching for Learning - The National Curriculum Key Stages 1 & 2
How is the curriculum organised?
In September 2014 a new Primary Curriculum was introduced in all schools in England. The main aim was to raise standards and was inspired by what is taught in the world’s most successful school systems, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Finland, as well as in the best UK schools. This new curriculum was designed to produce productive, creative and well educated students and has a strong focus on essential core subject knowledge and skills. The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils. The national curriculum forms one part of the school curriculum.
Every state-funded school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based and which:
- promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society
- prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life
Maintained schools in England are legally required to follow the statutory National Curriculum which sets out in programmes of study, on the basis of key stages, subject content for those subjects that should be taught to all pupils.
How is the curriculum planned?
Teachers work in teams to plan, taking into account children’s needs, abilities and preferred learning styles. The planning ensures curriculum coverage, progression and includes a variety of teaching methods and strategies. Planning is flexible and linked to pupils areas of interest. It focuses on key core skills and is annotated to identify areas for development.
The Curriculum at St Teresa's goes beyond covering the National Curriculum objectives by focusing on each Individual child's holistic development. In order to support the personal development of our children, teachers identify gaps appropriate to the children's stage and use these to create our 'Curated curriculum' document. The 'Curated Curriculum' ensures that all children have access to a rich set of experiences to further support their personal development.
If you would like more information about our Curriculum, please contact a member of our Leadership Team, via the School Office.
