Our vision to foster a love for learning and equip children for life, starts with each pupil’s first encounter with Jubilee Primary School as our approach and developmentally appropriate curriculum provide the impetus to drive this vision. As part of our strong family ethos, we visit children in their home environment, before they are welcomed into our nurturing environment. Children are encouraged to become independent and inquisitive learners through supported play and focused activities. Children learn a broad range of knowledge and skills gained through daily experiences, including social skills such as co-operation, whilst fostering skills of self-care and independence. We include phonics, storytelling, singing and poetry into our daily practice to promote a language rich environment. We use the Read~Write Inc. phonic scheme to bolster a systematic, synthetic approach to phonics whilst also creating a love for reading through exploring storybooks around a topic.

Children’s learning journeys are documented through the online journal, Tapestry. Parents are encouraged to discuss the learning the children have completed at school and record any further learning that takes place at home. Parents and teachers work closely together to make sure children receive the individualised support they need in order to receive the very best start to their school careers.

Our curriculum is child focused and appropriate to the children’s needs and interests. Children’s talents can be nurtured and creativity is encouraged. We cover the seven areas of learning with the characteristics of effective learning at the forefront of all we do.

Personal, social and emotional development:

Children are provided with a nurturing environment allowing them to explore and develop themselves within a supportive setting. Children learn how to manage their feelings and take responsibility for their own behaviour through collaborative work, forming positive relationships with both adults and peers. They develop an awareness of their own emotions and behaviour through reflection and consideration. The school values are encouraged and children become compassionate and respectful, working on tasks co-operatively together as a team. 

Communication and language: 

We believe that language acquisition is the pinnacle to academic growth so vocabulary development underpins every activity that children complete. Children are actively encouraged to reflect on all tasks that they complete, expressing themselves effectively whilst listening to ideas of others. Children are exposed to rich vocabulary from storybooks and language is developed through a variety of experiences within the classroom. Children are also encouraged to express themselves and organise their ideas through our distinctive ‘big teach’ sessions which are developed throughout the school. Within a supportive environment, children know that they can be comfortable to communicate their thoughts, ideas and needs to others, knowing that the contributions they make are valued and respected.

Physical development:

Children are exposed to a free flow system where they are encouraged to participate in learning opportunities both inside and within the outdoor learning environment. In both areas, children have a variety of cross-curricular opportunities, which develop both their gross and fine motor skills. Children are taught how to use equipment safely whilst developing their co-ordination and control.

Literacy

Excitement around reading and writing is developed through the use of engaging and language rich storybooks. Children are drawn into a story through storytelling techniques, discussion and small world curiosity opportunities. They are encouraged to mark make from an early stage in order to build up the confidence to write independently once they have been given the skills of writing and linking phonemes and graphemes. Children are taught how to blend and recognise sounds and letters in order to give them the skills to decode independently. Reading at home is expected to extend the opportunities children have at school and also for them to read more widely.        

Mathematics

We follow Powermaths, alongside the White Rose schemes of learning. Children are exposed to mathematical learning experiences through exploration of problems and challenges based around our topics and themes that interest them. We use songs, rhymes and manipulatives to support the learning of both numbers and numerical patterns. They are shown how maths relates to their everyday life and how they will use their knowledge within the world around them.

Understanding the world

Children are given a range of experiences to help support them in understanding the world around them. They are encouraged to be inquisitive, to ask questions and to find out why. We welcome visitors from the community around us to support children with their understanding of different occupations and traditions. Children are taught to be resilient, ask questions and take measured risks to find solutions to their questions. We complete two forest school trips, where the children have the opportunity to take risks, explore nature and use natural objects to be expressive and creative.

Expressive arts and design

Through our ‘Design, Create, Reflect’ programme children are encouraged to be creative, to represent their ideas in their own ways and with the materials that they choose. They plan, sequence and change strategy where needed, meeting challenges for their own feeling of accomplishment. With an adult, they evaluate and reflect on their progress. Through our arts distinctive, children are encouraged to explore their talents in a room with no boundaries. Role play, music and dance are embedded practice throughout the classroom.