Curriculum Statement & Planning

Curriculum
Intent

At Crest Infant and Nursery School we believe that we are educating the whole child and providing that child with skills, knowledge and attitudes for life. It is essential that children are highly motivated, interested and have a sense of their own achievements. Both teachers and parents have a role to play in maintaining positive attitudes to learning and thereby enhancing the child’s self-esteem.

Our curriculum is based on the existing Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum and reflects a wide and varied learning experience which is enriched through creative contexts and a values based learning community, focusing on developing children’s’ character. We are committed to developing the whole child.

Aims

The Crest School Curriculum enables all children to become:

  • successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve their full potential

  • confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives

  • responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society

  • individuals who understand the value of learning and who continue that process through their lives

Values

The Crest School Curriculum is developed around values based learning (STAR Learners) which:

  • promotes personal development

  • supports equality of opportunity

  • develops spiritual, moral, social, intellectual and physical growth

  • celebrates the contributions of a diverse range of people, cultures and heritages

  • develops an understanding of the environment as the basis of life and a source of wonder and inspiration that needs to be protected

Purpose

The curriculum at Crest School will:

  • promote high standards of academic and personal, social and emotional development

  • promote a positive engagement with, and commitment to, learning

  • provide continued entitlement from early years to a coherent, broad and balanced curriculum

  • instil in children a positive disposition to learning and a commitment to learn

  • promote and pass on essential skills, knowledge and understanding valued by society to the next generation

  • be relevant to children and prepare them for the here and now, for the next phase of their education, and for their future

  • widen horizons and raise aspirations

  • make children more aware of, and engaged with, their local, national and international communities

  • help children recognise that personal development is essential to wellbeing and success


As a result of working as we do, our children:

  • will have fun

  • will be more actively and independently involved

  • will develop learning skills more quickly, as each one is connected to and reinforced by the other

  • will be more confident and better motivated

  • will present with fewer behavioural, social and emotional needs as a result of being immersed in engaging experiences

 

Curriculum Implementation
Curriculum Mapping

The curriculum map shows the learning units undertaken each term in each year group.  Cross curricular links are made wherever possible under a broad theme or based around a key text, to ensure that each term the learning is creative, exciting and has a clear context.  The units are specifically designed to ensure there is a clear progression in knowledge, content and skills learning across the school.

Reading Scheme - Little Wandle

Since September 2022, we have been using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds revised, to teach phonics and reading across the school. We invested in resources, training and books for all of the children and the response has been exceptional. Our teachers and children are enjoying phonics more than ever and their reading has progressed hugely in this short time. We hope you have noticed the difference at home and that the children are excited to share their journey with you. Thank you for taking the time to share their reading and for helping us to take care of the books sent home.

For more information about the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds revised programme, please visit https://www.littlewandlelettersandsounds.org.uk/resources/for-parents/ for access to information, videos, resources and advice on how to support your child at home and to help you understand how we are teaching them. We are also happy to discuss this with you and welcome comments via email or in person.

Whole School Projects

Whole school projects at our school provide a further inspirational context for learning and provide opportunities to show progression in learning across the school.  These are planned yearly and include projects based on music from key composers,  paintings from artists across the world,  places of interest and high quality texts and picture books.  Each year group will develop a scheme of work to develop the learning for each project in the way most relevant and stimulating for their children.

Units of Learning (themes)

Our curriculum map reflects our belief in the importance of cross curricular learning which makes clear links between different subject areas within a meaningful overall context.  The context provided is sometimes a theme and sometimes a key text, which is then used by year groups as the basis for planning with a focus on enquiry based learning.  Children become immersed in the context and learning becomes purposeful and meaningful.  Children are actively involved in asking questions, investigating, hypothesising and driving their learning forward.

Topic Webs

see Homework Page