South Ossett Infants’ Academy Curriculum
Our Vision
To engage children in the challenges of life with a positive attitude of confidence, self-respect and respect for others and to forge ahead regardless of difficulties experienced.
Our Values
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum statement starts with our vision and values as these underpin all our interactions in school and the curriculum we offer. Our school rules, our behaviour, antibullying and safeguarding policies are also integral to all of our teaching and the ethos of school. Our curriculum is based on the Early Years Framework for our Lower and Upper Foundation Stage children and the National Curriculum for our Year One and Two children. British values are linked to our school rules and ethos, and are also taught through RE, RHE and PHSE and assemblies.
The aim of our curriculum is to teach the children the academic, social and personal knowledge that they need to thrive in school and in wider society, valuing their current age and development stage whilst also ensuring they are ready for their next stage of learning.
Reading, both the ability to read well and to enjoy reading for pleasure or knowledge gained is present in all curriculum areas as are opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills and widen children’s vocabulary knowledge and choices.
Reading books and library books, spellings, tricky words, maths resources, home log ins and half termly curriculum information sent home plus an “open door” approach supports the invovement of parents and carers.
Our inclusive curriculum is tailored to meet the individual needs, interests and abilities of all our children. Creative and purposeful hands on activities strengthen pupils basic skills and motivate them to do their best. Lessons buzz with excitement and our children take pride in showing the teachers and grown ups what they have accomplished.
Our curriculum is planned and sequenced by the staff to meet the needs of our children in our setting. It makes use of the local area to give context to the knowledge taught. When appropriate we make use of visitors and visits outside of school to give further depth. We ensure that children have time to learn, revisit and embed new knowledge and skills through careful planning of taught lessons and the use of continuous provision throughout school. The finalising of these plans is on this year’s SDP, to include links to the new Early Years’ Framework – as these are completed they will be placed on the website.
The children are taught to use these Areas of Learning to move their learning forward and we teach the children how to talk about what they are learning and how.
This focus on both planned direct teaching and self-initiated or child-led learning, with knowledgable adults to teach and facilitate this, supports our vision and values for the children at South Ossett Infants’ Academy.
We have just begun to use a different scheme to teach phonics; Little Wandle Revised Letters and Sounds and the related Big Cat Reading Books. We also use a wider selection of Reading Books once the children can confidently apply their phonic knowledge in Phases 2 to 5 in their reading.
More details are set out in the documents below.
Progression in Design and Technology