“I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me” Phillippians  4:13
Our Vision
We cultivate a rich environment in all we do so that the school community, have the right to Learn, Enjoy, Grow, developing spiritually and having awe-inspiring learning experiences. Our children learn within a culture of acceptance, build resilience and flourish in unique ways, underpinned through the teachings of Jesus, through God and in his world.

The sower and the soils parable – Matthew 13
Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum has been designed to ensure that every child can, ‘Learn, Enjoy and Grow’ by offering spiritual and awe-inspiring learning experiences with Christian values at its heart.

We aim to build upon children’s prior knowledge, provide practical experiences, well sequenced lessons and encourage creativity and independent thinking skills.

Our approach to learning is bespoke as each child is unique, we celebrate diversity and differences in our school. Our curriculum is underpinned by big ideas, knowledge and skills. We enhance the curriculum with extra opportunities that are relevant and provide opportunities for critical thinking and nurture enquiring minds.

We believe our curriculum creates children who are inquisitive, resilient, tolerant and have high aspirations.

Implementation
The teachers are encouraged to use their own creativity within the planning and delivery of the curriculum, as well as the interests of the children in their class and the learning potential of the locality to plan exciting cross-curricular learning to meet the children’s needs. We use Curriculum Maestro (linked to the National Curriculum) as the platform to ensure progression across year groups through a sequence of learning with an appropriate level of challenge for each year group. This platform forms the bedrock of the delivery with teachers then putting their own individual stamp on lesson delivery and classroom engagement.

Each year group, has topics delivered throughout the year, as well as enriching experience weeks such as STEM, Black history, Mental health week and numerous one day activities such as Wise Owls, Music Workshops, Rail Safety, Dogs Trust etc. In additional we have a Forest school and children’s kitchen for cooking where pupils access this on a rotation basis.

The learning environment forms a key part of our school curriculum and is used effectively to support the learning in each topic. Through well-planned, stimulating activities, the children acquire a strong skills-base upon which their learning can develop. Teachers make excellent use of visits to local areas of interest as well as inviting visitors into the classroom to provide enrichment and immersion in the topics taught.

Teachers have a good awareness of each child’s needs and tailor their learning accordingly. There is good use of questioning and opportunities for speaking and listening through discussion, paired/group work, role-play etc. Teachers make good use of their strong subject knowledge although they are reflective and are constantly looking for ways to improve their practice. The Headteacher with members of the senior leadership team and subject leaders, carry out a variety of monitoring and scrutiny checks throughout the year, observing lessons, talking to children and looking at their books to ensure there is consistency of expectations, challenge and progression across the school. Marking provides constructive feedback about successes and areas for development, using the rewritten marking code which has been recently updated in 2023.

Phonics, using the Little Wandle programme is delivered on a daily basis in the EYFS and KS1.

The school has established an inclusive environment where all children, regardless of their needs, are well catered for. Adaptations have been made across the school to ensure accessibility and participation for SEND pupils. A robust system for the early identification of children with SEND ensures that support is provided promptly, allowing for tailored interventions that meet individual needs and foster progress. Both physical and human resources are effectively utilised to enhance children’s levels of engagement and achievement. Staff are well-trained and equipped to deliver quality, individualized support as seen during learning walk. The school has a well-resourced sensory room that is accessible throughout the day. Children can self-refer, promoting self-regulation and independence in managing their sensory needs. Curriculum adaptations are thoughtfully implemented to cater to the needs of SEND pupils, ensuring that all children can access learning at an appropriate level and pace. The school maintains open lines of communication with parents and caregivers, involving them in the planning and review of SEND support to ensure a collaborative approach to each child’s development. The SENCO has strong links with external agencies enabling swift intervention and additional support for pupils, staff and families where appropriate

Our intention is that all pupils, irrespective of their background or the challenges they face, make good progress and achieve high attainment across all subject areas. The focus of our pupil premium strategy is to support disadvantaged pupils to achieve that goal, including progress for those who are already high attainers. We will consider the challenges faced by vulnerable pupils, such as those who have a social worker and young carers. The activity we have outlined in pupil premium strategy is also intended to support their needs, regardless of whether they are disadvantaged or not.

Wellbeing and Quality first teaching is at the heart of our approach, with a focus on areas in which disadvantaged pupils require the most support. This is proven to have the greatest impact on closing the disadvantage attainment gap and at the same time will benefit the non-disadvantaged pupils in our school. Implicit in the intended outcomes detailed below, is the intention that non-disadvantaged pupils’ attainment will be sustained and improved alongside progress for their disadvantaged peers.

Our approach will be responsive to common challenges and individual needs, rooted in robust diagnostic assessment, not assumptions about the impact of disadvantage. The approaches we have adopted complement each other to help pupils excel. To ensure they are effective we will: · ensure disadvantaged pupils are challenged in the work that they’re set · act early to intervene at the point need is identified adopt a whole school approach in which all staff take responsibility for disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes and raise expectations of what they can achieve

The school works closely with Teynham pre-school, which is based on the school site, to ensure there is smooth transition from Pre-school to Reception for children joining us in Reception.

The vast majority of children make good progress and learn well. They are very motivated to learn and pupil survey results highlight children’s enjoyment of school. Children are tracked closely and the attainment of every child in the school is discussed at termly Pupil Progress Meeting. Successes are highlighted and used to share good practice as well as any identified barriers to progress. Children who are making less than expected progress are then discussed further with plans put in place to support them e.g. parent meetings, intervention, and/or additional classroom support or small group work. Intervention is closely tracked to ensure maximum impact and cost effectiveness.

Clear assessment procedures have been implemented by the school to track children’s attainment and progress through the curriculum. Teachers meet regularly to moderate their writing assessments and share the children’s outcomes in various subjects. Data is shared with the governing body and discussed/scrutinised at Governor meetings. The school’s last external moderation for KS2 writing in 2024 was very successful and all judgements were agreed upon.

Impact
The wide range of topics studied across the school provides children with the detailed knowledge and skills needed to succeed and prepares them well for their future learning. Our learners are engaged with their topics and work hard to develop their knowledge through their enthusiastic approach to school.

Pupils are keen to take on positions of responsibility and make good use of the opportunities provided in school, such as Year 6 buddies, Worship Wednesday leaders, Nature Club leaders, Makaton Ambassadors and Value ambassadors. This contributes to the development of well-rounded and confident learners who are well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

The school’s creative approach to learning ensures that children experience a wide range of enriching activities. As a result of this, children are learning to apply their key skills to other areas of the curriculum.

Visitors often comment on the positive behaviour of the children. They are caring and supportive of each other. Older children support younger children which help builds relationships across the school community. Children have an opportunity to share and celebrate their learning with each other, their parents and the wider community. An example of this are the class blogs and WOW walks.

Our children know they have a voice and know they are not too young to make a difference. Children feel safe to try new things. Developing their resilience, spirituality and an understanding of their part within the world and their life-long love of learning is what motivates our curriculum.