Love Learning - The Barwell Infants' Curriculum

In addition, reading and phonics are central to every child's development and learning, and play a key role in much of the work we do in school.

Cornerstones Curriclum

At Barwell, we believe in creating a stimulating environment which allows our children to learn in a way that motivates and interests them through inspirational activities and high quality teaching.

At Barwell, we use the Cornerstones Curriculum.  The Cornerstones Curriclum is a creative and thematic approach to learning that is mapped to the Primary Curriclum to ensure comprehensive coverage of national expectations.

Our curriclum is delivered through Imaginative Learning Projects (ILPs) which provide a rich menu of exciting and motivating learning activities that make creative links between all aspects of children's learning.

We belive that children learn better when they are encouraged to use their imagination and apply their learning in engaging contexts.  Our curriclum provides lots of learning challenges throughout each year that require the children to solve problems, apply themselves creatively and express their knowledge and understanding across the whole curriclum.  

How it works:

Children will progress through the four stages of learning in each ILP-Engage, Develop, Innovate and Express

Engage - children will:

• Gain memorable first hand experiences, such as going on a visit or inviting a special visitor to school

• Enjoy 'WOW' experiences

• Get an exciting introduction to a topic or theme

• Begin researching and setting enquiry questions

• Get lots of opportunities to make observations

• Develop spoken language skills

• Take part in sensory activities

• Have lots of fun to fully 'engage' with their new topic

Develop-children will:

• Improve their knowledge and undertsanding of the topic

• Develop and practice their new skills

• Compose, make, do, build, investigate and explore, write for different purposes and read across the curriclum

• Research their own suggestions and those set by others

• Follow new pathways of enquiry based on their interests

• Complete home learning activities 

Innovate- children will:

• Apply skills, knowledge and understanding in real life contexts

• Solve real or imagined problems using skills and knowledge they have learnt

• Be inspired by imaginative and creative opportunities

• Revisit everything not fully grasped at the 'Develop' stage

Express-children will:

• Become performers, experts and informers

• Share their achievements with parents, their peers and the community

• Evaluate completed products and processes

• Link everything that they have learnt to where they started

• Celebrate all they have learnt!

At Barwell we have carefully selected inspiring, engaging and exciting topics from the Cornerstones Curriclum.  Each half term teachers will send out a class newsletter with topic information as well as a knowledge organiser of what they children will be learning so that parents are able to support at home.

EYFS

Here at Barwell Infants, we acknowledge that children are powerful learners. Every child can make progress in their learning, with the right help. Children learn through play, by adults modelling, by observing each other, and through guided learning and direct teaching.  At Barwell Infants, we carefully organise the environment to ensure high-quality play whilst making time and space available for children to invent their own play. Adults join in to sensitively support and extend children’s learning.  Children also learn through group work, when the adults guide their learning. The high quality and well-planned learning environment, indoors and outside, is an important aspect of the learning at Barwell Infants. 

Characteristics of Effective Learning

When planning and guiding what children learn in school, teachers reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust what they do appropriately.

The three characteristics of effective teaching and learning are:

Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’

Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements

Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies 

EYFS Framework

The EYFS framework sets the statutory standards for the development, learning and care of children from birth to age 5. It promotes teaching and learning to ensure children’s ‘school readiness’ and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills to provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.

Areas of Learning and Development

There are seven areas of learning and development that shape the educational programmes in early year’s settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected.

Three areas are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving.

These are the prime areas: 

•communication and language
•physical development
•personal, social and emotional development

There are also four specific areas, through which the three prime areas are strengthened and applied. 
The specific areas are:
•literacy
•mathematics
•understanding the world
•expressive arts and design

Assessment at the end of the EYFS

In the final term of the year, the EYFS Profile is completed for each child. The Profile provides parents and carers, practitioners and teachers with a well-rounded picture of a child’s knowledge, understanding and abilities, their attainment against expected levels, and their readiness for year 1.

Each child’s level of development is assessed against the early learning goals (ELG’s) as to whether they are meeting ‘expected’ levels of development, or if they are not yet reaching expected levels (‘emerging’). 

Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (publishing.service.gov.uk)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/development-matters--2 

Maths in Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2):

Programmes of Study

You can find the government's Programmes of Study for each subject by clicking on the red buttons below:

N.B. These Programmes of Study also refer to the expectations for KS2 (Year 3 - 6)