Our vision and philosophy for Heathcote Primary is that our curriculum instils in children a sense that learning is fun. We want them to leave our school with an assortment of rich and joyful memories which they value. Throughout their time with us they will learn to overcome challenges, build self-esteem and resilience and develop a love for learning so that they can make choices in their future careers. Our curriculum will provide inspiring opportunities to develop relationships, make friends, and learn to support others not only in their school community but in the wider world. By constantly developing our curriculum and seeking ways to stretch their abilities we will teach the children to seek excellence and value learning. Mountaineers will teach the children how far they can climb, engineers will inspire them to 'think outside the box', our continuing links with the elderly community will instil children to want to know more about history, housing developers will teach children how to be eloquent and learn to sell homes. We have an amazing blank canvas of outdoor areas which are new and ripe for development and a growing forest school where children are enlivened to take risks and are given the freedom to explore.
Our children are enthusiastic, well behaved, creative and generally happy. They are keen to come to school because it is a place that provides stability and care. Most live in a brand new housing estate which is rapidly growing and changing. Our community is not yet fully established and we recognise how important it is to support the children to establish their role and place in their new district. We want them to feel secure and comfortable in their surroundings; ready and eager to learn whilst their neighbourhood is expanding. Our families are ethnically diverse and there is a wide range of wealth and experiences. The mobility of children has been high which has led us to support them in finding their identity and establishing a place they can call home.
Our intention through our curriculum choices reflects our desire to develop in our children understanding and respect of our community and for them to develop a sense of society which is deep within us all. We understand we have a vital role ensuring that all of our children appreciate that being a part of Heathcote Primary means that you are a part of the hub of a community that is new, exciting and at the very start of an historical journey where building relationships as a basis for excellent learning is the key.
We believe children's mental health and well-being opportunities must be provided for children to relate to others appropriately, developing an emotional skill set that allows them to promote mature and fulfilling relationships based on empathy and true understanding of others which cross gender and age barriers and should emphasise the strength of diversity whilst celebrating the uniqueness of the individual. We are committed to developing every child to have a global awareness and appreciate that the decisions they make about their own lifestyle can have a profound effect on the lives of others around the world. We actively encourage all of our children to be aware of their own well-being, we give them the tools to manage all manner of emotions and crucially we provide a safe space in which to express themselves.
We are role models for positive well-being, we ensure that we all freely express ourselves using positive language and approaches. The children are taught that it is okay to feel all emotions, to be resilient when things do not to go to plan and above all else that everyone deserves to be respected. Our one school rule of RESPECT permeates our school. We teach our children to be tolerant of everyone they encounter by giving them wide opportunities to appreciate and respect our own and other cultures. We actively encourage our children to promote their individual liberty, to make choices in a safe and supportive environment.
Assessment and Monitoring
- Clear Learning Objectives
- Success Criteria - developed with pupils (REMEMBER TO...)
- Work evaluated by own child/peers/ teacher
- Share Successes & Next Steps through half termly topic sharing events
- Whole school tracking and data analysis
- Learning Walks
- Governor visits
- Children’s books and discussions
- Views of parents and pupils
- Planning
- Pupil progress meetings, assessment, feedback marking and moderation
- Staff curriculum evaluation and regular planning meetings •
- Strong liaison with our Hub schools in The Multi Academy Trust
