School Priorities

As part of the Federation with Flitcham Primary Academy, both schools will work together. The strength of working as a Federation and part of a wider Trust, to develop staff and enrich the pupil experience and learning opportunities will be a priority for this academic year and will be a thread through all school development activities.

Priority 1: Quality of Education – Curriculum focus:

To improve pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills in all years so that they are achieving at least in line with their national Pixl group. Continue with the implementation of the Maths Mastery programme.
Improve the teaching of writing to ensure that it is coherent, progressive, ambitious and engaging so that pupils achieve at least in line with their peers nationally at both expected and greater depth. This includes improvements in spelling and punctuation and grammar, to build on analysed weaknesses from the most recent assessments.
Ensure that pupils with SEND make at least good progress in relation to their starting points.
To ensure the continued development of subject leadership across the curriculum, with a specific focus on assessment of the foundation subjects and ensuring planning is comprehensive from the EYFS upwards.

Priority 2: Behaviour and attitudes;

Our Pivotal behaviour policy focuses on ensuring pupils develop positive behaviours for learning and for life. Relationships between staff and pupils are relentlessly positive and respectful, The 3 school rules of Ready, Respectful, Safe are adhered to by all.

Focus areas for this year are;

To maintain and promote ‘The Pivotal Approach’ behaviour programme, by ensuring staff use the weekly tips and develop and use their recognition board. A focus this year on ensuring clear record keeping on behaviour.
Ensure that the Christian values are lived out in the daily life of the school.
High expectations for good attendance and punctuality are pursued for all pupils and celebrated.
To ensure that our pupils are aware of the wider world, including a multicultural approach that incorporates different cultures, faiths, people and inspirational experiences and through, trips and visitors,

Priority 3: Personal development;

This year we will be focusing on 4 core areas;

To maintain the whole school approach to wellbeing, using the PATHS strategy and resources.
To promote the value of inclusion for all of our pupils, ensuring those with SEND difficulties and given appropriate and timely support in order to achieve to their potential.
Promotion of British Values, to prepare learners for life in modern Britain – including making links to our Christian values e.g.: an understanding of advocacy and how we can equip our pupils to contribute to society positively, through the Global Neighbours Programme.
To promote a suite of Personal Development goals using the Chris Quigley Essentials Curriculum including, perseverance – not giving up and working hard, confidence, communication and understanding others, resilience, pushing themselves, being imaginative, improving themselves.

Priority 4: Leadership and management;

This year we will be focusing on 2 core areas;

To embed subject leadership across the Federation, including embedding new staff and providing appropriate support and CPD to ensure staff have the required skills to lead subjects and are supported by :-
- including planned opportunities for middle leaders to be able to monitor their subjects across the Federation actively, ensuring there is clear progression in both the skills and knowledge taught and the curriculum is covered in a broad and rich way, encouraging pupils to develop a rich vocabulary and broad understanding of individual subjects
- to focus on embedding meaningful assessment across the curriculum and active retrieval, so pupils build on their knowledge and make links within the subject and across the curriculum.
- ensuring subject leaders across all curriculum areas are confident to present their subject to a variety of audiences, including parents, governors, AGEP, Ofsted through interviews and workshops.
To improve the provision and to support the development of SEND provision and outcomes through:-
- Engaging in a ‘peer led’ SEND review process from the Trust
- Empower SENCO and teachers across the Trust through high quality training in the accurate identification, support and development of ambitious curricula for SEND pupils
- Develop robust tracking and monitoring of SEND pupils

Priority 5: EYFS provision;

This year we will be focusing on 5 core areas;

Further develop the support of pupils with SEND through the Trust wide development programme led by the school SENDCo, including for example the training in Makaton.
Further develop the outside area to support all the areas of learning eg :Gardening area, gross motor skill development area enhancement,
Continue to embed the new EYFS framework into the two-year EYFS curriculum cycle. Make refinements where needed. Ensure that EYFS is planned into the foundation subjects areas and subject leaders are aware what their subject looks like in the EYFS.
Further develop key areas within the classroom to support interventions (calm, reflection areas as well as intervention delivery space).
Timely and efficient administration of the Reception baseline