Learning at West Earlham Infant and Nursery school is planned to be exciting, allowing for the children to enjoy what they are learning, enabling them to be the best learners and school friends they can be. Whilst we know that reading, writing and communication are critical skills, we value the importance of using these skills across all subjects within our curriculum.
Our curriculum is based on an understanding that children are hard wired to learn and is carefully planned in line with the National Curriculum and Early Years Framework. It is developed through an understanding of what we know about how young children learn, prior learning, what engages our children and what is relevant to their lives. We place an emphasis on securely developing an understanding of spoken language, vocabulary and listening comprehension skills, because we know that limited oral language skills are a barrier to learning and can lead to early reading difficulties and academic underachievement, if not addressed.
Our curriculum is broad and balanced and incorporates diversity and inclusion, through a range of well-planned learning opportunities and rich experiences. It seeks to be both a ‘windows and mirrors’ curriculum; ‘windows’ out onto the world, to support children’s understanding and appreciation of other people’s lives, cultures and perspectives and ‘mirrors’, reflecting children’s own lives and giving a sense of belonging. It exposes them to the immediate and local environment, the arts, sport, adventure, creativity and challenge. It reflects the rich and varied cultures in our community and beyond and focuses on building on knowledge and skills.
Our curriculum aims to develop
- successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve academically across the whole curriculum and meet at least national expectations by the end of KS1
- confident and resilient individuals who are able to live healthy, happy and fulfilling lives
- responsible citizens, who make a positive contribution to society with an understanding of their rights and responsibilities and who are respectful of others regardless of gender, faith, culture or sexuality
Updated December 2023
To find out more about the curriculum the school is following please see our curriculum overviews page
