Curriculum

At Firwood Manor, we believe in the infinite worth of each child and recognise that all children are different and develop in their own unique way. We also believe that, given the right environment, a child’s capacity for growth is endless.

We aim to foster a whole-child approach to our curriculum, which encompasses the spiritual, moral, social, emotional, cultural, intellectual and physical development of each child.

“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.” - (John Lubbock)

Through our rich, stimulating and diverse curriculum, we aim to nurture a love of learning in every child and to develop a focused approach to work, enabling our children to realise their potential. We aim to provide exciting and challenging learning experiences, so that the children come home brimming with enthusiasm about their school day.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” - (William Butler Yeats)

Excellent results in grammar school entrance examinations are a by-product of the whole experience we provide for our children.

Our curriculum is based on the Early Learning Goals in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception) and on the National Curriculum at Key Stage One (Years 1&2) and Key Stage Two (Years 3,4,5&6).

In our school, in order to facilitate the management and leadership of Teaching and Learning, the year groups have been organised into three stages – Foundation, Development and Emergent. Nursery and Reception form the Foundation Stage, Years 1,2 and 3 form the Development Stage and Years 4,5 and 6 form the Emergent Stage. This has been designed to facilitate the transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 and is based on the principle that young children need time to develop if they are to soar. Nikos Kazantzakis, in Zorba the Greek, wrote that the greatest weight on his conscience was trying to hasten the hatching of a butterfly from a cocoon. It emerged with crumpled wings and could not fly.

Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception)

We aim to build upon the experience and learning gained from the children’s own families and we make the children’s first experiences of school exciting, stimulating and satisfying. Our happy atmosphere encourages lively and inquisitive minds within a caring and safe environment.

The children work towards the Early Learning Goals which all early years providers must by law deliver. These goals focus on what young children need to learn and cover six broad areas of learning.
The curriculum for the Foundation Stage underpins all future learning by supporting, fostering, promoting and developing children’s personal and social well being, positive attitudes dispositions towards their learning, social skills, attention skills and persistence, language and communication, reading and writing, mathematics, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. This stage of learning is critical in a child’s development and we believe that our setting, within the affectionate and intimate community of the whole school, provides an excellent environment for children.

The Foundation Stage curriculum is practical and based on well-planned play, both indoors and outdoors. The children learn through active, imaginative and creative play, investigation, exploration, experimenting, reflection and, above all, FUN. We believe too in giving children the time they need to develop these all-important first skills. Each half term the children’s activities centre on a particular theme. Parents are kept fully informed of these so that they can be involved in the planning and learning.

In the Reception class, the teaching of literacy and numeracy becomes more formal as the children begin an adjustment towards the Literacy and Numeracy hours. All children in the Foundation Stage have specialist Spanish, Music and Performing Arts tuition and our Reception children begin Swimming lessons.

Development Stage (Years 1-3)

In the Development Stage, the children continue to delight in experimenting and investigation, but they study specific subjects instead of learning through an integrated approach. In order to build on the good early years’ practice, our children follow the National Curriculum subjects plus Modern Languages. These areas develop well from the early learning goals in the Foundation Stage, thereby enabling progression in skills as well as knowledge. Daily Literacy and Numeracy lessons form the basis of the curriculum. Science, Humanities (Geography, History and Religious Education), Art and Design, Design Technology, Physical Education, Information and Communications Technology, Thinking Skills and Personal, Social, Emotional and Citizenship Education are also taught by the class teacher, but specialist teachers are responsible for Spanish, Music, Performing Arts, Games and Swimming.

Emergent Stage (Years 4-6)

The same subjects, along with the introduction of French, are followed in the Emergent Stage, in line with the National Curriculum. At this stage specialist teaching occurs in Science, Art, Design Technology, Information and Communications Technology, Modern Languages, Music, Performing Arts, Games and Swimming. This means that the teachers know all the children very well whilst the children themselves become accustomed to a secondary school approach to teaching, within the security of their primary setting.

Years 4, 5 and 6 are the years when we expect children to begin to become responsible for directing and organising their own learning.