Early Childhood and Lower Primary

Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.

Head of Lower Primary -  Ms Emma Chapman

Welcome to Early Childhood at VISP!

Our Early Childhood curriculum is built upon the school values of every child being valued, inspired, succeeding in their learning and being proud of themselves. Our core aim is for children to develop as creative individuals and leave Early Childhood as independent, resilient and curious learners.

We provide:

• Rich and stimulating environments and experiences.

• Warm, responsive and respectful relationships with children and their families that recognise and celebrate a diverse range of cultures, preferences and interests.

• Adaptive teaching to meet the needs of all learners, identifying where some children need additional support to succeed.

• Sequences of purposeful learning that engage children, through play and adult instruction, to develop a strong foundational knowledge across all areas of learning.

Therefore, the children become:

• Settled, comfortable and empowered members of the classroom and school community.

• Respectful members of our school and informed citizens that understand and show care for the world around them.

• Successful learners that are confident to try again and understand that perseverance and resilience contribute towards their own personal growth.

• Knowledgeable, enthusiastic and articulate learners that can explain and apply ideas with their peers and in their play.

Curriculum Implementation

Teaching and learning in Early Childhood adheres to the statutory framework and is underpinned by the following core values:

• Language rich environments, that encompass high-quality interactions; stimulating contemporary songs and rhymes; reverence to traditional tales and nursery rhymes; engaging, high-quality key texts.

• Precision teaching of high-quality language that builds all three tiers of vocabulary.

• Positive interactions that are centred around sustained shared thinking involving both adult-child and child-child.

• A culture of reading for pleasure that is drawn from rich texts that drive learning and stimulate discussion.

• Outdoor classroom and environment that provide authentic opportunities for the development of physical skills, appropriate risk-taking, and investigation of the natural world.

• High-quality provision, with open-ended resources and activities, that is consistent and conducive to explorative play.

• Flexible activities that are tailored to the needs of all children as individuals.

• Collaborative learning approaches, such as talk partners, which provide all children with an opportunity to share and extend their thinking.

• A balance between high quality provision and thematic enhancements that are purposeful and build strong foundations for future learning.

• Valued partnerships with children and their families are developed through regular communication, including Tapestry, family workshops and celebratory events.

• Diagnostic activities and half-termly assessments for Maths/Phonics that identify and respond to any misconceptions and inform future learning.  

Curriculum Impact

At VISP, we support all children in making progress from their own starting points. Within the Early Childhood Section, staff and children are aspirational and seek to ensure that all children develop to the best of their individual ability. This progress supports the development of a foundation for learning that aspires to meet the expectation for a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of the Early Childhood stage.

Children demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning and are able to apply their knowledge to a range of situations, making links and explaining their ideas and understanding. Children develop the confidence to seek challenge, take risks and explore new experiences. They understand that mistakes are a valuable part of their learning and an opportunity for personal growth!

Staff

Reception 1: Ms. Danielle Payet & Kelly Constance

Reception 2: Ms. Emma Champan & Kettina D'unienville

Year 1: Mrs Adivije May & Ms Ging

Year 2: Mr Carthew & Mrs Carthew

KS1 PE: Mr Davidson

French: Miss Lindy

Additional Support: Mrs Thompson, Miss Sarah, Ms Rose

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