Sparrow Farm Primary School is a unique place to learn, where we have been educating generations of families. Together we are shaping the future of all our children as they start the most exciting educational journey of their lives with us.

We are aware of the considerable privilege in shaping these formative learning years of your child. We relish the opportunity this brings to develop their core values and to provide an engaging and innovative curriculum and a wide breadth of horizon broadening experiences.

We encourage an environment where teachers thrive and pupils learn because they are inspired and curious – and through our LIFE Curriculum we aim to create a zest for learning that will stay with us all our lives.

As well as developing important life skills and personal qualities we believe we are playing our part in building a better world and providing our pupils with life skills and personal qualities which employers are looking for in the 21st century workplace. We want to ensure that our pupils learn how to survive and stay strong with physical and mental wellbeing, emotional intelligence as well as the academic.

Our children are our collective future and our aim is to instil in them self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem so they feel proud of themselves, proud of their achievements and proud of their school. 

LIFE Curriculum on a Page

EARLY YEARS

Children in our Fledglings, Nursery and Reception follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework, ensuring that practice is shaped by four guiding principles:

• every child is unique
• children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
• children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults who respond to their individual interests and need
• the importance of learning and development

The curriculum covers three prime areas of learning:

• Communication and Language
• Physical Development
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development

and four specific areas of learning:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design

In the Early Years our learning mostly takes place through play. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.

Practitioners in the Early Years stimulate children’s interests, responding to each child’s emerging needs and guiding their development through warm, positive interactions coupled with secure routines for play and learning. As children grow older and move into the reception year, there is a greater focus on teaching the essential skills and knowledge in the specific areas of learning.

In planning and guiding what children learn, practitioners  reflect on the different rates at which children are developing and adjust their practice appropriately. We do this using the three characteristics of effective teaching and learning  which are:

• playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’
• active learning - children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy achievements
• creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.

Play, both indoors and outdoors, makes a powerful contribution to children’s wellbeing, development and learning. Here at Sparrow Farm Primary School we are lucky to excellent indoor and outdoor spaces that allow children to thrive within the Early Years..

KEY STAGE 1 AND KEY STAGE 2

We follow the National Curriculum (2014) in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) and Key Stage 2 (Years 3 - 6). More information on each of the subjects can be found on the menu on the right hand side of this page.

 Teachers are given the autonomy to plan topics that are of interest to the children. These topics are then carefully thought through to cover a wide range of subject areas. Our topic choices aim to encompass all areas of learning and provide many opportunities to develop our children’s English and Maths skills. English and Maths are taught every day both across various subjects and in discrete lessons.