FEATURE FOCUS: VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM


How has your thinking on early years been inspired?


Early years is one of the most important stages in a child’s life – they have to be learning and happy from day one – and, as a school, we have a clear vision on what is required to support that. Through my experience working nationally and internationally, I have seen at first-hand some truly great EYFS practice in many different schools and the design we have come up with for this particular space is informed by that. However, most importantly, this is about supporting the needs of our children in our community and making them happy. From our perspective, EYFS children need to be learning from everything in their school environment, and this environment also facilitates how we teach. We are investing in teaching our curriculum and it is important we have the facilities to support that.


How would you describe your school’s overall approach to the curriculum? It is our vision that every child experiences an ambitious curriculum that unlocks the doors of opportunity whilst ensuring they not only leave us equipped with the necessary foundational skills needed in reading, writing and mathematics but also with a deep, rich breadth of knowledge across all curriculum subjects. It is our vision that through our multifaceted, wholesome curriculum, married with high expectations, our children leave us as caring, respectful and tolerant young people prepared for life in modern Britain. It is our vision that every child experiences an aspirational, enabling and inclusive curriculum in which our core values are entwined. These are our guiding and founding principles which underpin all of our curriculum choices. Our curriculum is ambitious and tailored to meet the needs of our community. We are one school, one community, learning and growing together.


Tell us about the wider experiences you offer children


Under the previous Headteacher the school already provided a wealth of experiences which are proven to inspire the children and now we are striving to develop opportunities further across areas such as the arts and sports, as well as continuing to teach Forest School which is an important and popular aspect of our provision. As a school we work in close partnership with external agencies such as Northamptonshire


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Sport, Northampton Saints rugby, Northampton Town football, Freestyle Academy and Northamptonshire Music Primary Academy Trust to increase sporting and artistic involvement for all year groups. As part of our commitment to providing the highest level of education, Year 5 children work with the Royal Shakespeare Company to complete a unit based on Shakespeare. Year 4 children also complete the Take One Picture project with the National Gallery, and the school collaborates with resident artists too. Children also get to participate in residentials.


The specialist unit is clearly significant at East Hunsbury. What is your overall ethos? We strive for all our children, including those with an EHCP, to be the best they can be and have shared drivers. These are four things we want for our pupils and are the things we work on all day, every day. Communication – to be confident communicators in their own form of communication; Independence – to be as independent as possible and develop self-help skills for learning and life; Inclusion – to experience opportunities that develop a strong sense of belonging whilst embracing diversity and inclusion; Success – to be happy and confident individuals who access and learn from an enriched curriculum that meets their needs. We believe for children to reach their potential as learners and as human beings they must feel safe, they must be supported to take risks, become resilient and learn from each other.


How does it link to the main school? We have six class bases in our specialist unit and each class links with a year group in the main school, building opportunities to learn and play together each term. Our Sing and Sign, sessions are held weekly and create time for us to build relationships throughout the school. We teach Makaton signing to all pupils and we believe in developing an “all communication” environment. Our classes in the specialist unit are smaller than in the main school, with classes generally having between seven and nine pupils in them. Our curriculum is accessible, engaging, aims high, and offers linked learning opportunities and time to focus on children’s individual needs, through their EHCPs. We enrich our curriculum with experiences such as yoga, specialist music sessions and learning outside the classroom, including regular trips out of school on our minibus and on foot. We work hard to make learning real and based in experience. We believe in the right environment and with the right support all children can succeed. In the Ofsted report we were thrilled with the recognition of how pupils with SEND are fully included in all aspects of school life, how staff in our specialist unit are expert practitioners and provide tailored support to make sure all pupils with SEND achieve well, and how pupils in our specialist unit are able to succeed.


Can you summarise your vision for the school?


We want to be a school where everyone wants to be because they feel happy, represented, valued and prepared for every stage of their lives: the village school in a town that achieves the same as a private school. Children only get one chance at primary education, and it is our responsibility to make their education the best it can be. We want to ignite creativity, innovation and independence from the moment that children start school. With the uniqueness of our staff and quality of teaching, together we can be the greatest school. As Head I will always act with all children at the centre of my decision-making. I am also determined to build an even greater connection between the school and our local community. We are developing a series of community events throughout the year, which will be advertised on our website and locally, and our recently- introduced weekly school tours are also proving popular with parents who are interested in sending their children to our school.


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