Aims

At Anns Grove Primary School, we are committed to creating an enriching and inclusive learning environment that empowers every child, including the most vulnerable, to succeed.

We are dedicated to preparing our pupils to become confident, compassionate, and responsible citizens who are ready to make a positive impact on the world. We believe that by equipping our children with a strong foundation in reading, writing, oracy, and mathematics, they are best placed to succeed in all areas of the curriculum. As such, we place a strong emphasis on these foundational areas.

Implementation

Our curriculum is designed to ignite a lifelong love of learning while equipping pupils with the knowledge, skills, and values they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

We celebrate diversity and promote inclusivity, ensuring that each child feels valued and respected.

Through engaging lessons, educational trips, and community involvement, we encourage a sense of curiosity and exploration.

We believe that the key to a successful education is excellent teaching. Teachers at Anns Grove constantly strive to improve their own practice by working together to find, master, and deliver the most effective strategies to support all pupils. Our pedagogical approach is informed by research, and teachers are supported to improve their practice through ongoing training and quality assurance.

Impact and assessment

We believe that effective assessment is central to excellent teaching and learning. The most important assessment information we gather comes from formative assessment, which is woven into our daily practice.

Every day, teachers use specific, repetitive, minute-by-minute formative assessment strategies and other leading indicators to understand exactly where pupils are in their learning, where they are heading, and what steps they need to take to get there. This ongoing process enables us to adapt teaching swiftly and purposefully so that every child is supported and challenged appropriately.

While formative assessment drives learning in real time, summative assessment also plays an important role in our approach. Summative assessments take place three times during the academic year and are designed to capture what pupils have learned over a defined period, such as a term or the full year.

Crucially, our assessment system is not about accountability, but about ensuring that we have accurate, meaningful information that supports strong decision-making and high-quality teaching.

By combining frequent formative assessment with thoughtful analysis of summative outcomes, we ensure that our pupils’ learning journeys are clearly understood and effectively supported.

The aims and objectives of assessment at Anns Grove Primary School

  • Enable pupils to demonstrate what they know, understand, and can do in their learning.
  • Help pupils understand their next steps and how to improve.
  • Allow teachers to plan learning that accurately reflects the needs of each child.
  • Provide regular, clear information for parents and carers to support their child’s progress.
  • Give school leaders and governors the insight they need to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and the curriculum.
  • Ensure that all assessment information is used to plan highly effective learning opportunities for every pupil.

Early Years

Our Early Years curriculum is carefully planned to give children the best possible start to their learning journey.

From Nursery, children explore all seven areas of learning through exciting, hands-on activities, building strong foundations in communication and language, maths, physical development, and personal, social and emotional skills.

Our approach focuses on high-quality interactions, rich storytelling, songs and rhymes, and opportunities to develop fine and gross motor skills.

Children in Reception continue to develop these skills alongside early reading, writing, and number work, supported by our systematic phonics programme (Read Write Inc.) and carefully sequenced maths teaching.

We create a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment where every child can thrive, develop independence, and become a confident learner ready for Year 1.

Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2), our curriculum builds on the firm foundations established in EYFS.

A strong focus is placed on early reading, writing and mathematics, ensuring children develop into confident and capable learners. Learning to read remains a key priority, with children continuing to follow the RWI phonics programme alongside opportunities to build fluency and a love of reading.

Writing skills are developed through engaging, purposeful activities, while maths teaching is carefully sequenced to secure understanding of core arithmetic and problem-solving skills.

Our curriculum is rich in language and vocabulary, with a particular emphasis on oracy, enabling children to express their ideas clearly, listen attentively and grow in confidence as speakers as they prepare for the next stage of their education.

Key Stage 2

The curriculum in Key Stage 2 (Years 3–6) builds upon the foundational learning that our children undertake in Key Stage 1.

After completing the Read Write Inc. programme, children progress to Reciprocal Reading, in which they focus on a specific text from our reading anthologies each week.

In mathematics, we continue with our rigorous focus on arithmetic, especially pupils learning their times tables in readiness for the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) they sit in Year 4. In addition to this, pupils are challenged further through a greater emphasis on problem-solving and reasoning.

In addition to their learning in maths and English, the children in Key Stage 2 also continue developing their understanding of the foundation subjects:

  • Art
  • Computing
  • Design Technology (DT)
  • Geography
  • History
  • Modern Foreign Languages (French)
  • Music
  • PE
  • Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE)
  • Religious Education (RE)
  • Science

As pupils move through the key stage, they develop a greater sense of independence and begin to produce work of increased complexity and depth. By Year 6, pupils are ready to sit their final assessments with confidence and progress to the next stage of their learning journey at secondary school.

Homework

At Anns Grove Primary School, we believe that children continuing their education at home is a powerful tool to secure their success in school. However, we want homework to be manageable and not to create undue stress for children, parents or carers.

Key Stage 1

In Key Stage 1, we place great importance on developing early reading skills, and our homework programme is designed to support this.

Children are asked to read regularly. All children are sent home a reading book that is closely matched to their phonic level. Children on the Read Write Inc program also take home the book they are reading in their daily lesson. Children are rewarded with dojos and certificates are given out to reward children who are reading regularly.

In addition, children are asked to use the computer programs Numbots and Times Table Rockstar to practise early number skills in year 1 and to develop their times table knowledge in year 2.

Key Stage 2

In Key Stage 2, homework is given out on a weekly basis. It consists of the following:

  • A set of spellings to learn and practise.
  • A times tables activity.

Children are also expected to read regularly at home and complete their reading records. When children return their homework, they are rewarded with Class Dojos.

Find out more

To find out more about our curriculum, please speak to your child’s class teacher or email schappell@annsgrove.school.

Alternatively, an enquiry can be made through the school’s central email address enquiries@annsgrove.school.