Greenacres Teaching Approach

Our teaching approach is rooted in a values-led, inclusive ethos where every child is welcomed, celebrated and supported to succeed. Our curriculum is creatively designed and carefully sequenced to ensure children build strong foundational skills in literacy, numeracy and beyond, with learning experiences that are developmentally appropriate across Key Stage 1 and beyond, allowing knowledge to be revisited and deepened year on year.

We place a strong emphasis on creativity, curiosity and character development, bringing learning to life through planned outdoor learning opportunities and our wider curriculum that takes advantage of our locality with regular educational visits. Our teachers use evidence-informed pedagogy and purposeful use of educational technology to enhance learning while ensuring that teaching remains engaging and accessible for all learners, underpinned by our core values of curiosity, resilience, excellence, aspiration, togetherness and empathy. 

In EYFS, long periods of time are spent in child-led play and learning in a rich and purposeful continuous provision environment; with progression in resources, carefully thought-through provision, and planned enhancements. High quality adult interactions mean that children are challenged, supported, and make consistent progress in the learning. Alongside this, the enabling environment means they develop important independence and executive function skills. In Reception, children take part in adult-led focus groups throughout the day to teach and embed foundational skills, and whole class sessions are planned to ensure all children take part in the range of experiences within our EYFS curriculum. 

In KS1, our developmentally appropriate approach means children learn through a combination of different ways. We incorporate periods of child-led play in a carefully planned continuous provision environment, where they can embed their new skills in knowledge in a creative and meaningful way. Throughout the day, children then also take part in tailored adult-led focus group sessions, and whole-class teaching and activities. This hybrid approach leads to high levels of wellbeing and engagement, alongside academic excellence. 

We are a challenge-seeking species; we like doing things that are difficult, as long as the conditions are right. This means that the mistakes we make are seen as opportunities for learning. Throughout the school, we use consistent approaches based around children developing strong oracy and executive function skills, as well as collaboration with peers. Below are our agreed strategies which are consistently used across the school:

We use these documents in all our teaching at Greenacres. Our children are used to hearing the pedagogical language and use it within their lessons.