Learning in our school
Teaching and Learning in Our School – The Crieff Primary Experience!
We want children to have a memorable experience at Crieff Primary that encourages and inspires them to achieve learning and skills in life and to aim to exceed their potential and be all they want to be now and in later life. We place the promotion of pupil engagement in learning and meeting the needs of all learners as a priority for all.
Curriculum
Our school has developed its curriculum, which is framed firmly around the principles of Curriculum for Excellence.
Our curriculum fosters a life-long love of learning, through adopting a practical and cross-curricular approach with a focus on developing transferrable skills.
"We pride ourselves on developing a skilled and knowledgeable staff team"
At every opportunity we aim to connect learning, and give children real life experiences that they can relate their learning to. We plan using progressive skills in all areas of the curriculum. These skills underpin everything we do and we believe that if we rigorously plan for the development of skills then our children will have the tools needed to be successful independent learners for life.
We place real focus on being creative and sector leading in what we do and in the way we approach planning and developing learning experiences for the children and pride ourselves on developing a skilled and knowledgeable staff team.
The underpinning principles of our curriculum are committed to providing quality and excellence through an exciting, stimulating environment that stretches and develops the child as a whole.
Our Curriculum promotes the need to view learning and teaching across curriculum areas as inter-connected and integrated. In Crieff Primary School we recognise that this is particularly important for young children, who develop their understanding of, for example, science, language, communication, technology and mathematics from an everyday experience, such as water or sand play, supported by knowledgeable adults. We organise learning through whole school contexts which build on learning within a 3 year cycle.
Our challenge is to ensure that these experiences are enriching and stimulating and that adults working with children are able to understand, appreciate and assess children's achievements and learning.
Getting a balance …
Through our curriculum we aim to raise standards and we have rigorous processes to ensure that all children make good progress. However, Primary education is not just about targets and results, nor is it simply a preparatory step for secondary school; it is much more than that! We put together a Crieff Primary experience which creates an environment for children to flourish and find ‘their thing’ – be it music, sport, supporting others or developing leadership skills.
As a school we believe that by developing skills in a stimulating, enjoyable environment, we help children develop as individuals that have access to enjoy learning through a rich and varied curriculum.
Our children quickly discover that learning is not passive, but an active process that ‘leads somewhere’ and allows the child to see evidence of the skills they have learnt and the success they have achieved. This also helps children develop an evaluative attitude towards their work and a sense of not only pride in their work, but a clear focus for areas to improve in order to move forward with learning. We pride ourselves on supporting children in being able to articulate their learning and know their strengths and weaknesses in order to make these improvements happen.
Active, experiential learning
We are committed to developing learning in natural and real contexts, familiar to children and appropriate to their interests and stages of development. This reflects our understanding that young children's learning is most effectively supported through interaction with adults and other children and through play and active exploration of their environment.
"We help children develop as individuals that have access to enjoy learning through a rich and varied curriculum."
We plan experiences for children that will stimulate and promote their enjoyment of mathematics. Teachers in all classes plan active learning activities which provide opportunities for children to observe, explore, investigate, experiment, play, discuss and reflect. Children have the opportunity to develop mental agility and are encouraged to make links across the curriculum to show how mathematical concepts are applied within a wide range of contexts.
Throughout the school we use a skilful mix of approaches to ensure that all children encounter a wide range of different types of texts in a variety of media.
Language and literacy is at the heart of pupils' learning. Through language, pupils receive much of their knowledge and acquire many of their skills. We aim to provide structured and stimulating opportunities to use language in contexts appropriate to the needs of individuals and the world in which they live.
Imaginative, functional and personal writing are systematically taught, monitored and recorded. The development of these types of writing is enhanced by programmes of study in spelling, punctuation, structure and handwriting. Pupils are encouraged to present their work attractively and examples of written work can be seen throughout the school. We use a variety of strategies which incorporates VCOP (vocabulary,connectives,openers and punctuation) and writing intervention strategies. We have programmes in place to ensure that the development of writing skills is accessible to all children by implementing ICT programmes where appropriate. We carefully track and monitor all pupils’ learning in order to plan approaches to ensure your child makes good progress. Regular meetings take place between teaching staff and the senior leadership team where progress is discussed and action plans formed for identified children if needed. We focus on meeting needs of all learners as a focus of our work at Crieff Primary School.