Acorns
Academic
At Packwood we support the solid foundations that the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 provides, to ensure children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. We have exercised our option to opt out of EYFS as it allows us to design a curriculum to meet the individual needs of the children in any particular cohort.
Discreet teaching sessions are taught throughout the week, although much of the curriculum is cross-curricular. Phonics is a daily session where all Acorns children learn the skills needed to blend for reading and segment for spelling. All Acorns children read every day to an adult. The children have a reading record that they take home every day with books to read with their parents. They also take part in daily Literacy and Mathematics sessions.
The children complete topic work, including based on various themes such as Voice of the Rainforest, Down on the Farm and Blast Off.
The curriculum is designed with the children’s interests in mind and takes into account the specific needs of individuals, as well as the class as a whole. Lessons may be taught in a whole class, small groups or one to one depending on the task or the amount of support needed.
When children first join us in Reception much of the curriculum is delivered through a carousel of activities that have been carefully planned and prepared with specific learning outcomes in mind. This gives children the opportunity to work independently to practise, consolidate, develop and explore their skills, knowledge and understanding. At an appropriate time, based on the level of the individual children, lessons will become more teacher directed in order to prepare children for a more formal curriculum in Year 1 and then on to Year 2.
We believe in creating a stimulating and interactive learning environment where children are encouraged to initiate and extend their own learning. We believe that play is an important tool for learning – children work indoors and outdoors and are encouraged to use the range of learning spaces in these areas.
