A member of Dales Academies Trust Vision
At St Francis of Assisi CE Primary School, we believe that all children deserve an education rich in wonder and memorable experiences that allows children’s natural creativity and curiosity to flourish, alongside the purposeful acquisition of skills and knowledge. We provide a safe and secure setting where children’s emotional wellbeing is at the forefront of all other aspects. All teaching staff deliver an EYFS curriculum through immersion in high quality teaching alongside an enriched environment. Our philosophy is to nurture every child’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, developing both skills and confidence as they take their first steps on their own unique journey of lifelong learning.
It is our aim to develop:
- Strong resilient children: who challenge themselves physically, emotionally and mentally.
- Critical thinking skills and spark curiosity – Where children have opportunities to become inventors, problem solvers, theory makers and testers.
- Resourceful children who promote independence through their explorations, positivity and independence, who show initiative, ask well thought out questions and are prepared to use a variety of strategies to learn.
- Reflective children who have a love of learning and want to know more, who are curious, able and willing to learn from their mistakes and can describe their progress.
- Happy, engaged and motivated children that show care and kindness towards each other, developing relationships while working as a team.
Our aim is to teach children how to think not what to think – providing a world of magic and wonder – a place to tinker and explore and a place where children are at the centre of everything filling their hearts and minds with a sense of awe and wonder. Whether it be a classroom with a sky or a classroom with a roof, each area in our EYFS is equally important and provides children with plentiful experiences and pockets of learning which gently invite them to come and play, enabling all the ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’ to be explored (Playing and Exploring, Learning Actively, Creating and Thinking Critically). We value children’s play and understand that learning opportunities in their most natural child-initiated form often provide the most effective ways to develop ideas and explore new ideas. Learning should be practical and collaborative. We find ways to ensure everyone feels included and every learner is equipped with the tools needed to help them thrive in life, rather than solely in preparation for full-time school.
At St Francis of Assisi, we provide a broad and balanced Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum delivered within a Christian ethos, which promotes the social, physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual development for all young children.
Children aged three, four and five years are constantly encountering new experiences and seeking to understand them in order to extend their skills, develop their confidence, and build on what they already know. Children deepen their understanding by playing, questioning, experimenting, testing, repeating, reflecting, and responding to adults and each other.
