Determination to succeed
Teamwork
Winning and losing with grace
Respect for others
Tolerance
Confidence in yourself
A sense of fun and enjoyment
Creativity
Focus and attitude
Health benefits
Our curriculum extends beyond the National Curriculum and includes a wide range of enriching experiences and opportunities both within and beyond the school day. This includes a program of extra-curricular clubs, that support the core curriculum offer, as well as those which develop specialist skills, such as music, whilst also extending the range of children’s experiences (Cultural Capital) and other enrichment opportunities. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential.
In addition to our exciting and stimulating cross-curricular themes, we also provide further opportunities to enhance children’s learning wherever possible. These include:
Throughout the year, themed days/weeks are woven into the curriculum to extend the breadth and balance of opportunities we offer our pupils. These include, Anti-bullying Week and E Safety Day, Creative Arts Week, World Book Day, Black History Month, Sports Days, Road Safety Week, Child Mental Health Week to name a few!
Children across the school engage in whole-school enquiry-based learning topics on a termly basis which is driven by a process of discovery and enquiry using the Mantle of the Expert approach. This provides exciting opportunities for children to explore, develop and acquire new skills in a direction in which they are interested and become the ‘expert’ in their learning. Research shows that children from the whole spectrum of abilities find learning in this way to be fun and motivating, and outcomes are positive for every child. This is our experience at Sherrier Primary; pupils tell us they value the opportunity to lead their own learning.
Forest Schools is a Scandinavian initiative designed to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through an innovative, long term, educational approach to outdoor play and learning in a woodland environment. As a school we are very fortunate in having our own woodland area and a teacher and teaching assistant trained to deliver the Forest Schools program.
Forest School sessions are offered to all children from Foundation Stage all through to Year 6 pupils. Sessions are designed around the needs of the group to ensure that they are learner-led. Sessions are designed around a theme, themes are sometimes subtle such as evolving or exploring the site or more obvious such as butterflies, spies, fairies or nature investigators. Many areas of the National Curriculum are intrinsically covered, in the Forest Schools experience without the programmes needing to be curriculum led. Teamwork skills are developed through games and activities. Individual skills and self-esteem are heightened throughout activities such as hide and seek, shelter building, tool skills, lighting fires or environmental art, the list is endless. Each activity develops intra and inter-personal skills as well as practical and intellectual skills.
We are also an Eco school and value the benefits of outdoor learning. Children are stimulated by the outdoors where they can undertake a range of practical activities to support and enhance learning across the curriculum. Opportunities are built into the curriculum for children to continue learning beyond the classroom including undertaking fieldwork and enquiry based-work in the local area.
School trips and visits are an integral part of the education of children at Sherrier CE Primary. We value the opportunities such visits offer our pupils and the commitment of staff and adults undertaking them. Trips include class visits aimed at bringing learning alive and providing first-hand experience and bringing learning alive; extra-curricular outings such as activities with the school choir or sporting events; and attending or taking part in performances or competitions. Children in Year 6 also take part in a residential visit. This is planned to provide new and exciting outdoor experiences including, orienteering, climbing, abseiling, raft building, archery and lots more.
Visitors have a valuable role to play and can contribute to many aspects of the life and work of the school. They deliver talks, workshops and full day activities across a wide range of subjects, giving pupils access to outside experiences and expertise. Visitors provide a link with our wider community – children have the opportunity to work alongside artists, musicians, authors, health professions and others. Talks are wide ranging reflecting on different topics.
As a school we offer pupils opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities before, during and after school. At any time, a wide range of clubs is on offer either ran by our staff or a paid experience.
At Sherrier CE Primary we are using our PE & Sport Premium to part-fund a qualified sports coach. Mr Owen Cursley, who is already known to many pupils across the school, provides high quality instruction during PE lessons; he also runs sporting activities at lunchtimes; and promotes increased pupil participation in PE & Sport beyond the school day. He is also a valuable member of staff in supporting our children at local and national sporting competitions. We aim for all our pupils to swim at least 25m by the time they leave Sherrier. Year 4 children have a term at swimming locally and for those that are non-swimmers return to lessons in Year 5 and 6 during the Summer term.
Sherrier Primary School provides opportunities for children to take part in a wide range of musical activities and performances where they are encouraged to sing, compose and work creatively with sound. Through active listening, pupils’ awareness, understanding and appreciation of a wide variety of music are developed. A range of opportunities are provided within and beyond the curriculum for children to showcase their musical skills and talents, for example our Year 4 pupils take part in Young Voices where school choirs across the Midlands region come together to performance at the Indoor Arena in Birmingham. Visits to theatres further enriches pupils’ cultural development so we have had pantomimes and roadshows about climate change in school. As a school we appreciate and understand the importance of drama within our curriculum and use the Mantle of the Expert approach to engage in our learning.
Volunteering is an activity that everyone can get involved in and benefit from. At Sherrier Primary we promote and encourage pupils’ active citizenship and positive contribution to the school and wider community. We offer lots of opportunities for pupils to take on new responsibilities and be involved in successfully supporting the life and work of the school. These include elected representatives on our School Council, Eco Committee, Wellbeing Ambassadors, PE & Sport Ambassadors and Play Leaders. Older pupils can also apply and be interviewed for positions such as Librarians. Pupils tell us that they enjoy the opportunity to volunteer to help make their school an even better place to be and rising to the challenge that additional responsibility brings.
A rounded program of daily assemblies helps to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and provide clear guidance on what is right and what is wrong. Assemblies are often led by a member of our local clergy. At the beginning of the school day on a Friday an Assembly of Celebration (Star of the Week) is held.
Homework can make an important contribution to a child’s progress at school. As well as reinforcing learning in the classroom, homework helps children to develop the skills and attitudes they will need for successful independent lifelong learning. Homework is set in-line with the school’s policy, with tasks planned to appropriately challenge all pupils. Weekly activities focus on reading, maths and spellings to reinforce and consolidate skills taught.
