Our Vision for Learning
Pembridge CE Primary School firmly believes it has an enriching curriculum which offers children a wide variety of experiences from singing in a cathedral, to competing in sports with other schools, sewing rainforest animals and making mud pies in its outdoor kitchen. Whilst we regard academic success as a significant outcome of every child’s learning journey, the breadth of education must always reflect what the world and society requires – that our young people demonstrate positive well-being, find delight in wonder, are respectful to others, show an inspirational way of dealing with challenges as well as being able to read, write and solve maths problems!
We are a school where everyone seeks all that is good and worthy of praise so that each child rejoices in the skills and eagerness to embrace the next phase of their education.
Our Learning Behaviours
Our learning is inspired through faith and values so that we continually aim for teaching and learning of the highest quality. It is underpinned by our high expectations that children demonstrate behaviours which enable them to flourish, whatever subject or task is put before them. These eight key skills are celebrated in our weekly celebration worship: try new things, work hard, concentrate, self-motivate, imagine, improve, understand others and don’t give up. By embracing these, we enable all our children to engage in an inspiring, enjoyable curriculum with a greater understanding of how they are able to succeed and achieve their very best.
Please click here for our learning behaviours checklist.
Building our 'Cultural Capital'
‘Cultural capital’ is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours and skills that a child can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence; it is one of the key ingredients a child will draw upon to be successful in society, their career and the world of work. ‘Cultural capital’ gives a child power. It helps them achieve goals, become successful, and rise up the social ladder without necessarily having wealth or financial means. ‘Cultural capital’ is about providing opportunities so that children have the desire to aspire and achieve social mobility whatever their starting point. We look to build our ‘cultural capital’ through six key areas which are interrelated and cumulatively contribute to the success of our children’s readiness for the world beyond the classroom: personal, spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical development.
You can find what our children are inspired by and through here.
Learning Together
Edition 1 on spelling strategies.
Edition 2 on motor skills.
Edition 3 on fine and gross motor skills.
Edition 4 on representing number.
Edition 5 on getting children talking.
Edition 6 on reading together.
Edition 7 on Emotional Literacy
The whole school community values the Pembridge way of teaching and learning. We have high expectations which are evident in every classroom and spaces around the school. You can view our essentials by clicking on these links: READING WRITING MATHS
Click here for our positive mind-set steps.
We also recognise that children will need different ways of support and encouragement to succeed as they journey through school. You can find further details of the help we can give to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) on our Key Documents tab. You can also find out our approach to helping our 'vulnerable' children flourish in school here. Our interpretation of children who are 'vulnerable' are those who have SEND, those in receipt of Pupil Premium, and also those children staff feel in school need additional support to thrive.
Our Approach to Teaching and Learning
Put simply, our aim is to guide each child to have high aspirations and to enable them to be successful and confident, and to have the skills and attributes needed to be effective citizens in an ever-changing world. We know the best way for that to happen is to engage with our children through the learning process so that they become life-long learners, knowing they can make a positive contribution to a future world.
Please click here to read more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Our Approach to Homework
We understand the dilemma some families have with ensuring homework is completed whilst others have a very positive response to it – and indeed want more. Whilst we recognise homework as an integral part of learning, we believe that it should not be problematic or dominate home or school life. We appreciate that not every activity will capture children and parents’ imagination and that weekends can sometimes be busy. We believe that homework should be part of learning and be enjoyable and manageable for all concerned. We do not specify amounts of time that must be spent on a task, preferring individual children and families to set their own routines. Individual teachers are happy to give advice.
Our minimum homework expectation is that all children are expected to read daily, complete spelling activities and practise maths facts including number bonds and times tables. Regular handwriting and grammar tasks may be given too. The amount given is dependent on age and ability but reflects our belief that quality family time is essential too. Class teachers will be able to suggest ways in which these tasks may be completed in enjoyable and varied ways so that children are not always aware they are ‘doing their homework’!
In addition to the regular, daily focus on the building blocks of reading, writing and maths, some parents and children will appreciate extra opportunities to develop their learning skills further. This is set in all classes in the form of a homework topic web which is linked to areas of the curriculum and each choice of homework encourages a particular skill such as “research”, “make”, “apply” or “practise”. These are linked to the school’s focus on developing thinking skills.
Please click here for our guide to homework.
