Education and Training Inspectorate

In a medium-sized, primary school, the staff present the primary curriculum in a holistic way to help the children apply their knowledge and skills and prepare them for the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing world. The teachers combine complementary active learning experiences, including the use of ICT, alongside developing the children’s knowledge of and relationship with, the local community, the natural environment and a wider global perspective. Using the staff’s various talents and skills effectively, the school prioritised training and time for co-ordinators to improve the planning. The teachers map out World Around Us (WAU) topics and the progression of skills alongside opportunities in other learning areas where connected learning is planned explicitly. Literacy and numeracy resources are aligned with the various WAU topics across the school. There is a conscious effort to develop the children’s ‘thinking skills and personal capabilities’, in particular their personal independence and life skills. The highly effective link between the school and the environment is a real driver in connecting the children’s learning; the staff take a multi-sensory approach to delivering the curriculum through outdoor learning and the Eco-Schools work from years 1-7. Alongside this, the global learning work builds the children’s understanding of their place in the world.