Our School Curriculum

The curriculum at Fair Oak Infant School is designed to develop independent, confident and successful learners, giving children the best possible start to school life. We place emphasis on the basic skills of reading, writing and maths, providing children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they require to access the broad and balanced curriculum we offer.

Our school curriculum encompasses all the experiences and opportunities we provide for the children, both the academic and through the wider curriculum. It ensures children become motivated to learn, make progress and attain highly; develop independence, resilience and responsibility, and enables them to make healthy lifestyle choices, giving them the best opportunity for their future learning, whether that is later today, tomorrow, next year or well into the future. 

As a school we ensure the curriculum provides children with memorable experiences as we believe these equal memorable learning, and the curriculum is underpinned by our school aims to develop: Successful Learners; Confident Individuals and Global Citizens.

Our School Values help each child to become a better person and a better learner, and are embedded into our curriculum. Our School Values of: Caring; Creativity; Perseverance; Collaboration; Reflectiveness and Respect enable our children to begin to develop the skills required for lifelong learning and to prepare them for adulthood, their place in society and the world of work. Each of our values are represented by a character, and children are encouraged to display attributes of each character in order to be rewarded with stickers for their Values Passport, which they exchange for their Values Badge when complete.

Our curriculum is implemented through the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum and as well as other exciting experiences and opportunities which best meet the learning and developmental needs of the children in our school. A blocked curriculum approach has been implemented to ensure coverage and progression in a number of curriculum areas. This approach enables topic-based learning, fostering children’s curiosity and interest throughout each topic, enabling the achievement of knowledge and skills, which are transferable to other aspects of their learning. 

The curriculum is carefully planned, regularly reviewed and developed to engage all children in exciting ways. It is built around our curriculum design principles: Challenge for All; Equity and Enrichment; Broad, Balanced and Memorable; Secure Learning Pathways; High Quality Outcomes and Responsive and Relevant, to help children acquire a balance between knowledge acquisition and learning relevant skills.

Children begin school with a wealth of skills and knowledge which we build upon. Our topics are exciting, enjoyable and motivating and they inspire our children to want to find out more. We always begin a topic by providing the children with an experience and finish it by sharing our learning in some way with others, celebrating all that has been learnt.

As a school we value the importance of developing a love for reading and have a busy annual reading calendar. Phonics is taught through the Letters and Sounds scheme and we use a range of reading scheme books, from a range of publishers, which are very heavily focused on the application of learnt phonemes. 

We also teach Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and follow the Hampshire ‘Living Difference’ Scheme for RE, which fosters a reflective approach to learning. The religions studied are Christianity and Hinduism. We also encourage the children to use IT in many aspects of their learning.  All our technology within school is touchscreen, reflecting the world in which we live today. 

The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education and most make very good progress in most subjects and areas of learning. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. 

We provide a curriculum which has been carefully designed to ensure coverage and progression which will enable our children to learn, develop a range of transferrable skills, build on prior learning and make connections to embed their learning. We aim to provide learning experiences which the children will remember beyond their school days.  

Each topic launch has been carefully considered to engage and motivate our children to want to learn more. We aim to provide an inclusive environment where all learners enjoy their education and where most make good progression in all areas of learning. Children at all levels are taught to achieve their potential. Our most able are challenged and supported through extension activities and those who struggle are encouraged and given targeted support to embed key skills, to develop at their own rate of learning in a style that best suits their individual needs. 

The curriculum celebrates the diversity and utilises the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, ensuring that children are well prepared for life in modern Britain. The school holds the British Council’s International Schools Award.  All our classes are named after countries and there are opportunities for the children to find out more about their class country when they first enter their new class. We also talk about national events that are affecting different countries, which are often raised by the children. 

The children’s own community is frequently used as a point for learning, and engagement within it enriches their learning experiences; whether visiting the local church, park or library or carrying out surveys within the village. 

As a school we make full use of the skills of a wide range of professionals. Throughout their time at the school, children will work with specialist coaches as they learn and participate in different sports. The school holds the Platinum Award for PE and sport and has developed a strong competitive inter-school timetable of sports with other local schools. 

Our curriculum is enriched through a range of educational visits, performing arts companies, use of the local community, visiting professionals and external workshops for children. Our popular Bring a Dad to School Day and Mums and Me afternoons have now become well established features in our school calendar. Both provide opportunities for adults to spend time in school, and experiencing learning first hand. Enrichment weeks, whole school activities and opportunities within and outside school are all part of our curriculum and enhance and develop the children’s learning further.

A varied timetable for extra-curricular activities is offered by the school, with clubs that support the core curriculum on offer, as well as those which develop specialist skills, whilst also extending the range of children’s experiences. 

Our curriculum provides a strong foundation and opportunities for children to collaborate and develop social skills both indoors and out. The curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within an environment of high-quality teaching. This is supported by targeted interventions where appropriate, demonstrated through high attainment, achievement and positive outcomes.

Enjoyment of the curriculum promotes achievement, confidence and good behaviour. Children feel safe to try new things. High quality visits and visitors to the school enhance the curriculum and provide opportunities for purposeful learning. 

Children have opportunities to share their learning with each other, their parents and other learners through school-based and external exhibitions, performances, competitions and events involving other schools. Developing their independence and motivation as learners and their sense of responsibility as future citizens is at the heart of all our teaching and learning.