Respect, Honesty, Kindness and Perseverance

Lower Halstow School aims to provide opportunities for children to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and wider society. This includes a focus on developing children’s moral, spiritual, social and cultural understanding, ensuring that children are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  We use our values as a vehicle for this.

The expectation for children to achieve their full potential is reflected in our core value of ‘perseverance’. Those who are most able are challenged to deepen their learning and extend their understanding, but we believe in 'challenge for all' and place no limit on children.  Those pupils with additional needs are given targeted support to embed basic knowledge in order to ensure they continue to fully access the curriculum wherever possible.  Our early and robust focus on reading, writing and number lays the foundations for future success.

Our curriculum engages pupils in learning that stretches beyond the school gates and provides diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills.  We go beyond the national curriculum to include experiences that are relevant to our pupils and allow them to explore their interests and talents. The children's own community, its heritage and traditions are also included at key points during their learning journey. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of pride in personal achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning.

Above all, we believe that enjoyment of the curriculum in a creative environment where children feel safe to try new things promotes achievement, confidence and positive behaviour, which helps form good life-long habits and attitudes.

Subject leaders play an important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation, review and training for staff. The subject leadership team is tasked with researching & developing innovative practice across the federation and engaging all staff in ongoing curriculum development.  We aim to strike a balance between maintaining subject integrity to enable curriculum knowledge and skills to be taught with clarity, and using cross-curricular themes that provide a relevant context for learning, help the content make sense and give our pupils opportunities to apply their knowledge. This curriculum design ensures that the needs of individual and small groups of children can be met within an environment of high quality first teaching, supported by targeted interventions where appropriate.

If you would like further information, please e-mail our school office: office@lower-halstow.kent.sch.uk