Our core values are embedded across our curriculum.
Our aim is to create independent, tolerant, resilient pupils who achieve well and care.
Toner Avenue recognises that all children have their own unique character and talents. We will provide opportunities for individual development through a range of activities, subjects and experiences within and outside of school.
5 key curriculum drivers:
- Basic Skills in reading, writing and maths
- Oracy and vocabulary development
- Social and Emotional development
- Childhood experiences
- Recognising learning is a change in long term memory
Basic Skills in reading, writing and maths
Basic skills of numeracy and literacy are a key part of our curriculum. The acquisition of numeracy and literacy skills are essential for academic success. They are developed through specific daily teaching sessions and then applied across the wider curriculum. Emphasis is placed on these basic skills across foundation stage and key stage 1 to ensure children have the basics to fully access the curriculum, and apply these skills, in key stage 2.
Oracy and vocabulary development
Oracy and vocabulary development is the ability to communicate effectively. Good oracy and vocabulary leads to higher order thinking and deeper understanding. At the heart of good oracy and vocabulary development are classrooms rich in talk, in which questions are planned, conversations are modelled and scaffolded and vocabulary is discussed, explained and applied. At the heart of Toner Avenue are staff who understand how talk and vocabulary development aids analysis and understanding of any subject.
Social and Emotional development
Pupils who are socially and emotionally healthy have a greater chance of achieving success in school and in life. Social and emotional development refers to a child’s capacity for self-confidence, trust and empathy as well as the capacity to develop competencies in language usage and cognitive curiosity. Positive social-emotional development growth builds the communication skills necessary for learning throughout a child’s life. Core skills that support school readiness include – confidence, curiosity, self-control, capacity to communicate, cooperativeness. With the correct provision we can make sure our pupils are ready for the challenges they face today, and in the future.
Childhood experiences
Nothing is more powerful than the memories created by a child’s experiences. Apart from home, school is the single most important place in the lives of most children. Their experience of school will play a vital role in their lives and will determine their academic, social and their occupational future. At the heart of each school is a mastery curriculum that is full of exciting and enriching experiences. Teachers view childhood experiences as vital, powerful, positive teaching tools that help enhance the social, personal and emotional development of all learners.
Recognising learning is a change in long term memory
Learning can be defined as an alteration in long-term memory. If nothing has altered in long-term memory, nothing has been learned. In order to develop understanding, pupils need to connect new knowledge with existing knowledge. They need to connect their short term, working memory, with information already stored in the long term memory so it can be retrieved when needed and be classed as known. Research shows working memory can only hold 4 pieces of information at once so, to be true learners, children need to make links to previous long term memory to support retrieval. We know that we remember what we think about so we ensure learning is explicit and taught through direct instruction and modelling. We embed stories into our learning as much as we can as we know stories help children remember. Our aim is to build up children’s knowledge through our well planned curriculum. As the knowledge grows children’s cultural capital increases.
