Learning

Learning at Lakenham is about children enjoying what they are doing, aspiring to be the best they can and achieving across the curriculum. All subjects are as important as each other. However, there is a clear understanding that reading and writing are significantly important to help children be able to access all subjects. Writing isn't always via the secretarial route; being a writer can be someone else scribing, being recorded or creating visuals through different mediums, including art, to express feelings. 

We use the National Curriculum as the key foundations of the detailed curriculum that we have built for our children. We have a knowledge rich curriculum foundation. However to embed this knowledge where possible, we enable the children to use an inquiry approach to practise, embed, and play with the knowledge that they have learnt. This helps knowledge to be stored in the long-term memory. The knowledge that is taught is carefully sequenced over time and revisited to ensure that the 30% of children who leave and join the school every year are also able to have access to the foundations. 

By looking backwards to move forward with learning, all children have access to understand the foundations of the curriculum. The curriculum is sequenced to ensure that links can be made within and across subjects.

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Children are given time to practise and embed what they have learnt through classroom time, use of continuous provision in enquiry zones and also in the outdoor learning environment, including the Nature School (Learning outside the Classroom), where learning is made practical.

Links with Norwich University of the Arts helps children see themselves in different roles and know that they can aspire to take paths to further education.

Parents are able to support learning as they receive a comprehensive overview of the curriculum termly - Year groups

To ensure staff understand how to support children appropriately, as children are learning the staff are keeping an eye on what they need to do to help them progress, where gaps or misconceptions are. Assessment overviews are very difficult to compare to different schools/nationally due to the high mobility in the Lakenham area - the staff look at individual pupils progress and attainment. 

To support children and staff achieve their potential, the school has a wellbeing first approach.

• To help with this, the school is a Communication hub school with a number of communication champions to support children across school.
• Where children have emotional needs, the school has fully trained Thrive staff within our CALM (Come and learn more) room.
• The large number of children who have English as an Additional Language, are supported to learn English as quick as possible to be able to access to what the children are learning.
• Children are given opportunities to lead across the school, this gives them time grow and experience leadership in an area they are proud of.

Learning at Lakenham is different to most schools, we don't have lots of tables in classrooms, a bottom up approach is taken and children get time to explore. Lakenham is on journey to show others that as a school it is ok to be different and help children to try their best, do their best and be their best.