At Earl Sterndale School, our small, dedicated staff team deliver a purposeful curriculum which is ideally suited to our special situation. Our rural location makes it ideal for outdoor learning, and we take advantage of everything the spectacular local environment has to offer. We have a planned, progressive curriculum, which ensures all pupils receive the learning experiences they deserve and which are personalised and appropriate to their age, ability and individual needs.

Based on the guidance in the National Curriculum, our curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of each class and of each child in those classes. We only have two classes – currently Class 1 contains children from Reception and Years 1 and 2. Class 2 contains children from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. 

Adaptation

The aim for all our pupils, including those with additional needs, is to ensure they are effectively supported. At times this will be through adult support; on other occasions activities will be delivered in a variety of different ways (such as utilising specific resources or scaffolds) to ensure everyone can participate. We also strive to ensure that more-able children are properly supported through being given further challenge, projects or individualised tasks. 

Sequencing

Our careful and reflective planning ensures that learning is effectively sequenced. Lessons are designed to build on what went before. This gives all pupils the opportunity to reinforce previous knowledge, practise learned skills and concepts and deepen understanding, whilst also learning new skills and knowledge.

Assessment

As well as national formal assessments, we carry out informal assessments regularly which are intended to evaluate children's progress and attainment. Assessment informs our teaching and enables us to adjust our planning and provision to quickly and effectively address any areas for development. We aim to ensure assessment is purposeful, reliable and informative yet not onerous or overwhelming.

Leadership and Development

Our staff team is small, with only three teachers, but we operate with a strong sense of shared responsibility. Each teacher also acts as a subject leader, taking ownership of the monitoring and development of their curriculum areas. 

We have regular opportunities for review, allowing us to adapt and improve quickly and effectively. Our approach to planning and curriculum design is agile, giving us the capacity to make meaningful changes for the benefit of our pupils.

The headteacher works closely with external partners to ensure quality and consistency. This includes collaborating with other schools for moderation, engaging with Local Authority advisers for quality assurance, and maintaining an internal monitoring system that encourages staff to share ideas and continually improve.

Governors play an active role in teaching and learning, with regular visits scheduled and monitoring included as a standing agenda item at Full Governor meetings. This ensures accountability through reporting and review.

We work hard to ensure our pupils benefit from the amenities and facilities afforded to pupils in larger settlements. Our supportive parents, dedicated Governors and skilled staff make sure these barriers are not preventative; rather they are opportunities for radical, ‘outside-of-the-box’ thinking.

Transition

Our curriculum ensures that pupils are fully prepared for the next key stage of their learning. We timetable taster days for new starters in Reception and staff liaise closely with new parents. The move from Reception to Y1 is carefully managed and teachers and TAs provide support and guidance. When children move from Y2 to Y3 (Infants to Juniors) they have the chance to spend time in the Junior classroom and ‘practise’ some of the types of lessons they can expect. The transition from Y6 to secondary is also carefully managed. We have a range of 5 or 6 potential secondary schools so we work hard to maintain positive relationships with all of them and make sure the pupils access whatever transition opportunities they provide. We also work in school to help prepare the Y6 children for the move to ‘big school’.

National Curriculum

At Earl Sterndale School we provide a curriculum that is broad, inclusive and comprehensive. We ensure that learning experiences for our children are challenging yet accessible, interesting and effective and are pitched to suit every child’s age and ability. Above all, we aim for a school in which children feel relaxed, happy, comfortable and safe.

We plan, prepare for, deliver, assess and amend learning experiences for our children in 13 areas: Maths; English; Design and Technology; Art and Design; Religious Education; History; Geography; Information and Computer Technology; Personal, Social and Health Education; Science; Music; Physical Education and Modern Foreign Languages. These are often taught as discrete subjects in their own right, though in many circumstances there will naturally be dovetailing e.g. English and History – writing a report about how the Tudors prepared food will include elements of historical knowledge and understanding as well as using literacy skills to produce a piece of written work.

Our teaching priority is to focus on English and Maths skills, as they provide the building blocks for learning across the rest of the curriculum. We also acknowledge that it is essential to learn how to apply these skills.

Planning across the school and across the subjects is carefully done to ensure the curriculum is fully covered with minimal repetition. We monitor teaching and learning to ensure they are properly resourced and prepared, age-appropriate, challenging and effective.

We provide a wide and interesting range of learning experiences:-

• We use our stunning local environment to its best effect.

• Lots of outdoor learning.

• Active teaching which addresses the needs of all learners.

• Active learning where every child participates positively in their own education.

• Children regularly taking control of their own learning.

• Children setting their own targets and being aware of how to improve.

• Encouraging children to be creative, logical, analytical, thoughtful, considerate, independent, collegiate, literate and numerate.

With only two classes we take every opportunity to work as a whole school. We have regular theme events allowing the children to work together. Children are encouraged to work in groups, in pairs and individually. We welcome a range of experts into school; PE and sports coaches, musicians, overseas guests and dance teachers as well as students on work placements or teaching practice and multi-faith, multi-cultural visitors.

We are a very inclusive school and our excellent Special Educational Needs and Disability provision was commented on in our May 2015 Ofsted inspection.

We have shown consistently high levels of attainment at the end of each Key Stage. Low numbers prevent us from publishing exact results and while attainment may appear to be low at times, we always show high levels of progress through the school.

End of Key Stage 2 Test (SATs) Results

Because our 2024/2025 Y6 cohort was smaller than 6 children, we cannot publish the results data. However, we can say that we are delighted with the results the children achieved and we are very happy with the progress they made.