Gordonbrock Primary School

At Gordonbrock, we know that pupils who have a positive attitude towards their learning will make good progress and be successful. We want all our pupils to relish challenges, embrace their mistakes as part of the learning process, value the importance of effort, respond carefully to feedback and take inspiration from others. This will help them to achieve, not only with us, but also in their future lives as adults.

Central to this attitude and approach to learning, are the theories and proven evidence of Growth Mindset. This is a term coined by psychologist Carol Dweck and her research has identified the characteristics of learners with a fixed and a growth mindset:

Our vision is that every child will succeed. We are highly aspirational for all of our children and we do whatever it takes to enable them to overcome barriers to their learning. We are committed to fair and equal access to the curriculum for all children, regardless of their starting points and taking into account any additional needs they may have. We work together to give each individual child the best possible experience of school life.

We are committed to developing lifelong learners who value and exhibit qualities such as: Resilience, Aspiration, Imagination, Confidence and Collaboration. We focus on providing a safe and nourishing environment where children feel accepted, included and able to take on new challenges. With this in place, we know that we can instil a love of learning in our children.

In order to acheive our vision we base our practice on the following strategies

• An inspiring and engaging curriculum which reflects our pupil's world;
• Giving children ownership of their own learning and a role in planning a curriculum which reflects their interests and questions;
• Assessment for learning;
• A 'brain-friendly' approach based on what children need for optimal cognitive functioning; and
• A strong behaviour policy based on mutual respect.

We know that in order to fulfil the potential of our pupils and encourage them to become confident and resilient learners we, as a team of parents and staff, need to be modelling the mindset of a learner who is not afraid of making mistakes but who thrives upon them, knowing that this is all part of the learning process. The way in which we encourage children to learn and explore is vital to their success, not only at school but at home as well.

At Gordonbrock, we consistently endeavour to challenge and develop the attitudes of all pupils and staff towards learning by considering what makes a successful learner. We regularly discuss, in class, what kind of learners we want to be and how we can positively approach challenges inside and outside the classroom.

Staff plan and organise the learning for each year group to ensure that there is continuity and progression. Our curriculum planning framework aims to provide a broad, balanced and exciting education set within the context of the National Curriculum.

At Gordonbrock, as we develop the curriculum, we make meaningful links between the different subjects. Although English and Maths are taught discretely at certain times of the day, they are also taught within a cross curricular context.

Visits and visitors are seen as a vital stimulation for children’s interest and are closely linked with the contexts for learning. Each year group goes on one local trip every term and one that is further afield – into central London or out into the countryside.We also have termly visits from theatre companies and we celebrate events such as World Book Day and National Science week by bringing in authors and experts to enhance our learning.