CURRICULUM
Our knowledge and skills based curriculum is stimulating and challenging and actively encourages children to discover their talents and passions. At its core, the curriculum emphasises the importance of deepening children’s understanding through the provision of increased cognitive challenge. This combined with opportunities to apply prior knowledge to new learning enables our pupils to become confident, enthusiastic learners that will go on to become the next generation of scientists, musicians, doctors, politicians, entrepreneurs, artists and athletes, excelling in their chosen field.
Leaders have designed a curriculum to meet the needs of Hill Farm’s pupils. It is designed to encourage pupils to develop a love of learning, to provide them with a wide range of cultural experiences and to develop their basic skills … They are becoming enthusiastic, inquisitive learners who benefit from a very wide range of experiences.
(Ofsted 2019)
In addition, The Hill Farm Promise, provides experiences and opportunities that combined with the extensive range of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities offer our children a broad and rich educational offer. Our aim is for every child, regardless of circumstance or background to experience a childhood filled with happy memories of school and a love of learning that takes them into adulthood.
The curriculum and extracurricular activities are explicitly and carefully planned to provide pupils with ‘101 experiences’ that broaden their horizons, raise their aspirations and prepare them for life after primary school.
(Ofsted 2019)
CHARACTER
Hill Farm is an accredited Values based Education (VbE) school (Values Audit Report & Values based Education website). Our values are threaded through all we do as we teach and inspire children and adults to adopt and live positive human values to create an exceptional environment for teaching and learning.
The focus on ethical and emotional intelligence, deepened relationships and a strong values-culture give pupils the best chance of academic success. Children are taught to study effectively, be resilient to setbacks and take pride in their achievements. This is coupled with our ‘Ambition’ Behaviour Policy that together help our children gain control of their thoughts and emotions, enabling them to respond appropriately to others without hurting them or damaging their own sense of self.
These values are evident throughout the school, for example in displays, in lessons and across the curriculum. Pupils readily talk about values such as resilience, celebration and tolerance.
(Ofsted 2019)
COMMUNITY
We take pride in working closely with our families to create a strong relationships that support our pupils both in and out of school. From greeting families in the morning to waving pupils off at the end of the day, our staff are always available to talk to parents and carers. We are fortunate to have a dedicated Safeguarding and Family Support Team who are able to assist children and families as well as signpost to outside agencies where needed. We regularly hold curriculum activities, celebration events, sporting, art and musical performances where parents are encouraged and welcomed to work with their children in school. Along with a parent forum group, weekly newsletter, weekly year group letters, updates through the Hill Farm ‘app’ and Twitter, families are kept well informed of their children’s progress.
Leaders are working hard to involve parents in their children’s education. Parents told inspectors that they value the parents’ forum that has been set up this year and the opportunity it gives them to share their views of the school with staff. In the early years, leaders regularly invite parents into school to share learning experiences with their children.
(Ofsted 2019)