At Cecil Gowing Infant and Nursery School, our curriculum helps every child learn, grow and flourish. From Nursery to Year 2, we provide a broad and carefully planned education that builds knowledge and skills while nurturing curiosity, confidence and a love of learning. Our school values of kindness, resilience and creativity shape how we learn and work together.
Children begin by learning through play, exploration and purposeful experiences. As they move through the school, teachers build on what children already know, helping them make connections and deepen their understanding. Strong foundations in communication, reading, writing and mathematics give children the tools to succeed across the curriculum and prepare them for the next stage of their education.
We want children to experience the full breadth of learning. Through stories, practical activities, creative work, visits and outdoor experiences, they explore the world around them and discover new interests. Daily outdoor provision and weekly whole-school outdoor learning sessions in the spring and summer terms give children further opportunities to meet curriculum objectives, work together and connect with nature.
Our curriculum is for every child. We adapt teaching and provide support so that children with different needs can take part, achieve and feel that they belong. We also help children understand themselves and others, develop positive relationships and appreciate the community and wider world in which they live.
By the time children leave Cecil Gowing, we want them to have secure foundations, happy memories and the confidence to take their next steps. This is where greatness grows.
English
At Cecil Gowing Infant and Nursery School our values of ‘Kindess, Creativity and Resilience’ are firmly rooted in our English Curriculum and we aim to instil a love of speaking, listening, reading and writing in every child. From Nursery to Year 2 we create language rich classrooms where speaking and listening is key to all of the learning.
We follow a Mastery approach to English through the programme ‘Pathways to Write.’ Units of work are delivered using high quality texts and children in all year groups are given varied opportunities for writing, in guided sessions, whole class learning and through continuous provision. Skills are built up through repetition within the units, and children apply these skills in the writing activities provided. Many opportunities for widening children’s vocabulary are given through the ‘Pathways to Write’ approach and this builds on the extensive work we do in school to provide our children with a rich and varied vocabulary.
From the very start of Reception, children are taught handwriting and letter formation, and by Year 2 they begin learning how to join their handwriting.
Children take part in short phonics lessons every day which help them to develop the skills they need for reading. Every child reads with an adult at school once a week and we send home levelled books from our reading scheme (which are precisely matched to each child’s phonetic ability) to share at home. We strive for all children at Cecil Gowing Infant and Nursery School to love reading, writing, speaking and listening and we teach them the skills they need to feel confident, to make progress and to be successful.
Phonics and Reading
At Cecil Gowing Infant and Nursery School we believe that all children can become fluent readers and writers, and we also believe that using Systematic Synthetic Phonics is an effective approach to achieve this. We use ‘Twinkl Phonics‘ across our school to teach our daily phonics lessons. ‘Twinkl Phonics‘ is a DfE validated phonics scheme and using it ensures we have fidelity in teaching phonics across our school. In their daily phonics lessons children are taught the skills they need to recognise phonemes and graphemes and to segment and blend words. Every phonics lesson contains elements of both reading and writing to ensure these skills are strongly embedded.
The following link has a useful guide for parents about learning to read and write using the ‘Twinkl Phonics‘ scheme.
The videos below are to help parents and children when learning how to say the phonemes which the children learn at school.
The following link has a useful guide for parents about learning to read and write using the Twinkl Phonics scheme.
The videos below are to help parents and children when learning how to say the phonemes which the children learn at school.
Twinkl Phonics Level 2 Sounds and Actions – YouTube
Twinkl Phonics Level 3 Actions and Sounds – YouTube
Twinkl Phonics Level 5 GPCs: Pure Sounds, Actions and Mnemonics – YouTube
Twinkl Phonics Level 6 GPCs: Pure Sounds and Mnemonics – YouTube
As a school we understand and appreciate the joy of reading for pleasure. We have an amazing library which is full of wonderful books which the children can bring home to share. We prioritise story time throughout our school and every class enjoys a daily story time with their teacher.
Maths
At Cecil Gowing, we follow the National Curriculum for Mathematics and use White Rose Maths as the basis for our planning and progression. Our teaching is underpinned by a mastery approach, supporting children to develop a secure understanding of mathematical concepts before moving on. We use Master the Curriculum as a supporting resource to provide additional representations, activities and opportunities for reasoning and problem-solving.
Mathematics is taught as a discrete subject, where teachers explicitly teach new concepts, model mathematical thinking and use questioning to develop understanding. Children have opportunities to use practical resources and visual representations before progressing towards more abstract methods. They are encouraged to explain their thinking, make connections, reason and solve problems.
Alongside discrete teaching, mathematics is embedded throughout our continuous provision and daily routines from Nursery to Year 2. Provision is carefully planned to reflect the mathematical learning taking place and to provide opportunities for children to practise, apply and extend their understanding independently. As children progress through the school, the provision develops with them, becoming increasingly challenging and supporting the progression of mathematical knowledge and skills.
Maths meetings provide regular opportunities to revisit and consolidate key knowledge. These short sessions focus on areas such as counting, number facts, subitising, calculation, mathematical vocabulary and reasoning, helping children to develop fluency and confidence.
Our approach ensures that mathematics is explicitly taught as a discrete subject while being continually reinforced through maths meetings, carefully planned continuous provision, daily routines and wider learning.
Science
At Cecil Gowing we believe that science is a key subject to inspire and ignite the imagination of a child. Investigating the world around them, exploring and asking questions to support a life long love of learning. Our Outdoor Learning curriculum supports much of our science teaching which includes observing the changing season, recognising different plants and insects in our local habitat and investigating different materials.
Science is woven throughout our curriculum and everyday environment, giving children regular opportunities to observe, explore, investigate and ask questions about the world around them. Through carefully planned continuous provision, practical experiences and real-life opportunities, children develop their scientific knowledge and vocabulary while learning to notice changes, make predictions and share their ideas. As they move through the school, these experiences build progressively, encouraging children to become curious, confident and thoughtful young scientists.
Geography
When teaching Geography at Cecil Gowing Infant School, we seek to inspire in children a curiosity and excitement about people, places and environments. We want children to feel connected to the world around them and recognise the important part we all play in looking after it. Children will have opportunities to explore and investigate their local area, and they will seek to make comparisons with places further a field using key geographical skills.
Our International Week is where every class studies of a non-European country in-depth from around the world. We share our learning about the physical and human aspects of each country with each other and parents. We recognise, describe, explain, compare and evaluate natural and human features, gaining respect and appreciation of the world we live in, different cultures and ways of life.
Computing
We believe that computing has a very vital role to play in this generation of young children. Technology already forms an important part of their lives and this role will be even greater in years to come. We follow the School’s Curriculum with the main elements of the National Curriculum which gives children experience in using technology.
We use Purple Mash as a tool to create documents on the computer and to support learning across the curriculum. Each class has their own set of Beebots to practice programming and debugging.
History
Our History curriculum first focuses on the recent past, looking at the children’s own history; their family experiences and photographs. In the Reception home corner, photos of the children and their families are used to create a familiar feel and children can talk about what they do with their families.
The use of historical artefacts and visits to local museums help children to understand how and why changes occur, including Norwich Castle in Year 1 to learn about castles. We investigate significant historical events such as the Titanic in Year 1 and the Great Fire of London and the Moon Landing in Year 2. We also focus on local Norfolk historical figures and their impact, including Henry Bloggs.
Art and Design
At Cecil Gowing, we aim to inspire our children to be creative and enjoy art and design. Throughout the year groups children are encouraged to be independent in their exploration of art and design using a variety of different materials tools and methods. We experiment with the different elements and skills: including colour mixing, texture, pattern and forming both 2 and 3 dimensions.
We look at a variety of designers and artists, from the past, the present and all around the world, and love to take our learning outside into our outdoor learning sessions. Every individual’s work is valued and encouraged to foster confidence and successes.
Design Technology
At Cecil Gowing, DT is embedded into our curriculum, opportunities to design, crate, make and evaluate our products are provided through our creative topics. Children are encouraged to be creative with food, designing their own pancakes and toppings, in construction and joining as well as learning the skills of joining and making levers and axels.
All children’ works is valued and children are encouraged to evaluate their work and thinks about what could be done better the next time. DT has been embedded in our outdoor learning , with fairy houses and story sticks, weaving all being part of our rich development of design projects. Reception children are encouraged to develop safe practice in wood work , and strive to get their saw licence that allows them to use the woodworking bench.
RSE and PSHE
At Cecil Gowing Infant and Nursery School, we use the KAPOW scheme to teach Relationships and Health Education (RSE) and Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) learning. Our lessons help children grow in confidence, kindness, and understanding of themselves and others. We teach children to value all kinds of families and how to make and keep good friends. We help them learn how to be kind and respectful in their relationships with others. As children get older, we gently introduce them to the changes their bodies will go through, in a way that’s right for their age. We also teach them about staying healthy and how to help others with simple first aid. Our lessons encourage children to make good choices and to say no if something doesn’t feel right. We also help them learn how to stay safe when using computers, tablets, and other digital devices. Through our caring and fun approach, we want every child to feel happy, safe, and ready to enjoy their learning and friendships at school and beyond.
P.E.
Physical activity is a key determinant for maintaining good physical and meantal health (Publich Health England, 2014) leading to higher attainment and great academic success (McPherson et al., 2018) and sustaining positive emotional wellbeing (PHE, 2015)
Physical Education should inspire pupils to succeed and take part in competitive sports and other physically demanding activities. The P.E. curriculum at Cecil Gowing is inspired by the ‘Real P.E.’ scheme of work. Children are actively encouraged to celebrate their personal goals of achievement.
We believe children’s physical health and well-being is a fundamental part of their development. Children have two timetabled sessions of P.E. each week, however, in addition to this we promote physical outdoor learning activities daily.
At Cecil Gowing our P.E. enables our children to develop the fundamental movement skills that allow them to become increasingly competent and confident in accessing a broad range of fun opportunities that enhances their agility, balance, coordination and social relationships with both peers and adults.
Children at Cecil Gowing have the opportunity to be involved in extra-curricular activities including a visit to a gymnasium, a visit from a local professional karate club a range of competitive tournaments organised by Active Norfolk.
Outdoor Learning
At Cecil Gowing, we are passionate about the power of outdoor learning to enrich children’s lives. Children have access to daily outdoor provision within our learning environments, giving them regular opportunities to explore, play and learn in the fresh air.
In the spring and summer terms, we also hold a designated whole-school outdoor learning session each week. These sessions are carefully planned to meet curriculum objectives across all subjects through meaningful experiences outside.
We believe outdoor learning helps children grow academically, emotionally and socially. It is more than taking a lesson outside: it allows children to connect with nature, build confidence, work together and discover new ways of learning. We are proud to give every child opportunities to learn, grow and flourish in the natural world.
R.E.
At Cecil Gowing, Religious Education is taught using the KAPOW scheme, in line with the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus. Our aim is to support children in becoming religiously literate – that is, to enable them to engage in balanced and well-informed conversations about religions and worldviews.
Through the curriculum, children respond to life’s big questions and develop an understanding of key religious concepts. They build substantive knowledge about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other belief systems in an age-appropriate way. The scheme also focuses on developing important disciplinary skills, such as critical thinking and respectful inquiry, helping children contribute confidently to informed discussions.
We encourage exploration of diversity and teach the importance of respecting different beliefs and cultures. To enrich learning, we maintain links with local churches and provide opportunities for each year group to visit various places of worship. We also host occasional visits from representatives of different religions to offer first-hand insights.
Right to Withdraw from Religious Education (RE)
At Cecil Gowing Infant and Nursery School, Religious Education (RE) forms an important part of our broad and balanced curriculum. Through RE, children learn about a range of religions, beliefs and worldviews, promoting understanding, respect and tolerance of others.
Parents and carers have the legal right to withdraw their child, either wholly or partly, from Religious Education lessons without giving a reason. If you wish to exercise this right, please contact the Headteacher to discuss your request and the arrangements that will be made for your child during RE lessons.
The school will respect all requests for withdrawal and will work with parents to ensure appropriate alternative arrangements are in place during the period of withdrawal.
Music
At Cecil Gowing Infant and Nursery School, we believe music should be an enjoyable, inspiring and inclusive part of every child’s school experience. In the EYFS, children focus on exploring sounds, experimenting with instruments and using music to express themselves. In KS1, we use the Sing Up programme to develop children’s musical skills through singing, listening, playing and performing. Each year group has the opportunity to sing with a pianist each week and perform to parents and carers, with our Christmas productions and Year 2 Leavers’ Assembly providing special opportunities to celebrate their achievements. We also offer children the opportunity to learn an instrument and play in a band through the Rocksteady programme, helping them develop teamwork, resilience and confidence in a fun and supportive environment. Music supports children’s wellbeing by providing opportunities to express themselves, experience joy and build connections with others. Through music, we encourage teamwork, perseverance and expression.