Avonwood Ethos and Values
At Avonwood we see it as our moral imperative for all children, regardless of background, to achieve their very best. Our children read classic literature, study modern foreign languages, experience the science of dissecting organs and even learn a new musical instrument every year as a right, not a privilege. These high expectations enable us to develop and deliver a curriculum rich in carefully sequenced and embedded powerful knowledge. We expect teachers to deliver lessons that fulfil this expectation whilst living up to our ambition of inspiring wonder and intellectual curiosity.
Our curriculum is at the centre of every education decision we take at Avonwood. We do not see the curriculum as a finished product, far from it. On a weekly, termly and annual basis we review plans, consider our intent and make sure we deliver the very best academic and enrichment diet to our children. All curriculum areas have a subject lead that is responsible for the design, implementation and ongoing monitoring and evaluation of this area.
If ‘powerful knowledge’ is the head of our school, then reading for pleasure and progress is its heart. Our school environment and curriculum crystallises reading for pleasure as a valued and purposeful part of our curriculum. We agree with the view of Thompson (2020) when she states the importance of becoming a reader who teachers and a teacher who reads is a pedagogy with far reaching consequences. Reading progression is carefully mapped to provide opportunities for exposure to a wide variety of genres, authors of different backgrounds and a mixture of classic and contemporary texts. Every afternoon we 'Drop Everything and Read' to end our school day with a high quality whole class reading session. We wholeheartedly believe reading is the golden key to unlocking the potential of every child’s success.
We are honoured to be the only United Nations Earth Charter Primary School in Europe. We believe it is vital that all children have an understanding of their responsibility as global citizens and our eight Earth Charter principals are referenced throughout our curriculum and daily life. From the importance of peace and respect for all living creatures through to the consideration of the past and future of our planet, this ethos gives our Avonwood curriculum a very current and relevant perspective that all stakeholders within our community hold strong. This runs deep within our "Avonwood DNA" and is optimised by our school mantra... it starts with one!
Avonwood is an exceptionally positive, happy and inspiring place to learn. Children are excited to come to school to discover the rich learning experiences teachers have planned each and every day. It is this nurtured thirst for learning that has been carefully engineered through the awe and wonder of our curriculum that we feel makes Avonwood such a unique, academically rich and special place to grow and learn.