Our Academic Approach

We provide an educational space for children to excel, and our child-centred academic focus encourages children to be ambitious, reflective and self-driven. This approach instils pupil confidence and independence from a very young age. Pupils engage with teachers using increasingly sophisticated dialogue, working independently and collaboratively to progress their own learning and that of others.

Across a wide breadth of subjects, pupils learn to take ownership of their learning in preparation for a future life of learning at senior schools and beyond. In this environment, pupils achieve highly because we trust them, empower them and give them autonomy; they engage inspiringly because they want to.

The Beechwood Park curriculum buzzes with active learning through heightened pupil engagement, and a genuine desire to progress. Child Initiated Activities and In the Moment Planning provide opportunities for our pupils from a very early age to choose what to learn often through active play. Older pupils enjoy similar opportunities to choose tasks in class through carefully differentiated child-centred activities.

The introduction of subject specialists as early as possible inspires a genuine love of learning, and our move to senior school style teaching through Years 4, 5 and 6 provides opportunities for academic and pastoral progress significantly ahead of the national average.

Teachers choose child-initiated active learning over hierarchical, top-down, directive learning. Pupils collaborate with each other, building confidence and independence, solving complex problems, thinking critically, creating, communicating articulately, collaborating as team members, managers and eventually leaders, exercising emotional intelligence, cognitive flexibility, judgement and decision-making, serving with humility, negotiating, adapting and developing resilience.