The Drive, Ilford, Essex, IG1 3PS
Phone: 0208 518 2562
History
At Cranbrook Primary School, our History curriculum engages and excites children’s curiosity and supports the development of key historical knowledge, skills and concepts through the study of British and local history and other significant time periods and societies. In understanding periods, events and people from the past, our children will gain cultural capital and have a greater appreciation of today’s world and their place within it to become responsible global citizens. Pupils are encouraged to think critically and to express their views confidently by exploring four main concepts that are embedded throughout our history curriculum to enable them to develop their long term memory. We teach history on a world scale as well as on a personal scale to build an awareness of children’s own heritage, widen their horizons, and enable them to be aspirational about the role they can play in the future.
At Cranbrook we develop phonics and early reading skills using TWINKL Phonics. Teachers assess phonics using rigorous assessments to ensure children are developing their segmenting, blending, and decoding skills. All 1-1 reading books across the school from EYFS-Year 6 are closely matched to our phonics scheme using Collins BigCat books and Rhino Readers. These books will be selected to match the pupils current phonics level in EYFS and KS1 and their reading level in KS2. We also use Dandelion Launchers books for some of our beginner and reluctant readers which are also matched closely to our phonics scheme. These books have been selected as they build a child’s self-esteem and encourage confidence in independent reading. These books provide practice whilst offering different stories. Each unit introduces new letters/sounds while revising previously taught phonic letters/sounds and high-frequency or sight words. Across the school we promote and encourage children to select an additional reading for pleasure text from the classroom library.
The concept of nurture highlights the importance of social environments – who you’re with, and not who you’re born to – and its significant influence on social emotional skills, wellbeing and behaviour. Children and young people who have a good start in life are shown to have significant advantages over those who have experienced missing or distorted early attachments. They tend to do better at school, attend regularly, form more meaningful friendships and are significantly less likely to offend or experience physical or mental health problems.
The nurturing approach offers a range of opportunities for children and young people to engage with missing early nurturing experiences, giving them the social and emotional skills to do well at school and with peers, develop their resilience and their capacity to deal more confidently with the trials and tribulations of life, for life.
