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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.

the School's mission to promote independent learning and the encouragement of pupils to learn from their mistakes are key factors in supporting the pupils' strong learning attitudes"
ISI Inspection, 2019
‌d‌o‌n'‌t ‌j‌u‌s‌t ‌t‌a‌k‌e ‌o‌u‌r ‌w‌o‌r‌d ‌f‌o‌r ‌i‌t...
pupils are challenged to succeed by their teachers and so feel safe attempting to work and perform at the highest levels"
ISI Inspection, 2019
‌d‌o‌n'‌t ‌j‌u‌s‌t ‌t‌a‌k‌e ‌o‌u‌r ‌w‌o‌r‌d ‌f‌o‌r ‌i‌t...
The School's ethos of promoting pupil choice is integral to the excellent lesson planning so there is no ceiling on what the children can achieve"
‌d‌o‌n'‌t ‌j‌u‌s‌t ‌t‌a‌k‌e ‌o‌u‌r ‌w‌o‌r‌d ‌f‌o‌r ‌i‌t...
Beechwood pupils are significantly ahead academically. When they join Woodlands Nursery they straddle the National average 50/50, but by the time they reach Seniors, most will be 2-3 years above the National average, so in ten years they develop by 12-13 years"
ISI 2019
‌d‌o‌n'‌t ‌j‌u‌s‌t ‌t‌a‌k‌e ‌o‌u‌r ‌w‌o‌r‌d ‌f‌o‌r ‌i‌t...