Catharine Spurr
Phase 2 Leader

The children Phase 2 follow the curriculum that encompasses a cross curricular approach to learning, whereby lessons are based around a termly theme and story. The cross curricular approach used in Phase 2 provides continual opportunities to embed and reinforce children’s learning. It also supports children to discover links between their learning and ensures they have regular opportunities to practise and transfer skills across a variety of subjects and activities. Moreover, lessons follow a variety of formats, including opportunities for ‘Learning Outside the Classroom,’ hands on and practical tasks and both individualised and small group work. The variation allows children to learn through Teacher Directed, Teacher Initiated and Child Initiated learning opportunities.

We are committed to building strong family partnerships and welcome parents to attend our ‘Stay and Play’ sessions. During these sessions, we invite families to join their child’s class for a range of activities. This may include, for example, children having cooked something, showcasing work or a short performance. Additionally, families and their children will have opportunities to sit and play together within the classroom environment. These sessions provide an excellent opportunity for families to see their child’s classroom, get to know the staff and meet other families. In addition, it provides staff and the children with the opportunity to showcase the fantastic learning and work they have been doing at school.

In our Phase 2 classes, we organise frequent educational visits to farms, parks, shops to use money, trains, animal centres, museums, the beach, reservoirs, aquariums.

We also have a series of special visitors to school, such as meeting firefighters, the nurse, a mobile planetarium, musicians and dancers, exotic animals such as Bearded Dragons to name but a few!

Phase 2 children benefit from a range of physical and sensory learning experiences which is based on the needs of each class. Opportunities can include swimming, golf, dance and gymnastics etc. These different opportunities not only aid their physical development but enhance other practical life skills such as dressing and undressing, being aware of safety issues, turn taking and looking out for one another.

Towards the end of Phase 2, in Year 6, children are encouraged to take part in a residential visit at a local activity centre. As well as this being a fantastic fun, it is a great opportunity for our pupils to implement life skills, sleep away from home, work as a team, use equipment safely, be independent and responsible for your own belongings, helping prepare meals and clear up afterwards and of course, having time without families.

Skills for Life & Independence

At Oakley the emphasis is on giving each child the tools and independence for life outside school – and the younger the better! Our focus is on child initiated learning, providing them with opportunities to learn through play and through active learning activities.

In Phase 2 the key practical skills we teach include: personal care (washing, brushing teeth, toileting); dressing themselves; organising themselves and their belongings, staying safe in any environment (with an emphasis on road safety), preparing and cooking food. Social skills such as turn taking, waiting patiently, tolerance of, and kindness towards, others are also emphasised. Through a programme of Learning Outside the Classroom children are given a variety of cross curricular and real life opportunities – for example our Forest School sessions are where Science crosses over with art, construction, safe use of tools, team working and toasting marshmallows over the camp fire!