Parental Feedback on our SAIL provision:
“I just wanted to share a little clip of (my daughter) with you as it has amazed us as parents and we know we have you and staff to thank for this. Since the introduction of sign language in the sail project in year 2, she took a huge liking to learning more. Unfortunately due to lockdown the sail project was unable to continue. However, her passion for learning it grew more and more. Throughout lockdown she continued learning the alphabet in sign and this was later encouraged again when year 3 had the opportunity to sign their Christmas concert (which was amazing and very emotional). I suppose what I’m trying to say is a huge thank you for giving the children many opportunities in various different ways to learn. Covid has come and completely disrupted schooling however it has also brought out some positives via the different forms of having to learn which is is why I wanted to share this with you. I hope you enjoy it and thanks again!” Mrs. Jenkins
In response to the new curriculum for Wales, we are taking full advantage of the flexibility on offer in determining how and when we begin introducing the new curriculum. We are determined to continue shaping and developing our school’s curriculum and our ambition is that by 2021 our school will be using the new curriculum to underpin teaching and learning for our children.
Successful, Ambitious, Independent Learners…
In order to embed the 4 Core Purposes at the heart of our new curriculum, our children will be the starting point for many decisions on the content and the experiences they want on offer at our school. Our SAIL project will encourage our children to make informed decisions and help to develop life-long skills which will enable them to become;
· ambitious, capable learners ready to learn throughout their lives
· enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
· ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
· healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.
Menu of choice:
Our staff have a wide variety of expertise on offer. We are offering activities specifically created to help develop the 4 Core Purposes. The activities fall under at least 1 of the following ‘Areas of Learning Experiences’…
· Expressive arts
· Health and well-being
· Humanities Languages, literacy and communication
· Mathematics and numeracy
· Science and technology (including computer science)
Our children make informed choices about the activities on offer and are encouraged to indicate 6 preferences initially. Whilst a preference is never guaranteed, staff will try their best to accommodate the choices made. There are opportunities for the children to move to other groups in future sessions throughout the year.
Life Skills:
Children may experience disappointment if their top preference is not allocated in this half term. Due to the nature of the project, we have hundreds of children who need to be allocated to only a limited amount of activities. However, the sessions are run in ‘blocks’ and will be repeated to ensure children get to experience at least one of their preferences during the academic year.
We feel it is healthy for our children to encounter emotions including disappointment or frustration in a safe environment. Our children will be reassured that they will have the chance to experience their preferred activities but it may not be during this particular term. Through these experiences, our children will also be developing their understanding of patience and resilience. We believe these are life skills which will benefit our children as they move through adulthood.