Our Vision Statement

At Portway Infant School we believe every child has the right to the highest standard of education delivered by highly skilled, trained and committed staff. We work hard to establish a culture of active participation, an emotionally rich and inclusive learning environment within which every child is known and every learner supported. Happy children learn best.

Intent - Our knowledge-based, language rich curriculum has been carefully planned to engage every child through a broad range of subjects within every topic. An effective curriculum, skilfully delivered, creates a rich cultural capital for every child irrespective of life experiences to date.

Implementation - Wherever and whenever possible we make curriculum experiences real and hands on, this includes visits to hear an orchestra play live, learning to play ukulele and drums, feeding real animals on a farm, performing through Indian dance workshops, visits from authors and illustrators, hatching and rearing Runner Ducks, holding and petting reptiles, birds of prey and invertebrates. We lie under the ‘stars’ in the Explorer Dome. As scientists we dissect owl pellets, set up snail investigations and explore our world with curiosity. We build fires, use real tools and climb trees in Forest School. Wherever possible we link learning to books and stories. This gives our children opportunities to apply their reading skills to finding out more about a subject. It also further develops language and topic linked vocabulary through rich texts. It fosters a love of books and motivates children to read for a purpose.

We learn to read for finding out and for fun.

We are ambitious for our children. We actively seek to identify any potential barriers to learning and address these in real practical terms, the curriculum must be accessible to all children. Consequently, we fund our own Occupational Therapist, Play Therapist and Speech & Language Therapist as a response to the public service equivalents having long waiting lists and high thresholds for intervention. Childhood is short and unrepeatable and we have a responsibility to every child to make it as equitable as possible, as soon as possible.

Impact - We aim to find and develop everything that is exceptional in each child to help them flourish within a framework of high academic expectations. Whatever passions children follow in life we believe to be literate and numerate are non-negotiable and their acquisition will ensure every child will have every opportunity open to them in whatever field they pursue. We motivate and inspire our children to achieve their very best, to fly high and to establish firm foundations for their chosen path.