At Hadfield Infant School, we believe children learn best when they are curious, actively involved and able to connect their learning to the world around them. 

We build strong foundations 

Children develop the essential knowledge, vocabulary and skills they need for future learning. 

We learn through experience 

We use practical, hands-on experiences, exploration and enquiry to make learning meaningful. 

We remember what matters 

Carefully planned progression and retrieval help children revisit and build on important knowledge. 

We connect learning to the wider world 

Our local community, Peak District setting, visitors, trips and enrichment help children understand that learning extends beyond the classroom. 

We develop the whole child

Alongside academic achievement, we develop confidence, independence, perseverance, relationships and a love of learning. 

Our Approach to Teaching & Learning in KS1 

Our approach provides a consistent framework, not a rigid formula. 

What might a typical lesson look like? 

1. Recall and Retrieval – We visit previous learning to strengthen children's memory and make important knowledge easier to recall. 

2. Learning objective – We make clear that children are learning and what we want them to know or be able to do. 

3. Vocabulary – We explicitly introduce and revisit important subject-specific vocabulary so that children can talk confidently about their learning. 

4. Direct teaching – Teachers introduce new knowledge and model new skills clearly, breaking learning into manageable steps 

5. Guided Teaching – Children practise their learning with teacher support, discussion and feedback before working more independently. 

6. Hinge questions and checking for understanding – Teachers use carefully planned questions and checks to identify what children understand and address misconceptions before moving on. 

7. Independent Learning and Assessment – Children apply their learning independently before completing an exit ticket or assessment activity, allowing teachers to identify what has been learnt and what needs to be revisited.