A 'Phased' Approach To Learning

At St Paul's, it is our aim to design a modern day curriculum that prepares our pupils for the lives ahead of them, provides them with opportunities to develop both personally and professionally and systematically builds upon what they know, understand and can do. 

During their time with us, our pupils progress though a phased 'pathway' of learning that enables them to access and apply a deeper understanding of all curriculum subjects and inspires them to become ambitious for their future lives.  Each child's 'pathway' will be unique and tailored to meet their needs. 

What is a 'Phased ' approach?

Following the introduction of the St Paul's Nursery in 2023, we have modified our school structure to accomodate 4 distinct phases for 2023-2024, rather than 3.

We group our children in 4 distinct phases within the school, combining groups of pupils from specific year groups. Each 'phase' has an experienced teacher that is an integral part of the organisation of the year groups. Our lead teachers are experienced professionals within their phase and take responsibility for the operational management and strategic direction of the phase.

We wanted to give our 4 phases names that represented pupils' journey through St Paul's, and also supported their knowledge of our local area. As a result, we have named our phases after the four streets of Gloucester; Northgate, Eastgate, Southgate and Westgate - using the four points of a compass to showcase the cyclical learning of our pupils. 

Northgate: Includes pupils from Nursery and Reception. A particular emphasis is placed upon developing the communication and language needed to access learning across the curriculum, as well as developing the social skills to develop and maintain positive relationships. For detailed information about Northgate, click here.

Eastgate: Combines pupils from Year 1 and Year 2. This phase supports transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage into Key Stage One and is crucial in developing pupils' independent learning skills and building solid blocks of knowledge, to provide all pupils with a strong foundation to build upon throughout their education.  For detailed information about Eastgate, click here.

Southgate: Combines pupils from Year 3 and 4 and is pivotal in giving pupils opportunity to build upon their learning to deepen and apply their knowledge and understanding across all subjects. We provide experiences and opportunities for pupils to further develop independence in all aspects of their learning, whilst providing support where needed. For detailed information about Southgate, click here. 

Westgate: Combines pupils from Year 5 and Year 6 and is the pinnacle of all learning at St Paul's.  In this phase, pupils are prepared for transition to their next steps in education and beyond, taking increased responsibility for the application of their learning and challenging themselves to achieve their very best. We aim for these pupils to be self-driven, reflective and act as role-models for the younger phases in readiness to become responsible and active members of a wider society. For detailed information about Westgate, click here. 

Critical to our intent is the development of character. Our vision statement outlines how important this is at St Paul's CofE Primary School and Nursery 

What are the benefits of a phased approach to teaching and learning?

Since the introduction of a phased model through the development of Phase 1 in 2017-2018 and the expansion of Phases 2 and 3 in 2020, we have seen evidence of the following:

• Pupils make better development in personal, social and emotional development, particularly in areas of self-confidence, making relationships, speaking and listening and attention)
• Improved pupil outcomes and deeper thinking as pupils are exposed to a wider range of experiences, opportunities and a wider society
• There is a more cohesive whole school community where pupils know and work with others from other year groups (like a family) and therefore develop a pupil-driven pastoral system (responsibility from older pupils towards others)

• Our pupils are better prepared for future transitions, more resilient and better able to adapt to change in later life

• There is greater ability to deploy staff to target pupils' specific needs more readily. We invest heavily in staffing to ensure that our teaching groups remain smaller than the primary school average., particularly in core subjects.