At Steephill, we take a holistic approach to education. Our small class sizes and knowledge-rich curriculum allow each child to reach their full potential. Our curriculum is designed using three essential strands: knowledge, community and our K.I.N.D values to ensure pupils at Steephill not only receive academic excellence but essential life skills which will prepare them to serve our community.

We encourage pupils to take risks and see mistakes as an opportunity to learn which develops their determination and problem-solving skills. They do this within a safe and inclusive environment where teachers personalise each pupil’s offer, enhancing their learning by following their interests and building on their talents.

Personalised Offer

As a smaller setting, we are truly able to provide an individualised offer for every child. Regular academic assessments take place throughout the year to identify where additional interventions are required and to stretch and challenge our pupils, including those on our MAGT register. Our adaptive teaching approach ensures each child has their needs met and a range of teaching techniques are used to suit different types of learners.

MAGT

Our more able, gifted and talented programme has been carefully designed to ensure not only academic advancements are made but also talents within the wider curriculum, such as the arts and sports, are built upon. Parents are informed when their child is placed on the register and continue to have updates through the year, where teachers and specialists share enhancements to their offer.

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum at Steephill, with specialist music, instrumental, Spanish and sports lessons for pupils from KS1.

In sport, our pupils in KS2 compete in regular tournaments against other local schools and have specialist play leader sessions which focus on core character skills, such as teamwork, collaboration and active listening, to support one another and learn the fundamental attributes needed when partaking in sports activities.

Our specialist music and instrumental teachers teach the theory of music as well as the ability to appreciate a wide range of musical genres. In addition, pupils compose and appraise their own music. This learning is enhanced through many opportunities to perform in our local church and at local festivals, including the Maidstone festival.

Outdoor learning is a core part of our curriculum offer. Our expansive grounds and forest school site allow pupils to explore and learn in the natural environment.

We have a specialist forest school teacher on site who delivers sessions from pre-school through to year 6. Our pupils understand the importance of caring for our natural environment, as well as the impact of climate issues such as global warming. Our eco-council, gardening club and house captains take an active role in caring for our grounds and informing the local community of our work, as well as the importance of supporting our sustainability agenda.

Global learning is a thread which runs through daily school life. Each year, we focus on three of the UN’s sustainable development goals, so pupils are prepared for the wider world and become part of the global conversation.

This year, we have prioritised UN Goal 13: Climate Action, UN Goal 1: No poverty and UN Goal 3: Good health and well-being. We carefully select the goals which are prevalent to our local community, as well as global priorities. We support local charities such as the community cupboard and are currently working towards the Wilder Kent Award. We care deeply about making a real difference in our local area and the wider world.

PSHE is taught weekly and teaches pupils about the importance of healthy relationships, caring for others and current, topical issues such as the use of AI in our modern world and emotional wellbeing. It supports pupils in navigating the complexities of daily life and provides them with the knowledge to self-regulate and empathise with others.

We continually instil our values of KIND, which give our pupils the principles they need to flourish and become well-rounded citizens. Kindness is our overarching principle, which is supported by inclusivity, nurture and determination. We believe that by having these all-important values instilled, pupils will make well-informed decisions and strive for academic excellence with kindness at their core.