St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

“Caritas Christi Urget Nos –

The love of Christ urges us to care for each other and strive for excellence in everything we do.”

EYFS Outdoor Adventures at Our Forest School

At St Vincent’s, we are blessed with a beautiful forest school that provides a perfect setting for exploration, learning, and growth. Our Nursery and Reception classes have been embracing the wonders of the outdoors, and it has been a joy to watch them flourish as they connect with nature.

Seedlings in the Forest

Our Nursery class, lovingly called the Seedlings, have truly blossomed this term. They’ve been immersed in a range of activities that inspire curiosity and creativity. From planting seeds to hunting for bugs, each activity has sparked their natural wonder for the world around them.

Arts and crafts have been a particular highlight, as the children created beautiful works using natural materials like leaves, sticks, and pinecones. These hands-on experiences have not only fostered their artistic talents but also deepened their understanding of our environment.

We are so proud of how confident our Seedlings have become in the forest setting. Each child has shown a remarkable sense of stewardship, caring for the environment with great enthusiasm. Their keen interest and growing understanding of nature remind us all of the importance of nurturing a love for God’s creation from an early age.

Reception’s Outdoor Adventures

Our Reception class has taken their outdoor adventures to the next level! This term, they have embraced the challenges and joys of exploring the forest. Climbing trees, navigating uneven terrain, and working together to overcome obstacles have been key moments in their growth.

The children have been busy completing environmental worksheets, making arts and crafts inspired by the forest, and learning about wildlife and habitats. Their curiosity has led to meaningful discussions about the importance of caring for all creatures and preserving their homes.

We are especially proud of the resilience and camaraderie our Reception class has shown. Whether helping a friend climb a tree or sharing materials for crafts, they have embodied kindness and compassion. These moments of teamwork and support have highlighted their growth not only as learners but also as individuals living out the values we hold dear.

A Celebration of Growth

Both our Nursery and Reception classes have demonstrated incredible growth, resilience, and a deep connection to the natural world. They remind us of the words from Genesis 2:15, where God calls us to care for His creation: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

Through their outdoor adventures, our children have lived out this calling, becoming stewards of the environment and shining examples of what it means to grow in faith and love.

We look forward to seeing what new discoveries and achievements the next term will bring in our forest school!

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Curriculum Intent

At St Vincent’s it is our INTENT is to enable ALL children to thrive through the opportunities we provide them with, in order to:

  • Live their lives by the Gospel and Vincentian values instilled in them at school.
  • Understand that everyone has the right and responsibility to live in our world constructively and ensure that we leave it in a better state than when we entered it by living and working through the principles of Catholic Social Teaching in line with the UNCRC (United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child)
  • Experience creativity across the curriculum through specialist art and dance lessons and opportunities to take part in art, music, dance and creative writing competitions.
  • Know the joy of outdoor learning, the rich biodiversity within our school grounds and locality and develop a responsibility for the environment we share as stewards.
  • Understand their place in the world, globally and locally, knowing the history of our school, Mill Hill and the Daughters of Charity and knowing where our diverse community members have their roots across the world.
  • Be ready and well-prepared for their next steps in life, having high aspirations for themselves and for others because they have experienced success and a belief in learning from mistakes.
  • Have a life-long curiosity, stimulated by the driving questions of Project Based Learning approach to the curriculum fostering inquiry and independent learning skills, which give confidence to ask big questions about the world.
  • Be literate and numerate having experienced a rich variety of texts to stimulate and excite the mind while developing skills in investigating and problem solving to enable them to excel in their future passions.
  • Be confident and happy young people that have a broad understanding and tolerance of the world and others around them with excellent communication skills honed by their experience of Restorative Justice and respect of the dignity and wishes of the individual.

Curriculum Context

St Vincent’s is a 1.5 form entry school with 285 children ranging from 4 -11. Children come predominantly from the parishes of Sacred Heart in Mill Hill and St Anthony’s in Edgware.

Children come from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds, speak 17 different languages and hail from 26 different ethnic groups. The curriculum we present, and promote, to the children is an endeavour to reflect these differences by providing opportunities to explore the different countries, languages and customs our children are part of through the projects they investigate. We have looked closely at the context of our school, the backgrounds of the children and how life is for a child growing up in North London today. We have used the underlying principles of our Catholic Faith and the example of our namesake St Vincent to create a set of values which lie at the heart of our curriculum.

We are aware of the changing nature of society and the pressures faced by young children as they enter the next stage of their education. The rise in Mental Health related issues has been widely documented across the media. Therefore, issues such as internet safety and the enormous impact across society of social media are at the forefront of our minds when planning our curriculum. With the current worldwide concerns relating to Covid 19, racial justice, equality and diversity, as well as gender and economic background, we feel it is our duty to prepare the children through a concerted focus on building independence, resilience and communication skills linked to our Vincentian Values.