Our School Vision

At Burnside Primary, our vision is to be a school where every child is inspired to excel and reach their full potential—academically, socially, and personally. We are proud to be a Values-based school, giving our pupils a strong moral and ethical compass to guide them through life. Our core values—honesty, co-operation, tolerance, love, respect, determination, and happiness—shape all that we do, helping our children grow into confident, kind, and capable individuals.

Through our values-driven approach, excellent facilities, and safe, nurturing environment, we foster a culture where children enjoy learning, achieve high standards, and develop the confidence to succeed. At the heart of our curriculum is the principle of “learning to read and reading to learn.” We help children understand how they learn best, encouraging resilience, reflection, and perseverance. Mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn and improve, and we promote high expectations for all, ensuring every child can achieve their personal best and develop a lifelong love of learning.

We place a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy as the foundation for all learning. Reading, writing, communication, and mathematical fluency are taught explicitly and practised daily. In maths, we move from the concrete to the abstract to secure conceptual understanding, while in literacy, we develop confident communicators, writers, and readers who can access the wider curriculum successfully.

Our curriculum is rich, stimulating, and knowledge-driven. It excites curiosity, builds key knowledge and skills, and provides real-life experiences that make learning relevant and memorable. Themed weeks, educational visits, school productions, and residentials help broaden pupils’ horizons and deepen engagement.

We ensure the scope and ambition of our curriculum meet or exceed the National Curriculum, reflecting our vision, values, and the needs of our pupils, while drawing on research about how children learn best.

Key Principles Underpinning Our Curriculum

• Learning to read and reading to learn
• Sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum leading to clear outcomes
• Vocabulary development and strong speaking and listening
• Mastery of writing through the Burnside Primary writing process
• Mathematical fluency and conceptual understanding
• Retrieval and assessment to embed long-term learning
• Social, emotional, and metacognitive development
• Real-life experiences that make learning meaningful

Our vision is to nurture lifelong learners who are curious, resilient, and ready to make a positive contribution to the world.