School Development Plan

"Let Your Light Shine" (Matthew 5:15) | "Where love is, there God is" (1 John 4:16)

Exford C of E First School, located in the picturesque village of Exford, Somerset, is a vibrant educational institution, home to nurturing teachers and curious students. Rooted in Christian values, we take pride in our all-inclusive ethos, welcoming children, adults, and families from all walks of life.

Vision & Values

At Exford, our vision is:

• To establish ourselves as a leading rural school through strategic collaborations
• To serve as a center of excellence for early years, giving our pupils the best start
• To provide a comprehensive curriculum that ensures continuous student progress
• To offer a rich, broad curriculum leveraging the local community and landscape innovatively
• To make our community proud of the high-quality education we provide
• To foster local, national, and worldwide links that encourage pupils to discover their place in the world
• To make education the heart of our community, supporting whole families

Our Goals

Our development plan for the forthcoming academic year focuses on the following areas:

Leadership & Management

• Curriculum: Develop Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for all staff and embed the school’s vision, value, and ethos in the curriculum.
• Communication: Enhance stakeholder engagement through regular questionnaires, coffee mornings, and an Ethos, Vision, and Values Group.
• Assessment: Review assessments to inform planning and improve learning outcomes for all pupils.
• Beyond the Curriculum: Embed the character growth mindset pathway, prioritizing mindfulness and wellbeing. Forest School and Generation Exmoor will support this fully.

Quality of Education

• Curriculum Intent & Implementation: Ensure the curriculum end-points build on principles of metacognition.
• Maths: Embed high-quality maths teaching through NCETM and Curriculum Prioritisation materials.
• Reading: Continue to embed excellent phonics and early reading teaching through explicit RWI programme delivery.
• SEND & Inclusion: Ensure all children make progress and access a broad and balanced curriculum.

Early Years Foundation Stage

• EY Framework: Embed the Sept 2021 EYFS Framework, including new tracking systems.
• Curriculum & Transition: Ensure the framework is linked to KS1 and transition is seamless for pupils.
• Progress: Children make good or better progress from their starting point.

Personal Development

• Enhance Children’s Local Experience: Use outdoor learning—Forest School and Generation Exmoor—to pioneer personal and curriculum development for rural schools.
• Cultural Capital & Equity: Broaden pupil experiences and enrich learning by exploiting links with other schools, both nationally and internationally.
• Citizenship & Character Education, Including British Values: Embed our curriculum on British Values, citizenship, and responsibility, developing understanding of sustainability and climate change.

Behaviour & Attitudes

• Attendance: Improve attendance to exceed the National Average of 95.6% through a supportive yet rigorous implementation of the local attendance policy.
• School Council/Pupil Ownership: Extend and develop the school council, rebranded as pupil parliament, to engage students in leadership activities, introduce debate, and inculcate eco responsibilities.
• Consistency in Rules & Routines: Develop a consistent, clear set of school rules, using a common language and approach.

Christian Distinctiveness

• Community: Continue to develop and build on the excellent local and community links, extending to the Moorland Federation and surrounding areas.
• 150th Anniversary: Plan thoughtful Christian celebrations for the school’s 150th anniversary (2023) with the local community and stakeholders.
• Global Perspective: Grow links with other schools locally, nationally, and globally, broadening children’s horizons.

Monitor and Review

We believe in continuous improvement and therefore regularly review our progress through external reviews, leadership reviews, staff impact reviews, and coaching, parental reviews, and student leadership reviews. This feedback directly influences our school evaluation, which is rigorously reviewed against the current Ofsted framework and national and local statistical data.

Acknowledgments

Our strength lies in our community and their commitment to our vision and values. Thank you to all who help us by providing feedback throughout the academic year—parents, grandparents, and members of the community—your contributions are invaluable in our cycle of improvement and review.