The following section relates our Primary Strategy Vision to the local and national agendas. It sets the context for our work locally to enable us to deliver our vision for primary and early years education.

In the early years, children learn through play and exploration. Our aim is to break down barriers between education and childcare so that we offer a single integrated provision.

Using the best practice from the Birth to Three Matters and Foundation Stage learning frameworks, we will aspire for high-quality, enriched and flexible provisions.

Excellence and Enjoyment: a strategy for primary schools
"Primary education is a critical stage in children?s development - it shapes them for life. As well as giving them the essential tools for learning, primary education is about children experiencing the joy of discovery, solving problems, being creative... developing their self-confidence as learners and maturing socially and emotionally. Excellence in teaching and enjoyment of learning is at the heart of this"

Executive summary - Excellence and Enjoyment
The intention of the Excellence and Enjoyment Strategy is to help schools provide children with the very best primary education so that they can become effective and enthusiastic lifelong learners. The Learning Trust will promote the strategy and support schools by looking at best practice, agreeing priorities for action, defining success criteria and regularly monitoring progress.

The success of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies has laid an excellent foundation. This has been shown in the number of children achieving national averages, and in Hackney we continue to improve our levels of attainment. The challenge now is to build on that progress by raising standards further and meeting the needs of every child.

Ofsted reports show that the best primary schools combine high standards with a broad and rich curriculum. The learning and teaching environment in these schools is shaped by an excellent understanding of what children can achieve and by teaching that is focused on individual learning needs.

Excellence and Enjoyment: learning and teaching in the primary years provides excellent opportunities to ensure that all children fulfil their potential through the use of these Ofsted approved methods.

In Hackney, we aspire for every child to achieve national averages and above. In this context we will use, develop and share good practice to enable that to happen.