SDP Overview 2025 - 2026
4 Key Priorities:
- Maths: Deepen Conceptual Knowledge Through Use of Visual Models and Manipulatives
- Mixed Age Classes: Planning, support and Challenge
- English: Reading Fluency
- English: Grammar, Spelling and Handwriting
Leadership and Management
Leadership and Management 1: BKAT Transition
To ensure the school makes a smooth transition to the BKAT which is strategically planned, achievable and effective. To manage the changes in policy and procedure with minimum disruption to the school, its staff, its pupils and its parents.
Leadership and Management 2: Safeguarding
The school is wholly invested in ensuring the safeguarding of the children is of paramount importance. It is committed to participating in an annual external safeguarding review and ensuring training, reporting procedures and an understanding of shared responsibility is understood by all staff.
Leadership and Management 3: Christian Distinctiveness
Christian distinctiveness is at the heart of a Church school’s ethos, influencing its values, culture, relationships, and learning environment. It shapes how the school community sees itself and how it responds to the wider world. A clear Christian identity provides children with spiritual and moral foundations, rooted in the teachings of Jesus. In a pluralistic society, it also offers a framework for developing compassion, respect, and a deep sense of belonging. Strengthening Christian distinctiveness enhances collective worship, Religious Education, and character development, ensuring pupils grow academically, spiritually, and socially
Leadership 4: Governance
Strong and effective school governance ensures that the school is well-led, accountable, and continuously improving. It supports strategic planning, ensures compliance with legal requirements, and enhances the safety, wellbeing, and achievement of pupils. With evolving educational and digital safeguarding demands, governors must be informed, skilled, and active participants in guiding school policies and systems.
Quality of Education
Quality of Education 1: Maths
In recent years, end of year outcomes in mathematics have trailed behind those of reading. This discrepancy has highlighted mathematics as a subject requiring renewed focus and strategic development. To close this attainment gap and ensure high-quality maths teaching and learning, this development plan outlines targeted actions, rooted in evidence-based practices and aligned with school priorities.
Quality of education 2: Mixed-age Classes
This development plan addresses the unique opportunities and challenges presented by a mixed-age structure comprising three classes: Y1–2, Y3–4, and Y4–5. The plan prioritizes consistency in curriculum progression, differentiation in teaching, and continuity in assessment. The rationale behind this structure is to foster collaboration, peer learning, and flexible teaching approaches while making efficient use of resources in a small school setting.
Special attention is given to curriculum alignment (especially for pupils in Year 4, taught across two classes), progression mapping, and ensuring staff are well supported to meet a wide range of developmental needs in one classroom.
Quality of Education 3: Deepening Knowledge – NACE
TBC
Quality of Education 4: English
Recent end-of-Key Stage 2 (KS2) data shows that reading attainment stands at 66%, which is below the national expectation and internal school targets. Book looks and internal assessments have further identified that pupils require increased support with grammar, spelling, and handwriting to meet age-related expectations. Additionally, reading fluency from KS1 to KS2, has been identified as an area for development which is affecting comprehension and overall reading confidence. To address these areas, the English action plan will target three key priorities.
Personal Development
Personal Development 1: Mental Health
Nationally, children have been identified as having concerns around their mental health. Increasingly, we are seeing this reflected in school and will be looking to invest in a new PSHE curriculum (Jigsaw) and consolidate the role of the ELSA and the ELSA environment.
Personal Development 2: Well Schools Trust
Promoting physical wellbeing is fundamental to the development, health, and learning of primary-aged children. At St Leonard's, we recognise that active lifestyles contribute to improved concentration, behaviour, mental health, and academic success. In alignment with the Blue Kite Academy Trust’s vision of supporting the whole child, we are committed to embedding a culture of physical activity throughout the school day.
This plan will enhance structured and unstructured physical activity, promote staff and pupil wellbeing, and build community engagement through physical initiatives. It will also contribute to the Well Schools ethos by ensuring every child is active, engaged, and has access to high-quality physical development opportunities.
Behaviour and Attitudes
Behaviour and Attitudes 1: Trauma Informed
The school are aware of a number of children who have had adverse childhood experiences and has seen how this has impacted on their behaviour. Initial training conducted as part of a borough-wide focus and extensive external research indicates that this approach is clearly beneficial for all children. The school will be embedding this approach over the course of the year.
EYFS 1: Curriculum
The early years of a child’s education are crucial for laying the foundations of future learning, well-being, and success. High-quality provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) fosters curiosity, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning. To enhance the effectiveness of our EYFS provision, our school development plan will focus on two key areas: developing staff and children’s understanding of purposeful play, and embedding purposeful reading and writing within extended provision.
These two focus areas are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. A strong understanding of purposeful play provides the foundation upon which meaningful literacy experiences can be built. Through targeted professional development, high-quality provision, and reflective practice, we aim to ensure that all children in EYFS have the best possible start, leaving them confident, curious, and ready for the next stage of their education.