We are part of the Plymouth CAST family of schools. We are a Catholic school welcoming children of all faiths to learn and grow with us. The education and wellbeing of our children is at the heart of everything we do. Our Gospel Values of humility, compassion, kindness, justice, forgiveness, integrity, peace and courage are integral to our whole school community. We inspire all our children to do their best, be their best and have respect for themselves, others and the world we live in. Choosing a school for your child is really important for any parent or carer. If you would like to find out more about our school you are welcome to visit us to meet or wonderful staff and pupils. Please email admin@stjo.uk or phone 01395 264875 to book an appointment. We look forward to seeing you.
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Foundation Stage Unit

Click on the star above to see the curriculum in action!

There are seven areas of learning and development in early years settings. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected.

• Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

• Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

• Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.

• Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.

• Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.

• Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.

• Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.



At St. Joseph’s we aim to provide this curriculum in a warm, caring, spiritual, moral and stimulating environment, offering praise, support and encouragement to every child. We are aware that each child learns at his/her own pace and that each child comes to school with a variety of experiences. Therefore we try to cater for each child’s individual needs and the children are not made to feel that they have to meet the expectations set by others.

Play, both indoors and outdoors, is a key way in which young children learn with enjoyment and challenge. In playing they behave in different ways: sometimes their play will be boisterous, sometimes they will describe and discuss what they are doing, and sometimes they will be quiet and reflective as they play.



Through exploring and play children can:

  • Develop and represent learning experiences that help them make sense of the world
  • Practise and build up ideas, concepts and skills
  • Learn how to control impulses and understand the need for rules
  • Be alone, be alongside others or co-operate as they talk or rehearse their feelings
  • Take risks and make mistakes
  • Think creatively and imaginatively
  • Communicate with others as they investigate or solve problems
  • Express fears or relive anxious experiences in controlled and safe situations.


By planning our curriculum involving structured and free exploring alongside the areas of learning we can help your child to reach his/her own potential at his/her own pace.