What Makes Our Curriculum Special at Sauncey Wood
At Sauncey Wood, we’ve designed a curriculum that helps children grow into happy, confident, and successful individuals—not just in school, but in life!
To do this, we looked at two important pieces of research:
- The Dunedin Study – a long-term study that shows how important it is for children to learn how to manage their emotions and make good choices.
- PISA Happy Life Research – a study that looks at how children around the world feel about school and life.
What We Learned
From the Dunedin Study:
- Children who learn to manage their feelings and actions (called self-regulation) do better in life.
- Skills like self-control and emotional intelligence (understanding and managing emotions) are even more important than IQ!
- These skills help children do well in school, make friends, stay healthy, and succeed as adults.
From the PISA Happy Life Research:
- UK children do well in school subjects, but many feel stressed and less happy.
- Some children don’t feel excited about school or connected to their friends and families.
- Helping children feel good about themselves and enjoy learning is just as important as academic success and helps them academically too!
What This Means for Our School
We’ve used these findings to create a curriculum that:
- Helps children understand and manage their emotions.
- Encourages kindness, resilience, and confidence.
- Supports strong friendships and a sense of belonging.
- Makes learning fun, meaningful, and full of purpose.
We want every child at Sauncey Wood to feel happy, supported, and ready to take on the world!