Laxey School

Be Brave, Challenge Yourself, Smile, Be Honest, Sustain Effort, Fail Well, Be Positive, Reflect

Our Learning Habits

Be Brave (Learning is Hard), Challenge Yourself (Enjoy the Stretch Zone), Smile (Learning Can Make You Feel Good), Be Honest (It's Your Learning), Sustain Effort (Aim to Succeed and Feel Proud When You Do), Fail Well (Learn From Your Mistakes), Be Positive (With Yourself and Others), Reflect (Make Time to Improve)

At Laxey we have a growth mindset philosophy. This means we believe that everybody can learn and succeed with the right attitude. Courage, tenacity and self belief are crucial and can be developed by how we recognise and reward success. Directed effort alongside outcome is valued and children are encouraged to take risks and not fear failure. Our curriculum focusses on the principle that there are thinking skills as well as subject specific skills which we develop in a range of contexts.

We also provide opportunities for children to fulfil the outcomes from the DESC’s Essentials for Learning (E4L) curriculum which can be viewed on the DESC website.

We teach most key literacy and numeracy skills in small focus groups which allow us to cater for children’s ever changing needs as they develop their skills and progress. Children play an active part in assessing their learning so they know what they need to learn next.Our curriculum is creative and engaging, with the children taking part in planning many of the activities. There is a balance between teacher-directed learning and time for children to investigate their own lines of enquiry through independent, self chosen challenges.



Download "The Laxey Learning Habits" here


Laxey Learners

We've mapped out what a Laxey pupil ultimately becomes if they use the Laxey Learning Habits, develop a growth mindset, attend our school and experience our curriculum. We aspire for all of our pupils to become “Laxey Learners” - a term which celebrates the growth mindset and learning power culture that is so established in the school and makes clear the outcomes it aims to produce: Laxey Learners are fit for the future; Laxey Learners are successful; Laxey Learners are compassionate; Laxey Learners are leaders; and Laxey learners are inclusive. Coming to Laxey means a commitment that no child is left behind, as we develop in them the skills to tackle the challenges of the 21st century and create tomorrow’s leaders amongst others. We believe our Laxey Learners statement is an important strand to our school that helps mark us out as clearly and identifiably inclusive in nature because it seeks to build character in everyone. In everyone. Regardless of age, stage, background, culture or gender. It accepts no excuses in its belief that every child can succeed and deserves to be taught to the very highest standard.



Download our "Laxey Learners" programme here


Our Laxey Curriculum

At Laxey School, we are committed to providing a rich, varied and exciting curriculum for all of our pupils. We offer a wide range of opportunities for children to learn in different ways, catering for a range of learning styles. This means that our pupils learn to work both independently and collaboratively, developing an understanding of themselves as learners and recognising the ways in which they learn most effectively.

Our curriculum is creative and innovative, with our team of talented staff able to deliver high quality teaching and learning through an "on demand" and fluid content dynamic; an approach that our pupils find engaging and inspiring, thanks to the variety and range of different activities on offer, and which allows them to make connections between the different areas of learning.

Our curriculum also includes a commitment to helping our pupils learn to learn; we believe that children should develop an understanding of how they learn most effectively, reflect on their own progress and be involved in identifying their own ‘next steps’, thus developing the skills to be a successful learner for life.

Foundation Stage Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2
Safe and nurturing, high quality learning environment.

Multi sensory learning experience for the children – both inside and outside of the classroom.

Introduction to our growth mindset philosophy, encouraging children to foster positive attitudes towards their learning.

High quality teaching experience that is meaningful and well planned for

Provision encourages the children to explore their thinking, be creative, use their imagination and become active learners.



In Key Stage One children are provided with a broad and balanced curriculum through a range of exciting and engaging learning activities in and outside of the classroom.

Develop and foster positive attitude towards learning, valuing all contributions whilst meeting their individual needs.

At the core of Key Stage One the children will be developing their literacy, phonics and numeracy skills. The children will learn these skills through a fostering of enjoyment, perseverance and determination to succeed.




The Education journey continues, further developing skills across the curriculum.

English lessons have an emphasis on grammatical features and precise sentence structure.

Lessons include opportunities to appreciate and understand a wide range of classic and modern literature.

Purposeful links are made across the curriculum areas with Manx themes embedded into the children’s learning.

A greater emphasis on formal efficient methods in calculation, applying them to problem solving and reasoning activities.

Strong focus on English and Maths.

The expectations in Key Stage 2 are always high, supported by strong teaching methods, clear communication about the quality of work expected, assessment that informs areas of improvement and support through extension activities designed to further challenge the children.

The curriculum is delivered through direct formal teaching with independent learning opportunities and collaboration is encouraged.