At Carlton Colville Primary School, we consider success to be about more than just what children know—it’s about how they learn, grow and respond to challenges along the way.

That’s why our five Elements—curiosity, courage, adaptability, resilience and reflection—are at the heart of everything we do.

These Elements give us a shared language to talk about learning. They help children understand themselves as learners: how to ask questions, take risks, adapt when things are challenging, keep going when it’s tough, and think about how to improve.

Built on around metacognition and self-regulation research, our approach supports children to become confident, independent learners who can take ownership of their progress—both in school and beyond.

The documents below set out the progression of these behaviours from Nursery through to Year 6. They break each Element down into four clear strands, enabling everyone to see how children’s dispositions, actions and independence develop over time, with examples of associated behaviour. The progression is designed to be both aspirational and practical, recognising that these behaviours grow gradually through consistent modelling, teaching and reflection.