Diamond Wood Community Academy

The School Day

At our school, every part of the day is thoughtfully planned to nurture, challenge and inspire. From our youngest learners in Nursery through to the end of Key Stage 1, we create calm, structured and engaging routines that help children feel secure, excited, and ready to learn.

Through a balance of play, exploration, and high quality teaching, we support children’s development across all areas of learning, giving them the strongest start to their school journey.

Nursery – Morning Only

Session Time: 8:30am – 11:30am

Our Nursery morning is a calm and purposeful start to your child’s early education. We prioritise strong relationships, communication, and early learning through high quality play and interaction.

Structure of the Morning:

• 8:30am – Arrival & Key Worker Time
  Children are welcomed with a short session in their key worker group, focusing on prime areas of development including communication, personal, social and emotional development, and physical skills.

• Provision & Focused Activities
  Children access a range of indoor and outdoor provision, with planned opportunities to explore and play. Small-group focused activities support early literacy and maths, with enhanced learning through specific areas like expressive arts and understanding the world.

• Snack Time Together
  A calm, social time where children share a healthy snack and build key personal and social skills.

• 11:00am – Tidy & Final Key Worker Session
  The morning ends with another key worker session, reinforcing learning and offering reflection time. The children also enjoy a shared singing and story time before going home.

Reception – Full Day 

School Day: 8:45am – 3:10pm

In Reception, we build on the foundations laid in Nursery, combining structured teaching with imaginative play to foster early literacy, numeracy, creativity, and confidence.

Structure of the Day:

• Soft Start & Welcome
  Children begin the day with a soft start, encouraging independence and calm transitions. This includes a One Life (PSHE) focus, registration and morning routines.

• Morning Sessions:

  • Literacy and maths taught through engaging inputs and hands-on activities

  • Access to provision indoors and outdoors, supporting all areas of the Early Years curriculum

  • Phonics at 10:45am daily, using the Read Write Inc programme

  • Shared snack time to promote healthy choices and conversation

• 11:45am – Story Time followed by Lunch (11:45am–12:45pm)

• Afternoon Sessions:

  • Continued access to provision, with a focus on the specific areas of learning such as expressive arts and understanding the world

  • Continued development of prime areas, early literacy, and early maths

  • Daily handwriting practice to support fine motor development

  • A final story time to wind down the day with language and imagination

Year 1 & Year 2 – Key Stage 1  

School Day: 8:50am – 3:15pm
Wednesdays: Extended Day until 3:30pm for Curriculum Club

As children move into Key Stage 1, the day becomes more structured, with high-quality teaching balanced by creativity, movement, and continued social-emotional development.

Structure of the Day:

• Morning Sessions:

  • Daily teaching of English, phonics, and maths, with a focus on decoding, fluency, comprehension, and confidence

  • Shared snack time in the morning to support routines and wellbeing

  • Morning playtime provides time for free-choice play, supporting social skills, creativity, and emotional development

• 12:00–1:00pm – Lunchtime

• Afternoon Sessions:

  • Teaching of foundation subjects such as science, history, geography, art, PE, computing, and music

  • Afternoon playtime includes structured active play, often linked to the PE curriculum, supporting physical health and coordination

  • Daily story time helps end the day with calm, reflection, and a love of reading

• Assemblies – Weekly at 2:45pm:

  • Monday – One Life (PSHE) focus

  • Wednesday - Singing focus

  • Friday - Celebration assembly recognising effort, achievement, and kindness

• Wednesdays – Extended Day until 3:30pm:
  All KS1 pupils attend our curriculum club, an inclusive enrichment opportunity for creative, physical, and hands-on learning. This ensures all pupils, particularly those who attend Mosque or other commitments, have access to the wider experiences school can offer.

Final Note 

We know how important consistency and routine are for young children. While we always aim to keep the structure of the school day stable, please note that small changes may occur as part of our ongoing efforts to refine, improve, and deliver the very best for your child.

If you have any questions about your child’s daily routine or would like more specific information, please don’t hesitate to speak to your class teacher or year group leader. We’re always happy to help.

As a school, we also ensure that we meet the government’s expectation for a minimum school week of 32.5 hours, helping provide every child with the time and opportunity they need to thrive.

Together, we’re building strong foundations for a lifelong love of learning.