Curious Quests with Richard Boxhall – Daubeney Primary School
Step into a world of wonder with Curious Quests, where every question sparks a new adventure! Inspired by the spirit of exploration championed by Richard Boxhall, this engaging approach invites children to think deeply, ask boldly, and discover the joy of learning beyond the obvious. Through hands-on experiences, imaginative challenges, and thoughtful enquiry, pupils become curious investigators—confidently exploring the world around them while developing creativity, resilience, and a lifelong love of discovery.
At Daubeney Primary School, our Year 1 children have truly thrived with this approach, showing high levels of enthusiasm, sustained engagement, and a genuine excitement for learning through this rich and stimulating experience.
At Daubeney, Curious Quests is rooted in a strong understanding of Drawing Club, which acts as the bridge from Reception into Year 1. Our staff are confident in using the four Mini Moments to support children’s thinking, imagination and early writing, ensuring a seamless transition from the EYFS approach to more structured learning in Key Stage 1.
Our Curious Quests sessions combine short carpet inputs, collaborative group work and rich opportunities for exploration through continuous provision. Children engage with open-ended resources such as junk modelling, construction, playdough, role play and outdoor learning, enabling them to follow their own lines of enquiry and deepen their understanding through play and discovery.
This approach offers abundant opportunities for children to experience the joy of SPaG in a meaningful context, while applying their growing phonic knowledge. Rather than prescribing what to teach and when, Curious Quests provides an open-ended landscape for learning—allowing our skilled practitioners at Daubeney to respond to the needs, interests and developmental stages of each child.
Central to our ethos at Daubeney is a commitment to joy. We recognise that young children learn best when they are engaged, motivated and emotionally connected to their learning. Curious Quests supports this by moving away from a narrow focus on prescribed writing tasks and instead fosters a love of writing as a tool for expression, creativity and imagination.
At Daubeney Primary School, we believe in empowering children to see writing as something that belongs to them—that the pen is a magic wand. Through Curious Quests, children write for purpose, for pleasure and for themselves, building confidence, independence and a lifelong love of learning.
