We ensure children receive a broad and balanced curriculum where learning is relevant, aspirational and challenging. All National Curriculum subjects within the Curriculum are viewed as being equally important; but underpinned by the understanding of the importance of securing strong foundations in literacy and numeracy.
Our curriculum is based upon our core values, promotes positive emotional and physical health and provides experiences and opportunities that broaden children’s cultural capital and supports the mindset that they can achieve anything. Our curriculum is language rich with reading at the heart of it. We recognise the importance of reading as a key skill that underpins learning in all areas and prepares children for the future.
All areas of the curriculum are carefully crafted by subject specialists to ensure children move on to the next stage of their education with the language, knowledge and experience to show a broad and deep understanding of each subject. When planning the curriculum, our teachers always take into consideration children’s prior learning, they provide first-hand experiences, allowing the children to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative, critical thinkers. We teach children to ask big questions, challenge ideas and build on both their individual and combined strengths to solve problems and respond to the world around them.
We understand that a child’s ability to learn is based on gaining knowledge & building on learned knowledge; as well as the ability to use and apply any associated skills adeptly and competently. Our curriculum is designed to marry these key components to ensure progress and a greater depth of understanding that leads to sustained mastery.
Curriculum Implementation
National requirements and school requirements are mapped out as a whole school by subject leaders, and then individual year groups plan the curriculum for their pupils accordingly:
- Teachers organise each half term’s learning under a theme. They plan lessons to ensure the children make connections across a variety of subjects.
- The curriculum is planned thoroughly, starting with the children’s current knowledge and skills, so that real progress can be made and measured.
- Each term there are a variety of visits and visitors planned in each year group to enrich the learning and create lasting memories via real experiences.
- Each theme starts with an Entry Point to inspire and engage. All themes then finish with an Exit Point that celebrates learning.
The curriculum is reinforced by the school’s Core Values. These are taught on their own and through other areas of the curriculum, including assemblies. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of our pupils and their understanding of British Values and the core values of our society are woven through the curriculum.
To enrich and develop children’s learning further, Theme days and weeks, House Challenge, whole school activities and opportunities for educational visits and visitors have been built into our curriculum maps. After school enrichment clubs and events extend these opportunities further.
We value parents and carers and work in partnership with them to enrich the curriculum. To support learning at home, curriculum maps are sent out to families at the beginning of each topic, to provide parents/carers with information about the learning ahead. Parents and carers are invited into school regularly for Parent Workshops, Stay and Share sessions, Entry and Exit points, Whole School Assemblies and Open Evenings.
Whole School Curriculum Map
Curriculum Impact
We measure the impact of our curriculum through:
- Annual tracking of standards across the curriculum
- Reflecting on the standards achieved against planned outcomes.
- Celebrating the learning at the end of each topic, where children demonstrate the knowledge they have gained
- Sampling children’s learning across the school, where they demonstrate learning
- Pupil discussions with teachers and Senior Leaders about their learning
