Curriculum Intent Statement
The breadth and depth of our curriculum is designed to provide a broad, sequenced academic curriculum that leads to the children’s progression of knowledge and skills learnt. Its aim is to give all pupils a wide range of experiences to develop as confident, resilient and independent individuals who are prepared to be global citizens of the future.
Our curriculum is ambitious. It is knowledge based with regular opportunity for retrieval and retention whilst also securing the necessary knowledge and skills to become successful independent learners. It is adapted for our SEND pupils to ensure they develop the skills and knowledge to become independent learners. Importance is placed on reading right from the start with emphasis from the Early Years.
It builds on the school’s embedded Christian vision and values, forest school and enrichment opportunities. Children are developed as valued individuals with an emphasis on health and wellbeing both physically and mentally. Subject Leaders have designed the curriculum to ensure that it is relevant and contextual both locally and globally to develop a deep understanding of the changing world and community that we live in.
We have developed six main curriculum themes through our Christian Values and curriculum aims and design. These themes reflect the strengths of the school and are responsive to the needs of our community and the ever changing wider world around us.
Our coherently planned academic curriculum is underpinned by our curriculum themes and uses the EYFS or National Curriculum (DfE 2014) as the basis for content and expectations. We have structured this as follows:
- All year groups have curriculum maps for each Term including key expectations for each subject, values covered, enrichment activities and PSHE focus.
- Reading, phonics, vocabulary and spelling are taught systematically to master fluency, comprehension, language and prosody.
- Retrieval practice and precision teaching is used daily in maths, spelling, punctuation and grammar and foundation subjects to retain knowledge.
- Foundation subjects - Science, History and Geography - have a knowledge organiser consisting of subject specific vocabulary and powerful knowledge.
- Formative Assessment is also ongoing through retrieval practice, low stake quizzes, questioning and pre and post taught sessions. There is regular feedback between children and teachers.
- Core subject summative assessment takes place three times a year to inform teachers' knowledge of gaps in learning.
We use Roshenshine’s Ten Principles of Effective learning to provide consistent approach to our teaching, allowing children to acquire skills and embed knowledge in a step by step approach.
The impact of our curriculum is shown where children are making progress in what they need to know and remember and the quality of their outcomes. Teachers and leaders check that they are learning what is intended in the curriculum. This is measured in a variety of ways – ongoing monitoring, book look, pupil voice. Class teachers are responsible for the summative assessment of their children. Children are regularly spoken to by subject leaders and senior leaders to ensure they understand their experience of the curriculum with a particular focus on what they have learned and remembered. Children will know what they are being asked to learn and more importantly, why they are being asked to learn it which allows them to make meaningful links between their current learning and previous learning.
We can also use summative assessments to address our judgements of our curriculum and inform planning adaptations. There is a strong focus on the tracking and progress of our SEND and disadvantaged pupils to ensure they are being provided with the best cultural capital needs they can to become successful learners.