In building our curriculum we have considered the needs of our pupils and their families and the social context within which they live. We believe that to enable our pupils to learn effectively, they need to have their uniqueness recognised and valued, feel safe in their environment and have the oral, social and emotional literacy skills to support them with the demands of life. We stress the importance of supporting emotional wellbeing and promoting personal development, recognising that many of our pupils do not come to school ‘ready to learn’ but have an appetite to gain skills, knowledge and understanding.
Our curriculum therefore has a number of key strands:
Our curriculum is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills while providing a range of opportunities through visits, visitors and practical first-hand learning experiences. Our assemblies and PHSE lessons promote positive attitudes, building a sense of belonging and community.
Community involvement is a key element enabling the pupils to be visibly contributing to the well-being of others through visits, music and joint learning with parents and carers.
Knowledge organisers are used to make learning memorable and support the learning gateway themes which provide a balance across science and the foundation subjects. They include the key vocabulary we expect pupils to recall and use in their learning. We fundamentally believe that providing our children with a richer and more varied vocabulary along with core skills will help them to be confident and resilient in the future.
Our curriculum is built upon five key foundations:
Through research and quality professional development, our teachers are experts in the subjects they teach. Their passion and depth of understanding will ensure the children are enthused and inspired by their new-found knowledge. Each year of teaching will build upon the prior learning set down.
‘Metacognition’ is the process of thinking about thinking. In all our learning, we provide children with the metacognitive tools (or ‘thinking’ tools) they need to organise their understanding. By engaging with our curriculum, we will teach our children to become critical and resilient thinkers who are not only confident to ask questions, but who are informed and articulate enough to ask the right questions.
Throughout the curriculum, children’s learning will work towards a purposeful final product. We believe there is much learning in the process of evaluating and editing. Carefully-considered feedback from adults enables children to make substantial progress when planning, developing, honing and producing a finished product.
A love of language and effective communication is central to our curriculum. We ensure our children speak with enthusiasm from their earliest years and rapidly acquire the skills they need to be confident, but considered and considerate orators.
Providing our children with memorable experiences is key to our curriculum offer. We ensure every area of learning is supplemented with visits and trips, encounters and adventures which will equip them with the confidence, knowledge and skills they need for a successful, happy and productive life.
