Curriculum Implementation
At the heart of our curriculum are the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and RE. We also truly value our wider curriculum, covering all other National Curriculum subjects. This wider curriculum is organised into discrete subject specific work taught as ‘stand-alone’ units of learning and ‘cross-curricular’ learning, where meaningful links can be made with other subjects, which help secure prior learning or develop learning further. All year groups have a termly enrichment or hook to excite and engage the children and a ‘purpose’ for study so that learning is meaningful and relevant for them. Where possible, learning will be supported and enriched through a variety of resources and opportunities. These include; visits, visitors, workshops, artefact boxes, role-play and practical resources. Progression of knowledge, skills and understanding is carefully planned, reviewed and adapted yearly, to ensure that the children’s learning builds effectively over time and they are ready to meet the expectations of their next stage in education. Teachers will be self-reflective and will enhance their teaching skills and strategies to help raise standards across the full breadth of the curriculum.
The curriculum provides children with memorable experiences, in addition to diverse and rich opportunities from which children can learn and develop a range of transferable skills.
We make full use of the skills of a wide range of professionals; throughout their time at the school, children will work with specialist coaches as they learn a variety of sports, the school holds the ‘School Games Gold Award ‘and the YTS Gold mark. Through our PSHE/SRE, science and PE curriculum, as well as through our 'Healthy Hero's' week in the summer term, children learn how to look after their Health and wellbeing. All children have a wide variety of opportunities to take part in sporting competitions both amongst our own school community in the form of house competition and within the wider community, entering local and county competitions. There are a wide variety of opportunities for children to develop their dance performance skills; this includes all children work with an external dance specialist on a choreographed piece on an annually which they then perform as part of our Christmas performance; other opportunities take place biannually for our KS2 children to perform in a theatre as part of Echoes’ and Energise.
Music and performance have a high profile in the school and the school has a specialist music teacher, with each child receiving a weekly music lesson. The school has a variety of music ensembles, 3 choirs and opportunities for group and solo performances are planned for and provided both within the school and beyond it.
A varied timetable for extra-curricular activities is offered by the school, clubs that support many areas of the curriculum, as well as those, which develop specialist skills, such as football, whilst also extending the range of children’s experiences. A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement; providing purpose and relevance for learning.
The school takes pride in providing a highly inclusive environment, where learners demonstrate high levels of enjoyment in their education and most make good progress in all subjects and areas of learning. Children at all levels are helped to achieve their potential. Those who are most able are challenged and supported through being offered tasks which provide opportunities for greater depth and those who do not find learning easy are encouraged and given targeted support to embed skills, to develop at their own pace or simply to learn in a style that best suits their individual needs.
Subject leaders play an important part in the success of the curriculum by leading a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the subsequent celebration of good practice contributing to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further. All subject leaders are given training and the opportunity to keep developing their own subject knowledge, skills and understanding, so they can support curriculum development and their colleagues throughout the school.