Curriculum Intent

Our school Mission (see About Us/Our Mission) outlines the aims we have for our pupils, in terms of the knowledge, skills and attributes we wish them to have by the time they leave us. It was written taking into account the specific context in which our pupils are growing up.  The curriculum has been developed very much with the Mission in mind, and is the driving force behind achieving it. 

Beyond the Mission, our curriculum has been shaped by the demands of the National Curriculum (About Us/Curriculum/National Curriculum) and by specific national priorities such as the understanding of fundamental British Values. 

On a whole school level, it is organised into seasonal topic themes (About Us/Curriculum/Whole School Topic Overview). The Foundation subjects are generally organised into topics that interlink where possible. When deciding what is taught where, consideration has been given to the age of the pupils, to our own and national expectations of them and to what will most engage them.

Certain subjects such as English, maths and science, are taught discretely throughout the year. What should be taught and when is made clear by the National Curriculum and other nationally available guidance. We try to reinforce the knowledge gained and key skills learnt in these subjects by utilising a cross-curricular approach and applying them in the learning of Foundation subjects.

We have endeavoured to ensure that the curriculum is as interesting and enjoyable as possible, so that our pupils want to learn. We plan enrichment opportunities to support pupil learning and engagement, and occasionally organise specific events in order to meet elements of the Mission that are not naturally or thoroughly covered elsewhere. We have also worked to ensure our curriculum is as inclusive as possible, so that everyone has equal opportunities to access and benefit from it. 

Cultural capital has been considered throughout, and is of genuine importance to us and our pupils. This is evidenced by the fact that each class is named after an incredible person who has achieved in life. The School Council worked with staff to update these names for the start of 2019/20. 

The Curriculum Maps in this section (About Us/Curriculum/Curriculum Maps) show what areas in each subject are taught at what point over the year for each class. The English, Maths and Computing sections contain schemes of work and planning outlines that show in more detail what specifically will be learnt and when. 

We are constantly reviewing our curriculum to ensure it best meets the needs of our pupils and helps achieve our Mission. As such, we are working on particular aspects all the time. Progress Grids, which will summarise the knowledge and skills learnt in each year group in each subject are being completed, as are Knowledge Organisers for the main topic subjects. Have a look at the document below which summarises the main foci for our review this year: