Intent

Our curriculum is based on our vision and, in educational terms, we "provide a creative curriculum which is broad, balanced, fun and effective - which challenges each and every child so that their full potential is reached in life, as well as in the terms of academic attainment and progress - to be fully rounded individuals and good neighbours; people with the skills to thrive in the 21st-century with the capacity to be fully contributing participants in the communities in which they find themselves", linking specifically to the Church of England's Statement of Entitlement from February 2019. 

We want learning to be relevant, purposeful and enjoyable while promoting the core skills of oral and written communication; application of maths and the supporting skills of information technology; working with others; improving own learning and performance as well as the development of problem-solving and thinking skills.  

The subject-matter of a topic or theme is often developed or referred to in English or Mathematics lessons and the skills children learn in English and Mathematics lessons are practised and applied in wider lessons, which give them a sense of purpose and relevance and frequent opportunities are taken to allow our children to use their skills, such as using mathematics across a variety of subjects as well as giving many and varied opportunities to write at length.

Implementation

Our approach is to balance a nurturing learning experience with high academic expectations, with our vision and values interwoven in all that we do.

Children are taught as part of a topic-based approach where relevant cross-curricular links are made, which helps children understand that subjects and disciplines are related, knowing that the skills they learn have real-life applications. 

Within the classroom, our teachers plan lessons that meet Quality First Teaching expectations: 

• All lessons have a high pitch, strong differentiation so that all can access the learning and robust formative assessment (by pupils and adults) to establish next steps.
• Some children who are falling a little behind others may need additional support to help bring them back to speed: short term, targeted interventions support with this, especially around phonics and reading, but mostly within the classroom so that wider learning opportunities are not missed. 
• A few children may need bespoke, specialised intervention outside the classroom to narrow attainment gaps which may be the result of special needs, social or economic disadvantage, emotional or mental health issues.

Impact

Each of our curriculum areas is driven by a Subject Leader who is also a qualified teacher.  As curriculum leaders, teachers assist school leaders by monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects, in accordance with our monitoring schedule, and feed back to school leaders and governors as appropriate, ensuring a continuous cycle of development and improvement for all subjects.

Children leave our school as well-rounded individuals, who have developed detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum, enabling them to be ready to pursue their secondary school education with all the skills associated with life-long learners - with a love of learning - who will go on to achieve well as 21st-century global citizens.