Curriculum

Intent
We aim for our pupils to develop as independent, resilient and successful learners with high aspirations for what they can achieve. Our inclusive school supports pupils to develop as respectful individuals who know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society.

We aim to deliver an aspirational and relevant curriculum, based on the national curriculum, capturing children’s interest and curiosity, fostering a real love of learning. Our curriculum is carefully mapped to ensure that it is coherently sequenced, progressive and accessible for all pupils, whatever their starting points. Learning sequences across year groups have been designed to support children to know and remember more. We achieve this through building on prior knowledge and supporting pupils to make connections in their learning.

We strive to ensure that pupils are well prepared, not only for the next phase of their education, but to be successful citizens of the future. We emphasise the holistic development of our pupils and motivate them to believe in themselves and inspire them to achieve their potential. We strive to promote a culture of high expectations and encourage pupils to have high aspirations for themselves. We celebrate pupils’ achievements and support children to recognise those positive feelings of pride and accomplishment.

Implementation

Children begin their educational journey with us in our Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) department where their curriculum covers the seven areas of development as outlined in the EYFS statutory framework:

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Physical development
• Communication and language
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive arts and design

Children at this stage in their development experience frequent adult-led inputs balanced with protected extended periods of child-led learning in our spacious environment which includes a large, open, natural outdoor space.

Priorities for adult led learning across the EYFS curriculum have been determined to ensure strong progression of knowledge across the academy. These are detailed on subject specific plans. The acquisition of early language and literacy skills drive this, with language concepts and vocabulary taught intensely using Concept Cat, Word Aware and Talk for Writing approaches.

Curriculum maps for each subject, outline the knowledge for each unit of work in each year group and how this fits into children’s learning journey within the subject. The sequence of teaching is carefully mapped to support the acquisition of knowledge. Teachers personalise the unit plan to meet the needs of the children in their cohort, unpicking vocabulary that is essential for the learning and creating carefully considered resources to support core knowledge. We aim to provide a range of opportunities to broaden pupils’ horizons and promote first-hand experiences to make learning relevant and utilise real-life learning opportunities including using our vast outdoor environment to enhance and enrich our curriculum.

We have high expectations that pupils think deeply. Teachers use a range of strategies to direct pupils’ attention and ensure all pupils are included in talking, thinking, remembering and contributing. Teachers monitor and respond to the learning in lessons, closely monitoring who has learned the taught curriculum and who has not.