Intent
The uniqueness of every child is recognised and valued and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We celebrate and welcome every child as an individual so they can be the best version of themselves. As such, our curriculum embraces the community that the school serves and celebrates the backgrounds and experiences from which our children originate. We aim to develop lifelong learners who have the knowledge, skills and attributes that enable them to deal with whatever challenges our rapidly changing world may hold for them.
Our curriculum is written to excite, inspire, enthuse and engage all children in our school. It is designed promote a love of learning by providing children with a wealth of experiences. Our curriculum is underpinned by the teaching of core skills, knowledge, concepts and values which prepare our pupils for life beyond primary school. These key skills are developed in subjects in a systematic way, building on skills year on year. Key concepts and vocabulary are reinforced as they are progressive and encountered repeatedly through careful planning.
We constantly adapt our learning journey to meet the needs and interests of our children, ensuring that all pupils are well equipped for the next stages of their education. Through carefully planned trips, visitors and extra-curricular activities we bring the curriculum to life and offer experiences to engage all children.
We want all children to succeed and make good progress regardless of their starting points. We aim to achieve this through tailored learning experiences which allow all children to become confident, resilient and independent young people, with the appropriate skills, values and learning to become successful in whatever their future will be.
Implementation
Our curriculum, which has high expectations for all, is mapped to include full coverage of the National and EYFS curriculum. It provides a range of learning experiences for our children, both in school and out, giving memorable experiences alongside rich opportunities for high quality learning and wider personal development and well-being. The community and wider area surrounding St Nicholas is important to us and is reflected in the opportunities we provide for the children such as: visits, school events involving parents, assemblies and fundraising events.
We offer a balanced curriculum where skills and knowledge are taught discreetly in subject areas so that our children gain a broad understanding of each subject and know exactly which subject they are studying. This way they can see themselves as the scientists, artists and historians that they are. Clear links are still made between subjects through addressing component knowledge and key skills within subject groups throughout a child’s journey through the school. Learning is always based on building upon prior knowledge whilst working towards clearly defined end points.
We have developed our curriculum so that it not only teaches the knowledge appropriate to the year group, but also the skills children need to enable them to be successful learners. It is designed to support children with retention of subject knowledge and to develop long-term memory skills so that they continually build on their knowledge and skills in order that they know more, remember more and can do more.
Our Curriculum is delivered through high quality, robust schemes of learning. Each scheme builds sequentially with clear coverage and progression across year groups. Each curriculum subject has a long-term overview and progression document. This sets out the breadth of study for each year group; knowledge; skills progression and how these build up to Year 6; the key vocabulary that must be learnt to support these thresholds and how we will assess children’s learning and successes throughout their journey. This ensures that revisiting is done in a deliberate and planned way to deepen a child’s knowledge and understanding of a skill. All planning is flexible and responsive to pupils’ needs. These long-term plans ensure progression which can be monitored by subject leaders. We recognise the importance of feedback, both adult and peer, as an integral part of the teaching and learning cycle and aim to maximise the effectiveness of its uses in practice.
Our whole curriculum offer is implemented in a consistent manner by ensuring that excellence in teaching enables children to succeed in whatever they do, across all areas of school life and beyond.
Impact
Everything we do is with our children in mind, and strong relationships are built between children and staff which create an atmosphere for learning which enables all children to experience success.
We plan lessons with clear learning objectives which enable all groups of children to make good progress. Most lessons begin with making links to prior knowledge as a starting point for all future learning. Planning is based upon the teacher’s detailed knowledge of each child, striving to ensure that all tasks are set appropriately to support and challenge pupils, so all learners make progress.
Assessment for learning is imperative to ensuring children make good progress. Lessons are adapted and flexible to meet the needs of all pupils and this informs subsequent planning. Pupils’ progress is measured through ongoing assessment for learning and through three key assessment points during the year. Work is then planned to address misconceptions and gaps in learning are identified to ensure that the curriculum effectively meets the needs of all children. The impact of the curriculum on children's long-term memory is checked by our subject leaders who undertake pupil conferencing each term to identify what pupils have learnt and remembered in each year group.
Parents and carers have opportunities to engage in their child’s learning journey through family events, celebrations and lunches. This enables them to be engaged in their children’s learning and see first-hand what the curriculum looks like. It also gives them the opportunity to provide us with powerful feedback that can be acted upon accordingly to improve outcomes for all learners.
Our curriculum offer enables the whole school community to maintain high expectations and aspirations for our children and we aim for all pupils to leave school as confident, resilient and independent young people, with the appropriate skills, values and learning to become successful in whatever their future will be. We believe our curriculum inspires a culture of learning, encouraging all our children to continue learning and to have the courage to succeed in whatever they do, across all areas of school life and beyond.
