Our Curriculum

Our aim is to develop a curriculum worth learning and remembering.

"Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum. They have identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. It is aspirational for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). " - Ofsted October 2022

Curriculum Design

In 2021/22 we made some exciting changes to the way that we approach our curriculum so that it is designed to be remembered. We particularly adapted our approach to PSHE, Art, Science, History and Geography.

Key improvements: 

PSHE

• PHSE/ RSE is already established in school as per our road map.
• Made more links between PHSE/RSE and science- ensuring that areas were not being taught twice (e.g. healthy living/exercise) and all opportunities to embed learning are explicit.

Art

• Moved towards a focus on 3 key areas of art: drawing, painting and sculpture/multimedia (previously 6 areas of art to cover).
• Focus on learning about a range of artists from classic to modern, ensuring equal representation throughout the curriculum.
• Introduced our Imitate- innovate- invent approach.

Science

• we carefully considered the amount of learning required for each area of science, plotting individual objectives and cross referencing with the amount of weeks in each half term, ensuring enough time can be dedicated to each, including spacing some more complex science concepts over a longer period of time.
• made more links with our already established PHSE/RSE curriculum to ensure children are reinforcing key concepts throughout the year. 

History 

• Use of Historical Association curriculum materials to ensure high quality coverage and teacher subject knowledge.
• Sharper focus on local history- children developing a pride and sense of identity about where they are from.
• 2 areas of history coverage per year group over longer periods of time to allow children more time to deepen learning.
• Year 1 focusing on laying the foundations to a successful year 2 history curriculum.
• Egyptians moved from Y3 to Y5, adapted to compare all the ancient civilizations at a point where children will be more academically ready to learn, understand and remember more complex historical concepts.

Geography

• Use of Geographical Association curriculum materials to ensure high quality coverage and teacher subject knowledge.
• Purposeful links made to relevant science and history concepts.
• 2 areas of geography coverage per year group over longer periods of time to allow children more time to deepen learning.
• Most significant changes made to Y6 with the introduction of American geography which links closely to the second industrial revolution and second unit about ‘fair trade and distribution of natural resources’ and how this links to current economic and geological issues.

See how these subjects fit together below