Our Curriculum Intent

In keeping with our Christian vision our curriculum is designed with six goals in mind to enable our children to become, 'the very best they can be':

• To provide children with awe and wonder in order to develop their spirituality. 
•  To ensure children respect, utilise and take pride in their environment - 'God's big world'.
• Teach children the best in every subject they study, giving them the knowledge and skills to take their studies and passions beyond primary school.
• To give children a valuable insight into the local and global significance of all our subjects.
•  To provide children with experiences that awaken their desire for knowledge and that leads them to become Initiative takers and resilient learners. 
• To ensure children live out our school values taking pride in everything they do. 

Our implementation of the curriculum

Our school curriculum is designed to extend the children's knowledge of themselves and the world around them, to develop their skills and ideas as individuals and to help them relate to others. All children follow a broad and balanced curriculum, taught in topics across the mixed age classes, following the national curriculum.  

Within this framework, activities are sought to provide children with opportunities to:

a) Develop lively and enquiring minds.

b) Identify, define and solve problems.

c) Develop interest and imagination.

d) Encourage decision making and responsibility.

e) Be sensitive to the needs of others.

f) Acquire knowledge, skills and understanding.

g) Experience a caring, supportive school community and to contribute to its well-being.

Our carefully planned curriculum offers progression and continuity, and the matching of work set to the ability of the children. The Christian ethos that permeates the whole of our school life. The Reception children follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.  Our intention is to provide a vibrant and exciting curriculum that enables each child to realise his/her greatest potential.

Our aim is to create a happy and safe school environment where children learn specific skills; where they develop a love of learning, of finding out and investigating; and where tolerance and consideration for others along with cooperation and team work provides the basis for all our activities.  The monitoring of each child's progress is on-going and is discussed with parents at appropriate times during the year.

The curriculum in its full sense comprises all the opportunities for learning provided by the school.  To support our children in knowing more and remembering more, we teach some of our subjects in blocks.  The blocks enable us to immerse our children in an enquiry, adding depth to their knowledge and opportunity to learn and apply new vocabulary introduced in a topic.  Within each subject, our curriculum builds upon prior knowledge and is carefully sequenced within and between phases.  Links are made to other subject areas to support them in long term understanding.  Between blocks, current affairs and other curriculum areas allow us to continually revisit and embed key skills and knowledge. 

The subjects delivered in blocks are science, history, geography, art and design technology. The long term planning for these blocks is arranged over a two year cycle.   Each term, children will cover at least one block of each subject; there will usually be two science blocks in a whole term. Within each block children will have frequent opportunity to secure the core knowledge.  They will take part in a variety of learning experiences to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the subject.  At the end of a block there will be a 'outcome task' which provides the opportunity for children to apply and celebrate their learning.  These tasks are often written, but may be presented orally to peers. 

Subjects which are not taught in blocks, (RE, PSHE, ICT, PE, music and in KS2 French) are delivered on a two year cycle.